knoxville

So I picked up this monstrosity when I went to Starbucks for a job interview earlier today. I don’t know what I was quite expecting taste-wise, but it certainly was very sweet and sugary, and tasted a lot like cotton candy. Definitely not like a mocha or cappuccino. I think I did get this because I missed out on that Unicorn shake the previous years.

 

Final verdict? Not bad. This is stuff for an easygoing road trip or hanging out with friends. Don’t get this if you’re in the mood to focus and want something stiff/regular.

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When people ask me what I do to relax to sleep or get in the mood for writing, they’re often shocked when they hear my response. Most likely because they don’t hear me say I need to lock myself in a corner of a room with a blanket, or whatever a typical introvert would say.

Apparently going out into public to write is such a big shocker.

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So when I visited my cousin who graduated from UT earlier today, we all went out to go eat at Bombay Palace. I actually forgot that I’ve not been here in a few years; I do clearly remember visiting here when I graduated from ETSU myself in 2013. I guess it’s a hotspot for graduation families to visit.

 

Aside from whatever was in the buffet, I had a side of fried chicken pakora. This was real tasty and I think came out better than Sahib’s in Johnson City. I pretty much equate the taste to pholourie batter on fried chicken. On top of that, there’s a tamarind sweet sauce they give you, which is almost like honey mustard in taste; that complemented it real well.

 

Give it a shot when you get the chance.

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When I decided to grab food before heading back home today, Sticky Rice immediately came to mind. So I stopped in for this lovely dish, dry rub wings.

 

I’ve had this dish a few times before, the first being at the Knox Asia Festival in 2017. The Sticky Rice peeps had set up a booth with a few different types of chicken, and this was rubbed with some spices and some quite hot pepper. It was very oily, perfectly fried and trumped any KFC that may have come my way.

 

Do stop into them and try this dish, it’s worth the $8. Maybe one day I’ll have a whole-blown meal from them when time allows.

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Stopped at Starbucks after the eclipse for some much needed A/C, headspace and to relax just a tad bit. Almost felt like I was on the road today; it was a real great feeling and enjoyed the outing.

 

Do apologize for the blurry screen, I didn’t realize I had something private on the screen until I got it ready for posting. So just had to obscure that.

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When I got my goody bag from Christina this holidays, I was introduced to the goodness known as Trader Joes. So the first free chance I got, I trekked it to Knoxville and visited the one out there, across from Toys-R-Us on Kingston Pike. This was my haul!

 

Goodies include fruit jellies, coffee, cheese puffs, cheese sticks, pub cheese and licorice sticks. Sue me, I love salty, savory cheese products.

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I highly debated ever telling this story, even five years after it took place. The people that were involved had long gone their ways, and one of them ended us knowing each other on an extremely sour note.

However, if you take all of that away, it was one of my “adventurous” college moments. It also is one of the most dangerous driving conditions I’ve ever driven through. With all of the snow that’s happened in the last week or so, and having my own taste of winter weather this Sunday, I decided it’s time and okay to share this.

Okay, deep breath. Here goes.

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I found myself out of the neighborhood this afternoon, in the small town known as Lenoir City. Why? To meet some kid who was going to sell me a Gameboy. The meetup spot was Jet Pizza; while waiting for him to show, I ordered a pizza to take back home with me. I snapped this photo while waiting around; it had an interesting aesthetic to it; certainly not like the chains I go to; and while not in grandeur to M & S back in Dover, it had an older look that made me think back to the late 90s somehow. Maybe I’ll stop in here one of these days again.

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