Herman's and I Can't Believe it's Yogurt

Just got back from a run around the neighborhood. Popped in my cheap Ipod wannabe mp3 player from COBY (which I highly recommend) into my computer, added some good Texas country songs and off I went. Who woulda thought that the Eagles, Robert Earl Keen, TI, Tenacious D, and Talking Heads would create a cardiovascular tour de force? All I need for a run is some good music and this little tiny tiny thing does the job for like 20 bucks-- just a few Benjamin's short of an iPod the same size.

Unfortunately, about 15 minutes into my run, I started getting this sharp pain underneath my left shoulder blade in the back right over by Stoneboat. The pain coincided with heavy fatigue and slowly faded away as I started walking instead of running. Never had that before. It shortened my run which I was hoping to be around 45 minutes long and ended up being a half hour. A week ago, I woke up and couldn't get my left shoulder blade loose and had mom give me a massage there and it didn't help. I wouldn't be surprised if the two sores were related.

This neighborhood is fascinating. Seventeen years ago, when us Haberstroh's moved from Appletree Trail to Hermit Court, my parents were afraid that our house would have trouble getting sold because "it was too big for the neighborhood". Now? I wouldn't be surprised if our home fell victim to a raze and torn down if it weren't for the marshlands. Those would be a hurdle when the papers landed on the desk of Planning and Zoning committee.

The houses around here are colossal and new construction sites are seemingly everywhere you look. The newest on the corner of Hermit and Red Coat is a must-see and would've absolutely dwarfed the neighborhood 5 years ago. These days, it has some stiff competition. The only downside to these new monster-mansions is that the plots of green forests have vanished. The ironic part is that the people who live there will likely "go green" and buy organic soil to save the planet after they cut down a thousand trees. I still remember coming home from college and being shocked at the lack of forestation. Still happens.

As a kid growing up in Westport, I took for granted the size of the houses and all the money that's thrown around in this town. Having college friends visit from out of town helped me understand how fortunate I am to grow up in this beautiful town. Compo, Longshore, Winslow Park, Burying Hill, Old Mill, Beachside, Saugatuck, Main Street... A practicing photographer would have no difficulty finding material here. Check out WestportNow.com if you want to check it out some of the scenes. There's a reason why Westport continues to attract the "artsy" type.

Everyday I feel like I remember on old store in Westport that is no longer. A good friend of mine mentioned Herman's and for a moment I didn't know what he was talking about. HERMAN'S! I used to go to Herman's with my brothers all the time for all my sports equipment and garb. Now, it's a favorite local grocery store-- Trader Joe's. For all my sporting "wants" I'd head there or to Athlete's Foot downtown (also gone), or Athletic Shoe Factory (also not there anymore but moved to the border of Fairfield on the Post Road). Next to Herman's, it used to be a Shawmut Bank, now a Wachovia. I went to the Shawmut for a Boy Scout trip and got a tour. "And here's where we keep all the money but we can't go near there." Oh. I felt like Tantalus. Come to think of it, let's do a little run down of Westport Used-To-Be's and Now-is' that come to mind. I'll call it...

Westport's Used-To-Be's (and Now is') Circa 1990 A.D. List

1. Herman's . (Trader Joe's)
2. Shawmut Bank. (Wachovia Bank)
3. Bank of Darien. (Lafayette-American Bank to Hudson United Bank and now, TD Banknorth)
4. Westport Bank & Trust (Patagonia)
5. Fuddruckers (Post Corner Pizza to ??)
6. Onion Alley (Bobby Q's)
7. Speedy Pizza (San Remo Pizza)
8. Dairy Queen (Swanky Franks)
9. KidWear (Smith and Hawken)
10. Arcudi's Pizza (Chef's Table)
11. Downtown Movie Theatre (Restoration Hardware/Inferno to Matsu Sushi)
12. Ship's Corner (Lynne Scalo)
13. Eddie Bauer (Tiffany's)
14. Athlete's Foot (Sunglass Hut)
15. Arnie's (Anthropologie)
16. Hay Day (Balducci's)
17. Waldbaum's (Barne's and Noble's)
    
18. Grand Union (Shaw's)
19. IHOP (Westport Pancake House)
20. Trail Blazers (Maggie Moo's)
21. 3D Linen's (NYSC)
22. Sam Goody's (SomeBank)
23. DeRosa's (Poggen Pohl)
24. Genovese Pharmacy(?)
25. Ames (Stop and Shop)
26. Positano (Tengda)
27. Toyota-Mazda Dealer (Toyota-Scion Dealer)
28. Post Cinema (Zany Brainy to now, Pompanoosuc Mills)
29. Taco Loco (Border Grill)
30. Haagan Dazs (An Indian Restaurant to Finalmente Trattoria
31. Chroma (??Beautiful Faces??)
32. La Villa (Bank then La Villa again)
33. The Remarkable Book Store (Talbot's)
34. Britches (Ann Taylor)
35. Klein's (Banana Republic)
36. Silver Ribbon (Nine West)
37. Westport Public Library (Domain, Starbucks, HSBC, Guess)
38. Manero's (John Harvard's to Conte's)
39. Party Barn
40. Wild Oat's (Food Emporium)
41. Food for Thought (FedEx Kinkos)
42. BBQ's Galore (Panera Bread)
43. Talbot's (Talbot's Men's)
44. Westport Big and Tall
45. State Police Barracks (Walgreen's)
46. Mazda Dealer (Lexus of Westport)
47. I Can't Believe it's Not Yogurt (Etoile to Sole Etoile)
48. Speedo (Zest)
49. The Arrow (Jasmine's Restaurant)
50. AlphaGraphics (Pierre Deux)

My mom and I hit 50 so we're done for now... more to come if we think of them. Feel free to add to it, but I'll only post it if I remember it. No arguments.

Anyway, Sox won. Kason Gabbard=Cy Young?