I am at a Starbucks in Mechanicsville, VA. Let me pause for just a minute to say that I have always loved the name of this town; it sounds like a Fisher-Price little people play set. 🙂

I had breakfast at the Cracker Barrel next door, my first and most definitely not last time having breakfast at that chain. Since I don’t eat eggs, I usually end up ordering pancakes for breakfast. By the time I add on some protein and a tip, breakfast comes in around $13, and I always end up throwing away half the pancakes. At Cracker Barrel, I was able to order their hash brown casserole and turkey sausage side combo by itself, which made for a reasonably portioned and very tasty breakkie with a good balance of carbs and protein. Their coffee was really good, too! The tab was $6 and I added a $2 tip.

I’ll be heading into Richmond shortly to have the laptop battery replaced. I found the perfect place to spend the afternoon and hope that it’s as great as the reviewers claim. As a hint, it’s considered Virginia’s answer to the Met. That’s a major promise and I’m curious to see if the comparison is accurate.