Day 10: It's Just As Yummy When I Have to Pay

I started my new Yogato card today, and though I didn't get a free yogurt, it tasted as yummy as always. I was thankful that the tangy was ready for me--original soft is just too sweet!
I had a 10% discount coupon, so I went wild and got a topping. The yogurt/cantaloupe/chocolate syrup combo helped dull the pain of the terrible weather combined with some rather unwelcome news I received yesterday. I think I prefer watermelon, though.
Unfortunately, I did not see any doggies today, but I'm happy to say that my yoguru and I are continuing to  develop our rapport. Other than that, it was a pretty quiet day. One or two people came in, I read some "Game Change," yada yada yada.

Day 9: If It's Free, It's for Me!

Free yogurt day is always a treat. In addition to getting one's yogurt without paying, one can get whatever size/topping choices one wants.
Normally, I take advantage of this. Today, however, it was cold out, and I was in a bit of a time crunch and had to eat on the run. I ended up getting a small original soft (they were out of tangy at the time---oh, the humanity!) with strawberries. I briefly chatted with my yoguru (who loved my flavor idea, by the way) before heading back to the office.
Normally, I wear gloves when it's in the 40s, but I didn't want to look like a hypocrite by doing so while deliberately eating something frozen. So off I plodded, hands turning into blocks of ice as I walked. I happily walked past (and gave a nice pet to) an adorable golden retriever hanging out in front of CVS---doggies are the best! It's interesting that all of the puppies I've seen so far on my yogurt adventure have been retrievers of some sort. Next up: yellow lab? Chesapeake Bay? Curly coated?

Fun fact: Apparently, Yogato's exact recipes are trade secrets, but the tangy yogurt has lemon! Who knew?

Day 8: Train Kept Rollin'

Again, another average day of yogurt. My yoguru was pleasant as always, and he even gave me a discount coupon when I figured out one of the trivia questions after I paid for today's original tangy. I won't be using it tomorrow, though, because my yogurt will be free!

As usual, I read "Game Change." I'm coming so close to finishing it! Sadly, I did not see any doggies on my yogurt trip. :(

Day 7: Time for a Topping!

It was the first time during my yogurt challenge that I opted to pay the extra $1 and splurge on a topping. Thankfully, my yoguru (props to J for that naming idea) hadn't yet put up the new day's trivia questions, so I got 10% off for remembering two of yesterday's answers. (No forehead stamp today--had to keep it classy!) To today's original tangy, I added watermelon and some chocolate sprinkles. Watermelon might seem like an odd froyo topping, but it actually complements the tangy yogurt quite well.
I decided the other day that I'm going to try to create a rapport with my lunchtime yoguru. He seems like a nice enough guy, so I'm hoping to recreate a yogurt version of the "Cheers" atmosphere, minus the huge bar tab.
Nothing of note really happened while I ate my yogurt, though I am excited to report that my free yogurt (you get one free after 10 purchases) is only a couple of days away. I started filling my Yogato Aloto card before I started my challenge, so my freebie is coming a little early. I can't wait!

Best part of my yogurt adventure: I got to pet an adorable flat-coated retriever on my way back to work. He/she was hanging out in front of CVS, no doubt waiting for Mommy or Daddy to return. I love doggies.

Day 6: Sweaty Sunday

A 4.6-mile, hilly, caffeine-free run led me to Mr. Yogato ready and willing for my small, no-topping yogurt. I was pretty blah by the time I got there, so I had my original tangy without even a trace of chili pepper or chocolate syrup. I was so out of it that the obnoxious teenagers holding court in the shop distracted me from ordering.
Luckily, the teenagers left a couple of minutes after I got there, so I was able to play Tetris to my heart's content. (Yogato has an old-school Nintendo machine.) Then, two little kids came up and watched me. It was awkward, as I am not terribly comfortable in the presence of most children. Anyway, I got to the 10th level before the computer kicked my butt. Then I finished my yogurt and walked home the mile and a half in the cold. It was windy and in the low-ish 40s, and my fingers slowly turned into sausages. How lovely!

Something of note: I got my first forehead stamp (good for 10% off). Probably won't be doing that often, as I must look respectable at work!

Sorry this was such a messy post, but I'm so tired. Better composition tomorrow, I hope.

Day 5: Nothing Interesting to Report

I got my froyo today after I finished volunteering for the SunTrust National Marathon, which went well. It was cold out, but I still tucked into my yogurt with gusto. Nothing interesting happened. Oh, well, there's always tomorrow!

Day 4: Windy City

It's the end of March, so doesn't that mean it should no longer be coat weather? Maybe it's because we've been in the 50s for the past few weeks, but I was absolutely frigid today while plodding down to Mr. Yogato after my Mall run (which, by the way, wasn't as touristy I'd thought it would be).
But I'm committed to this challenge, and there was no way I was letting the cold and wind stop me. Thankfully, Yogato was cozy inside. Except for the gaggle of teenagers.
Picture it: I was sitting quietly at a table spooning out my original tangy with chocolate sprinkles when I heard the door open. In stepped two, then two more, then a few more, until there about 15 college-freshmen types. They were loud and obnoxious, filling up Yogato's shoebox-size space like a bunch of HeLa cells in a petri dish. Had I been a scientist, I could have recorded the minutes in my diary for later research, possibly even following them back to their indigenous habitat (no doubt a GW dorm or some such place).

In an effort to try to block out the kiddies, I read some "Game Change" as I finished my yogurt. Then I exited the building, happy to again have freedom over my own thoughts.

Day 3: Trivial Pursuit Edition

Sadly, I spent most of the third day of my froyo adventure trying to figure out the answers to trivia questions on Mr. Yogato’s whiteboard. Sadly, I couldn’t figure them out except for the day’s scramble, which is always a jumbled-up topping. I do have to say, however, that I found great satisfaction in making my third tick mark in the “contenders” section of the store’s whiteboard, and that that satisfaction nearly eradicated the shame of not being able to answer such questions as naming vice presidents whose last name ended in vowels.

My experience today wasn’t anything to write home about, as the weather was gloomy and as I was pretty tired. But it’s the yogurt that matters most, and as usual, my original tangy yogurt (with chocolate sprinkles) was top notch.

In other news, I think I may have solved my flavor-name dilemma. I figured it out when, go figure, I was leaving Yogato for the second half of my day at work. What do you think of a chipotlé-chocolate flavor called “Hot Tamelanie”?

Day 2: Every Day Is a Froyo Day

Sure, it was in the mid-40s, cloudy and slightly drizzly, but I wasn't going to let the weather stop me from my frozen-yogurt challenge. To me, there's never a better day for froyo than today.
So on I soldiered, and a mere 10 minutes later, I'd reached my destination dry and intact. My experience today was even better than it was yesterday, especially owing to the adorable black lab I got to pet on my way back to work. Dogs are possibly my favorite things in the world, and I'd venture to say I love doggies the way most people love babies.
Also today, I learned that when I reach my 30-days, the flavor they'll name after me will be newly created. How exciting!
My brain started buzzing, and so far, I've come up with two possibilities: a caramel-flavored yogurt called Caramelanie and a chipotlé-chocolate yogurt whose name I can't figure out.
Now, I'm in love with chipotlé chocolate--it's one of my favorite flavors of frozen treats (or brownies, cakes, etc.). Anyone who knows me knows how much I lurrrrrve spicy foods--I put cayenne pepper in anything from cottage cheese to smoothies. But if I can't figure out a good name, how can I turn that flavor into a reality?
Enter Caramelanie. I'm not really a huge fan of caramel, but the name is perfect; it just rolls off the tongue. That's about the only positive thing I can say about that.

Maybe I'm getting a little presumptuous, counting all my yogurts before they've even been eaten. But I never go into a situation unprepared if I can help it. So what's a froyo lover to do in such a quandary? Any ideas?

Day 1: The Challenge Begins

I took a nice stroll up 17th Street on my lunch break today as I contemplated the excitement and wonder of the month to come. You see, today was special: It was the first day of my 30-day froyo challenge.
When I got to Mr. Yogato, the cashier greeted me warmly, and I told him my new goal. A person sitting near the register, himself a 30-day champion, cheered me on. I wrote my name on the store's whiteboard, and it became official: I was in for the long haul!

After that, I sat down at a table and read "Game Change" while I savored my froyo flavor of choice: tangy with crushed red pepper flakes and chocolate sprinkles. Perhaps it was ironic to be reading about politics while enjoying something as agreeable as frozen yogurt, but I didn't care; I was as content as the little cartoon Yogato mascot.
All in all, it was a positive experience. (The gaggle of boisterous 20-somethings, one of whom bragged about her Tetris skillz, was the only downside.) I had fun, I didn't break the bank and I even did a good deed.

By the end of my 30 days, I think I might be sick of all the froyo. But for now, all I can say is this: Bring it on, Yogato!

First Post

Hello, and welcome to "Brain Freeze: A 30-Day Frozen-Yogurt Challenge." It is here that I'll chronicle my quest to become Mr. Yogato's next 30-day froyo champion. Why am I doing this, you ask? Though it won't bring fame or fortune, the honor of being a 30-day champion is great. I'll go down in Yogato history, and I'll also get my own flavor.

Yes, I will be spending money (and calories) that could be spent in other, less sugary ways, and I don't think anything extraordinary will come from this. But in the end, I think it'll be worth it, and it'll be a fun story to tell my friends.

May the freeze be with me!