My bank is merging

I learnt today in the paper that my bank, the Mechanics and Farmers Bank, is going to merge with another durham institution: the Community Mutual Savings Bank.

Thankfully, they are going to keep the M&F name. I have to say, I mainly got an account there because of the Bank's name. The Mechanics and Farmers Bank: what a cool name.
I don't know why, I think that name is great in today's technology oriented society.

(I also have to admit that I also got an account there because one of their branches is really close to my house and is opened on Saturday.)

What I did not know and discovered reading the Article is that my bank is actually kind of special. It was an historic bank founded during the segregation, one hundred years ago and that It has played a major role in promoting the development of a black middle class. This bank was part of what was called "Black Wall Street".

By the way, the bank it is going to merge with was created almost at the same time and for the same purposes.

So, good luck with its expansion plans to the Mechanics and Farmers Bank.

Rue Cler

Hey,

Sorry about not posting too much right now, but it's finals; so I have very little time.

Today, we discovered a very cool new place in downtown Durham, called Rue Cler. You've read me well a French restaurant, Downtown Durham! I mean: not in Southpoint Mall.
It's a low key cool French restaurant with the same kind of food you would find in a French Bistro. We loved it. We had a croque-madame, some moules frites and crepe for desert plus a nice rose to celebrate our food.

The place is really cool. The restaurant setting is pleasant and I was fun to be able to eat some cool French food at a very reasonable price.

Apparently, the restaurant opened less than a year ago and is already a big success.
What is nice is that there is a lot of parking available around it. That makes life easy and it follows one of my mogos: no parking, no shopping!

Long live Rue Cler!

Foster's Market

 
One of the very cool places to visit in Durham is Foster's Market. The place was created by Sarah Foster, a former associate of Martha Stewart. Not only the food is excellent but the place is also very cool. There are adirondack chairs to sit in the front porch, exotic and gourmet products to buy. It's extremelly pleasant to go there to spend a couple of hours sipping a cup of coffee. I recommend the key lime pie.

Sarah Foster has published several cookbooks and is a frequently invited on numerous cooking shows in the US.

If you come visit us, we'll very likely take you to Foster's.
 

Saint Patrick's Day

 
 

Today was Saint Patrick's Day. We got the bad idea to reserve a table at the party our church was aving that day. It was pretty boring not to say extremelly boring. That was quite a deception considering that our church is usually pretty active and young. At this party, when we entered I saw a sea of white hair busy eating an auwful meal. I almost went home directly. What a disapointment!!!

The only funny thig about this is that we got to wear funny hats, but sponsored by Liberty Tax Service. We are in America Business is Business and It is tax season.

Jacques was so bored at the end that he decided to wear the hat as a rapper in a sign of protest.

 

Home Theater

 
Although, I have to admit that watching the game in a Home Theater with an High Definition TV makes the defeat sweeter!