Why did it get pulled? That's the kind of stuff this site used to thrive
on! Marnie and her ilk were annoying but easy prey, but thanks to the TOS,
they were the only ones (that I saw) calling names and breaking the TOS.

I was on Dana's side all the way.

What is wrong with a few of the new letters/letter writers today/this week?
Can you freakin' write in ENGLISH? Are you mentally deficient? One
letter was so difficult to understand it was ridiculous.

How do these people get through their daily lives? They remind me of my
redneck paternal relatives. "I ain't got none." "I seen that movie."

ARGH!

So the Qwest letter writer learned that her lousy attitude with commenters
didn't win her any "Person of the Year" awards, so she got a letter posted
with no commenting allowed?

I suppose she wishes she could do this in her everyday regular life.

I would suppose she needs to.

What a fucking JOKE. Someone can post a letter saying the OP's temper is
"over the top" but I can't post that I didn't think a five hour delay is
that bad, considering how other deliveries have gone, based on letters
we've seen on this site?

Three of my comments got pulled on that letter. But no response from Greg
as to why.

Fucking joke.

As wildfires rage closer to the outskirts of Santa Barbara, I've heard
"exclusive" several times. I have relatives who've lived in Santa Barbara
for over 40 years. They moved there before it was "exclusive" -- I believe
they paid something like $30K for their large home back then. My mom's
sister, Jeanne, and her husband Bob, raised their two awesome kids, Jeff
and Laurie there.

Laurie lives there still, married with two wonderful daughters. Her
husband is a firefighter in Santa Barbara and the wildfires provide a
much-needed income boost, but at the great cost of homes and occasionally
human lives.

Santa Barbara now is so expensive, Laurie and her husband Dean can't afford
to live in the city in which they work (she's a teacher). The people who
keep the city afloat (landscapers, housekeepers, restaurant workers, hotel
employees) can't afford to live there.

Eight years ago, my last stay in Santa Barbara, a shot of vodka on the
rocks cost me over $11! The bartender was from Minnesota like me, and told
me that he can't afford to drink in Santa Barbara!

So, yeah, I guess it's "exclusive." But there's also a mobile home/trailer
park in the direct line of the wildfires... and that is where many of the
lower wage workers live.

I'm not a pray-er, but I'm a thinker. Whichever one you are, please take a
moment to keep them in your prayers or in your thoughts.

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/yourmoney/44307242.html?elr=KArks7PYDi
aK7DUdcOy_nc:DKUiacyKUUr

The story is:

Effective May 15, Target's return policy improves slightly. Customers still
have 90 days from the date of purchase for returns or exchanges with a
receipt. That's not changing. What Target is "relaxing" is the policy for
returns without a receipt.

Previously, customers could make two returns per year for store credit as
long as each item was under $35. Items costing more than $35 were not
returnable without a receipt. (Target customers can also request a receipt
"look-up" in customer service. If the item was paid for with a credit or
debit card, check or gift card and the buyer can provide the checking
account number, credit, debit or gift card, it qualifies as a return with a
receipt.)

The new return policy without a receipt changes the maximum value from $35
per item to $70. Customers are no longer limited to two transactions
without a receipt per 12-month period. The customer can return any number
of items without a receipt, up to $70 in total value. For example, a
shopper could reach the limit by returning one item without a receipt for
$70. Another could return 10 items for $7 each to max out.

Once Target customers reach the $70 limit, they may still exchange new and
unused clothing with tags attached for different sizes, colors or like
items. Food items may also be returned at the historical low price.

The change in policy is in response to customer surveys, said David
Fransen, a Target spokesman.

Saying "the regulars" doesn't make any sense. We have different opinions
and disagree on letters. It's a ridiculous generalization that just
doesn't make any sense.

It makes as much sense as saying "Americans" or "black people" or
"women"--it's a generalization that just doesn't hold water. We "regulars"
don't have same opinions, attitudes, and responses just because we post at
the site regularly.

From today's Minneapolis Star-Tribune's consumer section.

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/yourmoney/43300777.html?elr=KArksLckD8
EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUsr

Oh, happy day! My home state, moderately conservative farm country Iowa,
legalized gay marriage today! I read much of the Supreme Court's written
arguments in support of their UNANIMOUS decision, along with a legal
analysis and apparently it's iron-clad, bullet-proof, UNTOUCHABLE!

The court ruled that it failed to see how the relationship of a same-sex
couple had any effect on an opposite-sex couple. That if "tradition" means
"discrimination," then it's an argument that would have held water in
equality issues based on race and gender.

This ruling is effective TODAY.

Thank you, Iowa, for becoming the third state in the union to recognize
same-sex unions and to give their FAMILIES legal standing, the same as
every other family.

I have a few pet peeves about this site.

One is when we have a letter that's a smoker complaining about something
cigarette-related (like we have right now), at least one person will take
the opportunity to comment negatively on smoking as a vice. (Not picking
on sarahsmile, who I like, who commented negatively on the current
letter--it's a predictable thing.) Of course smoking is stupid and bad and
blah blah blah. But I know lots of smokers and they're great people. I
mean, I have never smoked a cig in my life (I do, on rare occasion, like a
really good cigar), but we all have our vices and we all know how annoying
it is, and how irrational and judgmental it sounds in our ears, when
someone is criticizing a vice that *we* happen to practice.

Other pet peeves:

*I read a letter, I respond negatively toward the letter writer. Then I
read all the other responses, and I think, "If I'd read these, I don't
think I would have bothered adding to the pile." D'oh!

*I respond more harshly to an OP than I would if I'd known it was someone
at this site. Like in Casmly's current letter (about the kid shopping cart
at Babies R Us, I think). I like Casmly! She disagrees with the majority
a little more often than most regulars, and I like that -- she stands up
for herself and others, but she's respectful about it. I just like her.
So I felt bad when I realized I was a bit curt and flippant in my response
to her. The anonymity makes it so easy to drop the "do unto others" habit.
I need to work on this.

*Any letters or comments that have anything to do with homosexuality.
Because I will be compelled to respond, and because I often have trouble
keeping my cool with people who don't "agree with" how gay people live
their lives. So I'd rather the issue/topic just not even get introduced
here. It makes for cranky lunch hour for me. ;)

What are your pet peeves? Please keep the comments to things about
letters, letter writers, or responders! This isn't about picking on
management! Thank you! :)

I turned 41 today. I made much less of a fuss this year than every
previous year. My mom grew up without birthdays (crazy gramma) so she
overcompensated (yay!) and as a result, my birthday lasts a week!

Had beer and food with Hal (my exbf) tonight -- it was good to see him.

Tomorrow night I have drinks after work with girlfriends. My goal is to be
home and in PJs by 8! Seriously! I have to get to bed early.

Saturday a.m.: Haircut. Noon: "He's Just Not That Into You" with the
girls. After that: Coraline with a guy I've been seeing and then a
party.

Sunday night: A date with a new guy!

I love my birthday weeks. :)

From a friend (white, married to a black woman), who shared this exchange
with his 3-year-old biracial son Kai:

A few months ago on the morning of November 5th I looked at my boys and I
misted up a bit. Hell, I'm still misting up a bit now. The fact of the
matter is that their grandfather lived in the time of segregation and had
to fight tooth and nail to become one of the first black CPAs in this
country. That is a very different world than the one my boys will grow up
in. The first president they will know shares their mixed racial heritage.
Wow.

At one point that morning I hugged Kai and said "Son - you know you really
can be anything you want to be!" and then asked "What do you want to be
when you grow up?"

His response?

"I want to be... a stop sign!"

And I had to admit, as laughter shook the tears of happiness from my eys,
that telling cars what to do is pretty cool!

My dog of 12 years is very sick and likely needs to be put to sleep early
next week. I blogged about her. Just go to the site and look at the
picture, and you can tell how sweet she is from that face.

http://redheadwglasses68.blogspot.com/

I posted a letter to VS, but forgot to check the box to share it, so I"ll
vent here:

Why are Victoria's Secret stores HIRING MEN? I refuse to shop for undies,
bras, and other goodies when there's a man hovering about, asking if I'm
finding things okay. I don't know how teenage shoppers feel, but they
can't like it any more than I do.

Ick. Keep the men out of our underwear stores, unless they're shopping.

...Gov. Sarah Palin! I have the hair clip, the business suit (many to
choose from), and a baby doll that I'll have others carry for me all night
long!

Luckily, she has many of her own "Bushisms" so I won't even have to make up
ridiculous quotes--her nonstructured, undiagramable sentences are so
perfect, I'll quote her directly. I'll read them, of course, from my index
cards "talking points."

This will be a hoot!

This blog started as a joyful announcement of impending parenthood -- the
parents were from Minnesota, living in L.A., and wanted to share pregnancy
and baby news with friends and family who lived far away.

On March 24, after weeks of bedrest, their daughter Madeline was born about
two months premature. THe next day, on her way to see her daughter for the
first time (after an emergency c section), Liz, the mother, passed out as
she was getting into the wheelchair, and never regained consciousness. She
died in minutes from a blood clot. She never got to hold her baby. It's
statistically insignificant -- only about 60 women a year die from
complications resulting from bedrest. But try telling a grieving family
and a motherless newborn that it's "insignificant."

Pretty damn sad, right? It is. I cried. Their story was featured in the
Minneapolis Star Tribune, which is how I found out about the blog.

But he's doing an amazing job raising his beautiful baby girl, and he's so
in love with her, it's just amazing to watch the transformation from lost,
grieving widow (age 30) to smitten dad who is with his daughter every
minute of every day (thanks to donations from many people, he hasn't had to
return to work yet).

He still comments about his wife a lot, and it's so poignant. He has yet
to sleep in their bed since her death. He has yet to cook a meal (he can't
stand to be in the kitchen without her -- they cooked together).

But thanks to the baby, he's moving on as well as can be expected, and it's
just a wonderful story of life, death, and everything else in between.

It's worth checking out. And the pictures of Madeline are out of this
world. He's a gifted writer as well, with a distinct style.

I've never been comfortable around breastfeeding, as I wasn't around it
growing up. The first time I saw it (that I remember) was when my cousin,
same age, was nursing her first baby, around age 22 or 23. I continued to
talk with her, kept my eyes on her eyes, etc. Then in my 30s, as friends
had babies, I got more comfortable with it. I'm still not comfortable with
it in public, but I'm better than I used to be.

But on a message board recently, people used this argument against people
who think nursing belongs at home or in a bathroom or under a blanket:

If you're going to vocally and publicly complain about women exposing part
of their breasts when they're using their breasts for their true, original
function, then you should complain when you see overexposed breasts for the
purpose of titillation (ha!) and showing off.

I loved it. I guess sometimes, people (like me) need to have things put in
perspective when they aren't getting it on their own.

My coworker arrived at work yesterday and started complaining about Michael
Phelps. "What makes him so special? My husband and I think he's a slug.
We saw a thing on him on TV last night and all he does is eat, sleep, and
play video games."

Me: "He also is in the pool something like 30 hours a week, he has other
work-out routines such as weight training."

Her: "He doesn't even have a job."

Me: "Training for the Olympics, and doing world competitions, IS his job
-- he has sponsors, like Speedo."

Her: "What's he doing that's so special? What about academics? We should
be paying more attention to those kids, praise them, make THEM famous."

Me: "Kids who do well academically likely will go far in life, and that's
great, but on Saturday night, I'm not going to sit back and watch math
geeks solve tough equations on a blackboard. I'm going to watch THE
OLYMPICS."

Her: "I still think he's lazy."

Me: "You're the only person who thinks that, and I'm NOT debating this
with you any further."

Extrapolate out from that one conversation in which my coworker is calling
the greatest Olympian of all time A SLUG WHO NEEDS TO GET A JOB, and that
is my 8-5 experience five days a week.

I'm watching NBC--I don't have cable. Right now, gymnastics are on, and
the announcers WILL NOT SHUT UP. My lord, just let us watch some routines
and stop telling me everything that she is doing wrong as she does it. One
guy (obviously a former Olympic gymnast) seems to be the primary culprit.

He's making it less enjoyable.

Maybe one of the gymnasts can kick him in the ankle for me.

Did you know that New Orleans had the highest rate of homeownership among
blacks of all major cities in this nation? Some wards had ownership rates
as high as 99%.

Unrelated to that, I do think that how the government prepared for and
reacted to the hurricane was racism, pure and simple.

We've come a long ways in this country, but we have so much further to go.

I just read this today in my local paper's consumer
watchdog column, in a column about overly aggressive debt collectors:

By federal law, if a consumer disputes a debt, it's the collection agency
that must come up with proof that the consumer has been correctly
identified, along with specifics about the bill.

HOW TO HANDLE DEBT COLLECTORS

If you get a call or letter from a collection agency about a debt you don't
think you owe, here's what to do:

# Tell the agency in writing that you don't owe the debt and ask for proof.
Write within 30 days and send your letter by certified mail with a return
receipt requested.

# Don't provide personal financial information, such as your Social
Security number, to debt collectors.

# Don't pay any part of the debt that can restart the statute of
limitations on debt more than 4 to 6 years old. Plus, a court could
interpret your payment as your admission that the debt is valid.

# If the debt is really old, be skeptical. This kind of "zombie" debt,
which may have passed through several agencies but refuses to die, could be
something that you in fact did pay long ago.

# Don't let the agency harass you. If you send a letter telling it to stop
calling or writing, it must do so, except to tell you that it is no longer
trying to collect or that it's pursuing a legal remedy.

# Contact your state's attorney general's office if the agency still
presses to collect a debt it can't prove you owe.

Complaint letters about bad pornography, hookers who don't finish the job,
pimps who are rude in their demand for payment, bad batches of drugs, etc.

The mind, it boggles.

Leaving the party late, two friends compare notes. "I can never fool my
wife," the first says. "I turn off the car engine, coast into the garage,
sneak upstairs and undress in the bathroom. But she always hears me. And
she wakes up and yells at me for being out late."

"You should do what I do," says his buddy. "I roar into the garage, stomp
upt he steps, throw open the door and start kissing my wife. And she
pretends to be asleep."

(Read it in Reader's Digest.)

I'm from Iowa. I was born in Cedar Rapids, lived there for five years,
then spent most of the next 20 years on a hobby farm halfway between CR and
Iowa City, which are 30 miles apart.

As of 5:30 tonight, 83 of Iowa's 99 counties have been declared disaster
areas. Iowa City's last two remaining bridges may close this weekend,
dividing the city into two halves (the Iowa River runs through the city,
through the heart of the University of Iowa campus (thank goodness school
is out).

I love Iowa. I love EASTERN Iowa. It's home (Minnesota is home now, too).
I had an amazing childhood and I owe it all to being from rural Iowa.
(I'm sure that's not really true, but that's just the romanticized feelings
I have about a wonderful place.)

Farms have been destroyed. Food prices are going to skyrocket this year
and next year with all the floods in the farming states. I don't even want
to think about the loss of farm animals (my soft spot).

All I could do today when I had slow moments at work was read the local
Iowa papers (www.crgazette.com and www.press-citizen.com) and cry. Even if
I could go down to help this weekend (I can't: two good friends are
getting married tomorrow), the freeway is closed, the bridges are closed.

I made it through the Des Moines flood of '93 (when we went without running
water for three full weeks--water water everywhere and not a drop to drink)
and I never thought I'd be able to say that another flood would affect me
so much. But this time, I'm not even living there, and it feels so much
worse.

A few recent letters on this site in which the OP came back to respond to
everyone had me thinking last night: I need to start composing my negative
comments as if I were expecting the OP to come back and respond to me in a
very mature, classy way. Guido who has issues with his leased car, David
from another letter... I admit I was a little embarrassed by my initial
response once they came back to the site and responded to people in a very
fair fashion in the face of criticism and questions and doubt.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/27/earlyshow/main4130288.shtml

A Port St. Lucie, Fla., mother is outraged and considering legal action
after her son's kindergarten teacher led his classmates to vote him out of
class.

Melissa Barton says Morningside Elementary teacher Wendy Portillo had her
son's classmates say what they didn't like about 5-year-old Alex. She says
the teacher then had the students vote, and voted Alex, who is being
evaluated for Asperger's syndrome -- an autism spectrum disorder -- out of
the class by a 14-2 margin.

Last Friday night, I had an epiphany. I decided/realized that I believe in
an afterlife, whatever that may be!

I was watching "Ghost Whisperer," a show I"ll admit I enjoy a lot. I
started to think about people who are alive and have told their stories of
near-death experiences, such as on the operating table. I have always
believed these people and their accounts of "the light" and what and who
they saw while they were "Out of their body."

Then it hit me: That means there's an afterlife. And that means *I* get
to have one, too! How cool is that? I'll get to see Gramma and Grampa and
Dad and my cat Spookee again! :)

I'm not Christian and never will be, and I don't believe for one moment
that religion necessarily has ANYTHING to do with an afterlife. But it did
renew my interest in Buddhism, so I grabbed my new/unread "Buddhism for
Dummies" book to keep on hand for when I have time to kill (like before a
ball game).

My summation: Death could be less stressful. Look at it this way. You're
on your deathbed, and while you may be sad that you're leaving your loved
ones, there are other loved ones you haven't seen in a long time and you'll
get to see them again! And then later on, you'll be joined by the ones who
died after you.

Rather comforting.

I normally frown on the practice of "sampling" in the produce or bulk foods
departments. But my last batch of almonds (expensive! healthful!
tasty!), my most indulgent regular treat, was so stale that I am going to
use them in stir-fry dishes this week. They are inedible -- just so blah
when they're stale!

So from now on, I am going to take two or three almonds from the bulk bin
and decide whether I want to spend $7-8/pound based on the current quality.
Otherwise, the canned stuff in the snack aisle isn't any more expensive
per pound.

I'm home early from work watching Oprah, watching this story talk about how
their family was destroyed by a drunk driver. Oprah stated what MY
thoughts have been on the public's (and juries') attitudes about drunk
driving: We are reluctant to severely punish a drunk driver because we
know that it could be US being punished. Oprah asked how many people had
driven after even just one drink, and of course 90+% of the audience raised
their hands. The mother of a girl killed by a drunk driver said that if
Oprah had instead asked how many people pick their nose, no one (or a rare
few) would raise their hand. She's right.

Americans see more shame in picking their noses than in driving under the
influence.

The mother said nothing will change in this country until we dole out
harsher punishments. I disagree, to some extent. That will make a
difference to a certain degree. But to see a real reduction in drunk
driving requires a change in the mindset and attitude in this country.

You know that "don't drink and drive" PSA that says, "'Buzzed' driving IS
drunk driving!"?

I have a DUI conviction from seven years ago. I occasionally drove
"buzzed," convinced that I was fine to drive, in spite of three drinks, or
in spite of many more drinks but thought enough time had passed. I'm glad
I got busted, because I learned a lot, and I share what I learned when an
opportunity presents itself.

I used to be ashamed of my DUI conviction. Now I am not, because I feel
like it was a valuable lesson and I was very lucky that nothing bad ever
happened, and because maybe through being open and honest about it, someone
else's behavior will change, even just one night.

"Telling ourselves that only great losses are significant in the grand
scheme of things is unfair to the grand scheme of things a scheme whose
grandness depends on our caring about losses great and small."

This made me think of letters that are about "petty" or "small" complaints.
I've been guilty of criticizing these letters sometimes as well. "Just
Brenda" once commented on a letter that we all have different "small"
things that annoy the hell out of us, so we shouldn't criticize a letter
writer whose complaint is over something that doesn't particularly bother
US, because surely each of us has a complaint about something that doesn't
bother others.

Read this statement this morning. Actor, when asked how his life has
changed since the birth of his daughter 51 months ago:

"I could never have conceived of the relentlessness of the obligation and
the responsibility."

I have a wonderful comforter and it keeps me toasty warm, which is good
because I keep my thermostat set low (60-62), especially at night, because
then kitties come to bed to snuggle with me. If I cranked it to 75, they'd
be lounging on the couch.

I got up this morning and as soon as I walked down the hallway and past the
kitchen, WOOSH! I had left my kitchen window wide open last night! There
was a morning breeze and COLD air (it was like 20 below last night here in
Minnesota ... kidding! I'm guessing it got down to the mid 30s last night)
and my place was FREEZING!

That was at 7 a.m. It's now 10:15 and it's still cold, even with the heat
cranked as high as it will go.

Time for tea.

During the run-up to the current war in Iraq, all of the big news orgs had
interviews with retired military officers, serving as independent experts
on military aspects of the coming war.

Turns out that all or nearly all of them were secretly paid by the DoD to
talk up the war.

The Times broke the story a couple of weeks ago. Since then there has been
an almost complete news blackout on the story. None of the news networks
will cover it. Because it looks even worse for the news orgs than for the
Pentagon or the retired officers. Worse because they got played by the
Pentagon. Even worse than we already knew.

They referred to the article in The Times, which was about four full
newspaper pages long, with lots of sources and shit.

Since then? Silence. The blogs are still talking about it. And talking
about the silence.

I think those retired military officers should be stripped of their
retirement privileges, their pensions should be greatly reduced (they make
considerably more in retirement than they did while on active duty), and
they should be publicly shamed while standing in just tightie whities.

And whomever was involved in the scheme to pay them should be immediately
fired, banned from all future government jobs, and their pensions reduced
to only what they contributed. No cushy retirement on tax dollars for
them.

I love my country. I loathe my corrupt government.

I listened to an awesome interview on public radio last night:

1980: 40,000 imprisoned on drug charges
2007: 500,000 imprisoned on drug charges

The U.S. has 5% of the world's population, but 25% of the world's
prisoners. China has several times our population, but is a distant second
when it comes to prison population in proportion to the country's
population (and China imprisons political prisoners, something our country
doesn't do, thank goodness).

100 years ago, our prison system was studied by other countries as a model
in rehabilitation. NOw, we're mocked and criticized because there is zero
rehabilitation going on. What minimal rehab there IS is being performed by
nongovernmental organizations (mostly churches and similar social services
outreach programs).

We also penalize prisoners AFTER incarceration as no other country does
(such as taking away voting rights).

Of course, a big part of the U.S. penal system is done (I believe, and many
others do as well) to disenfranchise black voters, but that's another
discussion entirely.

Mildred Loving died yesterday. It was Loving v. Virginia, taken all the
way to the U.S. Supreme Court, that made it illegal to prohibit a couple
from marrying based on their mixed races.

Read Mildred Loving's beautiful statement from June 2007 regarding her
marriage to a white man (she was black) in 1958, when it was illegal in
most of the south to do so.

http://www.positiveliberty.com/2007/06/mildred-lovings-statement.html

The final two paragraphs of her statement:

"I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no
matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry.
Government has no business imposing some people's religious beliefs over
others. Especially if it denies people's civil rights.

"I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard's and my
name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment,
the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or
old, gay or straight seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all.
That's what Loving, and loving, are all about."

From my local paper:

Like many first-time parents, Matt and Liz Logelin were understandably
nervous.

Two months before her due date, Liz was put on bed rest in early March to
keep from going into labor prematurely. Twice, she was wheeled into the
delivery room, and twice, the baby changed its mind.

So when baby Madeline finally arrived on March 24, small but healthy, the
entire family breathed a sigh of relief.

Then the unthinkable happened.

Liz, 30, passed out the next day on her way to hold her daughter for the
first time.

Within minutes, the young mother was dead from a blood clot no one knew she
had developed.

Suddenly, Matt Logelin was facing life as a new dad and a 30-year-old
widower all at once.

As his world fell apart, Logelin turned for solace to the Internet, which
has become an unexpected lifeline for many sharing joy or grief. In his
case, both. He told their story in a blog, www.mattlogelin.com, which he
subtitled: "Life and death. All in a 27-hour-period."


The blog is compelling.

www.mattlogelin.com

You support the war in Iraq? You support Bush/Cheney/et al's getting our
country involved in other countries' drama that isn't our business? You
think we belong in Iraq, and that we should invade Iran next?

Then join the military, or have your sons and daughters join. Either the
war is worth fighting, and sacrificing for (YOUR kids, not mine), or it's
not. There's absolutely no way you can say "This war was/is the right
thing to do" and yet not support it with actions.

So either send your loved ones overseas to fight... or shut up about the
war. It's way too easy to be in support of Bush and his war when you don't
have to make a single sacrifice.

Our local newspaper's consumer/shopping columnist does a great job--usually
writes interesting columns. Recently, she tacked the "Empire Today" (you
know, the commercial that seems to run every single day, touting how
they'll come to your house so you can pick carpet, and they'll install next
day). Well, she looked into carpet companies, and found that Empire Today
doesn't do enough business in the Twin Cities to get an accurate
representation as to the quality of work they provide, their customer
service/satisfaction, etc.

But Chicago, where they're based out of, does. And this company is awful.
Their prices are 50% more expensive at the very least, they use
high-pressure sales tactics (when a sales rep comes to your home, you are
STRONGLY pushed, even bullied, into ordering something that day, and if you
want a day to think about it, they'll add 50% to your total bill just for
not signing something that very first day), the installers they hire for
the job don't do a good job, don't finish the job, etc.

Our local columnist found much better prices AND customer service and
installation satisfaction from the local carpet stores, even on identical
products. And often, you can get carpet installed in a short time-frame in
a pinch, rather than pay the exhorbitant prices for "next day"
installation.

Now if they would only stop with the commercials and that jingle!

I went to my first movie premier tonight! It was a 1950s-style sci-fi
movie. Now... that is NOT on my list of preferred movie genres. I
expected to go because my awesome friend Dan was the star, and that's what
you do with/for friends. I expected to hate the movie, find it boring and
uninteresting and not funny.

I was completely wrong. It was great -- funny at the right times, in the
right ways. The acting was great -- good job, Dan! I just was so
surprised and very impressed.

I knew several, and dated a couple, of film majors when I was in college.
One of my oldest friends has a film degree. So I am well versed on student
film projects. Friends get dragged into the whole lifestyle, it seems,
because they're needed to help with film projects, and because it's a
pretty interesting field in which to major, in my opinion. I got exposed
to some VERY cool animation movies and shorts, such as Tim Burton's college
short, a stop-motion animation piece about a little boy named Vincent who
has delusions that he's Edgar Allen Poe, seeing death and the macabre at
every turn... narrated by Vincent Price!

Sorry... I was off on a favorite tangent for a moment.

Final product? I always loved watching my friends' projects--I was
impressed! It showed creativity and great follow-through. They were cool!


So to see a friend on the BIG screen, in a sold-out theatre (family from
South Dakota came--everyone they know came!), was the ultimate culmination
of a film project!

And I can't remember the last movie I saw that didn't have a single swear
word in it.

Recently, I bought two packages of compact fluorescent lightbulbs -- one
package of two, one package of one. When I went over the receipt at home,
I saw that the cashier hadn't paid close attention, and instead of ringing
up both packages individually, she assumed both packages were the same, and
charged me for two double packs -- I was overcharged about $5, give or take
a buck. I set them aside, along with the receipt. When I returned to
Target a couple of weeks later (this past weekend), I stopped at the
customer service desk and explained what had happened.

CSR: "So what do you want to do? Do you want to just return this single
bulb and go get a double pack and call it even, or what?"

Me: "I just want a price adjustment and I'll keep what I originally
bought. Do you need my card to credit my account the difference?"

CSR: "Nope, it's done! Here's your credit, and here's a bag for you to
put them in so you don't accidentally pay for them again when you check
out."

Return within 90 days with a receipt, make a calm request that is
reasonable and fair, and voila! Treated with respect and a smile. Yup, it
was that easy.

Softball season! So far, I am on three teams -- Monday and Tuesday nights
in Minneapolis and Friday night double headers very near my home. If I
think my schedule can handle it, I'll add at least one more game night
(Sunday nights, maybe) once the summer session starts, but for now, I'll
stick with three teams/four games a week.

And this means that's three fewer nights a week I have to hit the gym.
Thank [insert your favorite deity here].

And now it's been one month that I've been unattached, and a month is
probably the longest I've gone without having a date since my divorce in
2001! It's a nice change to not be doing the online dating--it's so much
work, and it can be time-consuming, not to mention that going out for
dinner and cocktails adds up calorically.

So for now, I'm just going to concentrate on softball and friends and
getting my dog back into good health (long gross story).

I'm so glad it's spring! Happy April!

No, not ADventure, because that would be awesome! I'm talking about a
potential business venture. I did some research this weekend, and I am
thinking of becoming the poor man's garden designer/landscaper! I thought
about the level of labor I could do and what I would charge for it, then
research costs online, and found that I came in below others.

I would do garden design (which takes into account the amount of sun and
shade at different seasons and times of the day during those seasons, and
the ideal flowerbed is one that always has something blooming, so you have
to aim for spring (March, April, May), summer (June, July, August), and
fall (September, October, November) blooming plants. Ideally, you can have
color from March into October or November, even here in gardening zone 4
(southern/central Minnesota). You also want a mix of heights, depending on
the location.

I would do plant selection, flowerbed tilling (at my old house, I
hand-tilled all of the flowerbeds and the vegetable garden -- about 10
total, I think), planting, mulching (my specialty!), and watering... and
then perhaps weed on contract (I like to weed).

But the kick is... I could do all of this with no owner involvement, or
with the owner alongside the whole way, or anything in between.

I have some more research to do, and I'm toying with applying for a weekend
job at nursery instead, just to gain another year of knowledge and make
some contacts for the next gardening season.

I decided that I'd start at $10 for garden design/plant selection, but $20
for any real work spent outside. The cheapest rates I've seen online were
more like $50/hour, even for the lower-end landscaping businesses.

So... we'll see. I have some research to do, talk to some self-employed
friends (most of my friends over age 30 are self-employed), call my master
gardener friend David, and get some more perspective and thoughts from
people who have been there/done that.

http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/diversions/and_great_lyrics_quiz_roc
k_roll_the.php

I'm only through the first 10, but I got 7 of them right so far. I'm
loving this quiz! 40 years of music loving and listening are paying off!

I don't want to hear about you southerners and East Coasters who have
blooming plants in your yards, darn it! ;) Here in zone 4, we can't plant
until May 15. No longer having a house has left me with a huge jonesin' to
do some gardening. The south side of our parking garage gets some dappled
sunlight early and mid-day through the evergreen trees that are on
neighboring property, but otherwise is full shade, so I am thinking of
asking the condo association whether we can buy some plants and plant a
woodland shade garden (my favorite). Bleeding hearts, lily of the valley,
hostas (to name the obvious few)... just the thought makes me happy. And
it'd be nice to have plants back there instead of mud. WE also get geese,
so I'd like to give them some "cover" for protection and security --
although I could live without the goose poop in the parking lot.

Steven Sueppel beat his wife and four adopted children (ages 12 and under)
with two baseball bats.

I hope there's a hell so he suffers for all eternity.

I hope all the prayers of his nine Catholic siblings, prayers for mercy and
forgiveness, go unanswered.

This morning, an Iowa City man killed his wife and four children at home,
then killed himself by driving his vehicle into a concrete post near the
freeway.

He'd recently been indicted on embezzlement charges. He'd stolen over half
a million dollars from the bank at which he was a vice president. Rumors
of gambling debts were swirling around....

While I don't blame his gambling, I think we'll see more stories of
desperation as we get more casinos. Depending on which branch officed out
of, he could have been as little as five minutes away from a casino outside
of Iowa City. I think of gambling addiction as being similar to alcohol
addiction: It controls a person's actions to a degree where common sense
and logical behavior just flies out the window.

I may have gone to high school with this man. I'm waiting to see which
high school he attended. His family name wasn't uncommon in the Iowa City
area, and one branch of the family is quite prominent, owning a flower
shop, a restaurant, and other businesses. The name is well known in town.

Very, very sad.

And not one damn word has been spoken about this on the evening news
tonight, either the national NBC news or the local Minnesota news.