Best way to beat the crowds on Black Friday? Don't shop. Good lord, people, haven't you got anything better to do? And do you really want a PlayStation or TV or multi-pronged gold-plated nose-picking widget badly enough to stand in line before dawn and beat people up for it? Or pepper spray them? WTF, America? Just W-T-GD-F?

I went to a big church rummage sale today. Z was remarkably well-behaved, hanging out in his stroller playing with a toy while I shopped. At some point he latched onto one of those fuzzy stretchy chenille scarves, and when I checked out, he still had hold of it. I figured it made for cheap entertainment, so I bought it ( Read more... )

My faithful Singer Merritt, my workhorse of over 15 years, has finally bitten the dust. I hate the thought of a new sewing machine taking its place--either an over-priced, overly fancy, gadget-laden computer with 365 different kinds of stitches (of which I'll use two), or a cheap, flimsy, plastic contraption with no soul that will break down every ( Read more... )

Lately Z has been resistant to riding in the cart when we go grocery shopping. He wants to get down and walk, and lets me know in no uncertain terms. But I've always been too scared that if I let him walk on his own, he'll run amok through the store, grabbing things off shelves and creating a whirlwind of destruction, which would be ( Read more... )

I admit up front, I'm spoiled for farmers markets. Having been to the giant market at the Ferry Building, and the smaller Heart of the City market, in San Francisco, I have a certain vision in mind when I hear the words "farmers market." Several city blocks' worth of stalls, heaping mounds of fresh produce, dairy products, and everything under ( Read more... )

Though I have been trying to eat more organic foods, and be more aware of where my food comes from, it's hard not to find the humor in this Simpsons segment, which really covers all the bases of over-the-top socially conscious shopping ( Read more... )

Since my experience with "Fast Food Nation," I've started investigating the possibilities of Whole Foods. It sure is a warm, happy, fuzzy place to shop. There are free samples, fancy cheeses, an amazing selection of (grain-fed, free-range) meats, a gorgeous case full of (wild-caught) fish fillets, and a seemingly endless aisle of organic produce ( Read more... )

A 14" Acer Aspire laptop! My very own laptop, not assigned by work, not a hand-me-down from Aaron, but mine, mine, all mine!!! 143 GB of hard drive space, 3 GB of RAM, built-in DVD player and webcam, all for one low, low price of $480 at Costco! Whee ( Read more... )

Ok, so porcelain72 posted this infomercial, and after listening to it, Aaron was sure it had to be a parody. They have a real website , with an 877 number, so I figured, what the heck ( Read more... )

Today was Z's first ride in a shopping cart! Always before, I'd kept him in the car seat, snapped into the stroller frame, to go grocery shopping, and I could only buy what would fit in the little basket beneath. But he has been getting much better about sitting up, so I brought along the shopping cart seat cover, and sat him in the front of the ( Read more... )