Month: June 2005

Blockbuster, how you toy with me

Posted on

Last week our local Blockbuster messed with my head for a moment when I saw Dead Like Me, Season 1, Disc 4 on the shelf (read this entry for the background story on this), but it was Disc 3 in the wrong spot. Just as I suspected, they didn’t remove the Disc 4 box. I mean, why would anyone want to run a successful business after all?

I started calling around to other Blockbusters in the area to hunt down this disc. Everyone was very friendly and apologetic when they said they didn’t carry the series, and one guy informed me that you can actually check stock of a particular store online at the Blockbuster site. Well, theoretically since the service has been “temporarily unavailable” for over a week now.

After my fourth call, I finally located a store that carried the series, but the disc I was looking for was out. I called back yesterday morning and it was back in. I asked if they’d hold it, which they do, but only for two hours. I told the guy I’d call back later since I wouldn’t be able to make it over there until after 5 pm but he said he’d hold it for me anyway and took my name. That was nice.

If only Little Miss Unfriendly at our usual store could train with that guy. I don’t know what crawled up her butt, but she never smiles and the only words out of her mouth during the entire transaction is “here you go” when she hands you the movie. I don’t know if she’s just a biotch, or she doesn’t like us in particular, but she makes me uncomfortable.

Spend it

Posted on1 Comment

I officially declare today Spend Money Like Water Day. Mark your calendars for next year!

Within hours we ordered:

– An audio stand for our living room
– Some collector’s coins (for Joe)
– Admission to the Milwaukee Public Museum and an IMAX show for our day trip on June 25th

In a way, it’s good that my lunch hour shopping trip proved unfruitful, or I would have also gotten a pair of jeans from Kohl’s and some Market Day chicken kievs from the Sara Lee store. Apparently they sell everything from Market Day but the kievs. :(

Someone please hide our Discover card; it needs a break! ;)

Poo Zoo & Other Adventures

Posted on

We were quite busy yesterday, but the day managed to still stretch out before us, which is always a nice feeling.

We got up fairly early to make a quick trip to Walmart before all the freaks showed up. I tried on some jeans, but the sizes do not make sense to me. I couldn’t even fit into a 13 (they have odd sizes in this one brand), yet I ended up with two pairs of cotton shorts, one of them a size 4/6. Explain that! Ok, I will. It’s my hips. I actually have a fairly small waist. So I made sure to work out again last night. I need to slim down before October!

After Walmart, we headed over to Cantigy Park with cameras in hand. It was a bit hazy outside, but the sky was becoming more blue, so we took our chances. Since there’s a $7 charge per car, we didn’t want to pay for nothing. Luckily we did get some fairly decent photographs. I got a bit of sunburn on my shoulders too. It was so hot and humid by the time we left around 11:30 am.
Read More …

Dust and turtles

Posted on

Work dragged today because there wasn’t anything to work on due to a system problem. Of course, we had to sit around all day in case the problem was resolved, so I had a lot of time on my hands to surf. You know, the internet gets pretty boring after a couple of hours. I did find some cool places to go during the summer, though, so it wasn’t a complete waste of eight hours.

I also visited a local nature center during my lunch break. They have a little turtle pond and one of their turtles seems to be dying. He was underwater (including his neck), floating at an angle, not moving. I let an employee there know, and she fished him out with a net and placed him on a rock. He was barely moving, and I suspect he’s sick. I warned her he could contaminate the pond and cause the other turtles to get sick, but I’m not sure if she took me seriously.

I got really annoyed with my camera too (the Nikon 2100 I carry in my purse, not the Canon) because the macro mode rather sucks. The camera kept focusing on the background when I was trying to get a photo of a flower. I really wish I could make some decent money selling my two old Nikons and buy a Canon Powershot with the money.
Read More …

Smoke-free

Posted on2 Comments

I am a non-smoker and always have been. I’ve had friends who smoke. I have family who smoke too. Hell, my neighbors on either side of me smoke. Do I like it? Of course not! One thing I do not have is a significant other who smokes, and I never have because that is a deal-breaker for me. I cannot tolerate it and while I won’t refuse to associate with someone who smokes, I will avoid them whenever they light up. I think it is an unhealthy and costly habit, and not just for the person who smokes, but also for their friends, family, employer, and our health-care system. Not only that, but despite the depictions of the “cool” people smoking, I think it makes otherwise good-looking people seem unattractive.

I’m all for recent legislation to ban smoking in public places. It’s about time the rights of non-smokers are taken seriously. I just wish there was a way to get everyone to just stop smoking altogether. You don’t know just how angry it makes me thinking about the harm being done to the children and pets of smokers. Their rights are being violated every day by people who claim to care for them because they cannot speak up for themselves.

If you happen to feel similarly, here are some helpful links:

Smokefree.gov
Smokefree.net
Smoke Free World
No-Smoke.org
The Truth
Ingredients in a Cigarette
Anatomy of a Cigarette
World No Tobacco Day
Tobacco Free Initiative