Ugh... First post of 2009

Doing stuff is too much trouble. [Long uncomfortable pause.] Anyway, here's the post I was supposed to write a few days ago. Last year, actually. Meh.

One of my favorite places to shop is a strange dollar store run by Middle Eastern folks. The merchandise is compromised of a bizarre mix of foreign stuff and typical low grade dollar store crap. Once I saw some plastic bags of Tide detergent where all of the writing was in Chinese. They have Pepsodent from Indonesia. (I'm not brave enought to try it. Yet.) Occasionally I'll stumble across something so peculiar I just have to buy it.



I have no idea where this was originally supposed to be sold, but it was made in China, the text uses the Cyrillic alphabet, but there's also some English. (The Cyrillic alphabet is used in the former Soviet Union and in Mongolia. See, learning is fun!)

I like how the instructions have the words "BLOWPENS INSTRUCTIONS" in English, but all of the rest is in Russian, Bulgarian, Mongolian, or whatever the hell language this is.



I was going to make a picture using the blow pens (which are actually kind of fun), but I just couldn't work up enough enthusiasm to bother.

Piggies

Today I noticed a full page Piggly Wiggly ad in the paper. (Yesterday's paper, actually.) At the top of the page were the words, "Savings So Low It's Scary!" And scattered across the rest of the ad were several instances of the beloved Piggly Wiggly cartoon pig in various "scary" Halloween costumes. My favorite (a skeleton suit) is shown below.



But far scarier than a happy cartoon pig in a skeleton suit is a slab of meat from a butchered pig.



I like to imagine the happy cartoon pig in his little paper hat and butcher apron selling chunks of own kind to humans to eat.

Shop 'till you barf

We've had (and are still having) lots of new stores opening in this area recently. Why, I don't know considering we have one of the highest unemployment rates in the state. But someone somewhere thinks we have money, so we get new stores.

Sam's Club opened in the past few months, but I never went there because I thought paying $40 for the privilege of shopping there was stupid; I knew they wouldn't have anything I wanted to buy. But, at work, I got a chance to get a business account card for $35, and, for some mysterious reason, I decided to get one. Well, Saturday I had my new card and ventured into the store for the first time. I was sorely disappointed.

The store has lots of stuff, some of it I would actually buy, but just didn't want any of it. Also, the prices on electronic doo-dads and gizmos wasn't anything special. Ooh, look, a PSP for $2 cheaper than I can get at Wal-Mart. Big deal. They didn't even have beef-flavored ramen. Bastards.

Next store!

Target just opened in the past week, I believe. I expected big things at Target. The store looked huge on the outside, but inside seemed cramped. They had lots of stuff, but nothing I really wanted. I can't see going back anytime soon because the place gave me the willies from all of the crowded crap and people. Maybe when the new store smell wears off it'll be safe to go back there and shop in relative peace.