Everything but the batteries

Finished most of the Christmas shopping by going to one of the big malls north of Columbus. Got up early, went to the Fox and the Snow cafe to get some sustenance for the shopping ordeal then made the journey up 71 north.

I thought it was going to be a lot like this.



It actually was not unpleasant. We got there early enough to avoid traffic and found a decent parking space. People were in a good mood. The crowd had not grown into a desperate, angry mob so the use of a scythe and taser were not necessary. Had a couple of ideas then and there and found what I was looking for with little trouble. No one was hurt or injured.

Still needed a drink afterwards, and had one.

The biggest hurdle was fighting the traffic out of there, but that's done now. For this year.

Circling the wagons

The NHL is now in playoff season and for the second time in franchise, the Blue Jackets are in the dance. They're playing the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are on paper a much better team. This is why the game is played though, after four games of a seven game series the teams are tied at two wins a apiece, which means the Blue Jackets have won their first two playoff games in franchise history.

Last night's game was quite dramatic, the Blue Jackets were down 3-0, on home ice, with about ten minutes gone in the game. I was a bit distracted setting my my new laptop to get bummed, although I did suggest the team replace their goaltender to, perhaps, shake the team up. That did not happen.

What did happen was a slow, grinding comeback the Blue Jackets have become successful at. They picked up a goal late in the first period, another late in the second and tied in on a brutal mistake by the Penguins goaltender with about 20 seconds left in the game.

It was quite the moment. A moment that, for me, removed the curse of so many horrible things in franchise history; the last second defeats, the routs, the use of Boomer the Cannon as a mascot, Doug MacLean, the time the team let a person in the opposing teams jersey ride around on the zamboni between periods, all of the failed first round picks, the time the team played the opposing teams goal song after they scored, all of the failed trades and on and on.

The game went to overtime and the Blue Jackets won it three minutes in. I have not seen a team so resilient since, well, the Buffalo Bills of over twenty years ago.

Anything can happen in a best of three now. Both sides are bruised, hurting and willing to battle more. Because it's the Cup.

After almost seven years, my trusty Macbook that I have taken so many places was finally slowing down. I'm not sure if the hard drive (the second one) or the logic board were beginning to fail, but I was not going to put any more into it. So I picked up a MacBook Pro last night (thanks Mom!)

It's quite the device, with a lot of processing power so we can really use Chromecast to watch A Trip to Italy and Mastermind with no buffering problems. It has Pages so maybe I can get off my ass and put desktop publishing to use.

Post holiday trip to the vault

An old one I wrote in City Center. From December of 1999.

A Shopper's Paradise

Thin girls in City Center
skinny, bony limbs
shoved into flared jeans
that were hideous two decades ago

Mothers carrying chic bags
with trendy business names
on the sides
Clothing, gadgets
Toys for boys, girls

Presents for husband, wife
spouse, mistress, nieces, nephews
An undetermined nature
of a personal relation

Happiness through credit
Pulling plastic like blind ones
We overdraw, overdraft
Bouncing many debtors

We can no longer shop in a quiet
gospel of commerce
aided by loud aggressive sentiment
Attention shoppers
Cinnabon!

Lights and loudness
Crowds and cynical cheer
in the lines are those fighting
for the one, remaining
furby

Merriment in the mall
Piped in goodness
Calling, begging
Please purchase a plenty
or you'll no longer be
loved

Let's no Krogering

For several months, the grocery store I use the most has been slipping. I've complained to cashiers, employees and have sent email to the corporate headquarters.

The store has stopped stocking items we need and has been frequently out of stock on items that I consider essentials. Not to mention a dirty store, hard to find carts and aisles blocked due to employees restocking during all hours. I sent an email on Sunday, and was promised a response in 24 hours. I just got this response, over ninety six hours later.

"Thank you for taking the time to complete our survey and providing your feedback on your experience.

I apologize you had multiple issues with product selections, many products being out of stock. I have shared your feedback with a member of the store management for review in correcting these issues and making sure that products are in stock, as long as available from the manufacture.

I hope that you find this information helpful. If I can be of further assistance, please simply respond to this email or call 1-800-XXX-XXX.

Thank you for shopping with us.

Sincerely,

XXXXXXX"

Consumer Affairs"

I'm not sure if it's worth the time to respond, but easier to start shopping elsewhere. So is it me, or is the Brewery District Kroger slipping in quality?

This city has secrets

My use of my turntable comes and goes with the warm weather and my motivation. The Back Room of the house is where I keep the stereo now days. In cleaning out the basement, my wife brought up all my records. We've cleaned out the space so it's becoming a pleasant little man cave for me. All the records on one one side of the room now, and alphabetized.

There are several fine records shops in this city. I rarely have the time to go to them but I enjoy going to Spoonful Records on Long Street. Brett's a fine owner who is very helpful in getting you what you're looking for, if it's not already there. When I'm in the campus area I like to hit Used Kids, which has a large selection of new and old in a larger, unorganized space.

There are a couple of others north of campus that I've been to, but have no real experience with as a buyer, so I can't really judge either way.

Today, thanks to a short sentence on the Columbus Underground message board, my interest was piqued. There was a sentence noting there was a record store on West Broad that was one of the best in the city.

I've lived in Columbus for 22 years and on the west side for a decade and no knowledge. So I did a little googling and vowed to stop in after completing a few errands this afternoon.

When I walked in, I saw this.



And on the other side of this wall of records was this.



There is more to this place. Much, much more. It's run by Al, a older, friendly, guy who knows his stock. It's said there are about 200,000 records here. And they're organized, but if you can't find it ask Al, he probably knows where it is.

While browsing, I muttered under my breath, "Where do you start?"

A woman crate digging said, "Pick a letter."

As good advice as any.

Now the catches.

It's only open on Saturday, from about 11-6.

There are no prices on the records, so I think it's based on the owner's whim and his reliance on a record pricing book. I bought Warren Zevon and Procol Harum records, I have to say the condition of the discs are excellent. He charged me ten bucks. He prefers cash. I'm not sure if haggling over prices will get you anywhere. I was not in there long enough to find out.

So. Where is it? Memory Lane Records is at 2338 West Broad Street, at Oakley. Happy hunting!

The cheap felt that makes you happy

It was a banner shopping day, and not because I replenished the whiskey stock in the house. Or because I found out my debit card is cracked, yet still works so I no longer feel impotent. I've written about the skill crane before. My son likes to press the button when I get the claw in position, but I've never won with him present.

Not so today. After putting in my buck, which gives four plays, I lined up the claw and asked Neil to push the button. It went around the frog, grabbed it up and into the bin. Skill crane victory!

You would think the day is done after you win once, but we still have three plays left, so I looked for a brother to the Skill Crane Victory Frog. My son was excited as I lined up the claw and had another go.



I'd never won twice in a row before. My son was jumping up and down, clapping as the frog was deposited in the slot! I gave him one of the frogs, and he tried to put it back in the game through the glass, he just wanted to press the button and watch the claw.

Tried again, still had two plays left. Darn near pulled up the pink penguin, but it was not meant to be. Two wins on the skill crane, a day that will live forever.

Empty shopping bag

Maybe I've been on a streak of bad luck while thrifting recently but the quality of stuff in the second hand stores I usually go to has been shit.

Sure, it's a hunt, a crap shoot and sometimes plain luck. But the past few months there has been absolutely nothing I'm interested in buying. The stores are even more run down, disorganized and a total mess. I'm also seeing a lot of total junk given a ridiculous price tag.



Are the stores putting their better merchandise on ebay, and completely bypassing the store shelves? Or are donations down during tough economic times?

Do not wait!

Saturday we were shopping in the Short North and came across a liquor cabinet. We have been looking for one for awhile. The price was good, even better on Wednesday. It's a large antique and furniture store that sells its items on consignment and lowers prices the longer they're in the shop.

So we decided to wait.

You can guess the outcome.

We were shown another, similar, item, but it was not even close to what we wanted.

Over dinner we were speculating what the buyers were going to do with the cabinet. Hipsters applying decoupage of faux old wine labels to the lid. Freaks using it to store jars of eyeballs. Damn, we just wanted a nice piece of furniture to put our booze in.

Insert all kinds of cliches about snoozing and losing here.

You know, if that was the worst thing to ever happen to us for the rest of our lives, things will be very good.

Son and Saint Nick

Every year around this time I get the question, "Is your son excited about the holidays?" And I give the same answer, "I do not know."

Since he rarely shares his feelings in a way we can understand, it's hard to know what is going on in his head. I wonder, if he's like Tommy, and does not know what day it is. We do not know if he knows about the concept of Santa Claus. He is nine, and probably on the cusp, or past the time most kids start realizing the truth about Christmas.

A few weeks ago my friend Teri let me know about an event that was taking place at the local mall where she works. It was a Sensitive Santa event, in which special needs children could take in Santa's workshop and visit with him in an environment that is much more laid back and quieter than usual. It happened on a morning in which the mall was not open yet, lights were low, music was turned down and crowds were non-existent. The event coordinator asked me what snacks my son liked, what he like to do, and what could be done to make the visit enjoyable for him. I let her know about the only thing he might enjoy are lollipops.

We got to the mall at the designated time and Teri was waiting for us at the door and took us down. There were crafts they could make, coffee, juice and other snack items available. The coordinators really did a good job welcoming us.

We had only taken him to see Santa once or twice before, there is one picture of him at about the age of two or three screaming in Santa's lap, and we were wondering how he would do now. Here's a pic from his first Christmas, not with Santa.



When we got to Santa, he was seated and N. walked around a little, looked at Santa, put his hands on his eyebrows and gave him a kiss on his forehead. Unbelievably sweet. Santa got out a Tootsie Pop and he took it. He was not interested in sitting on Santa's lap, but sat on the floor at his feet. Santa pulled out a small footstool and my son sat on that.



The mall staff also took some pictures, showed me what they had an printed a couple of them out, for free. Send them to my mother, she's wanted a picture of him with Santa for years. Just wanted to say Tuttle Mall did a really, really cool thing for families of special needs children this year. I commend their staff and thank them very much.

Just getting started

I've been seeing clips of a BBC show that aired last year on youtube. It's called The Trip and it stars Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. They essentially play themselves while on a food reviewing trip through Northern England. The improvisational riffing is incredible. Both stars get to shine and you don't know what's real and what's part of the act. There's some genuine pathos going on amid all the sniping and lack of affection.

There were only six episodes aired and it's been edited together for a feature film which will be released later this year. I watched the first two episodes tonight and my wife and I were in hysterics. Great stuff. If you like impersonations, this show is for you.



That is the clip that made me want to see more. I bought the DVD from amazon.uk for just over ten bucks. While I was buying I figured something had to be added to make the overseas postage worthwhile.



I've never seen any of the Eccelston episodes and I'm excited. We watched the first one tonight and he's a fun doctor with some hints of sinister. Looking forward to the next twelve over the summer.

What I paid for this at amazon.uk is less that half what I would have paid if I went the domestic route, and it took less than a week to get here. I can be patient.

I Found them, Now

85 degrees on Thursday, barely hitting 50 today. Going to be a chilly walk back from the car repair shop after I drop it off, but I need the exercise.

Went thrifting over the weekend. A couple of weeks ago I found a couple of old Panasonic speakers to replace the ones I had for over twenty five years. It did not take two weeks to find the ones I was looking for in the first place. Figures, right?



Old Radio Shack Optimus 127's. Bookshelf size. They fit on the shelves in the corner of the back room perfectly. They push out a decent amount of sound and the quality is very good. To put it succinctly, I'm thrilled.

Best part is, they cost eight bucks for the pair. Same price as the Panasonics. So sixteen bucks were invested in speakers. I'll take that price.

Cracking It

One of the places we went over the weekend was the mall of my youth, the South Shore Mall.

Wasn't really looking for anything, just a place go to get away from the house and cold.

Ending up getting some food from Panera and found by an old high school friend.

After eating I looked at the news stand and candy kiosk. Been searching for a specific item for years. It was not Charleston Chew but something even harder to find.

There it was, on the bottom shelf.



Been looking for it for a long time. It was no longer made until recently, but last summer it came back.

Have not tried it yet. Trying to avoid the nostalgia that would make it underwhelming to have again. The past never tastes as good as you remember does it?

I'm Not Cheap When it Comes to Beer, but There are Limits

Friday night we took a voyage up to Whole Foods in Dublin. The journey had a specific purpose. When we walked in the market we went past the produce and saw a very lengthy line of twenty somethings holding empty wine glasses. Must have been wine sample night.

The place was crowded. I really think the number of drinkers was more than the number of people doing their shopping. There were groups of people wandering the aisles, drinking wine. If it helps business by turning a supermarket into a pickup spot one night a week, who am I to be cranky about it? I just was not prepared for the crowds, or at least not expecting a bar when I was shopping for tea and a specific beer.

Rockmill Brewery is located in Lancaster, Ohio. It opened up in September and makes four beers. All of their beers are made from organic products, including grains and hops. Their beers are made in a Belgian style, which made me sit up and take notice as I think Belgium makes the best beers in the world.

Yes, I know Pilsner Urquell is my favorite, but Belgium makes the best variety. If I had to drink the beer of one country for the rest of my life I would choose Belgium.

We chose the Tripel, which is rather pricey, and their most expensive at $16 for a 25oz. bottle. (the other three cost $13)

After negotiating past a belching hipster in the parking lot, and a trip to Jeni's, we made it home and opened the beer.

It had all the right components of the Belgian Tripel - the aroma, the color, the lace of the foam on the glass. Beautifully balanced in flavor with an appropriate for the style alcohol content of nine percent. Honestly, a dead ringer for one of the world's best, made in Lancaster, Ohio. I give the brewers top marks for this and will try the others as soon as I recover from the visit to Whole Foods. I'm glad this brewery's approach is to keep the quality at a top level without going completely over the top with exotic ingredients and excessive alcohol and hop content, like Dogfish Head does. Their production is so limited it is only available for retail in a few spots in Central Ohio.

I'm still a bit concerned about the price point. While shopping today I price checked Chimay Tripel, and it costs $11 for the same sized bottle. I admire Rockmill's commitment to quality, but when your product costs five dollars more than an authentic Trappist Ale, you may want to reconsider your pricing. It's obviously not an every day beer, at least it should not be! It would be nice to be able to afford it more than every few months.

While the Bills are 0-7

It's depressing listening or watching your team fail week after week for over a decade. Thought about headed to the sports bar up north for the game, but had a better time looking in the creepy but cool antique store in German Village and trying to find a serviceable liquor cabinet.

It was more fun talking to the people at Spoonful Records about Belle and Sebastian than eventually getting home in time to find a radio feed of the game and hear the Bills lose in overtime.

Before that, I finished the best fiction I've read this year.



Room takes it's story from recent headlines. More specifically the horrors of the Fritzl case, reduces the people involved to the kidnapper, his victim and the son she gave birth to. The story is told from the viewpoint of the child, Jack, who is now five years old. All Jack has seen of the world during his entire life is in a room that is eleven by eleven.

It's a brilliant story of their relationship. Jack's Mother is determined to give Jack an education, to teach him about a world that he may never see, while trying to keep her own wits about her in a brutal situation. It's a very intense story that really stirs up emotions, with quite a few passages that are incredible page turners.

Donaghue manages to sustain the voice of a five year old rather skillfully but confuses the reader as to where the book takes place. She uses a lot of words that could mean the book takes place in the U.K., but the book takes place in the United States. A good editor could have solved that problem. The last third of the book loses some intensity, but we find out a few unpleasant things that resolve themselves in a fair conclusion.

Not Fitting in the Strategic and Tactical Plans

I was out shopping at the corporate bookstore I used to work at last night. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was that the octagon was gone.

The octagon was the large, eight sided display unit that held all of the new releases. The first impression the customer received of the store was that it sold books, and boom, here are the current ones.

It has been replaced by a kiosk that is promoting the store's electronic book reader.

I have nothing against the electronic reader. It is not something I am interested in using. Give me an iPod Touch and I'd be happy, I'm not that much of a technology hater, but the kindle/nook/reader has little appeal for me. Call me old and in need of paper, still.

I did have an item in mind to purchase when I went in there. Went into the music department and continue to notice that most of the music is being replaced with blu-ray DVDs. Looked around for the cd I wanted by Janelle Monae, looked at the endcaps, in the pop rock and soul sections - did not find it. Finally asked the clerk, who asked my how to spell her name (never a good sign) then told me the store did not have the item. It had one copy, but sold it and they were waiting for another copy to arrive.

This is why people have migrated to shopping online. When you go to a store, have to root around the displays climbing over the new Renee Fleming crossover record or special Celtic music displays and still do not find what you are looking for, why waste your time?

Age has caught up to me, time has passed me by. I have to lower my expectations of going to a store and actually finding what I'm looking to purchase to, well, not getting what I want and taking my money elsewhere.

Remember the days of shopping when you actually found what you were looking for, the first time? Man, those were good times, how long ago were they?

My Scottish Wife insisted on seeing the A-Team movie. I guess the original series was big in Scotland the way Anne of Green Gables is popular in Japan. So she was stoked to see it on opening night.

Seeing Liam Neeson kick ass on screen is worth the price of admission, and in that case, the A-Team delivers. If you like explosions over plot, this is the movie for you. It's a cartoon on film. There are no expectations of thespians showing up on screen. I never watched the A-Team series, but lowered my bar of film snobbery and had a good time, which made my wife happy - and isn't that what it's all about sometimes?

I don't matter, you don't matter, neither does this mindless clatter

Went to the mens room at work. Standing at the urinal I could hear the guy sitting in a stall. He did not sound happy. Sounded like his girlfriend was breaking up with him, over the phone, while he was sitting on the toilet. It was also the handicapped stall.

Did anyone really need to hear this?

Been doing some more thrifting. Found a replacement glass shade for a lamp that was broken three years ago when a small child tipped it over. Today, a larger child noticed something different about the lamp in the corner and tried to investigate.



Changed the locks on the house last weekend. Now that I own the house completely, it was the right thing to do to ensure that nothing else is taken, physically or photographically. It was time.

When my ex moved out two and a half years ago, in her property grab she took my old little league uniform. Despite my asking on more than one occasion, I've been waiting for her to return it. My mother gave it back to me so that one day she could see her grandson wearing it. She's not getting any younger and has health issues.



In the meantime this may be the puck moving defense man the Blue Jackets need.

Some girls will tell you anything...

Lead singer Doug Fieger of the Knack, died yesterday of cancer. He was 57.

The first album made high school suck less. The second record was a wash out. The third, Round Trip, was an under promoted masterpiece. He also sang with Was (Not Was) on a few songs. His brother, Geoffrey, is an attorney who represented Jack Kevorkian.





A somewhat productive weekend. Some good thrifting was done. Locks were changed with minimal cussing.

If you watch the Olympics today, send some love out to American Luger Erin Hamlin. She's the niece of a friend of mine.

After Leaving Mom on the Tarmac

Technology with its small buttons and indecipherable instructions frustrated me to the max yesterday then a certain title underwriter set me off with a new hoop to jump through, after I asked weeks ago if there were any more hoops.



At least J.C. Penney came through when least expected. Thank you large retailer.

Had not been to the Eastland Mall in years. When did every other store become a shoe retailer of some sort? Seriously, A Foot Locker, Finish Line and about a dozen stores sell footwear.

Since the Blue Jackets are unwilling to make a trade or replace the coach and desperately need a shaking up may I suggest replacing the team captain. I think R.J. Umberger is ready to lead. They stunk up home ice, again, last night.

Shilling for the fellow who brings the sheep in

Been buying things I never thought would be purchased again. Went to the Stepford Mall and did not find what I was looking for, but I did price external hard drives. Ended up back where I should have started, would have saved me gas, and bought the thing.

I was so stressed and aggravated by all the stop and go that I ended up buying a six pack of a very good beer to take the edge off.

Also got my hair cut, and went to Nancy's for chicken and noodles. People are trying to make a go of it, so it may not close. Emphasis on the word may.

The wait continues. Freaking paperwork is, where?

For some strange reason I have Grey's Anatomy on. It's been awhile. Are they killing off Izzy or George?