H/T Daily Candy: Stop getting useless phone directories at home and/or office. The internet is almost always better. Well, okay, not always but if you want to: online at yellowpagesgoesgreen.org.

Labels: good ideas, shopping

Last week I called a local toy store that's reputed to be wonderful, to see if they would be open today. The owner said yes, definitely. I expressed my pleasure because I've never been there before and have been looking forward to going, but their hours are 10-5 all week when I'm 70 miles away gathering rosebuds, bread and bacon. So just to clarify, I asked whether for sure they'd be open since it would be President's Day and she said, oh yes, because it's a big shopping holiday. I said see you then, then, and she said something along the lines of indeed.

I picked up my friend at 2:30 and drove the ten or fifteen miles and . . . you guessed it: it was closed. No sign on the door, no note saying how sorry they were but they were closed on account of no one could work because everyone wanted to stay home and recite the Emanciation Proclamation followed by James Polk's inaugural address followed by Roosevelt's declaration of war followed by homilies about George Washington. No, they simply were not open.

Labels: about me, ridiculousness, shopping

I'm a big big fan of Daily Candy which, if you don't know it, is a perky and entertaining information service that tells readers about fashion, food, events, hotels, travel, services of many kinds, and just plain fun. Devotees check the website or, more likely, receive daily announcements about the city/cities of their choosing. There are separate dailies on New York City, DC, Boston, Paris, London, L.A., San Francisco, Seattle, Miami, Chicago, Dallas, and Atlanta. Anyway, it's often stuff you'd never ever scope out on your own and is often really fantastic. I totally recommend signing up.

My quibble, however, is that when they show designers or shops that sell handbags, more than anything else, the prices are absolutely insane. The other day they had a place that was having a supposed "blow out" sale. All excited, I went to look and nearly fell off my keyboard. The lowest price was $385. For a handbag. And today, there's a designer handbag site. One-of-a-kind (which made me leery). The lowest price I saw before I fainted dead away was $650. And that wasn't a tote, by the way, just a fairly normal size bag. Come on, Daily Candy, get real.

Labels: huh?, shopping

Still haven't plunged in. Still limping along with the small Musetek I got at QVC or HSN several eons ago. It takes good outdoor photos but doesn't do as well indoors and anyway I want snazzier pictures. I tried those sites that promise to show you which cameras you should consider but they simply ignore some things such as size of LCD (ideally 3") and manual controls (I want a lot available tho' not required) and shutter speed (quick, of course), etc., etc. (which is why I'm not going to link any of them). They seem to have agendas about particular cameras (pro Canon, anti Nikon) and certain criteria they weigh more heavily than others (even though they don't tell you so). For example, I said no less than a 2.5" LCD yet three sites showed me cameras with 1.8". I said uncompressed tiff or raw mattered yet they showed me cameras with none. Wouldn't you think a computer could gather information based on one's wish-list? I would. Yes I could just close my eyes and point at the Nikon or Sony that comes closest (I've been disappointed with Fuji's and Canon's coloring and sharpness, and am wary of most other brands) but that seems lame. Anyone got any great ideas of how to go about doing this rationally?

Labels: photos, shopping

I've tried sighing and whining but it's not working. I need to buckle down and buy a new car. Well, a used car but new to me. I can't quantify how much I don't want to do this, mostly because I hate the idea of spending all that money on something that gets me around. Plus, I spend several thousand dollars a year on commuting by train, so it seems so superfluous. On the other hand, it's necessary. On the other hand, I don't want to. Stamp, stamp. I wish I could just go online and do it all there, impersonally, and have the car appear in my driveway.

Labels: shopping

Both blog and human friends have been discussing resolutions and/or goals for the new year. Brenda at Coffee Tea Books and Me and Mrs Catherine made it seem less daunting because they listed things they want to learn this year and that's an approachable concept. CTB&M put gardening at the top of her list and knitting (yeah!) as the second. With that in mind and making sure they're not all about knitting or reading, here are my 3 learning goals:

(1) intarsia so I can make ever more adorable things for AvSo and friends,
(2) Access - but starting from scratch, not just more editing, and
(3) gardening - particularly in the areas beside and behind my house

And here are my 3 resolution-type goals:

(1) plan next year's Christmas projects and begin making them now so most are done by June,
(2) unpack and/or throw out and/or give away the boxes in the attic from when I moved in,
(3) get half an hour more sleep each night so I'm not always sleep-deprived during the week

Those all seem do-able and not particularly pressured, so I might actually get them all done.

Labels: books, reflections, shopping

Busy few days with guests and activities galore. I have to say that I really enjoy the only-slightly-contained chaos of visiting friends and children. Of course, there are occasional downsides such as when a handmade push toy duck that I bought almost forty years ago and which has survived being played with by two half generations of children was snapped in two by a seriously roughhousing child. I kept murmuring to myself, "It's just a toy . . . material things don't really matter . . . It's just a toy . . . material things don't matter" . . . and that got me through the first moment without bursting into tears or yelling, but I am very sad. Today we went to a local children's museum which was fantastic fun (Morse code, stand-inside bubble, dinosaur table, walk-through Revolutionary village, etc., etc.). And I loved hosting a mid-afternoon get-together yesterday and dinner tonight. I don't know why I enjoy modified mayhem, but I do. And I hope everyone else is having a good week too.

Labels: about me, children, shopping

Gift giving this year has been more irritating to me than usual, as I keep saying. In my younger days, I gave presents that I hoped would demonstrate how clever I was about "getting" the recipient's character and/or wishes, and would also, as a logical byproduct, get people like me or even love me more. The unavoidable consequence, over the years, was that then I had to live up to being a perceptive and generous gift-giver, so the pressure got worse. Now I'm feeling resentful about spending so much money and time on gifts for people who probably won't be per- or dis- suaded from their feelings about me by these superficial means.

Alan Sullivan at Seablogger writes about this subject that

The custom of gift-giving at Christmas has a curious psychology, if you stop to think about it. After all, the infant incarnation is a divine gift to humankind. When we give gifts in commemoration, we arrogate to ourselves the role of God. No wonder people get stressed by holiday preparations.

How people handle the gift dilemma says a great deal about their character. The loving choose gifts that fulfill wishes of recipients, rightly or wrongly perceived. Controllers give what they think the recipient ought to want. The self-obsessed give what matters to them. The selfish opt out.

I want to learn to give fewer gifts and to care less about their effect. It's not easy.

Labels: about me, food, shopping

Panicking, shopping, family-and-friends-ing, eating, smiling, trying not to panic partly by remembering what it's all about really, enjoying children's excitement, driving around town admiring displays and lights, holding 5-week-old, cooking, staying up all night wrapping . . . . . . . A very happy Christmas Eve to you and me and mine and yours!!

Labels: holidays, shopping

Only 4 shopping days left. Who invented this seasonal craziness anyway?

Labels: holidays, shopping

Random Shelf has a handy and very enthusiastic listing-with-reviews of TCM's holiday film offerings this month.

Labels: holidays, movies, reflections, s.p.e.e.d.ing, shopping

Christmas shopping. Ugh. I hate that we're supposed to spend a gajillion dollars because, somehow, that proves that we love our friends and family a lot. I wish the challenge was to spend as little as possible on no more than two presents per person, selected just right to match an interest of theirs or that we want to share with them. I always have grand plans for things to make people and then comes this time of year and I've lost all that time going to work and sleeping and stuff. So this weekend I must major headway on the gifts that might actually get done and knitknitknitknitknitknit. Unless I could convince myself to buy everyone a tie?

Labels: holidays, shopping

The whirlwind is slowing down. After cooking all day Wednesday, being amid family and friends - including five energetic children - all day Thursday and Friday, I feel wonderful but also have a bit of 'empty nest'. I really love the hustlebustle of crowded families, even though one needs a nap now and then, and I would love to live amid the slight chaos of children and several other people. The gods don't always let you have what you want, of course, or at least they like to give it to you only now and then so you'll be wistful for it the rest of the time. Anyway, it was a good three days.

Labels: about me, family, food, reflections, shopping

I guess some people are just unhappy. And some need to recognize where they leave off and the rest of the world begins. You know, just outside your own skin, right . . . there! All of which is on my mind because this weekend I went to a yarn shop about an hour from my house, one that I had stayed away from due to what seemed a kind of haughtiness the last time I was there but which a friend assured me had changed. Indeed, the owner has mellowed considerably and seems pleasant and non-judgmental now. But one of the store's 'regulars' is a doozie. Maybe she just took a dislike to me but I had been there less than half an hour and was being pretty quiet when it all began. I'd been weighing various patterns and color combinations when she asked if I generally made things for myself. An odd question but one that knitters do often ask, so I answered "not usually" and asked why. Apparently she then thought it appropriate and her business to observe aloud that since I was spending so much time trying to figure out pattern and yarns for someone else, I have "self esteem issues". I didn't want to start an argument but was tempted to say I hadn't noticed the sign saying one could only enter the store if one was making something for oneself. A few minutes later the owner got involved in my choosing and began suggesting yarn and color possibilities. I guess that was just too much for Boundary Woman who then pursed her lips and said she was surprised I was letting myself "be dictated to by a six-year-old". Gasp, clutch chest, fall to the floor. (Not really, of course.) I was appalled because I don't know what's wrong with trying to pick carefully and well. I had gone to the store precisely to find a pattern and wool for a gift for a little girl who had asked me to make her something specific, which was an endearing request so I wanted to make something special. Doesn't one usually try to please a recipient with a gift? By the way, no, I wasn't an uninvited intruder who'd stumbled into a 'knitting circle' - it was just a random Saturday afternoon hanging out. I can't help but wonder if the owner likes customers to offer personal critiques of other customers? I'm considering returning the yarn because it feels "tainted" but I know that's immature. Bad karma and all, though. What do you think?

Labels: gk1, huh?, knitting, shopping

I dutifully went on a car hunting expedition (admittedly half-heartedly), first stopping at a Nissan dealer which has been recommended by a friend, but they were closed (on Labor Day?!). Then I wandered the Suburu and Toyota lots where the cars looked like farmers' market vegetables at the end of a hot day (dusty and wilted) and way too many incomplete papers on the cars. Can you say car dealers are out to get you? A couple of no-name dealers (you know the kind: Jenny's Auto Mart - not a real name) had some cute cars but I assume one should steer clear of them unless you know they're okay. My last stop was at a big dealership with, they proudly say, five locations. The salesman showed me a few kind-of-okay cars, none ideal, and then he walked me to his desk to talk numbers even though I hadn't driven or chosen anything. He asked for my license and current registration saying he wanted to see what he could offer on trade-in (is that the way it's usually done?). When he tucked the photocopies into his desk calendar it kind of freaked me out and then he went off to do something unexplained (which I later learned was getting plates so we could test drive). When he came back I asked for the photocopy (it just occurred to me that I hope it was the only one). He seemed upset and asked what he'd done wrong; he looked puzzled when I said he was putting the cart (trading in my car) before the horse (me picking a car). His manager came over, wearing fewer pinkie rings but seeming more sleezy in that he grinned a lot and said gee he had just the car for me coming in later this week so he'll call me about it. Golly. Here's hoping next weekend will be better.

Labels: about me, shopping, whining

No, it isn't designer candy. It's a phone/camera/mp3 player/navigation tool. Very cool looking and not especially expensive. I saw a couple of print ads and a description in the tech section of my local newspaper. But before taking the hours one must devote when changing phones, I'd like to know if it's worth it. I am dreaming, I know, but I wonder whether it might actually get a strong signal somewhere, such as in my living room or on the highway near where I live, let a person talk though a whole entire call, ring when there's a call, beep when there's a message, etc., etc.

Labels: fun, shopping

What with all the wild and crazy car advertisements on tv the last few nights, I'm tempted to go look this weekend. I need a new (or used) car but sure don't like the process of getting one. Car salesmen, you know. If there are any readers who want to offer advice or suggestions, I'm listening.

Labels: shopping

I hate to say it but the obliviousness and less niceness of the world keep marching on. This is the third time this has happened very recently and it's pretty trivial in the overall scope of things but it's really annoying to order something and then get a package or envelope a few days later and open it all excited and happy, only to find a partial shipment with nary a notice or even a handwritten note about why it's only what's there. Would it take hours and tons of energy to include some explanation about what's there and when the rest is coming? I think not. Would it make it more likely that you'd re-order from them if they took that teeny tiny more time. You bet.

Labels: shopping, whining

Update - Charles Hill at Dustbury started a discussion from this too. He added that time is a component, especially in our busy lives. And one of his commenters pointed out that some stores (Circuit City and Best Buy among them) are encouraging people to purchase online and pick up in a nearby store, thereby saving delivery charges and getting people into the physical presence of presumably-irresistible items. Dynamic change is underway. It will be interesting to see how this all evolves.

What do you think? Should local brick and mortar stores charge a "browsing fee"? I have two reasons for even thinking such a thing. One is that although shopping is not consigned to the seventh circle of hell for me (see yesterday's post), some malls are so full of really awful stores that it's just not fun to shop there. For example, the best of our three local malls (I use the word "best" very advisedly) has eighteen sneaker stores, thirty-six visor-hat stores, twelve "rave" type of clothing stores, a Sears, a Target, bunches of Limiteds and Gaps, a Filenes, a Best Buy, and an Old Navy. I'm exaggerating the numbers but the proportions are right and the downscaleness is notable. K-Mart and Wal-Mart anchor the other two malls - get the picture? Since we're less than ninety minutes from New York City, you'd think more upscale stores would be eager for our filthy lucre and build here. With the exception of two small book stores, a couple of jewelry and 'objets' stores, and three yarn stores, anything other than mall stores are an hour or more away. Noted blogger, Andrea Harris, who despises crowds and has only sparingly good things to say about the mall near her, has a store called Teavana in her mall and I am exceedingly jealous. Which leads to the second reason why I'm thinking that local stores maybe should start charging a look-and-wander fee. The only way many of us can do fabulous shopping is to shop online. Which removes the immediacy, the touching and seeing, and the fun adrenaline rush of really good search-and-find shopping. And it's unfair to the local merchants who make huge efforts but can't lower their prices. Only a small proportion of our shopping dollars are spent locally any more. We check out things like books and digital cameras in local stores - feel them, see them, weigh them, etc. - then get wider choices and better prices plus get them delivered into our hands by buying online. It's logical and understandable but seems economically and ethically icky. So what's the answer?

Labels: blogs (others'), shopping

Thanks to Byzantium's Shores (via a sweet, familiar dissonance) for pointing out the Advent Calendar at Past Times, a British store that offers some great books, objets, etc. The advent calendar is an etching of a winter scene with kids playing and ice-skating, pleasant music in the background. Click on the day's date to see that day's special offer. Although it's a ten-to-fourteen day shipping time from them to us, there is still enough time before Win-hanu-holi-kwanz-mas-rama-kah-stice and, anyway, these gifts might be worth stockpiling.

Labels: blogs (others'), shopping