Monday, January 19, 2009

Self check out, or not to self check out

So the question is, should I use the self check out line, or should I
run through the old fashioned cashier line?

When I'm at Safeway, tired after a day of work and driving the child
around, lugging my basket because I don't do shopping carts, I want a
few moments where I can just stand and blank out. I like to do this in
the check out line, half the time not even paying attention to the
total, blindly swipping my bank card and punching in the pin. Why
would I want to scan and bag my own groceries when there are
individuals who get paid to do it fir me?

It seems like a no-brainer, that us until you factor in that the
majority of cashier are no-brainers, as they blank out and scan right
in front of me. I could care less about that, but it takes a lot of
brain power to properly bag groceries. They seem used to tossing three
items into a plastic bag then starting again with a new one. It's not
rocket science, afterall.

Unfortunatly for them (and me?) is that the grocery store introduced
this wonderful item call the "re-useable shopping bag" that throws a
wrench in the traditional grocery store bagging procedure. In this
lies my discontent for choosing the cashier line. It is a very rare
occassion when my bags are properly packed.

I unload my groceries (all 20 items at most) with the heaviest at the
front, lightest at the back. I hand over 2 re-useable bags. Common
sense seems to be that half of the heavy items go in one bag, the rest
in the other one, with the lighter items topping up both bags... Right?

No. The processes is, fill up one bag then put the remaining items in
the other, the result if which is Angel ends up with one mosterously
heavy bag and one feather light bag.

Today, I asked the cashier, as she was putting ALL the heavy items in
bag #1, if she could split up the heavy items since there are 2 bags.
She said ok, and started filling bag #2 with the remaining lighter
items.

As I was paying, bag #2 tips over because it was imbalanced. How does
she correct this? She takes the 4-pack of Redbull cans out of bag #1
and places them in bag #2, on top of the light items! Um hello? What
happens when you put cans on top of fresh peppers? I will give you a
hint ... ~squish~

That is a tad exagerated since my vegetables didn't get squished, but
they could have if the tomatoes had been in bag #1 instead of in bag #2.

I can bitch to the managers about the poorly trained cashier, but I
guarantee next week thing would be exactly the same. Or I can suck it
up and scan and bag my own groceries, since I know, why let someone do
a poor job when I can do better by myself...

Sent from my iPhone

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Easily Distracted!

She was supposed to be studying, but instead she was listening to music.  She can’t get enough of Jonathan Davis of KoRn covering Lil’ Wayne’s Got Money.

Jonathan Davis ft. Jim Root (Slipknot) - Got Money (remix) | Audio | Rap Basement

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Pulled the Plug

The internet was unplugged from my computer last week, so I spent 6 days PC internet free.  I haven’t been completely without web access, since I can still do 85% my web things on my iPhone.

What have I been doing with the time I usually spend being part of the collective: I watched a bunch of movies, read a lot, listened to some new music, talked on the phone, and actually spent time in rooms all over my place, instead of having my butt glued to the chair at the desk.  Yesterday I even sat with Miranda and watched a bunch of her favourite tween shows: the likes of Hannah Montana, Zoey 101, Suite Life of Zac and Cody…

Oh!  and I actually watched some of my favourite shows … on the television…!  I felt like a genius when I figured that one out.  I found it quite amusing that I had forgotten that a TV can be more than just a the display screen for video games and movies.

What part of not being plugged in did I miss the most?  The ability to download files, and to view Flash objects.

Sunday, January 04, 2009

Hey You

SY,

I tried to send you an email yesterday but it bounced back to me.  I bet you still check up on things here.  Happy belated birthday, and best of luck.

-A.

Present of the Century

Miranda is so in love with her new Nintendo DS, just as much as I love my new Canon camera.  It has not left her site since Christmas morning.

IMG_0101

ps – the DS and my camera are both pink

Saturday, January 03, 2009

The Big Bang Theory

So yesterday the BF and I were lamenting about the cancellation of Eli Stone and how it sucks that all the good shows we enjoy get cancelled (e.g. jPod and The Black Donnelly's) and we agreed we would shoot ourselves in the head if How I Met Your Mother gets cancelled before pathetic shows like Gary Unmarried (me) and The Big Bang Theory (him).

This summer, I downloaded and watch the first season of The Big Bang Theory, and I was surprised it was going to renew for season 2.  The first episode I was not overly impressed, but I liked the premise, so I decided to give it another chance.  And then another and another.  I would not have recommended it to a friend, but yet I watch them all so the show couldn’t have been that painful, now could it?  I have even been downloading season 2, to watch in the summer when nothing but dumb reality shows are on TV.

I decided today to start watching season 2, and there was a super endearing moment  in the second episode that made me remember why I watched every episode before!!  One of the geeky boys (Leonard)  was dumped by his date (Sarah Gilbert, remember her from Rosanne)  when they got into a squabble over their had conflicting views on which theory better unites quantum mechanics with general relativity, string theory or loop quantum gravity.  She asked how would they bring up their children?!  He replied that they would let the kids decide their own beliefs when they are old enough.  hehehehe  That’s funny stuff!  albeit mildly funny stuff, so I can see how only a small percentage of the TV viewing population would find the humour in the show.  Although Leonard is the main character, Sheldon is my favourite.

ps – Penny, albeit a dumb blond who isn’t that hot and dresses poorly, has a pink bathrobe and a pink thermal coffee mug and a pink steering wheel cover thingy in her car and likes America’s Next Top Model!

pss – I think today’s word of the day is “albeit”.

Thursday, January 01, 2009

OMG a super girly GH guitar!

.
I want it, I want it, I want it!!

It is soooooo me... *dreamy sign* (link)