Friday, January 15
I thought today would be too busy with work to get
anything done. But as the day unfolded,
money was spent!
Ken started the day out by going food shopping. Yes – outside the borough, because we don’t
have a supermarket. Giant in Hatfield. We are up to a 60 cent discount on gas!
Lansdale Shopping
Score: Zero (I would have if I could
have, but it’s something not available in the borough)
He also went to the State Store. Our archaic, Soviet-era inspired State Store.
While we do have one in the borough, in the Hillcrest
Shopping Center, the selection there is
In December, I read about a study that shows that people
who drink champagne regularly have a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s later in
life.
Now don’t go Snopsing this and proving it to be an
internet rumor. I’m sure it is a fine
study, and I’m 100% dedicated to preserving my mental health later in life.
What really happened is that we found an Italian sparkling
wine on sale. Glera Vino Frizzante. Looked interesting, so we bought a
bottle. Instead of the traditional
champagne cork and cage, it has a bottle cap (with the champagne bottle plastic
thing inside). So – no grown-up version
of A Christmas Story – “You'll shoot your eye out.” Just a nice easy opening bottle with no
flying cork.
And it was good!
Really good. So after reading
about the health benefits of champagne, we decided to buy a case. No, really.
We are irrational like that.
So starts the creaky, rusty wheels of our State Store
system. We ask the really nice lady in
the wine section about buying a case.
She consults her 1980s era computer, complaining that it doesn’t work
well, and finally locates enough bottles in the area to put a case
together. She writes my name and number
down in the margin of a dog-eared notebook.
It looked a bit shaky if you ask me.
She said we would get a call in a week or so.
Well, three weeks later – no call. So Ken stops in to the State Store to make
inquiries. Goes to the same nice lady
who had helped us. Perhaps she was
hanging out at the free sample table too much, because she claimed to have no
idea what he was talking about. Like no
one had ever asked to make a special order in her life. So she sends him up to the office. Same result.
They send him back to the lady in the wine section!
Now frustrated, and thinking we will never see our case
of on sale Italian sparkling wine, he grabs a box of white wine in frustration.
Yes – we at times drink boxed wine. Don’t judge!
The technology has gotten a lot better, and the wine is good. Try the Bota brand.
Anyway. Slightly
after that, I get a voicemail. Honestly,
I thought it was from one of those overseas call centers trying to tell me my
computer was infected. I had to listen
to it three times before I could even make it out.
You guessed it.
The State Store. My special order
was in.
The takeaway from all of this? It’s time to dismantle the archaic,
prohibition-era State Store system in Pennsylvania and replace it with
licensed, private stores. Like
Jersey. Like Delaware. Like just about the rest of the United
States. Call your state representative and senator.
Lansdale Shopping
Score: Zero (But I could have)
I did make one quick shopping trip. On-line and not in the borough. Since a) I am enjoying writing this blog and,
b) people seem to be reading it (over 1,000 readers as of yesterday!), I
thought it was time to get a domain name that was easy to tell people. So here it is:
Spread the word!
Buying it was easy.
Go Daddy is a great place to buy domain names. Plus, I had a coupon. So, ten bucks later, and ShoppingLansdale.com
is mine for a year. Bargain.
Lansdale Shopping
Score: Zero (I would have if I could
have, but it’s something not available in the borough)
But now I have to electronically hook that domain up to
my blog. Which is as easy as putting
Ikea furniture together while blindfolded.
Cnames, A-records – there was even a step that told me to wait for the
error message. When a How-To includes an
instruction-sanctioned error message, you know you’re going to be in for a fun
ride.
Perhaps the people from the State Store wrote the
instructions.
But it’s working! And it's now dinner time.
We want to go out to dinner with the kids and grandkids. A two and a half year old and a three month
old. That does limit our choices. Where can we go that is kid friendly, has a
table for six tucked away in the back, and takes reservations on a busy Friday
night?
We go out of the borough.
Casey’s Saloon
in Hatfield. We love it there –
particularly for the staff. The waitresses
are all so nice, they treat us like royalty, and they have weeknight specials
that are great. Wednesday night is rib
night. Really good ribs. Thursday night is steak night. Every night is a good night! The grandkids were both angels. We will be back.
Lansdale Shopping
Score: Zero (But I could have)
So, my final stop was at a Lansdale establishment.
I went to the library in my underwear. WAIT!
That didn’t come out right! I
would never wear underwear at the library!
ACK!! That’s even worse!
Let me start again.
As I was going to bed, I realized that I was a dozen pages away from
finishing the book I was reading. And I
wanted another one. Free would be nice.
So I went to the Lansdale Library web site. Where, with just your library card, you can
download books from a vast collection of e-books. For free.
Easy to navigate, and a wide selection. And free.
I chose “Go Set a Watchman” by Harper Lee. It came out in July, but I hadn’t read it
yet. A few clicks later, and the book is
on my Kindle. And I’m in bed. Getting my free library book.
This is one of the best benefits I get from my local
taxes. We have a great library. One that keeps up with the times. And allows me to check out books. At home.
In my underwear.
Lansdale Shopping
Score: 1
So, today’s score:
ONE opportunity to shop/eat in Lansdale met.
TWO needs not fulfilled by a Lansdale establishment.
TWO needs met outside the borough when I could have
stayed here.
Let’s see what today brings!
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