| Al's Ramblings | |||
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Saturday, March 08, 2008 (3/08/2008 06:42:00 PM) - Al Notes fro this afternoon's visits to the Evil Empire and to an bar/grill establishment to watch the second half of the Badgers. The other day on my way home from work, I stopped at a small grocery store to pick up the proverbial "couple things", and witnessed that many of the sale items were higher than Wal Mart's regular prices. Even more telling was the fact that anything not on sale was astoundingly high, so much so I literally bought what I needed and put off several things. So today, I visited the retail giant to pick up about a dozen items, some for the family, a couple of canine related things, and a few yummy yet healthy things for myself (down 6 pounds this week, 19 total in the past fortnight). I knew there would be no spots in front of the store, so I drove to the next lane in the strip mall (I think it's Lane Bryant)...full there too. I almost had to park in front of Sam's Club, which is at the far end. I know weekends are busy, but I never recall parking that long of a walk away. When I walked past the registers, all had lines several deep. I wandered around, picking and choosing what I needed. Pretty much everything was either priced exactly what I expected, or just slightly higher (turkey loaf was $2.76, up from $2.50...thanks ethanol; at the other store, it was $4something). I finished up with Ronnie's stuff, and I noted that there only 3 big bags of Ol'Roy remaining, though the warehouse racking holds two pallets. I would guess that is a sign of a slowdown, as I would say many folks are more likely to change Fido's food choices rather than there own. We were told ages ago that we should buy lamb and rice food for our fella's sensitive stomach and {ahem} digestive system, so the big $7.50 bag, while a bargain, isn't much of an option for us. While searching for flea and tick drops, I came across a clearance section that had exactly that, for about half-price. The lines were still long, but it was mostly painless. After putting my stuff in the car, I looked around for a cart corral, but was too far away for there to be one...however, I added my cart to the 3-4 dozen others in a couple empty spots...I'm not the only one who parked in the next zip code, I guess. Because of the time spent maneuvering around the many people and carts, I did not make it to the game until about 15 minutes left in the second half. I did not witness the "80% red" crowd that Matt Lepay had talked about, I think he took some artistic license. Still, the crowd may well have been pro-Badgers, impressive enough. I was pleased that, as far as I know, no one rushed the court, which would have been more than a bit disrespectful on the road (not to mention the trespassing it is at home as well). I recall reading on a message board last year that Iowa fans were unhappy that some knuckleheads started a in poor taste chant at their Senior Day a year or two ago. Someone said recently that "supporting your team on the road" has become a synonym for "acting inappropriately" As was my last visit, the service was weak at best...several minutes after I sat down, the college-aged gal took my soft drink order, and then returned with about 4 minutes left in the game and asked if I was going to order anything off the menu, which had been on the table when I arrived. I replied I was not, to which the cute but inattentive young woman said, "Sweet", and ignored me just like I would expect from a 20 year-old (even when I was 20), until about 15 minutes after the game ended, when I flagged her down and told her I needed to settle up. After bringing back my change, she reached over and around me to grab my still half-full glass, making me feel rather "creepy old man"-like. By the way, the place went from about 40 people to about 15 before I left. They must love the Big Ten Network. Once home, I took in the food, leaving the frozen stuff in the garage freezer and dumping Ron's food into his Rubbermaid container, saving some to mix with his current food (too much change at once can lead to, well, inappropriate and untimely actions, you know). He was so happy when I finally went in, I don't even think he noticed me putting dirt-cheap poison on his neck and tail. 3/08/2008 06:42:00 PM |
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