Month: November 2003

Okay, starting tomorrow, back to good posting. Back the the humor and insights you’ve grown accustomed to.

In the meantime, here’s a game that will addict you like crack. You have been warned.

Decided to take a little break from blogging. Don’t know why, I could have described my meal in horrifyingly minute detail, but really, does anyone need to know about the depth of flavor of the chocolate cream pie? Well, even if you do, tough. That’s too much like work.

I’m kind of bummed out because I’m not going to finish my NaNoWriMo novel. I just don’t see it happening, so half of me thinks I should spend the next 36 hours typing non-stop, but I don’t feel like doing that. But if I don’t spend the next 36 hours typing non-stop, I won’t hit 50,000. I know I’ve done it twice before, do I really need to do it again, am I trying to prove anything? It’s 50,000 words of crap. Last year’s was SO much better. I went off-track somewhere in the beginning of this one and my heart wasn’t in it. So that’s my whine of the day. Don’t know what I’m going to do at this point. Check with me on December 1st.

Other than that…we’ve been low key here. I just need to get some relaxing in – I have realized that working as a contractor is great, except for the lack of vacation time. I simply cannot afford to lose a week’s pay, so while I’ve had random days off, and some days of working at home, I’ve been working non-stop for six months now, and I’ve noticed I’m really in need of a bit of a break. Don’t get me wrong, I love my work, I love where I’m working, and all I want for Christmas is an offer of a full-time job, but I’m happy either way, as long as they want to keep me.

Okay, time to figure out the plans for the rest of the day.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Hope you have a relaxing day, no matter who you get stuck eating with. Here’s a little something for you to use to take out your frustrations against [fill in relative’s name]. The Holiday Snowglobe is great fun – make sure you have the sound on, and you let it just sit so you can watch all the interactions. I mean, when you’re done shaking it.

I wrote something yesterday in my NaNoWriMo Blog that is already listed in Google if you search for scott baio’s body double. That’s right, number one hit for that search, baby!

Oy.

Dear Shaws,

Wow, you guys are having some week! Three different [local] people shopping at three different locations found black widow spiders in their red seedless grapes. Holy cow!

I love my local store, and I shop there 98% of the time. This morning, I actually thought to myself “I should go down and look through the grapes to see if I can find anything good in there” which is when I realized that you guys could really be cashing in on this, marketing-wise. If *I* was thinking of going spider-hunting, and I hate bugs, you know there are thousands of others thinking the same thing.

So here are two four marketing ideas for you, free, gratis. I mean, I’d take payment (use the paypal donation link over on the right) but that’s up to you.

1. You know all those M&M promotions where they say if you find a bag of all gray (or whatever) you’ll win some big prize? Tell everyone that the spiders were meant as prize markers – if you find one, you win a free shopping spree.

2. Advertise your grapes as coming with “a free pet for the kids”. It’s Christmas, and you were thinking of getting little Jimmy a puppy, right? But have you considered the mess and work involved with a puppy? Buy your red grapes at Shaws and receive a free Christmas Spider!

3. Set up a display of those bug catcher jars with the magnifying glass tops right next to the grapes.

4. Post ads specifically for “Spider Grapes” and say “Only available at Shaws for a limited time!” Maybe include some trumped-up story about how spider grapes are magic.

See where I’m going with this? I’m kind of disappointed that there weren’t any spiders in the last batch of spider grapes I bought.