Friday, September 28, 2012

Here and There.......(and freebies!)

Its 11:00 pm


     What??? A night entry? Yep....sure is! Haven't written this late at night before. At least not on this blog....back when I first started writing at the late Modblog,I did post several times at night. But that was years ago and life has changed a bit.

   Another pleasant day here in SE Michigan,grey hazy day with some late sunshine in the afternoon. I worked outside at my job today so it was pretty nice to be able to enjoy the weather. Am hoping for another  nice day tomorrow as I need to cut the lawn again.
  But first Lori and I are making another trip to Taylor to the Christmas Tree Shop. We held our first Holiday Planning Session last Friday after our weekly family meeting. We went over our holiday plans and gift lists for our families and friends. Its good to do this early so you can plan and budget for each person.


We're already ahead in the game as we both are planning to skip Halloween this year because we both are planning to work it. We'll use last year's decorations that we got for the yard and make small goodies bags for the neighbor children instead of spending the money for the 100 kids we get a year. I am actually looking forward to working a Halloween again for a change...

   Our microwave died last week. It had come with the house but it was already sort of beat up and we had long range plans to replace it. Well being out of work sort makes those plans hard to attain so we merely patched it up and when the door broke about 18 months ago,we replaced it.
  But last week the old timer gave up the ghost and we had to replace it. Lori went shopping for it and amazingly enough found it at one of the toughest places to shop at,ABC Warehouse. Now I have written about this place before,its a slightly slimy place to shop because all the salesman work on commission and they pretty much attack you as soon as you come through the door.
  I really didn't want Lori going there unless I was there,not because I don't trust her judgement (which is far better then mine) but didn't want to have to battle those salesman,who always remind of the movie "Hollywood Shuffle" where these two dudes are reviewing a parody of zombie movies called "Attack of the Killer Pimps". Personally,I think ABC Warehouse used the same clip as a training model for their staffs. Maybe I'm wrong but you be the judge.....
   Despite our dread,Lori was able to find really nice model and the next day after work,I drove down to pick it up. Now this was a heavy duty microwave and it hangs over our stove so we also had to pay to get it installed.


  ABC Warehouse has several freelance contractors who install whatever product you buy from the store and they come over to do just that. I was home when the contractors we got showed up....it was a father and son team. Both were big fellas and while they were very professional,I was half scared one of them would drop from a heart attack. We made small talk and I asked the dad if his business was picking up as I had heard him tell his son that they had to be quick,they had 10 jobs that took them all over the metro Detroit area.
  He said that business seems to picking up...they were getting ready to start a 2nd truck. I commented how that was great news....until the dad explained they used to have FIVE trucks running. That sort of surprised me a bit considering how hot the real estate market has been getting around here. Two small communities close to us,Westland and Garden City,have been hit by a booming market of low cost homes being bought and renovated.



That often means brand new kitchens and appliances,or one would think. This economy is really a puzzle,its either getting better or people are making adjustments to earning less as the power of the labor unions continue to be eroded away. People are spending more now....just not as much. The local news reported that less people in SE Michigan have credit card debit now....they are paying them off quickly and not using them nearly so much. I know that is true with us,we may use the credit card because we don't want to carry large amount of cash....but the card gets paid off with 3-4 days.
   The dad and son finished our install and then left.
So how did I celebrate? By popping my favorite popcorn....Pop Secret! This is by far the best popcorn on the market and I am always on the hunt for coupons and sales. It rarely happens so when it does,I try and stock up because nothing is better on a chilly night then a bag of popcorn and a cold drink...





  Pretty cool.....I was invited to promote my blog on a group page on FB. I joined and whenever I post a new entry,I post a notice on the page. A young couple from Australia has been been reading it because I just got a request to be "mates" (that is Aussie for friends). So yeah,I am pretty jazzed about that and I hope they continue to support the blog here!

  Tomorrow,I will get off my duff and start working on my next interview....my last "8 Questions with...." has been my biggest traffic draw as many folks have stopped by to read my interview with cutting edge designer Evon Cassier. Now why has it taken me so long to deliver my new interview? Hell if I know.....but I do have my questions ready and I'll be sending them off.

  What will be it about? Here is a hint:



And with that.....its time to post this bad boy......


I still have that free book to offer and also,I have 3 free CDs as well.......so drop a comment and the first four folks who do will win.....












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