A MoneyGram for Batman

Posted 3 Jan 2012

Daily Life, Places | 5 Comments 

Stopping into my local CVS over the holidays, I saw the following set up for sending money.

The whole concept of using a public phone of any kind to send money seems so 1980s, or at least in 1980s in the USA. The cheesy display, the 1985-era telephone and the shocking price — you can send $50.00 for $5.00 — made me very suspect of the whole set up.

And doesn’t the red phone look like a slightly modernized Batphone?

Conservatory sensory connections

Posted 2 Jan 2012

Daily Life, Places, Signs, Weird | 1 Comment 

It was after dusk, and the room was darkened and steaming hot.

Classical music was playing softly, coming in from far away, yet setting the mood perfectly for romance.

I thought I saw something gleaming on the floor, down amongst a collection of rare and exotic flowers that someone had clearly put a lot of time and effort into arranging for me to see.

And as I moved in closer, I saw written on a tiny note, “Smell me, I’m fragrant!”

I tell you what, if I was not in a plant conservatory and being given this message by a nice-smelling plant, I’d be a little creeped out right now.

A pricing anomaly

Posted 30 Dec 2011

Places, Signs | 7 Comments 

With apologies for the slew of posts about Walgreens, I wanted to check something with you. Does it seem reasonable that Andre Champagne is $5.99 and a Whitman’s Sampler is $4.99, but that a Chia Pet is $15.99?!? And, is that with or without the 50% sale?

Can’t get there from here

Posted 29 Dec 2011

Commuting, Daily Life, Places | 5 Comments 

Over the recent holidays, I was visiting family in Illinois. As the evening came to an end, I sauntered out to my car to get it warmed up and to punch in my travel destination on the GPS device (satellite navigation). Already having entered the details for my accommodation, I selected it from a list and waited for the device to tell me how to get there.

You may not be surprised to learn that it took me some time to get home that night.

(NOTE: I blurred out the destination in the top left corner of the screen as it is the home address of a family member.)

Let’s hope it’s not too much of an emergency

Posted 28 Dec 2011

Commuting, Daily Life, People, Places, Signs | 2 Comments 

This empty box usually holds simple pamphlets with directions to the nearest hospital (or so we assume, given the label).

Seeing that it is empty makes me think, on the plus side, that directions were clearly needed from this place, so it is great that this was here!

On the negative side, for anyone who may have an emergency here now, I hope it is not TOO MUCH of an emergency!