Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, USA!

I don't really have anything to nitpick about regarding this day. I suppose I could complain that Christmas decorations have been up for weeks, and they shouldn't be up till tomorrow. Or, I could complain that the unseasoned bread cubes that we traditionally use for our chicken (that's right, chicken. Not turkey in my family) stuff are so hard to find that they are practically extinct.

But as today is a day for being thankful, I'll be thankful for the food, friends and family we have. I'll return to being critical tomorrow, when I'll be forced to hide in our home all day so as not to be rundown by the Black Friday Bargain Shoppers.

The All-American Jean

I haven't worn jeans in nearly 10 years. [Yes, I am in fact American.] I found sweats and knit pants to just be more comfy.

But in walking through the mall the other day, I saw a 50% off sale at Lucky Brand Jeans and I decided to take a peek. Within 15 minutes, I was walking out with a pair of pretty trendy boot-cut jeans.

What made me buy them?

1. I just got a new sweater that would look sweet with jeans
2. The price was very appealing at 50% off
3. Lucky Jeans are all Made in the USA!
   
4. The salesgal was SUPER in helping me to figure out what waist size and length I needed

So, I've done my part for the week to support the economy ... have you?

Chronicles of the New Giant: Grand Re-opening

So, for several weeks, I've been following the rebranding of Giant. This weekend, Rolling Giant in Springfield held a 'grand reopening' as their store refurbishment is now complete.

The new logo is everywhere, including on the outside facade of the store. The carts are new, the floors are new, the fixtures are new. It's all new. Well, except for the staff. But they in fact do seem a little different, too.

Back in September, when Giant first unveiled their new logo, I had commented that Giant needed to change more than their branding. And now, 2 months later, I think that they have.

As I walked through the store yesterday, I was able to find the following items which have always been problematic for me:

• Kitchen Basics cooking stock: Beef, Chicken AND Vegetable all on the shelf. This has never happened. Normally they have 50 of one or the other, or none at all.
• Leeks AND Scallions AND Kale in produce. Amazing. Unheard of in the past.
  

So, maybe they have done something to try to get their inventory management under control. Hurrah!

Also, starting in a week or so, this store is going to make the self-scanners available. I am very curious to try this. It's a neat idea.

Nothing like a puzzle game ...

Anyone at all involved in the gaming industry knows that Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 came out last week.

Here's the issue: there were a lot of problems with the install. My husband is one of many who got a defective serial key that was 19 digits rather than 20. Many sites, including the official C&C help site, had this "helpful" advice:

There is currently a work around that may allow you to bypass this issue. Since you have the first 19 characters of the code already, you can basically try "guessing" the last character. To do this, simply enter your existing code, and then for the last character, try the letters A-Z, and then the numbers 0-9. You should eventually get the right combination, and be able to play the game.

Wow, that sounds both fun and easy, doesn't it? Just the way I want to spend my time after spending $49 for a game.

The issue, however, was that the game was coded to abort install if you failed to enter the correct serial number after 3 tries. After spending 30 mins of aborts and re-installs, my hubby was pretty angry.

So, my husband tried to follow the second set of advice,

In order to get a replacement code, please click the "Contact Us" link on the left side of the page, and attach an image of your code to the incident.

If you do not have access to a digital camera or scanner, you can fax us a copy of the back of your instruction booklet, along with a copy of your receipt, to (512)-949-4994. Please include with your fax your First and Last name as well as your incident number.

If you would like, once you have created your incident, you can also contact us by phone using the number found on page 28 of your manual.

Note: If you decide to contact us by phone, please include the incident number that you created for this issue.

But, that didn't actually work, either. When he called EA, they insisted that you did everything online and they wouldn't talk to him about the serial number. So, he ended up spending 3 hours starting the install over and over, again and again, until he guessed the correct number. What an AWESOME opening puzzle for the game!

We'd be holding a pretty serious grudge against them at this point if it weren't for the stellar performance of Tim Curry as the Russian Commander, Premier Cherdenko. Hail, Comrade! [If you're a Tim Curry fan, you can see him in this re-mix Red Alert 3 video, along with George Takei.]

Election Day: All those 1's and 0's

Just in case you've been hibernating for the last few weeks, today is Election Day in the USA.

The last few years, there has been a myriad of issues with the electronic voting machines. I'm thrilled to see that our local governments have been paying attention. Four years ago, we could only vote using the electronic machines. Yuck-o. This morning, we had a choice of paper or electronic. PAPER, baby!

One of the poll workers tried to assure my husband and I that the electronic machines were 'easy to use.' Well, of course they are. But you see, that's not the point. My husband and I both work in the software/database industry. And we KNOW how easy it is to change data in a database. One row at a time or in bulk.

Having all voting records electronically is inappropriate. There is too much at stake. There needs to be a paper back-up of some sorts in case the database fails or is compromised in any way. We applaud the decision to offer paper, and we imagine that in 4-8 years the electronic machines may be gone.

The Battle of the Boxers

Back in February, I posted that I was on a mission to replace my husband's threadbare 15-year old boxers.

I bought 3 different brands, and he's been wearing/washing them for a few months now. Here are the results ....


City Boxers ($16-$20)
Custom Made in U.S.A

Overview: This is the ultimate boxer site; you pick fabrics, styles, colors, options. Then you order. Then you get e-mail updates as your boxers are being made and shipped.


These are the 'specs' of what we ordered, to give an idea of how many options you have;

1 pair of 'Black Sateen' Boxers
Style Number: 9143
Size: 35-L
Inseam: Short Short, 3-Inch
Waistband: Fabric-Covered
Fastener: No Fastener
Pocket: No Pocket

Verdict: These were BY FAR the highest quality of the 3. Well worth the price. These boxers will last forever. No joke. They will outlast us. The issue my husband had with them was that he found them to be too hot to wear under jeans. We are contacting City Boxers to see if they might recommend a thinner fabric. [Gary has written back as of today, and made some suggestions to try Egyptian White, Stripe 55 and 56.]

Made in USA Forever, Wickers Men's Boxers ($17)
Made in U.S.A.

Overview: The MadeinUSAforever.com website is a good place to find a variety of Made in the U.S.A. products in one store. They carry several "Wickers" brand items in the store.

Verdict: Although they call these "boxers" they are really more of a boxer-brief hybrid. My husband doesn't care for them for work-day wear under jeans, but LOVES them to jog/exercise in. In looking at the Wickers site, it appears that they are definitely targeting the exercise-market.



Stafford 100% Cotton Boxers at JCPenney.com ($20 for a 3-pack)
Made in Mexico (Hecho en Mexico)

Overview: By far the cheapest of the three, we ordered these from Jacques Penney's online Boutique.

Verdict: As sad as I am to admit it, these were my husband's favorites in terms of comfort during the day under his work clothes. However, these were definitely the lowest quality. I have no doubt the waist elastic will disintegrate within two years.