CNN is reporting that Harvey Korman has died. The great Hedley Lamarr is no more.
Archives for May 2008
You Don’t have to Pay Full Price
CNN/Money has an article that discusses how many retailers are trying to continue to bring in new customers during hard times.
“NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Times are tough. The economy is weakening, consumer confidence is at a low and Americans are struggling just to buy basics like gas and groceries. So when it comes to getting goods that fall beyond the bare necessities, shoppers are getting smarter.
Not only has scouring the Web for the best possible price become standard protocol before buying a big-ticket item, but more consumers are employing creative strategies for scoring hot deals on everything from stereos to sweat pants.
Comparison shopping, haggling and swapping discount codes are all becoming mainstream marks of savvy shoppers. And retailers are playing along.
Coupon crazeSwapping online coupons or discount codes is one quick way to score a reduced price. Often simply applying the right coupon or promotion code during the online payment process can mean a savings of 10% to 30% or at least free shipping.
“People are feeling a bit of squeeze and are looking for ways to save money without cutting back their spending,” said Barry Boone, owner of currentcodes.com and naughtycodes.com.
Web sites like currentcodes.com list discount codes for a number of online retailers from Amazon to Zappos. If you find a code to an online store you’re shopping at, just copy it and paste it into the “promotional code” box in the checkout area of the retailer’s Web site.”
Here is a list of sites that you can use to find coupons:
| blog.couponmountain.com |
| coolsavings.com |
| couponblog.net |
| couponcabin.com |
| currentcodes.com |
| deallocker.com |
| naughtycodes.com |
| printable-coupons.blogspot.com |
| retailmenot.com |
| wow-coupons.com |
If you know of any others please feel free to leave them in the comments.
The 10 worst jobs in science
MSNBC has an interesting list of the ten worst jobs in science. Read the whole article and see what they have to say, or let me walk you through an abridged version.
No. 10: Whale-feces researcher
No. 9: Forensic entomologist
No. 8: Olympic drug tester
No.7: Gravity Research Subject
No. 6: Microsoft security grunt
No. 5: Coursework carcass preparer
No. 4: Garbologist
No. 3: Elephant vasectomist
No. 2: Oceanographer
No. 1 Hazmat diver
Responding to Comments
Once upon a time I referred to blog posts that had no comments as orphans or something along those lines, I don’t quite remember and don’t feel like looking it up. What I can say for certain is that I remember being disturbed to see that some posts never received any feedback.
It was kind of a silly thing to be miffed about. I really don’t blog for the comments, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want/enjoy/appreciate the feedback. It may be a secondary thing, but nonetheless it is nice to see that someone took the time to respond.
Now many years into my blogging career I pay far less attention to that than I used to. Sure, there are some posts that I think are amazing that still never receive any comments, but I don’t pay much attention to it. The comments are nice, but they don’t drive the blog.
All that being said I have a responsibility to respond to comments and I need to come clean about this. Lately I have been a bit lax about it. I read every comment that comes in and I try to respond in a timely fashion, but sometimes I fall short.
That is not to say that I do not respond, but sometimes it might take me a couple of days to get to it. My apologies.
Also, the rules of the blog dictate that I let you know that sometimes I have nothing more to say or add and as a result I not respond to a comment.
Anyhoo, that is all I have to say about this for now. Thanks for reading.
My Fourth Blogiversary- What Do I have To Say
It seems that another year has come and gone. Another year of challenges, struggles and more than a few victories. Another year in which I promised myself to come up with a more profound blogiversary post than the past, but still didn’t.
So let me get a few things out of the way. When I look back at the posts I put up during my first few months of blogging I really cringe. Some of them are just dreadful, the exact opposite of the profundities I always hope to find there.
For that matter I tend to dislike most of my posts. When I read them I always find an expression that sounds tired, far too trite or falls short in some other way. When I look back I wonder what the hell I was thinking and why I wasn’t more careful in my editing.
And then I begin to consider all of the benefits that I have received from blogging and I begin to smile. Blogging has been the source of new friendships and provided an education in many areas that I wouldn’t have normally received.
I was truly touched by the support I received after posting The Bearer of Bad Tidings- One Less Set of Footsteps.
Blogging has truly opened up new interests and changed my views on some things.
If you have spent any time reading the junk I put up you are aware that I often use this place to conduct my own therapy. I air out the junk that rattles around my skull and use the screen to clean out the clutter. I share my hopes and dreams and fears.
Here in cyberspace I sometimes scream. Here in cyberspace I cry. But more often here in cyberspace I laugh and find a way to get through the rough spots.
Here in cyberspace I test out my writing. I have taken and continue to take great pleasure in writing Fragments of Fiction.
The opportunity to document the wonderful and crazy things that my children do has been tremendous. I have four years of records that I wouldn’t otherwise have.
As I sit here I mull over whether to try and list the bloggers that have been here for most if not all of the ride. I don’t think that I could possibly do it justice. I don’t think that I could possibly list you all, but I’ll give it a shot. I know that I am going to leave some people, accept my apologies now.
The following is in no order of importance, just an incomplete list of bloggers that have made this experience more fun for me.
Treppenwitz
Israellycool
The Muqata
Elie’s Expositions
Soccer Dad
Seraphic Secret
Stacey’s Shmata
Serandez
NY’s Funniest Rabbi
The Rebbetzin’s Husband
Toner Mishap
An Audience of One
A couple more comments about this incomplete list. Each of you has touched me in a different way. Some of you and I have developed real friendships. We have had the opportunity to meet in person and develop something special that exists in real time as well as cyberspace.
But I think that the one thing that really ties you all together is that I feel like I have found a person that has taken the time to give a real picture of who you are. Over the years I have seen the good and the bad. You didn’t take the easy way out and edit things to create a false picture of yourself.
At least that is my impression, who knows, I could be wrong.
I suppose that I should give some thought to how to wrap this up, but then again brevity is not my strong suit. Nonetheless for the sake of the 17 long time readers I’ll give it a shot.
If you ask me how much longer you can expect to find me blogging I’ll tell you that I don’t know. This is post number 5,716. I have an unofficial goal of hitting 10,000. I may keep going until I hit the mark or I may not.
It is hard to say. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it go on for years, nor would I be surprised if one day I just put down the keyboard and walked away. Some bloggers like Stephen continue to reinvent themselves. I must say that I find that to be somewhat intriguing.
Anyway, I think that for now I have done enough babbling for now. In just a moment I’ll sign off and listen to some music and fall asleep. Who knows, in the morning I just might decide that I hate this and rewrite the whole damn thing.
A Few more odds and ends:
Past Blogiversary posts
A Blogiversary
Happy Blogivesary To Me
My Third Blogiversary- Not Quite a Farewell
Some old posts that I stumbled upon and decided to share with you just because I did.
I Am The Source of Evil In The JBlogosphere
Liveblogging Dinner With The Shmata Queen Part II
Sir, I Need A Condom
My Daughter’s Favorite Book
Dancing WIth My Daughter
Some Things I’ll Teach My Children
Why I Blog
A Different Sort of Childhood
While I was traversing the fine state of Texas I took a moment to give G a shout to try and catch up. I met the old man on the first day of kindergarten, way back in the fuzzy days of 1974.
Every now and then big, tall and lanky and I pull out the old photos and thank the powers that be that we weren’t responsible for the incredibly ugly clothes that represent the ’70s. Gosh, some of the crap that our parents made us wear is beyond hideous. Can’t wait to see what happens when the children get a hold of those photos. I am ready to take a bit of abuse.
Anyway, the bastage didn’t bother to pick up the phone. This means one of two things.
1) Those exceptionally old ears can’t hear the soft ring of a cellphone.
2) The parents of the new woman were busy interrogating him.
On a side note he and I always refer to each other in the loving manner which you have just read. I don’t know when it started, but it is just how we do it.
All of this brings me to the point of the post in which I expound upon how different childhood is for my children. I could rail on about technology, but that is not the big distinction.
The biggest change is that when I was a kid we played outside all year round. During the school year you came home changed and then ran outside. If you listened to your mom you usually heard a reminder to be home by dinner time, but you still went on your merry little way.
In my neighborhood we were outside and running around at a very young age. Older siblings usually kept half an eye upon you. That didn’t mean that you couldn’t get into a heap of trouble, you could. And typically those same older siblings helped encourage you to do the very thing that got you into hot water.
But things are different now. With the proliferation of news about pedophiles, rapists, murderers and bad guys in general parents are hesitant to let their children run around without careful supervision.
It used to be that mom was happy to do her chores indoors and give the occasional look out the window. Not anymore. Parents want to be outside with their kids where they can keep a close eye on things.
I really do not believe that things are worse now than when I was young. IMO the difference is the amount of information. With all the stories about the terrible things that happen to children it is hard let your kids do anything that you can’t see.
And with our busy lives it can be really hard to work all day, come home and find time to let the kids run around outside, especially during the shorter days of the year.
FWIW, in my neighborhood I do see a lot of kids playing outside, but they tend to be older than my children. So maybe it is something that will happen, just at a later age than when I began. But something tells me that even if it does happen it will be with more reservations from the parents than when we were young.
The end of the innocence is not limited to the youth.