The Wal-Mart Cometh

Why yes, despite what you read — and despite what people in the Bay Area seem pre-programmed to believe — there are actually places where people (and local businesses) are HAPPY to see Wal-Mart coming. Knowing this part of my hometown as I do, I don’t think this will be quite the cure-all it’s made out to be, but neither do I see it as particularly damaging…

Speaking of huge chains, we had dinner at Ikea last night. As many negative things as I’ve had to say about the place over the years, our last couple of visits haven’t been nearly as horrible as earlier ones. And you gotta love anyplace that can feed the two of us so completely for fifteen bucks…

Superlatives

This week’s superlatives:

Most stupid comment I’ve heard on the news: “Authorities are wondering if a recent murder could have been prevented.” Just my own bias, I guess, but I thought that ALL murders were, by definition, preventable…
Most stupid comment I’ve read in the paper, from a column on the dangers of pit bulls: “The human community has been in denial for 20 years.” The HUMAN COMMUNITY??? Couldn’t we have gotten some couterpoint from, say, the attack dog community or the flea community? Jeez…
Most stupid feature I’ve read about in the new version of Microsoft Word for Mac: a much easier method for inserting movies. Do people really need to add movies to word processing documents all that frequently? I don’t get it…
Most strangely appealing song I’d almost forgotten but heard on Flashback Alternatives: “Heaven (Must Be There)” by Eurogliders…
Best accidental find on the DVR: the Addams Family episode of The New Scooby Doo Movies on Boomerang Sunday morning…

Bye, Carolina Circle

Apparently, the ghost mall with which I am most acquainted (and where I first had tearoom sex) is about to become a Wal-Mart, eliminating once and for all the possibility that I’ll ever manage a clothing store across from the Chick-Fil-A there again. Which is probably a good thing…

Resistance Is Futile

Has anyone else heard those PBS bumpers which say “we are PBS…” and just sort of paused there a couple of seconds waiting for the announcer to add “you will be assimilated…”?

Just curious…

My Thyroid Is Dead

It was three years ago today that I emerged from my first (very unexpected) trip to the hospital, in which I learned that the hyperthyroidism I hadn’t known I had was throwing my heart into major turmoil. To say that I was scared shitless would be a significant understatement…

Three years in, I no longer have to inject myself in the stomach with mucous from pig intestines (that lasted a week), I no longer lie in bed paralyzed with fear that I’m going to die before morning (which only happened a few times), and I’ve come to realize that I’m going to be just fine, thanks, even if I do have to take certain pills the rest of my life…

That said, I’d like to announce that the aforementioned thyroid gland has this week been pronounced — with about 90-95% certainty — dead. Thanks to the fine folks at the unfortunately named Department of Nuclear Medicine at CPMC. I shan’t miss the little bastard…