This makes me angry

VALLEY STREAM -- A Wal-Mart employee died and four others were hurt in the Black Friday rush to get into the Valley Stream store this morning.
The injuries occurred as the shoppers crammed into the Wal-Mart when the doors opened at 5 a.m. Some 2,000 shoppers were waiting to get inside the store for Black Friday sales.
Police said the shoppers knocked the man to the ground at 5:03 a.m., three minutes after the store opened.
A 34-year-old Wal-Mart employee suffered an apparent heart attack and was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The poor guy was probably working to make money for his family this holiday season. It was bad enough he was stuck working at Wal-Mart on Black Friday.

If stores want to open early and make money, they need to have better security.

Sale!

Apparently, Black Friday doesn't only mean deals at stores. Apparently, Amazon will be having deals too, and not just on books. Here's a link.

I think their sales are good a few days before and after the day -- and yes, I get a little money if you buy through my link.

Here it is again.

Smile

if you're not wearing underwear

This just in

Police perplexed by soda can in woods

Was it a joke, an accident, or something more?
Police in Nicotown, Mass. are perplexed by a crushed Coke can found at the beginning of a trail in some local woods by a hiker this past Friday. They say that the can looks like someone drank out of it, but simply left it on the ground without using it to construct a model airplane.
Police also say that even more mysteriously, a cigarette butt and a mitten were found within 300 yards of the can.
"It's the darndest thing," said Det. Sgt. Marshall Warren Kopp. "It looks like the mitten may have been on someone's hand. In addition, we strongly suspect the Coke can used to have soda in it!"
The cigarette butt looks as if someone smoked it, but may have had at least 25 cents worth of nicotine left, Kopp added.
CNN is investigating reports that a crumbled newspaper page was found nearby.
"In all my years on the force, I've never seen anything like this," said Lieutennant Lou Tennant. "Except the time we found a ladybug and couldn't find its owner."
Tennant said that his department spent months putting the ladybug's picture on milk boxes to see if anyone would claim the missing pet, but it was in vain.
Kopp and Tennant said the case is unconnected to the suspicious empty water bottle found in Yellowstone Park last week.

Wait, there's more!

Pen Found on Ground

Police in Ball Pointe, Mich. said last week that they found a pen on the ground.
More information as this story develops.

So????

Would you really call 911 if you found this?  I think some kid hid it there to get out of lessons, which I wish I'd done.

Excellent....

The bulldog conspiracy has snared a victim.  Last night, the hubby was innocently watching stuff on YouTube - guy stuff, I assure you - and it recommended that he watch a bulldog video, because I'm on the computer so much looking at bulldog videos.  Way to go, YouTube!  If you are interested, it was a bulldog eating a watermelon.

They didn't show all the poo afterward.

I think hubby would have preferred something more like Uga, the U. Georgia football team's bulldog mascot.

Combonym of the week

Barma - n. - karma related to bar situations.  As in, "He walked right in, and the girls were all over him.  He had good barma that night."

Do you think this term could become as popular as c-ckblock?  (I hate that term.)

Weekend

We had a fun weekend.  Hope you did.  A few quick notes before sleep:

1.  Sarah e-mailed me a link of English bulldog puppies, and how could I keep such a thing from my 4-5 readers?

2.  Photos from this weekend...

Close to home

Walter's famous hot dog stand (as mentioned last week)

Cupcakes at Crumbs NYC

Laugh of the day

There is actually a Facebook group called "Stop Playing Toyota's 'Saved By Zero' Commercial"

Update:

Apparently, Toyota just won't listen.

Scenes from last week

Here are some photos taken in the last week in NY and NJ.

By the way, it was 38 degrees this morning!  (That's Fahrenheit, for all you Canadians).

New graffiti on under an old sign on a brick wall in New York. I love old signs that haven't completely faded.  It seems like this one has to do with flushing the crankcase in your vehicle.  They have a system!

Here's an old sign & clock in a town in North Jersey.

Foliage in our hometown.

Rain on Ninth Street in New York's West Village.

Grinchoweenie

Three topics today:

1.  Is there a Halloween version of the Grinch?  I may be married to one.  He said there should be a week and three day grace period for people to remove pumpkins on the stoops, in windows, etc.  After that, pumpkins should not be out anymore.  I tried to make the case that gourds can sorta relate to Thanksgiving, but he wasn't having it.

I asked him if there's a Halloween grinch.

Me:  What do you call someone who demands that pumpkins be removed?

Him:  Honest!!

Hmmm.  Wait 'til he gets a load of people's Xmas trees being thrown out in April!

2.  Interesting numbers:

CNN says, "Poll finds public deeply pessimistic."

3.  Lately people have been asking me about books and agents a lot.  Is it the economy or something?  Is everyone suddenly working on their book?  Actually, the people who asked me all have jobs, but it's still strange that in the last few weeks, three people have asked me about how to submit proposals, look for an agent, etc.  Well, I'm always happy to help!

4.  Some day I have to write about the influence of typing on my life, if I already haven't.

Updates

1. I had my first Walter's wiener today. It will likely be my last for a while, as hot dogs are not on my 'healthy' list, but they always smelled so good when the hubby had them. The accompanying "sweet spuds" were yummy, too.

If we go again, I will post photos. Not to leave you in suspense or anything.

2. A rant:

A few weeks ago, a girl in my writing group was saying that she almost bought a sandwich for a local homeless person once, but then she noticed the person was smoking a cigarette (so??) I guess her implication is that if she could afford cigarettes, she could afford food. Now, that is just stupid and a lazy excuse not to help someone who clearly has a crappy life. Maybe the cigarette is the only bright spot in an otherwise miserable day - how many of us need 100 of those bright spots to keep us going all day (internet breaks at work, drinks after work, a hug from someone we love, or whatever?) Secondly, maybe someone gave her the cigarette.

Thirdly, no one in their right mind would choose to be on the streets with barely anything - it's not an easy life. Someone who stays there has problems most of us can't imagine. Certainly it's not as easy as sitting in front of a computer being paid, as many of us likely are right now.

Think about it - you are being paid right now to read my blog!!!!

So if the dollar here or there won't set you back, give it to someone else who may need it, and don't trouble yourself about whether it goes to the right place or not. It might give someone a pickup for a second. If you give to three people and one of them is helped, it's better than giving to zero.

3. I forgot it.

Darn!

Down came the rain, and....

Here are some images from yesterday's rains, which facilitated the falling of the leaves.

No, I don't know who the boy is.  He just appeared when I was photographing this block, and hey, it fits.  I don't know what he was doing here at like 9:30 a.m. anyway; what happened to school?

Hmmmm...

I only paid $1.50 for each of them this morning.

Maybe the rest of the country has no place to get them. OK, OK, I'll sell ya mine for $100 each.

Reason why hubby is great

He sent me this article about the upcoming First Pooch. I'm glad some people are trying to steer them toward a needy shelter dog so they can set an example. But I also understand those who say he should get his daughters the dog they want. They are kids, after all.

Still, he's prez now! He should encourage people to adopt.

Historic night

This is a historic night.  A night in which a president has promised, in his speech...a puppy!

However, in order to make sure he can come through on this promise, he failed to be specific, as politicians tend to do.  What breed will the First Canine be?  More importantly, will it be adopted from a shelter??

I recommend a mixed breed, perhaps part beagle.  Their temperament is astounding.  Plus they are small and will poop less.  There is enough poop in Washington already.

I happened to get a chance to look at the speech Obama would have given if he'd lost, and apparently, he was just going to give the girls some sea monkeys.  Those are two lucky girls!!

So, those are my intellectual thoughts regarding the election.

Veterans Day

...does not have an apostrophe in it.  It's next Tuesday.  

Here's my article on the matter, but I did NOT come up with that headline!!!  I'm not sure which one of the esteemed Black Table editors did.  Let's just say it was Will Leitch.  He may be a polite Midwestern sorta fellow, but let's blame him anyway.  Ha ha ha!

I used to be pretty scared that anyone who went on a date with me would Google me and see that headline and think I'm ONE ANGRY CHICK.  Now I have my cute honey-woney...but I still have to worry that maybe one day his granny or someone will see the F-bomb.  Oh well.

I'm a lover, not a fighter.

The hills are alive

I dressed up like Maria VonTrapp for Halloween yesterday. My hubby called me "Maria VonTramp." Ha ha, very funny.

Quote of the day

"Caren, don't blame iPhone.  It's your fault." - Hubby, after I pressed the wrong button and groaned frustratedly.