Summer of Cake

It's a lazy Friday afternoon, and I feel like indulging in a bit of nostalgia. Come along, won't you?

Ten years ago this summer, I was working for a fledgling e-commerce company. A little over a year before, we had moved from the founder's basement to a small, sparse second-floor space above some stores in Arlington Center--the company needed to start hiring more people, and there wasn't enough room in the basement anymore. Later that year, we took some additional rooms across the hall, and by the summer of 2000 the whole space was full to bursting, with desks and people squeezed into any available nook or corner.

There was a building around the corner that was undergoing a renovation and addition; the company was able to rent space in it, but it would not be available for several more months. At the same time, there was a guy working for us as a technology consultant who had an office near Kendall Square that happened to be unoccupied, so the decision was made to temporarily relocate my department and shuffle some of the other people around until the new office was ready.

In order to save some money, the bosses decided to let us move ourselves, mostly because one guy had a pickup truck. When the moving day arrived near the end of June, it of course started raining just as we finished loading the truck with, you know, expensive computer equipment, files in cardboard boxes, and other perishable stuff. We ended up driving under an unused bank drive-through for shelter until it stopped raining.

But once we got settled into our new space, things were pretty good. For one thing, it was a lot nicer than where we'd been working. The cubicle walls were actual walls, made of wood and plaster, and they were high, so not as much sound carried across them. There were no landline phones, so at first we could be reached only by email. It's amazing how well you can focus when no one can call you or come around the corner and bother you about some petty thing. Later they got us cell phones; the first ones didn't work inside the building, so they returned them and switched carriers.

We would spend Monday mornings at the "mother ship" for meetings, then retreat to our sanctuary. There was a nice kitchen, and the guy whose office it was kept the pantry stocked with all sorts of drinks and snacks and goodies. (I assume he was billing our employer for this.) At peak there were six of us in the department, but often there were only three or four of us in the office on a given day. We had an insanely powerful sound system--something about creating audio recordings for the web site, I think--and on afternoons like today, we'd blast it for hours.

This is how I met A Proper Bostonian, who preferred working from home, so sometimes she was around and sometimes she wasn't, but she always seemed to know when the tech guy had gone shopping and restocked the larder. He always got a cake from the supermarket's bakery, and in later years when we would talk and look back on our time there, she would say, "And we always had cake."

We ended up being temporarily outsourced for a little more than five four months. We moved back to the new office in November, right around Veterans' Day. On February 1st of 2001, I was laid off, along with five or six other people, so I got to work in the new office for less than three months. The company lasted another year before folding.

Elizabeth Short

Today marks the date of birth in 1924 of Elizabeth Short. She became the victim of one of the most gruesome and notorious (and still unsolved) crimes in our country's history, the infamous "Black Dahlia" murder of January 1947.

I mention this mainly because she was originally from the Boston area. She was born in Hyde Park, and her family moved to Medford a few years later. As a teenager she dropped out of school and spent winters with a relative in Florida because she had respiratory problems. Later she moved to California, hoping to be discovered and break into movies, but of course that didn't happen.

I first became aware of Beth Short's unfortunate story when I read James Ellroy's novel The Black Dahlia, a fictionalized account of the case, more than two decades ago. I learned that the real case had never been solved or closed, and interest remains high more than 60 years later.

There are numerous theories and endless speculation as to who committed the crime, and there are a number of web sites about the case and about Beth Short. It's kind of amazing how much of the information is inaccurate or contradictory (that's just the internet, I guess). Of course there have been a number of books on the subject, and unfortunately many of the inaccuracies are perpetuated through those as well.

I've read two of these books, Severed by John Gilmore and Black Dahlia Avenger by Steve Hodel; I didn't know at the time, and I was kind of embarrassed to learn, that apparently neither of these is particularly well regarded, especially by writer Larry Harnisch, who wrote an article about the case for the Los Angeles Times in 1996. He maintains this web site and says he is writing his own book (though I don't see anything by him listed on Amazon).

You may remember that a movie based on Ellroy's book came out a few years ago. It's pretty terrible, and I recommend you not bother with it. I do recommend Ellroy's book, especially if you're a fan of mysteries or noir.

A mile or so from my house, there is a marker in the approximate location of her childhood home. It's on Salem Street heading west toward Medford Square, just before the rotary and ramps for route 93. (I assume the house was removed when the highway and ramps were built.) It's only a couple of feet back from the edge of the sidewalk, a large, upright piece of granite with a plaque set into it.

I had intended to take a picture of the marker to accompany this post, but I kept forgetting to bring my camera when we went in that direction (and there isn't really any good spot to pull over anyway, since it's right next to a rotary with an onramp to 93 north). In this picture you can read the plaque. I've read that when the marker was proposed in the early 1990s, there were some who opposed it. But I'm glad the city has chosen to remember Beth Short.

Expense Report #16

I kind of skipped over my report this week, mostly because I was wrapped up with the Mad Men stuff on Monday, but also because... I bought stuff last week, and I felt bad about it.

I bought a couple of things I needed, like the stuff at BJ's and today's earlier story about the undershirts (and those are being returned anyway). But I was also back on the eBay crack last week, and I bid on two items, thinking I wouldn't win either, and I ended up winning both.

One was a lightly-used pair of Bass Weejuns, old enough to still have been made in the USA (so probably at least ten years old, if not more). The other? Care to guess? Those of you who rolled your eyes and said "a watch" while playing along at home, pat yourselves on the back. More on that later.

The good news? I spent only slightly more than $50 total on both items.

Gilt Feelings

I signed up for the member-only designer sale site Gilt Groupe about a year and a half ago, and while there have been some items that have interested or tempted me, a lot of what they offer is just too fashiony for my tastes, and a lot of it is still too pricey for my wallet.

I hadn't felt strongly enough about anything to make a purchase from the site until last week, when an offering dovetailed nicely with my ongoing, ridiculously difficult search for satisfactory gray undershirts. Gilt had underwear from a company called 2(x)ist, and normally the name alone would be enough to keep me away, but as I browsed idly I saw undershirts offered in white, black, or gray. Turned out they were selling them in groups of nine, all one color, for $50. This is about in line with what I've paid for them in the past, so I ordered them after making sure they were 100% cotton.

On Monday I got an email saying the order had shipped, and yesterday I got home from work to find a medium-sized flat box on my porch. Turns out their fulfillment is done out of Andover, which explains why I received it so quickly. When I got inside and opened the box, there were three three-packs of shirts bundled together inside another clear wrapper. The shirts were the kind without tags, which is fine. I could see the printed "label" through the clear packaging, which said 60% cotton/40% polyester. Oops, we have a problem.

The purchase was final sale (Gilt's items are usually returnable; maybe this one was not because it was underwear?), but I called customer service anyway. My call was answered right away, and when I explained why I was calling, and that I wouldn't have bought the shirts if the fabric content had been listed correctly, the rep immediately offered me a return label, and said that my refund would include my original shipping charge. He also made a note to inform someone about the incorrect information, even though the sale for that brand was over.

So, I'm disappointed that the purchase didn't work out, and that I have to keep looking, but I'm very satisfied with how my issue was resolved. Gilt's customer service was quick and painless, and made me feel more likely to order from them again.

Discounts & Deals: Little White Pills

I've talked before about warehouse clubs. This is an example of why I find them to be worth the membership fee:

Do you take over-the-counter allergy medication? I do. About three months ago I bought a bottle of cetirizine hydrochloride tablets (the generic version of Zyrtec) at CVS, 60 tablets, regular price around $18 but I think it was on sale, or the Mrs. had one of their register-tape coupons, or something.

Last week I finished the bottle and figured I could get a better deal at BJ's, and I needed a couple of other things there anyway (toothpaste, giant box of Frosted Mini-Wheats). They had a bottle of 300 tablets for $15, which is a pretty stupendous deal, but it was made even better by a $2 "instant rebate" discount (which was automatically deducted at checkout).

If you prefer loratadine (the generic version of Claritin), the same deal applied. That's basically a year's supply, given that you will probably forget to take it now and then, and you probably don't need to take it during January and February (I don't, anyway).

But wait, there's more! Now they've gone and made the deal even better, at least online: the instant rebate has gone up to $4. I don't know if it's the same in the stores or not.

If Costco is your club of choice, don't fret: they have you covered with a similar deal, a bottle of 365 cetirizine hydrochloride pills for $16, or 300 loratadine pills for $12. Both stores also offer the brand-name medications; at BJ's the Zyrtec was about three times as much as the generic version, but for only 100 tablets, so it's really more like nine times as much. As they say, do the math. I know you have to factor in the cost of the membership, but even so you're not going to be able to match this kind of deal anywhere else.

My BJ's membership expires this week, and we chose to go back to Costco. The cost of the membership is about the same (discounted a little through my job, which is nice), but we decided we just like some things about Costco a little better.

Mad Men Season 4, Episode 1: "Public Relations"

I'm not going to write these as recaps per se, because there are plenty of other places on the web where you can find those, written by professional writers and critics. I plan to post just a few thoughts each week. One tricky thing about this is that I have to avoid reading what others have written until after I've posted my own thoughts, to avoid others' ideas seeping in and coloring my own.

Blanket warning: If you're reading these on Mondays and you haven't watched the episodes yet, you should assume that there will always be some spoilers ahead, and act accordingly.

First, I'm glad the show skipped ahead almost a year. Each season has moved ahead in time from the end of the previous one, which works well for the show's structure and approach to storytelling. And after the way the principals' departure and the formation of the new agency was portrayed so thrillingly in "Shut The Door. Have A Seat," seeing mundane things like finding new office space would have been a letdown. I'd rather be jumped ahead, after all the dust has settled.

It's weird to see everyone working in the new office. I didn't realize how used to seeing the surroundings of Sterling Cooper I'd gotten. It feels a little claustrophobic with that long corridor, as opposed to the open steno-pool area back at SC, and I really hope they get a conference table--what kind of impression does that convey to potential clients?

Don is obviously uncomfortable with the attention he's getting (which, ironically, probably came about because he was so emphatic about wanting to get out from under McCann and form a new agency). It was terribly unprofessional of him to order the two guys from Jantzen out of the office, but it was also pretty funny, because they just weren't getting it.

I like Don's apartment. Wonder what rent would have been on such a place, back then? The bunk beds for the kids were a nice touch (my brother and I had them when we were young), but shouldn't Don be taking Sally and Bobby out to do something fun during his limited time with them, instead of sitting around working while they watch TV?

What was with the prostitute slapping Don? Has he always been like this? Creepy moment. And did he address Peggy as "honey" at one point? Did I hear that correctly? Also a little creepy.

More Joan, please. I think she had just that one scene where she spoke with Harry. But she has her own office!

Betty seems almost as unhappy as when she and Don were still married. I didn't find this surprising at all.

Sally, overheard from off-camera after her Thanksgiving dinner antics: "Ow, stop pinching me!"

*   *   *

One more thing, though it's not from this episode. Last week I rewatched the last two episodes from season three, and in the scene where Don and Roger come to Pete's apartment to ask him to join them in their new venture, Pete (who is faking being ill) is wearing a flannel bathrobe. I didn't catch it when I first saw the episode, but the robe is the Campbell tartan, and Pete is Peter Campbell. Perfect. Pete is just the sort who would think it was important to wear his namesake pattern.

There Will Be Writeups

Last year I posted thoughts about certain Mad Men episodes after they had aired, but I wasn't doing it in a consistent way. This season I will attempt to post something each week on Mondays, assuming I've watched the episodes as they air on Sunday nights. Look for the first one later today.

This Week in Awesome: Mad Men Season 4 Bonus Edition

So here's another lovely cast photo, courtesy of AMC. Look, it's Ken! I guess we'll be seeing him at some point, even though he wasn't invited along to the new agency. And here's some stuff to keep you entertained until 10 pm Eastern time tonight...

The New York Times City Room blog has been running pieces all week under the heading "Mad Men City," placing the show in the context of Manhattan during the period when it takes place. (There are a couple of very minor spoilers, such as where the new agency's office is, and how much time will have passed since the events at the end of season 3, so if you would prefer not to know these things ahead of time, skip this one.)

New York magazine's Vulture blog talks to show creator Matthew Weiner.

(By the way, if you happen to be in New York, you can go to Times Square tonight and watch the premiere outdoors on a big screen. In the Boston area, the place to be is the Noir bar in the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square.)

You may remember last year's "MA Men" spoof. They surprised us with a sequel, just as vulgar and potentially offensive to some. (Funny or Die)

Addendum: I forgot this amusing little video compilation of some of Betty Draper's more memorable parenting moments. (Vulture)

This Week in Awesome (7/24/10)

Wow, Saturday again, already? (Only one more day until the season premiere of Mad Men. Look for a special bonus edition of TWiA later just for MM stuff.)

Meanwhile, this week's selections will make you go "Huh?" or "Why?" I didn't plan it, it just worked out that way...

Have you ever had the urge to carry wine hidden on your person? Are you a lady? Then there's a product that's just perfect for you. (The Cut via She Finds)

How about a microwave shake? No, that's not a typo. (I Hate My Message Board via Consumerist)

Hypothetically, if you decided to commit a robbery, and you were aware enough to realize you needed to cover your face to disguise your identity, what would you use? Whatever answer you thought of, it's probably not the one this woman chose. (Consumerist via News9)

I've referenced the site Everything Is Terrible! here a couple of times. Those guys go to great lengths to find the weirdest, most obscure, and just plain worst material from pre-internet days, to preserve for posterity. Here's a nice little collection of some of their favorite 80s/90s videotape finds. (Everything Is Terrible! via Vulture)

Plaid Shorts Fridays

I'm fortunate that every day is casual day for me, so naturally I wear shorts all summer. (I did have a temp job a few years back with a dress code that prohibited shorts, but was otherwise casual.) But I'm careful to dress neatly, so it's clear that I'm dressed for work and not for goofing off: button-front shirts get tucked in, polos are untucked but have reasonably short tails and are not baggy. My shorts are flat-front and to the knee, with a belt, but no cargos in the office--those are strictly for weekends. Shoes are either dark tan boat shoes, khaki canvas sneakers, or white leather Pumas with an oatmeal-colored stripe.

To mix things up a little, I started doing what I've been calling Plaid Shorts Fridays. On most days I wear solid shorts, somewhere on the spectrum from off-white to khaki, which I can wear with either solid or patterned shirts. Plaid shorts look best with a simple, solid-color top like a polo shirt, so I've picked out some combinations that have a little extra pop, or just go together well, like olive, navy, and cream plaid shorts with an ivory polo, or gray plaid shorts with a thin line of blue in them with a royal blue polo. I can probably get through the entire summer without repeating any of these Friday outfits.

It never occurred to me to take any pictures, because I wasn't planning on writing about this until I thought of it while getting dressed this morning. Today's outfit is shorts in a gray and khaki plaid that I got last year at the Gap outlet up in Kittery, with a light khaki polo that I got at Uniqlo in New York three summers ago.

Watch Wednesday Thursday (7/22/10)

Last night, when I went to look through my watches to decide which one to post, I discovered that I don't have any more modern watches that I haven't already featured. Yikes! There are still at least a few vintage watches to cover, but it seems I've exhausted all of my contemporary choices.

I'd been thinking about what I might do to keep this series going in some way, short of buying more watches (which is always an option, and you and I both know it's going to happen eventually). So I'm going to inaugurate what I'll call the Watch Wednesday Wrist Want, where I will highlight watches (which may be either modern or vintage) that I would be buying if money were no object. (Many bloggers do this all the time with shoes, cars, audio/video gear, and just about everything else.)

So, I present the Tudor Heritage Chrono, which was introduced in March at the big watch industry trade show in Basel, Switzerland. In a way, this is both a modern and a vintage watch, because it's based on a Tudor model from the 1970s (hence the "Heritage" in the name) that was nicknamed the "Monte Carlo" for its dial's resemblance to a roulette wheel.

 

(Image borrowed from Hodinkee, but I think it originated somewhere else)

I love the way this watch has been updated: the tapered yet substantial hands, the hour markers in the shape similar to the Tudor shield logo, the knurled texture on the knobs and crown, the orange detailing, the way the 1 through 12 hour markings have switched places with the 5-10-15 markers that would traditionally appear on the bezel. In fact, it's more appealing to me than the original.

I also love that there is a choice of a black dial with gray subdials as shown above, or the reverse combination (I would definitely want it in gray with black subdials). I even like the color-coordinated nylon strap (something I don't usually care for), though if I were to own one of these, I would eventually switch it to a black leather strap with orange contrast stitching.

This was a love at first sight moment for me, with a nearly instantaneous desire to start selling all of my possessions, including my other watches, in an attempt to come up with the funds to buy one. Fortunately, that urge passed, and anyway, acquiring one of these isn't going to be easy for a couple of reasons. Tudor does not sell its products anywhere in the US at the moment. The watch seems to be on sale in only a few European countries so far, and the list price in euros converts to around $4000 USD.

Some of them have been popping up on eBay, naturally, and selling for about a $1K premium above that, which amounts to a very steep "need to be first" tax. For those with the means and a bit more patience, the watch will be available in Canada in the fall. If I mention any trips north of the border, you'll know why...

Boarding Pass

So, this has been rattling around in my head for a bit...

T riders: when you board a train, do you choose what car or section to get on based on where you want to be when you need to exit?

I've always done this. It's just how my Virgo brain works, but I suppose it also stems from the need to make a connection to a bus or another train, and the desire to maximize the chance of making said connection by minimizing the time spent walking from one to another.

There's an iPhone app for this pertaining to the New York subway system, which makes sense because it's so much more complex than ours, the trains and platforms are so much longer, and stations often have multiple exits.

Unbraced

Yesterday the braces came off my upper teeth, after about 17-1/2 months. This felt a lot more significant than when I had the lowers removed a few weeks back, probably because the uppers went on first, and because the major phase of the process is now over.

My palate did not open up quite as much as I'd hoped, so I don't think I'll be experiencing any remarkable end to my snoring, but the alignment problems that plagued my teeth my whole life are gone, which was really the more important goal, and most of my cross-bite has been eradicated.

Now come several months of fine-tuning, starting with wearing clear, molded plastic temporary retainers. I'll go back in a month and the dentist will look at how the teeth are settling in, and what sort of adjustments he might want to make.

Eating is now much easier than it's been in quite some time, since I don't have wires trapping bits of food. I also have a new appreciation for proper brushing technique, and I've acquired a Sonicare gadget, which is supposed to be the cat's pajamas for keeping your teeth ultra-clean--we'll see.

Expense Report #15

I had to buy medication and food for the dog this past week, but I don't consider that discretionary. Having a pet means accepting the accompanying expenditures for vet visits, food, and such. A bag of food for her lasts a month or so, and the Mrs. and I alternate paying for it. This time around it happened to be on sale, which is unusual, so we're going to go back before the sale ends at the end of the month and get another bag.

Elsewhere, I made another pass through the sale section of the Lands' End site. I had put some things in my shopping bag a week or so prior, and it turned out that prices on most of them had dropped further in the interim, so I went ahead and made the purchase. Because of sales at places like LE and JCPenney, it's difficult for me to consider spending more than $10 or $15 on a polo shirt, but if one ends up getting stained, or doesn't fit right after a year or two, then it's no big deal to just replace it. I got two.

I also grabbed a pair of madras shorts and a long-sleeve knit henley that I will use as a layer come fall--I picked up three of these last year from J. Crew (on sale, of course) and I found that they worked well with a T-shirt underneath and a flannel shirt on top for weekend wear. Total for four items: about $55.

This Week in Awesome (7/17/10)

This was a busier than normal week for me at work, so I didn't have quite as much time to goof off look for cool stuff to post here. But I think we'll all be just fine...

I don't know who hired this guy to DJ their party, but it's a good thing he remembered to bring his glasses. (Videogum)

Remember the Snuggie? How could you forget? Well, there have been some, uh, enhancements. (Consumerist via YouTube)

Louis C.K. was on The Joy Behar Show, presumably to talk about his new FX show Louie (which is great, and you should watch it), but the conversation got a bit, uh, sidetracked. (YouTube via Videogum)

Planning your next kidnapping? Maybe you should use this handy ransom note generator. (Very Short List)

T Etiquette: Refresher Course

I guess the heat has boiled everyone's brains, because it seems like people have forgotten the basics of deportment while riding our transit system. So it's time for some remedial instruction (appropriate since it's summer, when those who have failed typically have to attend make-up classes):

To the guy leaning against the pole, pretending to be oblivious while noodling away on your iPhone: thanks so much for preventing four or five other riders from having something within comfortable arm's reach to hang onto. It's not as big a deal for me, because I'm tall and have long arms, but some of the shorter folks can't reach the horizontal bars or even the hanging straps, and anyway, being such a dick so early in the morning is just uncalled for.

And to the guy yesterday afternoon who had your backpack parked on the seat next to you (who, interestingly, kind of looked like the other guy): yeah, that's right, I stood in front of you and said "Is this yours?" in a loud voice while pointing at the bag, thereby shaming you into picking it up so I could sit down. It didn't seem to make a difference, though, because at the next stop the person sitting on the other side of you got off and you just slid it onto that seat. But then a stop later another person did basically the same thing I did and you were forced to hold the bag on your lap, like the rest of us manage to do. Poor you.

Grooming Garage: Razor Fatigue

I just came across this interesting Wall Street Journal article from a couple of days ago, about men who are weary of keeping up with the razor companies' ongoing blade-upmanship games, and have adopted a variety of strategies to avoid participating in them.

Emmy Nominations: Gripefest '10

I know I'm a few days behind with this, but there are a couple of factors in play: one, I do this mainly for my own amusement, whereas if I was getting paid to write about television, it would have been my duty to get my comments out there quickly; two, your intrepid blogger has acquired some new responsibilities at work, some of which occur weekly, so I've recently been a bit busier than usual. But even if I can't spend as much time on this subject as I'd like to, you know I have opinions about it.

First, I think it's important to acknowledge that, in general, the academy did a good job this year. Of course, there are still a few instances of legacyitis, the notorious affliction that causes the academy to nominate shows or actors that are past their freshness date, while ignoring other quality shows and talented actors--some new, some not so new--who deserved nominations.

Perfect example: Friday Night Lights. I don't even watch this show (I can only manage to keep up with so many shows at a given time), but I know that every critic thinks it's great and every year they say it should have been nominated. (Both its lead actors finally got nominated, so that's something.) It's absurd for the academy to continue to deny it a best drama nomination, particularly in light of the nomination of Lost after what, with a couple of months' distance, we can now see clearly was a mediocre final season. House also had a so-so season, and it was justifiably left off the list this year.

I would also say that True Blood falls more in the category of a guilty pleasure than a show that should be nominated in this category. Perhaps its slot could have been filled by Justified, which turned out to be much better than I'd expected. The rest of the nominees--Breaking Bad, Dexter, The Good Wife, and Mad Men--all deserve to be here.

Similarly, the best comedy category again has The Office. As much as I've loved this show, sadly it has lost its magic, and since Steve Carell has announced that he will be leaving after next season, I sincerely hope that NBC will realize that it's time to end the show. (Odds of that happening: very tiny.) Most critics feel its spot on the list should have gone to The Big Bang Theory, though I think you could also make the argument that if a freshman series like Modern Family got nominated, then maybe NBC's Community should have as well. After seeing the "chicken fingers"/GoodFellas spoof and paintball episodes again recently, I realized just how solid this show was all season, and how high points like these elevated it even more.

Mad Men submitted Elisabeth Moss in the supporting actress category (where I said last year she belonged), freeing space for January Jones to finally get her much-deserved nomination. Ms. Moss is keeping company with SAR fave Christina Hendricks, who also got nominated. Their characters may be unhappy, but all three ladies should be very proud of their work.

Of course, I have quibbles with the acting categories, too. I sure would have liked to see Anna Gunn get a nod for her amazing work on Breaking Bad; did Law & Order: SVU's Mariska Hargitay really need another nomination? I don't even think there were any "very special" (read: overacting) Detective Benson episodes this season.

And then of course there are the by-now perennial nominations for Tony Shalhoub for Monk (which thankfully has ended, so he can't get any more) and Jon Cryer for Two and a Half Men. I'd hate to think he's the reason Ed O'Neill was the only adult actor on Modern Family not to get a nod. I think it's a little curious that Aaron Paul got nominated as supporting actor for Breaking Bad instead of lead, but I'm sure it's so he doesn't get in the way of Bryan Cranston's chance of a third consecutive win for lead actor. I was very disappointed that John Noble didn't get noticed for the outstanding work he did as Walter Bishop on Fringe; I thought he was much more deserving than Martin Short, who got nominated for his work on Damages.

I've never watched Glee, and I never will. But I think maybe the academy just got a little over-excited about it because it's different from other comedies. Certainly no one is going to complain if Jane Lynch wins supporting actress, because she's just awesome no matter what she's in. But even before the nominations, there had already been some backlash floating around, a little surprising for a show that's just finished its first season. Remember one thing: the creator of Glee, Ryan Murphy, was also the guy behind Nip/Tuck, and when you consider where that show started, and where it ended, it has to make you wonder a little.

Expense Report #14

This was a light week, spending-wise. I guess I should strive for all of them to be so.

I bought another pair of those obscure Polo cargo shorts on eBay for $12. I now have four pairs of these, all found on eBay for $10 to $15 each. Still trying to find a pair in the light khaki or "stone" color that I had some years back (that I grew too large for). Cargos aren't fashionable, but they are useful when the things I need to carry with me, like a hard eyeglass case and now a retainer case, are too big for the pockets of regular shorts.

And after nearly six months, I ordered a proper case for my Pre smartphone, so I can stop using the cloth "sock" that came with it. That was $20.

As the end draws near for Martin + Osa, the remaining stock on the web site is 50% off. We went to the mall one night last week so the Mrs. could pay her Macy's bill, and I went to the M+O store to see what was left. The clerk I know there told me the remaining store stock had just gone to 50% off that day, which was surprising considering how close they are to closing for good (this coming Sunday), and that the web site had been at 50% for at least a couple of weeks.

There were one or two items I was still kind of interested in, but my sizes were gone, and it's not really worth it to me to order them from the web site and have to pay shipping. Just as well, I guess. I'm mentioning it more as a shopping tip for anyone who might be interested.

This Week in Awesome (7/10/10)

What, Saturday already? That's how it always feels when there's a Monday holiday. But you know I've still been out there on the webs, searching for stuff to share with you.

I can think of all kinds of reasons why an inflatable pub is a bad idea, but still, points for originality. (The Sun UK via The Awl)

Remember Awkward Family Photos? Well, you can breathe a sigh of relief, because now there's Awkward Family Pet Photos. (UrbanDaddy)

This clip is part of some contest where people have to pitch a movie idea in 60 seconds or less. Seriously, this sounds better than at least half the movies being released these days. (Videogum)

If the Twilight movies were made for a male audience, they might look something like this. (Socialite Life)

True Beauty

Let's elevate the mood, shall we? It's Friday afternoon, and we want to see something nice. Something pretty, and sparkly, and wonderful:

Christina Hendricks is a goddess, put here to brighten and beautify our lives. The interview, and more lovely pictures, here. And, congratulations to her for her Emmy nomination. (As usual, I'll post my thoughts about the nominations soon.)

Sixteen days until season four, kids. (Los Angeles Times Magazine photo)

Window of Futility

We have a working TiVo again, but of course the service call got screwed up. I had figured that a morning appointment was my best chance to make it to work within a couple of hours of when I'd normally get there, and if things had gone properly I would have.

My appointment window was from 8 to 11 AM. When no one had showed or called by 11:15 (the tech typically calls first to say he's on the way), I called Comcast, and was told the tech had tried to call me at 9:07 and had gotten no answer. Now, I wanted to believe them, but I know that this is completely untrue. I was showered and dressed by 8, just in case I happened to be the first call of the day, and I never strayed from the vicinity of the phone for the entire three hours.

In fact, I know my phone never even rang, because it would have shown up on the phone as a missed call. And after this conversation, they called me back just to make sure they had the right number on file. So maybe the tech attempted to call and the connection never went through, but that's as close to truth as I'm going to allow.

Anyway, typical service-call bullshit. I was able to get another appointment for the middle of the afternoon, and this time they did call me, and showed up shortly after, and got the CableCard working with no difficulty. So, much rejoicing, TV shows when we choose to watch them, etc.

Watch Wednesday Thursday (7/8/10)

While I'm at home this morning waiting for Comcast, let's talk about my most recent watch purchase (since we were supposed to do it yesterday...).

Today Seiko is a well-known brand, but it wasn't always that way. In the 1960s, American watch companies like Bulova and Timex dominated the middle and lower portions of the market (largely because most people couldn't afford a prestige Swiss watch like an Omega or a Rolex). In its home market Seiko was producing lots of great watches, but they wouldn't make an impact in this country until the rise of quartz and digital watches in the 1970s.

This is an automatic-movement Seiko Sportsmatic that I believe is from the late 1960s. (There's a number on the case back that might lead to more info, but I haven't attempted to look for any yet.) I make this estimate based on its features and appearance: I've seen an earlier model with just the date and without the "5" on the dial (that still appears on Seikos to this day, including the one I bought a couple of months ago), and the case is of a very traditional shape, suggesting it predates the more adventurous designs of the '70s.

The earlier model that I saw for sale online quite some time ago is what got me interested in getting one of these for myself. It had the same almost-black dial, but when I started searching on eBay, I saw only watches with silver dials for a long time. Also, one of the things I like best about this watch is the italic lettering chosen for "Seiko Sportsmatic," and most of the watches I was seeing had to be later versions, because they had the "SEIKO" lettering applied (glued on) to the dial in larger, all capital letters (the modern version of their logo that we're accustomed to seeing), and "Sportsmatic" underneath, also in capital letters but painted on. This watch's lettering not only looks nicer, it announces in a very subtle way that it's a vintage piece.

I also like the silver ring around the outside of the dial, which provides some contrast and ties in to the hour markers and hands. And don't you love those pointy (sorry, "dauphine") hands? Also present if you look closely is the crown at the 4 position, which was something of a Seiko hallmark that Bulova appropriated for certain Accutron models of the same era. It has one extra-cool feature that Accutrons did not: if you push in on the crown, it advances the date with a nice, solid thunk.

However, I have no idea if this watch is capable of doing the day-advance trick that I figured out I could do with my Caravelle world time watch; Seiko seems to have designed the crown to be nearly unnoticeable when it's not pulled out for setting, which is cool, but to accomplish this the crown is very thin in profile and has hardly any edge surface, making it very difficult to grab securely. It's so awkward to use that I am considering sacrificing some of that flushness and having it replaced with one that is a little easier to handle.

And as I'm sure you noticed, I don't yet have a strap for this watch. I got it into my head that this watch needs to be on a medium brown strap, which is somewhat unusual for me--it's probably because the original Sportsmatic I saw for sale online was on a brown strap, and I thought it looked really good. I did order some straps from The Watch Prince, including a brown one, but it was too light and looked kind of orange, so I returned it. None of the other straps I bought seem right for this watch, so I'm still looking for something suitable.

TiVo Trauma II: The Sequel

For the past several weeks, we've been living in a sort of TV purgatory due to another round of TiVo problems. An errant power surge was not the cause this time; I addressed that with a beefier surge protector block for the entire A/V setup, and I'm considering adding an uninterruptible power supply, which is basically a battery backup, the type of thing people sometimes use with their computers.

No, this time the unit was faulty. It had a couple of instances where the sound would disappear, necessitating a manual restart (which takes about five minutes), and sometimes it wouldn't fix the sound problem the first restart cycle. After I'd had it about two months, it started rebooting itself at random. The first time that occurred was while we were watching a previously recorded show. The random restarts got more frequent, and one or two times they happened while the unit was turned off.

Then it started getting stuck in the restart cycle, and the only way to get it to work right again was to leave it unplugged for a while. 12 to 24 hours would buy us another couple of days of use until the next random reboot. So this meant that not only could we not record shows, we couldn't even watch shows we had already recorded. Fortunately the TV watching schedule is lighter during the summer months, but it's still hugely inconvenient, and it's my fault for not contacting them the first time it happened.

I finally did contact tech support (tip: the wait is usually much shorter if you do it via live web chat, and you don't have to sit through the incessant, very annoying marketing barrage that interrupts the incessant, very annoying hold music every 20 seconds or so) and after nearly an hour of unplugging and restarting I was instructed on how to perform a diagnostic test, but at that point I needed to disconnect from the conversation. When I attempted to run the test a few days later, the unit rebooted during the test. I tried again a few days after that and the same thing happened.

When I contacted support again, I was told that the diagnostic is supposed to repair any problems the unit might be having, so that made it pretty clear to them that it was defective. But at that point I had to contact support via phone, and I found out that the phone support person had to open a whole new case, even though I already had an open case file from my chat sessions. I'm sorry, but that's just a really fucking stupid way to handle customer support, and I don't care if anyone from TiVo sees this.

During that conversation (which I waited ten minutes on hold to have), the rep tried to get me to go through all the stuff I had already done, but I told her to look at the written chat transcript in my file where the rep clearly stated "your unit is obviously defective... you will need to contact support by phone to discuss replacement options." I was insistent, and it got the rep to initiate my replacement order.

But wait, there's more... the HD TiVo units require two CableCards, which serve as tuners. When I had to swap out the unit back in March, I pulled the CableCards and popped them into the new unit, and they just worked. Apparently this is highly unusual, and this time I had no such luck. So I called Comcast yesterday (tip: there's usually a local number on your bill, or at least some other number than 888-COMCAST, and it gets you talking to people who are likely in your service area; in my case, they happen to be about half a mile down the street).

The tech support rep was really nice, but after going through some steps with me to attempt to configure the cards, he said a tech would have to come to my house. That's happening Thursday morning, so until then I have a working TiVo but no way to record anything on it. Technology is great, until it doesn't work.

Expense Report #13

Last week I got an email from J. Crew regarding the reward points I earn by using their credit card. They were wondering where I'd been, and they missed me. Okay, I made that up, But I did get an email from them, and I thought it said that I needed to spend a certain amount of money by June 30th to accumulate enough points to earn a $25 reward card.

So on Wednesday, the 30th, I stopped by the Copley store. They had a decent sale section again, and I couldn't help feeling like I should have stopped by sooner, that I was missing out on some good deals. In truth, a lot of the deals were mediocre, and this is the sort of thing I keep reminding myself in order to curtail my spending urges.

After talking with one of the sales clerks, I came to understand that I had misinterpreted the email: I wasn't going to lose any reward points if I didn't make a purchase, but I would have to wait until the next quarter to receive the reward card if I didn't spend X dollars. Silly me. So, pressure off, I put back a couple of the things I was holding; the reward card will have to wait a little longer.

But I did end up getting a great deal on a pair of J. Crew's jeans, which I love but which normally sell for around $100. These are kind of an olive brown color ("dill") and in their "vintage slim" cut, which is nice and trim but not uncomfortably tight or low. They had multiple markdown tags on them, from $98 to $70 to $40 to $20, and there was another 20% off that, so I got them for $16. I won't wear them until fall, but at that point they will go nicely with a lot of my shirts and sportcoats.

This Week in Awesome (7/3/10)

Happy 4th of July, everyone. Yes, I know I didn't post this yesterday. I did say that the schedule might get iffy...

First things first: fireworks safety is very important today. (Funny or Die)

Do you ever think about the room vignettes that are styled and photographed for catalogs like Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel? Me neither. But someone does, and they obviously have tons of free time, because they have gone so far as to create characters and a back story. (Racked)

Earlier this week, a young woman robbed a shoe store in New York. She did so while wearing a cat mask. The police issued a wanted poster that is quite possibly the greatest thing ever. (This even made it onto The Soup.) Later, some extremely fuzzy video surveillance footage was released, showing the woman walking into the store without the mask and then putting it on. Needless to say, the suspect is still at large. (The Awl)

And now for the dorky retro arcana portion of the program, so if this isn't your thing you can just stop here. Charles is a gentleman who lives in England but grew up in Boston and has fond memories of shopping downtown when there were many fine stores, none of which still exist. He posts his recollections, with lots of old photos and newspaper ads, to share with everyone at Shopping Days In Retro Boston.

And in a similar vein, I stumbled across a site filled with info about the old days of telephone numbers, when the exchange (the first two or three digits, for you youngsters) was referred to by a word, and the letters in those words corresponded to the numbers on the dial, and the words usually had some connection to the geographic area that contained those phone numbers (example: the Boston exchange 536 was for KENmore). Like I said, arcana.

How's My Spending?

It's been three months since I started making the effort to be more mindful about my discretionary spending, so it seems like a good time to take a look at how my habits have changed, and how much. I'm giving myself a financial report card, so to speak.

While I do not consider myself a compulsive shopper, I had gotten into a mindset of buying things more or less at will, without much regard to how much I was spending. I wasn't buying expensive things, but I was buying a lot of less expensive things. On average I was spending about as much in a given month as I was comfortably able to pay on my credit card each month, which would have been fine if I wasn't carrying a balance in the thousands of dollars, from my braces and other things.

I have forced myself to curtail my impulses and make choices. If I do decide to buy something, I have to make up for it by resisting the urge to buy something else. One thing in my favor is that warm-weather clothing is less interesting to me, so I tend to buy less clothing at this time of year. I have made some clothing purchases, which I've talked about in my weekly posts, but mainly just inexpensive items like polo shirts.

The big thing for me has been avoiding temptation by cutting back on the amount of time I spend looking for stuff on eBay. The less time I spend looking, the less I find to be tempted by. I've bought two watches in the past three months. but I also resisted buying at least two others. I have stayed away from other eBay temptations like shoes and outerwear, because those are the categories where I tend to make iffy purchases that, for one reason or another, I end up not wanting to keep.

As a result of this, I still have a fair amount of stuff that I would like to sell. I'm off for the next four days, so I should try to make some time to take pictures of the items I want to list. And as is frequently the case during long weekends, posting activity may be lighter than normal.

Leaving the 'Cue

Last week the Mrs. heard about a barbecue "festival" taking place at Suffolk Downs. Admission was free on Friday, so after work we headed over to check it out.

There were about ten different BBQ vendors, but none of them seemed local--at least, we didn't recognize any of them. She thought it might be a good idea if we split up and got food from a couple of different places to compare them, so we got into lines at two adjacent vendors. The lines moved quickly, though the person who took my order was extremely indifferent and might as well have been asleep. The Mrs. was disappointed with her brisket, which was dry and rather chewy. The one I got was better, though the sides of beans and cole slaw that came with mine were bland and unimpressive, while her sides were better.

Elsewhere, the only beer available in the whole place was Bud Light or Bud Light Lime, at $6 for one of those aluminum bottle-cans, or Bud Light Wheat on draft. Now, I understand that the organizers of the event (the people behind the Phantom Gourmet TV show) probably had to make some sort of sponsorship deal, but there are a lot of people like me who will choose tap water over anything with Bud in the name, and barbecue without beer just isn't the same. $6 for a beer is Fenway pricing, but at least at Fenway you have a choice of Narragansett, Sam Adams, or several other beers.

There was also some ridiculously loud, ridiculously bad music from some would-be teen heartthrob, sensitive singer-songwriter type, rides for the kids, and a smattering of vintage cars on display. The Mrs. spotted a cannoli vendor and bought one, but after a couple of bites she declared it the worst cannoli she'd ever had. She offered me a taste, and I agreed, so she threw it away. The cream filling was completely lacking in flavor, and the chocolate coating on the shell was too waxy.

At that point, disappointed by pretty much everything, we headed home. It's a good thing we hadn't waited until the next day to go--the thought of paying $5 just to walk through the gate of this event, in light of everything that followed, probably would have sent her over the edge.

Thermal Dueling

During the summer our office is kept comfortable but not unreasonably cold, yet several of my nearby coworkers require portable heaters under their desks for cold feet. This seems counterproductive and inefficient, since running these heaters raises the temperature at my end of the office by several degrees, thereby forcing the cooling system to work harder against that warmer air.

Instead of heaters, I propose that they should be given pairs of slippers, and if they are still cold, a quick step outside should warm them up quickly enough, on a day like yesterday or today.

Expense Report #12

What a brutal day. Best to stay indoors with AC if you can. Supposedly we're going to have some more comfortable weather coming along after tomorrow, at least for a couple of days. I know there are plenty of people who will be angry with me for saying this, but I've already kind of had it with summer. The heat and humidity arrived early this year, plus I think it's just part of getting older; I'm much less able to tolerate discomfort than I did when I was younger.

Anyway, I bought another watch this past week. It's a vintage Seiko automatic from the late 1960s, when the brand was little known in this country. (I don't even know if their watches were sold in the US back then; many of the ones for sale on eBay are from either Singapore or the Philippines, which would suggest they were primarily sold in Asia.) They made many excellent watches during this period that are not especially difficult to find now, and also are not prohibitively expensive, which is great if you're starting a collection or looking to add a specific watch to one.

I've been looking for one of this model for well over a year, since I saw one for sale on a vintage watch site for $200 and knew I could find one for less. In fact I ended up paying $65 for a watch that is in fine cosmetic and mechanical condition, has been cleaned and serviced, and has a new crystal, so it was an excellent deal, and it came from a US seller. Better yet, I'm paying for it with saved change that I rolled over the weekend and will be depositing into my account this week. I'll have more to say about this particular watch when the next Watch Wednesday rolls around.

I also bought a couple of watch straps from The Watch Prince in Oregon, and that would have been it for the week, except for one other thing. A long, long time ago, I sent a watch to be serviced. One of my coworkers had mentioned a repair place in her town, and offered to bring the watch in on my behalf. I seriously think it was about two years ago. It was a watch that I had damaged several years ago through my own carelessness (I stupidly banged on a stubborn paper towel dispenser with my left hand, and caused something inside the watch case to come loose), but after the repair person had a look, he found some other issues. He offered to fix everything for $175, which was very fair considering Alpha Omega had quoted me $500 to $600 a few years before, and they weren't even going to do the work in-house (which is why I was looking for another repair place to begin with).

And sure enough, the call came this past week that the watch was finally ready. I suppose I could have waited a bit to pick it up, but I really wanted it back. Given the amount of time involved and the updates I had received from the repair person along the way, I expected the final bill to be higher, but he charged me exactly what he had quoted me originally. So I guess I'll be featuring this watch in the future as well.

And, okay, no more watches for a while, I guess.

This Week in Awesome (6/26/10)

We're overflowing with web goodness this week. The internets are showing us the love:

Don't mess with street dogs in Serbia. (Jalopnik via YouTube)

More retro-future gadgets. (Engadget via Behance Network)

Mashup time: Kubrick vs. Scorsese. (The Daily What)

Headache? Try this. (Upright Citizens Brigade via Consumerist)

Feeling down? Try this (probably NSFW/C). (Funny or Die)

Halfway Done

Yesterday my bottom braces were removed. They were put on in May of last year, three months after the top teeth. They were originally supposed to come off four weeks ago, but the dentist wanted to tweak the position of one tooth, and what difference does a few weeks make?

The Mrs. asked me if it felt weird. Only for a few minutes, then I didn't even notice that they were no longer there. Of course, now I have the pleasure of wearing a retainer, but as with the braces, science has improved this too. It's just a mold of clear plastic that fits right over my teeth, so it's not even noticeable.

The best part is that the top braces will probably be coming off in three more weeks--again, this is so some adjusting can be done to one top tooth. I had expected the top braces would need to stay on another two or three months, so this is great news.

Bargains, Rapped

I'm not much of a fan of rap. I was into the early stuff from Run-DMC, De La Soul, and a few others, but it kinda lost me after Public Enemy's popularity peaked in the late '80s. I can always appreciate a good beat, and I admire the skills needed to rhyme and flow, but as music it doesn't do anything for me.

I think it's really just a generational thing; had I been born five or ten years later, I'd probably be more inclined to like it (though I'm basing this assumption solely on my younger coworkers' tastes). But how could I not love a rap about discount shopping? More importantly, how could I not share it with you?

Have you heard of Ross? As in "Ross Dress for Less"? They're kind of like Marshalls, except we don't have them in our part of the country. They are as close as New Jersey, but are mainly in the southeast, south, and west. My father-in-law, who lived in southern California, shopped there so frequently, he practically had a shopping cart with his name on a plaque. He never tired of bragging about the deals he found there, or that Tuesdays were senior citizen days and he got an extra 10 percent off.

But, as usual, I digress. I've never heard of the rappers Abraham Linkin, but clearly they are guys who appreciate a bargain, and they have a sense of humor too. So, please to enjoy the all-kindsa-awesome video "I Got It At Ross." Non-stick pans, indeed. If Ross has any clue, they'll pay these guys for the rights to this and make it their official song.

Watch Wednesday (6/23/10)

The camera battery needed a charge, but we have an older camera that the Mrs. likes to carry with her to take pictures of flowers and such. I know this picture is still slightly out of focus (mainly because the older camera lacks the image stabilization of the newer one, and I have a very hard time holding the camera completely still while shooting), but this camera really does a better job on the close-ups. So why haven't I been using it all along?

Somehow I'd forgotten about this watch, which I've had for about two years and which I do wear, though perhaps not as frequently as some of my others. It's from a company called Jacques Lemans, part of a line inspired by auto racing (hence the "F1" designation on the dial). These watches were all over the internet at the time I bought mine, on sites like Overstock and SmartBargains; I happened to find the best deal on this one on ShopNBC, which I otherwise never bother with.

I guess I liked this watch because I thought it slightly resembled a TAG Heuer Carrera, which costs around $3K. I also like the red accents (though they don't pop off the black dial quite as much as I'd like) and the knurled crown and the sleeves of the chronograph buttons. Overall, it's maybe just a little too busy-looking, but it's a nice size and it keeps accurate time.

As with most of my watches, this one came with an awful strap: it was black perforated neoprene with red edging, and there were pieces of metal inside it to keep it in a curved shape. This strap is made in the US by a company called Hadley-Roma. I love the red stitching (it's also available with blue, orange, or yellow), but I don't love the red edge, which you can kind of see a little of at the bottom of the pic. I think it's painted on or otherwise applied, because it's starting to come off in a couple of places. But it's still a huge improvement on the original.

Of Note

In my mail the other day, along with the Val-Pak coupons and unsolicited credit card offers, was a small envelope the color of kraft paper. I thought maybe it was an invitation of some sort, but it turned out to be a note--a hand-written one, at that--from Lands' End Canvas, thanking me for my recent purchase.

That's the second time I've received a hand-written note in the past couple of months (the first was from J. Crew's customer service, after the hat incident), and it's a great finishing touch, such a simple and smart way to cement a bit of positive afterglow in a customer's mind.

But I do wonder what percentage of these companies' customer service employees have handwriting that's actually legible, because no one writes anything anymore. My own cursive writing is atrocious; in high school I got in the habit of printing all my class notes, and now I can barely sign my name, and my printing isn't that great either. Perhaps they are being sent to refresher penmanship classes?

Expense Report #11

I realize that at this point you may be bored by my weekly itemizations, but doing this has helped me pay more attention to my spending, and that forces me to evaluate potential purchases more rigorously than I might otherwise, so I'm going to continue it for the foreseeable.

I have so far managed to resist anything from the sale section on the J. Crew site, even with an extra 30% off. There are a couple of things I would probably buy if they were available in my size, but I'm not about to contact the customer service rep who helped me before--too easy, nothing I need badly enough.

Otherwise this was a disciplined week for me. I am considering investing in an uninterruptible power supply for my television and other audio/video equipment, but I haven't made a definite decision about it yet. I'm probably going to be stopping at Newbury Comics on my way home today or tomorrow to pick up the new CDs by Stars, The Gaslight Anthem, and The National, but I haven't bought any new music in a couple of months, at least.

This Week in Awesome (6/19/10)

Seems like summer has arrived for real. We're even going to a solstice party (a couple of days early) this evening. Meanwhile, stuff for you to look at on the internet--imagine that!

These guys were kind enough to demonstrate exactly how not to attempt to load a jet-ski into a van at the water's edge. (YouTube via Autoblog)

Hyundai did a couple of clever commercials that spoof the TV show Top Gear. Of course, hardly anyone in this country even knows what the show is, so these are airing in South Africa. (YouTube via Jalopnik)

A Russian artist painted something rude on a drawbridge in St. Petersburg, so that when the bridge opened (apparently they leave the bridges open overnight) his handiwork was on display and, um, upright. Pretty damn funny (possibly slightly offensive to some, though I doubt it). (The Awl)

How could I not be intrigued by a series of snarky illustrations called the Douche Series? The first one takes aim at a certain type of ad-agency worker. If you enjoy it, there's plenty more here (they make me think the artist has some anger issues to work out, but they're still funny). (I can't remember how I found these, so I can't give proper attribution.)

Dear Old Dad

So, Sunday is Father's Day, and it's always a challenge coming up with a suitable gift for my father, because, to not sugarcoat it, he's kind of a grumpy old guy who doesn't have likes or interests like an ordinary person. (And some of you have met him, so you know what I'm talking about.) He isn't into gadgets, he doesn't use a computer, has all the tools he needs (a few years ago I got him one of those laser levels, and he later admitted that he'd returned it), doesn't care about clothes (I know, I know!), isn't interested in movies or books, and generally makes any attempt at gift-giving extremely difficult.

But the man's gotta eat. For Christmas, I hit on the idea of getting him an assortment from Omaha Steaks, and he seemed to genuinely appreciate it. I was going to just do the same thing again for Father's Day, but it kind of crept up on me, so this evening we drove up to one of the stores. After looking over the various packaged items in the freezer cases, I decided to get him a gift card, since there is a store fairly close to where he lives. I'm hoping he will make the effort to go there and choose some stuff.

I also popped into L.L. Bean, which is in the same shopping center, hoping to get a look at some of the Signature line, but unfortunately they aren't carrying any of it (at least not yet). The store never seems to lack for customers, but after looking around I have to say that Bean's regular stuff is looking really boring, and bringing in some Signature merchandise would definitely perk things up.

After that, we had to drive to where the Mrs. works, because she'd left her cell phone in her office. We also needed to eat, and she mentioned that we were going to pass a Sonic, where I guess she's been going for slushy-fruit drinks on her way home from work, or something. I didn't realize that Sonic operates like an old-fashioned drive-in, with carhops on roller skates and everything. Of course, this being 2010, there are male carhops too. There's also a drive-through window, but no inside counter service.

I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich with bacon and ranch dressing. The first sandwich the carhop brought me was breaded chicken, with lettuce and mayonnaise. When I told her it wasn't what I'd ordered she was extremely polite and said she'd get me the correct sandwich. The second sandwich she brought me was grilled chicken, and there were a couple of tomato slices, but still no bacon. I didn't bother trying to get it fixed again, because I was hungry. But I have to say, the shake I had with it was excellent.

Grooming Garage: The Empire Strikes Back?

It's deadline week again, hence my absence yesterday. However, I didn't want to leave you hanging for too long.

A little over a month ago, I did a writeup on the new Hydro 3 razor from Schick. At the time, I made a comment about receiving products to try and review. A PR person from Gillette found my post (presumably through a Google alert triggered by the keywords "razor" and "Gillette") and contacted me to ask if I would be interested in trying the company's forthcoming Fusion ProGlide, which purportedly offered some of the same improvements as the Hydro. So of course I thanked him and accepted his offer.

A few days later I received a package with a Fusion ProGlide Power razor (the battery-powered, vibrating kind) and a can of Fusion HydraGel. I had tried another Power razor some years ago (probably the M3 Power, which I believe was the first of its kind) and hated it--it irritated my neck something terrible, just like traditional electric razors do, so I didn't bother to install the battery in the ProGlide. Also I figured it would make for a more equivalent comparison to the Hydro if I wasn't using the power feature.

As for the gel, I haven't used any shaving product that squirts out of a can in probably fifteen years, if not longer.--they just don't give a good shave for someone like me with ultra-sensitive skin. I'll get around to trying it at some point, but I don't have high expectations for it, so I'll probably end up keeping it around for an emergency, or giving it to my brother. And again, I wanted to make my comparison as fair as possible by using the same products (face wash, pre-shave oil, and shaving cream) as I did while shaving with the Hydro.

By the way, the ProGlide went on sale about ten days ago, and I had originally intended to have this review ready right around that time, but I wanted to get at least three shaves with it first, and since I only need to shave a couple of times a week, I wasn't paying enough attention to the on-sale date to figure out when I should have started using it in order to make that deadline. Also, I was still shaving with that first Hydro blade, and it was still giving me great shaves, and that reservoir still had moisturizing lotion in it. I think I used it six or seven times and it was still getting the job done; in fact, when I finally discarded it, there was still some lotion inside the head, and if I hadn't needed to start using the ProGlide, I would have kept using it.

It had been more than a year since I'd first tried the original Gillette Fusion, so in a sense I was trying to compare the ProGlide to that as well as to the Hydro. Ultimately I came away with the same opinion as before, with one slight difference. The blades on the ProGlide have thinner edges, but it still rinses easily and generally handles well. But what surprised me most was that, despite Gillette's claims that the ProGlide gives a smoother shave, I found the shaves to be less smooth and less comfortable than either its predecessor or the Schick Hydro. This could be attributable to the composition of the lubricating strip (they've added mineral oil), to a new "low-resistance coating" on the blades, or some other reason. Also, even though Gillette says that lube strip is 25% larger, it still wears away pretty quickly: after three shaves it was pretty much gone.

I wanted to like the ProGlide. I was hopeful that Gillette had produced a product that would eliminate the bias I have against them based on my prior negative experiences with their products. But it didn't happen. Keep in mind, you might be completely happy with your Fusion, and you might get totally different results than me with a ProGlide. And that's fine; that's why there are competing products at the drug store. And if you do decide to try a ProGlide, I suggest you look for sales or coupons (I think I saw some in this past Sunday's newspaper coupon inserts, or you can check this out) to save yourself a couple of bucks.

Lands' End and Style: Oxymoronic?

A couple of weeks back when I mentioned the Lands' End event, A Proper Bostonian challenged me in a comment on that post to explain how Lands' End's offerings are stylish:

Style and Land's End seem kind of contradictory, don't you think? All I've ever found there is fleece and all the spouse ever found were ugly but practical weatherproof shoes. I look forward to your rebuttal!

This is a valid point, and I thought that discussing it in a regular post would expose it to more readers than just continuing the discussion in the comments area of the original post.

The first thing I think I should mention is that the word "style" originated in the email I received from Lands' End, and I was reusing it out of convenience. I never really bothered to consider the implications of the word in this context.

I'm fairly certain that the people at Lands' End are aware that their company's offerings are widely perceived as unstylish, or even anti-style, and I don't necessarily disagree with that point of view. I do think that one reason they decided to launch the Canvas line was to attempt to dispel this idea. (I'm also pretty sure L.L. Bean's competing Signature line had something to do with it.) There also seems to be a pretty significant J. Crew feel to the Canvas selection, which is even more pronounced when you see the clothes in person. Given the popularity of J. Crew's stuff and the company's performance over the past several years, this is not at all surprising.

But even with Lands' End's standard line, you can make an argument that anti-style is a style choice. Some people, both men and women, just don't care that much about clothes; some can't be bothered with shopping in stores. I know people like this, and LE is one of the places they go to stock up quickly and easily. Value is also part of it: the less you care about clothes, the less money you are going to want to spend on them.

I think people go to the office every day in khakis and a plain button-front shirt because they want to blend in. I see dozens of them every day on the T, especially men. A typical guy wants to look presentable with minimum effort, and wants clothes that aren't going to embarrass him. Some people aren't even comfortable wearing a striped shirt instead of a solid one. That's unfortunate, and I feel bad for them, but it's their choice.

I just bought a madras shirt from Lands' End. It's not quite as boring as a light blue dress shirt; it's a plaid called "light teal," but the dominant color is a berry red, with teal, white, and a little blue. It's colorful and summery without being loud, and it has a certain Leave It to Beaver prep/nerd vibe that I like in my short-sleeve plaid shirts.

Sometimes a person just needs a nudge. Lands' End does offer pretty good choices of colors for its products, and changing up the color scheme a bit is an easy way to inject some flair into your everyday outfits. But ultimately, LE is never going to be considered stylish. Their basic line fills a need for many people, and Canvas is offering a variation on the framework with some added distinction. Maybe some of the customers who buy from the regular line will find their way to Canvas.

I've seen a few pictures on style blogs of some of the forthcoming pieces from the fall Canvas collection, and it looks promising. If anyone from Lands' End is reading and wants to invite me to see the collection in person, I would happily write it up.

Expense Report #10

After going on about Lands' End ad nauseum, this past week I pulled the trigger on a pair of shorts from the Canvas line and a short-sleeve madras shirt from "regular" LE. Both were discounted in some manner, and as usual free shipping was involved, so I spent less than $50 total. I know that I'll wear these items for many summers to come, making this a value-oriented purchase.

Elsewhere I was able to resist or avoid temptation. Yesterday we drove up to Newburyport, and even though it wasn't an especially nice day, we still enjoyed ourselves walking around and looking into various stores. There's a little shop on State Street that sells British things like tea and candy, and they also carry a decent selection of Barbour jackets and clothing. Some of it was on clearance for 50% off, making for some very nice deals. The shopkeeper tried very hard to find something for me to buy, but unfortunately for her (and, I suppose, fortunately for my efforts at restraint) none of the items I liked were available in my size.

By the way, I meant to mention this last week, but for those of you with the inclination to shop and who are trying to spend wisely, or maybe just need some clothes, the approach of Father's Day means that many stores have quite a bit of their men's clothing on sale. Naturally this varies from store to store, but this is traditionally a good time to shop for men's stuff, whether it's for your father, some other man in your life, or yourself.

This Week in Awesome (6/12/10)

A dreary, lazy day: slept late, drank coffee, watched soccer. Now it's off to the warehouse club, but first I have some diversions for you:

Speaking of coffee, BP's problems go beyond the Gulf spill, to containing a coffee spill in a conference room. (Upright Citizens Brigade via Consumerist)

And, in one more (coincidentally) coffee-related instance, the Boston Globe did us the questionable service of mapping all the Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks locations in New England. Um, thanks? Actually, it is sort of interesting to see the density of DD locations in various towns.

John C. Reilly was on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon this week, and during a commercial break he sang a song from a commercial for an Oklahoma barbecue restaurant, backed by Fallon's house band, The Roots. Esoteric, yeah, but I'd still rather watch this than anything by Kesha. (Videogum; original ad here, YouTube via Aziz Is Bored)

For something a bit more, um, thoughtful, the blog Jeremiah's Vanishing New York did a very interesting series on searching for the location of, or even just some evidence of the existence of, the diner depicted in the famous Edward Hopper painting Nighthawks. (Link is to Part 1; links to additional entries can be found on JVNY)

Fresh Sounds

Hm, something else I'd meant to post earlier in the week: I discovered the concert archive on the NPR web site quite a while ago, but I hadn't visited in some time. Earlier this week I found more music goodies, including studio performances from KEXP and previews of forthcoming albums.

This week, and through the weekend until its release next Tuesday, you can listen to the entire new album American Slang from The Gaslight Anthem, a New Jersey band I discovered last year and loved immediately, along with a new album by Laurie Anderson. Next week this "First Listen" feature will be streaming The Five Ghosts, the fifth album from the Montreal band Stars, another one of my favorites.

Watch Wednesday Thursday (6/10/10)

Oh look, another Bulova. You're not really surprised, are you? I picked this one up a couple of years ago for some very small amount of money, probably less than $30. (I'm a sucker for that cross-hair detail.)

This is a nice, basic Bulova with an automatic movement, the sort of watch that would have been on the wrists of thousands of American men in the late 1960s. This one is date-coded to 1968, and it happens to be engraved on the back; it's the only vintage watch I've bought that has engraving. It says "Bill-Jean 1944-1969," so maybe this was a 25th anniversary gift from Jean to Bill?

It's in pretty good condition, with a few blemishes. You can see a couple of marks on the dial below the hands, and the crystal has a few scuffs that I think would buff out. But otherwise, given its age, it looks pretty good. The dial has fine lines radiating out from the center (too faint to show up in this mediocre picture), and while it was probably originally a silvery white, it has taken on a slightly cream-colored cast with aging, which works nicely with the luminous hands, which have also aged to a similarly creamy hue. Plus, they still glow, though rather faintly.

I don't remember buying this strap, so it either came along with the watch, or it was one I had around that was the correct size. But with the coloring I just described, I think this watch would look good with a tan or light brown leather strap, like the one on this Timex.

Seeing Double

Apologies for the unintended absence yesterday--I got involved in a project after lunch and it took longer than I thought it would. There's plenty of material in the pipeline, though. [In retrospect, that seems a poor choice of words, doesn't it?]

On the train this morning, I saw something that I thought was kind of unusual: adult twins dressed alike. Male, I'd estimate in their mid-20s, they got on at Government Center wearing identical corduroy jackets, shirts, jeans, and shoes. I'm pretty sure they were each carrying a different sort of backpack, though I wasn't really close enough to tell for certain. I considered trying to get a picture, but there was no way I could have done it without them noticing, and I figured it was a little early in the day to be pissing off two people.

Caffeination

I'd like to give a plug to a newish coffee shop in Medford Square. Mystic Coffee Roaster opened a couple of months ago, and since we're typically in the Square on Saturdays as part of our weekly errands, we've been making it a semi-regular stop.

The coffee is roasted in small batches three or four times a week, and in addition to hot and iced drinks, you can buy beans to take home or have them grind it for you. They are also offering treats from local bakeries, including various bagels and breads from Iggy's. The atmosphere is pleasant, the staff and owner are very friendly, and the coffee is excellent.

It's great to see this type of business opening in Medford Square. Previously the only option was Dunkin', which has its place, but I also like being able to try other varieties of coffee and getting freshly roasted beans to brew at home, and I like supporting a truly local business (the owner is also a Medford resident).

Expense Report #9

When I mentioned yesterday that we were out on the Pike, it's because we were on our way to the mall in Natick to do some shopping. This trip was actually instigated by the Mrs., who said she wanted to find some lighter-weight pants for summer workwear. (She can't wear shorts, and she isn't much of a skirt person.) She doesn't enjoy shopping much because it's difficult to find clothing that fits her well, so she tends to shop for work clothing only when she needs it.

As it turned out, she came away with only one pair of pants--technically capris, but she's so short that they land right at her ankles. But she also got six basic, patterned short-sleeve tops for $10 each, a Macy's house brand. We'll need to visit another couple of stores to see if she can find decent pants.

I ended up at JCPenney again, and this time I found the polo shirts I wanted last time but couldn't get because they were out of my size. I bought three, for $10 apiece. They are decent shirts for so little money, made of fabric that's substantial enough to wear well for at least a couple of seasons, but light enough to be comfortable when the temperature rises.

The cut is neither too baggy nor too snug (for me, anyway--I wear a 44 suit jacket, and the large fits me just right). Their fit is comparable to Lands' End polos, which normally sell for $20 (and are currently on sale for $12, through today only), though I would have to give the edge to the LE shirts for softness of fabric. (LE also offers their shirts in a "tailored-fit" option, for those of you with slimmer frames.)

One nice thing about the store-brand shirts at Penney is that they come in more than three dozen colors; I ended up getting ivory (to replace an old and much too large shirt, it's a difficult color to find, but works well with plaid shorts and looks better with my skin tone than white), turquoise, and a deep fuchsia that's going to look better on me than a more typical hot pink. But as I learned, selection seems to vary considerably by store, and after being in both nearby (to me) locations, Northshore Mall in Peabody and Natick Mall, recently, I have to say that the men's department in the Natick store is much better. There's a lot more space overall, so they can offer a wider selection and deeper stock.

You can make fun of me for shopping at a middle of the road store like Penney, but it's a good place to save money on basics, and the quality is much better than you might expect. Don't get me wrong, there are still clothes you would want to avoid, like elastic-waist shorts and non-iron dress shirts in a very unpleasant-feeling 60/40 blend, but there's plenty of useful, wearable stuff too, and as I've said before, I want to help you spend your money wisely. You can easily spend $50 or even $80 on a single polo shirt (especially if you favor the kind with a logo), but what's the point?

Road Hazards

Out on the road today, we were on the ramp from 128 south to the Pike westbound when the Mrs. suddenly jerked the wheel to the left to avoid something. I could only see a small blob on the shoulder, but she said it was a group of eight to ten ducklings, all clustered together, that appeared to be trying to cross the road.

It was like Make Way for Ducklings on the Mass. Pike, but where's Officer Michael when you need him?

This Week in Awesome (6/5/10)

Yuck, it's humid here today. Air conditioners are definitely going in later. But first, time to catch up on some of the things that make us keep coming back to the internet over and over...

If you saw Tropic Thunder, then I'm sure you remember Tom Cruise's nearly unrecognizable cameo as Hollywood agent Les Grossman. (If you didn't see it, what's wrong with you? That movie was hilarious.) He's revived the character in some promos for the MTV Movie Awards, which are on tomorrow night. (TV Guide)

You know the World Cup starts next week, right? To get you in the mood, here's a cool Puma soccer commercial. (YouTube via Unlikely Words)

A lot of people have those transponder things in their cars so they can pay tolls without requiring cash or the need to stop. But if you don't have one, this is not the way to avoid paying the toll. Obviously, intoxication was involved. (Dallas Observer blog via Jalopnik)

And we'll conclude today with another gem courtesy of Web Soup: the "musical" stylings of one Shane Lee. Thank you, Shane. You've done the world a great service. Or something.

Friday Funny: Poor Judgment

It's turned out to be kind of a stressful week--the wire on my bottom braces poking the inside of my mouth, a large floater in my left eye for the past two days, more TiVo problems--and I'm sure you could use a laugh anyway, so I'm going to choose the easy path today, and offer you this brief clip from G4TV's Soup spinoff Web Soup, in which a person does something he maybe should have thought twice about doing, and suffers the consequences.

Juvenile? Yes. Funny? Oh, yes. And if you enjoyed it, there are plenty of other funny clips at your disposal over there.

Summer Style Event

I received an email from Lands' End about an event taking place this Saturday, June 5th, at the Lands' End Canvas mini-shop at the Sears in the Burlington Mall (for those of you reading this in my approximate geographical area), and thought I'd pass along the info.

It's in conjunction with Lucky magazine, so I guess it's more for the ladies, but maybe me blurbing it here will get the attention of someone at Lands' End and they'll do something similar for us guys, who knows?

There will be style tips, a chance to win stuff, mini manicures, light refreshments (key words, right there), and swag (if you're one of the first 100 people to show up). It's from 11 AM to 3 PM. We have a vet appointment during that time, so I don't think I'll be able to make it, but if any of you go check it out, let me know how it is...

Cloudy with A Chance of Bombast

I've mentioned before that I watch New England Cable News in the morning. I think I've also mentioned that they have a tendency to repeat their commercials, so it's not unusual for the same ads to run at the same time each day.

For maybe the past two months NECN has been airing a promo for their weather. It comes on every morning right before the 7:30 news block begins, and it is hilariously cheesy. It has all this thunder and lightning, and this hard-rock song that goes something like "...every day the rain will won't fall/the sun will come out and warm shine on us all..."

Then one of the meteorologists says something to the effect of, "[Viewers watch because they want to know] ...is my house going to be hit by lightning?" Of course, this is something that no meteorologist can predict, which makes the ad all the more amusing.

Unfortunately they don't seem to have a clip of the ad on their site, and I couldn't find anything on YouTube. Does anyone know if this is a real song that the station is using in the ad, or if it's an original composition that they commissioned?

Addendum: Because I'm almost never in the room when this commercial airs, I was hearing it but not seeing it. But I happened to see it today, and there's a music credit at the end: it's a song called "Storm" (duh) by Lynyrd Skynyrd, but it must be the more recent incarnation of the band, because the singer sounds nothing like Ronnie Van Zant and the band sounds nothing like anything I know from them.

Doggie Daybed

After almost four years with us, our dog has discovered that she likes the couch and the bed. We never prohibited her from using them, but she never showed any interest in either, until about a month ago.

On Mother's Day we were at my mom's house. Her beagle spends most of his time ensconced on either a recliner chair in the family room or a futon in the living room. Our dog has seen him hoist his overweight self up onto these perches numerous times, and never showed any inclination to imitate him, until this particular day.

We were all gathered around the computer, looking at some photos. Behind us, our dog suddenly jumped onto the futon, then settled down, but unfortunately none of us witnessed it. My mother happened to look over her shoulder and saw the dog laying there.

Back at our house that night, it took all of 15 minutes for the dog to vault onto our bed. She was in there with the Mrs., who was sorting laundry. I was in the next room, and she called me to come into the bedroom, where the dog was happily stretched out, already nuzzling into the soft, puffy comforter.

I always thought it was a little unusual that the dog did not show any interest in the couch, at least, because she's a fairly large dog with long legs, and it's relatively easy for her to jump up onto it. The bed is somewhat higher, so she does seem to prefer the couch. She also doesn't like sharing it; if she's laying on the couch and the Mrs. sits down, the dog will usually get up and leave, even though there's more than enough room for both of them.

We've decided to limit her access to the couch and the bed to times when we are home, in an attempt to convey that lounging on the furniture is a privilege and a treat, and she should not expect to get to do it all the time. When we go to work we close the bedroom door and flip up the couch cushions. I'm sure there are many of you who let your pets hang out on the couch and/or bed all the time who think we're goofy, and we probably are.

I think she started doing this at least partly because her dog bed has lost some of its squishiness, and she is seeking equal or greater comfort. But really, who knows what she's thinking? It's funny how a pet's behavior can change suddenly after a long interval of status quo. Animal behavior is truly a curious and wondrous thing.