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So Long, Farewell, Good Riddance

20 May

Welcome to one of my favorite weeks of the year, the one right after all the big graduations, when the seniors have their diplomas, all the students have moved out of their dorms and apartments, and things along the C and especially the B line are much quieter than they are the rest of the year. It’s the best time to do things like go to T. Anthony’s because you won’t have to deal with any of the B.U. kids causing long lines and tying up all the tables. Or go to Shaw’s because it’s less crowded. Or just, you know, ride the B line in peace without having to squeeze in. The drivers will even go express from Kenmore to Packard’s Corner, which is awesome. Or drive up Comm Ave and see if you can go the whole way without stopping at a light or because of traffic, like I did over Christmas week. Of course, it’s all short lived, because in just over a week, after Memorial Day, we’ll have to deal with all the out of towners here for internships and summer school, who don’t know the B line from the C or the D, who tie up the self-serve lines at Shaw’s because they don’t know what they’re doing, and who just generally get in the way. But for now, it’s a great time to live in the Brookline/Brighton/Allston area.

Martin: 15, The Man: 0

13 Apr

It’s one of my favorite Passover traditions: the day I go back to Shaw’s and return all my unopened, unused food. My philosophy on this is simple: if they’re going to overcharge me for food I need for only a week (and that in some cases really isn’t very good), then they’re going to take back whatever I have left after the holiday. Last year I got back $27 for my extra food. This year, thanks largely to smarter buying, I didn’t have as much to return, so I got a smaller amount back. Still, it was worth it. Here’s what I returned:
* two cans of tuna fish
* a box of cookies
* a two-liter bottle of soda
* a box of chocolate lollipops
* a jar of gefilte fish
All that was worth about $15 back in my pocket.

Now, I realize some may say doing this (and bragging about it) is chintzy, or worse, that it confirms a stereotype. I counter by saying there’s no reason why I should have to pay $5 for a box of 24 subpar bite-size cookies, or $2.59 for a can of tuna fish, simply because I have no choice in the matter. Every year we’re taken advantage of on Passover, and if I can even the score by returning what I don’t need and getting my money back, then I see nothing wrong with that.

Love Is All Around

14 Feb

In honor of Valentine’s Day, just thought I’d compile a short list of some of the things I love today:
* the Oreo cookies at the Paradise Bakery in the Pru
* Eddie Murphy’s Delirious — especially the “Ice Cream Man” bit
* getting a seat on the T in the morning
* Lost and Grey’s Anatomy
* waking up with Ann Curry
* the cake at Shaw’s
* my new computer
* Business 2.0‘s “101 Dumbest Moments in Business“
* quarter-zip sweaters
* Countdown with Keith Olbermann
* hot chocolate on a cold day
* a roast beef sandwich on an Italian roll from Sam Lagrassa’s
* Barats and Bereta
* snow!
* baseball is back!
* you (yes, you)

I Can See Clearly Now …

4 Sep

… the rain is gone. Sunday sucked. Simply said. Were it not for the great U.S. Open matches, the day would have been a total waste for me.

… because I picked up my new glasses on Saturday. They’re rimless and more stylish than my old pair. And, they’re a better, more up-to-date prescription (which always helps). Still, I’m not convinced I want to keep them. The titanium is just too light, the frames feel too loose, they look funny, and it’s been a weird adjustment. Thankfully, LensCrafters‘ 30-day guarantee gives me that flexibility. So I’m keeping my eyes open. Pun intended.

… that school’s back in session. Yes, it takes longer to drive down Comm. Ave and the city’s just generally more crowded. But most importantly, shopping at Shaw’s is no longer a pleasure. (I mean, not including the eye candy, which is great and back in abundance.) You may know that I take a small degree of pride in my ability to get through the self-checkout lane quickly, and these newbies do nothing but hold me up and make all the lines longer. Avoid 4–6p.m. at all costs.

… that some people just suck. I needed an activity today, so I ventured up north to Jordan’s in Reading to check out (but not take advantage of) the trapeze lessons (and have a hamburger at Fuddruckers), and then I went to the Burlington Mall. Well, what must have been a half hour later, I still hadn’t found a parking spot at the mall (yes, I was being really patient) and I decided to just go home. So a giant F.U. to the two people who literally stole my spots. One was right behind me and wouldn’t back up so I could get the spot I had been waiting for because she wanted it, and another pulled out in front of me and grabbed a spot that had become available and that I was clearly entitled to. Not sure I’ve cursed that much in a long time. (That is, until someone in my building removed my clothes from the washers within five minutes of it being done. WTF? People can’t give a person a five minute grace period?) ARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

What’s on My Mind

9 Aug

A few quick questions and observations … Continue reading →

Holy War?

22 Apr

My friend Kathleen called it my “holy war” yesterday. Whatever it is, today was the day I struck back at Shaw’s and Stop & Shop for overcharging on Passover food. I mean, if they’re gonna mark up this food, which isn’t all that good to begin with and is only necessary for a week, then I’m going to save my receipts and return whatever I don’t use so they can give me my money back. And I don’t know whether it was my 3-day trip to New York, or the fact that I ate not less but smarter during the week, but I ended Passover this year with more leftover (unopened) food than I have in recent years:
* A box of egg matzoh
* Two jars of mayonaise (one extra because I found light mayo at another store)
* Four cans of tuna (two extra because I found them cheaper elsewhere)
* A box of cookies
* A coffee cake mix

All that was worth about $27, which I’m sure I’ll give right back tomorrow when I do my normal grocery shopping, but for now, it’s safe and sound back in my wallet.

The Annual Passover Rant

9 Apr

Went to Stop & Shop and Shaw’s yesterday to stock up on Passover food (the holiday starts Wednesday night).

It’s one of those necessary evils that I tend to postpone until the last minute every year.

Why? It’s not that I am anti-Passover or anything, nor is it that I am a procrastinator (well, alright, maybe I am a procrastinator). It’s that the whole buying of Passover food experience just rubs me the wrong way. Continue reading →

Man of the People

19 Mar

As celebrity sightings go, I suppose this one was pretty minor. But it was still kinda cool to see city councilman Mike Ross grab a spot in line behind me at the self-check-out line at Shaw’s on Commonwealth Ave. this afternoon.

In all the hub-bub of the 5pm crowd, you don’t expect to see someone like Mike Ross amongst the shoppers, much less on the self-check-out line. But there he was: just as cool and slick as he looks on TV, but taller than I expected, and a heck of a lot tanner. (I’m guessing he recently came back from a vacation. Must be nice.)

I was standing there, watching a clueless older woman try her hardest to figure out the machine so she could check out with her two items, wondering why I always get stuck behind these people, when Mike Ross swooped in, seemingly from out of nowhere, grabbing some flowers and something else he’d left on top of the machine while he stepped away. (Nice.) Nonchalantly, like it was no big deal, he stepped behind me and got in line. And when this woman finished, and I stepped up, I felt powerful knowing I was the only thing preventing Mike Ross from checking out and leaving the store. (Alright, I didn’t really feel that way. In fact, I’m not sure why I even wrote something as dorky as that.)

Mike Ross watched as I deftly used the machine, scanning my items one by one, with no errors and no commands by the machine to rescan or check my bags, and getting it all done in what must have been record time. Except for a small panicked reaction when my slice of cake tipped over, I was in prime form. I’m sure he was impressed. (ha ha ha)

At the same time, I was intrigued and a little bit amused by the fact that no one but me seemed to recognize the guy. I mean, it’s not like he’s Mayor Menino or Ted Kennedy or anything, but the guy does represent many of the people in the supermarket — even if they are college students. So you’d think some of the folks would know who he was. And it was Sunday, a day off, so there was no need for him to introduce himself or make a thing out of it. So, he just checked out and headed on his way like he was any other shopper. (Unfortunately, I can’t tell you how good he was at the self-check-out. That’s because I am not a dorky stalker and didn’t stick around to watch.)

Anyway, the message is this: Mike Ross is just like you or me. He goes to the grocery store in the middle of the Sunday rush and scans his own stuff. Good man, that Mike Ross.

Quote of the Day

27 Nov

“You always do that.”
— a woman to her boyfriend at Shaw’s, as he tried to put his credit card into the “Insert Cash Here” slot in the self-service check-out line

… it could also apply to me, since I always seem to end up behind stupid people like that, especially when the line is short and should move quickly (and of course, it never does).

Adventures in Shopping

11 Sep

Few things are as embarrassing as … selecting a cucumber on a crowded Sunday at Shaw’s. (Actually, no matter when you try to select a cucumber, it’s embarrassing.)

Few things are as annoying as … going through the due diligence of selecting a good piece of cake for dessert (i.e.: biggest one they’ve got, plenty of icing, nothing stuck to the sides of the container — hold your comments, please) and having the cashier tip it upside down to scan the bar code, in the process getting icing on the top of the container, even if it’s just a little bit.
Second place: the fact that the shortest line is always the slowest.

But, having all the students back in town does make grocery shopping a more pleasant experience. At least aesthetically.

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