My kingdom for a Heinen's.

Well, how did my second-most hated place behind Time-Warner, Giant Eagle, make me angry today? I didn't go to my normal one, so let me count the ways:

I like Caramel topping, don't eat it a lot, but I had my last drop some time last year. I wanted some today. You know, the simple Hershey's squeeze bottle, that's all I'm lookin' for. Could not find it. Why, there it is with all the other ice cream stuff, like cones. IN THE DIAPER AISLE!

I also like Toasteds, you know, the Keebler crackers. Those elves make a mean three-pack of Buttercrisp, Sesame and Wheat. Go to the cracker and cookie aisle. Nothing. Oh, you got your Ritz, your Premium, your Town House, but no Toasted. Why, there it is, along with Cheez-It (the crack of the cracker world), IN THE CEREAL AISLE, seven aisles away!

Unrelated to Giant Eagle, although I'm sure they lobbied for it, the size of the Jimmy Dean Breakfast Skillet has dropped. Yes, this used to be 20 ounces of plug-my-arteries breakfast goodness, but it has dropped to 18 ounces now. Of course, the associated price hasn't dropped either.

Lastly, if I'm going to Get-Go, I always wait until I get my groceries then I go there. Being in a really fab mood, I did that today. Only to go to the pump and see that cash customers now have to pre-pay, at least at this one. Well, that's the end of my convenience, because now I have to be a math major to estimate how much I'll need to fill up. Let's see the sign says $2.99, how much do I have on my card, well, I don't know because I have to go inside. Oh, it's 30 cents off, uh, er, I dunno, give me 25 dollars. So, as I'm pumping, I realize $25 is too much and I'm able to get $22.65 in. So, I have to go back in.

Her(snidely): "Oh, you're back in, huh?"
Me (angrily): "Yep, that's the hazard of pre-paying."
Her (densely): "Huh?"
Me (smart-assly): "That's the hazard of pre-paying. How am I supposed to know what a fill-up costs?"
Her(snottily): "Well, all stations are pre-paid."
Me (disgustedly): "No, they're not. Have you ever heard of Sheetz?"

Meal of Links

Amidst the Left Turn Guys starting today (Hello, Newman), I have been catching up on these Oscar nominations. I saw Viggo Mortensen in "Eastern Promises". I dunno, I didn't like it and I'm not sure why he was nominated. Well, he had an accent, was cut, tatted up and had a naked fight scene in a bath house. Kind of like Edward Norton, sans the accent, in "American History X". Anyhow, it's about Russian mobsters in London. So-so, at best.

Ronaldo's leg blew out, maybe, because of steroids. Hey, if Socrates believes it, I'm in.

You've probably noticed the words "cult" and "Obama" used in the same sentence a lot lately. I actually think the use of the word "cult" helps his opponents, because Americans is stupid, and they think bad things normally associated with cults. But people are fainting at his rallies. A Joel Stein column is referenced a lot these days, and it's actually quite good. The correlation to Peter Sellers in "Being There" is spot on.

Exercise Yard

I watched Pavlik-Taylor II last night via the feed from our good friends, the Chinese, and it was an OK fight at best. Yeah, Pavlik threw more punches, but both fighters were never in serious trouble. I don't know if it was that the fight was at 166 pounds or that it was a non-title match, but I hope there is no third bout here. Let's move on.

I guess Taylor proved he could last 12 rounds, although I thought he tired badly after the tenth. Pavlik continued to have a high work rate, lasted 12 rounds, and did what he needed to do to score points. I scored it Pavlik 115-113, with Kelly winning the final two rounds. It was a hard bout to score, as it was fairly even. There was more action in 7 rounds last time than last night's fight. I guess I'm a little disappointed and would be moreso, if I had purchased the PPV.

I'd like to see Pavlik fight closer to home and hopefully, have a shot at some quality opponents. Pavlik wins the unanimous decision.

Visitor

None, it's Daytona today.