Virtual Black Friday Shopping

Say "No!" to Impulse Shopping. Just say "NO!" Today I decided to stay home - as far away as possible from any mall, shop, or commercial center. Of course, when your car is at the garage, it's even easier. However, if you are like me, a shopper, driven by the aesthetics of the activity, then certainly you may have been tempted to do a little cyber-shopping yesterday on Black Friday? So, for all my shopping-challenged friends, I've created a little Christmas gift of Parisian virtual shopping called Parisgirlshopping.com. Given the fact that airfares are ever-escalating, along with hotel stays, and exchange rates between the dollar and the Euro, perhaps a trip to Paris isn't affordable - but that doesn't have to stop any of us from enjoying the sights and delights of Parisian shop windows and Christmas-lit boulevards. So, enjoy a little bit of virtual shopping at Parisgirlshopping.com!

Much Ado about Hemingway

For years we've been trailing in his footsteps. Name any bar in the world and chances are, he got there before us. He's been getting on my nerves for years, but there are certain hallowed grounds one is never supposed to tread upon, and the unshakeable belief of 'those Determiners of Literary Greatness' have deemed Hemingway as being a 'Great American Writer'. And my response is he is without a doubt 'A Great American Drunk'. It was Stresa on Lake Maggiore when I finally decided that enough was enough and that it was time to start questioning the 'Authorities'. Is Hemingway all that he's cracked up to be? Were you also force-fed 'The Old Man and the Sea' in high school English classes? I have just finished reading "A Farewell to Arms" as our tour bus traces the route that Frederic Henry chooses to escape arrest when he flees Italy for Switzerland. Only in his case, rather than hopping on a tour bus, he rows across Lake Maggiore with his very pregnant girlfriend, Catherine or 'poor Cat'. If you met this guy in real life, you would run fast in the other direction, and one wonders what Cat saw in him. Reading the dialogue of these 'star-crossed lovers' is enough to make you upchuck even if you aren't dealing with morning sickness. Just the sheer repetitiveness is aggravating. Talking about courage and bravery, one must be a brave and courageous reader to wade through a lot of crap to get to Hemingway's nuggets of brilliance. Of course, they are there. And there is no doubt that if you actually do get to the end of this depressing story, you get to walk away with the image of a stillborn child described as a 'freshly skinned rabbit'. Hemingway may be deemed the Great American Writer because he leaves you with bloody carcasses in his wake. What do you think?

Have you broken Federal Law in your Bathroom?

It would be a bad way to begin the new year - by breaking federal law, so, in the spirit of transparent bathroom glass doors, I thought I might share this news alert: Are you aware that you may be breaking federal law if you are not cleaning your toilet bowl according to the directions on your cleaning product label? The cleaning product in question is regular bleach. Please read the label of your regular bleach product carefully. You may note as I noted this wording: Directions for Use: It is a violation of Federal law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling. I am worried that if I do not follow the procedure, this could be extremely risky: Here's the procedure for toilet bowl cleaning: "To sanitize and deod0rize pre-cleaned toilet bowls, use 1 cup of this product." What if I only have half a cup of product left? Must I buy a new container of bleach to remain consistent with the labeling? "Flush, pour in bleach, swab with brush making sure to get under rim." This makes good sense. Getting on under the rim is crucially important and the whole procedure would be a complete failure if one didn't get under the rim so from a strategic viewpoint, let's make sure that we all get under the rim and the world will be a better place for it. "Let stand for 10 minutes" Here's where I am worried. Are you letting your bleach stand for ten minutes? Because, quite honestly, I think I may have failed to wait that complete 10 minutes - and, would this be considered to be inconsistent with the labeling directions? Is that ten minute standing period negotiable? "Flush. Do not use with bowl cleaners or any other household chemicals." This is where you want to be really careful. Apparently very strange things may happen if you should mix up procedure #1 which requires a 'pre-cleaned' toilet bowl. For example, if the slightest residue of the previous products you may have used (for pre-cleaning) should have mixed with the bleach you are currently using, all bets are off. Strange things may happen - case in point - avoid at all costs the interaction of bleach with cat pee. Trust me. I would not give you this warning otherwise. Bleach is a handy product to keep your home tidy, but it also needs to be used properly according to label guidelines. Isn't it nice to know that your government is watching out for your and wants to keep you safe? Here's a toast to clean homes and clean living!