The Saga Of My Search For Incandescent Lightbulbs

January 6, 2014January 28, 2021 / Ally Bean / 33 Comments

True confessions time. I’m an incandescent lightbulb hoarder. I lurve normal lightbulbs. Soft white glow. Roundish with an Edison base. Retro.

Judge me IF you must.

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Here is part of my incandescent lightbulb collection.

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So during these waning days of incandescent lightbulb availability, off I go to buy 25 Watt lightbulbs to replace the ones in the outdoor light fixture that provides light onto our deck.

As you can imagine, they were almost impossible to find. And when, after searching through 3 stores, I did find them at The Home Depot, I had to use the do-it-yourself checkout station… which didn’t work.

The screen was FROZEN.

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It was at this point in my search for incandescent lightbulbs that I became the pawn of the woman responsible for the do-it-yourself checkout area. And things became a bit difficult.

First, she didn’t believe that my screen wouldn’t work, so she tried seven times to make it go. At this she failed.

Then when it was clear to her that my screen was, indeed, frozen, she decided to ring up my purchase of $8.91 at her central register and have me hand her my $10.00 bill. At this point in the transaction my frozen-screened do-it-yourself checkout station was to give me my change.

This would have been a great idea IF she had correctly entered $10.00 into her register, BUT she didn’t.

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{ source }

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No, she put into her central register that I had handed her a $1000.00 bill– and suddenly my frozen-screened do-it-yourself checkout station started spewing out $20.00 bills at a speed and in a way comparable to a figure skater doing triple lutzes.

Pushing me aside, The Home Depot employee made a dash for the cash coming out of my frozen-screened do-it-yourself checkout station. She was in a panic. A minute or two later when she had all the cash in her hand she was so flustered that she couldn’t figure out how to continue with my transaction.

And I was in NO MOOD to leave the store without my $1.09 change.

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So I waited, with a line of customers behind me, until The Home Depot employee regained her composure. Then, using a magic key that she had on a cord around her neck, she unlocked the entire bottom section of my frozen-screened do-it-yourself checkout station and counted out my change from the big till in there.

Consequently, a mere ten minutes after stepping up to the do-it-yourself checkout station, The Home Depot employee handed me a bag filled with what might be the most difficult to find– and to pay for– 25 Watt lightbulbs in the world.

THE END.

[Hello FTC! Please note that I’m explaining my point-of-view about things and my experiences while buying such things. There was no monetary &/or other compensation involved whatsoever. I know that you’re a wise & wonderful governmental department so you probably already knew that, right? Just wanted to be clear.]

Odds & Ends

April 30, 2013April 30, 2013 / Ally Bean / 27 Comments

:: We started putting together pots of flowers and herbs and vegetables this past weekend. The project turned out to be more difficult than I thought that it’d be. With our revised backyard [2 summers ago we added a lower level terrace at the back of the yard], we have fewer trees near the deck and more deer in the backyard. So I’m looking for sun-loving flowers that deer won’t eat. Not so many of those around.

Hence, the pot project has been postponed until next weekend when I hope that I will be more clear about what plants I want to put where. Hello Google. Time to research.

:: We like coffee cake. Once upon a time there was a product for sale in our grocery store called Aunt Jemima Easy Mix Coffee Cake. In the box there was a small cardboard baking pan. The dry coffee cake mix came with a small plastic bag that you could use, instead of a bowl, to mix the batter with water and an egg. Then there was a small packet of streusel topping. We liked this small coffee cake, but it is no longer available.

So, I decided to try Martha White Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake Mix instead. It isn’t as small nor as fun to make as the Aunt Jemima Coffee Cake, but the results were good. We’ll use it again, but with much less streusel topping on it. Oy vey! It was way too sweet for us.

That being as it may, Martha White has gifted us with a new family saying: all streusel, no cake. [Think “all foam, no beer” OR “all hat, no cattle.” That kind of saying.] Clearly, we are a simple people who are easily amused– or maybe it was the sugar talking.

:: Over the weekend our new loveseat arrived. We ordered it a few weeks ago from Arhaus, but because it was a standard style + fabric there was hardly any wait time before it got here. It is gorgeous and looks perfect in the living room– very grown-up, but not at all stuffy. Plus it’s a mid-century modern frame which I find comfortable to sit on.

Now, I need to get going and find a rug to put under it. It’s been over 3 years since I started this living room make-over, but I promise when it is complete I’ll post some before & after photos. Well, definitely the after photos. I don’t know if I have any before photos to share. Huh. Bad planning, that.

[Hello FTC! Blah, blah, blah. Not getting any kind of compensation for my personal opinions here. Blah, blah, blah. Disclaimer written. Blah, blah, blah.]

If Shakespeare Had A Coffee Maker, I Know Which One It Would Be

April 22, 2013May 6, 2021 / Ally Bean / 24 Comments

Last week I learned that I write like William Shakespeare. I determined this amazing truth when I submitted my Bad Coffee On A Monday Morning post to the I Write Like Analyzer.

Surely, thou gleeking half-faced hedge-pig doth jest.

This revelation surprised me. I won’t lie. But being the pragmatic soul that I am, I decided to go about my day as if nothing unique had happened.

What say ye, my spleeny beetle-headed varlot?

So, as planned, I went shopping for a new coffee maker. And taking heed of all the features and brands that you, my gentle readers, told me to pay attention to, I bought a Cuisinart® Extreme Brew 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker.

Forsooth, ’tis better looking & more useful than a churlish hasty-witted ratsbane!

After one week of use, I’m going to say that we like it. The machine fits on our counter. It is easy to fill and program. It makes hot coffee in a reasonable amount of time. The carafe is sturdy and ergonomically balanced so that pouring hot coffee from it is easy. All the pieces are dishwasher safe. And, the price was right.

Which, as any pribbling tickle-brained clack-dish knows, is a good thing.

[Please note, I created all my insults for this post using this wonderful resource: Shakespeare Insult Kit.]

[Hello FTC! So once again we meet, my ~~wayward pox-marked malt-worm~~ good friend. As usual, this product review is only my opinion about my experiences. I’ve received no money or other compensation for it. Are we good, FTC?]

First Photos With My New Camera: Outside From Small To Large

April 17, 2013April 17, 2013 / Ally Bean / 34 Comments

Over the weekend I bought a new point & shoot camera. It is a Nikon COOLPIX P520 18.1 MP Digital Camera with 42x Zoom. It will replace my Nikon COOLPIX P90 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 24x Zoom that I’ve enjoyed using for many years.

This new camera is similar to the old one, but has more bells & whistles on it. *yeah* I’m looking forward to learning about each cool thing that my P520 can do, but for these photos I just winged it. This camera is, after all, a point & shoot model, so why not go with the obvious?

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[Hello FTC! It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? I haven’t bought much lately. Huh. Well, just as a reminder, please note that I’m not being paid for my opinion here. I’m just explaining my experiences without any compensation whatsoever. That’s the way I roll, but then you knew that.]