len_mullen

I'm a breast man. At the grocery store, that's where my eyes go. I'll suffer unappealing breasts if packaged with a single, fully formed, nicely shaped, pleasingly plump breast. The under achievers are set aside for lesser dinners while that one, perfect piece is reserved for Chicken Cordon Bleu. I set the breast smooth side down in the freezer until it is stiff but pliable. I take off the raggedy side with my meat slicer then` set the blade to half the thickness of the chicken and cut almost all the way through. I butterfly the cut breast, slip it into a large plastic bag, and pound it to a uniform shape and thickness with a rolling pin. I salt and pepper both sides, coat the worse side with a film of dijon mustard, layer with sliced ham then swiss cheese then more ham, roll the whole mess up and secure, coat with flour then egg then flour again, and air fry at 350 for 14 minutes. You're supposed to use panko crumps and parm cheese for the outer coating, but my kid prefers the 'fried chicken' version I described. This week I grabbed the best breast. It was huge, nearly square, and more than an inch thick. It was too big to cut on my meat slicer, so I carefully cut it with my electric knife. I had to 'truss' the roll because it was too big to secure with metal skewers. For the first time, I used the temperature probe of my air fryer to cook from top and bottom at 360 until the middle reached 165. This thing looked like a small loaf of bread when I removed it from the air fryer. I had to locate and remove the twine, but that was easy peasy. Then I sliced it like a loaf of brioche. I served it with roasted broccoli and riced cauliflower and garlic knots. My awesome air fryer Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe My only deviation from Ms. Laurence's recipe is to simply use flour for the outer coating. Bon Appétit!

That's the car not *my* car. Mine was never in perfect shape. Still, some guy paid $7k for it in 1971, so it was pretty nice despite warts. In today's dollars, that would be a $50k vehicle. It was eight years old when I bought it.

Another retailer that will be missed -- by no one. Too much work to use their promotions, too many exclusions. Six purchases in 2018, one in 2019, and none in 2020. I unsubscribed from their mailings after one that had nothing to do with our relationship. Virtue signaling merchants go straight to the penalty box.

^^^ Walmart has a Capital One card with cash back, but it does not seem to be associated with this loyalty program.

My first car was a 1971 Buick Skylark. 455/4barrel carb, power everything and leather throughout. Paid cash for it and financed the stereo I installed for three years (Pioneer through Columbia House). http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7ORtbZEdZRU/U7ulIEWKZKI/AAAAAAAAgFU/b3LOwGzVNms/s1600/1971-Buick-Skylark-Gran-Sport-455.jpg

Counterintuitive. People not wanting to go out so a retailer delays launch of online option? People blame COVID19 for everything. Prime offers... Prime VideoAmazon ChannelsPrime MusicAmazon Music UnlimitedTwitch PrimeMonthly payment option45 percent Prime fee discount for those on government assistanceStudent discounts Walmart counters with discounted gas I'm not a big fan of loyalty clubs -- especially the kind that charge admission. While I like the idea of delivery, the logistics are tough and you are relying on others to select fresh stuff.

My wife and I bought our house four months before we got married. That was my fault. We were at a Christmas or New Years party (the details are foggy due to...um.. the passage of time) I was kicking butt at Pictionary, and used that authority to inflict my recollections of economics 101 to all who would listen. An equally foggy partier totally agreed. In the morning, I woke up with a headache, an appointment with a realtor, and an appointment with a builder. The realtor was very slick. And very helpful. After listening to what we wanted, he proceeded to drive us to a home that was out of our price range -- assuring us that the seller was very motivated. As we drove down the cul-de-sac, my fiancé, from the back seat, declared that a house we passed was beautiful. I could feel the realtor smile. We ended up making an offer on that house and, eventually, buying it. By the time we bought it, the realtor was out of the picture (we bought directly from the builder). After we closed, the realtor sent us a bottle of champagne and wished us the best in our marriage. Classy guy. We were kids when we bought that house and my parents walked through it with us. Passing from the master bedroom into the master bath, my mother commented that the light was off center. I looked up and shrugged. Next time we were in the house, the builder told me he had the light moved for my mother. I hated buying a house (I looked at 186 housed with two realtors over a seven month period) and I never want to do it again, but I have to say the people we dealt with were pretty decent.

I just smiled for 45 minutes. I miss smiling...

^^^ You're welcome. If you want to know more, movies have documented the event... http://www.themarketbasketeffect.com/ The Demoulas family has been so good to their employees. They attend weddings, co-sign mortgages. Their philosophy is that you should make enough to raise a family in their employ. I witnessed the ascension of an hourly employee. If you were a good worker and chose not to go to college or had graduated college, you would be offered a full time position. A manager would make the offer. Upon acceptance, you would replace your apron with a smock, get a big raise and 'adult benefits', and become a full time worker. Many of the kids I bagged groceries with are now managing stores. Check out the About page on their web site... https://www.shopmarketbasket.com/timeline

Yesterday I was in Aldis. One of the managers recognized me and started a conversation. At the end, he wished me a happy Fourth of July. "Same to you," I said. Then, "Probably isn't the same for you. Have a nice weekend." Then we had a long conversation about how he felt about American independence. Mostly pondering how the 20th century would have been different if England could have compelled the Colonies to enter both world wars earlier. Kind of a cool perspective on our history from someone on the outside looking in with a vested interest. With all the so-called demonstrations going on right now, I would like to remind everyone that in the summer of 2014, 25,000 employees and millions of customers PEACEFULLY prevented the overthrow of an empire -- Market Basket. If you do not know the story, take a minute to read this... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_Basket_protests In an unusual twist, the 99% put their jobs on the line to save the job of a 1%'er -- Arthur T. Demoulas. Patrons, vendors, and partners joined the battle. With so much at stake, it would be understandable if tempers flared, but they didn't...at least not publicly. Consumers shopped elsewhere and taped their receipts to Market Basket windows, employees held rallies when they were off the clock. The media AND the public was sympathetic to the emperor and his minions. In the end, a knight in shining armor bankrolled the beloved CEO. I worked for Demoulas as a teen and have shopped there all my life. I was in line the morning they opened the stores after the settlement was reached. The shelved were not well stocked, but an employee stood at the end of each aisle to thank us for supporting Arthur T. Demoulas. These people prove that change does not require vulgarity and violence... In my mind and heart, this is a story of importance. I'm not alone. MIT did a study... https://gcgj.mit.edu/sites/default/files/imce/resource-uploads/14.160.Market%20Basket.Ton_.Kochan.FINAL_.pdf Happy Fourth of July. Keep the faith!

http://bestanimations.com/Holidays/Fireworks/fireworks/blue-erd-green-fireworks-gif.gif

Plenty of public fireworks in New Hampshire. Three nights in Salem. Fireworks are sold retail as well. With school out and so many home, I have heard fireworks somewhere nearby most nights since before Memorial Day.

Happy July! Just two days until two weeks off. Two weeks hanging out beside my sister's pool. She's a very good sister, so a cold beer will always be within reach. The year is flying by. Should be getting ready for Prime Day, but...not shopping for anything anyway.

Not fathers day related, but enjoy! https://i.imgur.com/fAqyMeQ.mp4

My son's school has notified us that the fall semester will be remote. I suspect this has as much to do with the risk of protest/violence as COVID19. Obviously, we are disappointed, but the finance office sent me an estimate for the cost of the semester and it's damn near free. They have dramatically reduced the costs for the semester and not [yet?] reduced scholarships and grants. This coming on the heels of a two week staycation during which I got my hair cut, I would have to say June is shaping up to be a pretty good month for me. I am 682 days from pension eligibility, 927 days from [likely] retirement, and 18 days from my next two week vacation. If I get laid off in the next 927 days, I will get to collect unemployment plus the stimulus, receive a severance payoff of 35 weeks pay, then start collecting my pension come 5/1/2022. July has THREE paydays. This afternoon, I will purchase gasoline for the first time this month. When I fill my F150 in two weeks, I'll get a $1.00 discount, so I will pay about $1 per gallon. Heating oil is $1.57 per gallon. I am hoping for one more price drop before I fill up . Last time prices were this low was March of 2016 ($1.599). Next week eggs are $0.99 at Market Basket and Sam Adams is $9.99 for a twelve pack at Shaws. While I am starting to feel some stress and frustration at the consequences of COVID19, I would say, overall, 2020 is going well for me and mine. I take some credit for that. I do not watch news on television, severely restrict my access to social media (twitter, Facebook, linked-in all gone; WordPress blogs all deleted). Lots of walks. A little wine. Might as well join me at the half full glass because I think next year will be a mess regardless of who is elected, (I have already convinced myself that things will be fine (for me) regardless of the outcome.) Find one thing to do today to make the day worthwhile. Worry about tomorrow tomorrow.

Locally, Kohls and Walmart displaced Bradlees and Ames. I was pretty excited to have a Walmart in town, but didn't even know what a Kohls was. I had been hoping for a Sears or K-Mart. One day I was shopping at Market Basket when I was overcome by an urge to find a public restroom. That was my first time inside Kohls. It was beautiful from the impulse buy area to the bathrooms. The staff was older and better dressed than I was accustomed to. I was pretty impressed with the selection of goods. Definitely a cut above Ames, Bradlees, or Walmart. While they did not have the weekly sales Ames and Bradlees had or the everyday low prices of Walmart, using their credit card routinely snagged me a discount on my order. Co-located with my favorite grocer and adjacent to a liquor store, Kohls was always convenient. As I spent more time in the store (including one BF), I noticed they adjusted their stock by season. This VERY SMART management meant deals on the stuff I wanted when I wanted it and an opportunity to stock up on consumables at the end of each 'season'. Because Kohls offers 30% off every month, I shop there for things that always cost the same wherever you shop (like my Rug Doctor carpet cleaner). For most things, 30% off puts the price a little below Amazon and Walmart. Kohls Cash seals the deal. (Plus I do not know what Kohls' politics is and I LOVE that.) The last store I ever want to go into is K-Mart. How the mighty have fallen! I have never met a more disengaged workforce. From manager to cashier, not one single employee I have met had an interest in serving me. When I bought my last snow blower from Sears, they dribbled a few hundred dollars of store credit to me each week for a few months. I used most of it to buy steeply discounted jeans. I'd order online for store pickup. Sometimes they would have my order, sometimes they would present me with a random counter of items, and sometimes they would stare blankly at the order information on my phone. I have a friend who tells a story of his last visit to K-Mart. According to my friend, he had to navigate around a large puddle of what appeared to be urine entering the store. By the time he finished his shopping, the puddle had been tracked throughout the cash register area as carriage tracks and footprints. That's gross. I also have gone to K-Mart on one BF. After waiting inline for more than an hour, I followed the line into the store only to find a warzone and no BF items. A CSR told me that because Massachusetts would not let their stores open on Thursday, Mass and NH stores offered their Doorbusters Wednesday and that there would be no rainchecks. Best Buy can be on my way home from work. I recycle a LOT of consumer electronics there and have never been held to the three item per day limit. If a deal comes up, I order online for store pickup and load the trunk with recyclables. My first HD TV was from Best Buy and I have purchased computers from them. Movies too. My relationship with Staples will end in November. I suspect BB will become my Computer Place once that happens.

It smells fine to me as well. Not really the point, though. Walmart is not the store it once was. Low quality merchandise, disengaged employees, and incompetent corporate leadership. Online and B&M are totally unintegrated. At the local store, online pickup is at the back of the store by the toilets and the entrance to the storage area. I've been there for half an hour waiting for someone to show up. Employees stream out of the back area ignoring customers at the counter, "Not my job." I go out of my way to patronize Staples, Best Buy, Target, and Kohls. They seem to want my business at least.

I like bourbon. Not sure I want to show up at work smelling like it.

After I posted this, I was contacted by Walmart via email. A vert cordial exchange ended with Walmart shipping six bottles of the Mint body wash to my home. I was surprised -- shocked really -- then amused when I opened the second shipment of BOURBON VANILLA body wash. I guess I better get used to the scent. Today, they refunded the purchase price, so I have twelve bottles of Bourbon Vanilla body wash. The June/July issue of Fortune magazine arrived the same day as the second shipment. There was an article on Net Promoter Score (NPS) -- The Simple Metric That's Taking Over Big Business. NPS is a ratio between positive and negative/neutral referrals. 2/3 of Fortune 1000 companies use the metric. That's what those 'would you recommend to a friend' surveys are all about. The article lists NPS leaders for ten industries. Walmart was not on the list. Nordstrom was the Department Store All-Star. Not surprisingly, USAA was the leader in Retail Banking and Property and Casualty Insurance. My favorite credit card (Discover) was tops in that category. Other leaders: Vanguard (Wealth Management), Verizon FiOS (Wired Network Operations), Consumer Cellular (Postpaid Wireless Service), H-E-B (Grocery Stores), Walgreens (Drugstores), and Chick-Fil-A (Casual Fast Food). I have been considering dropping my AT&T cell plan for CC. Given that Consumer Cellular uses the AT&T and T-Mobile networks, I do not expect a degradation in service. Savings would be about $50 a month for two lines.

or t-shirts

My son and I got our hair cut yesterday. He snoozed in the truck while I visited Big Lots and Shaws (grocer). Derry is a bigger town (30k residents vs 8k where I normally shop and 4k where I live). We were there from 1:30pm to 4:30pm. I found traffic (vehicle and pedestrian) to be pretty heavy. Big Lots was typically sparse, but Shaws was very busy. I'm ready to unofficially declare New Hampshire open for business.

@Brad No body count for May?

Don't have one. Haven't been in a JCP store since the 80s.

from http://performingsongwriter.com/bobbie-gentry-ode-billie-joe/ Everybody has a different guess about what was thrown off the bridge—flowers, a ring, even a baby. Anyone who hears the song can think what they want, but the real message of the song, if there must be a message, revolves around the nonchalant way the family talks about the suicide. They sit there eating their peas and apple pie and talking, without even realizing that Billie Joe’s girlfriend is sitting at the table, a member of the family. from https://playback.fm/bobbie-gentry-ode-billie-joe-true-story While Bobbie Gentry admits the story is fictionalized, she did explain that it was inspired by the 1954 murder of Emmett Till. Till was only 14 years old when he was shot and thrown over the Black Bayou Bridge in Mississippi for offending a woman in a grocery store. The bridge mentioned in the song soon became an attraction and many attempted to jump from it. However, no casualties were ever reported since the bridge was only 6 meters high. The bridge collapsed in 1972 but was later rebuilt.