Mental Goulash 10

Okay, I know it's been a while since I've done one of my Mental Goulash posts, so just know that they're nothing more than multiple fleeting thoughts and commentaries that I've had over the last few months that didn't really warrant an entire post.


[1 & 2] I recently paid a visit to a nearby store called Talk of the Town. I lovingly refer to it as the Hobo Sto'. The reference comes from the fact that it's a store frequented by those on a shoestring budget. The store is nice and clean, but definitely a "no thrills" store. A great place when you're running low on cash. Nothing wrong with that! The "fabulous" need not apply.

They sell all kinds of stuff that isn't "technically" bad or expired, just "old" by the average grocery store's standards. You know, the kind of place you can find Halloween, Valentine's and Christmas candy at...in June. Cereal with movie tie-ins for movies like Shrek, Star Wars Phantom Menace and the first Spider-Man movie.

Anyway, I like to drop by from time to time mainly because they have things that I like that have been discontinued + they carry some different brands I can't find anywhere else. For instance:

I know it's silly, but you should know me well enough by now to know that I am a sucker for nostalgia and fun/colorful design. When I saw this box of Piggly Wiggly brand cornflakes, I had to get them. First off, I really miss Piggly Wiggly and we haven't had them in Texas since the late 80's. Also, I thought the cartoon scarecrow & crow were really nice. AND, the bonus? I think they're better than the Kellogg's brand!

Second, I completely wiped them out of the now defunct Fizz-Its, by Scrubbing Bubbles. They're effervescent toilet tablets. There are 10 to a box. I used to use them all the time...before they magically disappeared from the chain stores' shelves. Well, good ol' TotT had them! Jackpot!

[3] Behold 7-Eleven's latest sandwich: The P'EatZZa Sandwich. The queerest name ever. Their promotional people deserve a kick in the nuts for this one.

I took the time to poke around on the Internet and research it and it seems destined to be a dud. Everyone is pretty much unanimous that it's a disgusting idea. I dunno. I've seen worse. *ahem* McGriddle, anyone?

[4/5/7] Do you suffer from headaches and/or lack of sleep? I know I do. Actually, I have several friends who suffer from painful migraine headaches. I'm always on the look out for something new to deal with either ailment. Well, I recently found something that I think is ingenious and actually helps me. It's called Head On. It's a homeopathic form of medication, if that makes a difference to you. It's basically like a giant tube of Chapstick that you apply directly to your forehead. So smart! It comes in 5 formulas (only 4 shown here): Pain Reliever/Sleep Aid PM, Migraine, Tension Headache, Extra-Strength and new Sinus Headache.

The particular Walgreen's where I purchased mine had all of the varieties BUT the Extra Strength. I opted for the Migraine and the PM versions. I can tell you that the Migraine version didn't completely rid me of my headache, but it quickly conquered (for me the most painful part of any headache) the throbbing/pulsating that accompanies my headaches. Coupled with an Excedrin Migraine gelcap, it was a winning combination. Also, I am finding that I also really like the PM version. I am forever suffering from insomnia and it helped me get to sleep faster.

For those wondering, it does NOT stink and is not greasy, in my opinion. I actually love the way it smells. For some reason it reminds me of a mixed drink smell. Cost; $7.

[6] The other night while I was sitting in my car, behind a flashing railroad crossing barricade, I heard the train whistle blow and before the train got too close I saw a fox running down the track, the train hot on his heels. The fox got off of the tracks before anything dire happened, it was just a strange sight to behold considering I was downtown near the public library. Those crazy foxes and their their love of reading.

[8] Nick Lachey seems to be the "it" boy du jour when it comes to the tabloids. Personally, I've always thought he was dreamy, so I say BRING IT ON! BTW, if you haven't purchased he latest issue of Rolling Stone (the one with a caricature of Dubyah sitting on a stool wearing a dunce cap with the title: "The Worst President in History?"), then you just gotta! Juicy shirtless pic of Nick and an interesting and in-depth, though frustrating, article on Dubyah.

Nick's new album, What's Left of Me debuts this Tuesday.

[9] Why is it so fuckin' hard for fast food restaurants to maintain a fresh container of iced tea? I've finally learned to just dispense a little in my cup now, and smell it first before filling my cup with ice and blindly filling it. If it smells like a soured washcloth that Bigfoot's been using to wipe his ass, then I know to go with a soft drink instead. I must be a soured tea magnet (not to mention, the lone child in the restaurant magnet and panhandler magnet) because I am forever being victimized by it. Lazy mofos!

[10 & 11] Behold the picturesque Meatball Marinara that Subway is currently hawking. I like Subway...normally, but their new excuse for "toasted garlic bread" and savory meatballs leave a lot to be desired. First off, as a rule I normally leave the "toasted" subs to Quizno's. Subway seems to be under the impression that just because they have a hot box they call an oven, that that's all it takes. Hardly. And their garlic bread is nothing more than you choosing whatever bread you want and them spreading a dollop of this lame garlic butter concoction across the bread and tossing it in the oven for 3 seconds. See those brown things on the second sub? Yeah, those are meatballs. They'd obviously been "marinating" (read "burnt") for the last day and a half. When I opened the sandwich up to photograph it I had flashbacks to the scene from Alien where the alien pod begins to open, however Ripley was nowhere to be seen. I was on my own.

Needless to say, I won't be going back anytime soon. The food/service just hasn't been up to par lately. I blame the management for NEVER being around and recently hiring some disgruntled teens and leaving them to do everything the day shift didn't do. Typical.

[12] And while I'm on the topic of Gen Duh (I'm tired of differentiating between Gen Y and Z. From now on they will now be referred to as Gen Duh), here's a few recent encounters with them.

A) While sitting in a densely populated Taco Bueno having a later dinner, one of the employees approached a booth of 6 Gen Duhs and offered them some free nachos that someone had ordered and didn't claim:

Employee: Anybody want a complimentary* order of Bueno Nachos?
Gen Duh: Silence. Mass confusion. They all have that deer in headlights look on their collective faces. Somewhere a lone cricket chirps. I sit and watch, fascinated at the stupidity. Gen Duh looks confused, mouths agape.
Employee: FREE FOOD. Want it?
Gen Duh: They all slowly begin to come to life, gauging each others response before slowly declining the offer.

*Word with more than one syllable. First mistake.

B) While sitting in a nearby Subway one evening, having yet another late dinner, I am the only customer in the establishment. The lone employee (a card carrying member of Gen Duh) is busying himself pushing in chairs and rearranging the chips display. I sit quietly reading my newspaper and eating my Spicy Italian sub. The radio, tuned to an "urban" radio station (whatever happened to "R&B"?) is playing overhead. The song changes and I hear "Dayum! Dat's ma JAam!" then Master Rhee proceeds to transform from a privileged white youth into a faux streetwise Usher wannabe. I half-heartedly expect his "grill" to be riddled with gold and his pants to fall below the equator to expose the top of his underwear.

Welcome to the future, folks.