Extra Thin Mints, Tagashorts, and Do-si-don'ts

I read some disturbing news recently. Due to the economy, the Girl Scouts of the USA are having to skimp on some of their cookies this year. Tagalongs, Do-si-dos, and my favorite, Thin Mints, will have a few less cookies in the box. Woe is me, not my Girl Scouts cookies too.

Now, apparently this was the solution to a price hike or a switch to cheaper ingredients, so I guess that's a good thing, . . . but gee, not my Girl Scout cookies too. And really, it only amounts to a couple of cookies per box, . . . but still, not my Girl Scout cookies too.

BTW, as much as I love Girl Scout Cookies, I hate spending that much money on them. Not because the Girl Scouts aren't worth it, but because I fear that the troops don't get much of that money. Personally, I'd just rather give the $3.50 to the troop directly.

Man, not my Girl Scout Cookies too. . .

Killer Hamster

Punxsutawney Clause

OK, last night I past by three houses that still had Christmas lights up. One of which actually still had a tree up in the window. Folks, come on. Please. It's February 2nd. It's time to figure out how much longer winter is going to be. TAKE THE DECORATIONS DOWN! Maybe I should print out my Rules For Outdoor Holiday Lighting and drop it in their mailbox. Ugh!

Fire It Up!

Picture it: Mid-Winter. . . Cold. . . Snow. . . Ice. . . Perfect weather for

GRILLIN'!

That's right. Yesterday, I fired up the grill and threw a nice thick juicy steak on it. There's something about standing over a hot grill in the freezing cold that makes a brutha feel all manly, although when I tried to explain that to Andi, she didn't seem to get it. Am I alone here?

May I Take Your Order Please

I came across an interesting article online about drive-thru workers being outsourced. Evidently, the fast food chain Jack In The Box has been using call centers to take drive-thru orders at some of their Charlotte, NC locations.

Confused? Basically, you drive up to Jack... You get to the drive-thru menu board. A voice greets you over the speaker. It's an operator in Texas. . . (at least, that's where the company claims their operators are located). You place your order. The operator sends it to the restaurant. The restaurant fills the order. Got it? Good! Now, here's my question. . . Why?

According to Jack..., it's meant to "improve speed, accuracy and service, freeing up restaurant employees to process orders, accept payment and address other needs." I guess I don't understand why you would need that person at a totally different location as opposed to at the restaurant itself. And, fast food workers don't make that much money, so I don't see a cost advantage. And, what happens if the restaurant screws up your order? Does the operator fix it.

Imagine driving up to your favorite fast food joint and hearing a voice over the intercom saying, "Welcome to [insert restaurant here]. We are currently experiencing high vehicle volume. Please remain in your car. Your order will be taken in the order received."

Cartoons! Cartoons! Cartoons!

I have a new addiction. I've recently subscribed to Direct TV. One of the channels I've gained with the service, that I didn't have with my previous Comcast subscription, is the Boomerang Network. For those not familiar with the channel, it's the Cartoon Network's outlet for classic cartoons. And let me tell you, I love it!

I recently wrote a post about how the Fox Network decided to do away with Saturday morning cartoons in favor of infomercials (Saturday Mourning). Well, now with Boomerang, it's like Saturday morning every day for me. Just the other day, I watched Tom and Jerry, Scooby Doo, Johnny Quest, Popeye, Smurfs, Huckleberry Hound, and Jabberjaw. Kinda makes me want to grab a box of sugar cereal and a big ol' bowl.

A Message

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction....The chain reaction of evil -hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars - must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.


Martin Luther King, Jr., 1963

Face The Music

Does anyone else experience this? I watched the season premier of American Idol last night. I'll admit it, I'm an Idol junkie. But, I noticed last night during a commercial toward the end of the episode that I could feel the muscles in my face. It almost felt like I had gone through a facial workout. I thought, "How odd." Then, once the show came back, I realized why I felt like that. I found myself making all sorts of faces in reaction to the contestants, good or bad. . . mostly bad. It's almost like those videos you see on Youtube of people watching "2 Girls 1 Cup". Maybe I need to record myself watching Idol.

Speaking of Idol, I have to say that I like the new judge. However, I didn't appreciate how she felt the need to show up "Bikini Girl". The judges are there to critique and determine whether the person is right for the show. We already know what they've done. We're trying to find a new talent here. So, watch it Kara!

The People's Idol

Haven Dwellers, I have some great news. I've been waiting for this moment for so long. I think I'm even a little moist right now. . . "Why?", you ask. I just read that Sanjaya is about to put out a new five song EP called "Dancing To The Music In My Head".

Now, regular readers of BruDog Haven will remember that, back during season 6 of Idol, I was one of those people on the "vote for Sanjaya" band wagon. I remember my friend Lori was quite upset with me because of it.

WAIT A MINUTE! STOP THE PRESSES! While typing this post, I was looking to see how much the CD costs. In my research, I happened to find on Amazon.com that there is a book being released later in the month, also called "Dancing to the Music in My Head: Memoirs of the People's Idol", by Sanjaya Malakar.

Hey Lori! When is your birthday?!

Thanks For Your Presents

I recently had some brake work done on my car at a local Meineke. After writing a check for a few hundred dollars, they printed out my receipt and handed me a "thanks-for-your-business" gift. They gave me a lovely pocket planner. . . Now, don't get me wrong. I appreciate a free gift, but does anyone still use paper organizers? I don't. My organizer is my cell phone or my AOL reminder calender.

So, if anyone wants a pocket organizer, email me at BruDog Haven World Headquarters.