Tuesday, July 27, 2010

This is not in 3-D

Melanie, this is for you because I totally agree!

The other weekend Trav and I went to see Inception (love it). Our tickets were $10 each, since they don't have the whopping $1 student discount on the weekends (even though we went on a Friday, but apparently that is part of the weekend). After paying $20 for the tickets, we decided to get popcorn and pop. I got a small popcorn and pop, Trav got a medium. We are unable to share popcorn since Trav puts so much salt on his you'd think he was a moose (aren't moose supposed to like salt a lot?). So, the two drinks and two popcorns were fricken $25!!!!! We went to dinner beforehand, each had a beer, and our bill was hardly more than that! WTF!!! Ok, whatever, we are here, we are going to enjoy the movie.

So, if you have been to the movies recently, you will notice that every movie coming out in the future is in 3-D. Every kid's movie is in 3-D. The next Step Up movie is in 3-D. I'm pretty sure if An Inconvenient Truth came out today, it would be in 3-D...or maybe American History X. I'm sure the curb scene would be sweet with 3-D glasses on. What I didn't realize, however, is that when you do see a 3-D movie, you have to pay $3.50 more a ticket. I wish I could convey my incredulity at that price in writing...without profanity, that is. $3.50 MORE A TICKET....so now when you watch the movie coming out with Jerry O'Connell about piranha that kill people, the movie will be that much more awesome because it is in 3-D and you will have paid $13.50 for the privilege of seeing what I'm sure will be a cinematic masterpiece.

It will take a lot for me to go to the theater for a movie now, I am making a stand against the movie producers who think that people are going to fall for this. The Sony 3-D TVs, on the other hand, are genius. It makes total sense that Justin Timberlake and Peyton Manning would be promoting something so essential to my daily life.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Southwestern Publishing

Did you know people still sell things door-to-door? I know, it is crazy! There is a company called Southwestern Publishing that recruits college kids to sell children's books door-to-door and apparently the training program also teaches you how to be a persistent and slightly passive-aggressive as a stalker.

I usually don't answer the door if I don't know who it is, however, to get my dog to stop barking on Tuesday I peeked out of the curtain and was spotted by Tracy, a student from Texas. She gave me a line about how for college credit (liar) she was talking to local moms about these educational books. In the meantime, Gavin is upstairs yelling for me since I was in the process of putting him to bed before I had to go make Toby stop barking. Long story short, she said she'll come back later that night. I'm a wuss and say ok, even though I tell her I'm not interested, I pretend to buy the line that if she spends 5 minutes with me it will be part of her college class..whatever.

Well, she doesn't come back, and I'm happy because I figure she's gotten the hint.

So last night, while watching So You Think You Can Dance with my visiting mother and sister-in-law, the doorbell rings. I look out and it's my old friend Tracy. She says, "Hi, where would you like to talk about the books I have?"

Uh, nowhere...I'm thinking, but I am polite and say that I'm not interested again. At this point she is like, well you told me yesterday I could come back and you'd take 5 minutes to talk about this. I say, well you were supposed to come back yesterday. She says, I knew you had family around and didn't want to intrude (I told her they were visiting, I know, like she needed to know, whatever, I know I'm dumb, too). I say, well my family is still here and we are busy. She says, what are you doing (dang nosy) and I say, just hanging out...which is obviously nothing too important but it was the first thing that popped into my head. She says, so your family minds if you take 5 minutes of time to talk to me? Even though they will be here for a few days? I mean I drove all the way back here, you should have told me you weren't going to take the time. WHAT? Basically she's using telemarketing skills on me, but face to face, which is totally weird and catches me off guard. She then proceeds to start taking books out of her backpack and says, let me just show you these so you know I'm not selling magazines or anything like that...at that point I just said, sorry I don't want to be rude but I'm not interested, and closed the door.

I looked up the company on the Better Business Bureau website and online, and it is a real company but has nothing to do with college credit. Basically it is like Avon, where the salesperson an independent contractor, however I did learn that each person is given a territory and sometimes lives with a host family to do this job over the summer. Tracy needs to be a fund-raiser or something, she is definitely aggressive and I can see her getting lots of sales just by the awkwardness of this all-American-looking girl guilt-tripping people into letting her do her sales pitch. So, in closing, watch out for Southwestern Publishing, and watch out for Tracy.

Oh, and I started a youtube channel...so, that's cool.