Missing the Mall

This past Saturday, I took the day off from work and took a little trip.  You see, while growing up, my family never went on a big vacation.  For too many reasons to mention, all we did was take these short one day shopping trips.  This weekend was no exception.  The destination was the Huntington Mall in West Virginia.  We had been going there for decades, almost from when it first opened.  That first trip, we almost turned around and went back home when we couldn't find the place.  We ultimately asked for directions at a rest stop.  Turns out that the 'Huntington Mall' is actually east of Barboursville.  Who would have guessed?  Until I was in college, we only went once a year.  After I started driving, with my own car, we started going twice a year.  One year, we even went three times. Most of those early visits, I focused on getting toys and comics.  At its height, the mall had three toy stores, three book stores, and four music stores.  I never went to some of them, and I rarely bought something at each one each visit.  Now, there's only one of each, with BAM covering both books and music.  It was only after I grew up that I started really enjoying looking for clothes, but it was always a mixed bag when looking there.  With only so many stores that suit my tastes and the fact that I usually only went in the transitions between seasons, I rarely buy anything, especially when compared to my trips to Lexington.  At least one trip, we didn't get a single thing ago the mall.  This time around wasn't that bad, but it was close.  I was looking for a few magazines that aren't common locally, but I only could find one.  I got another two, but my heart was barely in it as I was for looking forward to the ones I couldn't find.  I tried to look for clothes as well, as I can sometimes find something on sale that I wasn't expecting.  However, even I wouldn't buy purple Levi's with pink buttons, even when they are exactly my size and on sale for sixteen dollars.  I looked for so many specific things, but only wound up getting a few socks in a brand I can't find most places.  The mall was so empty.  Not only was Sears gone, but so many other store fronts were empty.  One whole side of one wing was gone.  Maybe a dozen or so spots left empty.  So sad and disappointing.  We stopped at a few of the outer buildings as well, but we would up spending less than three-and-a-half hours total there.  We have never actually stopped in Huntington proper.  It has only been ten years or so since I could get us to stop in Barboursville to do some grocery shopping.  Sometimes these stores have products that no one local can compete with.  In particular, the Krogers there usually had paczkis this time of year.  It was a major reason for going in late February, as opposed to later when more spring fashion and Easter candy would be out.  For those who aren't familiar with them, paczkis are basically a type of jelly doughnut originally from Poland served before Lent.  The major difference between them and regular jelly doughnuts is the their dough is sweeter and made with eggs.  The filling is sweeter as well.  In past years, they had six or more flavors available.  This year, only two- Bavarian cream and lemon.  And in four packs instead of six.  No blueberry.  Sure, I can get blueberry jelly doughnuts locally, on occasion, but those were a step above anything I have tasted local.  Not only had they cut back on flavors, but the entire bakery section had been cut back in part of a huge remodel that had also gotten rid of the magazine and book section.  I least I couldn't find it, but I didn't look everywhere.  I found a few unique items, but not all I was looking for.  The ride home was uneventful.  Unlike previous times, we didn't stop in Paintsville or Prestonsburg on the way home.  The former because too many of the unique stores were no longer there, and the latter because I stop there so often now, there really wasn't a need to stop this time.  What the worst thing was though, is that this might very well be the last time we ever go there.  Sure, the mall might close if too many more stores leave, but that is not the reason.  As I have mentioned, I am hoping to go to the University of Kentucky graduate school this fall.  When that happens, I will be moving to Lexington full time.  Many of the stores at the mall can be found in Lexington, or at least comparable ones.  I know what some of them are or where they are located right now, but they are there.  Why drive over almost three hours (maybe less based on the higher speed limit on the interstate) for something I can find in less than thirty minutes?  Why, I could go on a weekly basis if I chose to.  Such shopping trips have always been the hallmark of my memories, since they have been just about the only I went to outside of school.  For what could be the last time, I will miss that mall and the many things I got there.  All of the times I didn't get anything meaningful.   The storms that threatened the trip.  The quick stops both going and coming back where I could find a surprise or two that would be the best part of the trip.  I know things aren't that important in the wider scheme of things, but that is mostly what I have.  My limited experiences are filled with such times, and I wouldn't change them.  I need to have a greater life, and this is the first steps to achieve it.  Goodbye mall.

The Latest Battle in the Flavor Wars

Just last week, Coca-Cola debuted the newest flavor in its line-up.  This time around, cherry vanilla is being released, to join cherry and vanilla individual flavors.  This was apparently big news, even though Pepsi has had a cherry vanilla flavor for over five years, even though it hasn't been sold locally for almost a year.  And Dr. Pepper has had a cherry vanilla drinker over fifteen years.  It is no longer sold locally, either.  The only place I can get it is through special fountain dispensers that allow for the flavor combination.  I've only seen the machines at Dairy Queen though, and I only go there two or three times a year.  Strangely enough, it is those very same machines that brought about the latest flavor of Coke.  Somehow, the information gleaned from these machines helped determine the new flavor.  People liked having a Coke with the mixed cherry vanilla flavor, so Coke decided to release the flavor in cans and bottles.  Meanwhile, I can't get my own favorite Dr. Pepper in about a decade or more.  I've mentioned before how it has been a favorite of mine.  Anyway, I had a sample of the new Coke earlier today, even though I almost never drink Coke.  It's just not a favorite of mine.  I found the drink to be a little thin and watery with weak flavor.  The first sips were strong with cherry, with the vanilla as more of an aftertaste or background note.  As I continued drinking, the vanilla began to dominate as the cherry began to fade.  The last few sips had barely any flavor at all.  Maybe a hint of vanilla, if anything.  Another taster found the drink to be somewhat weaker than expected as well.  She actually likes Coke, the vanilla flavor in particular, but she has found the cherry one okay as well.  Overall, neither of us would want another, at least any time soon.  To counter Coke's new flavor introduction, both Pepsi and Dr. Pepper have new flavors coming out soon.  Pepsi will have a coffee flavored drink.  This crosses the caffeine line in ways I cannot fathom.  Since I hate the taste of coffee, I'm pretty sure I won't be trying this one out.  On the other hand, Dr. Pepper is coming out with a drink flavored with cream soda.  Basically, this means vanilla.  Dr. Pepper already had a limited edition vanilla float drink  a few years ago.  I'm not sure if this will be be of a similar flavor, but I am eager to find out.  When the last flavor came out, I would sometimes mix a can of it with a can of cherry Dr. Pepper.  It wasn't exactly the same as my old favorite, but it was fairly close.  At least as close as I could remember it.

Having Fun and Games at Work

I've mentioned this a few times, either here or in my Booknotes blog, but I felt it was the time to mention it again.  I am a mercurial, whimsical soul.  A big part of my nature is having fun, sometimes covertly.  This can be seen on my YouTube channel featuring my logo creations for my store.  I'd include a link, but my last vid wasn't so good.  I blocked the camera for a large part of it, preventing anyone from seeing me draw the major part of the logo.  I also had to split it into two parts because of an interruption.  I also forgot to add in a few details until after I had already finished filming.  Not one of my best.  Anyway, this post is supposed to be fun!  One of the ways I sneak in some fun is in my Upcoming Releases board.  It usually features between twelve and twenty books coming out for the current month, with title, author, and on-sale date.  Each one is in a different marker color, as well as a spot graphic tied to the book's cover.  I usually try to match the marker to a color on the book. However, ever since the distributors stopped sending out catalogs due to a number of reasons, I've had to print out black-and-white copies. This makes it hard to match things up properly.  I set a few constraints on myself to give me a challenge in creating the list, as well as to make sure that there is at least one book that someone would be looking forward to.  First, I make sure to have a fairly even split between male and female authors.  Next, I always have at least one nonfiction title on the board.  I sometimes have to make do with a celebrity memoir, but I get one on there.  I then make sure that there is a wide range of genre fiction represented:  mystery, fantasy/science-fiction, and romance.  Some months are easier than others in this regard.  I also make sure to have at least one children's book. Usually for middle-grads or young adults, but I have had to resort to a picture book on occasion.  Frequently, the children's book fulfills my genre requirement, as well.  I have at least two books per week, although I sometimes have to have only one book, especially in a slow month like December.  My final constraint, though, is the fun one.  I have every letter of the alphabet and every digit accounted for on the board.  This can be tough, as q, x, and z are not seen too often in titles, slightly more so for z in names.  Also, it is impossible to have more than seven digits seen in the on-sale dates, and that can only be possible if there are more than one Monday with new books.  Thank you James Patterson for your offbeat publishing schedule.  If I can't get everything in with my selection of titles, I hide the remaining letters and digits in the artwork.  This includes the banner at the top of the board mentioning the month and featuring a design tied to a holiday or theme connected to the month.  I've also hidden other less tame images at times within the art, but not as often as I could have.  I'm sneaky that way.  So far, no one has ever noticed these hidden images.  This isn't the only place where I have fun, though.  I also make a game of the book displays.  For instance, the window display feature at least nine books changed out on a biweekly basis.  Each book is part of a theme.  I cycle through which shelves I draw the books from, to prevent me from leaving the same books out in the bright lights for too long.  At least two of the books are for children, without the age restrictions of the Upcoming Releases board.  The current theme is animals, with the caveat that there are no humans involved on the covers.  This was actually harder than it sounds.  I had to go with bunny slippers for one spot.  Two of the other spots are taken by dragons.  Hey, dragons are some of my favorite people, so they get included if I say so.  However, one of these "dragons" might not be a  dragon.  It is on a mahjong tile, one that I am only fairly sure if the green dragon.  It might be an entirely different tile.  Hey, I think it's a dragon, and that is all that matters.  I also have a different theme for the display over the bookcases.  Just like the window, I alternate which shelves I get the books from.  This constraint can make it hard to find a theme, but I manage.  Here are pictures of the current display.  See if you can guess the theme.  It's an easy one this time around.  The answer is below the pics.  Just keep scrolling.

Okay, here's the answer.  They all have bags on the cover.  Well, the book bags on the last book cover are more implied than actually there, but it still counts.  I hope you liked this little puzzle, because I expect to have more of them in the next few weeks.  Be on the lookout!

A Blogger in Need of a Blogcast

Normally, when I start one of these posts by applying a title to the top.  I usually have some sort of clever pun or other wordplay, frequently I add a pithy remark.  Not so today, because I can barely come up with anything to say.  Nope.  I like to comment on something that is happening I my life.  Unfortunately, I am just going through the same old same old.  I don't want to rehash a topic too many times.  There's just so much I can write about my insomnia before it loses its significance. Yes, I do have other things going on in my life.  I just can't come up with an interesting angle to write about them.  I do have other topics ready in the pipeline, but they are mostly time-sensitive.  I can't write them until other things happen first.  I also have some ideas for some new puzzles to highlight.  I just can't get around to actually creating them.  It is just so hard to find the time to get around to these things.  I just get involved with some minor consequence, and I lost track of time.  Sure, it is important enough to get around to do something at that second, but that second turns into minutes of time lost.  Then there are the interruptions.  I get all prepared for something, then BAM.  I have to stop what I'm doing to do something else that has to be done right then.  I am a creature of habit.  I have to do things in a certain order or I get all confused.  I can't wait to be able to write about these future posts and puzzles.  I just need to wait for the right times.  Hopefully, I will have a good post next week.  I'm just going to end this week's post early.  My need to blogcast is just not that high today.  I will put a title to this one, soon.  Before I publish.  I guess.  Next week then.