Off topic - how hard can this be to make

A bit too girly for my DS, but that type of cloth can be a good heat trap.

And you're right, lush looking.

LOL! He's a final-year apprentice boilermaker, so he's got the funkiest complete tradesman's toolkit you could imagine. It travels around in his jeep with him and is almost as big as I am!

Last year, we gave him The Torturer, which we got from the Joke Shoppe in Town. It was fantastic! There are four metal handles and four people hold one each. The handles are connected to a central console, not unlike the doohickey that works the game, 'Simon'. When the green light flashes, you're supposed to clench your fist and activate the button on your handle. The last person to do so (or anyone who jumps the gun) gets a mild electric shock. Now, I know this sounds a bit sicko, but my goodness we got a laugh out of it! You can set the 'shock value' to low or uncomfortably high. As the evening wore on, the young guys got a bit silly with it and were sticking the electrodes up their noses or down their pants (!) Long into the evening, we continued to hear strangled yelps as they played on and on with The Torturer...

I felt quite proud when my DNevvy came to get me, saying 'Aunt's braver than anyone! She'll play chicken with us, won't you, Aunt?' I politely declined. I'm not as young as I used to be.

I can't imagine what could follow The Torturer's success, but the match tickets or a gift certificate seem to be the best ideas. I can't come up trumps every year! =:-0

. snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com" wrote:

I'll do that! Maybe in the spring...

Louisa

Better be sure you've got the right day! I understand it's only spring for three days up there. . . (RDH!)

Linda

Another idea for young men out on their own is cookbooks with the stuff to go with them. There's has a series (available through Amazon) called "A Man, A Can and ...." that are based on canned ingredients - cookbook, couple of cans of whatever and a pot and viola! Present!

Linda

If you can get hold of Katherine Whitehorn's "Cooking in a bedsitter" it has lots of simple recipes. I believe that the book is based upon recipes for her son when he was away at university or college. One recipe I remember was a simple way to cook kippers - take one pint jug, place kippers in jug, fill jug with boiling water from kettle. Refill kettle, boil kettle, make pot of tea, remove kippers from jug and place on warm plate, eat kippers and drink tea.

But if you make one, you don't have to make 4?

Elizabeth

Gosh I feel like Debbie Downer here this week, but I saw a story (forget where) that buying gift cards may not be a great idea because this year so many retail chains are going to declare bankruptcy the gift cards may be voided. Now that may be totally paranoid, but this year I think I may have seen everything! Victoria

For translation purposes, kippers are smoked herrings.

In all likelihood. Or at least two..or three.... I could live with out one.

Given I have two unplanned days off this week, I have to agree. But I don't think the bigger chains are going belly up before the cards are used.

I received this list the other day from a friend. Sadly, I think it is correct.

Watch those store money cards and gift cards and credit slips! Stores that informed the Security Exchange of closing plans between October 2008 and January 2009. PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO ALL YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS. Circuit City stores... most recent (? how many) Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide are to be shuttered Lane Bryant,, Fashion Bug ,and Catheri ne's to close 150 store nationwide Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January Cache will close all stores Talbots closing down all stores J. Jill closing all stores GAP closing 85 stores Footlocker closing 140 stores more to close after January Wickes Furniture closing down Levitz closing down remaining stores Bombay closing remaining stores Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January.Whitehall closing all=20stores Piercing Pagoda closing all stores Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January. Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ (New Brunswick)Macys to close 9 stores after January Linens and Things closing all stores Movie Galley Closing all stores Pacific Sunware closing stores Pep Boys Closing 33 stores Sprint/ Nextel closing 133 stores JC Penney closing a number of stores after January Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores. Wilson Leather closing down all stores Sharper Image closing down all storesK B Toys closing 356 stores Loews to close down some storesDillard's to close some stores.

Already on your new job? Hey, did you ever think the big car builders would need a fifty billion dollar bailout? I guess Walmart won't suffer. I don't try to be cynical, but lately one never knows.

Victoria

They did warn us that business was often slow until after Thanksgiving. It is just slower than expected.

Given the number of problems I had with my truck - yes. Great article in the WSJ about how the government shouldn't bail them out but force them into bankruptcy. (I agree whole heartedly.) Foreclosure would make them dump the unprofitable ways.

actually, according to friends that work there, business on gift items and jewelry are down. And people that would be 2-3 shirts are only getting one.

Isn't there a "generic" visa/master debit card that works anywhere? That may be safer than an individual store brand. I think the local mega-mall also has mall credit cards that work on any store in the mall (probably the aforementioned visa card).

sue

That's useful - scary but useful. I'm not surprised by some (Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug or any jewelry store). I knew about Linen and Things. Others really to surprise me - Ethan Allen in particular.

Now - if Bob's Discount Furniture was go belly up, I'd be happy. I hate his ads and the people there were quite rude when we we looking for bookcases.

I don't think this is 100 percent accurate. For instance, I know that Talbots is closing all men's and children's stores, but only 22 other stores (from among Talbots, Talbots Petites, Talbots Women and J. Jill). That's nowhere near all their stores-- it's around 2 percent, I think. They are looking for a buyer for their J. Jill line, so that may or may not survive long term. KB Toys has said it is *not* closing all those stores, though they have opened some stores that are specifically designed to be open only for the holidays in some high traffic retail locations.

I would say that it is definitely the case that one should be cautious with gift cards. Most retail stores rely heavily on profits from the holiday season, and this year is looking very grim. There is no doubt that some stores will go into bankruptcy, and not all of them will survive. Gift card holders will almost certainly be very low on the priority list of creditors and may well not get anywhere near the face value of gift cards. That said, not everything that's going around about bankruptcies is quite accurate.

Best wishes, Ericka

I hope you're right and some of that information isn't 100% accurate. But I think we must be very careful.

Lucille

Our Ethan Allen closed about 6 months ago.

Wilson's around here is seasonal - comes in November, leaves in January - although not yet this year - maybe they are going to skip some of those type of stores.

Anyone else have the bellringers out yet? They are at the Post Office and Wal Mart here in MO and I saw them at the Indianapolis WM on November 9!

Linda