As a born bargain hunter, I regularly visit a Dollar Tree  about six blocks from my apartment. I tend to focus my shopping on basic household products, but occasionally, I grab a 2-liter pop, a cheap bag of chips, or a few canned items. I have always been satisfied with the quality and taste of these dollar-store food products, so I thought I'd taste test one product I particularly enjoy: Toaster Pastries! Ah yes, toaster pastries, those fantastic jelly or cream-filled tarts

I feel the need to write a post about one of the constants in my life for well over 45 years: Chuck Taylor's Converse All-Star High Tops . AKA: Chucks! I have been wearing these classic gym shoes (yes, they are called 'gym shoes,' not 'sneakers') because they are timelessly cool, fashionable, hip as hell, and are, by far, The Most Comfortable Footwear in the History of Footwear. Wearing Chucks is the closest thing that you can get to going barefoot. Also, really cool and amaz

Growing up, music was constantly playing in the apartment where my parents and I lived, and I became a huge music fan from the time I was a toddler. I bought my first album at eight and went to my first concert at nine (almost ten). That might be a little earlier than most kids, but I had young parents and an early start.   How old were you when you bought your first album and went to your first concert? And what were they? I'm sharing mine below and I'd love to hear yours! E

I wasn't really planning on watching much (or any) of the 2024 Democratic National Convention last week. I live in Chicago, so I had already been inundated with coverage, reminders, announcements on public transportation, street signs, and more in the weeks leading up to it. Add to the fact I didn't watch a millisecond of the live RNC coverage, and what I saw in news recaps was unimpressive, depressing, or simply annoying. I didn't think I'd last two minutes watching the actu

My Guilty Pleasure: "Expect the unexpected." I have watched a lot of TV. That's a fact. I don't watch as much TV as I used to, but I still watch a lot of TV. In the past, I have been known to watch some really, really terrible stuff. I was on board for the very beginning of MTV's "The Real World" (when it launched in 1992, it was a truly great, groundbreaking, and important television show), and watched it until the Las Vegas season, when it just became about drunk, hot twe

Yes, you read that title correctly. There was indeed, a children's coloring and activity book tied-in with a David Lynch movie! I actually enjoyed Lynch's batshit crazy version of Frank Herbert's science-fiction masterpiece, so, yep...I have that very coloring book (look at the picture). My David Lynch Coloring and Activity Book! I'm still waiting for the "Eraserhead" Happy Meal and Baby Carriage to come out. There have been some truly weird movie merchandise and tie-ins over