The spring chicken experiment has been concluded, and I suppose you could say it was a success. We certainly gave it our best shot, but we are not–either of us–Bakerella. And our ingredients left a little something to be desired. Excuses, excuses, I know. That said, we had great fun making the little chicks and a few super-cute bunnies. And everyone I know that tried one thought they were delicious. But they’re kind of labor intensive–hopefully part of that is our beginner status. I think I will definitely give these another shot.

So…some pictures. And yes, I know, I know, I need to figure out how to better use my camera. Or Photoshop. Or maybe I should get a new camera altogether.
Remember, we are comparing them to Bakerella’s. (They don’t even look close, do they?)

And my favorite pic was the one my cake-pop partner insisted we shoot–the posed, outside grass shot of the bunny. (Behind the scenes info: she rearranged grass blades for this photo, accidently plunged the stick through the poor little bunny’s head, and knocked off a eyeball.) The two of us were laughing hysterically over a walnut-sized ball of cake jammed into the grass, and I was shaking so hard I obviously had trouble focusing. These are the scrapbook moments, people!

I have been boycotting a certain hobby/crafts store for some time now, completely fed up with their inability to join with the rest of the world in this, the age of technology. It irks me that, while a convenience store or small business can use UPC codes for scanning prices, keeping track of inventory, tracking returns,etc., this national chain refuses to be similarly efficient. Each of my visits to the store in recent memory have resulted in huge lines, long waits, inefficiency, and just plain ridiculousness. So, I said, “No more!”, although not really quite that dramatically.

Well, you can probably imagine where this post is headed–towards a rant. I broke my own rule and ventured into the store again today. A new store has opened up near my house, and I thought to myself, “Surely they’re no longer afraid of the innocent little UPC…” I’m planning on trying my hand (and my friend’s) at these on Wednesday and have been having a bit of trouble finding all the necessary supplies. So I took a chance–a calculated risk.

They didn’t have what I’d gone specifically in search of, which was the edible ink pen (an odd name, I think, given the pen itself is not edible), but I picked up a couple of packages of candy melts–they were 30% off and I thought the colors were better than the ones I already had on hand. Bags in hand, I stepped up to the cashier. Here is what ensued:

1. The candy rang up wrong, but I didn’t notice until the sale was already complete (my fault–I guess I should have been paying better attention, but I’m not sure whether it would have made a difference–the following steps still might have been necessary) and I’d paid cash for the melts.

2. I commented to the cashier that the candy melts had been marked with a sign, indicating that they were 30% off. She checked her paper copy of the store’s weekly sales sheet, didn’t see them, and called for ‘backup in the candy aisle’.

3. The backup confirmed that there was indeed a sign, it had accidentally been left behind from last week’s sale (imagine that!). The cashier agreed to give me the discounted rate anyway.

And so began the return process…

4. During which (keep in mind, I paid cash), I was asked for both my driver’s licence and my phone number.

5. At that point, backup had arrived and had to okay my return by punching in her managerial keycode and printing out a return receipt form, on which my printed name and signature was required. *Usually they make a copy of the receipt–this new store had a copier sitting on the counter, I assume for just this purpose, but thankfully, we skipped that step.*

6. The cashier then returned my money, rang me up again, and I shuffled through my now broken ten dollar bill for the new total.

The entire process took about ten minutes. Why, you ask? No UPC’s!!!! These people are still using price tags!! They expect their sales people to type in these prices, keep track of the week’s sales items, and call for back-up should anything out of the ordinary arise.

AAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!

It’s possible I’m blowing this out of proportion, but I don’t think so. This is a NATIONAL chain. Why are they balking? UPC’s are our friends.

The boycott begins anew…

I am back with another installment in Barrie Summy’s Book Review Club. And this week I have yet another awesome recommendation for all you bloggers looking for a good read.

This week’s pick?
Revenge of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz.

This is actually the third book in the series, the first being The Spellman Files and the second The Curse of the Spellmans, and while I do recommend reading the first two books at some point or other–just because they’re awesome–it’s not absolutely necessary that you read them consecutively. But what can it hurt, really? If it’s all the same to you, start at the beginning.

Okay, quick summary:
The story revolves around the super-quirky life of Isabel Spellman and her outrageously eccentric family. The Spellmans run a private investigation service, for which Isabel has worked since her teens, but after going a bit overboard on her last off-the-books investigation (See The Curse of the Spellmans), her life is in limbo. She’s dealing with court-ordered therapy, her irrepressible (and highly exasperating younger sister), a very big and stressful secret, another off-the-books case, and a retired friend who’s debating whether divorce is less painful than a move to Florida. Plus, someone is moving her car. Add in a huge helping of zany, oozing-with-personality characters and you have a quick and satisfying read.

Reasons I loved it:
First of all, the format is great. Much of the book is in he-said/she said format (can’t think what that’s called right now) in the form of therapy sessions, recorded conversations, and snappy references, and the dialogue is sharp, zingy, and very funny. The situations are unbelievable, and the pace is rather frenzied. Thinking back on the book, it almost puts me in mind, ever-so-slightly, of the old Disney favorite, The North Avenue Irregulars. When you add the appendices, which include character dossiers, and plenty of extra information, it feels almost like a kid’s book, jam-packed with funny quips and tons of extras. Kudos to Lisa Lutz for realizing that some of us never grew out of those.

So…my recommendation is to read The Spellmans, then The Curse of the Spellmans, and then today’s feature: The Revenge of the Spellmans. But, if you’re pressed for time (or money), go with this one. Hard to say, but it may well be the best of the bunch. And…you really should get on the ball with this one before it gets made into a movie (Paramount has picked it up, and don’t you want to be able to say, ‘Oh, the book was way better than the movie!’???)