Let's Hear it for CVS!

So I went to CVS today to get some prescriptions filled (I have that awful throat virus and currently have no voice), and I decided to pick up a couple of other items. I grabbed some cough drops, Christmas ribbon, and a cool headband for myself (I'm sick, I should get a little pampering!). I sat down to wait for my prescriptions and then thought to check where everything was made. Preparing myself for disappointment, I was instead pleasantly surprised! Cough drops were made in Canada, woohoo. Cool headband was made in Taiwan, ooooh! And best of all, my ribbon was made in the USA! Imagine that! Somewhere in the US, we are still making actual products!

Our Boring Life

Yicktole, Ticktole, Ticktole, Ticktoli, Ecktole, Yicktolu, TickTOLnah, Ticktolu, TickTOLnah, Nicktole.
No, it's not a Pig Latin version of the reindeer names, it's Hebrew. Qal Imperfect Conjugation, to be precise. That's the strong verb paradigm. The weak verb paradigm goes something like this:
Yivneh, Tivneh, Tivneh, Tivni, Evneh, Yivnoo, TivNEHnah, Tivnoo, TivNEHnah, Nivneh.
OR
Yimtzah, Timtzah, Timtzah, Timtza-ee, Ehmtzah, Yimtza-oo, TimTZEHnah, Timtza-oo, TimTZEHnah, Nimtzah
OR
Yayshave, Tayshave, Tayshave, Tayshuhvee, A-shave, Yayshuhvoo, TaySHAVnah, Tayshuhvoo, TaySHAVnah, Nayshave
Dale's life is equally exciting, but his is all numbers, not Hebrew.
However, here, at last, is an interesting fact. The spellchecker for this post is going crazy, underlining almost ALL my Hebrew phonetic words. However, one of the Hebrew words I've written here is NOT underlined because apparently, it's a real word. Can you guess which word it is?

Shrimp Boats and Chicken Sandwiches

So I ate lunch at this hole-in-the-wall in Durham called "The Shrimpboat". Ironically, it's not the seafood that's all the rage, but the chicken sandwich, which was touted to me as "the best chicken sandwich in town". Durham isn't that big, so the claim is probably easily defended, but it probably was the best chicken sandwich I've ever had in Durham. However, it wasn't really all that...it was so hyped, that it was rather disappointing. Afterall, it is just a chicken sandwich. But I did write a blog post about it.

If you're ever in a seedy part of Durham and see The Shrimpboat restaurant and you're craving a chicken sandwich, you've found your oasis.

Shocking Discoveries

So tonight I faced my first big sacrifice with the whole Made in China thing. I've been looking for this game from my childhood - a game I loved greatly - called Mastermind. It was a great puzzle game - perfect for 2 people. And tonight, I FINALLY found that game again. Mastermind! The very game I'd been looking for for years! And of course, it was made in China. Oh well.
Then, Dale and I took a stroll through the Williams Sonoma. Now, when we were in Target the other day, we found a KitchenAid hand mixer for about $40. Made in China, of course. At the Williams Sonoma, we found another hand mixer, Kitchen Aid, for $90. I figured that perhaps the bigger price was due to being made in America - but I was wrong! It was also made in China. Boy, Williams Sonoma sure knows how to charge a lot of money for Chinese products!

Made in Where?

Dale and I have been giving serious consideration to where our stuff is made recently. It seems to all have been made in China. The more we think about it, the more distressing this is. We have talked about trying to not buy anything made in China. This should lend itself well to living on a budget and living a simple life. For example, I would like a new hand held mixer. I already own a handheld mixer, but it doesn't stand up on its own. This is a pain in the butt. So I considered asking for a new one for Christmas. Of course, they're all made in China. All of them. Even the Kitchen Aid one. And that's when it hit me. Do I want to support a regime which routinely denies basic human rights to its citizens and props up the government in Burma, allowing them to kill hundreds of innocent monks, just so I can conveniently stand my mixer on the countertop when I'm not using it? No.
I know that avoiding products made in China will not make me a better person. I still drive a Japanese car that consumes foreign oil. My gas money supports today's terrorists and my tax money is training tomorrow's terrorists, and in short, the impact of my life is far greater than I can comprehend or control. But this is one thing I CAN do.