DeBaun Is DeGone

It was just about two years ago that Camp DeBaun, an Oceanside day camp, closed its doors after 58 years of family ownership. There's no reason I should be nostalgic about it; I never went to camp there, nor even knew anybody who had. Still, I had occasion to drive past it quite often, and the shady plot of colorful, well-kept buildings was a landmark. Plenty of other folks remember it quite fondly, (it has a Facebook page, naturally) and I hope they took all the pictures they needed to before yesterday, which is when I snapped this one. You can just about see the camp name on the blue building to the right. I saw the big earth-movers as I drove past on my way to the nursery, pulling up great chunks of brush like awkward dinosaurs. It does seem a shame that so many fine old trees have to come down in order to make way for....what? A 24-hour, 60,000-square-foot supermarket, apparently. Oh, good. Because the other three supermarkets within a half-mile radius are, like, a half-mile away.

How Quiet?

"Library quiet?"
I'd guess the retailer wants to emphasize how very quiet this unit is, and perhaps where they come from, libraries are very quiet. All I can say to them is: welcome to New York City. How can I help you?....(louder)I said,
How can I help you?
I'm also intrigued by the "stainless steel flavorizer bars" noted on the grill to the left.

In The Dressing Room

I haven't come across this before. Is it softer than grownup camel-hair? Are we running out of angora? Is this from farm-raised camels? What if I took the sweater home and it spit at my other sweaters, could I return it? Too many questions. I put it back.

Hey, A Job's A Job

and this one pays ten thousand for five weeks' work. Is it worth it?

Spring Bridal Accessories

Nothing sets off a bride's gown like the perfect accessory. But face it, everyone on the list of banns is gonna be wearing Grandma's necklace down the aisle. If you want to stand out from the crowd in June, nix the tired old idea of heirloom jewelry, and hit the dollar bins at your local Tar-jhay for a Bridal Shot Glass Necklace!
(Of course, as the warning here in the lower right corner indicates, this item won't be appropriate for all brides:)

Relative Worth

It doesn't mean anything, I know that. It just strikes me as odd, looking at the sporting goods store's advertisement, to see that it's easy to spend four hundred dollars for a baseball bat. A glove can run you two, three hundred easy. Wow.

And how much is that helmet, the thing protecting your brain, gonna cost you? Uh-huh.

Design Worth A Look

Take two minutes to visit the product page of Hema, a Dutch department store. Just go to the page and wait four or five seconds. You don't have to click anything. Just go, wait, smile, laugh, and remember this guy.

Sweet?

Waiting to pick up a prescription at the drugstore, I had some time to check out this year's Valentine's Day card gimmick: Candy in the card. Cute! I thought. But this is perhaps a project better handmade, as government requirements interfere with the romantic experience of reading a Valentine's Day card. Observe:Nice cover. And look, candy, I wanna tear it right open! Hey, look, there's a "Net Weight" statement right there on the front. Too bad. And you turn it over...

There's a bit of a buzzkill.

You open it and your eyes fall on a sticker in the middle, which, as bon appetits! go, is a little cold:

But you're not done yet. There's quite a bit more to know about that half-a-handful of hearts, not all of it yummy-sounding, and then? A warning:

...and on the back, another warning. Swallow carefully:

Aaaannd, we'll leave you now with a little bad news: you'll need extra stamps! Still have to squeeze in that ugly barcode, too! Happy Valentine's Day!

And How Did I Miss This?

Apparently this has been going on since at least 2006, and I'm only hearing about it now? They should dispense with the food and just haul people up and down, maybe in big recliners equipped with joysticks that allow the passengers to control their orientation up, down, etc. Wouldn't that be more fun than trying to eat oysters with a brisk wind blowing in your face?

Wyoming Gets Crafty

Wyoming's library consortium is running a kickin' ad campaign right now; click below and scroll down to the bumperstickers and billboards, which are fabulous - but if you can, please explain the radio ads, which to me say: "Careful! Going to the library can cause you to become temporarily delusional and unpopular with your social group!"

http://www.wyominglibraries.org/campaign.html