Anne Garber's Blog

My latest project: A blogged novel composed of Spam-n-Scam messages

2010-06-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

Your input is welcome! If you have ideas for this terrible novel, let me know!

Terry Sutton was having a bad day at the Phishing Institute. His partnership scam was not going over at all well. He glanced over at his colleagues Marilou Kenya, Bethany Norris and Edith Corbett, tapping away relentlessly on their own keyboards and thought: "This is all that damned Jennifer Johnson's fault." If Johnson's "we're hiring" and "work at home position" schemes were not doing so well with the Marks, his own sloppy performance would not look NEARLY so bad. And now, this. That idiot Callisto Quinn was showing off his ability in Russian! Who even knows what Quinn was saying? He could be selling his sister online for all anyone American could tell. I mean, just look at this!

Доброго времени суток, Дамы и Господа!

Есть замечательная подборка видео:

"АФЕРЫ, МОШЕННИКИ, КРУПНЫЕ ОГРАБЛЕНИЯ"
42 фильма

Все эти фильмы о крупных ограбениях, громадных аферах,
махинациях, про ограбления крупных банков, ювелирных
магазинов, сейфов и т.д. Основанные на реальных событиях
в том числе (например, Ограбление на Бейкер-Стрит).
В коллекцию вошли самые лучшие фильмы данной тематики:
11 друзей Оушена, Афера, Ограбление по-итальянски 2003
ремейки на некоторые фильмы и документальный фильм
производства России про русских мошенников, в том числе
и про интернет мошенничества. Очень интересные сюжеты.

Стоимость этой ЧУДО-коллекции - 4111 рублей

Для заказа пришлите на aferiscda@video-shops.ru
ФИО полностью и точный адрес проживания с индексом.
Отправляется наложенным платежом по почте России.

Каждый диск в боксах, с полиграфией. Наши коллекции можно ДАРИТЬ!

Оплачивать при получении на почте России,
На всякий случай укажите, пожалуйста, Ваш телефон для связи.

Наши гарантии: Все диски проверяются на брак.
То есть отправка бракованных и пустых dvd невозможна.
С качеством все отлично. в норме.
Каждый диск в боксах с полиграфией.
прилагается информация о записи к каждому DVD.

Отправляется наложенным платежом.
Через 1-2 недели Вам придет извещение о поступлении
ценной бандероли. На извещении будет цена, адрес почты,
С этим извещением нужно прийти в это отделение почты.
там Вам найдут бандероль с коллекцией.
далее Вы оплачиваете в кассе и получаете.

Список материалов:

1. 11 друзей Оушена
2. 11 друзей Оушена 1960
3. 12 друзей Оушена
4. 13 друзей Оушена
5. 21
6. Афера 1973
7. Афера 2
8. Афера века
9. Афера Стивена Гласса
10. Афера Томаса Крауна
11. Аферист
12. Безупречный план
13. Бесшабашное ограбление
14. Большое ограбление поезда
15. Бонни и Клайд
16. Братья Ньютон
17. Бумажная луна (Гениальные аферисты)
18. Великолепная афера
19. Выпускной
20. Гудзонский ястреб
21. Дело об ограблении банка
22. Денежный поезд
23. Игры джентльменов
24. Идеальное ограбление
25. Как ограбить банк
26. Лазейка
27. Медвежатник (Ограбление) (Счет)
28. Мелкие мошенники
29. Мошенники 2010 док. Фильм
30. Наблюдатель (Обман)
31. Настоящая Маккой
32. Ограбление
33. Ограбление Бринкса
34. Ограбление на Бейкер-Стрит
35. Ограбление по-итальянски 2003
36. Отпетые мошенники 1988
37. Охота за бриллиантами
38. Поймай меня, если сможешь
39. Работа по-итальянски 1969
40. Хаос
41. Хватай деньги и беги
42. Шальные деньги

Turning next to his sole male colleague, James Hopkins -- who manages a fake UK Lottery win con-game -- Terry gasped: "Have I just got the worst scam of anyone here? How do you do it, anyway?"

"Just playing up to people's greed, old chap," replied Hopkins with a wink. He was just the kind of scoundrel who used to bilk old widows out of their inherited fortunes. "You have to offer the mark the right incentive. You might not catch many, but even one-in-a-thousand is pretty good when all is said and done."

Anne visits 10 Downing Street

2010-05-10T03:57:00.000-07:00

"I thought I could help them sort out their silly Hung Parliament," says delighted political scribe. "Seriously. What could be so difficult, eh?" Added the unabashed Ms. Garber, who has advised Canadian government officials at every level...for decades. "I was just happy to have been asked," she confessed.

The PM extant was actually IN, as it happens.

After all the fall-out, follderol and flap of the British election a couple of days ago, matters were still not decided to anyone's satisfaction. Crowds milled about at the entrance to Downing Street, and I thought "nothing ventured, nothing gained," so I approached the guards and asked what kind of press accreditation would get us in. "Fraid not, mum," was the reply, more or less. But when the guards saw that John wouldn't come over to the gate, one of them asked me if it would "greatly annoy" my husband if they were to let me in, and I readily agreed it would. So in we went! The picture -- with the door-guard (not my New Best Friend who let me in) shows me about to use the door-knocker to announce my visit. As I left, I was surrounded by people wanting to know how I had gained access, and I simply had to say: "Oh, I'm an accredited journalist with a press card" in order to shake them off.

In closing: "Woo-hoo!"

Survey for Lovers of Vancouver, BC

2010-04-19T05:22:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot to mention a new wrinkle on evalu8.org...we now have our first survey on the home page (right in the middle). It's kind of an experiment. The point of this survey is to find out who the really big fans of visiting Vancouver might be. Please participate! we're not really sure where this will go, but we will share the results. Go to www.evalu8.org -- home page -- to vote.

April in Paris

2010-04-16T04:14:00.000-07:00

It's another glorious day in the City of Light, so I must be brief and get out into the street to soak up more atmosphere, n'est-ce pas?. Poor John is in the grip of a grippe and must stay in bed. We are due to join a tour of "Ghosts of Paris" this evening, so either he will be well enough to go by then, or we will have to rebook.

I have been obsessed with finding miniatures and craft shops in Paris, and have so far come up with quite a few, but anyone who knows of heretofore undiscovered ones, please let me know.

Here's a preliminary list:

Dentelles et Ribambelles
www.dentelles-et-ribambelles.com
(Montmartre)
6, Rue Trois Frères
75018 Paris, France
(+33) 01 42 54 20 72
Specializes in miniature musical instruments

Emmaflam & Miniman
http://www.emmaflam-miniman.com/
The most amazingly lifelike cakes, cookies and accoutrements. HOW do they get that convincing texture on their madeleines, for example?

EOL International Hobby
3 r Louvre 75001 PARIS
(+33) 01 43 54 01 43
fax : .01 43 54 90 58

L'ile Flottante
29 rue des deux ponts
Paris 75004
www.lileflottant.com
chocolates, miniatures -- the best in Paris, actually

Nation miniatures
(+33) 01 40 01 08 09
6 Rue Fabre d'Eglantine
75012 Paris, France

Pain d'épice
www.paindepices.fr
29, Passage Jouffroy
75009 Paris, France
(+33) 01 47 70 08 68
Specializes in dollhouse furniture, electrical items, plumbing and décor items. When you ask about miniatures, almost everyone mentions Pain d'épice.

And I recently found a few miniatures -- actually more of the scrapbooking kind -- at Le Bonheur des Dames. I will add more info when I have downloaded my photos. This place -- on rue Desmesnil under the arches of the old aquaduct -- mainly has a wonderful collection of ribbon and supplies for embroidery.

City destroys harmless trees!

2010-04-16T04:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, one more complaint and then I'll try to move along to kudos...

Last month's tempete in Vancouver, knocked down quite a few trees, notably the one pictured here, which fell across East 12th Avenue. Fortunately, no one was hurt -- and because the tree landed on another tree across the street, even the house shown in the background was spared damage.

But -- upon inspection a couple of days later -- it turns out that the City of Vancouver took the opportunity to cut down two OTHER trees. Apparently, they used the excuse that these trees also represented a threat (even though they did not), but the real reason is that these trees have all ended up being "too close" to the street, so they have been a thorn in the side of City Engineering for ages.

It seems to me that if we have a city law in place to "protect" trees, the law should apply to ALL trees, and not just the ones that do not "insult the sensibilities" of city workers, n'est-ce pas? Especially when we lose trees in Stanley Park and wring our collective hands over the loss. Shame on the City of Vancouver! (And Gregor Robertson is supposed to be such a tree-hugger, too!)

Canada Post offence

2010-04-16T03:49:00.000-07:00

Offering no apology when you inconvenience your customers is the same as pretending you didn't do anything wrong in the first place.

In order to expedite a letter's delivery to our recipient, we have learned that the fastest method is to drive all the way into downtown Vancouver and drop the letter right into the mailbox in front of Canada Post's main building on Georgia Street. During the winter games, we were greeted by this annoying sign affixed over the mail slot. No apology.

And to add insult to injury, the powers that be at Canada Post had the nerve to start out with "For your convenience..."

How convenient COULD it be, when the post office is closed?

I rest my case. Gr-r-r-r!

Another consumer-fueled reason to be annoyed at Loblaws

2010-01-13T20:38:00.000-08:00

OK, so I'm in Toronto to visit and help my 93-year-old parents, and I can't say that the majority of Torontonians is any nicer than during my last visit four months ago. True, the occasional person says "Thank you" or offers a smile, but typically I figure most are just too pissed off about having to live in what I USED to call "Tee-Zero," but now that they have reinvented themselves as the "GTA" I have refer to them as "BFD." If you get my drift.

The closest supermarket to where I'm staying is known to the cognoscenti as "Blob-blaws" and that store's management has become weaker and weaker lately. This evening I decided to work in my health-motivated walk and kill two birds with one stone by picking up a few groceries. I was on a very short time-line, because I didn't want to miss too much of the hockey game.

Of the six items I wanted to buy, two were difficult to locate in the store. After being misdirected twice (by well-meaning but "new here" employees), a third spotted the manager -- David -- so I trotted up to ask him where I might find a coffee mug. He didn't even answer me, just shook his head to indicate "NO." I repeated my question in case he hadn't heard me. "No coffee cups or mugs AT ALL?" THIS time, he didn't even look up, just shook his head again. I tried again: "You don't even have any travel mugs for coffee?" Same treatment. So off I went to where I THOUGHT there should be coffee mugs -- and found them ($4.98) -- and then I remembered the other missing item. Back to David, where I asked him where I would find the horseradish mayo. "We don't have that. I've never even HEARD of it," he said in an accusing tone. I was dumbfounded: "But it's a PC brand. It's your HOUSE brand!" Back he went to the head-shaking. Fed up, I said: "Well, that's unbelievable. But just in case anyone ELSE asks you, I found the coffee mugs without your help!" And I showed it to him.

If this guy is the manager, I mean, aren't they TRYING to sell product? This is the "Forest Hill Market" branch of Loblaws, so it's hard to believe they don't have the full product lines one expects in a store on the edge of one of the wealthiest areas in Toronto! And PS, I have purchased PC horseradish mayo at this particular store on several occasions.

So, Manager David, I suggest you freshen up your resumé, as you are bound to be job-hunting soon (at least as soon as the Weston folks discover how poorly you are doing your job, and how dreadfully you are treating your customers). And PPS: I was so annoyed that I walked out without buying anything. I think I'll try Sobey's instead, even though it means getting into my car and driving there! Bah!

Michael's Beats Walmart's price

2010-01-02T22:50:00.000-08:00

Well, despite my resolve to stay mad at Walmart, I saw something in their flyer that I wanted, so I nearly weakened. But first, I had to return something to Michael's in Richmond (no hassle, BTW). On the way to the cashier. I noticed the item in question, so I asked a supervisor "Do you do price-matching?" and she said "Yes, if it's the same item." So I went out to the car to retrieve the Walmart flyer. The item I wanted was a set of three baking sheets from Wilton. (My old ones are GROSS.) I was dubious that Michael's would match Walmart's $8.98 price, because Michael's shelf price was $24.98. But miracle-of-miracles, Michael's price actually came up at even less than Walmart's -- including the taxes!

So -- fair warning -- if you want to buy those Wilton cookie sheets, go to Michael's for the best price!

A furious finger pointed at Walmart

2009-12-28T20:39:00.000-08:00

OK, fellow consumers, here's the bottom line, right at the top: This is about as close a case of bait-and-switch as I have personally experienced in the last decade or so!

First of all, Walmart is currently running national ads boasting that the stores will price-match any other stores' sale prices. I heard a radio ad on the subject today. But just try to claim your "right" as a consumer at the store.

I wanted to buy something I saw in XS Cargo's Boxing Week flyer -- a Dr. Scholl's Paraffin Bath Spa kit -- but to get one, I'd have to drive out to Surrey. XS Cargo was asking $9.99 for this first-quality product (i.e. not refurbished). So I thought "Aha! I'll go to Walmart to take them up on their price-matching offer."

Coincidentally, manager for the Walmart store on Grandview Highway in Vancouver -- Will Semaniuk -- happened to be chatting with store personnel in the pharmacy section when I located the last package of the product (the one that was IDENTICAL to the version shown in XS Cargo's flyer).

Manager Will shook his head, telling me (a) that Walmart would not price-match to XS Cargo because "they sell refurbished goods," and (b) that it was Walmart's policy not to price-match Boxing Week prices.

Pharmacy staff checked the price on the Dr. Scholl's Paraffin Bath Spa kit I had brought up to their till, and it scanned in at almost $53! And just for the record, this unit was EXACTLY the same as the one offered at XS Cargo, and it was definitely not a reconditioned unit!

I mentioned that the policy of not price-matching during Boxing Week seems like false advertising; that Walmart should not be running ads AT THIS TIME OF YEAR if they have suspended their price-matching policy AT THIS TIME OF YEAR. Just to be sure I had heard right, I went over all the details with Manager Will and his minions. One of the pharmacy staff was kind enough to walk me over to a display of SIMILAR units (they only included 2 oz of wax, compared to the 4 oz supply in the one I chose; there were only 30 glove-liners, instead of the 60 included with the XS Cargo unit), that were sale-priced at $29.99. ("A great price, I thought" chirped the sales clerk.) Well, that might SEEM like a great price, but not once you've seen Paree (i.e. a $53 unit clearing out for $9.99.)

As I said, a classic bait-and-switch scenario.

But beyond the illegality of what Walmart is doing, the greatest insult was the manager's ATTITUDE. He looked at me as though I had been caught shoplifting, for heaven's sake. When I said I was going to write about the incident, I seriously thought he was going to have me escorted from the store, but you know me: Never one to back down, I asked for his name, which he gave me VERY reluctantly.

Just for the sake of comparison -- and because I was going there anyway -- I asked Melissa, acting manager at Canadian Tire what their price-matching policy is. She said they would always price-match XS Cargo's published prices, unless the price in question WAS for a refurbished item (especially electronics), or if it was for a "door-crasher" item where the flyer stated something like "minimum 4 available per store." She added that "At Canadian Tire, we would always try to do SOMETHING for the customer, even if we couldn't actually give them the full price-match discount." And she confided that Walmart is having financial trouble these days, so they are locking customers out of "normal" courtesies, like allowing returns without a receipt for good they recognize as their own. Well it's no WONDER Walmart is in difficulty if they turn their backs on good customers and treat them shabbily! I was going to stock up on meats for the freezer, but instead, I left without buying anything. And I urge anyone else who feels humiliated in Walmart to do the same thing.

Just an aside, I don't find Walmart's prices to be better than most nearby stores like Superstore, Price Smart or, yes, XS Cargo. And I've just gotta say that though the underling level staff are very friendly and helpful, they really cannot hold a candle to the competition.

And -- just for fun -- check out this anti-Walmart site.

Post-Boxing Day Evaluation Post

2009-12-28T20:08:00.000-08:00

So here's the bottom line: Starting prices higher, discounts not as deep as last year. This year's Boxing Day stars: XS Cargo and a reluctant mention of Superstore. And honourable mention (which lost marks only because they had so little stock available) goes to Liquidation World, which featured 90% off Xmas decor items from Rite-aid in the U.S.

Boxing Day Beats Hockey

2009-12-26T07:44:00.000-08:00

OK, already! It's just a temporary lapse, but I am just about to head out to the Boxing Day sales looking for items as diverse as LED light ropes and wrought iron sky hooks, so (a) wish me luck, (b) full report later, and (c) yes, I will be back in time for the hockey game. Go, Canucks, Go!

(PS: Hockey Day beats Boxing; no DUH!)

Christmas Stalking for Becky Project

2009-12-25T16:48:00.000-08:00

Here's Becky's account of the restoration of her Christmas Stocking. I made this (left) for her first Christmas with the great love and devotion that only a first-born can merit.

The one Becky made for her honey Aitor is shown at right. Hers is less traditional than mine perhaps, but much more crafty.

Many thanks to our special family friend Carol Rand Scandolara for the contribution of the little fish ornament additiona to Becky's stocking.

Jump the Boxing Day queue

2009-12-24T22:21:00.000-08:00

John and I just enjoyed the last-minute, pre-Boxing Day experience of putting orders in to Best Buy, where patient and computer-savvy consumers can save anywhere from $50 to hundreds of dollars on electronics with price tags almost completely in line with Boxing Day savings. Another "gift" comes in the form of free Canada Post shipping for orders over $39. But you'll need to act quickly, because stock -- as seen on Best Buy's national website -- shows declining numbers of available items, in real time, as they are sold.

Purina launches pet-centric FREE websites

2009-12-24T12:20:00.000-08:00

A PR buddy of mine in Toronto passed along this helpful info:

"Puppies and kittens are undeniably cute with their oversized paws, big eyes and playful spirits. But without proper training those adorable pets can turn into less delightful cats and dogs. Like new parents coming home from the hospital, new pet owners can feel overwhelmed when they bring home a puppy or kitten. And more people feel these emotions than you may realize: while 44 per cent of Canadian households have children, over half (51 per cent) own a pet!

"While pet adoption shows no sign of slowing down, new free online resources like www.mypuppy.ca and www.mykitten.ca can help new pet parents make sense of the new furry addition to their family. Gone are the days of frantic phone calls to the vet, pet store or neighbour – now Canadians can easily access pet related information with the simple click of a mouse.

"They can even learn how to train their puppies by using MyPuppy School. This first-of-its-kind online video series, starring award-winning dog trainer Kayl McCann, that teaches Canadians how to train puppies to do the basics (sit, stay, lie down) as well as how to respond positively to grooming and proper feeding techniques.

FREE Store event on Sunday

2009-12-22T20:53:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's absolutely free. The event is all day at Vancouver's Little Mountain Gallery, 195 East 26th Avenue (just west of Main).

Here's what they told me: "We are transforming Little Mountain Gallery (on 26th half a block West of Main) into a shop of liberated goods -- FOR FREE -- in mere hours. Yes, it's true. It really can happen. A store that is entirely free.

"This year we have had donated, among many other things: two iMac computers, a sewing machine, some black polyester pants with flames hand painted on them, a lampshade, lots of socks, a copy of Brave New World, a bicycle made for one, a whole bunch of vintage clothing from a local vintage store, A HOME GYM SYSTEM, a book on how to develop colour film, some weird pieces of wood, several televisions, a beautiful portrait of Michael Burnside by Mike Burnside, light pink 8-inch heels, kitchen appliances, and two flats of brand new instant java. There is a box of treasure and an electric keyboard and a helmet and almost everything is in full working order... Come check out the new and improved shrine to HALF-USED CREAMS...

"There is a Streetfighter II arcade game at Little Mountain now, and there will be a TOURNAMENT at 3pm. The winner gets FREE STUFF!!!!!!

"So anyways, besides all the things and things, there will be people, and something that happens when they all come together with a specific shared purpose, and probably cookies. Can someone bring cookies? (Or anything else?)

"Also, we hope to cover the store with free art. So bring that too if you have it. Pick your definition of art. I'm just sayin you could do free performance art by impersonating a garage sale. In fact, the home gym system will go to the person embodying a garage sale.

"There are rumours that there will be a hot swing jazz band landing in the later hours, and I'm pretty excited about that.

"Conclusion.

"Love, The Free Store"

Sunshine Liquidators closes its Bellingham doors forever

2009-12-22T12:12:00.000-08:00

The place looks a complete wreck, but if you have the patience to sift through the debris, the discounts are pretty darn persuasive. Sunshine Liquidators has been looking (unsuccessfully) for new premises. The doors close forever tomorrow evening (December 23). Newly lowered final prices will reflect 90% off on anything in the store right now. Fixtures and shelving are for sale, too. Still on hand yesterday (when I shopped there) were boxes of stationery, small toys, some Christmas and Channukah decorations (and greeting cards, already marked down, so prices will be around 25 cents a BOX, now), lots of stale-dated food (some of it probably okay, but I would examine boxes carefully), gardening stuff, Christmas light-mounting kits, batteries & cosmetics and loads of "one-offs."

The Tacoma location of Sunshine Liquidators remains open.

Lion's Den announces 'Orphan' Xmas dinner

2009-12-22T11:51:00.000-08:00

Ken -- the colourful and eccentric owner of the Lion's Den on 15th and Fraser in Vancouver -- told me yesterday that because there are so many single people with nowhere to go for Christmas dinner, he will be serving a turkey dinner on Christmas Day. PLUS...he is making JERK Turkey as well -- with all the traditional Jamaican trimmings!

No one has quite as much fun as Ken does in the restaurant (see below)!

By the way, Ken serves superior all-day breakfasts, priced from $4.29. That's what I had for lunch yesterday (with my old friend Patsy) and it was satisfying and delicious. And eccentric Ken's shenanigans come along with the meal...for free!

IGA and the unfairness of it all!

2009-12-16T23:06:00.000-08:00

This might seem really petty, but I got my IGA flyer on the weekend, and waited with bated breath until their "3-day sale" began on Tuesday. You see, our electric juicer finally bit the dust recently, so I thought "Woo-HOO!" a replacement juicer for only $4.99. There was a hand-mixer I fancied, too. Just one of each, not too much to hope for, now was it?

So along I trundled at about 10:30 ayem only to discover that some greedy folks had showed up at opening time (8 a.m.) and piled shopping carts with every single one. I figured maybe there were some left at other IGAs, so I went home and started calling around. Nope! Not a single one of these $4.99 items remained at any IGA location in the Lower Mainland. In fact, I was told that the same pattern occured at EVERY store. Furthermore, there are not likely to be any more before the sale expires tomorrow. So BUG!

I can't really be angry at IGA, as this consumer iniquity was caused by a few selfish people, who are probably planning to re-sell the 50% off regular retail items for more than they paid. Still, whenever we passed an IGA location today, I did a slow burn. I really feel ripped off, even though it's such a minor issue. And besides, surely IGA could have limited purchases to a more reasonable number of items per person. Would TWO have been a good maximum? Come on, IGA, give me a good reason not to be mad at you for offering something you couldn't deliver!

Memphis Blues earns iconic status

2009-12-16T17:54:00.000-08:00

It seems like we've known George Siu for decades, and I guess we actually HAVE. George is one of those rare types who seems born to entertain; I'm usually very quick to warn most folks like that to steer clear of restaurant ownership, as it is more often than not different from what the prospective restaurateur pictures. Not so for Siu, who has had the golden touch when it comes to food service operations through his whole career.

George Siu looks exactly the same as he did about 25 years ago when we first met. And once he combined talents with veteran wine-rep Park Heffelfinger, the duo was surely destined for greatness.

How time flies, n'est-ce pas? The pair's successful Memphis Blues Barbecue House has now been open for a decade. Consistently excellent food, and I hearily applaud their new Texas and Louisiana-style sauces.

My Million Things ~ last sale of the year

2009-12-14T22:27:00.001-08:00

Save money on your last-minute gifts!

2009-12-14T21:31:00.000-08:00

Lots of sales still to visit before Christmas:

Next post: News of the next "My Million Things" sale . . . PRE-Christmas!

New Price Smart, Kingsway & Knight

2009-12-06T17:15:00.000-08:00

As annoyed as John and I both are that King Edward Village totally spoils the view as one drives over the hill northbound on Knight Street at about 38th, the actual neighbourhood imprint of the development at street-level is really quite a plus. It doesn't completely make up for the insult to our collective "view corridor" aesthetic, but we also realize that it creates a village environment that is actually good for the whole city on both ecological and convenience levels. But harumph, eh?

So the consumer aspect of this post is our first visit to the new location of Price Smart, a Save-on Foods attempt to compete head-on with Superstore. And the good news is that this store is very much needed in the area, it seems to have a big assortment of well-priced produce, frozen foods and kitchen staples, and the store even offers free parking -- an increasingly rare freebie these days. (Parking entrance is eastbound off Knight Street, just south of Kingsway.)

We were particularly impressed with the large variety of bulk food items on offer. I was also able to buy a perfect avocado (another rarity, lately), albeit at a rather inflated price.

The development boasts a much-needed branch of the VPL, a TD Canada Trust branch, and other handy stores yet to come.

Toronto and Vancouver restaurant input needed

2009-12-06T13:07:00.000-08:00

I have recently started a new project for CanPages' about-to-be-launched "UrbanPill" sites across Canada. MY area of focus is to be restaurants in Vancouver and in Toronto. I will be supplying 50 restaurant reviews for each city. So here's the deal: If you have a favourite dining spot in one (or both) of those cities, and wish to see it (or them) get the appropriate acclaim, now is the time to let me know about them (especially if you think I am going to accidentally overlook them!). All I need is name of restaurant, address and phone number, and a contact name and e-mail couldn't "hoit." I'm going to set an arbitrary deadline of December 31. So please send your notes directly to anne@evalu8.org, or place a comment on this blog page. Photos (of the restaurants or their food) also welcome. Cheers.

Sundae report

2009-12-06T12:54:00.000-08:00

OK, this isn't really about ice cream (although it COULD be, as I bought that 3-for-$10 Breyers at Freddy's), but it IS Sunday, so there you go.

I went down to Bellingham AGAIN yesterday, and checked out Sirpa Halmekangas's new Better Than New store at 405 East Holly Street. You'll need a map to find it, as downtown Bellingham is a virtual maze of one-way streets. Use "405 East Holly St, Bellingham, WA" as your search words on Google maps and you'll find 'er. Easiest access via exit 255 off the I-5.

Better Than New is open 9:30-6 Monday to Friday, Saturdays 9:30-5; and closed Sundays. Phone: 360-933-4647.

The place features mainly family clothing (casual, somewhat dressy, womens, sleepwear, men's and loads and loads of baby and kids' clothes), plus some new and used furniture, bric-a-brac, jewellery and accessories. There's tons of parking (once you find the place). Other than that, the place is pretty low-decor, but the prices are amazingly low. I was in the building for a total of about 20 minutes (most of that chatting with Sirpa and taking pictures), and I STILL managed to buy three items: Two 100% cotton extra-roomy, long, black sleep tops and a very cool, heavy-base green-hued coke glass. Total: Eight bucks!

Among the items priced at a mere dollar were bras, Croc-style shoes in every colour possible, and nice pairs of leather gloves. Most goods are brand new, while some are clearly ends-of-lines, seconds or returns.

Whatever my ultimate verdict on Better Than New, I'll certainly be back to shop there often.

Meanwhile, don't forget to click on ads appearing on evalu8.org.

Pre-Christmas, nearly post-jetlag and we have ignition!

2009-12-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

So I finally feel competent to drive a car. Chore One: Back to Bellingham to check out some of Lorraine's tips on local bargain-shopping.

Accordingly, yesterday I went to North Bellingham in search of Sirpa and Keijo Halmekangas's new discount clothing store, Better Than New. Everything I've heard about the place (from Deals Only employees and from my pal Patty Kuitula) has been extremely positive, but alas, the border lineups were such that I didn't have time to find it on that trip. HOWEVER, I am re-visiting it today, so I can get a good photo in for my Boxing Day column in TV Week Magazine, so I should have even better details (and first-hand observations) to share later today.

I was also on the hunt yesterday for a stick-up portable light for over the sink (not the plug-in kind). I found excellent, battery-operated versions at Big Lots for only $4.50 for each two-pack.

I also visited Sunshine Liquidators. The sad news at SL is that they are planning to close December 23, 2009, unless they can find suitable new quarters in the area. The good news for bargain-shoppers is that everything that's left in the store right now is discounted a whole 40% from the already-low marked prices. General stock is quite picked-over, although there are still many good items in the categories of children's toys, pet toys, stationery, cleaning supplies and Christmas decorations. I walked out with two, big plastic bags of assorted goodies for a grand total of $5.28!

Over at Big Lots, the last of the receivership goods from the demise of Long's Drugs were offered up at 90% off original prices. There's only one small cluster of boxes of these goods, but rooting through them, I found a couple of excellent manicure-type scissors (reduced from about $10 to $1, of course), some much-needed band-aids and a few cup-hooks and screws we needed. (Did you ever notice that when you start to run out of first-aid supplies, they all seem to be gone at the same time? Same with light bulbs! I suspect a conspiracy.)

Deals Only has the usual cosmetics, vitamin and food offers. However, I was on a mission to buy some particular items there for Lorraine, yet found that the Deals Only prices seemed to have climbed steeply, overall. The store workers must be noticing by now that sales of clothing -- for example -- have dropped precipitously, and I would put the reason squarely due to the costs: two to three TIMES what I would consider a "Deal," n'est-ce pas?

Fred Meyer offers the usual good discounts on books, housewares and gifts. Of note: 50% off on jewellery, 20% off luxury cosmetic sets and stationery supplies. Freddy's flyer this week features steaks at $4.99/lb and 3-for-$10 for our favourite no-sugar Breyers 'triple-churned' ice cream.

Don't forget to visit my website -- evalu8.org. Please click on the top banner for great deals from the advertisers that support evalu8.org, and don't overlook the one from Sympatico.ca (you may have to refresh repeatedly, as there are tons of ads in rotation at this time of year), which results in a PERSONALIZED message from Santa to your chosen recipient. The one I composed for my husband John was simply hilarious!