Seasonal Greetings...

...and please buy our beer. (Wasn't that from a Pogo-style Christmas carol? I'm not sure.) However, I apologize for not getting the Super Bowl promos. The sign above caught my attention instead ... somehow I couldn't help thinking "the narcs are coming...the narcs are coming."

The occasion was my first visit to a supermarket since just before Christmas. A pretty good record, if I do say so. But though I wasn't there, the marketing people were out in force. They made it very hard to forget one's Valentine upon entering Fry's. In fact, between the thoroughly heart-ed entrance and the chocolate/goodie niche (below), the beer folks' Super Bowl display didn't stand a chance.

Then at the back of the store, I spotted this display of the latest appliance toys. Look at the top row. Is nothing sacred? The commodified chocolate fountain, yet. Just in time for Valentine's Day, of course; for sure, it's the next major $10-15 item in the Salvation Army's small appliance department.

Footnote to the Partridge Creek petroglyph post (1/20/07): The Google has started sending inquisitive people to my piece about the three weird critters pecked into the rocks at that site. Being inquisitive myself, I checked out Google. Turns out that Elderhostel has scheduled a rock art recording session starting at Partridge Creek and working westward, primarily on private lands. Time: April -- a good month; not too cold, not too hot. I'm tempted. One other reference Google turned up was somewhat amusing -- my favorite upside-down creature was shown twice -- carefully turned right-side up. Wrong, guys!