Bastas Trattoria Is As Good As I Hoped

I kept hearing about how great Bastas Trattoria is, so I finally went. It was fantastic! I had Uncle Vittorio's Ragu and finished every bite. The atmosphere made for a great evening and the service was fabulous. I can't wait to go back.

I'm Obsessed With Extreme Couponing

My new favorite show is Extreme Couponing on TLC. I first heard of it when the Nate Berkus Show featured 2 of the ladies that had been in the TLC special. Apparently it was so popular that they made it in to a regular 30 minute weekly program. It features people that use coupons to reduce massive grocery bills to next to nothing.
This show is not for the faint of heart. It's called EXTREME Couponing, not average. I read some of the blog posts after the series premier. Some of the less educated viewers seemed to be under the impression that the store pays for coupon use. Of course, it's the manufacturer that puts out the coupon that pays and then an additional handling fee is also given to the store. Other negative comments included that the shoppers were hoarders. While they did all have impressive stockpiles of things, they were all consumables that were being used. It reminded me of my grandparents and other depression era people I've known. If toilet paper is at an all time low price they buy as much as they can. What if the price skyrockets due to a disaster? What if everyone loses their jobs? When you view it in depression era terms it seems quite genius.
I just started using coupons. I do enjoy to save enough on my essentials to pay for my drink at happy hour. However, that's probably all I'll ever be, a non extreme couponer.

Shame, Shame, Everyone Knows Your Name

I am often exclaiming "Have they no shame?!" The answer seems to be, "No!" The often cited example of, and cause of this is reality tv. While that could be true, it's the everyday people who act like fools that really shock me. There seems to be a lack of consequences for acting like an idiot. It's as if no one really becomes an adult anymore. I was happy to hear from Star Jones on the subject. I, and everyone else, has had cause to judge her. However, it seems that she has had a large helping of humble pie. She has admitted her mistakes and moved on. I can respect that. She is now writing for Uptown Magazine.