We went to the Southern Spring Home and Garden Show at the Charlotte Merchandise Mart this weekend. If you have never been to one of these shows you may not know what to expect otherwise you are well aware you are paying admission to an infomercial but sometimes there are pleasant surprises none the less.
Well $5 for parking and $18 for 2 adult admissions didn't buy too much in this showcase.
The garden show was good, the layout was good but the lighting for whatever reason was quite dark and a little gloomy. From Sean's pictures you can see the orchid display was really amazing and was the only area we both really enjoyed. I smiled indulgently at the whole outdoor rooms with fireplaces etc for your patio -- look I just want some idea of how to make a small patio outside my house look remotely interesting and colourful without forking over a lot of cash -- but some people have money for fountains and fake boulders and more power to them.
The home show part was disappointing compared to the garden area -- I expected and got the appliance displays, vinyl siding booths and the standard hot tub display but I was looking for better showcases of design. The few designer showcases we did see lacked inspiration. I am sorry but a very large painting of the face of a giraffe is not what I would choose to add some whimsy to a stuffy study. Oh yeah I don't have a study, but trust me Sean's computer room would not be improved with this print and/or a lot of fussy pillows.
Anyways there was not a lot to look at here and what there was was not terribly interesting.
The merchandise area was just too overcrowded to really enjoy and I left unable to determine just what people had purchased in the bags they were carrying. I think we have spent the same quality time at a shopping center with a Home Depot, Linens and Things and a furniture store and the parking is free. Then again shopping centers don't always provide the same photo opportunities...
We were on our way to Wal-Mart tonight for our semi-monthly run for necessities. Yes, we are part of the group of sheep that have been sucked into Wal-Mart’s cheap prices. We happen to really enjoy the Eight O’Clock coffee brand of coffee. We drink the regular whole bean in the morning mixed with a pre-ground Brazilian Arabica coffee from Wal-Mart. During the evening we drink the whole bean decaf. Wal-Mart sells 5 pound bags of the regular for a ridiculously low price of $6.37 per bag. We usually go through 4 bags a month. So we were off to Wal-Mart to re-stock on coffee and some other essentials.
On the way, Marlene spotted a sign for a “Senior Stamp Show.” My first thought was, “Are these Senior Citizens or Senior Stamps.” That turned the conversation downhill. Wonderful remarks from me such as, “How old does a stamp have to be to qualify as a senior stamp?” I mean they have to be members of AARS? I’m sure you have heard of it – American Association of Retired Stamps (AARS). I mean how else is a retired stamp going to get a discount on a nice post office box in Florida for vacation. You do know how stamps go on vacation- AIR MAIL.. Ba da bump.
To finish off the night I had the great comment about a LARGE can of baked beans we had acquired. “I wonder if they should have a BTU rating on Baked Beans” I will let you guys figure out what to turn BTU into.
Once a year I remember to go visit the Darwin Awards" website. There are awards given to people that have passed away generally because they did something so unbelievably stupid that we, as society, hope they do not pro-create.
I first started hearing about the Darwin awards back in 1996. The first one I read about was Lawn Chair Larry. Larry did not actually win the award that year, but the story is pretty funny. I read through this and other stories on the website. They make me chuckle. I move on after about 30 minutes and go onto whatever I had been doing before.
Once a year, something reminds me to go check on the Darwins. This year was no exception. My friend Steen was mentioning that he had seen a story on the TV show Urban Legend on TLC. The show was making a lawn chair float with helium balloons. It rather reminded me of Ole' Larry.
So today I introduced Darwin Fan.