Online shopping

I just got my package from "Chickiepye's exotic toys." I didn't recognize the name offhand--because what I'd ordered wasn't a toy by any definition, it was a belt pouch for my PalmPilot. Specifically, a replacement of the pouch that I've worn out in the six years since I got my first Palm; they don't make them anymore. This should mean my Palm stops falling on the floor (since the new one has a solid velcro closure, unlike the one I've worn out).

I also have warm enough pants, with actual pockets--the nice people at LL Bean were able to tell me how deep the pockets are on their pants, so I was able to order with some confidence. Granted, these corduroys are closer to burgundy than purple, but it's a good color. Also, not having worn cords in years, I'd forgotten the noise they make (at least, when worn by someone heavy enough that her legs touch when she walks). But they're warm, and they fit, and they have pockets. And there are several more pairs of pants in the package.

FreshDirect, on the other hand, loses more points: I took down an unopened jar of jam from the last order, yesterday morning, and saw that some of it had oozed down the edge. At best, that means the seal was broken (and it's labeled "refrigerate after opening"). Since the seal appeared still intact, cattitude pointed out that they may have damaged the jar itself, which would mean bits of glass in the jam. I threw it away, unopened, and used a different flavor of jam in my yogurt. I am glad to have gotten a refund, rather than a credit toward my next order, for the yogurt that they also ruined, because I don't think I'll be ordering again. Spilled yogurt is annoying. Broken glass in jam is dangerous.

Despite having looked at a variety of shoe-store websites, I won't be ordering boots online: too little of what I try on fits. If I'm feeling brave, I have a mental list of shoe stores to visit tomorrow, because I rediscovered yesterday that my winter boots, while warm enough, don't actually fit as well as I'd like, especially for walking any significant distance. (The list, at the moment, is the New Balance Store [because I could also use another pair of sneakers], Harry's Shoes on Broadway around 82nd, and a store whose name I don't remember, on W. 181st Street between the A train and Broadway, where I got the current boots--yes, that may be a bug rather than a feature--which is conveniently on the way home and near Gruenbaum's bakery, so I'd at least get a loaf of rye bread out of it.

Online shopping

I just got my package from "Chickiepye's exotic toys." I didn't recognize the name offhand--because what I'd ordered wasn't a toy by any definition, it was a belt pouch for my PalmPilot. Specifically, a replacement of the pouch that I've worn out in the six years since I got my first Palm; they don't make them anymore. This should mean my Palm stops falling on the floor (since the new one has a solid velcro closure, unlike the one I've worn out).

I also have warm enough pants, with actual pockets--the nice people at LL Bean were able to tell me how deep the pockets are on their pants, so I was able to order with some confidence. Granted, these corduroys are closer to burgundy than purple, but it's a good color. Also, not having worn cords in years, I'd forgotten the noise they make (at least, when worn by someone heavy enough that her legs touch when she walks). But they're warm, and they fit, and they have pockets. And there are several more pairs of pants in the package.

FreshDirect, on the other hand, loses more points: I took down an unopened jar of jam from the last order, yesterday morning, and saw that some of it had oozed down the edge. At best, that means the seal was broken (and it's labeled "refrigerate after opening"). Since the seal appeared still intact, cattitude pointed out that they may have damaged the jar itself, which would mean bits of glass in the jam. I threw it away, unopened, and used a different flavor of jam in my yogurt. I am glad to have gotten a refund, rather than a credit toward my next order, for the yogurt that they also ruined, because I don't think I'll be ordering again. Spilled yogurt is annoying. Broken glass in jam is dangerous.

Despite having looked at a variety of shoe-store websites, I won't be ordering boots online: too little of what I try on fits. If I'm feeling brave, I have a mental list of shoe stores to visit tomorrow, because I rediscovered yesterday that my winter boots, while warm enough, don't actually fit as well as I'd like, especially for walking any significant distance. (The list, at the moment, is the New Balance Store [because I could also use another pair of sneakers], Harry's Shoes on Broadway around 82nd, and a store whose name I don't remember, on W. 181st Street between the A train and Broadway, where I got the current boots--yes, that may be a bug rather than a feature--which is conveniently on the way home and near Gruenbaum's bakery, so I'd at least get a loaf of rye bread out of it.