Why I Oughta...

See that red and white striped awning above the top of the yellow cab?  That's the Christkindlmarket Market booths getting set up.   According to their site, they'll open for business on November 20th , so they have a few weeks to get things sorted out. For the past few years, we've made a stop at the Market and picked up a few things and *sometimes* met up with The Big Guy for a photo.  With the opening of the sister Market at Oak Brook Mall, the appeal of the city one has dropped a bit for me.  But...I'm guessing we'll still make time for a stroll through the packed walkways between the booths and try to find a piece of Polish pottery for Noonie.

Santa brought me this "Shower Tool" from Dove.  Funny how marketers try to market different to men, isn't it?  Are men not interested in loofas?  Do they need "tools"?  I've been using a loofa for 10+ years (since I went to college) and I didn't feel very feminine using one, but apparently *some* men do?  Is that why Dove had to create a men's only shower tool?  Seems like most of the time, this type of thing is being bought by women anyway, right?  I don't buy my own shower soap.  Doesn't matter all that much to me what it is called, but maybe there's some sort of marketing jujitsu being done on women - as they make purchases for men?  Don't know! Similarities can be seen with Coke Zero.  Don't get me wrong.  I like the stuff a lot.  But the Zero part?  That's clearly aimed at men who are *afraid* or *embarrassed* to be ordering "Diet" beverages, isn't it?  Just make Diet Coke taste like that, please. Oh...a

Last Saturday, Nat, the Babe and I, went up to Park Ridge to hit their Farmer's Market.  We were in Michigan and missed the Elmhurst Market earlier in the week.  Both Nat and I were after some produce; her for baby food, me for pickling and such. The Market, itself, is pretty nice.  Small and compact, it gets hot because it is, like many, in a parking lot that reflects the days heat.  Saturday was also the same day as the Taste of Park Ridge, so I can't tell if the crowds were heavy/light compared to other weeks.  Some of the vendors were vast, some were pretty sparse when it came to produce.  They do have a really neat knife sharpener with a HUGE old-fashioned wheel that uses to sharpen knives on site. All that was great, but the one vendor that stuck out for me was the Park Ridge City Council.  They have a Listening Post set up each Saturday morning and it was filled with elected officials and residents. Not sure when this started, but this is a pretty smart move.  Talk