Posts tagged staff post

Jessica Deming here, Facets contributor and admitted hater of shopping in stores. Whether it’s at the grocery store or the mall, I can’t stand the crowds, the smells and the glacially slow pace. Yet, I love buying things. So I reconcile this love/hate relationship by shopping online. Check out these three tips and reminders so you, too, can shop online without stress or slow cashiers.

1. My first stop is always Amazon. Though it typically doesn’t support promo codes, its prices are difficult to beat, shipping is free when you spend $25 or more and you can buy virtually anything. Amazon also has the ‘Subscribe and Save’ option that allows you to buy in bulk and get 15 percent off plus free shipping on things like paper towels, dry food items and dish soap. Every X number of months, your shipment arrives without any fuss.
2. Most standing stores have accompanying websites so you can buy online and pick up in-store, plus several bonus online-only items. At Wal-Mart, I can shop online and have it shipped to a local store, or have it sent to my house via FedEx for free (or a nominal shipping rate—heavier items excluded). Target, Gap and other clothing stores typically offer free shipping if you spend over a certain amount ($50 is standard). If you hesitate to purchase clothes or shoes without trying them on, remember most stores offer free exchanges if you need a different size, and you can always return items to the store if that’s more convenient. Visit Retail Me Not and Dealnews to find promo codes for 10-30 percent off and free shipping on thousands of websites.
3. I always check the deal-a-day sites for 10-75 percent savings on limited time only items. Brad’s Deals rounds up the specials from some of the top deal sites, and highlights specialty items like that Kate Spade wallet you’ve been eyeing, marked down 50 percent today only. 1SaleADay has multiple items at incredible discounts, whereas Woot does one item each day. And for jewelry discounts, try Szul, DiamondShark and Shadora.

If you, too, are a shopping enigma, hopefully you’ll find this helpful. If you think I’m crazy and love going to stores, you can always find something you love in person and buy it online for less. Enough blogging for now—I’ve got an online sample sale to check out!

I’m talking about gambling. Now, while casinos are finally being built in my home state of Ohio, a prior gambling law allowed nonprofits to raise money via controlled gambling operations. From church bingo to VFW casino night, these nontraditional fundraising venues are filled with a different kind of people and atmosphere. But few non-profit gambling operations match the energy and tax-free revenue take of Cleveland’s charity card room.

Cleveland’s not-for-profit poker room sits below downtown among the bars and strip clubs of The Flats. To call the area Skid Row is a misnomer because that implies some sort of movement in a neighborhood that’s been stagnant for more than a decade (perhaps its last hurrah was being used as the final setting for the song-and-dance opening of the Drew Carey show—my, how far we’ve fallen). Six nights a week, though, a diverse mix of more than 200 retirees, unemployed young adults, suited business professionals and self-proclaimed professional gamblers descend into The Flats to challenge each other at a variety of Hold ‘Em and Omaha card games.

The action is often fast, clumsy and high-stakes, which is what makes this the best fundraising deal in town. Big pots add up to big proceeds for nonprofits—their take is $1 for every $10 wagered in a hand, up to max per-hand rake of $7. A two-night stand in the middle of the week often generates tens-of-thousands of dollars, which can be a huge lifeline to charities who have seen public funding and donations dry up in recent years. 

Although I only volunteer a handful of nights a year, scores of the same individuals have been there each time. Cliques and rivalries exist among these grinders, as well as many genuine friendships. In the minority are new players, who generally represent a few archetypes, or at least front that they do (read: any of the major characters from Rounders). Seemingly no one wins big in the long-term…except for the nonprofits that deal the games.

Rather than resent that last fact, players accept it with an almost beautiful apathy. I was volunteering a few weeks ago when a retiree plopped down next to me with $200 in cash and a military medal for a card protector. As I shuffled the first hand, he asked me which nonprofit was operating that night. I told him, and he shrugged.

Indeed. Twenty hands or so later, he was nearly busted, but I already had raked enough to buy three tanks of gas for needy families. And two players were waiting to take his place.

Ryan Cary here, Facets writer and lover of live music of any stripe. Blues, jazz, folk, marimba-Sousaphone duets…you name it, I will plunk down a little lettuce for any musicians willing to put it down live. But having come of age in the early ‘90s, my guilty pleasure remains indie rock. From the punk abandon of No Age to the electronica-damaged rock of Braids, I still love exploring fringe bands that always feel like they’re on the edge of changing the way we listen to pop music.

At nearly age 35, however, when I go to indie rock shows I realize I stand out in uncomfortable ways. You know, because I’m the guy who looks old enough to be a dad…maybe even of someone at the show. And though I’m wearing Puma clothing, I’m clearly not a bike messenger. But I have a scary thought for all the hoodied, bearded, skull-capped scenesters out there: I used to be you.

Oh, the stories I can tell. Pogoing with Kim Deal at Guided By Voices shows in Dayton, Ohio bars. Befriending Weezer on their first U.S. tour, telling them they would be the next big thing (much to their skepticism), then witnessing their debut album go supernova on the charts a month later. That transcendent 1993 Smashing Pumpkins Cincinnati club show referenced within the cover article of the April 21, 1994 issue of Rolling Stone? To ape LCD Soundsystem’s “Losing My Edge,” I was there! And believe me when I tell you that opening shoegaze act Swervedriver actually may have played the better set that night.

I realize, though, from a contemporary pop culture standpoint that these proud moments in my life now reside somewhere on the spectrum between a) irrelevant, and b) sad. While I’m begrudgingly forced to admit my prolific live music years are behind me, I know I’m not alone in dealing with the modern realities of being a post-hipster audience member. As such, I offer these basic rules to avoid being the creepy, old, indie rock guy in an obvious way:

• Dress appropriately. For example, never try to rock a track jacket if you’re 30 or older. Ever. On the other hand, that Screaming Trees “Sweet Oblivion” tour shirt probably is persona non grata as well.
• It’s OK to drink an upscale beer in the midst of the PBR crowd. Just make sure it’s a draft in a clear cup for the No Logo/Naomi Klein anarchist cred factor.
• No DayGlo earplugs. Either be discreet, or accept the hearing loss the next day. Per one of my favorite lines from the dystopian Children of Men, “The ringing in your ears is the sound of ear cells dying. Once it’s gone you’ll never hear that frequency again. Enjoy it while it lasts.”
• Don’t be caught openly discussing your mature appreciation for the back catalogues of Steely Dan and Dire Straits between sets. In fact, the only mention of these things should be vague hints in blog posts.

Have any other tips for how thirtysomethings and (gasp!) even older fans can fit in at indie rock shows? Feel free to share. Disagree with anything? Let me know that, too. I’m tough, I can take it. After all, I got dropped on my head one time while crowdsurfing at a Meat Puppets show.