good ads, bad ads

First the good ad: Next Wednesday (Dec. 10) is "Dollar Day" at County Market Grocery store. They do this once a quarter, and the bargains are terrific. Chuck roast and pork loin are$2 a pound. Bone-in chicken breast, apples, ground turkey, roll sausage all $1 a pound. Jack's Pizza $2. With 2 teenage boys, I stock up on meat, but I also buy a package of little debbies, since they are only a buck. Check out their ads at www.countymarket.net Fair warning: it is a madhouse ALL DAY! People fill their carts all the way to the top. Last time I saw a lady had hung 6-packs of pop (24oz pepsi products 4/$9) all around the edge of her cart so as to have more room inside. Small children will NOT enjoy the long lines. Really, the long lines go all the way down the aisles sometimes. They are open 12 am to 12pm that day, so those of you who got up on black friday might be able to hit them early. Grab a cart from the corrals in the parking lot, they are usually gone inside the store.

Bad ads are everywhere this time of year. I cover my ears everytime I hear the Herberger's shrill "Give joy" commercial. It's actually painful. I also think all the ads with big bows on automobiles are ridiculous. Who gives a car (besides Oprah)? I think the companies are trying to create the idea that this is normal. Let's all give cars and huge diamonds for christmas, you have to, the TV said so! I am also onto the "Cyber Monday" scam. Please! I think they just made that up so people would run to their computers and buy, buy, buy. I am not even going to get into the appalling spectacle of people hurting each other to be the first to get to a bargain. The "Christmas Spirit" is goodwill, not greed. Well, it might be brandy. Did your parents drink those vile "Tom & Jerrys" at Christmas? The tub of batter for them would hang around in the fridge until July. I prefer the festiveness of vodka. Goes with every holiday.

My vote for the worst ad on Tv continues to go to Charmin's butt-wipin' bears. I find these to be quite vulgar. ("Vulgar" is such a great word.) I get the joke ("does a bear *%#@ in the woods?") but building a whole ad campaign around them is stupid. The most recent one shows us that charmin will not create dingleberries on your butt. This may be important for furry bears, but I do not want to think about the implications for humans. This is not a problem I have ever had, is it a guy thing? Not an issue for the public airwaves.

It's been a long week. Today one of my little friends told me he wants a human body for Christmas. That's gonna to be hard to wrap.

I need an attitude adjustment. I'm going to go watch "A Christmas Carol". Which version? I have several (it's not xmas without it) but my current favorite is the 2004 NBC special starring Kelsey Grammer. Again, it's a musical, you know how I love those!