Junk Alert!

There it was on the back page of the local paper, the entire back page: A full page ad for “Antiques Buying Roadshow.”

Not to be mistaken for the PBS TV show of almost the same name: “Antiques Roadshow.”

As always, the devil is in the details, or in this case, the clever insert of the word “Buying” between Antiques and Roadshow.

So before you lug out what you think are your oldies but goodies take a good hard look at what they're looking for: dolls and toys, perfume and lipstick items, vintage clothing, etc. Does that sound like your grandma's 17^th century rocker?

I doubt it. Reads more like a garage sale gone amok. The “buyers” will be around here for two days at a local hotel and I'm sure they'll get some folks expecting to hit it big. I won't be one of them.

When I mentioned this venture to my son he warned me not to give away any items he might want. He does have first dibs of a few of our possessions but none of them are worth much. In fact, his biggest potential prize is a “wonder knife” we received as a wedding present 59 years ago.

We still have it, still use it and he ain't getting it until we're done.

So beware the advertiser's sting. It's in the fine print.

Waiting For Fun (ours) and Profit (theirs)

I went shopping with my wife this afternoon. That is she shopped. I drove and when we arrived at our destination, I found a comfortable chair and read the paper while she tried on clothes.

I don't mind this kind of shopping because it gives me time to sit quietly and catch up on the news, the columns and anything else that strikes my fancy that day. When waiting is expected it's important to have reading material with you. Sometimes I'll take a book. Today it was The Times.

After a while my wife came to my chair and modeled the garment she chose. This is when my role becomes: “The Approver.” I'm pretty good at it.

If I like what she's picked out I'll tell her. If I don't like it, it's a bit trickier, but I tell her as diplomatically as possible. No hard feelings necessary. Thing is, over the years she has come to trust my judgment.

This was a good day in that I finished the entire paper. Not that I read every word. I never do. I read what I like and usually find enough stuff each day to make the subscription worthwhile.

And since my wife found what she was looking for, it was a successful venture for all.

Subscribe to Unsubscribe

Like most people I get a lot of emails from places and people I never heard of and don't particularly care to hear from. Some of them give you the opportunity to “unsubscribe” to their offerings.

Problem is you have to “subscribe” to them to unsubscribe. I don't buy this. These sites got my email address from somewhere and since they are soliciting me to that address they should know what it is without me having to enter it again.

If I did, who knows where it would end up.

I was warned once that by “unsubscribing” you are, in effect, giving your email address to a third or maybe even a fourth party, or more. Which is why I usually don't subscribe to unsubscribe.

But once in a while I'll get an unwanted email and I'll click on their unsubscribe message. And once in a while it works without having to give my email address all over again. Mostly not.

If anyone knows how to permanently rid oneself of unwanted email solicitations I would subscribe to the advice.

Unhappy Meals

I was going to goof on Texas prison officials who have cut back inmates to two meals a day on weekends in some prisons. But reading further into the story there doesn't seem to be too much of a controversy.

Sure, some inmate families and prisoners rights advocates think the cutbacks are harsh. The state is in the red (literally and figuratively) and this is supposed to help cut $2.8 million from the budget of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Good luck with that.

Then I thought maybe Gov. Rick Perry came up with this idea to starve prisoners to death rather than execute them. But that would take too long. And it wouldn't look good on his resume.

Maybe they should charge the prisoners for their meals rather than feed them at taxpayer expense. Prisoners can buy snacks from the commissary but their families have to send them money for that.

This issue of feeding prison inmates three meals a day surely will work its way into the courts. I hope the judges have the stomach for it.

Bon apetit.