Every year Lisle has a summer read program where you read a certain number of books (4 for adults) and get a prize, each year a different one.  You log in your books read and each book earns you a point; you can review the books if desired. There are also categories for kids and teens.  Today marked the Summer Read Kick-off Party.  The past two years it’s been primarily kid-oriented 🙁  but today they had a grilled cheese truck (yummie).  There were lots more kids but spread out all over.

Don’t know why they haven’t posted the picture, since it’s been all over the news already.  But when did the White House get into the Deal of the Day business?  Leave that to Amazon and Best Buy, please.  Although buying this coin might be a good idea to keep as a collectible for a summit that is very unlikely to happen.

Before you use any of the Rubbermaid coupons that appeared in the SmartSource coupon inserts this past Sunday and the Sunday before, better read all of the fine print. There’s a curious new restriction, unlike any that most shoppers have seen before – “Coupon not redeemable at Dollar General, Dollar Tree, and Family Dollar”.

Discriminating against dollar stores – is that fair? Turns out there are questions about whether it’s even legal.  To read the entire article from Coupons in the News, click here.

I have four bags of samples of all sorts of things – great, especially since tomorrow is the dump ’cause it’s too expensive to ship day.  Most years there’s a trend in food that everyone is looking at, but didn’t see anything boffo-worthy this year.  There is more vegan/vegetarian foods and more prominently displayed.  Years ago they were relegated to the lower levels where the space was cheaper.  Now you’ll find Impossible Burgers an aisle over from Beyond Meat.  I really wanted to try the Impossible Burger ’cause I’d heard such a good buzz, but others there said they were lousy (FirstBorn said they tasted like old farts, although how he’d know that is one for the ages); I took one home all wrapped to try later.  Beyond Meat is still my favorite, especially since they were sampling their latest, brats!  And yes, they were very, very good.  I’ve made chili with their beefy crumbles and FirstBorn was forced to look in the driveway garbage cans to PROVE it wasn’t really meat.

Disappointed in Coke this year, like I said yesterday.  Maybe things aren’t going so well for them that they have to substitute crummy paper cups for the holographic ones they’ve been known for for year.  You be the judge.  Pepsico, on the other hand, was smokin’!

Red Bull keeps everyone hopping!  This is the Impossible Burger display.  Sorry, Charlie…don’t feel the love.

Let’s hope tomorrow brings large quantities of teas, spices and maybe even smoked salmon.  I got a dozen bagels so I’m ready, although I’m seriously just grateful for anything I to get.

Welcome to the friendly confines of McCormick Place, where $23 gets you a parking spot within jogging distance of the entrance, although nowhere near the hall where you have to go. Absurd that they always seem to close off the closer parking lots. Here you see hordes of visitors with their mandatory yellow Sterno totes.

Always, always, always there’s Coke.  Every year they have a different holographic cup for each day.  I have about five years’ worth…which I never use, but just save.

FirstBorn took this picture of octopuses; odd, because he hates seafood.

Shiny Buddha is selling plates and bowls.  Put him next to a glass-cleaning stand!

Palazzolo always has a truck dispensing frozen yogurt, gelato and sorbetto – – their raspberry ghost pepper sorbetto is outstanding – – wonder if they got rid of the truck to make me think they weren’t attending this year (thus keeping more stock).  Didn’t work, guys!

A little someplace closer to home (Berwyn) – Turano Bakery every year has a huge display where they bring in fresh bread daily and freely hand it out.  They also have a bakery, to add to your sins 🙂

And finally, an artifact that few under the age of 20 would recognize…remember when Superman in the first movie had to use a revolving door to change ’cause there weren’t any phone booths?  Now we don’t even have public phones!

When even Tmobile describes it as “Scam Likely,” you know you’re in for a good laugh.  Here’s the voicemail (it’s a computer-generated voice and hard to understand):

“”T-Mobile IRS.  We have just received a notification regarding your tax filings from the headquarters which will get expired in the next 24 working hours.  And once again expired after that you will be taken under custody by the local cops as there are four serious allegations pressed on your name at this moment.  We would request you to get back to us so that we can discuss this case before taking any legal action against you.  The number to reach us is 253-235-1551.  I repeat 253-235-1551.  Thank you.”

In 2017, Volkswagen made 6.8 million currywursts. Surprised? Me too. Who knew that one of the world’s leading car makers has a major side hustle selling spicy sausages?

Volkswagen has been making the sausages for more than 45 years at the company’s flagship plant in Wolfsburg, Germany. While the currywurst is offered in the cafeterias of many European Volkswagen plants, it’s also sold in grocery stores (under the brand Volkswagen Originalteil, or “original parts”), and sometimes gifted to new Volkswagen owners at car dealerships.  For more of the article, click here.

If you’ve noticed the last upgrade on Target kinda messed up a lot of things (when I’d scan for a price I’d immediately get sent to Cartwheel) and miss those days of limitless prints, here’s a story in Coupons in the News.  Frankly, I don’t think Target wants customers, but that’s my  personal opinion…

It may have been a while since you last visited Target’s printable coupon page. To some shoppers, the page lost its appeal after Target retired its printable store coupons, and the printable coupon selection became a duplicate of the offers available on Coupons.com.

But don’t go looking for printable coupons of any kind on Target’s website now. The retailer has quietly pulled the plug on its printable coupon page altogether.  Read the entire article here.

Yes, seems like only yesterday – a yesterday when I could fit into size four jeans – but still.  Many years later and I miss the child I could terrify by pretending to be dead.  Stick with the classics, I always say.