We leave the bags in the trunk. We tend to shop at TJ's and Whole Foods and they are really good about using the bags if you bring them in.

Cashmere mentioned baggus, and I bought four, so I could make sure I always have one or two in the car. I sling them over my shoulder and fill them as I walk the store which helps limit how much I buy. Cashiers vary in their reception of it--at Bristol Farms you'd hand them your cart or basket for them to unpack, so handing them the bag is normal. Ralph's seems a bit testier about being expected to do that in general, so I just put the bag right on top of everything so it has to be handled before the first merchandise is swiped.

Still, I get asked if I want stuff put into the bag. I'm not sure what the rationale for not wanting it in there is.

I got very irritated grocery shopping today. I don't feel it's much to ask to get customer service in my first language. But I got the major brushoff from this woman who didn't care to slow down and work out that no, I'd already looked in aisle 15 for the Jason toothpaste, but the toothpaste hadn't been shelved in the normal oral care section before the incredibly confusing store redesign anyway.

It's possible I'm not handling change well these days.

I took a large canvas shopping bag to the grocery store the other day. As I was checking out, I told the cashier that I wanted most of it bagged in the bag I brought with me. When the bagger showed up, I told him the same thing, looking him right in the eye.

He started grabbing groceries and bagging them in plastic bags. I reiterated to the bagger that I wanted most of it bagged in the bag I brought with me, and started putting groceries into my bag, leaving it available for him to use, too.

Most of my groceries wound up in plastic bags.

I had half a mind to stay there and unbag the groceries into my own bag, but by that time, I just wanted to get out of there.

The current Aust govt is looking to get rid of plastic bags in supermarkets entirely by the end of the year. Reusable bags are already the norm, and very useful outside of groceries too. I even bought some learning materials at the Chinese bookstore today (my lessons aren't as useful lately, so we're going to try Wallybee teaching me directly for a while), and they've stopped using plastic bags completely. Got a reusable bag for free.

last year when I was at Ikea, getting something for work, the lady ahead of me in checkout had a million dust collector things. The cashier rang her up, gave her the receipt, and proceeded to check me out. The lady was a bit miffed, "well, aren't you going to bag those for me?" "Bags are 5¢ each, how many would you like?" "What? They are free at other places!" "Sorry, company policy. How many would you like?" "none if i have to pay for them!" and she scooped her crap into the basket and headed for the car. I thought it was an excellent deterant to too many silly bags. Of course, silly lady doesn't realize, the bags aren't free, they are just priced into all she buys. But that's another story, I suppose. All in all, I found it very entertaining.

my lessons aren't as useful lately

How is that all coming along? Have you plateaued at a "normal" place, or what? How conversant do you feel?

the bags aren't free, they are just priced into all she buys

I think that at least two of my supermarkets I get five cents back per bag I bring myself. Which I never remember to care about, but the last time I hit up Wholefoods he forgot to deduct it automatically, so I got handed a nickel for a good deed.

The times recently I've used the bag in stores that aren't a supermarket--those are some weird looks that I get. In those circumstances I don't fill up before paying, but grabbing my prescriptions or my batteries or my pantihose for my own bag shouldn't be seens as so weird.

I used to feel weird about feeding the bag product. But, the way I figure it, it's not like I can easily carry things without the bag, walking on the crutches and all. It's not shoplifting until you try to exit the store without paying, right?

Ok, I'm trying to convince myself to go low-carb. So I'm assuaging my premenstrual NEED for chocolate by melting 2.5 oz of 70% cocoa solids chocolate into 1/4 c. of ricotta cheese. It tasted pretty good. The texture was weird, but it was unusually satisfying.

You can also melt a few cubes of that chocolate and then stir in double cream and a dash of sweetener and some orange essence - utterly yum, and reasonably low-carb. Or do same, and mix with cream cheese, and pour over a layer of crushed almonds (perhaps mixed with a bit of melted butter & sweetener & cinnamon), refridgerate, and you have a VERY yummy and rich low carb chocolate cheesecake.

...actually, Andi, if you're low carbing, have you seen Linda's Low Carb Recipe site? It's awesome, imho. Lots of interesting ideas drawn from recipe books and friends and acquaintances (with appropriate citations), and she reviews each recipe and photographs the way it turned out when she did it.

Laga, what show were you talking about, with the sheriff's sister?

Fay, thanks for the link, it looks yummy.

There are a few grocery stores around here that actually give you $0.10 off for each bag you don't use. It's kind of cool.'

I reuse plastic bags as poop bags for Toto, so I figure I'm kind of recycling...

Today is the baptism. Please send drama-free~ma. My SIL's sister is being really interesting about the whole thing. I really want my brother's family to be able to have a nice day with everyone here loving and supporting them.