He also may buy a hybrid to supplement the two Mercedes Benzes in his heated four-car garage. And, he's driving less these days.

When are people going to realize that buying a new car to save on gas generally does not make economic sense?

Happy Birthday Fred Pete!

I'm also probably not the best person to speak to the gambling either, because while I do, it's limited to either nickel (or penny, if available) video slots which are silly and entertaining, or as low limit blackjack as I can find, where I am more interested in the people watching and conversations than I am in the game. I never expect to win, and I set very firm limits on how much I can lose before I have to walk away.

eta: Which is not to say I don't enjoy it, just that I'm probably not your typical gambler.

So, I need a new bag. Or at least to start looking around for one. I've been browsing on ebags and feel uninspired - any suggestions?

I just bought this one from Target yesterday: [link] It was kind of an impulse purchase, but I have been needing a new purse, since my everyday purse was getting ragged.

This new one is a little deep, and I'm not used to that, but it has 3 sections, so I can separate my stuff more logically, which cancels out the problem of it being deep. (See, if a handbag is deep and has only one compartment, you have to dig and dig to find what you're looking for. But having 3 sections means that stuff can be divided up across the sections, so there may still be *some* digging, but since everything is separated more neatly, the digging should be minimized.)

(At least, this is how *my* logic [such as it is] works.)

Hot chocolate--Hershey's syrup in milk, nuke, then stir like a mofo. Delicious!

I use the powder Ghirardelli mix for cocoa. When we can't afford that, Quik.

Hershey's syrup in milk, nuke, then stir like a mofo. Delicious!

This is what I get when I order hot chocolate nearest my office, and I just don't like it. Not least of all because of the sweetness.

Does anybody else wanna take all the different hot-chocolate-creating methods, try each and every one of them, then taste them all and compare and contrast and rank them and then taste some more?

Oh, that's Very Cute!

I will look there. (I've looked at Zappos & Bluefly - it's distressing how much money people will pay for really, deeply, ugly bags.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FRED PETE!!!

It helps if you have an appreciation for the cheesy and the over-the-top and the run down. The amount of time we stayed is about my limit...although I could have done with another day in the Golden Nugget pool.

Ohhhh, yeah. I could do with more pool and hot tub time.

It's called vanilla sugar in English, but it's pretty difficult to find in supermarkets here

I make it - I don't use it that much, but it makes an awesome gift for people.

I can't digest milk that well, so I don't have hot cocoa that often. However, I do have Ghirardelli, Scharffenberger, and Mexican-style mixes, since I apparently believe in overkill. Mexican-style is my favorite when I do have it. Spicy chocolate, nomnomnom.

Oh, that's Very Cute!

I will look there. (I've looked at Zappos & Bluefly - it's distressing how much money people will pay for really, deeply, ugly bags.)

That's why I tend to buy bags at Target -- because, much like my effect on my shoes, I'm really hard on handbags, and they get beaten up and wear out too often for me to justify paying more than $30 for them. (As a matter of fact, I hesitated over spending $28 on the one I just bought, because I know it's in for a tough life with me.)