A Sandwich in Every Beer!
Here's a story I wrote for the Bay Guardian on how to get your daily nutritional requirements out of only free bar snacks. (in San Francisco).
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Monday, May 23, 2005
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Get 'em while they're hot!
The book is flying off the shelves!
- Amazon.com Sales Rank: #497,303 in Books
Brownnosing the Bouncer
In the book I mention offering cigarettes to the bouncer as a way to endear him to you outside the club. It's a small favor that probably won't get you in for free, but it can sometimes give you an opportunity for a three minute conversation that could change his mind.
In this blog of a New York bouncer, he mentions something else that worked for him. A patron was about to go into the club and told the bouncer that he was going to the convenience store nearby, and asked if the bouncer needed anything from there. When he returned with a Gatoraid, the bouncer let him in and all his friends for free. That's a good one.
In this blog of a New York bouncer, he mentions something else that worked for him. A patron was about to go into the club and told the bouncer that he was going to the convenience store nearby, and asked if the bouncer needed anything from there. When he returned with a Gatoraid, the bouncer let him in and all his friends for free. That's a good one.
Friday, May 20, 2005
Swag
Last night I was out drinking at a martini bar, and they were doing a promotion for Chivas Regal 18 Year. I like Scotch, so I had some (free). I'm pretty sure it was watered down like crazy, because no 18 year tastes like that. The flavor was mild and neither very peaty or smoky-the two main defining characteristics of Scotch. But even with water a Scotch should retain its flavor. I feel like I didn't actually try what they were promoting. I'll give it a second chance sometime because it was so smooth, but I'll make sure it's from a real bottle.
As a consolation gift they gave us leather passport holders. Not bad, for swag!
As a consolation gift they gave us leather passport holders. Not bad, for swag!
Freezer Burn
The SF Chronicle has an article about what foods you can and can't freeze. Everybody always tells me, "And you can freeze that lasagna and eat it all month," but I'm more the type of person that eats the lasagna every meal until it's gone. No freezing needed!
Now available
The books are now shipping, both if you ordered them from me and from online stores like Amazon.com. If you see one in a bookstore- let me know!
Note that the old cover and marketing text are still on Amazon, but the cover is the fresh one seen on this website.
Note that the old cover and marketing text are still on Amazon, but the cover is the fresh one seen on this website.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Magazines free with Salon.com subscription
When you subscribe to Salon.com Premium (being able to view the site without ads), you get a couple of magazine subscriptions for free too. The last time I checked they were giving out Yoga Journal (ack) and Wired and The New Republic's online edition and one month of Audible.com. But when I subscribed last year I received Granta and the NYT Review of Books for six months, and Wired and US News and World Report for a full year. They used to run a special where if you subscribed for $35 you could upgrade to a $50 membership and get the New Yorker for a year. The New Yorker costs $46 alone, so that one is a real bargain.
The point is, if you're thinking of subscribing to any of the above magazines or thinking of subscribing to Salon.com, hold out and keep checking back to see what they're offering.
The point is, if you're thinking of subscribing to any of the above magazines or thinking of subscribing to Salon.com, hold out and keep checking back to see what they're offering.
Consolidate
Hey people in school- you can now consolidate your student loans while you're enrolled in higher education. The rates are going to go way up soon, so the time is right. If you haven't consolidated yet, do it now!
Vegas, Baby!
About.com's Budget Travel section has an article on saving money on Las Vegas. There's nothing earth shattering there- stay off the main strip and eat at buffets- but they provide links to sites that list the cheap hotels and buffets, which could be quite useful.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Golden Oldies
Club Bitch has a great blog post up called "I've fallen and I can't get down." (Can't seem to link to it directly.) It's a list of signs you're too old to be out [at a dance club]. My favorite is:
Are you older than the head of security?
Me? Not yet, but soon. Too soon.
Are you older than the head of security?
Me? Not yet, but soon. Too soon.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Free Beer
I was out last night at a bar where they were promoting Budweiser Select. That means free beer for me. I must say, for Bud, it wasn't bad. It has more of a full flavor up front (hops, I think) like Miller or Coors, but very little aftertaste. And I think it's a light beer, though that wasn't advertised on the bottle. (All American macrobrews taste light to me.) I think given a choice between all the Millers and Buds at a bar, I'd go with the Bud Select.
So I guess their little promotion paid off.
So I guess their little promotion paid off.
The Ripoff Inside
I went to see The Universe Within in San Francisco, a museum-like exhibit of plasticized human bodies. The exhibit was in LA before SF, and everyone told me that it was great. They have bodies cut in half riding a bicycle and reading a book, an entire human cut into slices, and lots of little parts. And granted, it was pretty cool.
But I don't think we got the whole thing. On the introductory screens, the little 3 minute video tells you about the full A/V experience inside. There were no videos, nor any other visuals except the exhibits themselves, and those weren't even labeled all that well. On the way out I heard someone ask about the headsets with guided tour that you're supposed to get. The front desk person said, "Oh those aren't available yet. I can put your name on the guest list and you can come back for free when they're here." There was no mention of that otherwise.
I wondered why my friends in LA thought it was so great but I thought it was just so-so. It turns out they got more for their money than I did. And for the $17 admission, I want the full monty. Just say no to this one, people.
But I don't think we got the whole thing. On the introductory screens, the little 3 minute video tells you about the full A/V experience inside. There were no videos, nor any other visuals except the exhibits themselves, and those weren't even labeled all that well. On the way out I heard someone ask about the headsets with guided tour that you're supposed to get. The front desk person said, "Oh those aren't available yet. I can put your name on the guest list and you can come back for free when they're here." There was no mention of that otherwise.
I wondered why my friends in LA thought it was so great but I thought it was just so-so. It turns out they got more for their money than I did. And for the $17 admission, I want the full monty. Just say no to this one, people.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Free music rss feed
Below is an rss feed of free mp3's on Amazon.com (found on lifehacker):
http://funkwit.com/feed/amazon/rss/
http://funkwit.com/feed/amazon/rss/
Monday, May 09, 2005
Swiffer
I have a Swiffer Wet Jet. I'm really against disposable cleaning products like antibacterial wipes and disposable toilet brushes, but I saw this Swiffer thing used to clean a sticky beer-covered floor after a party and had to have one.
The pads that go on it are pricey, but not super outrageous if you don't have a big place and can use them again and again like I can. However, the real scam is in the liquid stuff that sprays out of it: it doesn't last long and costs three or four bucks for mostly water. They make it with a special bottle and cap so that you can't use any other brand of fluid in it. Jerks.
So here is what I did: I poked a hole in the bottom of the bottle (that faces up when its inserted in the Swiffer), stuck a funnel in it, and filled it with generic 409-style cleaner fluid from the 99-cent store. Then I just stuck a piece of duct tape over the hole to prevent evaporation.
Camper English: 1
Swiffer: 0
The pads that go on it are pricey, but not super outrageous if you don't have a big place and can use them again and again like I can. However, the real scam is in the liquid stuff that sprays out of it: it doesn't last long and costs three or four bucks for mostly water. They make it with a special bottle and cap so that you can't use any other brand of fluid in it. Jerks.
So here is what I did: I poked a hole in the bottom of the bottle (that faces up when its inserted in the Swiffer), stuck a funnel in it, and filled it with generic 409-style cleaner fluid from the 99-cent store. Then I just stuck a piece of duct tape over the hole to prevent evaporation.
Camper English: 1
Swiffer: 0
A Good Bump
BestFares.com has an article about how to get bumped from a flight, and how to get a lot of free stuff out of that.
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