Walgreens isn't connected but considering I've worked for both I say they're about the same on the evil scale. I will give Walgreens points for offering to backdate me to qualify for insurance when they found out I had cancer during a summer internship but Walmart gets points for actually having to pay me in a lawsuit…

The summer I worked there I had to throw away bags of candy that were expired because they couldn't remember the last time they had done it. I threw away over 100 branded bags of Shrek 2 Snickers and Milky Way bars. Shrek 2 came out in May 2004 and it was June 2005. The candy bar aisle is pretty much don't ask don't…

Even if you are inland, stay safe. Missouri was one of the states that was hit by Ike back in 2008 and 50 people were killed inland by what was then a Category 1 storm. The flooding can be intense and your cars might be damaged. Sewers might back up into your home. Power was off in some areas for nearly a month in the…

Well, did you hear about the hurricane in St. Louis back in 2008? As far as I know that didn't make the national news but we were hit by Ike and so was Arkansas. I'm not trying to make it a competition but it was a category 1 when it hit here and no one ever expected that. The loss of power across the Midwest from…

I love my new Nook. It's the simple touch so it's an e-ink reader and it's all swipey and touch-screeny like I wanted. The best part really is that I can't multitask on it. I can just sit down a book. If you've ever read The Book Thief and seen the illustrations in it, they still come across perfectly in the ebook.…

The real new Nook isn't color and is in e-ink. The 2nd gen is just known as Nook Simple Touch and shouldn't be confused with the Nook Color. I love my simple touch and like it better than the 1st gen just because of the minimalistic nature of it. I hated the color because it was too much like a computer.

The summer my AC died and my radio got stuck on NPR did me in. Thankfully this summer my AC works and I can listen to anything I want on the radio but my gas cap cover fell off and the handle on my passenger side snapped off. I think this summer is way better than last. I'm with you on the waiting for the car to die…

I live in MO and I haven't had one that covers it but now I'm happy to hear that some do. I always wondered how they would handle a PP visit too. I did have insurance that covered massage once, when I had cancer. I had to use it at a chiropractor's office but it was so worth it.

My husband grew up with a diabetic sister and says he quickly learned this. If I'm ever cranky around meal time he tries to carb me up until dinner is ready so I stop crabbing at him. It makes me mad but only because he's right.

You sound like you understand pie and biscuits. That's how my Southern grandma taught me. For cookies I cheat and use butter flavored shortening in some. You get the best of both worlds that way.

Musts:

YES! I have mostly given up on greek yogurt except when baking but I love to use it as sour cream. I often bake like 10 potatoes, cut them in half, scoop out the innards, mix with salt & pepper & greek yogurt, restuff my shells and freeze them. I pull one out of the freezer and bake and serve them as twice baked…

If you doubt this kind of thing can happen in Missouri's schools, read this article about other abuses in my state. [motherjones.com] Kids are being locked away and Missouri's government won't interfere because it's a "private school." Now remember that the Republic district is the one that just banned books for…

This also just happened in Missouri schools so I really don't doubt this new story: [motherjones.com]

They are in Missouri too. I had the training and they really drove that point home in a 90sriffic video produced by the state.

This was dismissed earlier today. [www.stltoday.com]

See, that's how those situations are supposed to work. The change occurs when a person starts using their emergency ride in lieu of a designated driver or any sense when drinking and makes a habit of that behavior. There's no sense of introspection at that point and the driver can get taken advantage of really fast…

I still stink after 15 minutes of exercise which means showering and that takes up more time. That's actually how I justify exercising longer. If I'm going to stink after 15 minutes, why not just do all 30 and be done with it? I do bribe myself to even do any exercise but it helps that all my rewards are ways to…

I use the Nike+ iphone app and also my wii. I do the Wii fit but you do have to push yourself to do the beneficial exercises over the fun ones. I do the Gold's Gym dance workout and I am quite pleased with how much I push myself on there. If you like classes but don't have any nearby or hate the fuss of gyms, this is…

Seconding the Nike+ app. I like Robert Ullrey's C25K podcasts and I use them as my background track while I run with Nike. The GPS is eerily accurate. I run around a small park that's circle shaped and you can see when I cross the road or switch to the shoulder if there's traffic. I also like the feature that allows…