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just plain sara: November 2009

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!

























I can't believe I got something in my mailbox besides bills. Better yet, it was a package from Joe Sinnott with memos from him and Stan Lee with photos that he had Stan sign for me of Joe & I at Superhero Weekend!

If you don't know what Stan is referring to, Joe signed me while I was dressed as Sue Storm, a character they co-created back in the ol' days. See my video on an earlier post.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Miss Tina is Ready to Take Over the World!

Beyonce and her mom are poised to take over the world one industry at a time. Now that Beyonce has conquered the worlds of music, Hollywood and high-street fashion via House of Dereon, now Miss Tina has set her sights on monopolizing the over 40's fashion market. Available exclusively through HSN, here is what the shopping work has to say about the "designer"...

"Innovative design and cutting-edge styling have established Tina Knowles as one of America’s premier fashion designers.

Worn by Destiny’s Child and daughters BeyoncĂ©, Solange and Kelly Rowland, her designs have figure-flattering flair and amazing attention to detail.

The new, exclusive Miss Tina collection is a blend of great fashion, contemporary styling, and the perfect accessories – all with a touch of couture."

Visit www.misstina.com to browse through some of her clothes online. Also, the video below shows Tina Knowles giving one of her target customers a makeover. What do you think?

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Comic Shop Tour - Pittsburgh


I ventured out on an exploration yesterday in an attempt to get acclimated to my new city of Pittsburgh. On Wednesday I had already paid a visit to the comic shop closest to my new place, Time Tunnel comics, and it was a nice shop overall but not warm & fuzzy with friendliness until I got to the counter to actually pay for something. So this weekend, the tour was expanded to another four shops in the downtown area. There was a virus-like plague amongst these comic shops where I wasn't even greeted with a "Hello, can I help you find something?" except for one shop. That shop was the Phantom of the Attic in Oakland. All the shops were clean and seemed to be organized but you have learn the different methods of organizing in each shop. Figuring out where the one-week old comics were was not necessarily intuitive. I like a purely alphabetical filing system but it seems most of these like to divide by DC, Marvel, then "other" and then by title. PotA had the best shelving system utilizing custom cabinetry for their comics and all the supplies instead of just white cardboard boxes. The displays were creative kiosks which are updated regularly with themes for sales or based on a subject that's hot. The entire staff was friendly and outgoing to boot which made the biggest difference. I don't mind white boxes and little mess if you're going to help me find something; ignoring new shoppers looking to spend their cash is no way to win them over. In my past few years in retail, I'd like to think I treated everyone with courtesy even though there was one snooty old broad who copped an attitude; one in three years isn't so bad.

Here's a bit of confusion: there are 2 shops with that name Phantom of the Attic because they used to be under the same ownership. When the shops split up, neither was forced to change names so there's another in a sad mall where more than half the shops are vacant.

An interesting bit of trivia - all but one shop had female employees and they were cute though only PotA had one outgoing and friendly. So I do not want to hear that there are no cute girls in comic shops. Where do you people shop? Plenty of girls out there who are into comics, work in comic/gaming shops, and are really cute. Get out of your damn house and go to a shop.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Michelle Obama is Honored by Glamour

December's issue of Glamour will honor 12 women as "Woman of the Year." Popular icons that have overcome serious challenges or given back to society are recognized by the fashion magazine. Among the winners are Maya Angelou, Rihanna, Serena Williams, Susan Rice and, of course, Michelle Obama.

The First Lady is interviewed by guest writer Katie Couric, and she gives this great advice to women still looking for love...

"Cute's good. But cute only lasts for so long. Then it's 'Who are you as a person?' Don't look at the bankbook or the title. Look at the heart. Look at the soul. When you're dating a man, you should always feel good."

You can see her full answer in the video snippet below, taken from the full interview.


Watch CBS News Videos Online