short takes

[cellio]

My car suffers from a seasonal disorder. I suppose a 14-year-old car is allowed to have senior moments, but it's still inconvenient. In cold weather, the hatch will not stay up under its own power. This made unloading groceries last night challenging. This is definitely about cold and not snow. I don't know what causes it; it's been happening for a few years. Maybe I should rig some sort of prop to use in the garage; Marion used a broom to hold up the door of her minivan when it had a similar problem.

My copy of "Divine Intervention" on CD just shipped. Yay! This is a high-quality filk album, by Julia Ecklar, that was released on cassette more than 15 years ago, but is only now coming out on CD, remastered and everything. I'm looking forward to hearing it.

I need a copy of a soon-to-be-released DVD (for a gift), and the release date is only a few days before I'll need it. I don't want to rely on a mail-order place to get it to me in time, especially in December. Is there some place in Pittsburgh where I can count on getting it, ideally by pre-ordering and then picking it up on the release day? I am unschooled in the ways of shopping for current hot items. :-)

Tomorrow night is the company party. One of my co-workers is taking advanced Hebrew classes, and she knows my husband is an Israeli, so she asked if he would be there and said she's always looking for people she can converse with. I wonder if I should warn him. :-) (He was fluent at one time, but hasn't used it regularly since childhood.)

Tonight: last night of Chanukah. The fully-loaded chanukiah (aka menorah) lends a very nice, warm glow to the dining room when the rest of the lights are out. This year I am using the chanukiah that was a gift from my parents several years ago. (We have several -- I owned two and then we got two as wedding presents -- so I've been informally rotating.)

Comments

comments on your post

[lefkowitzga.livejournal.com]

I would call the Barnes and Noble at the Waterfront and ask them how reliable a pre-order is likely to be. They've been very helpful to me in the past, but I don't know about ordering with a deadline.

Thanks for the info on your Hanukkiot, I knew you had one, but not 4! Judaica is a great gift and it is always good to know what your friends have.

BTW, I have URLs on two really fantastic Judaica shops in New Orleans. Really pretty stuff more creative than I've seen here. I'll have to get them to you.

[jerusha.livejournal.com]

wrt car: My (late, lamented) station wagon did that. I always interpreted it as the cold causing contraction of whatever is in the hydraulic cylinders that hold the tailgate up in more clement weather, reducing the cylinder pressure below that necessary to keep it from hitting me in the head.

wrt pre-order: I'm not sure if they take pre-orders, but I had moderate luck with Best Buy's buy on line but pick up in store system. Be warned: for newest, hottest releases, their system may not be accurate wrt how many copies are in stock. I'm not sure if ordering before the release date will help that or not. And it takes 24 hrs from when you place the order (if it was in stock - again, no clue for pre-orders) to get confirmation that it's ready for pickup (or news that it's not in stock). On the other hand, I called their customer help line and they helped me find another local store (they're all *over* the place out here in Chicagoland) that did have it in stock - another 24h for that order to process and for them to pull the item, and I walked into the store, showed them ID and the charge card, and walked out with item.

[indigodove.livejournal.com]

A blessed holiday to you...though it'll be over when you see this

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

The gas cylinders that hold up the hatchback are usually relatively easy to replace. Not sure what they cost; haven't ever had to buy 'em.

[tsjafo.livejournal.com]

Happy Chanukah!

Re: comments on your post

[cellio]

Thanks for the B&N suggestion. I'll give them a call and see what they can tell me. Either that or Best Buy (thanks jerusha); we have a Best Buy card that we have to spend anyway.

BTW, I have URLs on two really fantastic Judaica shops in New Orleans. Really pretty stuff more creative than I've seen here. I'll have to get them to you.

I'd be interested in seeing these.

[cellio]

Thanks for the suggestion! We have one Best Buy near here; I'll see what they can tell me about pre-orders.