#PresidentsDay #Milkshakes #FrenchFries #Democracy + @vudufans @LegionFX

My Nostalgia Milkshake Maker is scheduled to arrive today. (Brown needs to get a move on it.) I'm planning to knock out work today, so that pup and I can party this afternoon for the Presidents' Day holiday (officially observed as Washington’s Birthday). We're making milkshakes and Cheerwine floats! (I recently discovered this recipe and figured this was a good excuse to try it out, because I have Cheerwine on hand, of course.)

In the spirit of the day, we're planning to watch the expected wall-to-wall news coverage of all the Presidents' Day protests and counter-protests in regards to the current presidential administration. We may have French fries, too --- though termed "French," this common side dish is all American, and thus perfect for such a patriotic holiday.

I'm also planning to watch Suicide Squad --- I borrowed the Blu-ray --- and the pilot episodes for some new television series, like Legion and Mad Dogs, that I downloaded via Vudu. (I use free pilot episodes to determine which programs to start watching, if any. And Vudu tends to offer the "first episode free" for most debuting television programs.) Our afternoon party should provide for a nice respite, before getting back to the grind tomorrow.

#Nostalgia 2-Speed #Milkshake Maker Kmart Score #MyBar #Carnival Concessions Stand #IceCream Parlor #SYWR #SavvyShopper

This is so cool! Yesterday, I scored a Nostalgia 2-Speed Milkshake Maker machine from crazy Kmart for $0.35 OOP (out of pocket). It will be perfect for the concessions stand in my "Carnival - Circus - Fair - Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor - Old Timey Soda Shop - Old Picture Show Cinema - Novelties" themed basement barroom come home theater entertainment center. (That's a mouthful!)

How I Did It: I won 10,000 Surprise Points or $10.00 (off a $20.00 minimum purchase) in Kmart's Billion Point Giveaway Super Bowl LI promotion. I got another $2.00 SYWR Points for downloading and installing the Fount app, a Sears Holding Corp (SHC) outlet, and registering for an account using a special SYWR promo code. And then over the last week or so, I also won a further $9.53 SYWR Points total via various SYWR sweepstakes (including some "Spin to Win" ones via the Win It! app, another SHC outlet). Altogether, this gave me $21.53 SYWR Points available to spend at Kmart.

After a rough week, I needed a fun pick-me-up, so I searched Kmart's website for small kitchen appliances in the $20.00-$25.00 range (the "what could I get for nearly free" price range based upon the SYWR points available in my account) and my eyes fell upon a spindle milkshake blender almost immediately. The regular price is listed as $29.99, but I caught it during Kmart's Home Goods savings event, so it's on sale for $21.86. After my SYWR Points discount, this price was decreased to $0.33 plus $0.02 tax for a grand total of $0.35. I also get it shipped to me for free ($6.29 shipping fee savings) due to my SYWMax trial.

Nostalgia 2-Speed Milkshake Maker via Kmart.com

Just like DJ Khaled says, "All I do is win!" (Yesterday, at least. And I needed a bit of that.) I love, love, love ice cream in all of its incarnations, so I am a certified milkshake fiend. The shipment should arrive by Monday the 20th. I'll probably commence making old fashioned milkshakes approximately two minutes after it gets here. I've got my colored straws ready and my milkshake glassware standing by.

For now, however, we'll have to see what today holds...

The "Irony" of Iron-Deficiency #Anemia: #Pagophagia #H2O

Due to a hereditary condition which causes my body to process iron poorly, I suffer from iron-deficiency anemia. When I work very diligently to get appropriate amounts of iron, I succeed in only being borderline anemic; however, the moment I let my guard down forgetting for one moment to regularly eat iron-rich foods (my body responds better if the iron comes to it naturally via ingested food sources, but upon occasion, when I'm deeply anemic, I'm forced to take iron supplements, generally as an oral tablet) the red rage of anemia returns, bringing with it the near uncontrollable urge to crunch ice.

Many people like to eat ice, but some, like me, are given to cravings so intense that nothing else counteracts them. I desperately want ice; Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall --- regardless of whether it's 99 degrees or 22 degrees outside. Rather like addiction I assume, including all the adverse side affects. (See pagophagia.) But, of course, as is often the way with such things, constantly eating ice can leech nutrients out of a person's system though humans require water in order to live and our bodies are full of it. (See irony.) In other words, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. I suffer from iron deficiency anemia, therefore I crave ice, eating it by compunction. I eat a great deal of ice which, in turn, exacerbates my anemia. Round and round, we go.

Another danger of compulsory ice crunching is that it can be very damaging to one's teeth. The bigger the cubes and harder the ice, the more likely one will crack a tooth or something similar. I work to manage my pagophagia by distraction, I try to keep crunchy snacks at hand which approximate the feel of crunching on ice. It's not a perfect solution, but does help. Seemingly, I cannot stop myself from craving to crunch on ice and so I have decided to better manage it by making the practice safer (for my teeth at least).

I've been researching ice machines which allow one to make smaller cubes or even crushed ice. I plan to purchase one, once I find the features which I desire at the best price. Hopefully, I can score a deal soon. As a bonus, it will be a great addition to my home bar. I've setup one of those price tracker alerts for a Portable/Countertop Icemaker Machine that makes bite sized ice cubes. (I could spring for one of those commercial numbers like they have in motels, but the ability to make tons of ice easily might serve to encourage my habit.)

New #Football #Batman #BarGlassware! #SYWR #Deals #StorePickup #Guarantee #Kmart #BadCustomerService

After Christmas, being that I was on holiday, I played a few games, entered a contest or two, and caught up on the telly. (I am the epitome of a time-shifting viewer, with the exception of news and sports, I seldom watch anything at the time it first airs.) One of the fun things I like to do in my spare time is to enter Shop Your Way Rewards Instant Win Sweepstakes, because these contests give one a chance to win random amounts of rewards points. Catching a Doorbusters period on a specific sweeps is even sweeter because points are earned merely for entering.

I can usually earn several bucks worth of rewards points per week just by fooling around. Add to this any surprise points I'm awarded and any relevant coupons I load to my account, and I can easily end up with a free $5-$10 worth of points available to use on a near weekly basis when time permits. Combine all this with free shipping on items $10+ as a perk of an ever-renewing Shop Your Way Max trial or free store pickup for items under $10, and it becomes very obvious that I get a LOT of free merchandise from Sears and Kmart. (And I'm not the only one, if the various freebie and deal sites are in any measure accurate.)

It's no wonder Sears Holding Corp (SHC) has been flirting with bankruptcy for years, it gives away far too much money value! Don't get me wrong, I love free stuff as much as the next guy and I've surfed the freerider wave along with all the other deal hunters. But you'd have to be obtuse to not recognize that giving away multiple times the amount you take in is not a sound business practice. I'd crudely estimate that I've gotten at least one free $5-$10 item (and often greater value ones depending on sales and promotions) from Sears and/or Kmart every other week for the last two to three years without even trying too hard. (Think of the deal hounds that actually work at it.)

Just a guess, but based upon my own personal experiences, SHC probably gives away at least $15 for every $1 it earns. You can't sustain that sort of loss and expect to be a profitable business. But I'm not a company executive, I'm a consumer who likes deals. So while I shake my head, it's not my fault if the company is being run by idiots. The fact that SHC also outsources most of its customer service operations to a call center that seems perpetually staffed with incompetent fools further complicates matters. When your hallmark is atrociously bad customer service, eventually your (presumed) customer base starts rooting for your demise.

Libbey Football Tumbler, 4-pc set

DC Comics Batman Tumbler, 2-pc set

Meanwhile the fire sale is quite fantastic! My latest SYWR scores are some nifty themed glassware sets, a 4-pc Libbey Football Tumbler ($7.99 on sale) and a 2-pc DC Comics Batman Tumbler ($11.39 on sale). I got the football set totally free (excepting the time and gas required for store pickup) using $7.99 worth of points. Then because the local Kmart store pickup was an abysmal nightmare --- as always --- and Sears/Kmart have a guarantee that you'll get your order in 5 minutes or less, most of those points were refunded, by which time I'd earned some additional points, and so was able to order the more expensive DC Comics set for free, too. And as this second set cost >$10, it was also shipped to me for free.

Both sets will make fun additions to my home bar. I've previously mentioned that my "basement entertainment complex" is being developed around a carnival/fair/circus theme, so novelty glassware is just the ticket! Besides, it's a family bar room, so there'll be as many EANABs available as there will be alcoholic beverages, perhaps more depending on the event. Watching the upcoming Super Bowl is gonna rock while sipping soda or beer out of the football tumblers. And Mardi Gras? POW! BLAM! Batman!

A Free One Year Supply of #Cheerwine? Land sakes! #Soda #Rewards #FanClub

Did it. Yes, yes, y'all. FINALLY!

Cheerwine logo

After having saved for nearly nine months, on yesterday I hit the threshold of points needed to cashout for the top reward available in the Cheerwine Authentic Soda Society catalog.

Give me the precious. It's mine!

With a rebel yell and a fist pump of triumph, I redeemed all the points I'd banked since last April for a free one year supply of Cheerwine (in the form of twenty-four coupons for a free 12-pack of Cheerwine). Holy Cow!

Hmm... Does one drink two 12-packs of soda per month on average? While I could easily guzzle it all by myself, don't worry, I plan to share the bounty with my family and friends. I mean, that's a lot of soda. I certainly wouldn't try to redeem all the coupons at once. But it will be nice to get some free Cheerwine whenever I need a fix. Besides, I do entertain a bit here and there, so this will make for great storeroom stock at my home bar. I've got plans to hatch.

What does one do with a free one year supply of Cheerwine? No idea, but I intend to find out. (I'm certain my "twin" will render assistance. He is such a helpful fella.) Yeah, I'm grinning as I type this. Mwhahaha! Happy Holidays to me!

P.S. I did lust after the "Set of Four Vintage Cheerwine Glasses + One Free 12-pack Coupon" reward and almost pulled the trigger on it, because I really want a set of those glasses for my home bar. But due to the fact that one could earn only ~20 points per month, it would be impossible to claim more than one upper tier reward this first year. So I decided to keep saving for the highest value reward. Alas! Perhaps Cheerwine will repeat the program next year. Hint. Hint. If so, I can opt for the vintage glasses set at that time. Fingers crossed.

#Live Tonight: @DrinkCheerwine #LegendaryGiveback #CharityConcert w/ #AvettBros

I LOVE music and a good live show is second to none. But unfortunately, in order to attend most live shows one has to go out in public, and well, the public is there. I'm not a big fan of large gatherings. If unavoidable, I deal with them. However, given the opportunity to party at home with a chosen few friends, I'll generally stay at home far from the madding crowds. I make no apologies for being a notorious homebody.

Luckily, the advent of live streaming technology has made it possible for me to "go out" whenever I want, while staying in. Take tonight, for instance, I plan to "attend" a live charity concert without leaving the comfort of my home. I'll have the best seat in the house and I won't have to worry about drunken revelers spilling beer, fights breaking out, or concessions running thin on vegetarian options.

I can simply access the concert live stream and then cast it to the display of choice --- in this case, my 60" Vizio SmartTV HDTV with a multichannel soundbar. It's a fairly simple thing to do with my home theater setup. It doesn't matter if there's only a general web feed of an event, instead of a native media broadcasting app at play, because all the TVs/displays in my home are internet connected SmartTVs. Content (once acquired by my media server) is pretty much shareable across my entire home network. Did I mention that I'm a tech geek?

THE CONCERT BEGINS AT 8:00PM EST.

This evening, I'm "attending" The Legendary Giveback Charity Concert featuring the Avett Brothers and supporting a good cause. It happens to be sponsored by Cheerwine. As a result, Tastemakers (aka Cheerwine Authentic Soda Society fan club members) who helped promote the event could qualify to receive discounted tickets to the actual show or get a link to stream it live online. One guess as to which option I chose (especially considering the venue is far away).

Yep. I've got a web link queued in my media server. I have good food to prepare, Cheerwine in the fridge and cold beer on tap in my Draftmark system. All my somewhat rowdy friends are coming over to party with me. All I need to do now is press play....

Do the Moscow Mule

TWINE by True Fabrications

Over several months, I've encountered a number of articles that discuss how the Moscow Mule is enjoying a surge in popularity and how many of the folks who order this drink in various bars and restaurants are in turn "walking out" of said establishments still clutching the copper mugs in which the beverage is typically served. 

Of course, I started lusting after a copper mug of my very own — give me the precious — but I wasn’t about to swipe one from my neighborhood bar. Well, on Friday the postman delivered this sweet pair of hand-hammered copper mugs that I’d ordered. Can you say reward? I felt like dancing. The mugs came with a Moscow Mule recipe card included in the box. These things are really beautiful. 

These burnished copper mugs will look amazing hanging over my bar. And I’d be happy to mix up a Moscow Mule or two for any guests, provided the mug stays put. Not that I don't trust my houseguests, of course.

NOTICE: This post is a reblog from (the now defunct) castlemodern.tumblr.com. It was originally published 28-Feb-2016. Post may be edited or updated from its original text. 
[CM started on Tumblr, but moved to this more robust platform. Old posts are being ported to the new site, one by one.]