Politics: Stores becoming the new police?

http://consumerist.com/consumer/unlawful-detention/walmart-tries-to-steal-shoppers-baby-298694.php

That is the worst "security check" by a store I've heard of.

As I read these kinds of articles, I've come up with some ideas on "combating" stores that check receipts.

1. Chew the receipt as soon as the clerk hands it to you.  Not enough to make it illegible, but enough to make it so no one else wants to touch it.  This is kind of like licking the last piece of pizza.

2. Bring some packing tape and immediately laminate your receipt.  Hey, so they can't write on it, so what?  Any rules against that?

3. Um, tear it into a few pieces?  Enough that you could tape it back together if you need it.

4. STICKY GLUE on the back of the receipt!  Evil, hidden pre-revenge!  When done, fold the receipt back to back so you don't glue yourself.

5. Note what color marker is being used on the way in, and create a little Rembrandt with your receipt on the way out.

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Family: Daughterisms on swimming

The Daughter just loves to swim - although, don't most kids?  Some friends and neighbors of ours have lent our daughter the innertube-swimsuit that their youngest used to use.  It's an older style that looks like a tiny innnertube actually sewn into a child's swimsuit.  We've tried those modern ones that look more like a surfer's suit, but frankly they suck:  If they're too large, they ride up on the child.  With this one, it's difficult for it to actually be too large.

Currently the Daughter is fascinated with "swimming like Ariel" - specifically, swimming with me holding her (not in the tube), jumping out of the water as we move along (imagine a dolphin jumping through the air), and singing Ariel's trademark tune.  When she's not doing that, she's grabbing my nose and "stealing it" (still!) or pretending she's a crocodile.  Jumping from the side of the pool has kind of chilled out a little bit, but she's really INTO having me toss her into the air as far as possible.  It's good exercise for me, but having to catch her just before she hits the water so that she doesn't go under isn't the best thing for the back.

For the first time (this Wednesday) she actively wanted to go underwater, so I held her as she plugged her nose (that is, *whole face*) up and dunked her for a split second.  She grows up so quickly.

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Microsoft Word Sucks, part 8000

As if MS Word didn't suck enough, Microsoft went and changed all sorts of little details that makes it that much worse. I submit for the moment the self-indulgent MS Office logo that has now replaced the "File" menu:

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