I’m headed to the Aquarium with my family this week for $25.00!
It would normally cost us about $75 to buy 1 adult and two child General Admission tickets and pay for parking (Adult General Admission Tickets are $26.00 and kids are $19.50)
I wrote about this deal last week but have gotten so many follow up questions and requests for information, I’m adding to it and letting you know about more deals as well!!
The Mommy and Me promotion drastically cuts the price: For $25.00, one parent and four children age five and under can visit the aquarium. The special deal also includes parking.
The promotion is not listed under the ticket page of the Gaaquarium.org but visitors can order tickets at this link:www.gaaquarium.org/acb/stores.
Aquarium Spokesman Scott Higley said the Aquarium circulated news of the deal on Facebook and Twitter as a way of rewarding it’s social media subscribers.
The Aquarium has more ways to get free admission coming up!
New this year is Pirate Days on September 24th through the 26th. Kids who come dressed as a pirate get in free with a paying adult. That deal is available for kids age 12 and under.
Halloween weekend parents who pay their own admission can bring up to two children for free as long as the kids are in costume.
You can also visit the aquarium free on your birthday, whether you bring a paid for person or not.V
olunteering is also a way to get discounted or free admission. Those who sign up for the Aquarium’s volunteer program pay a one time fee of $60.00 and receive a t-shirt, training class and a one year membership. As they accrue volunteer hours, volunteers receive free tickets and memberships for friends and family.
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On Sunday April 18th, participating Target stores are giving away FREE reusable shopping bags. A purchase may be required. (How about a pack of gum?)
Scotia Salon in Roswell is having a Cut-A-Thon Sunday April 18th from 12 to 5 pm to benefit the Foster Care Support Foundation. Wet haircuts are $10.00. Scotia is located at 1055 Canton Street, Suite 120, Roswell, GA 30075. (770) 645-0811
Oxxo Dry Cleaners in Buckhead will offer a 60 percent off coupon on Scoutmob.com this week. The store is located at 3165 Peachtree Road, Suite C, Atlanta, GA 30305 (404) 660-0023
Other Scoutmob deals this week:
Monday: 50% off Luckie Food Lounge (Downtown) -
Tuesday: 50% off Fuze Burger (Midtown)
Wednesday: 50% off Tavern 99 (Buckhead
Thursday: 60% off OXXO Cleaners (Buckhead)
Friday: 50% off The Village Jerk (East Atlanta)
Global Freight Liquidations in Norcross has a new shipment from a local warehouse club store. The stock includes baby items and clothing. Global Freight Liquidations has changed the pricing on its clothing: men’s and women’s clothing that retails for $50 or less is all priced at $6.95, kids’ clothing is $4.95.
Thursday, April 22nd is Earth Day. Customers who bring a container from their current facial care products will receive a full size facial cleanser FREE at participating Origins counters in local department stores. For details go to Origins Facebook page.
April 17-24th is National Park Week. and entrance fees are being waived in National Parks across the U.S. In metro Atlanta the Chattahoochee National Recreation area is normally $3.00 but it is free this week.
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Target Stores are kicking off Earth week with a free reusable shopping bag. The bags will be available in stores Sunday, April 18th while supplies last. Some stores may require a purchase. There will be other Earth Day events at participating Target stores as well.
Evos Restaurants in Atlanta are serving FREE organic milkshakes in biodegradable cups on Earth Day. The restaurant specializes in fresh, healthy food and has 3 metro Atlanta locations including one at the Prado Shopping Center.
Participating Pottery Barn Kids have Earth Day activities for kids at 11 am and 3pm Tuesday. The festivities include a free giveaway item kids can plant while supplies last. 
The Salvation Army is giving away gift cards: Donate some gently used clothing or household items by May 31st and receive a $10.00 gift card to use at Van Heusen, Izod or Bass retail stores. For dropoff locations go to satruck.org
On Saturday April 17th and Sunday April 18th the Boy Scouts of America Adventure Base 100 will be at Piedmont Park. Kids can try out a ropes course and other scouting activities.
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Having avoided crime reporting like the plague throughout my reporting career, I had never been inside the Atlanta Police Department’s Property Control Unit until Thursday. It is a warehouse ( in an undisclosed location) packed with televisions, computers, clothing, cell phones, tools and thousands of other items that have been stolen or are being held as evidence in pending court cases. There were even a few ATM’s!
Some of the items are later claimed by their rightful owners but thousands of others are auctioned off on propertyroom.com, a website started by a former police officer in 1999. The site, which is based in California, features items from thousands of law enforcement agencies across the U.S.
Propertyroom.com is similar to EBay but the payment system is different. Those who bid must register a credit card number first and the high bidder’s credit card is automatically billed. The website keeps a portion of the proceeds and returns the rest to the law enforcement agency.
Browsing through the site, I saw some pretty amazing deals on jewelry in particular as well as electronics and tools. But I also felt a little bad; I mean, most of this stuff was stolen from people who, for whatever reason, never got it back. It reminds me of the old “it fell of a truck” type of sale we used to see before internet sales became popular. Still, buying on propertyroom.com is perfectly legal; a judge has to approve each sale. And Lt. Van Hobbs, who oversees the unit, tells me Georgia law prohibits donating evidence items to charity (like the thousands of kids’ bikes stolen each year.)
The stolen property is sold at auction only after it has been in the property unit for 90 days and all attempts to contact the rightful owner have been exhausted, including a public notice in a local newspaper.
Each listing on propertyroom.com indicates the condition of the item. Some fine jewelry pieces even have appraisals. Sales are final in most cases.
Hobbs said if a crime victim spots their own stolen property on propertyroom.com and can prove it, it will be returned to them. The website also has a section where people can register the serial numbers of their computer, television and other household items. That way if their items are stolen and later end up on propertyroom.com the company will match up the serial numbers and return them to the original owner.
I wonder if many of the crime victims whose property is on the site got their insurance money and moved on?
Anyway, buying stolen property is legal and can be a bargain. (Buyer beware obviously) It is a bit icky, perhaps, but I’m tempted to browse and check it out. Before the story airs at 11pm.
What do you think?
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Whew!
It’s my “Friday night” since my days off are Monday and Tuesday after anchoring 11Alive Weekend Morning News at 9am.
I made it home by around 2 this afternoon (GOOD day), then researched the grocery sales, played with the boys and headed out for some shopping by 4.
At CVS I took advantage of the Cover Girl Makeup Sale to try out the Cover Girl/Olay foundation which is normally $12.00-$16.00 but was down to $6.00 after coupons and Extra CAre Bucks. It was a hassle. The cash register didn’t want to accept my Buy One Get One Free Coupons from the February Proctor and Gamble Sunday Coupon Insert (BOGO). Still, it worked out with a little patience on my part. I’ve heard it is the best selling foundation in the country right now, so we’ll see how I like it.
Viewers a few weeks ago gave me a hard time on the the Morning News Live chat when they could see I was drinking not my usual Diet Coke, but Pepsi Max. When it goes on sale.. what can I say? I bought 4 12 packs today at Rite aid for $10.00. That’s $2.50 instead of the $4.00 Diet Cokes at most stores right now. Diet Coke is my favorite but I’d rather save a few bucks! The Max also has extra caffeine, I hear.
My friend and co-worker Kathy started raising chickens and when “The Ladies” are laying, she brings eggs to work! This is fabulous! The first week they eggs were $1.00 a dozen due to being a little small; now they are up to $1.50. For FARM FRESH eggs! They can cost $4.00 in some stores!
Our family had already started having omelettes or frittata every once in a while beacuse its quick and easy, you can pack it with healthy vegetables, it’s inexpensive and healthy. Eggs are an inexpensive protein and if you’re concerned about cholesterol you can eliminate one or more yolks.
Here’s a recipe from my email inbox from BJ’s Wholesale Warehouse. I have never shopped there through I’ve heard they accept coupons (always a plus!)
I have had memberships at some of the other clubs in the past and for me personally,they were best for Bulk Spices, Olive Oil, Artichoke Hearts, Olives, Fresh Salmon and sometimes, kid’s pajamas and sleepers. Most don’t accept coupons.
Angel Hair Frittata – Recipe courtesy of BJ’s Wholesale Club
A solid brunch item – or for brinner (breakfast for dinner)
Serves 4 at $1.72 per serving
4 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 small Zucchini, sliced
1 Tomato, seeded and chopped
1 Green Onion, diced
4 cloves Garlic, finely minced
2 Tablespoons Black Olives
½ tsp. McCormick® Basil Leaves, crumbled
4 Eggs
Salt and Black Pepper
½ cup Grated Romano Cheese
6 oz. Angel Hair Pasta, cooked al dente
1. Heat 2 Tbsp. of oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté fresh
vegetables and garlic until tender, about 3 minutes. 2. Stir in olives and
dried herbs. Set aside to cool. 3. Preheat broiler. Beat eggs and cheese in
large bowl. Stir in vegetables and pasta and season with salt and pepper.
4. Heat remaining oil in large oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Pour
egg mixture into pan and spread with spatula until veggies and pasta
are evenly distributed. 5. Cook until eggs are set and golden-brown on
bottom. 6. Immediately place skillet under broiler. Cook until top is set
and golden-brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully remove pan from oven.
7. Loosen edges with butter spreader. Carefully invert pan over large
plate and slide frittata out. 8. Cut into 4 wedges and serve immediately.
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It’s four days till Ted Hall and I depart for Vancouver.
And right now is the worst part.
(”Worst part” is, of course, strictly comparative; even the worst part is still a heckuva lot of fun …)
I have had the privilege to travel quite a bit for my job, and the most stressful time isn’t the travel itself — it’s the prelude to the travel. It’s making sure you have all the necessary equipment, all your bases covered at home, and all your collective ducks in a row before your bags are packed and there’s no turning back.
And that’s usually for a 2-3 day trip to another state; this is for three weeks in another country.
It all gives a somewhat uneasy feel to these next few days. For the past few weeks, even though the trip has been drawing near, I have been so jam-packed with work that I honestly haven’t had much time to think about it. Now it’s time to focus and prepare — I’m Santa-like in my making of lists and checking them twice, and I have already marked roughly 20 different errands I need to run before Wednesday.
But amidst the housekeeping, there’s also extraordinary excitement.
There’s the anticipation of all the great stories I’ll get to cover; there’s the desire to explore the Vancouver area, which so many folks have told me is absolutely beautiful; and, of course, there’s the exhilaration of knowing we’ll be right in the center of the extravaganza that is the Olympics.
There’s also a certain non-work assignment that I am looking forward to fulfill: the request submitted by friends, family, and co-workers to “pick me up something from the Olympics”. A few days ago, one of my co-workers cornered me in a dark crevice of the newsroom and took out his wallet; as I stood there perplexed, he started thumbing through his cash and finally snared a $20 from the pack. He then gave it to me and said the following:
“This is for pins.”
Pins?
“Yes, Olympic pins. I want as many as this will buy.”
I will do my best.
And of course, I am looking forward to keeping everyone informed throughout the Games. Ted Hall and I each have Twitter accounts (@tedhallnews & @MattPearlWXIA11), and we’ll be blogging all month long. It should be terrific.
In the meantime, Santa’s gotta get back to his lists …
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These tweets are from when I was covering the Silver Comet Trail trial. They’re in reverse time order. If you want to follow me on Twitter, click here. I’ll post more tweets a little later in the day, too.
***
Michael ledford will go to crime scene, since it’s part of his trial. Will not be on trail w/ jury. Defense said he’ll stay in car.
about 1 hour ago
School bus is waiting to take jurors to crime scene after lunch break. Defense atty tells me he really wants to do closing arguements today
about 1 hour ago
Jury going home to get shoes, etc. For trip to comet trail. Back in court at 11:35.
10 minutes ago
Trip to crime scene will show where body was found, were items (clothing, etc.) were found, where trail meets nearby dirt road.
21 minutes ago
Media pool camera will go to scene with court & jury with limited access (50 to 100 feet from jury- will not show jurrors).
24 minutes ago
Judge: Jury WILL go to scene of silver comet trail murder.sheriff’s dept. Getting site ready right now. Removing memorial for jury’s trip.
30 minutes ago
1991 rape victim testifies for state in silver comet trail murder case. ‘he grabbed me and lead me into the woods’ she says of Ledford.
35 minutes ago
Lawyers conferencing with judge on request to take jury to site of silver comet trail murder where 53 yr. Old jennifer ewing was killed.
about 1 hour ago
Silver comet murder trail: judge ‘mulling over’ state’s request to take jury to crime scene. DNA expert on stand now.
about 1 hour ago
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Over the past year, popular social networking sites Twitter and Facebook have both undergone changes. Twitter increased their security and made the site a little more user-friendly in terms of finding things, and even now they’re working on improving their search feature. Facebook is in the throes of an extremely unpopular change to users’ pages — their “what are my friends doing” pages, not their profile pages — after taking a major hit a few months back when they simply shifted stuff around without really changing the functionality.
The point of a website, when you get right down to it, is to provide compelling content so advertisers’ ads show up on the page and people (maybe) click on them*. Facebook has very non-intrusive ads on their site, and Twitter doesn’t have any (at the moment).
Now, I’m a power internet user — as most of my colleagues at 11Alive will attest. Instead of going to Facebook.com and Twitter.com whenever I want to know what’s going on with my friends, I go instead to my RSS application, Google Reader, and open a folder that has all of my friends’ status updates in both Twitter and Facebook.
At least, it used to. But in a single day, both Twitter and Facebook have made changes to their sites that prevent me from doing it this way. From a business standpoint, this makes perfect sense — now I actually have to go to Facebook’s site or Twitter’s site to see what’s going on.
Or do I?
Facebook and Twitter both make a big deal out of the fact that they’re great for people on the go — you can update your status and upload your pictures from your mobile phone with relative ease. I do it all the time. And, unlike their on-the-internet counterparts, the Facebook Mobile App and the TwitterFon app for iPhone have not changed their interfaces at all since I downloaded them.
So instead of going to Facebook.com, I’ll hit the little blue-and-white “F” on my phone to see what’s going on on Facebook. Instead of going to Twitter.com, I’ll hit the little blue-and-white “t” on my phone to read and reply to my friends’ tweets**. I won’t see any Facebook ads, and as for TwitterFon… well, that’s free to begin with, but it’s such a useful app to me that I’d probably pay the programmer 99 cents if he started charging.
There are a lot of ways to consume web content — going to sites, reading or watching video on your phone, aggregating everything into an RSS reader (my preferred method). But no matter what, companies should never do anything that makes their web-based consumers go somewhere where ads can’t be seen. Facebook? Twitter? You just pulled that off marvelously.
* Don’t lie. You know you’ve clicked on a few ads this month. We all do it.
** A “tweet” is a status message on Twitter, like “Josh is posting a blog on 11AliveBlogs.com”.
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