Friday, August 22, 2008

F-R-E-E that spells Free

Sorry, you've probably got that dumb song in your head after reading my title.

Today was the day of free.

First, my son got his replacement Thomas the Tank Engine train because the original was reported to have lead paint, and... he got an extra train free as a gift from them. It was Toby if you are into that stuff.

Next, a friend of mine told me that you can get a coupon online for a free item at an Associated Foods store. This week is cookies. So we stopped in to get our free cookies and... pick up discount tickets for Hogle Zoo. Okay, the discount isn't really free, but those cookies were baby, and we didn't have to pay for the discount vouchers.

Then, when we were buying our tickets at Hogle Zoo, we found out that we only needed one to get the dollar discount for all three of us. I turned to the lady behind us and said, you need a dollar off? and... of course she needed a dollar off. I gave her our extra vouchers, for free mind you, and she got eight bucks off her entrance fee.

Next, we got to listen to my friends band play, for free (if you don't count that we had to pay to get in the zoo. That's right, he was playing at the zoo.) Associated Foods was doing prizes and drawings and such. We didn't really try to get in on that, but... you guessed it, the prizes were free.

Then, we went to dinner. We hit one of our favorite restaurants, Olive Garden. Now I know what you're thinking, you didn't get anything for free, ya baby we did. I had gone out to the car to grab something (some of the duties of parenting really aren't very good material for blog posts, that is unless you are aiming to gross people out) so anyway. When I got back, everyone was looking through their change. Then my wife asked me if I had either a quarter from 1984 or a California quarter. I had a quarter in my pocket, which is unusual and... it was like Virginia or something, lame! Apparently, whoever had one such quarter could get a free appetizer, or antipasta as we like to say in Olive Garden speak. Well, no one had either of those types of quarters. Is it any surprise? California? Come on! Then all of the sudden, the service manager calls out, "Okay, lets see, the first person to give me a Costco membership card gets the prize." I was only a step away from him, I stepped quickly towards him and poked/tapped him on the shoulder saying "I've got one." But others were rushing towards him as well, he said, "No, no, I've got to have it in my hand, the first to put it in my hand." Now, this is where the male has the definite advantage. The women rushing towards him had to dig in their purse for whatever they keep their cards in, then dig in that. I, however, have a wallet in my pocket. Like lighting my had was in my pocket, into my wallet, grabbing the back card in the top slot (wouldn't it have been disastrous if it was not in it's place?) Second advantage, height. By this time, the rush toward the service manager had caused him to step back and raise his hands somewhat into the air. I slapped the card down into his open palm. I was the first to reach him and tap him on the shoulder, it was only fair that I win. So hold on to your chair... we had a three choice appetizer, an 8.95 value, stuffed mushrooms, fried mozzarella, and baked ravioli, for... let me hear you say it,

FREE!

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