A cop-out?

I know I've fallen behind on my duties to provide incisive commentary to you, dear readers, on the issues of the day facing beautiful Howard County, Maryland. And though I'd like to admit to being sorry about this, I'm not really. It's all about priorities. Well, really it's about food, shelter, and the other necessities of life that gainful employment makes possible for me, and blogging simply does not. I promise I'll catch up eventually, but not this weekend, as I'm headed over the river (Potomac) and through the woods (um...) to the Grandparents' house. Next week, however, I'm all yours, except for all the other stuff I've got to do. I'm not losing faith and neither should you. Enjoy life away from the computer for a while. I hear it's nice.

Before I head south to the land of pleasant (colonial) living, Williamsburg, VA, I'd like to direct your attention to this article in today's Sun. If you live in King's Contrivance, as I do (that's a hint if you don't know who I really am), you probably hate the Safeway as much as me. Interestingly, I visited this woeful establishment a couple of weeks ago on my way home from somewhere needing only milk. I'm not particularly picky about milk, especially when I go to this Safeway. Much to my chagrin, the store was out of EVERY FREAKING VARIETY OF MILK. No whole. No 2 percent. No 1 percent. No skim. No lactose-free. No soy. NOTHING--well, they did have a pint of buttermilk. Incensed, I left the store and wrote a letter to Safeway and Kimco, owners of the village center. I would include the letter here, but it is not really appropriate for a family blog such as this. Needless to say, despite my stern warning to not bother writing me back with meaningless corporate platitudes--thank-you-for-writing BS--I got the following letter back from Safeway.

Thank you for your recent correspondence regarding the unpleasant experience you had at your local Safeway. We are sorry to hear that we are not meeting your expectations.

You stated that the store was out of stock of milk and other items. We apologize for the inconvenience caused. Please provide us with the names of specific products that you were unable to locate and we will work hard to correct the problem.

We also sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you have encountered due to the customer service provided to you by our employees. Safeway continually strives for the highest quality customer service.

Your feedback is valuable and will be forwarded to the Store Manager for further review. Please be assured that your concerns will be addressed.

I would prefer a vacant building to what is there now. Actually, I think I said the same thing to them in my letter.

Kimco didn't even bother writing back. Oh well.

I'm leaving the county in your hands for the weekend. Just make sure it's in bed by midnight.