M and L Fabrics - Originally Published 2010

Animated Meat has harped on the point that in the future, no one will read.  I hate to have a dystopian view of days that have not arrived, but let’s be real about things.  While we’re being real about things, it’s also plain to see that in the future no one will know how to make anything.  Our children will just be a bunch of non-reading lumps that don’t know how to create.

The goal was to gather up enough material to make a couple stuffed animals.  Why?  Because as this website probably indicates, we don’t all go nuts the same way.

Right at the front of the store there is the discount section.  Any fabric here goes for a dollar a yard.  That goes a long way in stuffed animal world.

There are some naysayers who would argue that crafting and sewing are not manly pursuits.  To those that say ‘nay’, I submit for your evaluation these bold prints.  If sewing were not the stomping ground of manly men, then why would they produce fabric covered in manly men?  Still say ‘nay’?  I think not.

M & L Fabrics is huge and has the mixings for any budget.  They seem to have it all so if you plan on stitching in order to save the future, it’s the place to be.

Richie the Cat before and after.  Like a sentinel, he proudly stands as humanity’s last hope.

Phat Collectibles - Originally Published 2010

Back in the 1940’s, a man needed a place where he could be a man.  Somewhere he could loosen his tie and order himself a glass of JTS Brown neat.  Maybe he could look through the pages of Wink Magazine or lay a double sawbuck on the number three horse to show at the Aqueduct.  It was a different time when being a man meant you ate your meat bloody as hell and you shaved with a straight razor.

While times have changed, a man still needs a place where he can wander in and stand without judgment.  Phat Collectibles is just the store for the modern man.  A guy can go in here and ask a question like, “You got a Gollum action figure for sale?  No, not the Peter Jackson one.  I’m looking for the one from the Ralph Bakshi version.”

While I’m not much of a collector, from my uneducated standpoint, I noticed a few things that Phat Collectibles needs to be commended for.  First, the store is huge and well stocked.  Whether your pleasure is a full-sized Ewok, some comics, or an action figure, this is your place.

Second, the prices seem to be on the low side.  Collectibles have been a runaway market the last few years.  However, Phat Collectibles’ prices are reasonable.

Finally, there is zero attitude here. The owners stay away from that comic book store intellectual stereotype.

Reptile Island - Originally Published 2010

I have a few reoccurring dreams.  In one of them, I’ve wandered into a pet store.  As I move through the store, I realize that the animals are able to get out of their cages.  For some reason, the cages are not only filled with unusual reptiles and fish, they are also overstocked so it’s advantageous for the little critters to find their way out.  Needless to say, being in a pet store of runaway creatures is a little distressing.

Thankfully, the same guy doesn’t manage Reptile Island in Stanton.  This is a clean, well-organized shop with all types of reptiles and amphibians.  While I’m not a Herpetologist, I would say that the animals looked pretty content on their hot rocks.  As far as variety, they seem to have it all here; turtles, snakes, lizards, and frogs.  For those seeking the unique, they also have some albinos. 

Hi Times Wine Cellars - Originally Published 2010

Adventuring is a double-edged sword.  You see, after seeing the outrageous, it becomes the normal.  It’s a little like being the key grip on Tod Browning’s “Freaks”.  Over time, one gets used to seeing the Human Torso rolling and lighting his own cigarette. 

With that being said, after reading an ad in the OC Weekly, I took a ride down to Hi Time Wine Cellars.  I’m game for something new.  As I write this, I am still reeling from the sights my eyes saw.

 Take a look here.  This is the passageway down to the wine cellar.  I’m serious.  This place actually keeps wine below ground level.  Why?  I don’t know.  Ask someone who understands the nature of wine.  But it sure knocked my socks off.

 Take a look at this.  This is the row of gin.  Not the shelf, or the section.  The row. 

 Most incredible are these two pictures here.  This is the beer section of the store.  You know where it is?  Inside the beer cooler.  Yes, you read that correctly.  There are at least three isles of beer that exist inside their own cooler.

Bookman - Originally Published 2010

The longer I live, the more I realize that HG Wells was right about everything.  Case in point: the Eloi.  You don’t know who they are?  That’s because you don’t read.  Here’s a little background.  In “The Time Machine” there’s a group of people descended from humans.  They lack curiosity and have developed into an alliterate group.

Face it.  That’s us in another twenty years.  Our children will have no curiosity and will be fatten and eaten by the Morlocks.  But don’t distress.  That’s still a ways off.  In the meantime, head over to Bookman in Orange and try to divert the course of history.  Bookman is a great used/new bookstore.  They have a great selection and a knowledgeable staff.  I cling to this place much like Ishmael clung to Queequeg’s coffin.