Oh, let's not forget how the names of our most favorite games have changed...the Fiesta Bowl, as example. What's next? Maybe, the Cheetos Bowl? Give me a break. It will NEVER be Invesco Field...always Mile High Stadium. Corporate sponsorship irritates me far more often than it impresses me. I would never purchase a product because of advertisers but I have written many a letter to corporate CEOs telling them of my boycott of their products because of content the corporation chose to put their name behind. Violence is my signature pet peeve. If I happen to catch an advertisement for any product that remotely is connected to youth being aired during violent programming the CEO is sure to receive a a little note from me. Another example is BudTV. When that venue was first announced I heard a Budweiser rep say that there would be "soft porn" available on the site. I was furious! While an alcoholic beverage Budweiser's advertising has always been tasteful & includes some of our family's favorite commercials featuring the clydesdale mascots. Never had I seen the Budweiser name associated with anything I would be ashamed to have my children witness. I was so furious I wrote a scathing letter to Bud alerting them that I was watching that BudTV site & the first time I saw anything inappropriate appear...their products would be banned from our home! There are far too many choices available for beer to have a single penny of my dollar go to supporting porn. Well, I wasn't the only American to complain & the website has never generated the income Bud was anticipating & the content is lousy. Basically, it's been a bust for Budweiser & I'm glad to see it as a loser to the corporation. Now, that Bud is no longer American owned...rarely does a Bud show up in our fridge! It's another of our protests. I once considered purchasing stock in QVC so I went searching for the parent company...turned out to be Liberty Media. In researching Liberty I learned that they aired programming high on my list of inappropriate content. I had to dig deep into the company's financials because Libery also operates some good programming. But, buried in all of the sub-corporations are business decisions that I don't support (including Murdoch who I detest). So, I wrote a letter to Liberty's CEO & explained to them why I'd decided not to purchase their stock. I received a respectful reply expressing surprise that I'd dug deep enough to find that programming! Geesh. /tricia

I do like the Twins/Olympic ad! In a way however, the powerful REAL "Human drama" in that story is a little "lessened" in a way because it's for only a "beer". Can't put my finger on exactly WHY, but there's a slight disconnect for ME anyway. This the original 9/11-Clydesdale ad. Aired only once on TV. When the music changes & the team starts to kneel....oh my... Faron Here is a link that might be useful: 9/11 Clydesdales...

Wonderful ideas - thank you! Love the Man Shed... maybe I can move James and his tv out to a Man Treehouse or a Man Shed? lol. Once he took his coke and pretzels and went and sat in his car when I had the girls over. No one knew where he went. He's a good boy :) It was terribly pathetic to see him sitting there all alone, but very loving :) He's not a sports fan, thankfully and there is already a fridge down there - we're more than halfway there :) I agree about lamps and fuzzy rugs. The fabric is a great idea - I wonder if I can drape it at the ceiling to create a softer ceiling than just floor joists and tons of pipes, wires, ducts etc. Luckily all the walls are either drywalled (not well, but it's something) or concrete bricks. you guys are the best - thanks for all your help!

This is fun, Red. THanks for starting the conversation. 1. Do you always buy new furniture for your home? (When I can find what I want, but I often can't. I'm in a small town with only a few furniture stores, and most of their stuff is either the wrong style or cheaply made and sold at ridiculous prices. My LR couch, LR chairs, DR set, DH's collapsing DIY-from-Target dresser, and kids' bunk bed were new: pretty much everything else is used.) 2. Do you Ever order furniture online? (Yes, but I've been burned. An Overstock chair described as aniline leather was actually bicast, and looks like vinyl. A Crate and Barrel chair needs constant tightening to keep the frame sturdy. I am especially wary of Ebay stuff, though I know other people have had good experiences...) 3. Do you Ever shop for used furniture through Ebay, Craigslist, The newspaper classifieds, Estate and garage sales? (Yes to all but Ebay. I agree with previous posters that if you don't get up with the birds, it's not worth the bother. And I have definitely gone on some wild goose chases. But I've also had some real luck with the classifieds and Craigslist, also our local Habitat Restore.) 4. A. In your area, Do you have good garage & estate sales? (No -- they're an exception.) B. Good things attractively priced on Craigslist? (Feast or famine. Enough terrific MCM stuff of late to make Flyleft jealous. (: But not always.) C. Nice things available through classified ads or thrifty nickel papers? (Haven't pursued these in a while, thanks to Craiglist. I'm spoiled now: I want to see a pic with the listing!) 5. Do you see other's estate sale finds or CL purchases and wish you could find stuff like that or have the courage and time to look for used? (Yes: I never have enough time. That, and I'm unwilling to get up and out early on the weekends.) 6. Does worry over not being able to return things purchased used or not being able to do layaway or credit deter you from looking in those areas? (No, not really.) 7. Are you uncomfortable buying used or antique? Do you worry about 'other people's stuff' or negotiating prices? (Not at all, esp after your wise words about dealing with cat dander, Red. In fact, I just scored a great upholstered chair at the Restore yesterday!) 8. Has this board and it's great stories/photos/threads inspired you to take the leap and look at used stuff, try Craigslist for the first time, or bid at Ebay for furniture or decor? (No, I was already into it. I do get good reminders here. I'm wary of my Ebay karma, so while I applaud lucky buyers who've posted here, I'll never go that route.) 9. Have you ever bought something at retail that you felt 'stuck with' because of the amount you spent? (Yes, my heinous, oversized, cheap-looking Flexsteel couch. It wasn't one of the floor models; we found it in the store's Flexsteel catalogue, and I persuaded DH it would be OK. Was I ever wrong. I hate the damn thing more each time I look at it. I am thinking of entirely remaking the back and side cushions to make it more bearable. Plus it's too big for the room, and makes rearranging furniture really hard. I will never buy another couch without giving it the tush test, and will measure many, many more times.) 10. If you've Mostly bought furniture and decorative items at retail stores, what antique or used venue would you most like to try right now? (I wish we had a really good antiques mall here, with more furniture and art.) 11. How much time does it usually take YOU to find what you want.... A. At a local or national retailer? (We don't have many of them here: a few weeks, but I usually don't find what I want.) B. Through Craigslist ad? (I don't really time these finds, because they're so random. I've been looking for a nice bed for several years: just found a solid-wood classic-lined bed from NC for $150, so my patience paid off!) C. Through Classified listing? (using these infrequently of late) D. Garage or Estate sales? (like Craigslist, these are chancy. I'd say I stumble across a good one a few times a year.) All in all, the more I read here and at the Furniture Forum, the more interested I am in used furniture. I like the hunt and the creativity involved in remaking it; it's in my price range; and I think it's a better value than today's laminated frames and polyfill cushions. I'm about to embark on my first experience with reupholstering an old chair. Wish me luck!