Next to Newsletter: Next to Newsletter- Monday, February 28, 2011

If you haven't seen me around N2N quite as much as usual lately, it's not because I actually have a life outside the shop. It's because Rachel has one...debate tournaments, improv shows, oratorical competitions, plays...I'm savoring every minute of it 'cause in the fall of 2012, she'll be off at college, our nest will be empty and, oh my, what then?

Thanks to Lisa and Cheryl for covering for me. You two are the BEST!

What's on Sale?

Monday- Tuesday: 30% OFF Ladies' Pants, Shorts and Capris

Wednesday-Thursday: 30% OFF Kids' Fashions Size 7-20

and of course on Friday...

First Friday Sale

at Next to New

50% OFF STOREWIDE
Friday, March 4

10 AM to 6 PM

Half off original price

unless already priced less

Cash, credit/debit card or check only, please.
You can use your store credit but the discount won't apply.

and...

Saturday- Sunday: 30% OFF Ladies' Tops

Columns

My husband, Arthur, and I each write twice-a-month columns for The Times here in Gainesville. His deal with computing and technology issues. Mine deal with whatever strikes my fancy.

Arthur's latest was published on February 19th. Click here to read " Forward e-mail with courtesy, with the caps lock off, please"

My column, published February 18th, is about Ashley Payne, the Barrow County teacher who lost her job because of... well, you'll just have to read it. Click here.

Coupons!

N2N has a coupon basket, full of cents-off coupons for name brand products. Stop in to get some you need, leave some you don't.

Free camping!

Just in time for your spring break planning- here's a website that shows you where you can park your RV for free or almost free! Now if I only had an RV...

And while we're on the topic of spring break, if there's a road trip on the horizon, go to www.momsminivan.com. You'll find 101 car games for kids of all ages.

No Tuition Required

Do you ever miss college? Ever want to learn something that's just purely academic? Here's a way to view lectures on almost any topic, given at institutions such as Princeton, Yale and MIT.

I doubt I'll be watching any of the ones on precision cosmology or input/output-algorithms but "Internet Security- Legend or Myth?" and "Cyber Humor" from Oxford sound intriguing. So does "The Science of Happiness" from Harvard. Just click here and scroll through- there's something for everyone!

PLUS there's also www.wannalearn.com with over 350 categories of free, first-rate, family-safe online tutorials, guides and instructionally oriented Websites.

My Birthday's August 7...

I love sending e-cards. It's been a challenge to find cards that meet my criteria: cute without being flowery, funny without being crude and, of course, FREE. Well, finally, I think I've found just the site. It's www.rattlebox.com and it features a kajillion video e-cards, so there are some for just about any occasion.

Disclaimer: I liked all the ones I looked at, I feel comfortable sending my friends to this site but I DIDN'T view all kajillion of them (life's too short and I have to open the shop today) so please don't blame me if you stumble across one that's offensive- which might happen if you go to the sections marked "Insults" and "Provacative." I'm just the messenger.

NOW OPEN!

Now open in the Northlake Plaza Shopping Center- right down from N2N- is 3 Lil' Pigs Bar-B-Q. Owners Marion and Brian Cartwright (Brian's an award-winning BBQ chef) have put together a memorabilia filled restaurant that features every kind of BBQ imaginable, scrumptious sides and an extensive kid's menu- all at affordable prices.

Everyone at N2N has checked out the new menu, some of us more than once, and it's unanimous- this is great BBQ!

My favorite is the pulled chicken sandwich with slaw and a mixture of both the mild (tomato based) and spicy (vinegar-based) sauces. Swamp cabbage and chicken mull are a couple of specialties that you don't see every day and they are delicious! And then of course there's the banana pudding...

N2N shopping can work up quite an appetite so stop by and check out what the Cartwright boys are cookin'. Mmmmm, boy howdy!

On Thursday, February 25, we chose three Facebook friends at random to receive coupons good for 50% off N2N shopping sprees. This week's winners were Carrie G., Candice D., and Carolyn J-A. Congratulations, everybody!

We'll be having another drawing soon, so click here to sign up if you haven't already.

Whatcha eatin' ?

It's Meatless Monday and time to throw together a vegetarian meal that's as easy as it is delicious. Click here to get the 411 on Tortilla Casserole.

BTW

Be sure to look for the great N2N coupon (30% OFF) in the February and March editions of Gainesville's Little Coupon Book!

Wise Words

Don't ever become a pessimist... a pessimist is correct oftener than an optimist, but an optimist has more fun, and neither can stop the march of events.

~Robert A. Heinlein

Weekly this 'n' that

Remember to bring in your plastic grocery bags to recycle and register to win a $25.00 store credit.

Get a $5.00 store credit any time you bring us a new shopper. It's easy. Just bring in your friends who've never tried N2N shopping. When they check out at the register, we'll give YOU a $5.00 credit to use on your next visit.

Let's work to get the word out: friends don't let friends shop retail!

...and remember Senior Discount Day- each Monday, everyone 55 and over gets 30% off their cash purchases.

Computer Problems?

Arthur says that if you have an old computer- whether a desktop or laptop- and you have data on it that you'd like to have removed or copied, he can do that for you.

If you've recently changed computers or plan to soon, he can extract those photos and documents you may have thought were lost for good. Well, they are not lost and your computer may even be salvageable. Let him take a look at it. He can also replace a small or defective hard drive or add a second one if you've run out of storage space.

He reminds you that just as with your car, your computer requires periodic tune-ups, usually twice a year. He can clean the junk from your system, check it for viruses and malware and make it run faster. Even if you think yours is running fine, he can make it run faster. His rates are reasonable and he stands behind his work.

Call Computer House Calls at 770-540-5100 or email him at

arthur@glazerthepctech.com. Your computer will thank you.