The cartalk.com TIME KILL WEEKLY Special Urgent Mall Avoidance Edition ______________________________________________ Killing Time, Unencumbered by the Work Process ______________________________________________ Maury Maille, Editor
What's new at Car Talk Plaza? We're still receiving distressing reports from around the country of perilously overcrowded malls and hot, stuffy shopping places. This disturbs us greatly. We hate to think of any of our beloved Car Talk listeners being jostled amid a sea of wild-eyed holiday shoppers. So--purely in the interests of public service (what? you don't believe me??)---we've ordered our lackeys to work overtime, filling our Car Talk Shameless Commerce Division with a plethora of junk for the moderately, well-loved ones in your family. You can shop from home, in your Calvins, right up to December 23, at http://www.shamelesscommerce.com/ So, in case you still need a gift for Uncle Theodore, we've got: ***Car Talk CDs, including our brand-new CD, Maternal Combustion: Calls about Moms and Cars, car tunes CDs, mom and dad CD gift packs, and our other Best of Car Talk CDs. ***Official Car Talk clothing, including two versions of our popular lackey T-shirt (featuring our fictional staff), Car Talk caps, scarves, mufflers (not the automotive variety), and plenty more. ***Car Talk Literature. (Oxymoron noted.) You'll find our collection of puzzlers, A Haircut in Horsetown, In Our Humble Opinion, and our collection of money and hassle-saving booklets. And, when you're done with the in-laws, we've also got stuff for people you really DO love. Our Shameless Commerce Division now includes CDs and books from the *good* shows, like "Fresh Air," "All Things Considered" and actually talented people, like David Sedaris and Will Shortz. Check it all out, in the Public Radio Collection at http://www.shamelesscommerce.com/ Car Talk Disclaimer: A portion of the proceeds will be spent by the Magliozzis on cheap cigars and cappuccino during late night poker games here in Harvard Square. Of that much, you can rest assured. You can order as late as Thursday at noon EST, for next-day delivery on the 24th. Or you can order today-- and not cut it so damn close! Maury Maille Direction, Shopper Protection Program Car Talk Plaza P.S. Here's this week's Lame Joke Of The Week, courtesy of "sleroux": An old man goes to the Wizard to ask him if he can remove a curse he has been living with for the last 40 years. The Wizard says, "Maybe, but you will have to tell me THE EXACT WORDS that were used to put the curse on you." Without hesitation, the old man says, "I now pronounce you man and wife." ******************* USEFUL INFORMATION ALERT: Tired of paying auto club dues to an outfit that lobbies against environmental causes? Check out Better World Club. They're an auto club with genuinely decent values-- unlike some others we could name... whose initials happen to be AAA. Better World Club cares about... *Your environmental interests--they give 1% of their revenue to environmental clean up and advocacy. *Your consumer interests--they even have discounts on hybrid rental cars. *And, they have the nation's only bicycle roadside assistance program. Dump your AAA membership and join Better World! If you join via the Car Talk web site, they'll even give you an extra month's membership. Check them out now at http://www.cartalk.com ******************** Got more time to kill? This past weekend's new, lousy Car Talk show is now on the web site, at http://www.cartalk.com/Radio/Show/ ******************** Miss the puzzler? Losing sleep over it? Add your e-mail to our Car Talk Puzzler Psychic Friends Network and we'll personally hand deliver Ray's new puzzler to your inbox every Monday. http://www.cartalk.com/ct/maillist.jsp?puzzler_list=subscribe#psychic ******************* Embarrassed by having e-mails from Car Talk in your inbox? Can't say that we blame you. Unsubscribe any time, via http://www.cartalk.com/ct/maillist.jsp?mailing_list=subscribe
