Dunkin Donuts is Now on My List

This morning, I was in such a mood for a latte that I skipped my usual bowl of cereal and stopped by the local Dunkin' Donuts (located on Merrick and Farmers, for anyone familiar with Queens). After standing on the ridiculously long line (which was moving surprisingly fast) I picked up my latte and a bagel.

I really didn't pay close attention to the specific prices....from past experience, I know the bagel is $1 and the drink is around 2+ bucks, so a total of $3 and change isn't completely off. However, when I look at my receipt, I notice that I'm not just being charged $1 for the bagel, but also was charged 25 cents for butter. You heard me right, not cream cheese or some other fancy spread, but for a simple pat of butter....which begs the question: WHO THE HELL CHARGES TO PUT BUTTER ON A BAGEL?! It's not like I asked for extra butter or a slab of butter on the side. And 25 cents? Seriously, butter is not hard to come by and it's relatively inexpensive.

What are they going to think of next? Why not charge seperately for the sugar and milk they put in the coffee? "Okay sir, that will be $1.50 for the coffee...oh you want milk and sugar too...might as well splurge, I suppose.....well, then that's $2, sir. Cash or credit?" Insane.

I see no reasoning behind a 25 cent charge, and until I get a better answer than a shrug of the shoulders by an employee "just following store policy", Dunkin' Donuts is on My List....right up there with The Gap and Old Navy until they get their child labor allegations cleared up. I never shopped at the Banana Republic, anyway.

Is it Just Me?

Since I don't have cable, I am restricted to the 3 or 4 (depending on the time of day) channels that I can pick up with my antennae. I'm not a big TV fan these days due to the "reality-based" garbage that now passes for entertainment, but I'll usually tune into a few decent shows. After my 11pm Family Guy fix (and during the commercials), I tune into Law & Order. I swear this has to be the best ridiculous show ever! (Take it easy Law & Order fans...I'm on your side.)

Let me explain: I've been watching all of the different versions of this show for a few years, and it's actually one of my favorite shows. The only thing I find ridiculous is the way the show ends. IT ENDS THE SAME WAY 99.9% OF THE TIME! The guilty party confesses.

Now, I'm no legal expert (and, that's another story for another day) but I'm just not buying 2 detectives getting all these confessions from circumstantial evidence EVERY SINGLE TIME. I dunno. Maybe I'm expecting too much from a 1 hour show. I get that it's not a full length movie and that the show is more about the "how" and "why" than "who", but would it kill them to mix it up a little?

Speaking of movies, do they make any under 5 hours long anymore? I mean, am I the only one who doesn't want to take a leave of absence just to watch a damn movie?!