I've just lived through one of the most frustrating weeks of my life. It felt like I spent the entire seven days doing just one thing – waiting. I hate waiting. I waited for phone calls that never came, for mail that didn't arrive, and for a repairman who never showed. I waited in the doctor's office and the post office and the coffee shop. I waited in a checkout line so long I finally had to give up and go back to work without my0 lunch. On the job, it seemed every assignment I tackled could not be completed without waiting for someone else to do his part first, which, of course, he (or she) never did. I sent polite e-mail reminders, and waited some more. I made phone calls and was put on hold. Several times I waited till the phone grew permanently attached to my ear, only to be told he'd call me back. But he didn't. ...more

February 15, 2009

Despite the dour predictions by economic forecasters, Black Friday wasn't doom and gloom for businesses this holiday season. ...more

December 10, 2008

Nichole Addessi and her boyfriend, Jesse Blankenbiller of Riverview, were at the Westfield Brandon mall by 5 a.m. today with their eyes on two items. "I know it's selfish, but we're shopping for ourselves," Addessi said as the couple stood in a long checkout line at Sears. "We got this great five-piece luggage set at JCPenney for $40, and now we're buying this DVD home theater system for $150." This is their first Black Friday shopping spree as a couple. ...more

November 28, 2008

Lotto sales in the state may have hit a record despite tougher economic times, but sales here are down. ...more

September 1, 2008

Where's the old Court TV when we need it? The 76-year-old "French Fry Grandma" is scheduled to go on trial in Pinellas County Court July 10 in a legal donnybrook that gets saltier by the week. ...more

July 7, 2008

Steve Flaig's long search for his birth mother ended at an incredible place: the checkout line of the home-improvement store where he works. ...more

December 23, 2007

What's your best holiday moment, and which memory do you wish you could forget? ...more

November 15, 2007