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Expiration Dates on Food, Another Internet Experiment, and Blue Shirts

April 8, 2010 By Jeff 77 Comments

I’ve done a lot of things in my life, and this update is one of them.  Just thought you’d want to know.

This morning I was getting some shirts ready for shipment, and decided to do an inventory.  A few weeks ago someone ordered one, and I had to refund their money because I was out of their size.  So, I’ve been meaning to get a handle on it…

And here’s what I have:

Retro
XL (2), 2X (2)

Miscommunication
L (4), XL (5), 2X (11)

Evil Twin blue/gray
lots of every size except 3X (0)

So, there you go.  I still have quite a few shirts, and will be dragging the “distribution center” to the basement again on Saturday, because Toney’s cousin will be staying with us on Monday night.

I believe the Evil Twin design is the best one we’ve done, and the others are pretty cool as well.  And isn’t it high time for some fresh shirt-action for spring?  I believe it is.  Here’s your link.

I can’t guarantee you’ll look as cute as Melissa (our unofficial model) while wearing one, but anything’s possible.  Within reason…  So, order away, peeps!  Lessen my weekend load, won’t you?

And I hesitate to talk about this too early in the process, but I’m proud of it and don’t want to wait until it’s “perfect.”  The site is still very much a work in process (WIP), but you’ll get the general idea.  I’m going to feature all our Further Evidence links there, along with other foolishness I find on the internet.

The little descriptions will hopefully add to the experience, and we’ll see how it goes.  The reason I’m proud of it is because I solved a coding problem today, with no outside help.  I was smiling like a retard at a taffy pull.

Another cool thing?  I just came up with the idea a couple days ago, and it’s on the internet today.  I’m looking at it as an outgrowth of the Surf Report, if you know what I mean, and will attempt to maintain it myself.  But nothing’s cast in stone…

I’m running a freaking shuttle bus today, and need to pick up the older Secret (again) in about thirty minutes.  I can’t focus…

To follow-up on yesterday’s discussion about public service announcements, do any of my fellow West Virginians remember TV commercials warning kids not to pick up blasting caps?  The things are used in mining, and were apparently littered across the landscape during the 1970s (who the hell knows?).  And from what I understand, they can flat-out ruin your week.

Was that just a WV thing?  Or were blasting caps a problem everywhere in those days?

I’m going to leave you now with a Question.  I’d like to know your attitude toward expiration dates on food.  Are you a slave to the date, and believe that the moment the clocks strikes twelve the food goes bad?  I know a couple of people like that…

Me?  I don’t even pay attention to the date, unless something tastes a little off.  Then I check.  And I figure they’ve built a little wiggle-room into it, and don’t take the date literally.

What about you?  What’s your stance on expiration dates?  Tell us about it in the comments.

Also, if you have any stories to tell about spoiled food, we’d like to hear (read) those as well.  Chunky milk stories, etc. are usually a rich vein of comedy.  So, let’s hear it.  Use the comments link below.

And I’ll see you guys next time.

Have a great day!

Now playing in the bunker

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Comments

  1. wntermoon says

    April 9, 2010 at 2:19 pm

    My husband of exactly two years is one of those not especially concerned with expiration dates. That is until he fed his wife (me) some bad fish and had her barfing all over him the rest of the night. And yes I made sure he was awake every time I had to head to the loo…;)

    Reply
  2. Dawn says

    April 9, 2010 at 2:53 pm

    Similarly, toss out all of the Shields and Yarnell materials you find lying around the house (at this time).

    Shields and Yarnell!!! Holy shit, I thought I dreamt that shit. Someone else actually remembers Shields and Yarnell. Amazing.

    As far as expiry dates go, I definitely use the date as a guideline when it comes to pantry items. Refrigerated items, not so much. Once they are out of date, they go. Medicines, I will use loooong after the date, especially if it’s some of the more amusing drugs I don’t want to give up, like Valium or Codeine.

    Here is a great website for info about expiration dates, shelf life, etc. http://www.stilltasty.com/

    Reply
  3. NDfaninAZ says

    April 9, 2010 at 3:01 pm

    Greg – why do you have a 10 year old pork chop?

    Reply
  4. Greg says

    April 9, 2010 at 3:52 pm

    N.D. It has become a science experiment at this point. It’s already as dessicated as it’s going to get, so there’s no more moisture in it to dry out. It’s not bothering anything else in the fridge, and it’s fun to watch! Other than that, I have no idea. I guess maybe because I can. Thanks for reminding me! I just checked it out. Today’s special is pennicillin.

    Reply
  5. j says

    April 9, 2010 at 4:18 pm

    I was raised in regular Virginia and I saw the blasting caps PSA when I was old enough to want some. We blew stuff up pretty regularly, but had to settle for black powder.

    I am also flexible when it comes to expiration dates, but the amount of flexibility depends on the product and the length of time it has been expired. Milk? Day or two, mebbe a week, after a good sniff. Some canned thing that should have been out during the Clinton administration isn’t even going to get a chance.

    Reply
  6. Brittney says

    April 9, 2010 at 4:32 pm

    Greg- Does it smell, or is it waaay past that phase? You should call Guinness Book and ask them if they have record of anyone having a 10 year old porkchop, cos you’re probably the first, and I’m pretty sure that’s a record.

    JCill-Even after all my sour milk and sour dairy experiences (I forgot to mention I’ve accidently eaten moldy cheese also), I still have a dairy tooth and would drink milk over water any day (if I could).

    Reply
  7. Greg says

    April 9, 2010 at 4:55 pm

    Brittney If it ever smelled, it stopped smelling years ago, in fact, I don’t think it ever smelled. It’s on the bottom shelf (the coldest), way in the back, on the right. It’s in one of those see-thru plastic clamshells, so I can take a peak every once in a while. And if you’ve ever eaten bleu cheese, you’ve eaten mold. That’s what the “veins” are made of. The mold is intentionally added to ferment or cure the cheese, and give it the strong flavor. Bleu doesn’t keep too long, because it’s constantly changing. If you want to do a real quick science experiment, get some bleu and keep it around a while. Good times!

    Reply
  8. NDfaninAZ says

    April 9, 2010 at 5:02 pm

    Greg – you are one special dude.

    I want to see pictures of your pork…chop.

    Reply
  9. Greg says

    April 9, 2010 at 5:13 pm

    ND, all the good, colorful shots are on film, so I’ll have to digitize them. When I find them and get that done, I’ll post them on facebook or the Kodak site, and let you know.

    Reply
  10. NDfaninAZ says

    April 9, 2010 at 5:21 pm

    Greg – you have got to be the only person around to have a portfolio of petrified pork. Can’t wait to see it, but I’m sick like that.

    Reply
  11. chill says

    April 9, 2010 at 5:27 pm

    fryguy, on April 9th, 2010 at 8:19 am Said:

    “If you grew up near a farm or anywhere they were clearing land then you know what blasting caps are.”

    I read recently that there was still a working dairy farm in Brooklyn NY up until the mid-1960s, so I guess I technically grew up near a farm. I don’t think there has been any land cleared in my old neighborhood for at least a hundred years, probably more.

    The childhood holy grail was anything along the lines of M-80s, ashcans or cherry bombs.

    Reply
  12. 30 miles south says

    April 9, 2010 at 6:42 pm

    Inside my refrigerator I have a container of blasting caps! I haven’t checked the experation date on them lately. Should I toss them out?

    Reply
  13. 30 miles south says

    April 9, 2010 at 6:47 pm

    My brother still has a jug of milk in his fridge, from last Thanksgiving. My younger sister is PARANOID about those expire dates! Even bringing refridgerated stuff home from the store causes her to panick that it might have gone bad in that short time. Myself, I look at dates but go by smell & taste to judge if the food is still going in my mouth.

    Reply
  14. 30 miles south says

    April 9, 2010 at 6:49 pm

    Remember everyone, the MAIN message of this post is: ORDER MORE SHIRTS FROM JEFF !

    Reply
  15. johnthebasket says

    April 10, 2010 at 2:37 am

    I commit typos all the time, and I know that sometimes my syntax is, just to shade things on the bright side, convoluted. And I, for one, am happy that Brittney has joined us crooked vultures for some repartee now and again. So I’m only asking for clarification — I make no charges nor seek none. Did you really mean…

    “I had a bad experience once when I was a house party”

    I once knew a young lady who was a house party, but she didn’t necessarily consider it a bad experience. I’m just sayin’…

    jtb

    Reply
  16. johnthebasket says

    April 10, 2010 at 3:01 am

    There is one thing I know of that never expires, but keeps on growing over time, and the proceeds can certainly be used to buy food. Strictly speaking, US Bonds expire when the United States can no longer afford to redeem them. Unlikely in the short term, barring several more land wars in Asia and a few additional Big Bank scams. Bye bye, buy bonds.
    .

    Well now, there’s a new dance
    That’s known as the twist
    It’s really not new
    It’s something you’ve missed

    But there’s a new dance
    That’s known as the twist
    It’s really not new
    It’s something you’ve missed

    Dear lady
    (Get up from your chair)
    Dear, dear lady
    (Get up from your chair)

    Well, now, doctors agree
    So I’ve been told
    Do the twist and
    You’ll never grow old

    Reply
  17. johnthebasket says

    April 10, 2010 at 3:24 am

    addendum…

    Hot sax background and hotter sax solo by Gene Barge, AKA Daddy G, long before anybody in Massive Attack was born. Mr. Barge also played sax on “Quarter to Three”, “School Is Out”, “School Is In”, and “Twist, Twist, Señora”.

    Reply
  18. LunaChickNYC says

    April 10, 2010 at 7:00 am

    When I was in kindergarten, we had to bring in “milk money” every monday to pay for that weeks milk. One Monday my mother forgot it so the teacher as usual put all the kids that forgot their money at one table and we were given milk only if there was any left over before the paying kids – fair enough. What the teacher didn’t realize is that after they distributed the milk that was paid for that morning, the remaining little cartons had been from Friday and left in the classsroom all weekend unrefrigerated and they were practically solid, I opened mine and being the savvy 5 year old I was, knew it was bad and started waving the teacher over. The rest of the not as intellient 5 year olds at my table all drank it and proceeded to puke all over the table. As I have always been terrified of puke I NEVER drink/eat anything dairy after that day when it is even the day before the expiration date

    Reply
  19. Knucklehead says

    April 10, 2010 at 2:16 pm

    Thought you guys would enjoy this:

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1258913/Happy-1st-birthday-Mother-keeps-McDonalds-Happy-Meal-year–gone-off.html

    Reply
  20. renn says

    April 11, 2010 at 8:11 am

    I am apparently the…wienie of the group. I have a pretty strict limit of 3-5 days with refrigerated foods, with the exception of eggs and cheese. Expiration dates are adhered to pretty strictly.

    I have had food poisoning far too many times to chance anything.

    Reply
  21. chill says

    April 11, 2010 at 2:26 pm

    #renn, on April 11th, 2010 at 8:11 am Said:
    I have had food poisoning far too many times to chance anything.

    I have never had food poisoning (knock on wood). Perhaps this is analogous to the old saying that “there are two kinds of computer users – those who do backups, and those who have never had a catastrophic data loss.”

    Reply
  22. Brittney says

    April 11, 2010 at 7:03 pm

    Greg-I have eaten bleu cheese, but unwillingly, in an FFA class that I was forced to do in highschool. I rrreeeaaaallly hate bleu cheese! I’ve eaten the green mold off a moldy block of authentic Wisconsin Cheddar. It was dark in the kitchen, and I didn’t realize it…ick.

    Reply
  23. Greg says

    April 11, 2010 at 7:50 pm

    Brittney ~ Sorry about the forced torture in FFA. Maybe you could sue somebody, or something. And always snack with the lights on. LOL !! The good thing is that it’s very unlikely that a cheese mold will make you sick. They just taste (and look) really nasty.

    Reply
  24. sunshine_in_va says

    April 12, 2010 at 11:38 am

    Nah Jeff – they ran those blasting cap ads in Cincinnati too. Funny thing is I found one once while walking through a railroad yard. I kept in my pocket for about 3 hours, then hid it in a signal box near the RR tracks. As far as I know it never blew up but the little podunk town of Reading, Ohio didn’t have it’s own ‘coconut telegraph’ to have heard about it if it had.

    My soon-to-be wife (who intro’d me to the Surf Report, btw) obsesses over expiration dates, especially salad dressing. When I was growing up, bottles of dressing got thrown out when they were empty and that’s it. They just want you to buy more and that’s pretty much all there is to it. In my book, however, as long as it passes the “sniff test”, it’s good to go.

    Reply
  25. PAmike says

    April 13, 2010 at 1:02 pm

    well i’m a little late to the game on this one, but i know first hand a few “Freegans” and it’s downright disgusting…

    If you’ve never heard the term, basically they’re people (young educated and white in my experience) that only use things that are free cause it’s “hip”. So for food they go dumpster diving behind grocery stores and such, collecting their outdated food.

    5 trash bags full of stale bagels?…sure
    boxes and boxes of rotting vegetables?.. yep
    weeks old yogurt?… no problem
    old meat and cheese from a trader joes dumpster?…yes

    as far as I know none of them have died(yet), but nothing creates a kitchen full of orgying fruit flies faster than a few 10lb boxes of half rotten lemons. YUuuuuuk

    Reply
  26. UpNort says

    April 27, 2010 at 10:33 am

    With some foods I’m picky about expiration dates, but only some. I check dates regularly, but I also check how it smells and looks.

    A lot of food is a “sell by” date, so there definitely is wiggle room, which is why I check the smell and look.

    Reply
  27. georgiegirl says

    June 13, 2010 at 9:41 am

    I believe that an expiration date is there for a purpose, so when buying dairy and meat products I always check the date. I once saw someone at work buy a small milk from the vending machine, open it and take a big drink…..which he proceeded to spit right out….turns out that the milk was at least a week old and was spoiled. Glad it wasn’t me.
    My husband and I have been married over 25 years and if I’ve heard “It’s still good, it hasn’t been opened’, once I’ve heard it a thousand times…..Guess where he heard that line from?!!

    Reply
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