The cricket in Times Square

I can hear crickets tonight, which is unusual. Using the old "add 40 to the number of cricket chirps in 15 seconds to find out the temperature" method (actually, I counted the number of chirps in a minute and divided by 4), I came up with 74 degrees Fahrenheit. The National Weather Service says the correct reading is 66. I'm not sure who I trust more.

Monday, I went to a new Target in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles. The only reason I went to this one specifically was because I was tipped off to an interior feature by a co-worker: it's a 2-story store (it used to be a Montgomery Ward), and in the middle of the store is a double set of escalators, one for humans and one for shopping carts. Needless to say, all the kids and some of the adults were absolutely fascinated by the whole thing. There was also a full complement of checkout lanes on both levels, which I wouldn't have expected, although it makes sense, since there are store entrances on both levels as well. In conclusion, all stores should be like this. Well, all former Montgomery Wards, at least. There's still an abandoned, boarded-up Montgomery Ward auto service center down the street. Maybe Target should start doing auto service.