Target misses CA and Mesa Bridge is Falling Down

Apparently when you bring your own bag to Target, you are by default required to bag your own items. Now I realize that it is slightly difficult to fit a bag on the handy little bag holder for easy dumping, but it really isn't that hard just to bag items on the counter either. Nevertheless, the cashier just set everything on the counter while I tried to bag and run my credit card at the same time. This despite the fact that Target (at least in California) now sells reusable, fold-up bags that fit inside your purse. I know because my landlady bought me one. Trader Joe's and Wild Oats cashiers don't seem to have trouble bagging with canvas bags. Alas.

The cashier then proceeded to question whether the items on the registry were the only gift items or if I had others. I did indeed have others - could she print a gift receipt? She seemed to imply that I needed to identify exactly which items were gifts, but this was not the case after all. Meanwhile I noticed that she'd forgotten one of my items on the conveyor belt. I asked her to put it on. She did something. I then asked if the price on the little machine included that item and she told me that I had to press OK first - it was the only way she could find out. I had not asked for cash back because I had $10 in my wallet. However, as it turned out the forgotten item was not on my bill, so she asked me if I wanted to pay for it separately. NO, I don't want it anymore. Whatever. Why would I bring it to the checkout if I didn't want it (I know this happens, but not with me). Anyway, I then had to spend half my cash buying this item that she forgot to ring up because she couldn't possibly have added it to my credit card purchase which had not yet been processed before I hit OK. HOW HARD CAN THIS BE? (I realize that this probably makes no sense, but it didn't in person either.)

Anyways, the other interesting tidbit of my return to Mesa has been seeing part of the Loop 202 bridge lying over the canal in pieces. Yes folks, last week sometime part of the bridge they are building over Power Road and the canal fell right down into the canal. Apparently they haven't cleaned it up yet, because you can see it both from Power and from the other side of Thomas. How hard can it be to build a bridge that doesn't fall down? I've taken a statics class and properties of materials. I know about center of gravity and stress and strain. There are fairly simple principles at work. At least the bridge in Minneapolis was 50 years old or so. This one was brand new! Some things never change I guess. Anyone remember the Zilwaukee?