Adria Ellis

​Imagine minimizing your life to the extent that you have but 15 items in your possession -- and none of them, not a one, is a $65 Dave Eggers shower curtain! We're talking about the very efficient shopping life of "extreme minimalist" Andrew Hyde, who has been written about widely as owning a mere 15 possessions (not counting underwear or socks). We were curious to find out if that was still the case in 2012, and he's written a post detailing what he's acquired since and what he's gotten rid of.

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Where pastels and Nantucket reds were once the stuff of viral "rap" videos, now, in 2012, we have an ode to plaid, by way of the "Plaid Rap." Why now, why plaid? Michael Krivicka, who came up with the idea for "Plaid Rap," wrote the song lyrics, and shot, directed, and edited the video, told us, "Right now, honestly, you almost have no choice. It's everywhere and it is all the stores offer right now. I'm sure it'll pass and come back again (as a trend) but right now it's huge and that was part of the inspiration."

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​Good morning one and all. How was your Christmas? Did you occupy something? A movie theater perhaps? Though Santa has already been tracked, presents have already been opened, and some of us have had our traditional fill of Chinese food, it's still technically a holiday today, according to the government. So, Merry Christmas, round two! We have compiled some of the things New York City tells us we should expect for this day-after-day.

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​Last year we watched, aghast but slightly intrigued, as a woman in a cat mask, later identified as Shana Spalding, a/k/a, "Purgatory," the singer in a death metal band called Divine Infamy, robbed high-end boutiques with a feline intensity (and a gun). Her wanted poster was the stuff of great things on the Internet, if her criminal bent was not -- or even if it was. Her spree ended, however, when she was busted leaving Cotelac, a store on Greene Street, in August of 2010. (Prior to that she'd robbed Arche Shoes near Voice HQ and a Body Shop in Astoria -- that time clad in a burka -- though she now claims she didn't commit those two crimes, despite having confessed to the police and pleaded guilty.)

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​Are you as sick about the loss of Jose Reyes as I am? Have you had it with the bullshit excuses from the Mets front office about Reyes's injuries? (Didn't Mickey Mantle have a lot of injuries? Would you have signed Mickey at age 28, the age Jose is now?)

Are you angry at the insult to the Mets' best player that they let him leave town without even making him an offer? Have you had enough of this evasive double talk about how Sandy Alderson is going to turn the team around with "Moneyball"? That's the sports media's new catch phrase for strategies that don't work based on histories that never happened. Translated into practical English it means: "Don't spend any money -- see if we luck out and win a few games, then hint that we're geniuses for having done better than expected."

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Steal more, get more (for free).

​Today Adweek has a helpful and revealing list of the items people steal from retailers the most. Apparently, we're a criminal lot, with one in 11 people stealing something he or she didn't pay for -- and 70 percent of shoplifters (most of whom are adults who also have jobs) saying they didn't plan to steal. As for the items most stolen, some are obvious (electronic gadgets), some are cinematic (luxury meats), and some are...surprising. Axe body spray?

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​Patagonia, the one that makes fleeces and outdoor performance-type clothes, is employing a different tactic from every other retailer on this Cyber Monday. They're trying to get you not to buy their clothes. Reverse psychology or do they actually mean it?

Their statement/manifesto reads in part:

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denver.neighborhoodr.com

A Black Friday arrest in Denver.

​Black Friday was crazier than ever this year, claiming at least one life and causing 20 people to be felled by pepper spray in a Los Angeles Walmart. Not to mention the great $2 waffle-maker riot of 2011. Our entire country engaged in pitched battle in Walmarts across the land.

Despite -- or because of -- this lunacy, this Black Friday was the most profitable one ever. Sales increased 6.6 percent over last year's to a $11.4 billion.

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This morning the flagship Apple Store on 5th Avenue unveiled its new look. As a reminder, here's what the old one looked like:

Luis Penadas/flickr

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Now, the new and improved version:

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Not a chain.

​New Yorkers (most of them, it seems) profess a grand dislike of chain stores, especially when they have to wait in line to get their overpriced lattes from Starbucks! The good news for such people is this: According to the Center for an Urban Future's annual survey on chain stores, the recession has slowed the spread of chains. The Wall Street Journal reports that the "overall proliferation of national retailers across the five boroughs slowed to a 1.6% increase in 2011, the smallest since the Center for an Urban Future began its retail survey four years ago. In 2010, by contrast, the city's chain-store population grew by 4%."

The bad news is, where can you get your Bloomin' Onion?

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