ut & vandy both lost in the sweet sixteen, each by only one point, so speaking of points, what is the point of watching the tournament anymore?

at the mall, there's this store called earthbound trading company. it's new to the local mall, but there are stores all over the southeast. this store is sort of like what pier 1 used to be before pier 1 sold out and became commercial. earthbound is not as raw as pier 1 was, though -- pier 1 wasn't in malls [and still is not], so the mall culture didn't influence it. pier 1 was always dusty and had piles of authentic [or so it seemed] imported merchandise: shells, batiked cloth, brass chimes and other brass pieces, carved teak animals, buddah statues, and it was the only place to find incense - which seemed very counter-culture to us when we were little kids. it had a sort of international flea market feel, and the merchandise was fascinating & inexpensive -- unlike pier 1 today where everything is smooth & polished... and overpriced. earthbound is close to, but not exactly like, the old pier 1 - the selection is neither as wide nor as eclectic. here's a tidbit from the pier 1 website: "Pier 1 Imports started as a single store in San Mateo, California in 1962. Our first customers were post-World War II baby boomers looking for beanbag chairs, love beads and incense. Pier 1 has carried a wide selection of merchandise through the years, from chocolate covered ants to clothing lines to life-size Spanish suits of armor." pier 1's campaign since 1999 has been getting back in touch with their core customers & becoming a sensory shopping experience. not sure if they've achieved this... in large part b/c the pier 1 around here has the absolute worst parking lot ever invented, making it virtually impossible to get in & out of. you'd have to be high to try to get to that store... and so, they are reaching their original core customer segment with ease.