The Shutterstock dilemma, Costco and Raisinets.

So here’s the thing. Every year I treat myself to a one-month membership on Shutterstock.com. Shutterstock sells millions of gorgeous graphics and photos for designers (like me) who don’t really have any illustration skills of their own. I only join once a year because a one-month membership costs $249, for which you can download 25 images a day for 30 days. Trust me, this isn’t as easy as it sounds ... THAT’S 750 IMAGES. I usually sign up around my birthday but have to start planning three or four months in advance by visiting Shutterstock every day and saving images I like in an online “light box.” That way I’ve already got my 750 images set aside by the time I sign up, and I can download 25 a day without too much mental hoo-hah.

Unfortunately, I’m running out of gas. This is only Day 14 of my membership, most of the images in my light box don’t excite me any more and I can’t figure out what I’d rather have instead. I’ve already overdosed on holiday graphics, cowboy graphics, greeting card designs, background patterns, fancy doodads, borders, cute kitty-cats, logos, website banners and so on. I’m sure I’ll dig up another 400 images and get through this ordeal somehow, but I wanted you to know how I suffer as an artist. Thank you.

In other news ... it’s drizzling outside, and Sam and I just got home from a quick trip to Costco, where we bought four important items: 1) cashews; 2) lox; 3) pot roast; and 4) a container of the best scalloped potatoes on the planet.

And here’s an urgent public service announcement in case you missed it. Just in time for Halloween, Raisinets are being recalled for peanut contamination. This refers ONLY to the trick-or-treat “fun size” packages being sold at Target and Shop Rite. Nestle says not to eat them if you’re allergic to peanuts (well, duh) and don’t return them to the store, either, because they don’t want them. You should just call Nestle at 800-478-5670 for a refund. Fortunately, this won’t impact my annual Halloween candy purchase because I only give away total crap like SweeTarts, rock-hard bubble gum and Dum-Dums.

My mother-in-law will be here in 6½ hours. Thank you for reading this.