Out of touch. One reason the newspaper industry is dying.

"In my life, I've been to Naples three times times just to eat pizza."

No, The Vigilant Consumer does not lead such a life of decadence. That's actually a direct quote from a recent San Francisco Chronicle article entitled "Cook Joanne Weir's local picks for food, wine". If that's not chi chi enough for you, Ms. Weir first recommends a spa in this alleged food and wine article. As though she needs to establish her credibility as a modern day bon vivant, she pontificates, "When I get home after a long flight, one of my favorite retreats is to visit Beate Comment for a facial." She proceeds by suggesting an upscale boutique that appears to sell several hundred dollar blouses. "Yes, it's kind of pricey but if you want something glam, glam, glam, this is the place to do a little damage."

To Weir's credit, she does give a shout out to one of my favorite restaurants serving up $3 sandwiches in one of San Francisco's grittiest neighborhoods (I don't imagine she wears that $400 blouse when going there). However, it's just too little, too late. Don't get me wrong, I lean heavily toward the foodie extreme of the spectrum and certainly know how to appreciate the finer things. However, does this type of article really belong in a newspaper full ofheadlines about Bernie Madoff, corporate layoffs, bankruptcies, foreclosures and disappearing 401Ks? Seems to me, a publication such as Food and Wine or Travel + Leisure may be a bit more appropriate.

Apparently, I am not alone. After reading this article online, I noticed that it managed to receive 34 mostly negative comments. "Pretentious" seemed to be a recurring theme in the feedback. Obviously newspapers need to include some positive, upbeat, escapist stories to balance out the doom and gloom. However, with this economy, "glam, glam, glam" may not be the way to go.

Hopefully I didn't stress you out by the seriousness of this posting. In order to lighten the mood a bit, allow me to say "GO SAN DIEGO SUPER CHARGERS" and offer a video tribute to my hometown!