Tag: shopping

Heartbreak

I knew heartbreak yesterday when, like many people, I was afflicted by shopping cart envy.

Oh, don’t deny that you haven’t experienced it in one form or another. You know what I’m talking about. Some of you have felt it when you’ve seen a cart filled with riches that you don’t have the money to buy. Others experience it when, like me, they look into another’s carts and see the stuff that you don’t eat because it’s not healthy for you, but you want to eat it.

I am a chronic sufferer of shopping cart envy these days. When I was younger, I could eat anything. Eating anything caught up with me as my activities and metabolism slowed and the speed of my waist line’s expansion increased. Ice cream, pizzas, burgers, milk shakes, sandwiches, steaks, cake, pie, doughnuts? Pass them over. Anyone want that last cruller? I’ll eat it.

Yes, I went through that period when I said, “I’m an adult. If I want to eat ice cream for breakfast, I will.”

Then I became, “I am an adult. What responsible adult eats ice cream for breakfast?”

Waistlines change. Diets change. Attitudes change. Yesterday, in Costco, I saw another man’s cart. He had a case of beer, cheesecake, a large pizza, and other treasures. I can’t describe more, as my mind went blank at the dazzling sight. I think I wandered, for the next thing I know, I was standing in a pool of my own saliva in the bakery section with a box of cookies in my hands.

I wasn’t alone.

6

Sisters

A smile wreathed her face. “My sister is the perfect shopping companion for me. She goes into a store and takes off, looking for what she wants and needs. Then, when I look for her, I can usually find her trying clothes on, and what we compare what we found. “Oh, that looks cute, can I try it on?””

0

Black Friday

You’re not going to believe it, Michael, she said. I went shopping on Black Friday, last night. I never go shopping on Black Friday. I did this year.

I just wanted a “Wonder Woman” DVD. I love “Wonder Woman.” I’ve seen it twice. When I like a movie, though, I like watching the same ones over and over again. I don’t know why. I have this huge DVD collection. I wanted “Wonder Woman.” Walmart had it on sale for five dollars. Five dollars. My girlfriend was going to Walmart. I didn’t want to go. Just get me the “Wonder Woman” DVD, I said. No, she said. Come on, she said. Come with me. I finally gave in. Okay. I didn’t want to go. I didn’t need anything. But I went.

I got in the store, and I got my DVD. Five dollars. But, OMG, there were so many nice things there. I didn’t need anything, but I saw these things, and the prices were so good.

Still, I didn’t need them. I didn’t want them. But everyone was so nice. They were so sweet and polite. So I stayed, and walked around the store.

And then, I came face to face with my dream camera. Digital SLR. I’d been thinking about this camera for three years. Three years. But it’s five hundred dollars.

Well. The one on display had two extra lenses, and an extra card. Four hundred fifty dollars.

I didn’t want to buy it, but my girlfriend was like, you should totally buy it, you never buy yourself anything, you deserve it, you’ve been wanting it for three years.

So I picked it up and got in line. I thought, I can think it over while I’m in line, go over my budget, and think about it all, so it wasn’t an impulse.

Yes, I bought it. I spent a lot more than five dollars.

0

The Sale Dream

Another laughter-inducing dream last night.

I dreamed there was a Macy’s sale. Terrific sale. Found a sweater originally priced at $696, marked down to $70. What a bargain!

Some little old lady arrived. She asked me what was going on. I told her about the sale, and showed her the sweater. Then she and I walked around, looking for bargains for her and talking with the sales help and other shoppers.

They announced the store was closing and directed us to go sleep in beds they’d set up. The beds had to be shared, but they put pillows between people. After I was in bed, I remembered the sale, and stared writing a blog post in my head in my dream, in my sleep. But I couldn’t remember all of the dream’s details, so I got up and started the dream over. I knew the dream was repeating, but everyone else knew they’d already done the dream, so confusion ensued. The little old woman wanted to know why I was dreaming it again. I told her that I needed to remember the details because I wanted to blog about the experience. That bothered her; she wanted to leave. I wouldn’t let her go, because the dream wasn’t done. That interrupted the dream, so I made everyone start the dream over again. They weren’t very enthusiastic with this third dream performance. Many rushed their lines and movement, and some forgot what they were supposed to do. I laughed at that. Since that wasn’t part of the original dream, it annoyed my dream extras.

I awoke thinking, I need to dream that again….

0

Friday’s Bumper Sticker

I figured I’d put this out there, since stores have begun playing Christmas music, and the formal launch to the holiday shopping season is looming on the calendar….

 

1

Today’s Theme Music

We’ve survived the initial shopping volley.

Actually, I went out yesterday and discovered it wasn’t that bad. We did our usual routine. Went by CostCo because we needed to fuel the car. Ended up with a cart load of other necessities, like tp, soup and wine. Then off to PetSmart where they were severely understocked for kitty litter and food for our (grit teeth) furry beloveds, followed by Trader Joe’s for some items (like my shaving balm), and then to Shop ‘n Kart for our produce, cheeses and essentials.

The routine nestled us with familiarity and grounded us, needed after the interlude of Thanksgiving shopping, prepping and socializing. Each born under the astrological sign of Cancer (I’m a Leo rising), we’re like hermit crabs, preferring solitude, home and routines. My wife wants to be a social queen but it empties her energy tanks and then she crumples for a few days.

Still, it’s nice to visit with others and go where everybody knows your name.

By the way, my wife despises the television show ‘Cheers’ because of their portrayal of women. I see her point but I enjoyed it back when it was on.

2

Hey Jude

What was the list? We’d written items on the blackboard. I paused by the rice to visualize the chalk scribblings and compare it to the shopping cart. Sweet pot, broc, car, ban, OM, cil. All secured. Ch. Butt. Brd. Blk b. Lem.

I’ll head for the cheese, get that done – no, the bread is closer. I’ll go through the bread to cross the store to reach the cheese. Then I’ll swing back by the rear aisle for the butter, detour to the canned goods for the black beans and lemonades, and then, off list, perhaps a bit o’ choc.

The store is easily Ashland’s most popular. Shop ‘n Kart has a vibe of peace and food. Lots of organics. Nice selections of fresh produce, cheeses, beers and wines, and green stuff made to help us reduce waste and our foot print. Good location, too, here on the town’s south side, off Ashland where it meets Tolman. Busy, busy place.

Background music plays. It’s usually rock. Sometimes it’s classical. ‘Hey Jude’ came on as I surveyed the bread and found the whole wheat offering desired. I sang along, remembering when I heard and sang along as a child. Shifting gears, I veered past other shoppers, passing as I remembered, pol – for polenta, backtracking to the pasta zone. Others softly sang with the Beatles as I went.

Exiting that aisle, I entered the perpendicular central aisle toward the  dairy cases. ‘Hey Jude’ swelled. So did the store singing. More and more people sang the song, and sang it louder and louder. I don’t know if they knew they sang aloud, or if they were conscious of others singing aloud, but hearing more singing as the French horns flared and Sir McCartney sang, I half-expected the shoppers to begin synchronized dancing.

“Na, na, nah, na-na-na-na.” Visions of ‘Basketball Jones’ surfaced from my teenage years. I heard someone say, “Now the cashiers,” and the cashiers took up ‘Hey Jude’, then they called for “just the people in the ice cream section,” and they joyfully spun in their Nikes and sandals, kicking their legs up in their jeans, skirts, cargo shorts and capris, raising their eyes and smiling toward an unseen ceiling camera, holding out their purchases as they sang, “Hey Jude, judy, judy, judy, wow.”

The song ended. The singing silenced. Dancing stopped. Shopping resumed. Most of it had been in my head, of course, unlike the shopping list, which was now gone. Where was I going?

‘Nights in White Satin’ began. I heard someone softy singing along, but realized it was only me.

References:

Hey Jude

Basketball Jones

Nights in White Satin

 

0

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑