September 23, 2010
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The Daily News
1 On the way home last night, I stopped in at CRS, or whatever it is that Long's is now, to pick up something, anything!
2 I wound up buying a buncha stuff, including a last-minute impluse buy of some saltines.
3 I grabbed a box of their finest generic crackers and walked out like a proud white guy buying crackers.
4 Sorry.
5 Little joke about white guys as crackers. Never did get that one, but I'll bet whoever thought it was funny is rollin'.
6 Anyway, when I opened the box. It turns out that I must have purchased "Pre-Stale" crackers. You know how they have "Pre-Cut-up" pants? I'm pretty sure these were like fashionable crackers, because they had "stale" down to an almost nostalgic perfection.
7 I remember how every now and again growing up, I'd grab a square wax bag of stale saltines, and the staleness had almost a nose, and an after-sniff, like a good glass of Merlot, only in a sort-of reverse.
8 Anyway, those crackers I got last night fit the mold, if you'll excuse my pun.
9 It was actually the second time in a day that I went to a low-budget store to get something, and came away a little disappointed.
10 Earlier I had gone down the street to the local Walgreen's to buy a cheap, battery-powered radio so that I could listen to the Giants' game between innings at Back-to-School Night.
11 About a week earlier I had gone into my own Walgreen's for something or other. You shop Walgreen's for printer paper, or Bic's pencils, or maybe even cheap headphones, pharmeceudicals, or funky cosmetics. That IS Walgreen's, man.
12 Three-pack of Bic's anything. Tee-shirts, 5 for $10.
13 Well, I think I wanted to get an ink cartridge. Whatever I wanted was nullifed by two items that were in the window:
14 One was a recliner for $799. The other was an even bigger recliner for $999.
15
17 Walgreen's? Really?
18 I kept looking at all the nerdy stuff that is in Walgreen's, and two pieces of cheap furniture that collectively totaled over $1600 was unimaginable. A huge calulator for $9.99 I could understand.
19 But I was on my prep period when I went in for the radio, and figured I could at least find some sort of "As Seen on TV" shower radio for under ten bucks.
20 How wrong I was!
21 I entered the Walgreen's over by the school, and was instantly met by an entire Halloween aisle, with cheapo Halloween items: stufffy masks, black cats, purple led lights; you get the drift.
22 But that aisle was exactly in the same area that previously staged cheapo radios, low-budget curling irons, digital blood-pressure kits, and HUGE calculators for $9.99. Here's a former Christmas photo of the exact rack for which I was searching:
23 I couldn't find any sort of radio, let alone an "As Seen on TV" shower radio.In fact, I couldn't even find this reliable rack, which is ALWAYS on the right side of every Walgreens, near the photo area. I expected it to be near the Halloween stuff, the same way it is near the Christmas stuff in the above pic. But it was nowhere.
24 Naturally I goofed on the irony of the Walgreen's by my house featuring ridiculously overpriced cheapo chairs that are expensive, and my NOT being able to find a radio there.
25 And now, the Walgreen's up by the Chill had replaced all that gloriously stupid stuff with...nothing. No rack. No junk. No quick little radios, or things that cost $9.99!
26 I ALSO noticed that the Walgreen's by the school has suddenly ADDED a wine aisle, after years of not selling alcohol. I was Amishly stunned. I stared astonished, sort of like Abe Lincoln, if Abe Lincoln were Amish.
27 Extraordinary.
28 But I guess it was all a sign of the times. I do think something astoundingly crooked could be going on at the Walgreen's by where I live, but I choose not to think too much about it.
29 Well, enough about that.
30 Moving on, Part One: We indeed had Back-to-School night last night, and it went fabulously! I always sort of dread BTSN, but I am always thankful to the parents who make the effort to get there. One parent I thanked said, "Well, it's only once a year, so..." Fine words from a fine parent.
31 After I finally found my way home, I chilled a little, ate some stale crackers, and then went outside to chill and get some ideas for today's DN.
32 I walked right back into summer, full with a beautifully lit night, and crickets.
33 After a few moments of Zen, I looked up at the first autumnal night sky of the year.
34 Ah, might have been the second, I dunno.
35 The moon looked absolutely lovely, and then I saw that Venus was remarkably close to the moon.
36 For one brief, shining moment, I thought that it might NOT have been Venus, but some distant star that was being lit up by the moon.
37 So much for my astronomical knowledge.
38 I laughed readily at my own stupidity, and then enjoyed all of it for what it's worth.
39 The same way that some people look at teachers as amazing people, I thought that parents who care enough about their kids to come down to the school after a long day are amazing people.
40 Two-way street.
41 To any parent who takes time to support their kids in school, I salute you, especially if you could drag yourself down to the school after a hard day working, or a hard day parenting, or simply a hard day. I stand completely in awe. You are my heroes.
42 Anyway, those are just a lot of random thoughts about one of my best nights of the year.
43 I'm exhausted as I tack away at all this boushit, but I also feel that there is certainly lots of hope for tomorrow.
44 Tomorrow in the more distant, visionary sense.
45 Teach your kids to love intelligence and class, and you teach your kids to love life. There's a direct correlation.
46 For me, I did my time yesterday, and I can't wait to go back in today and give it everything I have.
47 It is so worth the pain, and the effort.
48 But for now, I'm pretty much done.
49 Have an absolutely lovely Thursday everybody.
50 See you again.
51 Peace.
~H~
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