The Day After

Well, I survived the shopping trip and hey, it wasn't as bad as usual for several reasons:

1) Mom tires faster now that she's almost 70. Rather than shopping a full eight hours we were done in six! And, we only went to only ONE Dillard's and stayed two hours!

2) We found great parking everywhere we went and the stores were not crowded. It seems the analysts are right-people are waiting longer to complete the rest of their Christmas shopping. I'm waiting too. Waiting for that next paycheck before I'm done. I've paid off my credit cards but there were some great deals that have me thinking about using one. But, as tempting as it is, I'll wait to get paid and pay now so I won't have to pay for the next six months.

3) There were not a lot of bad-assed children running around the stores destroying displays or screaming at the tops of their lungs while their parents smiled patiently rather than slapping their little behinds for showing out in public. Not too many kiddies, not too much scaring them by making faces at them while their parents weren't looking.

4) The teens were still in school or at the other hip mall. Of course there was the requisite youg couple dressed completely in black madly kissing at the entrance of one store while their friends stood sullenly by, jealous of the attention the couple received. Hey, get a room or at least have your friends record the action for your MySpace page!

5) We found attentive sales staff after only three tries. Wow. There's hardly anyone in the Cosmetics counter and we can't find the Lancome lady? Okay, ask that terrified looking gal over there. Oh, she can't help, okay who can? She'll find someone? Kay, does she understand we'd like to buy something tonight rather than over the Internet? Perhaps not. Let's ask this older lady whose face warns she's had a very bad life and it's not getting better. Oh, the young lady will help us now that we've found a peer? Yeah, tell her to fly a kite. Her chance is gone and she's a loser.