Rantings Diversified

I did it.
I made a list and stuck to it.
It wasn’t as bad as I thought.
Yesterday, the Saturday before Christmas, I ventured forth and did all my Christmas shopping in one shot.  Yea me!  It only took two hours.  I went to a store just off a highway.  That was an easy  in and out.  People seemed to be calm and happy and generally in the spirit of the season.  I left there and decided to drive through town to get to the next store.  I took my time and was listening to King Crimson’s “In the Court of the Crimson King” in my car so I didn’t really care how long the drive was.  I got to the bookstore and retrieved what I went there for and the 20-something moron with all the bits of metal sticking out of his face behind the counter was definitely not happy in his work.  By the time I left I was not far from reaching over the counter and non-surgically removing that crap stuck in his face.  Oh well he was a jerk and now I don’t have to deal with him any more.  I was back on the road heading for a mall.  I turned the music up louder.  While driving to the mall, on a highway, I thought maybe I’m driving too slowly because everyone is passing me quite quickly.  I glanced down only to learn I was clipping along at 75MPH and everyone was passing me!!!   Geez, slow down folks!!!
I arrive at the mall and when I pulled in there are two lanes.  One to turn right and another designed for those who wish to turn left.  I pull into the left turning lane only to find the idiot in front of me driving right down the middle.  I’m not in any great hurry but this semi-evolved simian was stopped so I drive around them only to be met with horn honking and arm and hand gestures I’m fairly sure was not complimentary.  I turn left.
It was then I realized that the big traffic snarl at the bookstore was caused by someone driving a Lexus SUV just like the one that stopped dead in the middle of the mall entrance.  So I came to the conclusion that to own a Lexus SUV not only does one need to pay twice what any other car costs but apparently one must take and fail a test of common sense.
I park around back and entered the mass consumption area commonly referred to as the mall and again I was happily surprised to see the overall stress level of the consuming public was pretty darn low.  Folks were happy and smiling and nice and all.  It was a welcome change.  I had expected a very high level of stress and a lot of not-niceness but like I said I was happily surprised.
I bought the last present on my list and drove home.
I was supposed to go down the legion yesterday afternoon but I drove by there on my way home and the parking lot was packed and it was only 1300.  So I blew it off.  I wasn’t up for dealing with drunks at 2 in the afternoon.
Christmas Shopping 07 completed in two hours.