Outta Here

    Today I went Christmas shopping, sort of, my goal being to get toys for the little tots, those who don't yet appreciate the value of cold hard cash.  I went Christmas shopping last year once, I think to Boscov's but I can't remember what I bought.  I only know it was a rather short excursion, though not as brief as today's.  I left the house about 1:30, knowing there wouldn't be much alone time.
   The weather was good, the traffic flow light, and it seemed  strangely reassuring to be driving my car and listening to NPR, as in the old days.  The speaker was Tom Friedman, and he spoke of his book and his thoughts of the present and for the future.  His talk lasted most of the way to Clifton Park, ending in the parking lot of Toys R Us.  He presented a lengthy analysis of today's society.  If one word could sum it up, that word would be:  CYBERSPACE. Disturbing in that there are no rules or police in cyberspace, and one person can affect the entire world.
    I walked through the doors into a world of toys, thousands and thousands of presentations and choices. I saw the tables by the entrance and picked up 3 toys, fairly equivalent in size and pricing.  I was not yet acclimated to shopping after such a long time away, and so was not ready to venture down the aisles looming and booming with merchandise for the youngest among us.
   I was so efficient, time-wise, that I drove across to Boscov's, and visited the men's department for some much needed basic items.  The women's department, particularly, looked as if it was ready to be cleared out for new merchandise; there were sales aplenty. My guess would be that the spring fashions are already waiting in the wings, and will be on display long before my next shopping excursion. I pulled a sweater from a 75% off display rack, and bought it.  It felt really soft and was really cheap, and it fit.  It is brown and will probably make me look like Chewbacca, but I wanted to buy something new.  Dorothy and I used to shop almost weekly and we always bought something.  On sale of course.  Never, never pay full price.
   I stopped at McDonald's to bring home supper, in keeping with my mini-vacation.  As I walked into the store, I was struck by the sight of the Christmas tree.  I almost commented on it, but than realized it must have been put up a while ago, while I hadn't been there since probably last September.  It was kind of a Rip Van Winkle moment.  What!  Public Christmas displays, Pre-Christmas, year-end sales?  Is there no end to the madness.