Of course I'm thankful for family, friends and freedom and blah blah blah. But let's explore this "free" thing a little more, shall we?I would like to thank all the women who freely give their time, effort and talent to this blog, so that I may have informative and entertaining things to read. Free!
I would like to thank the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for making their paper available to me. Free!
And the Trib. Free!
And all the other newspapers and magazines and online publications I am able to access -- gratis.
Library? Fa-ree!
I would like to thank my colleagues at the Carbolic Smoke Ball for continuing to entertain me. No charge for that, either. Or any of the other blogs that I read.
I would like to thank the good folks at City Paper and the other publications to which I have contributed for paying me, as well as for gainful employment outside the realm of writing -- so that I can continue to write in other forums ... you guessed it ... for free!
Which brings me back to being free to make the very conscious decision to not go shopping today. I feel like I don't lack for a thing.
That's better than free. It's priceless.
you betcha! ; )
ReplyDeleteme, i'm happy that after a hot shower i no longer smell like roast turkey, tho the house STILL does!
Hurray for hot showers!
ReplyDeleteYou said it all perfectly. I'm spending the day catching up on magazines, watching DVDs, and enjoying the snow. A trip to the library may be thrown in there as well.
ReplyDeleteI may go grocery shopping later, but it's a free-standing store, not in any sort of insane shopping center. I'd be just as happy if I didn't leave the house today, but we DO have to eat.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure this bodes well for the economy, but we hit the Waterfront after 12ish today and it was not crowded at all. No parking issues. We got in to Chang's for lunch with no wait. We shopping in 5+ stores and stood in not a single line. We had dinner with no wait. In short, we completed 2/3 of our holiday shopping and spent our money with no hassle whatsover. Except for the old guy who almost ran me down in front of Target, but that happens on a year round basis, after all.
ReplyDeleteI was dreading going out, but it had to be done. This was better than our typical Sunday afternoon errand visit to the same plaza.
Did you know that it is rather difficult to purchase waterbed sheets nowadays? My parents are way out of style.
Sue
Glad our shopping warrior made it back alive and well.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds about right, Sue. I've been to the Waterfront on a "typical" Sunday. Target takes that bullseye stuff seriously, ya know -- as in, YOU are the bullseye when you cross in front of their store. :-)
Waterbeds ... hmm ... the last time I was in one of those I was about seven months pregnant with my first child and refused (well, couldn't, if you must know) to get out of it until I had a mattress I didn't have to "swim" out of.
Hey -- if your parents keep their waterbed long enough, I bet they'll be "trendy" again. You know how everything makes a comeback. I stopped dead in my tracks in Macy's once (at the Waterfront!) when they started to pump out that '80s stuff again because I saw a polka dot top with puff sleeves that looked exactly like one I used to own. My daughter was like all, "Mom, what are you laughing at NOW?"
My regular shopping buddy/neighbor knows she is in for a treat when we go out. I needed a new purse because the one I usually keep my 50 pounds of stuff in was on the brink of self-imploding and we just went everywhere, and I just told her, "None of the purses were speaking to me."
She's like, "What the hell do you want?" And I'm like, "I'll know it when I see it."
She suggested we start looking in the wheeled luggage section ...
We spent an afternoon looking for an old-fashioned egg beater because I am determined to save as much electricity as I can (meanwhile, I type and type and type here ... somebody, quick -- where the hell can I purchase a "green certificate" around here?) and we found one at Bed, Bath and Beyond ... and it was DENTED! She suggested a whisk for beating eggs. Duh.
Oh, the humanity!
Capriciousness aside, I DO think about economics when it comes to Black Friday. So amen for brave souls like you.
ReplyDeleteI hate shopping, regardless of what the damn day's called.
ReplyDeleteUp til this year, I thought the media reported on Black Friday ad nauseum.
People, I didn't know what nausea was til 2007. Breathless tv & radio reports on percentage of various malls' parking spots filled - are you kidding me?
I am thankful that this year, like the last 15, I haven't had to leave my house on the day after Thanksgiving.
I also went shopping on Saturday and can attest that 75% of my holiday shopping is done. Plus, we took the plunge and got cell phones! We are all in the 21st century baby. I've never had a camera phone.
ReplyDeleteThe crowds were pretty decent on Saturday, too. I've even survived two hours at Ross Park Mall aka the gigunda baby stroller capital of the universe relatively unscathed. Ledcat helped me refrain from too much snarkery at the expense of the gussied up yinzerettes and their offspring. You don't see too many young women walking around Century III Mall with a tiara. Not in my day.
But it is almost done. Whew.
This IS your day, Sue!
ReplyDeleteI hit my wall tonight at Giant Eagle. Our very nice cashier was wearing a threadbare Eagle holiday shirt and bragging about how she washes it every night so she doesn't have to wear a uniform. It was a cute shirt, prior to wash #789. She should rethink the uniform option. Of course, I wouldn't *say* that. Except I almost did. Two days of shopping, the beginning phase of a nasty cold -- achoo!-- and the never-ceasing "who drives the shopping cart" war later ... my veneer of civility is gone.
ReplyDeleteBring on December!