Out of the loop yesterday …

and I feel as though I didn't miss a thing.

Republicans in Congress are still shouting and pointing fingers and blaming the other guy President.

The stock market is still going down, down, down, taking our 401Ks with it.

Federal employees are still furloughed, national parks are still closed, essential government services are limping along and why the hell are there any non-essential services, anyway?

I went shopping yesterday. We needed coffee beans and dog food and groceries and I made a day of it, leaving at 9 a.m. and returning home mid-afternoon. I looked for shoes to wear to the rescheduled JJ Dinner, but didn't find anything I liked that I could afford.

(I won't be wearing that cute little sleeveless black number after all. It would have worked in early October, but November 2 is most likely to be much cooler. I'm wearing a black tank and skirt with a black-and-gold jacket. Not that it matters!)

Kitten suggested in a comment yesterday that I not get rid of my soapbox just yet. And then said, "Every voice matters."

His does, too. And yours. And mine. Take advantage of every opportunity to speak up, speak out and get in the way.

The other thing I bought yesterday was … are you ready? … a new phone. I know, I know, you're really going to miss my bitching about my old one, aren't you?

When I was at the phone store a couple weeks getting the old one serviced, the technician told me I could get some of the same phones they sell at the company store at Wal-Mart, at quite a savings. He didn't have to do that, but I decided to see what the Evil Empire offered.

This phone does everything but the dishes.

As it turns out, they offered the exact phone I ended up buying, for about $30 less than what I paid for it. What Wal-Mart didn't offer was expertise, attention to detail and customer service. I had done my research and asked a couple questions of the woman behind the counter. She was only there to take money – not her fault – but didn't really know the features of the phones on display.

So I went to the company store (I sound like a coal miner, don't I?) and forked over the big bucks during quite an amazing shopping experience that was worth every penny. My salesman turned out to be a Peace Corps veteran with a Masters Degree in Peace and Justice.

Selling cell phones is not what he thought his post-graduate life would look like, but he was very zen about it. His wife is studying graphic design. They have two children. They're young Democrats in one of the reddest counties in southern West Virginia.

How often have I had this experience while shopping? I would have to say, um, never.

So that was fun. And I got a $30 case for the phone at no additional charge. I feel like I came out way ahead on the deal.

I just hope I feel the same way with whatever deal happens to get the government rolling again.