Black Friday, the 2013 Edition

But first! Winnie commented that she enjoyed (she actually said she 'cracked up,' which might not be the same thing as 'enjoyed') listening to Bob Dylan's rendition of "Must Be Santa." That's one Dylan collection I don't have, but I do have that particular song. The music video is hysterical. And kind of weird. Without further ado or comment, I give you:

Okay, so about Black Friday. This was the second time in recent memory that I've ventured out for Black Friday deals. I frequently shop online on Black Friday, but because I was in a metropolitan area that had STORES I thought I'd try going to Kohl's for another pair of their Sonoma jeans, a brand that fits me pretty perfectly. (I'm so lame … I wasn't even doing Christmas shopping, it was me-me-me shopping.)

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?

It wasn't this bad the last time. Seriously. (Could be that I was shopping in household goods that time, instead of clothing.) The line to check out was going to take at LEAST an hour, by my estimate. I was astonished. I had to walk past the line of waiting customers to get to the denim department. I couldn't believe how long it was.

I was going to look for a couple of blazers while I was there, but walking past all those people waiting to pay was, um, quite the deterrent. I suddenly felt a tremendous urge to get. out. of. there.

I needed to be home.

Where I could get online and go shopping. Heh.

As both of you know, I live a rather solitary life in the Middle of Nowhere. I regularly interact with people once a week at the prison and once a month at our county Democratic women's club meeting. I shop for food a couple times a month. It's not that I don't like being around people, or that I can't handle it (i.e., I don't have a crowd phobia). But it definitely makes me a little uncomfortable.

The bigger issue with this year's Black Friday experience, though, was the idea of spending all that time standing in line, doing nothing else constructive. I thought about how much closer to home I'd be if I just got in the car and started driving. So that's what I did.

Maybe I should have taken my knitting with me. But then I would have needed a backpack, because I would have been juggling jeans and yarn and needles, oh my.

This is beginning to sound like one of those "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" stories, so I'll just stop RIGHT NOW.

And wish you all a pleasant Sunday, as you gear up for CYBER MONDAY.