Skip to main content

My experiment with truth (before midnight part 2)

One of them anyway.  It was conducted in the late hours of Thanksgiving Day.  A day when per tradition you are supposed to stick your fingers through those belonging to your loved ones and sit around a table or fire or whatever tableau suits your style and give thanks.  Thanks to the provider, purveyor, worker or whatever or whoever you feel thankful for.

Instead the new America has converted their age old pastime into a new game.  Shop till you drop or are dropped and be thankful for it.  The latter in the form of someone trouncing you on their way to find the latest sale item in a grossly crowded superstore that can offer anything from an underwear to a computer to a lawnmower and grub killer.

As if shopping was an entirely new discovery for mankind thousands descend on variety of big box retailers (as they are affectionately known) across the big nation as early as 6 pm (so when did we close again?) local time, like honey bees coming to mate during peak season.   From police presence at the parking lots to keep order to the upcoming melee (not on pay per view) at the doors there is security as tight as a presidential visit.

Then the clock chimes 6 or 8 or whatever the magic number is that day and the lines swarm in - to pillage and plunder the crockpots (yes we need more) to large sized suitcases where you could hide a child or two if needed, to the fleece garments that strictly speaking fleece the idiot customers without their knowing of hard earned cash, to massively discounted jewelry items you would think were made of plastic (they are but look like gold).

This experiment to me anyway was confirmation that all is well in the world and there are no debt crises or unemployment or colored days just colored eyes - simply black eyes (from all that trouncing) or red eyes (from staying up for 48 hours walking the malls) and a Suburban full of next decades supplies - that will undoubtedly end up in the garage since we need space to put Johnny somewhere inside.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Of chocolates

I like chocolates. Godiva Dark with Almonds - not sure of the naked woman on the horse to be the icon of some choice cocoa based products but tastes good. Started in Belgium but now owned by some Turks. Cadburys - Fruit and Nut Milk Bars - awesome combination of dried fruit pieces along with a medley of nuts makes your toungue dance - started by a Brit now owen by Kraft USA. Lindt Hazelnut spheres - made by a Swiss confectioner are divine balls that melt in your mouth with a lingering nutty taste Ghirardelli Milk Crisp Squares - crunchy and light these milk squares are easy on the palate but pack some serious calories - all good I say! Originally founded by an Italian who moved around till he landed in SF Bay today also owned by the Swiss Lindt empire.

Columbia SC

 The Palmetto state.  One of the confederate kinds. History dating couple centuries back.  We visited the capital yet again this time to take in the SC State Museum. Occupying the former digs (literally remodeled) of an erstwhile cotton mill this structure is an amazing piece of reimagination.  Four floors of excitement for kids and young at heart alike. Located on the shores of the Congaree River formed when the Broad meets up with the Saluda River, this edifice is approx. 60 years old.  The front of the building has a more modern planetarium that was added about a decade ago.  The museum itself has different areas of interest segregated on each of its four floors. The first floor has gift shop and a diorama of some of the local geography including the swamps and the state beaches with audio guides to help understand what fauna thrives locally. The second floor is all about natural history and showcases animal kingdom that may have survived on this latitud...

But What If We're Wrong?

I attempted to read this book by author Chuck Klosterman backward to forward but it started hurting my brain so I decided to stop and do it like any other publication in the English language.  Start from page 1 and move to the right. Witty, caustic and thought provoking this is a book you want to read if you believe that the status quo might, just might be wrong. At times bordering on being contrarian about most things around us it tries to zero in on the notion of what makes anything believable and certain in our minds.  The fact that there is a fact itself is ironic.  Something analogous to the idea that you can never predict the future because there is no future. Many books and movies have tried to play on this concept - best that I recollect (I think I am) was 'The Truman Show'.  This book by Klosterman attempts to provoke the reader to at least contemplate that what they think they know may be wrong. He uses examples like concept of gravity, and how it ...