Tuesday, May 16th, 2006

Coffee Settipani Bakery .75
American Spirit Cigs $8.00
Bed Bath and Beyond (shoe rack, picture frame, garbage can) $46.57
Trojanowski Liquors (2 bottles of wine) $20.00

I was away for a bit, I actually went home to Chicago to see the family, well mostly the suburbs of Chicago, my parents moved out to Huntley, Illinois. "The Land of Consumerism". Yes indeed, and we did the usual routine of hitting up, Target, TJ Max, and Outlet Shopping that Noreen Salm (my mother) ritually and I do when I visit. It's funny, because I live in New York, which you would think I would be calling "The Land of Consumerism", more so than the suburbs of Chicago. But, observationally, I realize when I am there that it's incredibly hard to avoid, and that there is less entertainment and culture, therefore, you shop. The enormity of these stores provides you with so many more options, these open spaces that were once functioning farms are now Wal-Marts, Super Targets, and Old Navy. Not to keep going on and on about it, cus in fact I got some great deals, I must admit, and found guilty pleasure in indulging in the suburban consumerism world, and also enjoyed the great big grocery stores! You forget what it's like when you live in New York, in the burbs we get to push an SUV sized shopping cart through the wide aisles, and look at all of the options there are, so many choices, and grocery shopping becomes this almost zen thing. Here in NYC the grocery store becomes rather stressful, and getting through an aisle with a cart means there's an 80% chance of collision, or just pissing off the person in the aisle who just opted for the hand basket... Then sometimes that hand basket gets too full and your hand hurts from the metal handle, and you just get fed up, and then the lines...I can't tell you how many times I've filled up a basket, realized I had to pee, looked at the enormous line ahead of me, and just set my basket down, walked out of the store, and picked up some carry-out Thai food on my way home from the train. Not matter what, I still prefer city living, but grew to understand why many Americans enjoy the suburbs, whatever floats your boat!