Rode the bus down to the mall and Target, which brought back fond memories of last summer when I rode it to work every day at class.com. When I got on every morning the bus driver--Dwayne I think it was--would always say "Good morning, young man," since he didn't know my name. That "good morning, young man" always gave me a cool grown-up feeling.
Malls weird me out nowadays, especially those big department stores with their looming heaps of pastel-colored cosmetics products at the entrances. After that comes a protective layer of body lotions and women's jewelry. As a male if you can make it through these then the coast is clear, but I imagine many males recoil in horror somewhere short of this, and probably think the whole store is that way. But it's not dudes, you've just got to push yourself onward and head for the nearest down escalator, because if there is any product intended for the male species in the place, it's going to be in hidden away down there in the sublevels. Keep your eye on the prize. Once you've got it and made your purchase, you've still got the escape ahead of you, and this part can be tricky too. If you don't watch it you could end up wandering around endlessly in the Petites section like some kind of lost pedophile. The department store, of course, is going to make escaping as non-intuitive as possible, because if they had their way you'd be trapped in there forever like a wild animal, making purchasing decisions out of sheer desparation.
Posted by Alan at January 27, 2003 05:04 PM