Toady I was on a treasure hunt...for toilet paper. My mom mentioned that she was running low and I am also FINALLY getting low from buying mid-March (the one plus to being the only person in my household at the moment) so I made that my mission today. I figured, if I went out early-ish, then I might find some somewhere but knew that I would have to go to at least two stores because every store has a "1 package per person/transaction" limit. That's cool...I like to drive aimlessly and it was nice to be out of my condo instead of staring at a screen. I liked it so much I decided that I was out on my afternoon Zoom meeting. One of my co-workers emailed about the meeting (I usually run them on T/Th/F) and I said I was out because I was on toilet paper duty. This co-worker felt the need to announce that to everyone who was supposed to be in our meeting today so that annoyed the ever-loving shit out of me.
Happy Friday!
I managed to find some at the first store I went to (totally didn't see that one coming) but then I ran a couple of side errands and when I went to the other local chain there was nothing in that aisle. This is not uncommon.
This may seem like I'm channeling a particularly curmudgeon-y old man from a Disney-Pixar collaboration but honestly...what the hell is up with people hoarding toilet paper? What's crazy to me is...well, wait for it.
So I go further south and check a couple more stores...no luck. But I'm pretty close to my campus by this point and I know there's a Kroger not far so I go check it out and there is a TON. It's interesting to me because households in that area are usually much larger than those in the town where I live, and yet, there was plenty in stock. If I'm being honest, it was much more stocked than the grocery stores in my town. And that baffles me because that seems backwards. Is it because Kroger is expensive? Is it because I caught it on a good restocking day/time? Or is it because the affluent people in my town keep buying it up so they won't ever run out, not considering that a person who actually NEEDS some has to drive 20 minutes away and visit 5 stores to acquire what she needs? I actually want to know.
I can't wait to move. There, I said it. I finally owned up to it. I became slightly disenchanted a couple of years ago and it has gone steadily downhill. This school year, by the time my current campus geared up to play against my "hometown," I was so over where I lived that I secretly hoped a miracle would occur and my school would win. I didn't share this sentiment with anyone. In fact, I continued to talk just as much trash, if not more, because otherwise they'd know something was up...but I so desperately wanted them to win. Whether they will ever realize it or not I was their secret champion that night and I continue to be on their side, cheering them on in all that they do, whether they every figure it out or they remain blissfully clueless.
My sister posted on social media that NBC Sports Network was going to air some the gymnastics portions of several of the more recent summer Olympics and those are our JAM. When we were kids we used to go to college gymnastics meets in Oklahoma when Shannon Miller was the paradigm of gymnast. I missed Atlanta and I'm super bummed. I caught the last bit of Athens and we're wrapping Beijing right now, which was also pretty great. Wasn't there a scandal about underage gymnasts that year? I don't even remember but I'm pretty sure that's accurate. Gymnastics is my favorite. I also love watching the swimming and the diving. I hold my breath for every single race and I can't help it. I tear up every single time I hear the National Anthem as an American Olympian stands on top of the podium. I can't help it. I've already seen these and I'm still a huge ball of soggy tears. I've been watching "The Last Dance" on ESPN and it reminded me how much I loved the Dream Team of men's basketball back then, too.
Things in the 90s were so much simpler and it was so much easier to be present. Technology is amazing but it gets in the way of so many potential memories because we.are.obsessed. It has been immensely helpful, especially when it comes to keeping in touch with my students, some of whom have gone MIA. They are (hopefully) starting to realize that I really do care and that I will actually check up on them...probably. If they haven't they will soon.
Meanwhile, I'm staying in touch with a few of my kids from last year. There are three that really stay in regular communication. One of them switched into my class at semester and the other two were not at all fans of me at the beginning of the year. It seems to be an ongoing trend.
I can't wait to see what happens next year.
Aubs
No comments:
Post a Comment