Cerberus and Sherbutter and old beat-up telescopes on Green Friday
What did you do on Black Friday? Me? Lemme see. Walked. Groceries at the Jackson Road Meijer. Deposited a vee-hickle insurance refund. Gas in the Ninja. *Washed* the poor, neglected mud-caked Ninja. Did a load of laundry. Cleaned the kitchen floor. Yes, really. It just looks like that because the linoleum is destroyed. Made a lasagne. Cleaned out the refrigerator. Vacuumed the steps to the basement. Cleaned the bathroom. Dusted the front room! Yes!!! The oven is in rather desperate need of cleaning but that’ll have to wait until after I bake my lasagne so I don’t gas anyone. Total damages for a Black Friday? About $95. Oh, I’ll probably walk over to the Plum Market when Dogmomster gets here. I forgot to put parmesan on my list. Not bad for Black Friday.
I don’t remember when the day after Thanksgiving started getting called Black Friday. When I was a kid it was just the day after Thanksgiving. I don’t remember any special shopping trips but then, when you live in a rugged little northern city up in the Yoop in the 1960s, it’s pretty much the same little old stores in the same little old downtown. Dime stores, JC Penney, Monkey Wards, a couple of fancier clothing stores and I can’t even remember what else off-hand. It was still pretty exciting going shopping but not enough to get up at four o’clock in the morning or whatever. Actually, sometimes I went shopping with a friend *on* Thanksgiving Day over in Canada where our Thanksgiving was just another Thursday.
I can’t say I have never gone shopping on Black Friday. Actually, last year, we spent Thanksgiving at Houghton Lake and then spent Black Friday in Petoskey, shopping in the gaslight district. I don’t think we bought anything, not even lunch, but I love Petoskey and the drive there is always gorgeous.
I don’t get the whole lining up outside Best Buy at midnight though. I was dead on the couch in front of House re-runs at 8:30 last night. I dunno how people do it. They must not get up until noon on Thanksgiving. I don’t generically dislike Big Box stores (or even WollMort for that matter). They can be useful under some circumstances. What I don’t like are crowds and long waits at checkout counters. I don’t care about sales and special deals unless it’s something I need. And I don’t really need anything right now. Well, I need some clothes rather desperately but I really need to buy my own (gulp) and I’m not going to find anything I want at Walmart at 12:01 AM on Black Friday. Ditto the new Landfill kitchen. And some new trees and things.
I need to get rid of things. And that’s a hard, on-going slog that I’ve been blathering about a lot lately. But that’s why, when someone asks me what I want for Christmas, I get a little green around the gills. I used to be able to make little “moom’s cheep xmas lists” but nowadays I have everything and then some. If somebody buys me something *new*, I have to expend the effort to get rid of something already owned. So I just don’t know.
I hereby declare that henceforth, the day after Thanksgiving will be known as Green Friday. Have a good one!
November 28th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
House reruns! Love House! New and reruns! BTW, one plan for evicting junk: throw away five things every day. I’m waiting for the energy to implement that plan myself…. Go green!
November 29th, 2008 at 10:00 am
I just got into House this year – can anyone tell me how he hurt his leg? and I just learned why Thirteen is called Thirteen.
I too still need to get rid of much stuff. I’m off 2 days next week and plan to make HUGE progress on that front.
November 29th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
House – we see it occassionally. I don’t know what day it is on, but it is a day that sometimes is busy, and sometimes not. He is interesting, but I don’t know the answers to Jane’s questions – and not even why Thirteen is Thirteen.
We did shop yesterday, but we’re in a strange town with different stores. The best “store” was a gallery with some great photographs and a variety of paintings. There was even a guy painting in an alcove of one. We did not purchase anything here, and really just some odds and ends elsewhere. Our GREEN was to always say – no bags please, we have a backpack.
November 29th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
I also don’t get the appeal of getting up at the butt-crack of dawn on the Friday after Thanksgiving to go shopping. And did you hear about the Wal-mart stampede where an employee was trampled and killed? And a pregnant woman was injured? Jeesh. I prefer Christmas shopping online. Much less stressful, and possibly life-saving.
I’ve de-cluttered a number of times, but could do it again. I just wish my husband’s mother would de-clutter her place. She is “this close” to being a hoarder. Shudder.
November 30th, 2008 at 11:54 am
When Garth and Sally moved out of Woodsboro House, I decided to NOT become my parents and fill an attic full of stuff. So, I NEVER put ANYTHING in an attic. I have a fear of having that much stuff. I failed. My garage is crammed with totes of stuff, but it IS MY STUFF. Actually I went through some of it yesterday, and it is not that bad. About 1/4 of the garage is good, and about 1/4 is some crap I am tossing little by little every time I come home. 1/4 is my kids crap, and the other 1/4 is the “path” to walk through the middle, that is not big enough to park a car in. I usually pitch 3 or 4 garbage bags full of stuff each time I am home, which is about 1 bag a week or more, so I feel good. I still have a fear of, “what if I pass on and my kids are stuck with all this crap?”
Some of it is good crap, and can be sold for good money if they know where to take it.
I cleaned my yard, dusted a bunch of things, did a bunch of laundry, and threw out a lot of…. crap…. alll week.
It sounds like Tonya has a fear of inheriting mother-in-law crap….. Anne doesn’t know what THAT’S like, dooooo youuu Annnnneee??? Hmmmmm????
What is House and what is Thirteen? I don’t watch much TV, I heard it was evil.