Apropos of the way this thread has turned: I get home from work between 7 and 7:30. Today, I wanted to get some last-minute shopping in for some forgotten co-workers, so off I head to the great mom-and-pop shops in my neighborhood. Guess what? Here it is the week before Christmas, and EVERY SINGLE ONE was closed for the night. I WANTED to give THOSE stores my money...but nope! Apparently only people without jobs can shop there...

We working stiffs have the mall or nothin'. Okay. I chose nothin'. So that's what my co-workers are gettin' and I'm just generally annoyed as all heck that I'm even trying...
Honestly, if I didn't have an 11-year-old, aside from some charity stuff, I'd not participate in this coercion-oops-I-mean-holiday AT ALL.
[/cheer-spreading]
