Holidaze
Yesterday, my first of three days off for the week, I realized I still had a few last minute gifts to pick up. I also had gotten an e-mail the night before from a certain big electronics store telling me that my new flat screen, LCD HD TV was ready to be picked up. This meant going to what we locally refer to as "South Ridge".
Located just south of Charleston on Rt. 119 (aka Corridor G) is a series of highly congested strip malls filled with stores and restaurants, just like the ones you see in thousands of towns across America.
Strip malls annoy me because they ruined the awesomeness that was once a REAL MALL, you know kind that had a parking garage, food court, multiple levels and the convenience of being able to go from store to store without having to escape the season appropriate climate controlled indoor environment.
We do still have such malls in the area, one is just a hop, skip and a jump away from my house, located in the heart of Downtown. But trust me, the grandeur that once was the Charleston Town Center Mall was ravaged by the creation of South Ridge and moreover, Wal-Mart. I always blame Wal-Mart.
Another fabulous mall is about a 40 minute drive to the town of Barboursville, where the once bustling Huntington Mall sits among a grotesque configuration of strip malls that have popped up around it. I don't venture to this mall often, but do enjoy many of the stores is has to offer that my local mall in Downtown doesn't, such as my friends designer handbag store, Diva's Handbags.
So back to the story, my sweetie and I decided to take shopping shifts, he needed to do some last minute gift buying as well, for me I assume since he wanted to go alone. So after he arrived back at the house I hopped in the car and headed out for my turn.
South Ridge was my first destination. I thought I might could find some of the items I needed to get at Target and so I headed there first.
It was close to two in the afternoon and traffic really didn't seem that bad. Two days before Christmas, I figured it'd be madness and insanity out there, as has become the tradition. Heck, even the local news usually carries a headline story about how bad the traffic is out South Ridge.
But I was surprised to see no real back-ups or crazy congestion. But I got what I asked for by the time I was finished shopping in Target. In the 45 minutes I spent browsing racks, choosing and purchasing items, every car I'd seen coming in had given birth to triplets, and those triplets had promptly given birth to twins, who in turn had a varying array of sextuplets and quints.
What had been a steady but light flow of vehicles coming had raged into a full blown cluster*%$! in just 45 minutes.
My paranoia of course leads me to believe this happened simply to spite me and try to bring my jolly ol' mood to a halt.
Totally didn't happen. Of course, the traffic was backed up to the Target parking lot, which is pretty much the end of the line on one of two strip malls at the Trace Fork portion South Ridge. Target faces Best Buy, which I needed to get to, to pick up my new TV.
I'd venture to guess the front doors of each of these stores is somewhere around two and a half foot ball fields apart. Normally it's less than three minutes commute from one parking lot to the other. Yesterday, it took me 35 minutes.
But once I was in, I was golden. I found a sweet parking spot, and rushed inside like a crackhead about to score some rock, probably drooling a little at the idea of my very own 32" TV. (hey anything bigger than the 19" we've been straining our eyes over for 7 plus years is gonna get me excited okay)
I was able to go right to the clerk at the Pick-Up counter without having to wait in a line. Awesome! The clerk promptly verified all my info and went to the back go retrieve my flat screen. I then hauled it out to the car, loaded it up, and was ready to just rush home to get it set up and watch it. Only... there was that traffic. That terrible, horrible, evil traffic.
There was also the All Christmas-All Thru Christmas station on the car radio. So I cranked it, started a solo sing-a-long and began to nose my way into the madness. The trip from the Best Buy parking lot to the traffic light that would put me back onto Rt. 119 normally takes about 3-4 minutes with the normal amount of congestion and also included a four way stop in the middle. Yesterday, 40+ minutes. I lost track at 40, it may have been 45-50 minutes but a couple of really fun holiday songs came on and I was singing my little heart out.
It was nuts. And typically I'd have gone nuts, letting the beast of Christmas traffic get inside me and make me have that icky old road rage. But I just wasn't letting it happen. Instead I remained jolly and bright as I rocked around my invisible drivers' seat Christmas tree.
Oh and I made sure to let a jerk in a white Hummer know what a joyous and giving holiday spirit I had by letting out as many people as I could from adjoining parking lots along the way to Rt. 119 while he sat behind me flailing about his drivers' seat surely cursing the air I was breathing. He seemed not to like the fact that I was being generous and thoughtful of the other folks who were also just trying to get out of the madness that they had brought themselves into, too. I wasn't in any hurry, but I guess maybe he was. Or he was just an A$$hole.
I vote the latter.
Once I was back on Rt. 119 headed back to town I thought I was home free. But I hit another traffic snag in no time and crawled the rest of the way back into the city. A few more stops, with much less hassle, and I was finally headed back to the house. It was a crazy last minute shopping day but I think it was worth it.
I guess I'll find out tomorrow when everyone opens their presents and lets me know if I got them good gifts. That'll be the most fun. Spending the day with my family, which has grown by three more since last Christmas (my brother got married this summer and now has twin stepsons who are adorable!). So this should be a boisterous holiday celebration full of laughter and cheer.
I wish for all of you who celebrate this Holiday to have a very merry one. For those of you who don't or that celebrate other Holiday's, may your days also be fabulous!
Located just south of Charleston on Rt. 119 (aka Corridor G) is a series of highly congested strip malls filled with stores and restaurants, just like the ones you see in thousands of towns across America.
Strip malls annoy me because they ruined the awesomeness that was once a REAL MALL, you know kind that had a parking garage, food court, multiple levels and the convenience of being able to go from store to store without having to escape the season appropriate climate controlled indoor environment.
We do still have such malls in the area, one is just a hop, skip and a jump away from my house, located in the heart of Downtown. But trust me, the grandeur that once was the Charleston Town Center Mall was ravaged by the creation of South Ridge and moreover, Wal-Mart. I always blame Wal-Mart.
Another fabulous mall is about a 40 minute drive to the town of Barboursville, where the once bustling Huntington Mall sits among a grotesque configuration of strip malls that have popped up around it. I don't venture to this mall often, but do enjoy many of the stores is has to offer that my local mall in Downtown doesn't, such as my friends designer handbag store, Diva's Handbags.
So back to the story, my sweetie and I decided to take shopping shifts, he needed to do some last minute gift buying as well, for me I assume since he wanted to go alone. So after he arrived back at the house I hopped in the car and headed out for my turn.
South Ridge was my first destination. I thought I might could find some of the items I needed to get at Target and so I headed there first.
It was close to two in the afternoon and traffic really didn't seem that bad. Two days before Christmas, I figured it'd be madness and insanity out there, as has become the tradition. Heck, even the local news usually carries a headline story about how bad the traffic is out South Ridge.
But I was surprised to see no real back-ups or crazy congestion. But I got what I asked for by the time I was finished shopping in Target. In the 45 minutes I spent browsing racks, choosing and purchasing items, every car I'd seen coming in had given birth to triplets, and those triplets had promptly given birth to twins, who in turn had a varying array of sextuplets and quints.
What had been a steady but light flow of vehicles coming had raged into a full blown cluster*%$! in just 45 minutes.
My paranoia of course leads me to believe this happened simply to spite me and try to bring my jolly ol' mood to a halt.
Totally didn't happen. Of course, the traffic was backed up to the Target parking lot, which is pretty much the end of the line on one of two strip malls at the Trace Fork portion South Ridge. Target faces Best Buy, which I needed to get to, to pick up my new TV.
I'd venture to guess the front doors of each of these stores is somewhere around two and a half foot ball fields apart. Normally it's less than three minutes commute from one parking lot to the other. Yesterday, it took me 35 minutes.
But once I was in, I was golden. I found a sweet parking spot, and rushed inside like a crackhead about to score some rock, probably drooling a little at the idea of my very own 32" TV. (hey anything bigger than the 19" we've been straining our eyes over for 7 plus years is gonna get me excited okay)
I was able to go right to the clerk at the Pick-Up counter without having to wait in a line. Awesome! The clerk promptly verified all my info and went to the back go retrieve my flat screen. I then hauled it out to the car, loaded it up, and was ready to just rush home to get it set up and watch it. Only... there was that traffic. That terrible, horrible, evil traffic.
There was also the All Christmas-All Thru Christmas station on the car radio. So I cranked it, started a solo sing-a-long and began to nose my way into the madness. The trip from the Best Buy parking lot to the traffic light that would put me back onto Rt. 119 normally takes about 3-4 minutes with the normal amount of congestion and also included a four way stop in the middle. Yesterday, 40+ minutes. I lost track at 40, it may have been 45-50 minutes but a couple of really fun holiday songs came on and I was singing my little heart out.
It was nuts. And typically I'd have gone nuts, letting the beast of Christmas traffic get inside me and make me have that icky old road rage. But I just wasn't letting it happen. Instead I remained jolly and bright as I rocked around my invisible drivers' seat Christmas tree.
Oh and I made sure to let a jerk in a white Hummer know what a joyous and giving holiday spirit I had by letting out as many people as I could from adjoining parking lots along the way to Rt. 119 while he sat behind me flailing about his drivers' seat surely cursing the air I was breathing. He seemed not to like the fact that I was being generous and thoughtful of the other folks who were also just trying to get out of the madness that they had brought themselves into, too. I wasn't in any hurry, but I guess maybe he was. Or he was just an A$$hole.
I vote the latter.
Once I was back on Rt. 119 headed back to town I thought I was home free. But I hit another traffic snag in no time and crawled the rest of the way back into the city. A few more stops, with much less hassle, and I was finally headed back to the house. It was a crazy last minute shopping day but I think it was worth it.
I guess I'll find out tomorrow when everyone opens their presents and lets me know if I got them good gifts. That'll be the most fun. Spending the day with my family, which has grown by three more since last Christmas (my brother got married this summer and now has twin stepsons who are adorable!). So this should be a boisterous holiday celebration full of laughter and cheer.
I wish for all of you who celebrate this Holiday to have a very merry one. For those of you who don't or that celebrate other Holiday's, may your days also be fabulous!
Comments
Merry Christmas Love
And Happy New Year!
Kelly xoxo