It seems I have one loyal reader! At least, I'm going to assume that because the concept that lots of people from the same internet provider are stumbling past here accidently is really rather pathetic. But anyway, hello to you if you're actually there. (Please be there.)
Yesterday, on a whim, Nathan and I took off for his parent's house in CR. The next time we're going to be that way is Thanksgiving, and it'd been a while since we'd been there anyway. Besides, driving 60 miles counts as a road trip and a vacation in our world.
They handed out candy to trick-or-treaters and I wasn't allowed to answer the door after I tried to make a poor bewildered six year old tell me a joke. I mean, they still have trick-or-treating on Halloween even if it does fall on a Saturday. DM has had "Begger's Night" ever since I can remember so that children don't have to go door to door along with the tools of Satan, apparently. This is, of course, as someone told me recently, because Iowa is part of the Bible Belt.
If this is true, that's a mighty wide belt to stretch from Georgia and Alabama, all the way across to the Carolinas, and up to Iowa. Who makes that decision? Is this something that gets mapped?
Yesterday also included a trip to Wal-Mart where we watched the Halloween candy go on discount. The Holiday Store was already set up and ready. I have a great and deep love for Christmas, but some of the decorations are incredibly tacky. Of course, I was at Wal-Mart, but still. They have a six foot mechanised, dancing, singing Grinch figure for 60 bucks. They have six foot plastic trees made entirely out of lights (maybe not so ugly at night, but in the daytime, ugh). They have lighted plastic nutcrackers. That wasn't the extent, but those were some of the best highlights.
Since we were there, Nathan got the bright idea that we should be members of the Day After Thanksgiving Sale Madness. The idea is that the best way to get some cheap toaster, blender, and other appliances that will last us until we get married and can have decent things is to arrive at Wal-Mart the day after Thanksgiving at six in the morning. This act of insanity will somehow guarauntee us a five dollar toaster.
Honestly, if it's difficult to wake up for a nine o clock meeting, there's no way we'll be doing six o clock for a five dollar toaster. Especially not the morning before the Soup Supper, which will mean the day won't end until nine o clock that night.
Time will tell, I expect.