Ride It If I Like

I spent Wednesday in West Virginia with my cousin, who was cleaning out her brother's house in anticipation of the auction house picking up the bulk of his belongings . It's amazing how much stuff he had...some was being sold at auction, some went to trash and some was given away. I found some nice clothes that fit me and got a bike ( save me some gas!) and also received some old vinyl records- I mean old; big , thick slabs of 78 RPM vinyl! I haven't sorted them yet, I might have to borrow a turntable to play them...on top of the pile was a Mahalia Jackson record, which is a good sign, I think. I'm psyched. I bet I can get a great show out of them. Or two.

Then we went shopping. I haven't been shopping for years. Seriously. I can't remember the last time I went to a mall...there is a higher statistical probability of spotting a tornado at an area mall than there is of seeing me.

I have a job interview today and my cuz wanted to buy me some new shoes for it- my 'best' shoes until then were hiking boots- she proved to be patient as well as generous- we passed this 'monument' as we headed towards the Food Court and I had to stop and take a pic.
It's in the middle of a mall and it reads : "Dedicated to those who honorably served our country" .



I'm all for honoring our veterans, but placing a memorial inside a shopping mall disturbs me- in my opinion, putting this monument next to the Food Court shows about as much class and respect as imprinting urinal cakes with the POW/MIA logo.

I actually experienced culture shock while in this mall. I felt like a tourist in a foreign land. We also went to an adjoining Wal-Mart. I know that I have been to one before, but it's been years...five, ten? I was unprepared for what I saw:



This place is so large it has a vanishing point.

Turn around and -presto- it's a supermarket! Turn to the right and there's the Golden Arches.

How has it come to this? We don't need all this stuff.

Today I had a job interview. I'd be operating the controls at the local planetarium. It's sort of a cross between a movie projectionist and a carnival ride operator. They asked some technical questions and I passed. It's only one or two shifts per week, but it's better than nothing. Plus it sounds fun. I hope I get it.

Did I mention the bike? It's a nice one. I took it to a nearby park.





I think I'm gonna like my new bike.

Tomorrow I start my two-day stint at NASCAR. I'm not sure what I'm doing there but it's supposed to be 30 or so hours in two days- almost a paycheck! I may wind up with four or five part-time jobs...I even picked up a Starbucks application, although I haven't inked it yet.

See ya after the Races!