Powered by Diet Coke.

I'm so tired. Thanksgiving was busy and I wasn't even hosting it. Running around. Trying to make a casserole and salad for a party. It was a good group at a cousin's house. They deep fried the turkey instead of oven roasting it which was cool because I've never had it prepared that way. And I got to see the process of it. It's quite fast--only 4 minutes per pound--and they made two 9-pound birds. I'm not sure how long it took to heat a kettle of peanut oil. I also have no idea what the cost of that much peanut oil is. It was cold out but since it was so quiet and clear, I spent most of the evening hanging out in the backyard. Playing with the dogs. Eating. Listening to one of my cousins telling me about kicking it with Suge Knight and Hef and looking at his cell phone pics.

I had to work Black Friday as usual but I decided I also wanted to hit the sales. So I did both. I woke up early and headed over to Target a half hour before opening at 6 a.m. Man, there were a lot of people. Parking was tough to come by and there was a lineup of a few hundred people that stretched to the back of the building. The air was cold and I only had my usual hoody. They handed out some lackluster tote bags filled with coffee, granola bar, and a stuffed toy Target mascot. Once I got inside, it was crowded, noisy, but still very orderly. I saw a bunch of people loading enormous televisions into their carts. I went straight to electronics. I walked out with everything I wanted. I was in and out in no time.

A Christmas Story on DVD $7
Seinfeld Season 8 DVD $15
Hot Fuzz (widescreen) $10
Guitar Hero 3 bundle (GH3, 2 controllers)* $85
Sonicare Toothbrush $75



* I see the GH3 display but there's only one left. I reach over 2 carts and a bunch of people to grab it.
Lady says: Last one.
I say without missing a beat: Yeah and it's all mine.

Map it out mentally beforehand. Walk fast. Avoid browsing--you should already know what you want. Weave your way through crowds. Ditch the cart and carry your stuff instead. Never stop moving. I didn't stop to chit chat with that lady who was idly standing around as her son or whoever was looking at videogames. She seemed to want me to. Freaking amateurs.

I had my strategy worked out the night before.

Anyhow, of course I had time before work but instead of sleeping I break open the GH3. I eventually crash on the bus totally exhausted and with the retail-high wearing off and I wake up somewhere near Wilshire. Pretty bad. I had to take a bus back to the Civic Center but I also happened to carrying a 2 ft Xmas tree which I planned to set up on my desk. The same tree I put up every year at the office.

Oh well, just ramp up that Diet Coke consumption.