Black Friday: My Experience

Okay, so I've never really been into the whole shopping hoopla. Even as a girl, I'm more interested in being lazy than shopping -- and that is an honest fact. But I do enjoy buying things sometimes, especially when a "deal" is going on. So I went Black Friday shopping this morning/afternoon, and here are some of the key elements I took away from my adventure.

JUST BECAUSE IT IS A "DEAL" DOES NOT MAKE IT ONE.
So I was one of those people who bought a billion things today, when I never buy anything in the regular week. I purchased a few sweaters, an iPhone case, and a bunch of things from Tuesday Morning. (If you haven't been to Tuesday Morning, go! Super cheap, super awesome.) Every time I saw something that lit up my eyes, I gasped to my mom, "Oh my gosh, look at this bargain! It was $60, and I'm getting it for $20!" My mom smiled and said, "The store's still making their money."

It is very true. The stores are giving a deal -- on a jacked-up price that gave them what, a 200% profit from the original price of an item? Come on, it is ridiculous. The advertisements are smart, but I understood what was happening. Even though I got the sweater for a cheaper price, the store was still making a profit, or they wouldn't have made that price cut in the first place. This told me that if I was getting a sweater for $20 that had an original price of $60...Wow. These shops must make so much profit.

Today they may not have made the most profit off an item, but the masses and hordes of humans inside make up for it. They don't need to mark their prices so high on this day, because so many people inside buying gobs of items will make this one of the best selling days of the year.

HUMANS ENTER SOCIETY...
I've noticed that with Christmas less than a month away, the streets are more crowded and people are out and about, buying things and sipping their coffees. Today was a pure example of this: Crowded lines, crowded dressing rooms, crowded aisles... It was insane. Now I didn't get to the store when it first opened -- as I need my beauty sleep -- but when I did arrive, it was packed. There were Indians speaking their native tongue, teenage girls instructing moms what to wear, and clueless dads trying to keep up with the little kids. It was actually an awesome event to witness.

In the normal times of the year, I wouldn't be exposed to the culture. I wouldn't see how everyone interacts with each other, since many people where I'm from stay to themselves usually. And I expected the chaos, and I expected rudeness, but it was actually pretty mellow. What I saw today was maybe not the best example of human bonding, but people were talking and searching for the best buy.

In fact I was surprised by how nice some people were. Don't get me wrong -- others were very rude, smacking gum and speaking on their phones with the intensity of Bigfoot, but a lot of people were genuinely friendly and excited about the holidays. However, I did find a twenty-five-year-old buying lingerie with her grandma present a little terrifying. Maybe I am that behind in the world, or maybe I'm just a dork, I don't know, but people were definitely comfortable.

'TIS THE SEASON.
I think every worker today was wearing red. And I saw about twenty of them, all in a six-hour period. Christmas music was playing at every store, and I think this really excited a lot of youth, elderly, and adults. As I left Target, a dad was singing to his kids and pushing them really fast in a cart, much to their delight.

Today -- and yesterday -- really marks the holiday spirit. Now there is no excuse: It's time to whip out the hot chocolate and let our ears bleed from Mariah Carey's Christmas songs. It is actually in style to say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays" and I'm thrilled. Not because I'm extremely buzzed about the time, but because this month comes around once in a year, and it is time to let loose, eat a lot, and be thankful of all we have.

Probably tomorrow I'll be wishing it were summer. But for today, enjoy the winter weather, and Christmas is just around the corner.

Turkey Day (Gobble Gobble)

It's that time of year again -- Thanksgiving -- and as I write this I hear a band blaring from the Macy's Parade. There were many floats -- from one promoting female engineers to Snoopy -- and along came various singers and, and, advertisements. But oh well, I'll be a little less snarky today and realize: Christmas is literally less than a month away!

So hold on to your hats, the repetitive music and red bows and Christmas lights are now in season, and it's time to put up the tree. That is one of my favorite things about the season: Christmas lights. But first, let's not get carried away by Christmas chatter so we can focus on Thanksgiving.

Our country is a land of immigration. We always have been, always will be. I'm pretty sure I have some ancestors who arrived around the same time as our favorite topic -- the Pilgrims -- but that doesn't really matter. Thanksgiving is a symbol of how far we've come. Think about the first Thanksgiving ever, back in the 1600s with the Indians and the English separatists, and imagine the weather, how cold it would be outside.

We have so much to be thankful for. I'm sitting inside, wrapped in a blanket, about to have some delicious turkey, deviled eggs, stuffing, and more. Meanwhile there are people less fortunate in other countries who are wondering about their next meal. We should help these souls, no doubt, and be reminded that despite all the ills and stress of our lives, we've got freedom and turkey. That sounds pretty American to me.

Enjoy your festive day, don't become a balloon, and stay warm.

--K

P.S. For those of you from elsewhere -- eat away too! This day isn't just American. Everyone around the world has so much to be proud of and thankful for!

Be thankful for your country and your freedom!

A Review of Carolina Isle

IMAGINE North Carolina. If you've never been there, let's take a trip. We're in a suped-up sports car, the top is down, and the ocean spray layers our faces. We know we're close to the beach, because we can feel the water pulsating our veins, and sand is everywhere. Out of nowhere the blue sea appears and we're there in an instant -- our toes against the sand, the waves lapping our skin.

Now these coastal areas of Carolina are not the same as places like the Florida Panhandle or the water of the Texas shore. No, Carolina is different: rocks sometimes litter the sand, the waves are stronger, and the blue is of a darker hue. The waters of the Cape Hatteras are known to be shipwreck territory. But God's creation is beautiful, and we savor the sea.

Here We Go (Again)

Well, I've never been successful with blog writing. I think I've tried and given up at least three times now, but maybe the fourth time's the charm. As they say on Neptune, "Keep on workin' hard."

So let's hope this time I can actually stay on task and blog. If there's a will, there's a way. (I believe that is the saying.)

(As a quick happy addition to your day, here is a picture of my only baby, Fluffy Butt, about to chomp on an iPad!)

--K