why i hate the holiday season

just back from target, where i bought the bookcase i'll be putting together as my t'giving project. and, holy smokes-- not even black friday yet, and already i want to slash the tires of everyone in the parking lot. people, seriously. stay to the right, slow down, and relax. look behind you before moving in reverse. unless it would be a legitimate hardship for you to walk a few more feet, quit blocking traffic to wait for the closest possible parking spot, when you can clearly see that woman has three rambunctious kids and eight million bags to load into her car. and for pete's sake, don't follow me out of the store with my cart. you sure as hell don't want my close-to-the-exits spot, and i don't want to walk as slowly as possible just to piss you off, but i can't help myself. i just hope i stocked the cupboards well enough that i don't have to go back there before january. and that my roomie will be willing to help me get the damn thing up the stairs-- not only is it heavy, not only did i rip the skin on my wrist getting it off the shelf, but the stupid box is open AT BOTH ENDS. i almost chose a color that would not even remotely match anything else in my house just to avoid dealing with the box, but alas, my completely nonexistent decorating skills chose that moment to rise up. on the bright side, i was also looking for a couple travel-sized toiletries for the 3 oz/ziploc baggy TSA nonsense, but instead found, on the endcap, some full-sized pantene stuff marked down to 87 cents (!!) with free travel-sized samples attached. big score, considering that similar (but less delicious-smelling) stuff was 99 cents for the travel size alone. (in retrospect, if i'd had my coupons with me, i probably could have gotten all of it for free. which unfortunately makes me want to go back... must resist.) now, to lift my mood: more bourbon bacon! it's definitely among the top five bacons i've yet tasted. sweet, with just enough fat to taste yummy but just little enough that i don't need to use the press. today i'm making bacon popovers, which i can't believe never occured to me before now. the beef bacon is going to be crumbled & put in mashed potatoes, with some cheese & spinach thrown in as well. a full meal out of what most people consider just a side dish-- brilliant. funny thing happened to me on sunday night... for the first time in my 15 years in the restaurant business, i had blind, deaf, and dumb people sitting in my section all at the same time.