Pushing my luck

I don't much like driving, not extensively anyway, even though I drive cross country a couple of times a year to take the girls to visit family, but that's more a matter of expense and convenience rather than shear joy.

However, I do like to drive down the highway, preferably unobstructed, on a sunny, 64 degree spring day with the sunroof open and really good music, say a little Dashboard Confessional, blasting, and being in no particular rush to go anywhere. THAT I can really get into. And, while it's not spring, I was able to do that today, which is not too shabby for a few days before Christmas. Quite joyous.


But alas the joy was short lived. I had just a few last gifts to acquire before I picked up the girls later in the afternoon, and I missed a great opportunity to get these gifts the last two weekends when I was already at the mall... poor planning on my part I realize. So, for a third straight weekend (probably some kind of personal record were I keeping track) I headed to the mall (on the biggest shopping day of the year). I definitely pushed my luck. There was some serious traffic on Northwest Expressway, I'd say backed up nearly a mile, and the parking at Penn Square looked... not there. So I did a little back-street maneuvering and got myself into the rear of the mall complex where there was, surprisingly, decent parking. I went in, got what I needed (including Darby's birthday gift three weeks early, yea for me), made one last loop through the mall, and got myself out of that madness.

Only to, very stupidly, swing by the neighboring WalMart supercenter to get a few grocery items and also look for stocking stuffers. That was somewhat terrible, but since I only got a few things, I snuck away from the craziness via the 20 items or less line.

Then I got to do a little more nice-weather wind-blown joy-basking on my way to pickup the girls. Tonight we're going to a friend's for a little money-losing, I mean poker playing.