Aisles Full of Old People + The Giant = Circle in Hell

Oh my god, hand to heart, I almost did a post about old people in the grocery store, except I couldn't think of any tracks to post. My local switched chains, and they had a grand opening this weekend...It is hell. And my old people were distracted by free samples, which meant twice the number of blue hairs pushing shopping trolleys, empty except for one lonely pineapple.

Happened to be looking at your blog at work on IE and it comes up with a HUGE white gap at the top. You have to scroll down for ages and ages before the latest post shows up?

I had a similar problem once with a picture or vid that was wider than 480 pixels... caused IE to insert huge white space (works fine on firefox though)

Hey Girl,

I've been doing research on Flannery O'Connor, and saw where Sufjan had a song called A Good Man is Hard to Find, and thought, Well that's too perfect! I've got to hear it...So I Blog-Googled it, and found your link. Said to myself: I know her! :)

So anyway, I'm here stealing Sufjan. Also reading...

I like old people in the grocery store. They're nice to me. They take one look at Baby Girl and their eyes light up. Like the first time your turn on the heater in winter, I imagine it warms their hearts. :)

I love your header and your background. Sad green flowers, all floating about.

Thank you so much for this song. :)

Happy Monday, ~ Ash

liz--that's too funny! nothing like a store opening to bring them out in droves. oh god, i'm going to hell, aren't i?

mld--i've had other people mention the same thing. i'm talking to my blog support folks and trying to figure it out. the picture in today's post is only 300 x 300, most of them aren't ever much bigger, but the you-tube stuff probably is. i don't know how to change the size of that. i'm sorry! thanks for sticking with it and scrolling down anyway. : )

ash--that's pretty incredible! and you know what else? while you were doing that, i was reading colin's post about indie-preciousness and reading your comments about it--no shit, it's true!

and you have to know, i don't hate old people. i really don't. i was just overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of them in the store that day! : ) thanks for all the nice comments about the flowers and all. i like them, too.

Thats ok it only happens when I view it on IE. Thankfully its fine on Firefox which I use 95% of the time

hehhe...I am not really big fan of the "giant" either, in fact I purposely go at times I know there will be less people at the store...Like at 1:00am in the morning. :)

mld--i've actually seen blogs with the disclaimer: "best viewed in firefox." maybe i should add one. : ) i use firefox, too, of course.

rachel--pretty much the only way i can stand g. shopping is with my headphones on. and i'm with you--i try to go on the off hours, too, although i'm too lazy to do 1 a.m. anymore! oh, and here i was about to cheer the fact that you made it out alive, when i read on your blog that you're still there! call us if you need us. ;- )

Y'know, it used to be that when I was in a rush at the supermarket I'd get all exasperated by the wrinklies out doing their shopping at a slow, shuffly pace. I'd huff, and I'd grump, and I'd bloooow impatient sighs...

Then a couple of years back I figured they have just as much right to be out there as I do. I also figured out that for many of them, shopping may represent a vital escape from an otherwise largely lonely existence. On top of it, I started to consider their slow forays in the shopping mart as a big, life-affirming "F*UCK YOU" to all that would otherwise confine them to dark, musty rooms.

So I reflected on that and started to see the shuffling oldies both as a message to me to SLOW DOWN and as an opportunity to smile and make connections, however fleeting, with new folks. And I agree 110% with Ash - wrinklies are generally quite sweet and tolerant towards the kids.

As for supermarkets, well, I go into shock every time I'm dragged into a Costco. It simply overwhelms me and I just shut down. Then everyone curses as they try to navigate their wagons loaded with thirty-gallon drums of Mazola around my crumpled form...

ah, dear fil, you are always so zen about things. i should be more like you and less like me! the world would be a better place. : )

and i agree about the whole costco phenomena. it's so damn north american, isn't it? we have the space, so why not fill it up to the gills with EXTREMELY large stores with EXTREMELY large-sized packages of things that you couldn't possibly use in a year's time if you tried!

"and you know what else? while you were doing that, i was reading colin's post about indie-preciousness and reading your comments about it"

I read 'em while ago...lots of great comments on that one! Though I still don't know what "indie-preciousness" means...Don't tell Colin that. ;)

And don't worry: I never thought you hated old people...until I had Baby Girl, I was a lot more prone to frustration with them myself. Same with other people's children. Now that she can walk up to 'em, and say hi, it makes me smile, and other kid's smile, and old people smile, and I feel a lot more patient. :)

How old are your kids, by the way?

I knew you were a mommy too, but it's nice to actually TALK to another mom...not many around here that'll actually talk to me. ;)

my kids are getting old--17, 15 and 7. i have a confession to make--i avoided taking them to the store with me whenever humanly possible. the older two were terrible together in the grocery store, and it was always a maddening experience for me. the little one is much better behaved, but i still prefer to shop by myself! old habits die hard. : )

i'd say in the realm of music bloggers, there are very few moms. quite a few dads, tho, i've noticed, but moms are few and far between. nice to talk to you, too!

and yeah, i'm not entirely clear on what indie-preciousness means, but that was a really good post he did. the comments are still coming in on it.