I escaped from the house for the first time in many weeks and went grocery shopping at Wallyworld. I know this is a holiday weekend so I should have expected the pointless traffic jams. The town is also decorated for the first game of the season, as there are orange barrels out everywhere. Message to the woman driving the gas-guzzling suv – “You are not exempt from red lights or 4-way stops.” I arrived at Wallyworld and picked a cart that actually worked (gasp). Besides the throngs of shoppers loading up for weekend picnics and parties, there were a good half a dozen dangerously large woman in motorized wheelchair/shopping carts who felt that they always have the right of way. I felt extreme relief not to be one of the shoppers trying to make their toddler sit instead of stand in the cart. While shopping, the store intercom asked for “anyone who speaks sign language to please go to the white elephant department”. I didn’t go. I had three years of sign langiage classes and even worked at the RID conference, but I’ve had so many lectures by Deaf individuals about what is rude and condescending that in my mind the answer to the question over the intercom was “You need an interpreter and I am not a certified interpreter.” At checkout I wondered why the cashiers can’t have stools on wheels. Wouldn’t it make their backs and feet hurt less?

In the parking lot I was a good yardstick away from the car next to me, but the teenage driver came out with his six-pack, stuck his hand on his hips and grunted at me to stop loading my groceries and close the door so he could walk past. I would have just walked around. On the way home I got a call from Sarah because she had missed her bus. I picked her up and listened as she rapid-fire listed off all her upcoming student council and art club meetings (she’ll expect me to have them memorized now). Came home, unloaded groceries and now we are going to drop Sarah and her best friend off at the movies. Maybe tomorrow night Doug and I could actually go see a movie. Probably not but it’s nice to think about.