| The Christmas shopping is finished, with a week to go, and there have been a few lessons learned.
1. We have too much crap in this country, or at least this part of the country. We have at least one of every genre of chain store and restaurant within half an hour of our house, so if you make a wrong turn, you're suddenly shopping. There are the standard department stores, four or five different supermarkets, all of the chain restaurants--many of which are owned by the same parent company, a slew of dollar stores, and the wonder of the region, Potomac Mills Mall. So much of it is crap. Superficial, stuff-it-in-your-SUV/McMansion-and-never-use-it-again crap.
2. Driving, once my favorite pastime, now is a very frustrating part of life. And it's worse now when everyone is trying to get to a different store or housing development. And it's not like walking is an alternative. Distances are farther in the cold (yes, Fred, we have had some snow and ice), and crossing monster intersections where drivers run red lights with impunity is not fun. I used to think of myself as a decent driver, but now I've noticed myself picking up some asinine driving habits, mostly out of frustration (stay the %&#*^@ out of the left lane if you're not going to go at least the speed limit).
Now, don't get me wrong, Virginia is a nice place, and I'm glad we moved down here from Central NY. There are jobs here--if you don't have one it's your own damn fault. The weather is much better--it only snows for a few months out of the year, and when it snows an inch, there's a chance it may be a day off from work. There's a ton of history for anyone who's into that, and entertainment, too. But for the reasons above, magnified as they are at this time of year, I can't wait until spring and summer when we can look farther south and west for a new place. |
