And what are all those short people dressed as?

Ever make the mistake of going to a costume store a few days before Halloween? Total pandemonium -- shopping carts all over the aisles, whining kids, tired parents, stuff pulled off the shelves and not put back. People are frantic and a little aimless.

Well fast-forward about ten months, or spin back about two. Yesterday, without thinking, I went to da-da-da-da, Staples. Thick in the middle of the dreaded Back To School rush. Yup, all the hallmarks. Some parents actually had lists in their hands and were sticking to them. But there were kids who HAD TO HAVE the folder with the picture of --insert your favorite sports team-- on the cover. Some of them were just whining, close to meltdown, but some of them had already learned to use complicated logic to get their way. It was hard to get down the aisles what with the shopping carts parked like SUVs (badly) and all the people clustered around them for little conferences.

It's probably just as well that I needed office supplies, not clothes. I think I'll stay out of Marshalls for a while.