Happy Holidays?

Wow..I have never been more claustrophobic in my life as I was on Friday. Yikes! I was just minding my own business, walking to rehearsal downtown when I found myself in a dense jungle of people and shopping bags. I never dare to venture downtown on Black Friday, but this year I just happened to be there and get stuck in the middle of it. People are crazy with their holiday shopping..I was really blown away. I was standing on the sidewalk waiting to cross the street when I overheard a mom talking to her 20-something year old daughter saying, "I am so fucking pissed right now! We need to go home. You have already spent $3,000 dollars today! And you want more?! We need to leave RIGHT NOW!" Now THAT is a fun and festive day out..yuck. The concept of money and the extreme need to buy things and maximize everything is just disgusting when it's presented like that in everyday life. I couldn't stop thinking about those two ladies for the rest of the day. It kinds made me sick to my stomach thinking about the way their day had turned out and the crazy world that girl must live in thinking that $3,000 is just NOT enough. It got me thinking about people and their loss of perspective on things like money versus healthy relationships. Why anyone could feel so entitled to $3,000 dollars worth of clothes, makeup, and jewelry in a day makes me wonder about if they see anything as having real genuine worth. Later on in the day I was running into Westlake Mall to grab a bite to eat. I walked out 45 minutes later to see the entire outside of Westlake Mall had turned into a sea of people just excited as could be for the tree to be lit. I shuffled my way around the building to get to a street that was not blocked off. It was like making my way through a crazy concert that I did not want to be at. Well, I suppose it was exactly that..since there were people singing Christmas songs from the top of Westlake with a microphone, blaring the songs all across downtown Seattle. I wasn't feeling it. Everyone else sure was though. I suppose for some people it is a nice holiday tradition..maybe I am just not as into that sort of thing. The size of the crowd, for someone who doesn't like crowds, was very disturbing.
To finish the day off, I was walking down Pike and passed the most ironic store sign I have ever seen. The store name is SIMPLE LIFE. Now, may I just repeat, this store is located on Pike Street right in the heart of downtown Seattle. It was just perfect seeing it on Black Friday. I had to take a picture. What a day! Won't put myself through that next year if I can help it.