I Do Like The Mall!

I do like the mall! Arden Fair quite busy. 

Those three girls chose to wear the exact same outfit. Clever! Last time I saw that was 40 years ago. 

Thinking the two young men in front me on the escalator need sartorial advice. Ski mask on one and hoodie on the other does not inspire confidence. Choices, people! 

Santa looks trapped. Babies and strollers everywhere block his exit. 

OMG, everyone packed into Sephora! Compressing all the teen girls together until at last crystalline order spontaneously emerges. Is Adolescite a conductor or an insulator? 

Lured into Lululemon. One glance at a price tag and quickly lured out of there again. 

Note to woman in hijab frantically texting on phone: your daughter is playing hide-and-seek behind you. 

People dressed nice. That one old guy in a T-Shirt looks out of place. A bit of dementia maybe? That would explain it. Probably born in the 60s (of course, I was born in the 50s, so I would know.) Thank goodness security is buzzing about. Need to keep up appearances in a place like this. 

Infants everywhere, but no crying. Disciplined youth for a brighter future. 

Fathers look really relaxed. Probably not fully informed about the cost. 

Floor crew either ask you if you need help or place boxes between you and the display you’re looking at. Just busy. 

Last year, I carefully studied how they fold T-Shirts at Zumiez - it’s the wave of the future! - but returning to the shop I can see I badly need a tutorial. Hard for lessons to stick. 

Hickory Farms pop-up shop is surprisingly antiseptic. Not farmlike at all. No hay; no pens; no cozy animals. A surgery ward feels funkier. 

Puzzled by the surprising heat while waiting in line for a shot at the restroom. This isn’t Kilauea. We aren’t approaching a magma chamber. (Or maybe we are?) 

Everyone in a good mood. A good holiday season.