Thursday, May 29, 2008

Classic Blog: Abitrary Soul Searching: Grocery Shopping Alone

It is my personal feeling that the soul is best looked at under the microscopes of pop culture and sociology.

Why?

None of your damn business why. That's just the way it is. I tell you this not because I am trying to get extremely deep but because getting it off my chest seems the right thing to do.

I thought at first that when I wrote this I would attempt to show the loneliness inside of grocery shopping solo. However, I find that I have no feelings either way on the subject. But feelings aren't everything. Vibes are.

I am pretty sensitive for a guy, but I don't consider myself extremely emotional anymore. I used to think that I was, but I realized that finding Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, and Zach Graph (more on this one later) vile is not a good indication that I am an emotional creature. I am a feeling person though. I feel vibes. I like music that gives off a certain vibe or sound-- not because it has great lyrics or a rocking solo. I like movies that leave me in a certain state-- not because there was a memorable quote or a great plot.

The point of all my mindless crap is that grocery stores have a vibe. And just like music or a movie, the vibe can be altered depending on who is around. In my new life as a working class bachelor I go grocery shopping alone. It would make no sense to go with anyone else if there is no one you share a fridge with. So as I was walking aimlessly through the isles looking for anything microwavable, I got a wave of feeling. I don't know what it was. There was sadness there, but it was far from despair. It was almost bittersweet. I nearly cried thinking about a song from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the one the mom sings to Charlie when Charlie loses hope of getting a golden ticket). You know you get a vibe when a Gene Wilder movie tugs at your heart strings.

(Although I do need to go on a quick parenthetical here. Gene Wilder kills that movie. It is not just because he is as clever as Fergie for releasing a solo album about her sex life. The man has one of the most beautiful voices ever heard in movie musicals. I could listen to him sing "Pure Imagination" for an hour. Ok back to cookies and crackers).

I love getting vibes from everyday occurrences. I think they happen for me because I definitely don't grocery shop everyday. It becomes a special moment for me when I finally get up and do it. I feel like an adult. Supposedly I have been one for more than 5 years, but I think that is a load of bs.

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