Friday five, post-turkey-day-shopping-madness edition:

1. Do you like to shop? Why or why not?

It depends on the shopping. Hitting the antique stores early on a Saturday to browse is good. Yarn shops and bookstores are good. Grocery shopping at the w*l-m*rt when everyone and their Aunt Edna is there, carts parked mid-aisle as they chat, is bad. The mall when it's full of crazed "I must get this relative I hate a gift that will impress them" people is very bad.

I guess it's more crowds than anything that I hate. I can't stand standing on-line at the grocery store for more than ten minutes (especially if there are fifteen unopened checkstands and everyone is squeezed into the two lines that are open)

I'm also not crazy about shopping for clothing, but that's partly because I can make my own and I see all the shoddy workmanship or ugly styles as a personal affront.

2. What was the last thing you purchased?

a package of mini-donuts (yes, I know) from the vending machine here. I needed it - I'm mid-exam writing and do not want to take the time to go get proper food.

3. Do you prefer shopping online or at an actual store? Why?

Again, it depends. I don't miss the crowds or the having to drive a minimum of 1/2 hour for a non-w*l-m*rt store. But I do miss the serendipity of finding a book on the shelves I would not have thought to buy, or a fabric I would not have seen otherwise. And I will never buy shoes online again; they don't fit.

4. Did you get an allowance as a child? How much was it?

Yes, it varied with the years. I think I started out with a dollar a week, and worked up to two, or maybe it was five, when I was in high school. (It sounds stingy, but my parents bought all my clothing and school supplies, and I could earn more money by doing above-and-beyond chores like mowing the lawn).

5. What was the last thing you regret purchasing?

A box of Apple Jacks. They DO NOT taste like they did when I was a child. Either they have changed flavorings (probably to something that doesn't cause bodily damage) or else I've lost the ability to taste that flavor - they just taste like sweetened grain to me now.

alas, I have no nieces and nephews to palm them off onto.