I need to sort my second tray of soil for the morning. But then I have a decision to make: do I go to Sherman, or do I pick up what groceries I can at the wal-mart and go home?

I had originally thought of going to Sherman because (a) I had one of those 40% off JoAnn's coupons and actually have something in mind to buy. And because I am preparing a "lovebomb" box for someone I know who is starting up a school knitting club and I wanted to see if I could find cheap size 8 needles anywhere, and possibly some decent but clearance priced yarn.

And also because I am craving dates, and NONE of the groceries in town have them. (In my town, you would come to believe certain products/foods do not exist). I figure, with even marginally healthful foods (dates have lots of nutrients; I have read that you could probably live on a diet of dates and water), a craving for something specific means that there's a nutrient it has that I'm lacking. (Yes, I am aware there is no scientific evidence to back that up). So if I want dates, I have to hie myself to the Kroger's for them.

(I know a lot of people who complain about how it's the future and they don't have their flying car, that they were promised a flying car. Well, with the way people drive with earthbound cars, I am not so much in favor of flying cars.

But I would like a replicator machine, like on Star Trek. So I could do something like walk in the door and say, "Earl Grey, hot" and there it would be. (Except I probably wouldn't ask for Earl Grey; it's actually one of my less-favorite teas). But on a day like this, I could say, "I would like some fresh Medjool dates, please" (and yes, I would say "please" to my replicator, even if it couldn't spit in my food or anything) and then I'd get what I wanted without having to make that long drive and stand in the long check-out lines. And they'd be fresh dates, instead of the dried ones I usually wind up buying. (I don't even know what the season is for fresh dates; all I know is once in a while I am lucky enough to find them in a store))

And also, after this week, I really do need to get out and have fun. Well, "fun" in the sense of running into the bookstore to see if the Interweave Holiday magazine has been put out yet (yeah, it's not November yet, but they might have it), and seeing a grocery other than the one I normally shop at.

But then again: it's the day after everyone got paid (shudder). Which means lots of people will be out, and it seems that the last/first of the month brings out the really annoying behavior in some people. And it's Halloween. And I admit to being a Halloween grinch in some ways, one of them being that some people seem to treat Halloween as an auxiliary April Fool's Day and play pranks on people. Even people they are expecting to spend money in their stores. Or hassle people (it's happened to me before) who are out shopping NOT IN COSTUME.

So I don't know. I don't know if my general desire to shop unmolested will win out over my desire to just get out of town for even an hour or two today.

The other complicating factor: there is an NCIS marathon on USA. And I haven't knit more than a few rows on anything for most of the week.