Mall of America, Land that I Love

I have found heaven.

It is a commercial mecca for elderly ladies in red hats and ballet dancers with a day off in the freezing midwest and nothing else to do. It's called the Mall of America. I spent almost 11 hours there yesterday, and I was never bored (though I did get a little tired towards the end).

Andrea was on a mission to find boots and a winter coat, so that's where we started, and by the end of the day, I'd bought a winter coat as well (one that goes to my ankles and is like wearing a down blanket), 3 pair of smartwool socks (so warm!), 2 sets of silk long underwear (for skiing and for the cold in Chicago), some souveniers, and $60 of make up at MAC Cosmetics. We didn't ride any rollercoasters (because we didn't get downstairs until it was too late), and we didn't see any movies.

Eleven. Hours.

So, I don't know if it's the new coat I was wearing, but it didn't seem that cold to me today. And I think the campus of the University of Minnesota is beautiful. I adore being in a college town--it's got a certain... je ne sais qua. Students and professors have this energy about them in their day-to-day lives that a lot of us lose the further we get from academia.

Walking around this campus makes me think of the song "I Wish I Could Go Back To College" from the musical Avenue Q.

So, yeah, only 3 more work days until I go back to Chicagoland. And only 16 more shopping days until Christmannukwanzaa!