Sunday, July 01, 2007

It Runs In the Family

We used to joke in my family that if Pop ever got on our nerves, we could just drop him off at any hardware store and come back later in the day. My Pop could wander around in a hardware store all day easily.

And I've got it too.

But not for hardware, it's odder than that. It's office supplies. I could wander around a Staples or a Office Depot for a few hours easily. I'm not some paper freak so I duck that isle. But I can wander around in the Pens forever.

It's worse with Sharpies. I probably own at least 50 Sharpies in various colors, widths and styles. I even have some teeny, tiny ones that are about half the size of a regular pen and are designed to be carried about on your key chain. Luckily, I don't have it that bad. I always take a black, medium Sharpie with me when I travel. Because if that plane goes down, I want the body identified correctly and a Sharpie would be perfect for that.

I think I'd opt for something snotty on the inflight magazine as well. Something like, "I told you I had a bad feeling about this flight."

Anyone else have stores where they can kill an hour or two and time just seems to fly by?

5 comments:

Chunks said...

Craft stores, specifically Michaels'! I could spend HOURS in there! And guess what? They have a wide variety of pens too, so you'd also enjoy it.

I'm also a Sharpie fan. I enjoy the double-ended Sharpie with the extra fine tip at one end and the regular tip at the other end.

I love going to Staples. I could look at pens and paper all day. I am the same in Hardware stores too. I'm like you and Pop plus myself all rolled into one shopping fanatic! lol!

lattégirl said...

Chunks conveniently forgot to mention her massive love of Costco.

Since you asked, I also love Office Depot or Home Office or whatever those places are called. I could buy pens till the cows come home. But I also am very fond of writing paper and greeting cards. So you can basically leave me at any store that has a card and gift-wrap section (and candles, can't forget the candles) and I will be quite happy for hours, but not as many hours as your dad.

Hardware stores kill me, because they stock things like candles and cute kitchen things. So I can waste some time in a hardware store, no problem. I once even bought a saw. I never used it, but I thought i might.

Don't even get me started on bookstores. Or big drugstores.

I think this makes me a bigger fanatic than Chunks. I win!

Anonymous said...

I only feel that way about office-supply stores when it's back-to-school time and I need to stock up. Otherwise, I'm pretty good in there.

On the other hand, I love drugstores. I go in to pick up a prescription, and I come out with hair products, vitamins, a sewing kit, some candy, and a cheap lawn chair.

I also get lost in large bookstores. I rarely buy anything anymore, but it's one place I can just browse indefinitely. I pick up a book, and it makes me think of some other author I wanted to read, so I head over that way, and then I get stopped by some bargain bin full of cookbooks and calendars.

Anonymous said...

I get teased for my office supply fetish. SO glad to know I'm not the only one! And I heart Sharpie, too! It's like markers for adults...

kris said...

Sephora. I come out of that place looking like a hooker. Even more than I usually do.