where shopping is a pleasure. also a note on kittehs

Columbia doesn't offer much in the way of a good, clean grocery store. Let's see...we have Food Lion, which I have already mentioned. No further comments are necessary. Then there is Bi-Lo...which is my store of choice when I'm in Greenville. However, here in Columbia the Bi-Los seem to be in the sketchiest parts of town. I have to say that WalMart is the place to go to lower the bill a bit, but I'm always in a horrid mood by the time I drag my overloaded cart through the one line that is usually open.

BUT there is a place that absolutely makes me happy. It sparkles. It's green. It's an absolute joy to visit. It is, in fact, a pleasure to shop there.
Publix just makes me happy! I don't even make a list when I go there because I enjoy browsing the aisles and seeing what's available and what's on sale. Is that weird? Perhaps. It's not as weird as certain people who keep coupon clipping notebooks (hehe) but you know what? It's clean. It's in a cool renovated old mill building. Sometimes it has BOGO sales on EXACTLY the product I am craving. Amazing!

The staff are super awesome too. Of course, today the bagger boy seemed to be having a li'l trouble getting the bagging right (should we really put the milk jug in a bag with the bananas? I'm just saying.) But let's give him a break--he was probably overwhelmed with my appearance: the In'n'Out t-shirt, sweaty pontyail, and delicious aroma of Eau De 6-Mile-Run knocks 'em dead.

But seriously, I love Publix.

On a different note: today I went to a bad, bad place. It's called Pets Inc. and I went with Shan, who is widely-known to be obsessed with dogs. It has been lately commented that I am obsessed with kittehs, which of course I am. Animal places are very bad for me, because I tend to want to take things home with me. Like kittehs. (Hmmm...more on that later.) I was unprepared, however, for the Den of Kittehs present at Pets Inc. At the Greenville Humane Society there is usually a good number of cats, but this place had this room where there were a bajillion cats all loose. Everywhere I looked there was another cat. there were multi-layered cat beds with a cat stuffed in every hole. Every nook and cranny was filled with cat. It was like a Hitchcock film, and I was Tippi Hedren.

Silver lining: I was so overwhelmed that I didn't even feel compelled to bring one home! Also, I was busy convincing Shan to LEAVE THE RATDOG IN ITS KENNEL, SHAN. No, Shannon, seriously, PUT the drop-kick pup BACK in the CAGE.......