The Day Wal-Mart Stood Still!

August 27, 2010, The Day Wal-Mart Stood Still!

It was shortly after 8:30 Pm and I had just picked up the last item on my shopping list and was looking to see which of the checkout lanes were the shortest. This was the day that I got to see what could, would or will happen to Wal-Mart and the rest of us the day we have a major malfunction of our computer systems.

As I walked from one end of the checkout area to the other I quickly noticed all the lights being turned off at each register. One after another each cashier was turning off their light to signal they were having a problem. Within two minutes the whole checkout area came to stand still.

People of all walks of life were standing there wondering why none of us were moving. Kids asking their parents how much longer until they'll be able to watch that new DVD they were so excited to buy.

Well, those children had to wait close to 40 extra minutes before all the computers would come back online. Most people in the lines were laughing it off, but I got to thinking of just how reliant we have all become on computers and technology. A store like Wal-mart doesn't even have the old style credit card swiping machining to check customers out if this was to turn into a major problem.

For me, nothing was lost that night, but I did gain the reminder that people like me who have switched to using a Debit Card for 95% of our purchases would be stuck if computers systems crash!

Is It Hot In Here Or What?

OK, so it's been close to three weeks now since I arrived in VA. I don't know if this summer has been a normal summer so far, but either way the heat and humidity has been out of this world. To add to it, the price of just about everything around this area is way over priced. I know I drink too much Coke (tm), but charging me close to $8 for a 24 pack is not the reason I wanted to have to cut down drink it. Food in general is priced out of this world, mostly meats, so I guess I am going to lose weight and cut back on my Coke (tm) consumption!

Over-all, I know that this is not the type of place that I will be settling down in. I haven't achieved much progress in the three weeks I have been here besides knowing that I am not staying and that I am even thinking about heading back down to Florida to re-group my thoughts.

When I set out to come up to VA I was still planning on going out to Colorado, but over these last couple of weeks I have come across some other people's opinions and information that has me second guessing that move, or at least for now.

I know it is not even the end of the July yet, but I am still trying to make the spring semester at college, in whatever state I end up in. So I think the wise move right now is to pick one of the areas in Florida that was still on my "short list" and head back down south. At least the areas will be some place new, but still close to areas that I know and can fall back on for help.

That's all for now!

"That Darn Cat"

Well, I arrived in Manassas, VA late Saturday night, (1:30 am) almost 15 hours to the minute from door-to-door. The drive went well, and considering it was a holiday weekend I am very happy with how well traffic was flowing. I can't even say that I saw an accident or anything. There were a lot of Police on the roads, so that was nice to know.

My move out of Florida did take a little longer then I hoped. I was trying to leave on Friday, July 2nd, but when Thursday night came around I realized I had more stuff in my ex-wife's place then I thought. So it still took me most of Friday to clear out all my stuff and to pack / load my truck, but all in all that too went smooth enough, or as smooth as something like that could.

The trip to VA is part business, part social, and a lot of life changing. This is the next step in my Off The Grid Journey, but this is a bitter sweet move. Like any journey, one must close a door and leave some things behind before finding what is around the next corner. Leaving Florida was more then just moving away from the Sunshine State, it was the end of the final chapter in my marriage. It was leaving one of the few homes I have lived in for more then 2 years straight since 1979 and it was saying Good-Bye to some friends who may not be on this earth that much longer.

I do have to admit, times like these interest me, they make me sit up and look at what I have or who I care about. I have spent most of my childhood and all of my adult life moving from place to place, year after year, but since it's been seven years since I last moved, I have forgotten what one learns from leaving one place and moving to a new location. A lot of the people and belongings I left in Florida were not as hard to say Good-Bye to as I thought they would be, but there was one thing, "that darn cat" that some how found her way into my heart has given me the biggest heartache since I started packing. It is very interesting how one free cat, and for the record, I did not want, some how became my best friend through all the ups and downs that life has dished out lately.

So as exciting as the future might be right now, I am having a hard time feeling that excitement on this holiday weekend. A word to the wise, "There's no such thing as a FREE cat!"

Happy 4th of July!