I woke up this morning and headed straight to the dentist for my 6 month teeth cleaning check up. I loathe going to the dentist, especially on a Saturday morning, but otherwise, I would never get to go. What makes it especially fun for me is that my teeth are very sensitive to cold water, so they have to clean my teeth predomonantly by scraping with metal objects. Now, I'm no dental know-it-all, but it seems that in the year 2006, there should be an easier way to have your teeth cleaned. They can fix your eyes with a LASER, but they have to scrape and drill your teeth? It just doesn't seem right. I'm just sayin'...

I had some Christmas shopping to do, as well. (I try to get it done early because most of it has to be shipped up to the NW). I knew a specific thing I needed to find for a specific person, and I thought Costco might have it. I almost never go there anymore, but it was right up the street from my dentist's, so I thought I'd give it a try.

As soon as I pulled into the Costco parking lot, I remembered why I never go there. It is horrific - one giant traffic jam, all so people can get a spot close to the door. God forbid they have to walk a few feet to get into the store. I headed way to the back of the lot and easily found a space. I went into the store, found what I was looking for, and checked out. On my way out of the store, I saw the kiosks for some of the other services Costco offers - hearing tests, eye glasses, tires, counter tops, and, as it turns out, caskets!

I checked out Costco.com when I got home, and lo and behold - a whole selection of caskets. For instance, you can get this one, "The Mother Casket" (I'm sure my mom will appreciate that) for only $1299.99. You'll be glad to know that includes overnight shipping (who wants to WAIT for a casket?). Aside from the crowds of families and kids, the lines and the parking lots, Costco is quite possibly the perfect store. Where else can you get your veggies, your tube socks, your golf balls AND your casket - all in one place?

On a totally unrelated note, the song for today is "I Wanna Go Back" by Eddie Money. The song comes from the 1986 album Sounds of Money. You might wonder why I chose this specific song, because Money had a lot of hits, a lot of more classic hits ike "Baby Hold On" and "Two Tickets To Paradise." Those are all great songs. And while this song was released in 1986, I remember listening to it a lot in the spring of 1989, right before I graduated from high school. I don't know how graduation affected all of you, but for me, it was like they had set me up for 12 years of schooling, and then suddenly, I was being booted out to face the world alone. I had no idea what to do with myself, or what I SHOULD do. So, even though I was only 18, I was already, as Money's song says, "Feeling so much older."

If you've read my past blogs, it should not surprise you to learn that I also went to the Eddie Money concert. I remember staying the night in my car in the GI Joe's parking lot in Portland to score some good tickets. By 1987, the year of the concert, there really weren't that many people lined up to get Eddie Money tickets. As I recall, is was Jason LeMaster and I in one car, and a somewhat sketchy and high strung scapler and possible drug dealer in a BMW next to us. The Truth opened up. More on them later. That was a great show.