Contributing to the Economy

According to a Reuters report, holiday spending was up 8.7%, and we did our part to add to that number. Monday was spent at various malls along with the masses.

We started out about 9am at the Mission Viejo Mall. That was a good time to get there, because even though they were busy, traffic and parking weren't a problem. By noon the mall was packed and the food court elbow-to-elbow, so we decided to head out someplace a little calmer.

Whoa, baby, what a mess was waiting for us in the parking lot. Cars were lined up bumper-to-bumper waiting to get in or out, and patience was not in great abundance. We managed to make a hole and get out of there with all the car parts we started with and our tempers intact.

The Mrs. hadn't had enough "malling" for the day, so she headed on up to Orange County's busiest mall, South Coast Plaza. Being a creative shopper, she managed to find parking on a street near the mall and was in and out without having to fight off the masses that were trying to get into the parking garage.

We weren't done yet. In the evening we headed over to the Irvine Spectrum for a final round of shopping. The Spectrum has one thing that every mall should have. Their parking garages have electronic sensors in each parking place, and at the entrance to the garage there's a sign which tells you how many spaces are open on each level. When we got there the bottom two levels were full, but there were 33 open spaces on the roof. It was a bit of a challenge to get up there, but once there, parking and access to the stores was easy.

I did notice one thing about shopping on the 26th. For some reason, Christmas carols almost sound obscene once Christmas is over. Tunes which were completely appropriate two days ago now seem completely out of place. It's time to put all the Christmas stuff away.

We've now done our part for the economy. Today we're heading up the Reagan library to see the new Air Force One exhibit. I'll have some pictures up later tonight.