Fell into a sea of grass and disappeared among the shady blades

At Olympia Sports today I purchased a much needed pair of running shoes. I knew ahead of time that I wanted to get a pair of New Balance shoes, and within minutes of entering the store, I found the pair I was looking for. The customer service, which at first I welcomed, grew talons and attached itself to my back for the remainder of my time in the store. I was in the store a total of fifteen minutes and I was asked about six or seven questions by one of the two guys working there.

"Do you want to leave the shoes at the counter while you browse, sir?"

"No thanks, I'll be leaving shortly."

"Do you need any shorts today?"

"No, I'm all set."

"These are great shoes. Let me show you these great inserts that you need to get with them."

"How much are they?"

"Only twenty dollars."

"No thanks."

(taken aback) "You don't want them?"

"I'm good, thanks."

"Aren't you worried about your knees?"

"Not particularly."

"Really?"

"I'll tell you what, the minute I start noticing some discomfort in my knees, I'll come back and talk to you about these inserts."

"Do you want to be a part of Olympia Sports rewards program?"

"No thanks."

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure."

"It will just take a minute to fill out the..."

"I'm a little pressed for time, so I'm going to pass."

(smirking) "If you started filling out the form when I suggested, you'd already be a third of the way from great discounts and...."

"Maybe some other time."

"Do you need any shorts today?"

"We covered that already. No."

"I see you're getting some socks. If you buy the six pack, you'll save...."

"These will do."

I was ready to box his ears with a couple of glass bottles, but the only thing that prevented me from expressing my displeasure with his aggressive sales approach was the notion that he was genuinely trying to be helpful. Whatever the case, I got out of there as quickly as possible.
--

Went to a Lisa's house last night with Kreg, Spira, and Luke Warm to attend her party. Her boyfriend Trevor is a foodie and made some tasty dishes. The salad was exceptionally good. Not much of note happened, but it was a good time. We walked back to Spira's afterward and hung out a bit. It was funny watching her; she was heavy-lidded with drink and looked ready to fall asleep at any moment. Ever the trooper, she stayed awake for the entirety of our visit.

Had a bit of a dark night of the soul that lasted a couple of days last week. I worked through it with meditation and exercise. It wasn't so bad, but I could have done without the experience all together. Such is life.