It Wasn't Exactly Buy Nothing Day

Generally, I agree with Tengrain's stance on Black Friday being Buy Nothing Day- why buy into a 'tradition' which subjects overstressed, underpaid retail workers to what amounts to a rugby scrum, albeit one with neither rules nor manners? I've never been a materialistic person anyway, and I'd rather not be a party to the downward spiral from citizens to consumers to consumed that has characterized our society over the past half-century.

That being said, I didn't quite do the Buy Nothing Day thing... for me, it was Buy Something Necessary Day. The 'oil life' indicator in my car was reading 5%, so I brought the car into a Valvoline branch not too far from my workplace. I had plenty of time before work, and this place is set up like a pit stop- simply drive up, and a cadre of technicians read your tire pressure and check the vital fluids of your vehicle. As I indicated, I was in desperate need of an oil change, but everything else was okay- air filter and oil filter were good, brake fluid level was good, all lights were functional. The young 'pit crew' swarmed over my car, performing their various tasks, and I was ready to drive off in under twenty minutes.

I'm still a bit surprised that the whole process took such a short amount of time, this being a day off for most people. My guess is that, when most people were in the malls, I studied the blade handled a necessary task. I should probably thank of the shoppers for clearing a way for me to do so in such an expeditious manner.