I'm going to the mall

About two years ago I wrote a little something, an Artitudes, about getting out of town. Out of Oberlin, specifically. It was really about the fact that I couldn't leave, there was no easy public transportation and hell, even if there was, where would I go? Midway Mall? No, I'd stay content. Here. Somehow.

Okay. Two years to the day -have I said that already? Am I counting? - and I'm going to the mall. I can't wait. More suspense than the current movie at the Apollo, more goodies than even Ben Franklin has to offer. This excursion will be the highlight of my week. In fact, I've been putting it off for two weeks so I could savor the anticipation. Yep. It's true.

How can you deny the sprawling mess that is Great Northern? It's so diverse; you've got Japanese food, Mexican food (Taco Bell), Italian food (Sbarro), Chinese (Panda Express), what more do you need? And the stores! It's mind boggling. Three booths in a row where you can get your ears pierced for $3.83. Or play games in Spencer's, Kay Bee toys, peel the hologram stickers off the Star Wars action figures and run around with light sabres. Or buy a pair of chartreuse nylon pants for $6. It's a liberating experience.

Before you even point a finger or say I'm pathetic, ask yourself a question... don't you itch to do something different? I've climbed the buildings I needed to climb, done the party thing, the non-party thing, and I'm bored. The choice between the Feve or, well... I'm not saying Oberlin isn't a keen place to go to school, it's just about time I get out into this world one person's supposed to be able to change.

I don't need to justify this escape. I used to be one of those better-than-thou kids in high school who scorned the mall scene, who shopped for clothes elsewhere (or just didn't bother) and when I did happen upon our happy local mall at home, I'd get lost and overwhelmed, soon to be hit with shopper's fatigue. A kind of miserable experience, all in all.

Now I'm older, wiser, and loving North Olmsted. Three cheers for mass corporatism, strip malls, bland facades and pink neon lights. I'm hitting Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, Best Buy - oh yeah, Super K's down the road, along with all those folks on strike all day and all night against its non-unionized status. Then there's me, buying into it happily, running around with my empty wallet and my milkshake, looking for film and lime green vinyl pants. Sigh. It's the American Dream. I'm living it. Welcome to Oberlin, fellow students. Or welcome to the outside world, Oberlin students.