Ready...Set...Boycott!

Happy freaking New Year!

A wonderful thing about babysitting on New Year's Eve is not waking up with a hangover!

Unfortunately, I had to head back home today, so I was not able to spend much time with Kathy and her husband. I was, however, much more adept at turning the t.v. on this time around, and my nephew and I watched the Tournament of Roses Parade as we waited for his parents to arrive.

Apparently it had been icing and snowing throughout the night, so my departure was hastened in a failed attempt to beat the holiday traffic. It ended up being a tedious drive and I frequently contemplated blowing up the entire state of Connecticut in my frustrated state of mind. In retrospect, I don't know how this would have solved my traffic woes, but it sure made the drive a bit more tolerable.

I promised my mom that I would stop at The Christmas Tree Shop in Spring Valley, New York, on my way back, in an attempt to locate some Christmas lanterns for her. I was grateful for the break as I had been driving for five hours already and I was eager to test out my new boycott.

The very first item I considered buying, a kitty litter scoop, was made in China. We have two cats and two litter boxes, but only one scoop and this one was cute in an odd way, with a little cat face on it (maybe to remind you what it was for?) and it was red, my favorite color. Now, we've managed just fine for two months with two litter boxes and one scoop, but this was cute you see, and a bargain at $.85, who could pass that up?

Apparently, I would and I was not very pleased about this.

I wandered through the store, trying to stretch my legs, look for the lanterns for my mom and search for "practical" things I could buy for the sake of buying something. The kitchen gadgets that we don't already have were made in China, the tchotchke decorations were made there too, as were, well, just about everything I looked at. My frustration with this project was already obvious.

In the end, I bought some clear nail polish to protect my nails that I painted at my sisters and will probably use two or three more times, at the most. That was made in America and it came with some bonus lipstick that I will never wear. I also bought some made in America scented stuff that you can put in water and simmer on your stove. I forget what it is called. Next year it might make our new apartment, "smell like Christmas."

I purchased a made in America ice scraper for our car; now we could have one to leave inside the car and one to leave inside the apartment so we would never be caught unprepared if it snowed. Finally, I bought a package of made in America Valentine's Day cards. I think that V'day is a wretched holiday, but I know my nephews enjoy getting mail from me, or at least the ones who are old enough to know what mail is, enjoy it.

I spent about $11 and briefly thought that maybe limiting our 2007 purchase to stuff made in America wouldn't be so difficult after all.

I was unable to find the lanterns for my mom and I called her with the first disappointing news of the new year.

Finally, back on the road again, with an hour and a half or so left of my drive, I was tired, hungry and cranky and just wanted to get home.