"blood bath and beyond"

We always referred to it as "Blood Bath and Beyond" (a Simpsons reference*, I think?). Today I needed some curtain rods and thought maybe it might be cheaper at Bed, Bath, and Beyond than at Target so I went in... After visiting the hardware store yesterday and again today and having near-religious experiences each time visiting this mega-store was awful. Void of any spiritual sustenance.

I imagine a set of scales and on the one side is "useless crap created only so people will spend money" and the other is "things that are useful, functional, perhaps beautiful and/or filled with potential." Real hardware stores and Blood Bath and Beyond are about as opposite in their balance as is possible.

I felt my heart racing and all I wanted to do was get out of there. It felt like credit card debt being in that store. Debt is one of the most crushing and hopeless experiences I've ever had. Once I was in it there was no way out. That has finally all changed, but, I really hope I don't have to go into one of those stores again any time soon. In fact, I bet the amazing, excellent, soul-stirring Paris Farmer's Union down the street probably carries curtain rods. Dammit. I wish I'd thought of that before going into that excessively-lighted nightmare.


*I googled it. It is, indeed, a Simpson's reference.