It's no secret, my love of shopping. However, there are depths to my shoppy that I've admitted to a precious few. One being my love of school supplies and the ritualistic shopping for said supplies.
Of course, I'm long since graduated from college (longer than I care to admit, honestly) and so, haven't browsed the aisles of an OfficeMax or other related supply store since the inking of my degree.
What does one gel pen hungry glue-sniffer (not really) do for satiety? Find a good solid reason to shop so that nobody can get up in her grill when she comes home with ANOTHER set of new tropical colored markers and a fancy lime green tape dispenser.
This reason? Back to School donation drives! Yes, I know. These are supposed to be philanthropic and benefit the likes of school kids and their families. However, as we know, I'm wildly self-involved, so for me, these things represent a way for me to shop sans guilt. Hey! I'll take it however I can get it! I am not above petty shenanigans, ok?!
So, when the drive cropped up at the reception desk at work, I quickly snapped up a "6-8 grade girl" and headed directly to the POP displays and fully stocked aisles of my neighborhood office/school supply mecca.
And what a time I had. For the love! They've come up with so many irresistable organize-y, colorful, gadget-y learning accessories than I could have dreamed. And I haven't been out of college THAT long. Of all, my fave is this little number:
Why? Because it is lime green. Because it is curvy. Because it's almost 99% unecessary yet undeniably lust-worthy. Admission: I always carried tape in my zippered pencil case inside my binder during my school days and NEVER ONCE USED IT. Yes, it created an annoying hump in my binder and usually got broken two days into the school year, but it did a good job of collecting the random detritis of pencil shavings that collected in there, so I kept it to admire. But never did I have one this cute! I know. I'm off my rocker.
Anyway, that's my guilty admission of the day. I participate in back to school drives because it legitimizes my odd attraction to all things 3M and MEAD.
Did you have a favorite school supply - go ahead, tell it. Even if it's as mundane as a bouquet of perfectly sharpened #2 yellow pencils. Finny will not judge you. Finny will bond with you and might even recount algebra classes spent making swiss cheese from college-ruled binder paper and the three hole puncher.
You did it, too. Do not lie.
I don't remember a specific school supply from that long ago. (love that green tape dispenser.)
ReplyDeleteI know that I hoard school supplies every year. They are so inexpensive now and it's easy to go to my stash to replace pencils, erasers, highlighters, etc., instead of running out to the store to buy more.
We always donate school supplies, too, to a local organization that gives them to under-privleged children. Thanks for reminding me to do that! (Pregnancy brain is kicking my butt!)
I am telling you, it bums me out every year when I don't buy new school supplies. I think I need to hit the Hello Kitty store for some new pencisl for my desk.
ReplyDeleteGood work Fin. Your little generous heart makes me very proud!
I have two children in school, so I have a legitimate reason to buy school supplies, but I admit that I also hoard them. I have a three- drawer plastic cabinet full of everything you can imagine. My daughter is in the second grade, and I easily have enough supplies to get her through middle school. I just love buying school supplies!!!
ReplyDeleteAs for my favorite supplies, they would have to be crayons and pencils. I just love the smell of a new box of crayons, don't you? The only thing that really made me mad was when I stocked up on the paper pocket and brad folders, then they came out with the plastic ones. Wouldn't you know it, the teachers are now asking for the plastic ones.
Oh well, that gave me a good excuse to donate the paper ones to the school supply drive they have in my town every year. I also buy a lot of extra glue, crayons, notebook paper and pencil boxes to donate.
Good to see that I am not the only one who hoards these pretties. :-)
Jody