As I drove into work this morning I heard on the radio that retailers are reporting good numbers from this past Black Friday shopping day. I guess it isn’t really a single day anymore as several retailers actually started the Black Friday sales late on Thursday. Which is a bit strange. That would be like saying the Friday train now leaves on Thursday night. Oh well. Maybe we should start calling Thanksgiving Gray Thursday. You know, not quite Black Friday, but pretty darn close. Anyway, from reading the accounts I know a lot of people set out early to get the great bargains. I was not one of them. However I do sleep with one of them, aka The Beer Goddess. I slept with her until 3:30 anyway. That was the time she set her alarm to get an early start on the bargains. Silliness if you ask me. I have this sneaking suspicion that this whole get up early as hell and go buy something is really some kind of sham the retailers have invented. Sure they may lure people in with the good prices on certain things, but they can also unload a lot of other stuff on the shoppers as well. I know I would buy all kind of useless crap if I was half asleep. Which is why I spent my Black Friday doing other things.
To celebrate my not going shopping (see, I need just the slightest sliver of something positive to be in a celebration mood!) I opened up a black beer. The beer in question (and in my hand) was Total Eclipse Black Ale, from Hoppy Brewing Co. A very nice stout. Lots of roasted coffee flavor with some chocolate undertones. Now this is the way to enjoy a Black Friday!
Check out the thick head of this beauty!