five below, mall of america

 it was a day off due to the bank holiday. a simple way to stay occupied is to have lunch at mall of america. i went to the a and w. there is actually two, but this would be the one in the third-floor food court. i also had some ice cream, from a place where i knew i could get airline miles. but the lasting impression of the visit was the store discovery i made, a place called five below. it was the third place i went to when looking for socks, specifically with a 'simpsons' theme. the first two only sold socks and didn't have what i wanted, but i found a two-pack at this variety store. i also bought a four-pack of buttons with a 'shrek' theme. what caught my eye when walking past was a snoopy display, in one of the store's sections selling shirts. didn't buy any of those, but thankful i gave this store a look. there were plenty of 'hello kitty' items as well. surprised i hadn't heard of this store before, as according to my online search there are plenty of locations in the area. i had shopped at 'dollar stores' before, which can have some of the same items. the other thing on my list was to get a charlie brown calendar from the barnes and noble, and i did. usually, i don't get it this early, but i knew what i wanted, so why not? i also signed up for their loyalty program, something i refused to do when it was a paid membership, but now it is free to join. so it meant i was given a card, made of cardboard. just before midday i did a haircut at great clips, still works to go there. i drove to another place first, but it was still closed, at least on the day i wanted to go. there was a little bit of a wait, due to the number of people who checked in online. i like how i move up the list quickly, though, by being there in person. after getting back from the mall, i watched 'jeopardy', something i enjoy doing on a day off. in the evening i went to perform, found out i was moved down on the list by the show runner, guess i was not alone on this happening. i did bank stories and mention of ridiculous commercials on TV. during my walks i found 12 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard's mom visits and ends up analyzing penny and singing with sheldon. it was followed by the one where raj goes to see dermatologist emily, while having claire call to say she was also available.