A gauge on your life...

Saturday morning I headed to work. I have a friend/co-worker who starts work at 5.45am...foul foul foul. I sent her a text asking what she wanted from The Sev (7-11). I knew what I was going to get....but I digress.

I recall when my sister thought it was funny that the 7-11 doors have locks on them. Now I remember a few things...FIRST...I was alive when the silly store was almost a luxury AND opened at 7am and closed at 11pm...so there really was a need for locks on the doors. I remember BEGGING my mom to get us Slurpees! Back then, you had two flavors and none of them had funky colors. I remember wanting to go into a 7-11 to get candy. OH GOD....the candy. There really were penny candies on the bottom row. Now I go in and I cannot find a Peanut Butter Twix unless I go to a specific Sev and I can only get it in the LARGE ASS pack. So 7-11 has a big history with me.

As kids, my brother and I were having a contest. I was partnered with his girlfriend and he and his friend were partnered. The first duo who drank the MOST Big Gulps won! Can't tell you the prize, but none the less it was a distinct motivator. Very motivating. I remember having probably 4 a day. We stacked up the spoils of our days in the window in our shared room. At that time, Big Gulps were $.69 (look there isn't even a cent sign on the keyboard...man that sucks!). During this competition...they re-introduced the SUPER Big Gulp. Seriously, people weren't rritating their tendonitis with the small coolers of soda they carry now! So when they re-introduced this new drink size, they put them down at the Big Gulp price of $.69! Yup...so what did we do? Had to correct each of the bewildered clerks and reinforce that YES we really wanted the smaller cup. By the end of the summer, I think the clerks on the corner of Garden Home road and Olsen road, stopped asking. Probably for the best.

I can't recall which group won, but I know that we had those stacked, faded and beat up cups in our window for a long time. As I entered more into my 20's, I figured WHY 7-11 was so busy at night....those burritos with the freakish green things in them....and at 3 in the morning, they were oddly appealing. Forget Area 51, 7-11 after bars closed is way more intriguing. As I became one to part take of those habits, it became clear. One night, haven partooken, I remember laughing for a long time about the burritos.

This Saturday, I laughed at that memory as I asked for "two Monterey Jack chicken taquitos" and along with my Super Big Gulp of Mt Dew has become a regular morning attraction. This Saturday I had received a response from my friend "Oh gosh, are you still there?" I reassured her I had not arrived and was most certainly prepared to take her order....Super BG of Diet Coke and Oreos. ICK....I asked her about the milk alternative to Diet Coke, but she was adament.

I went to the clerk with a few extras (PB Twix and Starbursts) and stopped before the counter...Dear GOD, I was going to need a bag...how embarassing! I mean really...how lame is your life when you NEED a bag when you leave the Sev? Pretty low. The shame meter rushed to the top and as I paid for my items I said in my defense "Yah...never call your co-workers and tell them you are at 7-11", with an awkward laugh, I boob-held my two Super BG's and my bag of stuff and waddled to the car.

I will attest that the taquitos have odd little red things in it but being more sober and coherent, I feel way less desperate when I eat them in the mornings. But I do check to see if they still carry those scary burritos that the stoners eat in the mornings....yup...still there!

Be great to you!
H