Tonight, I went to a few stores after work to pick up a few items I thought might help the house seem (at least, to me) a little spruced up. My needs were not grand. A few blankets for beds. Tissue (which I discovered I did not need more of after the fact). A smaller lamp shade for a lamp that needed it. And a bag of candy corn, evidently.

The highlight of the evening was really that my brother called me while I was wandering the bedding aisle in Walmart. He was with his younger daughter, driving home after taking her to a volleyball game, and then dinner, in Somewhereville, Wisconsin. He was driving around, Emily was also listening in on speaker, and we tried to talk a bit. For periods it worked, and for periods it did not, as feedback and echoes on the line made us pause and stall and sputter trying to speak without cutting the other person off. Our conversation was expectedly low-brow. Heck- I was in Walmart. He was in a vehicle in the middle of nowhere in Wisconsin.

As I walked through the store, they got to hear a Walmart security guy tell a customer several times that he was wearing a shirt still with tags on it. The security didn’t chase anyone. He just kept yelling at the guy as the guy walked past him and then away from him on down the aisle.

They also got to hear the nearly incoherent announcement by a Hispanic customer rep with a heavy accent telling us the Garden Center was close. Hearing that really convinced him that I was at Walmart.

I had asked them to guess where I was before I told them. My brother first guessed I was at home watching baseball. Then I was at my parents. Then I was at a Bible study. Then I was out driving around, taking pictures of New Mexico. I exhausted their speculation quickly. My brother had made some good guesses, based on present and past Facebook posts. But I was just in a store.

I did end up getting a mattress cover for my bed which turned out to be a shower curtain for a mattress. Basically a long sheet of plastic, I realize it won’t replace the decomposing pad I’ve had on the bed for the last 6 years. And it smells like plastic. But I guess I can drink in bed and not worry about spilling anything and destroying the mattress.

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The Cubs survived a pitching duel with the Washington Nationals this afternoon. Max Scherzer had his foot on the throat of the entire team for six innings, not allowing a hit… until the 7th, when Ben Zobrist doubled. And Scherzer was lifted for late relief. And then the next two Cubs batters got hits, driving home the tying and winning runs for Chicago. It was an amazing game for Scherzer, but an even more amazing recovery win for the Cubs. And the Cubs starter Quintana was nearly as good as Scherzer into the 5th.

The Cubs are one win away from advancing to the NL Championship Series, if Arrieta can dominate tomorrow. We’ll see.

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There was a commercial for some baseball-themed product on during the Arizona-Dodgers game this evening that used the main chorus from Reo Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling” for the musical bed- and hearing it, just like that, I was back in middle school, perplexed by girls and curious about girlfriends, and scared to death of the whole concept of that. And at the same time, well aware that there were girls I liked and wanted to be liked by (here’s looking at you, Kristin Reda, Sheri Burchett, Suzy McCurdy, etc).

The pattern was set back then. Fears. Insecurities. And the longing to have a hand to hold.

Thanks, commercial, from bringing it all back. The awakening of the near-teen.

Not much has changed within my head in that department, about I and women.

I still love the song though.

I ate half the bag of candy corns already, though.