The Sanrio Store: Vortex of Universal Happiness

The little Japanese schoolgirl in me loves this time of year. But Sanrio provides pan-seasonal joy. It occurs to me how lame I am. That a new character in Hello Kitty land is as intriguing to me as the new kid at school -- the world is again a place of wonder. And that I feel similarly refurbished at Urban Outfitters or any other such purveyor of retail cool.

I used to flip through catalogs and mark the items I would buy if I had the money. It was nearly as good as actually buying them. As if making the decision to want to buy it was a powerful statement of decisive good taste. Shopping in a store is like that for me. I look around. And I congratulate myself on the items I am fortunate enough to want. If wanting things -- tangible or otherwise -- is anything at all like having them, I should be content. I am prosperous in that currency.

The closer you get to sunrise, the more secrets get revealed. It's a mathematical certainty.