Tales from the Ghetto

Oh hey, it's me again--the snob.

In the medical world, most families are dirt poor until they get out of residency unless there's a trust fund baby in the house, they've inherited a wad or have had a successful career in a different area of work before entering medical school. Go and I definitely fall into the category of just plain old dirt poor, which is where most of our friends are as well. A conversation that is often had between the young med folks (med students/residents/fellows) is "What Are We Going To Do With All of Our Money When This Crap Is Finally Over." It's a conversation I always try to steer away from because it kind of stresses me out but really the first thing that automatically pops into my mind is "I won't have to grocery shop at Wal-Mart anymore."

Anyone who knows me well knows that I HATE WAL-MART with a fiery, red, steaming hot passion. I hate everything about it besides the obvious big, evil corporation that is killing the small family-owned businesses. I hate the lighting, the gross linoleum floors, the font they use for everything, that annoying color of blue and those mocking, yellow smiley faces, the dirty carts, the horrible produce, the rotten meats, the checkout people who have to ask what all of your vegetables are, the blue vested knuckle heads who look at you like you just stepped out of a space ship when you ask where the prosciutto is, the spray painted carnations, the thin bags that always break and oh, my colorful fellow shoppers.

When I shop at my closest Wal-Mart, I fear for my life. There are people selling car stereos and other stolen goods out of the backs of rusty Dodge Caravans, there are thugs around every corner, I would venture to say 1 out of every 4 shoppers is packing heat, the tooth to tattoo ratio is mind blowing, the girth is abounding, the dirt, the grime, the B.O...it's just a potpourri of gross.

Picture this: Today, it's raining. I finally find a suitable parking space. I step out of my car and what do I step in? Hair extensions. Nappy, scraggily, twisted, wet hair extensions. Was I surprised? Not at all.