They Sell Awareness There

En route to this last weekend's adventure in the Catskills, I unexpectedly spent the night in New Paltz, where I have never been before. I learned that they have a mountain there, and that The College Students are back. In what I believe to be related incidents, the local hostel (featuring a lot of handmade ceramics and a front-garden fountain) was full, and a minivan was pulled over on Main Street, apparently for having approximately 14 bicycles attached to it, some of which were completely blocking the back window. Since there was no room at the inn, I thought we should go the whole Biblical route, and sleep in a manger, or manger equivalent, like the car. Then one of us (I vote Patrick) could give immaculate-conception birth to Jesus, or a Jesus equivalent, like the car. Ha! Honestly, I can't think of a Jesus equivalent as easily as a manger equivalent. But that's irrelevant because Patrick stonewalled that suggestion in favor of "87 Motel." The 87 Motel was a wonderful experience, and the neighboring Nature met and exceeded expectations for loveliness. I just noticed that Motel 87's website cheerfully advertises a variety of animals in the area, including "numerous funky bugs, which are easily visted during your stay." I'm pleased to report that we didn't "vist" any bugs of any kind.

New Paltz is also home to the Convenient Deli, and an establishment called The Awareness Shop. I can't stop wondering whether the dearth of convenience in New Paltz justifies the Convenient Deli's apparent silence on the subject of popular deli features like freshness, Italianness, or "homestyle." I'm suspicious when a food-selling place highlights a completely non-food attribute as its greatest asset.

The Awareness Shop was closed, so I don't know what sort of awareness is available for sale, or if it is competitively priced. I'd like to know what sort of awareness is so valuable or rare that people pay for it in a retail situation. Awareness is basically knowledge, right, lots of which is available free of charge. If you wanna pay for knowledge, normally you go to college. Not a strip mall.