On commercialism:

1) Recently, my one (charcoal) shaving bar ran out, and I went back to using a (sandalwood) shaving bar of the same brand, which I do have to admit somehow works better than the (charcoal) one, though good on me for trying something (mildly) new. 

And, I noticed as I opened up the new (sandalwood) shaving bar, that it has imprinted on it “ONE WITH NATURE.”

You really do have to say, isn’t it just wonderful, that you can become one with nature for only four dollars?

. . .

(I somehow feel like this is [British} humor, and I’ve been influenced by those friends of mine.)

 . . .

2) On my recent trip to the local mall to get new (work) shoes -- I do so much walking at work, I'd worn through the soles! -- an empty storefront had the most marvelous stock signs, with people’s happy and expectant faces, and different phrases printed in capital letters that said “START…” and ended with a verbal wish like "HOPING" or "DREAMING" or SHOPPING’ or whatever the f*ck have you.

Only, one had this photo of this super-pensive and mildly-‘froed out (black) girl, and the caption simply said, “START WISHING.”

As we all do nowadays, I immediately captured it on my smartphone and sent it to my one (art school) colleague who wears (women’s) clothes, and, like I was, he was much struck by it. 

“’START WISHING’!”,  he texted me back, more or less.

And, I observed, that it almost seemed like a set-up of some photographer with Brechtian commitments, who had made their home on the prairie.

“We can only hope,” he then texted me back, more or less.