Big Lots Sells West Wing?

Last week I drove several miles out of my way (which turned into 45 minutes of sitting in traffic) to get to Big Lots to look for cheap things for my apartment before heading over to Target. I bought laundry detergent, mover men (sliding things not actual people), and a clothing rack. I need a clothing rack because there is simply not enough closet space for my clothes (this is more a testament to the smallness of my closet space rather than the extensiveness of my wardrobe). But when I drove the extra 30 minutes in more traffic out of my way home, the clothing rack was missing one of the rods and thus worthless to me. I drove back over there a few days ago and returned it but didn't buy another. Went to Target, bought one there; it's flimsy and sways.

So, back to Big Lots I went yesterday after work. I had a little more time to peruse the selections and wander around and wander I did. In a corner, hiding with all of the soap and shampoos and home pedicure products were DVDs. Some slim pickings to be sure until I stumbled upon something magical: the second season of The West Wing. I gasped in delight -- I'm not ashamed to admit it. Because I own the first five seasons on DVD but I am missing the first disk of the second season. I have been unwilling to spend $30-$45 to replace the entire set and have been desperately missing In The Shadow of Two Gunmen, Shiboleth, It's Surely to Their Credit, and more. These are perhaps my favorite of all favorite episodes from the entire series' run and they have been lost to me. But no more. For SIX DOLLARS I bought the entire second season again. I had to resist the urge to buy 5 of them and see what I could get on eBay. For when I have tried to buy them through such web sites, the cheapest I could get them used was $15-$20. Ahh, life is magical. Good thing I listened to that small voice in the back of my head that said go explore that corner that looks like it has nothing in it.

And the clothing rack even had all the parts this time. No matter that two of the screws didn't fit into the holes they were designed for. It seems to stand fine on its own without them. Stay tuned to see if in a few months you hear about a tragic accident and my demise due to a badly put together coat rack....