Middle Americans think of the day after Thanksgiving as a time to plunge into shopping malls, grab armsful of gadgets and gizmos, and then have a nice big meal at the local Applebee’s. In San Francisco, the business section of the Chronicle is still hyping the new mall downtown. And the decorations and holiday music descend upon us.

You know who I feel really sorry for during the months of October and December? The people who work at Walgreens, where the staff must display loud screechy “decorations” that play Halloween or Xmas songs or sounds. You can’t get away from them. You know what I do, if I’m stuck in line behind five people (IC3!) in close proximity to a keyboard-playing Santa doll spewing forth “Jingle Bell Rock”? I reach over and turn it off.

Today I won’t be shopping. I’ll be working on my novel. Once I stop for the day, I’ll take a nice four-mile stroll on the treadmill. I might watch a DVD or listen to some music; in the evening, I’ll try to catch up on my reading backlog. But I won’t be shopping. Somebody else catch that.