Week 1: A Different Target

Week 1 of 52: January 1 - 7, 2023

I decided to start the year off with someplace familiar. The new place I went this week was the Target in Kearny Mesa. I know it isn't as exciting as it could be. It's nice to kick this 52-week adventure with an old favorite.

(By the way, I'm not breaking any rules, though they are self-imposed and I can change them at will, since this is a new place. I truly had never stepped foot in the Kearny Mesa Target until this week.)

I knew mapping to an unexplored Target location was the right decision when I was greeted by The Row of Red Balls. Most Targets in San Diego are missing those childhood favorites, so this was an amazing and welcome discovery.

Here they are in all their glory:

I tried to get a closer, more intentional photo that really honored the red balls and captured their grandeur. Unfortunately, I felt hyper-aware of the cars waiting for me to cross and the other pedestrians and this prevented me from truly becoming a Photographer. I couldn't justify getting down low for some special angles in the middle of the crosswalk. Maybe in future weeks I will care less, take photos faster, and make the mom in the RAV4 wait a little longer. Apologies to this couple who are unwitting participants in my first couple New Years Resolution pics.

The only thing I purchased while at this new, unfamiliar Target was a box of Q-Tips. I was on a time crunch before going to happy hour with Amanda and Victoria. They're purple, and not actually Q-Tip brand, but it feels unnatural referring to them as "cotton swabs." I will say that Target's Up&Up products consistently hold up well when compared to their brand name counterparts. These Q-Tips are no different. Plus, they're fun. And cheap. And purple.

I will admit the layout of the Kearny Mesa Target left something to be desired. Something about navigating through a new location of a store with such familiarity means there is always room for disappointment.

Apart from the strange store layout, Kearny Mesa's Target was an 8/10. My purple "cotton swabs" and nostalgic red balls are a terrific treat this first week of January. It was perfect timing, too, because I just came across this tweet:

Of course I retweeted it. Don't worry. The winter chill plaguing this season continues to baffle me. I didn't move to San Diego thinking I would need to actually purchase a space heater. Sometimes I do feel like the red ball in that tweet, hiding from the elements (and being a little ashamed of the Weather Wimp I have become).

I'm still figuring out the formatting and details while documenting this New Years Resolution Adventure. I wasn't even sure if I would do it on my Wix blog, but it felt personal and permanent enough for a kickoff post. Forgive me if future week entries differ from this one, but to be fair, I am the one who makes the rules.

See you next week.