Drug Store Safari.

Sometimes those "8 Million Places to go Before you Croak" lists are just plain depressing. Like: oh, great. Here are 900 MORE places I'll never go to, and 400 more activities I never even knew existed that I now feel like I'm missing out on. Goat herding in the Himalyas? Teaching Guyanian orphans sign language and pottery making skills? Sounds great, but I'm barely paying my gas bill.

This is why, in the current economic climate, I prefer to make weekly trips to like, Walgreen's. There's something therapeutic about trolling the aisles, keeping an eye out for those yellow "Clearance" stickers. Pediatric cough medicine that expires in a month? Yes, I need that. Thank you for asking. Dr. Pepper-scented bubble bath at 75% off? Sold. Because buying personal care items and cosmetics is fun, but nabbing them at a steep discount elevates the experience to a whole new level of personal satisfaction. It also explains why I am the owner of about 13 bottles of foundation, none of which come close to matching my skin tone.

But no matter, for a brief few moments (and only a few bucks) while buying each, I take a mental vacation to a place where my complexion is radiant, my smile dazzling, my sinuses clear and my life even more exciting than swimming with dolphins in the Straits of Hormuz. As Liz Lemon would say, “I want to go to there.”