Someone explained it to me yesterday. The reason that this city is so hectic on Black Friday is that the Los Angeles Unified School District has a holiday, not only on Thanksgiving, but on the day afterward, as well.

Since the schools were closed Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday also, that means that students, teachers, parents, support staff had several days during which they could plan their assault on the malls and video stores.

I live in what is normally a quiet residential neighborhood, squarely between two major shopping malls. Ever since 6:30 this morning, my 25 mile-per-hour street has sounded like the Indianapolis 500. There isn't a convenient freeway offramp to this mall near me, as there is to the mall east of me, so the traffic comes down the street. Vrooom!

Think I'll hunker down for the day in my cave. If the amount of traffic streaming past my house, cars filled with people with credit cards burning a hole in their wallets, is any indication--the spending is about to begin.