Nimen hao. While Running with Fire will eventually be a place for folks, family and friends, to catch up on what’s happening during my second year in China, I’m in Meiguo as of now, so here’s something for the ex-pats dangling from the other side of the globe–something essentially 2-D and, therefore, well-suited for my entry to the flat world.
Last week, after picking up my visa from the D.C. embassy, I got to stop by the Kwik-E-Mart in Bladensburg. Yeah, the Kwik-E-Mart, one of the twelve 7-11’s modified for a Simpsons Movie cross-promotion. I’d read about the cross-promotion while still back in Zhongguo, courtesy of USAToday (http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2007-07-02-kwik-e-mart_N.htm), and been happy to see that one was located in Maryland.
By the time I got around to visiting the Kwik-E-Mart, it was demolition day, and I had to race to get a few pictures of the exterior before workers tore down the cartoonish foam. Inside, the 7-11 looked about the same as any 7-11, except for a few Simpsons character stand-alones and some scattered signs (my favorite of which read, “Every item guaranteed fresh or your money begrudgingly refunded”). The stand-alones were decently done, though the relief-embossing used to make them seem more 3-D meant that my photos of them show slight distortions of shape. One particularly sharp piece was a decal of a very cold Jasper Beardley (Frostillicus) inside the door of an empty freezer (no note regarding cheap and effective robot wives or pants alteration as fashion dictates).
All in all, it was a worthwhile stop. I managed to pick up a six-pack of Buzz and some commemorative Squishee cups, and I got to meet a few people of the sort who think it’s worthwhile to travel to get pictures of a Kwik-E-Mart. I’m slowly getting more pictures up on photobucket; expect updates: http://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x96/Changhuzi/
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