I’m such a geek for school supplies. I could spend weeks in Office Depot or Office Max or Staples.

I’m one one those writers who journals. Some writers say that journaling deducts time away from actual writing. For me, journaling stokes the flames; it gets ideas flowing. Journaling is way more fun with a plethora of brightly colored inks.

Sometimes I still write articles or blogs longhand first. They are like the early drafts of term or research papers I had to write in both high school and college.

Highlighters were indispensable. I love highlighters. In fact, a case could be made that I am addicted to highlighters. I love colors-all colors. But, I’m partial to purple, blue, green and pink. I used to color code my text books with each color having a different association.

For example, when I took ANT 2511, the Human Species, at UCF for my anthropology degree, everything related to lemurs might be highlighted in blue. Gorillas might be pink. I gave the Pharaohs the same treatment for my, Life and Death in Ancient Egypt class. Everything Tutankhamen might be green while all things related to his father, Akhenaten, would be yellow. I did the same for my psychology degree from USF. My Abnormal Psych textbook was pretty colorful, especially the chapter on personality disorders: Borderline-purple, anti-social-orange. You get the idea.

Thus, I was filled with glee to find school supplies being stocked in the seasonal section at Walmart.

When my shift ended I perused the displays. I practically drooled over the bright highlighters, notebooks-loose leaf and spiral, staplers, college ruled notebook paper, tape, paper clips (they are great page markers for those classes that are still archaically using textbooks), post-it’s, index cards and pens. I went almost orgasmic over a pack of 18 Paper Mate gel pens in NINE colors.

There was a young mother with her toddler and elementary-aged daughter fondling the pens. She was a kindred spirit. “Ooh, are these really $2.97?” I blurted out, referring to the above described pack of Paper Mates. She replied, “Ya know, I don’t think so cause, look, this pack has fewer pens and it’s $4.97.” I looked closely at the label on the shelf. It read, “PM 18 CT.” I pointed this out to her. Score! I tossed the package into my cart. We both got excited and exchanged stories about school supply shopping. Demonstrating with my pack of colorful writing instruments, I said, “Whenever I run out of the purple, blue, turquoise, or pink ones I have to run out and buy a whole new pack.” “I’m exactly the same way,” she said, giggling. Watching her and her cute kids made me realize what a goner I would be if I’d had children. I would go nuts. Store clerks would probably have to taser me. It would be sad.