My colleague tipped me off about a great sale going on at her favorite store, Macy's, and pushed me out the door early to go dig into the goods. I was nearly giddy with glee. I was going to The Mall. As backwoodsy as it sounds, I rarely get to The Mall. A long time ago, not only did I work at The Mall but I would never capitalize it in a sentence. I really hated working retail but I always looked so darling. I think I can safely credit my hatred for working retail with my decision to go to graduate school. That and my father's subtle urging. ( Look what came in the mail today, Nancy! An application for Our Lady of the Lake University! Oh, and one for Oregon State. Let's sit down right now and fill these out. In fact, I've already started them. Just sign right here.) So there I was, in a store other than Target, Old Navy or Costco, looking completely bewildered. I started out by having mini strokes as I looked at price tags. Once recovered,...