Overkill

I have an aesthetic preference for matches over lighters. Wooden matches, thank you, not the cardboard kind. And the big ones as opposed to the little ones.

Five or so years ago, it became depressingly difficult to find strike-anywhere matches. I had a little ceramic matches jar, and you could strike them on the bottom. I had to give it up and buy the big wooden kitchen matches and leave them in their box of 250.

I ran out of matches last week. I looked for more yesterday. Do you have any idea how difficult it's gotten to buy matches? It took me two stores and the assistance of a sales clerk. When I finally found them, they were behind the liquor counter. And there was no one at the liquor counter. I finally asked a beleaguered cashier and he told me just to walk behind it and get them. It's not like it was an open end; I had to open a gate to get back there.

I understand that we want to keep our children safe, but for gods' sakes, people, what ever happened to watching your kids? I don't care if it's matches or the internet, making the world safe for a five year old makes it awfully difficult for the rest of us. I resent the fact that it's as difficult to buy matches as liquor and more difficult to buy cold medicine than cigarettes. And easier to buy firearms than either--at least there's an illegal market for them.

Do you suppose there's an illegal market for strike-anywhere matches?