Over 21?

This morning on my way to work, I had the interesting experience of being carded. Yes, I was on my way to work and even though it was New Year's Eve Day, I was not buying alcohol -- at least I think I wasn't.

For those that know Lori and I, you know that we are not big drinkers. Even on New Year's we are likely to confine ourselves to nothing more than a wine cooler, so to get carded for a beverage purchase was quite ironic. It gets even funnier when you find out what beverage I purchased.

So on my way to work, I had to make a detour to the tire shop to fix a flat tire on our Subaru. Yesterday the tire shop balanced and aligned the tires, so I thought it had something to do with that. Once the flat was fixed (possibly a bad valve stem or seal around the rim), I stopped at the gas station across the street to fill up the tank and grab a quick and convenient (albeit, unhealthy) breakfast. I chose a cereal & milk bar and a bottle of water. Yes, a bottle of WATER! I got carded for a bottle of WATER!

So I get to the register and the clerk scans the bottle of water. The register gave her some sort of error message relating to a price check. Most likely, the UPC code did not get updated in the register's database. I told her the price that was on the refirgerator shelf and she entered it. The register then proceeded to give her an error message to check my ID for an alcohol purchase. Needless to say, everyone including the other clerks and store manager were baffled. I joked that the register must have known something that we didn't and that the bottle of water must actually have had vodka in it.

When I got to work, I told Lori about it and she joking asked if I had drank the water while driving to work. I repeated my story to my co-workers, who joking stated they would keep an eye on me because my bottle of "water" was already half empty.

In case anyone is wondering, the water I purchased was a single serve 16.9 oz bottle of Nestle Pure Life. I bought it at the GoMart on Grafton Road/University Avenue in Morgantown. You might want to pick some up before your next New Year's Eve bash or Super Bowl party. Whatever the occasion, don't forget your ID!

Happy New Year!