I knew better. In my mind, I was acutely aware of what might happen if I went there. But I did it anyway, knowing full well that I would not be able to resist. I went to the toy department at Wal-Mart.

It looks much like it would have when I was a child, thanks to a revival of toys from the 1980s, including Care Bears, My Little Pony, Rainbrow Brite, and Muppet Babies. Couple that with my extremely nostalgic nature, and you've got trouble. Big trouble.

I want to be a child again, at least on some level. I hate this whole business of paying bills, applying to graduate school, having to find a job to pay for graduate school. I'd rather sit around and watch Muppet movies while cuddling Care Bears and putting the rest of my stuffed animals down for a nap. Since I stupidly disposed of most of my beloved toys from the old days, going to the toy department at Wal-Mart represents an attempt to redeem myself.

This is me on the stuffed animal aisle at Wal-Mart. "Oh! Look at those Care Bear Cousins! Aren't they just the cutest things? Oh, I'd forgotten that Cozy Heart Penguin was purple! What a cute, adorable color!" (At this time, I pick up the stuffed Cozy Heart Penguin and place her lovingly in my cart.) "Ohmigosh! Muppet Babies stuffed animal clip-ons! There's Piggy and Animal and Fozzie-- oh, Fozzie is just the cutest with his little beanie hat-- now where's Kermit?...awwww, it's Rowlf! Rowlf with his cute little bib and floppy ears...OK, let's be realistic. I won't get them all. I'll get Fozzie, just because he's so adorable, and Rowlf, because I don't own anything else with Rowlf on it." (This is when I place the Fozzie and Rowlf clip-ons in my cart beside Cozy Heart. When I turn around I notice Braveheart Lion, another of the Care Bear Cousins.)"Braveheart! You are just so adorable! I absolutely must get you to keep Cozy Heart company! (I take him off the shelf and give him a huge hug, and then place him in the cart with the rest of the crew. I then take one last look around.) "Rainbrow Brite! OK, the Rainbrow Brite doll looks a little different-- why do they have to change everything?-- but the Sprites look just as cute as ever! I'll get this Lucky Sprite clip-on since it reminds me of the Sprite I used to have."

Now there I was, with five items in my cart. $25 worth of toys. Toys I don't need. I knew I had to be strong. So I started whittling it down. The Sprite went first, because in my heart of hearts I knew I wanted the red one more than the green one and they didn't have a red one. Then I managed to put Braveheart back on the shelf, and Cozy Heart, too, because well-- I wasn't as close to the cousins as I was to the actual bears. Now only Fozzie and Rowlf remained. At first, I thought I'd keep both of them, but by the time I got to the grocery section of the store I convinced myself to get rid of Fozzie (I have a big Fozzie stuffed animal at home so he's already represented in my collection). Rowlf went home with me. And he couldn't be happier.

If you think I'm crazy, you're probably right. But I'm rather proud of myself for having enough willpower to put most of them back. (You should have seen me in the baby department, though. I mean, Care Bear stuff everywhere! I've never wanted a baby so much in my life!)