Bakin' Cookies! (What not to do)

I had two very simple things to accomplish today:

1. Bake Oreo-type cookies for a Halloween party
2. Cook supper for my boyfriend and myself

For the sake of this post, we're only dealing with 1 right now.
A quick check of the cabinets last night revealed my father was low on vanilla. No problem, he says, leaving me the money to go buy some in the morning. So at 10 am, I walk the mile and a half to the grocery store, buy vanilla (and root beer, because I can), and walk home.

Seems simple right?

I start gathering ingredients, before I stumble upon the problem. My father must have thrown away his shortening. Now, I could have walked back to the same grocery store, bought shortening, and walked home. Or, I thought, I could go to the grocery store in the next town over, since it's about the same distance, and not feel like a total fool.

Side note: I have a bad knee, so I tend to favor one of my legs when I walk long distances. The reason why I tell you this will become clear in a moment.

I underestimated the distance to the other grocery store. It ended up being 2.5 miles away. I was only grumbling about this until I realized one of my hips hurt. A lot. See, being the inactive person I am, walking 8 miles in 2 hours wasn't exactly the wisest thing I've ever done. But then I wondered, how many other Americans would be willing, or able to, walk that much? So then I felt a little better about myself.

And I suppose, maybe doing all that exercise just to bake cookies may be a little counter-productive. But these better be the best damn cookies EVER.