I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to see some Identification, please

Apparently you now need to be "of age" to purchase cold medicine. Yes, I know. This is truly absurd. I discovered this gem of insight last week, while practically dying of sickness, what with a cold and all. I had spent the day at home, working from the comfort of my couch. A quick trip into the office passed me by the local grocery store, which I decided to pay a visit in search of tissues and something to stop the coughing and constant drippage of my nasal passages.

After managing to infect a few aisles with my germs, I headed to the self checkout since I only had a few purchases to make and I wouldn't have to wait in line. I was minding my own business, carefully scanning each item. When I came to the cold medicine, however, something very odd and off putting happened. The machine started talking to me. It sounded something like this... "PLeaSe shOW tHE CAshIer yOUr IdenTIfiCAtion." (they do tend to emphasize the most akward parts of a word... Why is that?)

I must have stood there for about 30 seconds, sheerly stupified by the request. "Show the cashier my ID? For what? Its Tylenol Cold!" I thought to myself. I stole a few glances at the box in my hand to make sure that they hadn't legalized crack cocaine over the weekend and started selling it in your friendly neighborhood store without my knowledge. No matter how many times I looked at the box, it continued to say "Tylenol Cold". I apparently had not missed any major changes to the legality of street drugs.

In my utter confusion, I finally decided that it may be a good idea to turn my puzzled look over towards the cashier (who I could tell was not so happy at missing her afternoon soap opera). She then mumbled the same strange words..... "Can I see your ID?" I must have looked at her as if she had just asked me to produce an elephant out of my behind or something. It took me a full 15 seconds to recover myself enough to fumble around in my purse for my driver's license.

This experience would definitely classify as one of my most awkward and strange trips to the grocery store. It seems that the youth and druggies of the world must have come up with a way to make meth out of antihistimine. Who knows. Its all just strange. Very, very strange.