Chaos Attraction

In Which We Buy Presents, Redux

2004-12-27, 12:12 a.m.

Okay, I WILL make this a cheerier entry than the last few days! Really!

Today was the appointed "Go buy presents for those who got shafted this year, now that everything's on sale" day around here. It started raining here and is going to keep up for the rest of the week (whee), which nearly meant that we didn't go because of (guess who) Dad. But I have to be proud of him today for wanting to suck it up and go even in the rain, in the end. Phew.

We ended up going out to outlets and the mall. The outlets were pretty damn dead for a Monday afternoon, the mall was a bit busier.

Mom has been complaining that she needs to go to the gym and start working out so she can pick Dad up better, but she hasn't had time. So she wants me to go along as her guest. Fine by me, I said, since I've got some (new) sweats here, but I don't have any sneakers any more due to the flood. And since my feet are two sizes bigger than hers, borrowing isn't an option.

So the first order of the day was to get me some sneakers. Yay holiday sales, because we found some for $10. Which is a pretty good buy considering I wear sneakers about 2-3 times a year. What can I say, I'm a boot kind of girl.

And speaking of boots, I forgot to mention yesterday my mom got me a pair of Uggs- pink with flowers embroidered on them. I had been on the fence about Uggs previously- they kinda look like slippers- but upon trying these on, I have figured out why the dang things are so popular: fur lining. I didn't have to freaking wear socks today with those boots on. And since I hate socks with a passion, this was fabulous. Every time I tried on something, I didn't have to look at myself in a dress with nasty-ass socks at the bottom of the ensemble. Yay to that.

I got a book I'd wanted that's still in hardback for vastly cheaper than it would be otherwise (yay outlets, because I'd heard this book in the series wasn't really worth paying $25 in hardback), the aforementioned sneakers, a pink Big Dogs sweatshirt that I'd been eyeing every time I'd been in one of those stores (now $25- down from $65, folks), some calendars- that "Get a knitting pattern a day" one and one comparing men to various things, a la "Men are like rollercoasters: fun at first, but then you get really sick." I also got a purple striped shirt.

Something amusing about the shopping today was the people working. For example, we walked into the calendar store where everything was half off to find the two people working there um...are dating. They were having a private snuggle. Which doesn't exactly strike me as being professional, but then again, the calendar store isn't exactly permanent employment either.
And then there was the chick in Dress Barn, who was clearly of the "I'm so bored I'm desperate to help you" school of retail. However, she was amusingly chatty about it- checking what mystery book Mom bought in the bookstore, liking the one shirt I got there and saying that was her favorite kind in the store, determining that one shirt looked better on Mom than on me (damn hooters + buttondown shirt = annoyed Jen), etc. It was just kind of funny after awhile.

After working our way through the outlets, we hit the mall, or at least the Gottschalks. I got a few sweaters, a few tops, a skirt, and a dress that's obviously on sale because it can't be worn till April. Mom got stuff along with me. Most of what we got was purple, and the saleschicks couldn't help but comment on the uh, theme going there. Mom has also been drooling over this one chair that Uncle Bruce got there, and she found it on sale. She is debating whether or not to get it, except she doesn't know where to put it. (She plans on getting rid of one of the recliners anyway to give it to me, but didn't want to replace the space with another recliner that has no room to recline thanks to the piano taking up the former recliner space.)

I wanted to hit the nearest Barnes and Noble (I had a gift card for there, but there aren't any in any of the towns I regularly spend time in/live in), but it was nearing 8 p.m. and everyone had to eat, so I just hoped we'd get out in time from the restaurant.

The aforementioned restaurant was filled with cute waiters. Our friendly waiter, one that looked like Chandler Bing, and one that well, had some strong resemblance to a younger version of previous ex. Same kind of floppy brown hair, lovely skin, nice cheekbones. Of course, this dude was probably about 21, and I was with my parents, which as we all know is quite the anti-aphrodesiac...
Okay, just kidding. I had no intentions towards the fellow. For one thing, 21. For another thing, waiter (given how things went last time, I really should make myself date someone with a "career" job should I ever be stupid enough to date again). For a third thing, lives here. And of course, #4, I'm not dating anyone, period. Mom was in a "Please entertain me, say something, ANYTHING" mood where she was asking me completely random questions in hopes of sparking some kind of conversation (for example, "Wasn't Tammy's table lovely?" Sorry, this isn't going to inspire passionate conversation out of me.), and at one point she had to ask, "So, what are your New Year's resolutions?" Did the cute waiter HAVE to walk by while the answer to that was coming out? Naturally, Mom doesn't think I'll last a year- but please, I've gone longer when I felt more desperate.

Damn hormones. Go back to sleep, why don't you!

Anyway, after dinner was over I had 20 minutes to hit the bookstore before it closed, and I ran around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to find something I knew I'd want to buy without flipping through parts of it and reading it the way I usually do. I tried to look for books on my "to buy" list- and couldn't find any of them, for crying out loud. I finally went with books by a few authors I like that I don't own already, one new book featuring a psychic PI, and one book I'd flipped through a good chunk of previously so I figured I'd like it. Hell, if I didn't spend it now it'd be quite a while before I did, so I had to find enough books to use up the certificate.
And as I was waiting in line, Mom hit me up with two cookbooks, saying she hadn't brought her money along and could I get them for her and pay her back? This made things kind of pricey, but I told her she didn't have to pay me back. God knows I owe her enough money as is, right?

Anyway, what can I say. Shopping always puts me in a better mood. As does having more book crack around the house.


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