On those occasions when I actually take time off from work there’s always this weirdness that goes along with it, since it’s odd to think that even though I’d already been off for four days, today is my first actual day off.
Staying up past seven last night was also odd, as was sleeping in until after 10 this morning (I mention that in order to rub it in the faces of any of my co-workers who might be reading this. Yes, I slept until after 10, whereas you were at work before 6.).
Since it was payday, and a larger than usual payday at that thanks to holiday pay for Thanksgiving and the day after, I decided to venture out into the world to spend some money.
I started out by going to Ross.
I don’t often go there, as it is a bit further away from home than I typically venture, and whenever I do go to a Ross it always seems as though the place has been cleaned out before I got there.
While I was there I found a jacket that I don’t think was actual leather, though I couldn't determine what it actually was. It may have been leather, because if it wasn’t it was the most convincing “pleather” or vinyl I’ve ever encountered. It really looked and felt like leather. It was a decent-looking jacket, too, and only $20. Even before the Ross discount it was only $60, so I really doubt that it was real leather.
Still, even though it looked and felt convincing, the fact that I didn’t know what it was made from (there was no label indicating the materials that I could find), I decided against buying it.
I saw something on the clearance rack that made me laugh: a pair of skin-tight silver vinyl pants.
While I think that hot chicks should be required to wear things like skin-tight silver (and other colors) vinyl pants, I conversely believe that no man should ever be allowed to do it.
Ultimately I ended up buying a sweater that I’m still not sure whether or not I like.
After that I went to Target and continued to not be impressed. Lots of people seem to like Target, but I’ve always found Wal Mart to have a larger selection and lower prices.
I know Brian would be likely make some sort of ghetto/white trash comments about Wal Mart, but I guess I’m just not enough of a snob to care. It’s cheaper, therefore it’s better.
After that I went to the Dulles Town Center. I’m not really certain what distinguishes a “Town Center” from a mall other than the fact that they call it a “Town Center,” but that's what it's called.
Still, despite how full the parking lot was, I found the mall…err, Town Center to be surprisingly empty. I wandered around aimlessly for a while before deciding to get some lunch at the food court.
However, it seemed that everyone who had parked outside had congregated there. Because the thought of that teeming mass of humanity pressing in on me was too much like an element of my worst nightmares, I opted to go hungry.
I wandered around a while longer, eventually stopping at an Old Navy store for a bit. While I was in there they played commercials for Old Navy over the intercom. Specifically, those people from the TV commercials singing an original composition written especially for the intercom.
I really hate it when stores advertise themselves inside the store.
I mean, it’s not enough that you piss me off nightly with your commercials on TV, after I come in here, despite how much you piss me off, you have to try to piss me off even more? Do you just not want me to buy stuff from you? Because I have to say, if that's the case you're pretty likely to get your wish.
What really got me, though, was the fact that they had a jacket I wanted for around $40, but they didn’t have it in my size, despite what the hangers said, as the jackets on the large hangers were, in fact, mediums.
Even though I’m not an especially big person, I have to wear large in order to accommodate my shoulders. I missed out on inheriting charm, carpentry, and general “handiness” from my dad, but I did get the broad shoulders.
After looking through two racks and discovering that all of the “larges” were mediums, I left in annoyance.
I really didn’t need the jacket, but I have a…thing for jackets. I’m not sure what to call it. There’s no sexual component, so I can’t really call it a fetish, but basically I just really like jackets, and I own rather a lot of them. It’s kind of like how some women are with shoes.
At present, I have twelve different jackets, including three long coats and three different kinds of leather jackets. I would have much more than that if I weren’t capable of demonstrating at least some amount of restraint, or if Old Navy could actually hang large jackets on the large hangers.
I believe that the style of jacket I was looking at is known as a “Pea Coat,” the sort of thing that sailors in the Navy wear.
On my way out of the Town Center I stopped by the little seasonal calendar shop. Last year I waited too long to buy a calendar and had to buy a Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell calendar rather than a Janesko calendar. The one benefit was that I got it insanely cheap, since they were clearing out their last dregs before closing up shop, but it wasn’t what I wanted.
Unfortunately, they didn’t appear to have any Janesko calendars. Maybe I’ll buy one from her site (http://www.janesko.com/ – This site contains nudity.).
While I was looking at calendars some school choir was performing Christmas songs. Not to judge them unfairly, but they kind of sucked, and I’m not saying that just because I disliked their material. They just weren’t very good, and the choir leader made them add odd vocalizations to “jazz up” the stodgy old classics.
Like at the beginning of one of their performances, they just kept going “Sha na na na na na” over and over again. Initially I thought they were doing a performance of KC and the Sunshine Band’s “Give It Up” (You know: Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, now/Baby give it up/Give it up/Baby give it up), but it ended up being, of all things, “Jingle Bells.”
From the Town Center I headed to Best Buy, where I found nothing that I could afford to buy, and discovered that International Conspiracy of People Who Congregate In Front of Things That Jon Wants To Look At (ICPWCIFTTJWTLA for short)had gotten there before I did, and finally I headed to Wal Mart where I bought my Christmas present from my mom and dad.
Yes, I did mean to say “from.” My mom is going to send me money that I’m supposed to use to buy myself some new pots and pans. So, even though I haven’t gotten the money yet, I bought the pots and pans while I was there.
When I got home I found that one of the sauté pans was pretty badly bent in the box, but I couldn’t complain too much considering how inexpensive the set was.
Okay, “cheap” is a better word, but at least I’m finally free of the crappy, hand-me-down pots and pans that I used to have (I just threw them out).
So that makes me happy. Sort of. Well, you know, the Jon Happiness Equivalent (It's kind of like Wal Mart's "Equate" store brand).
When I got home, based on some advice Kathleen gave me the other day, I reorganized my kitchen.
And now I’m here.
It’s Friday night and I find myself wondering what it is that people who aren’t in bed early in order to get up at 4:15 in the morning do on Friday nights.
Once upon a time there would have been exactly zero chance that I would not be at the bar by now, but those days are behind me.
I suppose that I could still hit a bar. I mean, there’s no law (except maybe Murphy’s) saying that I can’t go to a bar. After all, I’ve been to bars on numerous occasions since I quit drinking without any problems.
Still, those times I went with people, so there was something of a “safety net.”
Besides, apart from discovering that I could spend time in a bar without drinking on those occasions, I also discovered that I really didn’t enjoy it.
For me, being at a bar and not drinking is utterly pointless, and I don’t find it to be fun at all.
So that’s pretty much out.
Besides, the nearest bar (A sports bar, which only makes it that much less appealing) is a fair distance away, which, on a cold, rainy night like tonight would necessitate driving, and I really don’t feel like driving anywhere right now.
So I guess it’s an exciting evening alone at home for me.
That’s not really surprising, though. When I scheduled this weekend off I pretty much figured on not actually doing anything.
Still, there is that part of me deep down inside that’s railing against just how lame I’ve become, and I really feel like I should be doing something, though I’m sure that if I sit down long enough and do nothing, that feeling will just go away.
Fortunately I still have plenty of time left in which to do exactly that…
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