A Predictable Post about Shopping

This week has been relatively boring, but yesterday was another one of those run-errands-before-meeting-friends days, which was a much-needed change of pace. After lunch, I drove around performing the more mundane tasks first. I had to go to the dreaded Wal-Mart because I had several quality coupons that were about to expire, and then I had to go to the post office to mail a couple of packages. After that, I drove to the bank and deposited a check, which was obviously the most exciting errand (you know, cause I'm poor). 

My friends and I planned to meet at 5:30, but I purposely left the house several hours early because I wanted plenty of time to browse at 2nd and Charles (a giant used book store) and Ross (a discount clothing store). I had sold several books at 2nd and Charles back in December, so I had $7.00 in store credit, plus a buy-one-get-one-half-off coupon. When combined, I only paid $6.50 for two books, one of which was a hardcover history book from England! It's called Blood and Roses by Helen Castor, and it's a multi-generational history of a noble family during the Wars of the Roses. I love learning about that time period, so I was particularly excited by that find. I also bought Marion Zimmer Bradley's classic book The Mists of Avalon, which Mom has been wanting to read for ages. 

I usually go to the Ross on Hwy 280, but I've had a sneaking suspicion that the one in Hoover is actually larger. I decided yesterday was an excellent time to investigate, and I was ecstatic to discover that I was right. I've bought some tops and skirts at Ross, but the real reason I shop there is the dresses. I buy one pretty much every time I shop there, so imagine my joy when I realized that the store in Hoover has twice the dresses as any other Ross I've been to. It was hard not to grab ten to try one, but I was good and only bought one red summer dress.

After leaving Ross, I went to Barnes & Noble to meet my friends/gush over the British DVD section with them. We decided to eat at the Indian restaurant, which was an excellent and tasty decision. Last night was particularly fun because we wandered from topic to topic, rather than talking about class and work all night. After we left the restaurant, we returned to the bookstore and browsed their history and clearance sections, as usual. However, I was very good and didn't buy anything else (hopefully I'll be that strong next week when we get together again!).

Clearance Sales and $1 Movies, aka, The World of Unemployment

When you're as lazy as I can be, you tend to postpone running errands until you have so many that you're gone all day.  Yesterday was one of those days, and I can gladly say that I successfully accomplished all three missions: flail over The Social Network, buy a new top and a little black dress, and have a fun dinner date with friends.

Since I've been unemployed since last May, I've had to severely limit my spending on books and DVDs.  The Social Network was released last week, and I've spent every day since gushing over the clips and quotes from all the glorious special features; however, I was very good and didn't buy it.  Instead, I went to the $1 movie theater and saw it on the big screen again.  I loved it just as much the second time around, and the fact that I knew every twist and turn meant that I didn't embarrass myself with incessant giggling.  One other point worth mentioning: I was the youngest person in the theater by A LOT.  Everyone else was at least sixty years old, so I kept wondering why they were seeing a movie about facebook.  I mean, at its heart it's really the story of a friendship betrayed (the friendship of HOT YOUNG ACTORS, that is), but surely understanding the social media context leads to a greater appreciation.

When the movie ended, I had two and a half hours to kill before I was going to meet my friends for dinner.  I've been trying to bulk up my wardrobe with professional clothes, so obviously I decided to go shopping for the one thing that I can buy.  I went to Burlington Coat Factory for the first time, and I have to say I was terribly disappointed, mostly by the horrible organization (if I'm looking in the "medium" section, I expect there to be mostly medium sizes, not a jumble of everything!).

My disappointment was short-lived, though, because I hit the jackpot at TJ Maxx.  I went in on a mission to find a simple long-sleeved black shirt (the one I currently wear with skirts is several years old), and I found one on the first rack.  With time to spare, I wandered over to the dress section, and I founded the cutest little black dress there.  And it was in the clearance section to boot!  It's a short-sleeve dress with a scooped neck and a bell skirt, originally priced for $129, and I bought it for only $20.  I tried it on again at home with a skinny red belt, and it is GORGEOUS.  Best dress I've ever owned.

After TJ Maxx, I headed down to Alabaster to meet my friends.  This week, we went the cheap route and ate at Chick-fil-A, but no one complained because on the plus side, we got to eat at Chick-fil-A! We had to break apart right after dinner, rather than meandering around the bookstore like we usually do, but it's so nice to have free time to see each other that none of us minded.

Theory: The Evil White Suit of Evil

I would have never have made it as an English major because I always read books for the stories, not for the symbolism (intentional or not) that I can discover.  However, even I know that when an author is contrasting something white with something black, then the former is good and the latter is bad.  After reading Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad for three separate English classes, I associate the dichotomy most strongly with that novel (although admittedly, Conrad turned it on its head and made a point that whites were not morally superior to blacks).  After watching A LOT of television, though, I think I have found a unique situation when the colors' symbolism is again reversed.  I present to you, The Evil White Suit of Evil.

During Season 5 of Supernatural, the overarching plot was Sam and Dean's struggle to reject Michael and Lucifer's continual insistence that they be used as human vessels.  In one episode, "The End," an angel sends Dean five years into the future in order to show him that Sam ultimately says yes to Lucifer.  And out of all the clothes in the entire world, what option does Lucifer choose?  A white suit.

He's literally wearing white from head to toe.

I didn't think much of it at the time, except that Lucifer was a really snazzy dresser, until this week when I started watching the Japanese drama Mei-chan no Shitsuji.  Basically, it's a show about a super-fancy school where all the girls have butlers, a love triangle develops between two butler brothers and one of the students, and the girl has a huge family secret being kept from her.  All of the butlers wear shades of black and grey, except for the one who serves the most manipulative student and does her dirty work.  As soon as I saw him in his white suit, I knew he was evil.  How else can you explain his penchant for white wigs?

I don't yet have a hypothesis explaining why evil angels and butlers prefer white suits, but there must be some hidden meaning, right?  I mean, the dry-cleaning bills alone prove that no sane person would choose to wear white every day, but why would the idea appeal to such ~evil~ characters?

Pea Coats and Geeky Movies

Since church on Sunday, I've spent day after day watching television shows on hulu and catching up on my reading list.  However, today I braved the Christmas shoppers of Birmingham and ventured out into the real world.  After my parents and I ate lunch at Jason's Deli, I went to Target because I needed to pick up a couple of things.  It was going to be an in-and-out trip, with no time to be distracted by all the shiny scarves and purses and shoes in stock, but then I saw it.  A lone pea coat sitting on a rack.  I've been dying to buy a pea coat for ages, but every time I find one, it's either too expensive or not my size.  With trepidation I cautiously approached the coat, fearing the worst.  I tried it on, and it fit PERFECTLY.  Then I looked at the price tag, and it was only $50, which is fairly reasonable for a heavy winter coat.  So...obviously I bought it.  Next on the list - find the perfect yellow trench coat.

A friend invited me to see Tron: Legacy, and, as usual, I said yes because it had a couple of obscure British actors in it.  Of course, I obviously wanted to hang out with my friend, but as geeky as I can be, Tron was never my cup of tea.  I watched the original movie once with my old roommate, and I wasn't very impressed.  I don't remember anything about the characters or the plot, so I can't explain why...it just didn't make an impression on me.  Although I must admit that I love the movie poster.  Chuck Bartowski (from the show "Chuck") has one hanging on his wall, and I always notice it when they film a scene in the character's bedroom.

I didn't originally plan to see Tron: Legacy, but when my friend suggested it, I thought "'hey, why not."  I then went to imdb.com to look at the cast list, and I was excited to see Cillian Murphy, Michael Sheen, and James Frain were in it.  Turns out, Michael Sheen was the only one who counted.  Cillian showed up for all of two minutes, and James didn't look at all like himself in the bald cap and white makeup.  However, I would recommend the movie alone for Michael Sheen's character.  It was very David Bowie-esque, and it was deliciously over-the-top.  The plot was fairly generic (Jeff Bridges has been stuck in the grid for 20 years, son finds him, they have to find a way to get home without the villian following because he wants to take over the world), but the special effects were top-notch, and the score was fantastic.  The acting wasn't anything too special (except for a handful of scenes by Jeff Bridges, obvs), but no one was glaringly bad, either.  The special effects were supposed to be front-and-center, and they are definitely what I'll remember.  I'd give it an 8/10 for its first viewing on a big screen, but I'm willing to be that it would drop down to 6 or 7 during repeat viewings on a television screen.