(no subject)
left bright and shiny early yesterday and took the train down to NYC to go shopping with tv girl and S. we stopped at a cheap cafe just in time for the end of the breakfast shift then made our way to the Container Store. i had made the mistake of telling my mom about the store and their website, and was handed a list and a wad of cash the night before. i ended up wishing we'd gone their last, because i had to lug everything around all day lol. i picked up mom's useful things (like measuring spoons and undershelf baskets) and my kitschy odds-and-ends (like a Mr. Bump cold pack and plush goldfish magnets), tried hard to resist the siren's call of the bamboo organizer boxes (with success, sadly... they're so pretty!) and headed out of there with a giant shopping bag so heavy, they attached an extra handle to it. sad or funny, the free handle was the thing i ended up being most thrilled about. silly Thog.
from there, we went to an Urban Outfitters where we introduced S to the joys of their housewares section. i think she's in love. @NJB, remember the dark brocade flask i was looking at when we were there? they had one left, on clearance for $5. i promise not to become a lush. also tried on a newsboy cap that i rather fell in love with, but put down because i found the price a bit ridiculous.
headed over to Pearl River where i went on a quest for a tote bag and/or a slightly larger purse. i've been using the tote i got over the summer, but that's really a beach tote and i've felt a little silly carrying it around the past month and a half. did not find a purse, but did find a dragon yin-yang canvas tote that i liked rather well, and which was reasonably priced. i was *supposed* to be holiday shopping for other people, you know? yeah, that didn't happen much...
while looking through the totes, a guy came into the same aisle to browse. his phone rang, and he answered it with "Dairy queen." i couldn't help it, i giggled. a lot. he was smiling when he walked away.
looked for a tea set, but with no luck as usual. i don't like the ones with the wicker or wooden handles; i'm too worried they'll break off or get dingy with washing. but that's 90% of them, and the ones that don't have them tend to be cast iron, which i can't afford. alas. i did, of course, find another set of dishes that i liked, and opted to just buy one sauce dish to satisfy my "oohh, pretty." also bought two sets of origami paper i don't need.
before leaving, i asked about getting a name stone carved for in the event i actually start practicing brush painting. they start at $25, which is reasonable, and carve them right there in the store. but i was already starting to get overwhelmed with the crowds and trying to navigate with my huge Container Store bag, so i'll save it for after the holidays. but it's good to know!
found lunch at an empanada place (non-traditional recipes, but yummy) and went to find The Strand. found a gallery with gorgeous overpriced things, where we wandered for a bit. stopped in at a Ricky's along the way, where S bought things for B's bachelorette party and i found stocking stuffers for my mom. it's scary that i can do that in the sex toy/bachelorette section of Ricky's...
finally found The Strand, where i was bored and even more overwhelmed, but tried to find things to occupy my mind. it's just too many books, too many people, and if i have nothing i'm looking for, it's not worth the anxiety. but, i did think of something to look for: "Boogaloo on 2nd Avenue." one of the books Mrs. B had lent to me which i'd fallen in love with. they had it in hardcover for $8. sold! otherwise, i wandered aimlessly, poking at things here and there, waiting patiently for the other two to wind down.
i don't remember when we found the comic shop, whether it was before or after that, but we went to one. went to au bon pain for a nosh where we sat next to a family with the heaviest Irish accent i've heard in real life. i was sorry when they left before us, i loved listening to them talk. tried to find another Urban Outfitters because tv girl told S there was one with more housewares. no one seemed to know what we were talking about, or even cared. welcome to NYC. finally got someone with both a personality and a brain to stop and told us exactly which way to head.
maybe that's when we found Ricky's. i don't know. we went to so many places, who cares.
found the UO where i tried on the hat again and decided to go for it. i don't find hats i like very often, esp. not ones that fit my giant melon. tv girl and i parked on a couch while S browsed, and we were starting to wonder where the hell she went to. then she called tv girl asking where the hell *we* went to lol. paid for my hat where i tried not to kill the woman to jumped line on me, claiming she didn't see me and didn't realize the line started there (meanwhile she was looking at me for five minutes, and there were velvet ropes marking the line) and found out the girl at the register was originally from up around my way.
got McD's and headed to the train, which we missed by three minutes. hung out in the waiting area, which i'd never bothered to go into before, but now i know where those nice wooden benches went to. much better than the questionable floor in the concourse. caught an 11ish train home, which i slept through most of, so i was up until 3 after i got home.
none of us are feeling too swift today, tv girl feeling the worst. i do know that, aside from being out late in the cold, the old book dust was starting to get to me at the Strand. i feel the least unswift, and i did the least page-flipping. coincidence? i think not. my sinuses on my right side aren't good. like everything: nose, ear, teeth... ungood. we were supposed to go to the comic shop up here today, but tv girl cancelled. she apparently can't even get out of bed. S said she'd still go if i wanted, but i said not if she didn't feel well. maybe it's something we can do when we get together next, since it's near B&N anyway. and i just realized as i was typing that that this thursday is turkey day. i wonder if/when we'll have a girls' night this week. hmm.
from there, we went to an Urban Outfitters where we introduced S to the joys of their housewares section. i think she's in love. @NJB, remember the dark brocade flask i was looking at when we were there? they had one left, on clearance for $5. i promise not to become a lush. also tried on a newsboy cap that i rather fell in love with, but put down because i found the price a bit ridiculous.
headed over to Pearl River where i went on a quest for a tote bag and/or a slightly larger purse. i've been using the tote i got over the summer, but that's really a beach tote and i've felt a little silly carrying it around the past month and a half. did not find a purse, but did find a dragon yin-yang canvas tote that i liked rather well, and which was reasonably priced. i was *supposed* to be holiday shopping for other people, you know? yeah, that didn't happen much...
while looking through the totes, a guy came into the same aisle to browse. his phone rang, and he answered it with "Dairy queen." i couldn't help it, i giggled. a lot. he was smiling when he walked away.
looked for a tea set, but with no luck as usual. i don't like the ones with the wicker or wooden handles; i'm too worried they'll break off or get dingy with washing. but that's 90% of them, and the ones that don't have them tend to be cast iron, which i can't afford. alas. i did, of course, find another set of dishes that i liked, and opted to just buy one sauce dish to satisfy my "oohh, pretty." also bought two sets of origami paper i don't need.
before leaving, i asked about getting a name stone carved for in the event i actually start practicing brush painting. they start at $25, which is reasonable, and carve them right there in the store. but i was already starting to get overwhelmed with the crowds and trying to navigate with my huge Container Store bag, so i'll save it for after the holidays. but it's good to know!
found lunch at an empanada place (non-traditional recipes, but yummy) and went to find The Strand. found a gallery with gorgeous overpriced things, where we wandered for a bit. stopped in at a Ricky's along the way, where S bought things for B's bachelorette party and i found stocking stuffers for my mom. it's scary that i can do that in the sex toy/bachelorette section of Ricky's...
finally found The Strand, where i was bored and even more overwhelmed, but tried to find things to occupy my mind. it's just too many books, too many people, and if i have nothing i'm looking for, it's not worth the anxiety. but, i did think of something to look for: "Boogaloo on 2nd Avenue." one of the books Mrs. B had lent to me which i'd fallen in love with. they had it in hardcover for $8. sold! otherwise, i wandered aimlessly, poking at things here and there, waiting patiently for the other two to wind down.
i don't remember when we found the comic shop, whether it was before or after that, but we went to one. went to au bon pain for a nosh where we sat next to a family with the heaviest Irish accent i've heard in real life. i was sorry when they left before us, i loved listening to them talk. tried to find another Urban Outfitters because tv girl told S there was one with more housewares. no one seemed to know what we were talking about, or even cared. welcome to NYC. finally got someone with both a personality and a brain to stop and told us exactly which way to head.
maybe that's when we found Ricky's. i don't know. we went to so many places, who cares.
found the UO where i tried on the hat again and decided to go for it. i don't find hats i like very often, esp. not ones that fit my giant melon. tv girl and i parked on a couch while S browsed, and we were starting to wonder where the hell she went to. then she called tv girl asking where the hell *we* went to lol. paid for my hat where i tried not to kill the woman to jumped line on me, claiming she didn't see me and didn't realize the line started there (meanwhile she was looking at me for five minutes, and there were velvet ropes marking the line) and found out the girl at the register was originally from up around my way.
got McD's and headed to the train, which we missed by three minutes. hung out in the waiting area, which i'd never bothered to go into before, but now i know where those nice wooden benches went to. much better than the questionable floor in the concourse. caught an 11ish train home, which i slept through most of, so i was up until 3 after i got home.
none of us are feeling too swift today, tv girl feeling the worst. i do know that, aside from being out late in the cold, the old book dust was starting to get to me at the Strand. i feel the least unswift, and i did the least page-flipping. coincidence? i think not. my sinuses on my right side aren't good. like everything: nose, ear, teeth... ungood. we were supposed to go to the comic shop up here today, but tv girl cancelled. she apparently can't even get out of bed. S said she'd still go if i wanted, but i said not if she didn't feel well. maybe it's something we can do when we get together next, since it's near B&N anyway. and i just realized as i was typing that that this thursday is turkey day. i wonder if/when we'll have a girls' night this week. hmm.