Economic stimulus!
I still have my first motorcycle jacket that I bought in 1986. It is very faded and the leather feels dried and thin, and I keep thinking if I hit the road it will split wide open and be as though I were wearing a tshirt. Years pass and I keep thinking this.
Today, the kids are BOTH in camp and everyone else is busy doing things and there's nothing I really need to do. So I hopped on the bike and took the pilgrimmage to Vanson Leathers, which used to be utterly conveniently located five miles away in Stoughton, but is now an hour away in Fall River. Spent an hour looking at what they have on the showroom floor, and ordered a custom made jacket in red and with more vents. $700! Yow. Unfortunately it'll be 12 weeks before it comes, so I get to spend the summer wondering just how well protected I am. Well, I'll just try to keep the rubber side down!
Then, if that wasn't enough, I stopped on the way home at the Reebok Factory Outlet in Avon, and bought two pairs of sneakers, because all my sneakers are getting trashed. Since it was "Tent Sale Day, All Sales Final", the shoes were in big bins and the pairs were tied together with cable ties. This made it hard to tell how they fit when walking, and I ended up with a pair that's one of those "toner" kinds. But it's got really springy soles in the ball of the foot and heel, and when just standing there felt terrific. They are a little odd to walk in, but I'll probably decide they're fine after a few days. They were only $30, so it's not a huge disaster if I decide I don't like them after all.
Now I'm having lunch and stuff, and then I'll do more boring grocery-type shopping in the afternoon. And take a long swim, cuz it's 95 degrees out there -- it was kind of hot riding the motorcycle...
Today, the kids are BOTH in camp and everyone else is busy doing things and there's nothing I really need to do. So I hopped on the bike and took the pilgrimmage to Vanson Leathers, which used to be utterly conveniently located five miles away in Stoughton, but is now an hour away in Fall River. Spent an hour looking at what they have on the showroom floor, and ordered a custom made jacket in red and with more vents. $700! Yow. Unfortunately it'll be 12 weeks before it comes, so I get to spend the summer wondering just how well protected I am. Well, I'll just try to keep the rubber side down!
Then, if that wasn't enough, I stopped on the way home at the Reebok Factory Outlet in Avon, and bought two pairs of sneakers, because all my sneakers are getting trashed. Since it was "Tent Sale Day, All Sales Final", the shoes were in big bins and the pairs were tied together with cable ties. This made it hard to tell how they fit when walking, and I ended up with a pair that's one of those "toner" kinds. But it's got really springy soles in the ball of the foot and heel, and when just standing there felt terrific. They are a little odd to walk in, but I'll probably decide they're fine after a few days. They were only $30, so it's not a huge disaster if I decide I don't like them after all.
Now I'm having lunch and stuff, and then I'll do more boring grocery-type shopping in the afternoon. And take a long swim, cuz it's 95 degrees out there -- it was kind of hot riding the motorcycle...