NO!

Friday Mar 8 through Sunday Mar 10

NO heels, skirts, dresses, makeup, earrings

NO camis, tights, lacy undies, nighties, nighttime eye routine

Not even lip gloss.  My toenails are bare for the first time in months.

It was painful to pack white socks and white cotton undies, even if they are women's, but I have to be 100% passable as a male for those three days/two nights.

It was chess weekend and I was in Farmville, sharing a room with my youngest.

It was painful decision, but an easy one.

I did take the day off and go shopping before picking up my son.  I bought some Clinique face wash at Macy's, because I've been using Charity's.  I bought Urban Decay eye primer at Sephora, because Meg uses it every time she goes out.  The woman at the Sephora checkout offered me free samples.  "I have some for you, or for whoever you're buying the primer."  I didn't correct her use of "whoever" but I did say "it's for me."

And this Sunday, I head up to New York with my son for the holiday ~ another NO weekend.

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Another Shopportunity

I left a badge at home on my last day and I had to make a final trip to my office to return that badge.  I figured I'd use this as a chance to schmooze with a couple of the people in the office and to hit the mall and the nearby stores One More Time.

I started at the bicycle shop: my son wanted a lock for his bicycle.  From there, I went to Ulta, kind of right next door.  They offered a coupon this week, and I'm still on my lip gloss kick so I thought I'd see what they had.

What they had was busy salesladies and I didn't want to just grab something, so I left.

I went across to the mall and went into the Penney's.  They have a little Sephora area in the store and I again asked a saleslady to help me find a gloss in my shade.  She did, and I purchased a tube of Sephora "glossy gloss" in Creme Brulee.  I did as is now my habit: I told her I'm looking for gloss in my shade; I want to add shine, not colour.

From there, I went back to the Macy's.  I saw the same saleslady as last time, when I bought the pants and black skirt.  I've talked about my face blindness before, but I remembered she was slim, had long blonde hair, and a Scandinavian accent.  Once I heard her speak, I was pretty sure it was her.  I looked at the clearance racks and found a nice dress, in shades of purple and blue.  When I went to check out, she remembered me and I said "you suggested I get more colourful and here I am!"  She helped me look for a dress like the woman in front of me purchased ~ I really liked it ~ but it was also from the clearance rack and was the only one there.

There is a Payless in the mall that had a platform pump in my size, but I wasn't sure I wanted to spend $35 for them, so I didn't go back.  I did go across the street to the DSW and found nothing I liked in my size, and I went next door to the bookstore and also found nothing I liked, in my size.

At least I now have a new dress aching to be tried on. Next up: look for a place to wear it out.

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Plans

OK, starting next week:  Last week, I decided I would do weekday posts, then a cd-related cartoon (or two) on Saturday, then a non-cd cartoon (or two) on Sunday.

You can see how well that worked!

Making lemonade: Monday, my wife had to go to hospital for a minor procedure.  I decided to take the day off, to drop her off and pick her up.  The hospital is about a mile from a mall.  I'm still looking for primer, and (always) clothes. She told me that the procedure would be at 10, and she'd be ready to leave around noon.  I got to the mall around 930, visited a couple of shops when they opened at 10, and got to Sephora around 10:45.  I told the woman who offered to help that the last time I bought makeup, the sales associate gave me a couple of unlabeled primer samples.  I liked them and wanted to purchase primer.  After some chat and questions ("is this for dry skin? oily skin?") she very tentatively asked if it was for me.  I said it was she made some recommendations.  It seems every line has their own primer.  She offered to give me more samples; I said I'd buy what she recommended and then rethought that ~ I've bought products that make me break out, so I asked if I could get a foundation primer sample and I'll buy the eye shadow primer.  She gave me two.  Then the phone rang.  My shopping time was over.

Field trip? Right now, my wife is planning on taking the kids skiing next month.  I haven't been out, or even fully dressed, since Halloween.  If she goes, that'll change.  You'll be the first to know.

Next Swap I'll see if my friend who runs it has room in her new place for me to change before/after the swap.  She's living in a smaller apartment now, and usually has a lot of signs, centerpieces, coat racks, and so on cluttering up the place at swap time.  We'll see.

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Bear With Me

It's in here somewhere.

I'm off from my 9-to-5 today.  I have an iMac that needs memory and returning.  My plan for today was simple:
* get memory, go to the bank, pick up groceries.  If all went well, I'd be done with the bank and Safeway and at the computer store as it opened at 10.
* install memory, return iMac.

The iMac owner is near a mall I sometimes go to.  I wanted to go to the Sephora and/or MAC store and/or department store there, and look for primer.  I'm still looking for some.  Maybe this time I won't be so coy about who it's for.  And maybe I can look for some clothes.  I still have the list of things I was looking for before the holidays.

So, return the iMac, go to the mall for an hour or two, head home.

I'd be all done by 1 or so.

Instead, I got a frantic phone call from a customer.  He's in the middle of a three-generation customer set.  His MIL, who lives between me and Microcenter was having problems.  It should have been a quick fix, but there were some problems, and some other issues I wasn't told about, and she's incredibly chatty, and I was there for well over an hour.

I picked up memory but the other errands were pushed aside.  So I had to do them after I drop off the computer, and skip the mall entirely.

But that's not why I'm telling you this.

Usually, when I'm at a customer I have a pad and pen and I can write down info as needed.  Today, the son-in-law said he'd take care of the bill, so I didn't bother.  I know the house, so I didn't need an invoice with an address.

I had to write down the network information and all I had was some receipts in my pocket.  Then I found a sheet of paper that I used when I was shopping pre-holiday ~ the sheet I mentioned earlier.  It has information on what I was looking for, for Meg: primer, passable shirts/slacks, camis, some other items that are clearly for women.  There was nothing horribly incriminating, but hard to explain maybe.  Especially to chatty customers who knew my whole family.

I made a mental note to keep an eye on that piece of paper.

I was working in the room where the router was, an office on the same floor, and one upstairs.  I already misplaced a router because I wasn't paying attention.

And then I misplaced the sheeet of paper.

I had already been up and down the stairs several times, trying different machines and configurations.  I went up and down again, looking everywhere, wondering what would happen if one of the customer-type-people found it.

As panic set in, I discovered it was in my inside jacket pocket.

I'd love to say I learned something from this, but I'm going to do it again.  I always do.  But I AM going to shred this sheet and keep a blank sheet of paper in a pocket.

For next time.

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Skirting the Issue

Recently, I was in a mall and I went into Sephora looking for primer.  Before the rally, the very helpful makeup lady gave me two primer samples ~ one for face, one for eyes.  I was hoping to get the same primers, although I really don't know which one is better than the other.  No stories here, but I was feeling playful.

me: when I bought makeup here a couple of months ago, the sales assistant gave me some primer samples, and I was hoping to pick up some primer today.

SA: do you know which ones she gave you?

me: no.  She put them into little containers.  There were two ~ one for eyes, one for face.

SA: does your wife know what kind, or were they for...?
      [I know she was waiting for me to fill in the blank, but I didn't]

me: all I know is, they were white and they did help the foundation go on smoother
      [after a bit of chatter, trying to figure out what I got and who they were for....]

SA: how about if I got you another sample, and wrote down the brand and style?  If they're what you're looking for, you'll know what to buy.

me: could you do that?  That would be great!

Now I know she knows it's for me.  I said that, without saying it.  But she couldn't be 100% sure.  Maybe if I was younger, she might have tried a kidding/flirting response since the (almost) direct approach didn't work.  Who knows.  But, as I said, I was feeling playful.  Maybe I'll try a repeat in a different Sephora and say I was given samples and "they really helped my foundation.  I'm looking to buy primers for next time."

If I'm feeling playful.

Almost two more weeks 'til shopping season's over.  With luck, I'll be at a mall today and off tomorrow.

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Li'l Bit of Prep

I had a customer sorta kinda on the way to a mall, so I went. I spent longer than I had planned, but it worked out OK.

I entered through a Macy's. The jewelry counters were right by the entrance so I started looking for smaller silver hoops. I think the ones I got weren't really Christine's style. I picked up a pair.

Next on my list was makeup. I passed on Macy's and went to Sephora. A woman asked if she could help and I said "I hope so. How are you with colour?" I explained that I had a picture and I was trying to match that look, for Halloween. She called over someone else who she said would be better. The first SA explained to the second that I was trying to match a look in a photo. I showed them the photo, they both laughed, and the second SA went to work. She decided lipstick and gloss were called for and picked out ones that would match. She tried a couple of different ones on her wrist looking for the best match. I asked if lipliner was called for; she looked at me and said no ~ my lips were better than Christine's.

She also didn't know who the picture was. I asked; she guessed Palin. I told her she was a Senate candidate and most people probably won't know who she is, but this is for a political event.

She picked out three shadows and drew me a picture of how/where to put each on.

She picked out a dark brown/almost black eyeliner.

At one point, she asked if I was going to do my own makeup. I said "how hard can it be? Twelve year old girls do it". She grinned and I said "this isn't the first time I've done this". I mentioned that a couple of times, even though I really like having women teach me how to do makeup.

So yes, I had foundation. Yes, I had mascara. I told her I have a suit and hair and pearls ~ Christine always seems to wear pearls.

I'd love to go to the mall and show her how I look after the rally, but I think it'll be late, I'll be tired, and it'll be difficult to explain to my wife's friend. If she wasn't here, I'd consider a girl's night out with the local CD group.

There was a toy store nearby; I looked at monkeys but didn't see quite what I was looking for. I saw others at a Hallmark store, but I shall keep looking. No Mickey Mouses anywhere.

Oh.... I picked up the business card forms and nametag-size paper yesterday on my way to the interview.

I wanted to look at something to wear under a suit. I'm thinking plain black, maybe satiny. Yes, the dark blue has it's own camisole. I want something for those other suits too. I'm considering a cami or tank or T-shirt. With a T, I could remove my jacket if I want to!

No luck. I just didn't see what I wanted. I'll leave it on my list.

I went to Payless and picked up a new pair of shoes, pictured here.

My (very long) short list is getting shorter. I'll feel better when I have the cards and nametags printed and everything I want in the house.

Monday, I plan to get my haircut and neck waxed and I'll look for a cami, monkey, and mouse.

So here I am, $150 closer to Halloween. I'm glad this only comes once a year!

Saturday DC forecast: partly cloudy, high 61.

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