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Filling up the Potpourri

The last time i was in dire need of new clothes was over 8 years ago when i landed a job at an auto insurance company that required dress pants and collared shirts. And after serving 3 years in the Navy overseas, wearing nothing but Navy Dungarees and a set of other uniform items, i wasn't exactly pimping out my coffin closet. I don't know about you but i am not exactly terribly ecstatic about dressing up for work. In the interest of exhibiting professionalism in the eyes of clients, i'd understand. But right now i work in technical support, the closest i get to a client is viewing their website and i still have to dress up. But anyway a wardrobe refill was my mission on my day off.

Over the past weekend i had to attend two unavoidable family affairs. Which is to say, you're just an asshole if you do not go. So by virtue of that, i had to go. But after scurrying together pieces of antique clothing in an attempt to look half presentable, i promised myself i'd pick up some new stuff at the mall. And this time i made sure i had my wallet with me (coz last time i forgot and i was pissed off big time).

The city of Arleta (where i live) is situated just north of North Hollywood, just east of Northridge and north west from Burbank. So the mall is just a stone throw away (so to speak). The Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks however is my favorite one. Perhaps because it presents the least chance that i run into someone i know hahaha. It's also got the most affluent of all mall patrons, at least in the valley. I parked between a BMW 650i and a Range Rover. That's 180K collectively and in between a 4K 1997 Honda Civic. Yep quite a stark contrast. But anyway, we may not have the same taste in cars or have a similar shopping budget, we were all there for the same reason. To go shopping.

And so i strategically mapped out my mall-quest in my head. First i tackled and scoured the Macy's on-sale stuff (lol). Then i took a short visit at the overpriced stores Banana Republic and Abercrombie & Fitch and surprisingly i found a lot of stuff on sale. Best of all Abercrombie had tshirts selling for $12... that's cheaper than their boxers. So even though i hadn't planned on buying regular tshirts i was able to grab a couple. My last visit was at the somewhat comparable and reasonably priced Express which is conveniently located right across A&F (exactly how i would have designed it haha). The entire store was on sale it seemed. But anyway mission accomplished. And guess who i saw in the store? I think her name is Janet, Adrian's ex girlfriend. For a moment our eyes met and i saw what i thought was a tinge of recognition but perhaps she doesn't remember me because she quickly took her gaze ( i swear i always run into someone at the mall). For a brief moment i was tempted to say hello but somehow thought that i'd be wasting her time coz maybe she's on the same mission. Though i doubt she's in dire need of wardrobe replenishment like i am.

Posted by: Marc Gabay
Thursday, June 15, 2006