the real sisterhood of the traveling pants

Last Friday was my first real teacher paycheck. So naturally, my roommate and I went shopping.

I ended up getting a pair of pants from Gap (where else) and was excited about them but not at the point of "I want these in 8 different colors" yet. That was, until this morning.

The Starbucks on 25th and Charles, inside Safeway, has become a regular morning stop for me. Yes, I know it's cheaper to buy a coffee maker and do it myself, but honestly I've had one before and I just don't take the time to make coffee in-house. And since switched to americanos, it's significantly cheaper than my white mocha days. But I digress.

So I was scurrying back to my car this morning, beverage in one hand and keys in the other, when my foot slipped in one of the 100 or so potholes in the parking lot and my coffee flew everywhere. Including all down the front left leg of the new pants. After a few choice expletives about the lost caffeine and $2.10 down the toilet, I turned my attention to cleaning myself up for school. Going back home to change wasn't an option, so I blotted what I could from my pants. And then, a magical thing happened: the coffee disappeared.

I can't explain it. It's like the pants whisked the stains away into a secret stain bank that I'll have to deal with before I die. But it's like nothing ever happened. No wetness, discoloring, not even a drop of scalding water on the skin underneath. For a stain-susceptible woman like myself, these pants are a godsend. Oh yeah, and they make your ass look fantastic.

Gap. Wide leg trouser. Dark charcoal. Go get some.

west coast is the best coast

I think I've grown up taken for granted that any store available in Washington state obviously existed everywhere else in the country. I still remember when a friend moved to my elementary school from the Midwest and had never heard of Albertson's. I mean, where else do you buy groceries?

By now, I obviously understand the concept of regional chains. But never could I have prepared myself for the realization today that a beverage, made by a national bottling company, might be a foreign concept on the east coast:

No one here has ever heard of ruby red squirt.

This is my go-to beverage in almost any situation. I've been known to pour it in a Nalgene and take to a morning class as "juice" for breakfast. It was not uncommon at high-stress points to see me take down 2 or 3 in one night. And since my air-popper got here yesterday, I thought what a perfect Thursday evening: self-made popcorn and a light, refreshing fake fruit soda? But no, not a drop to be found. My roommate from Massachusets has never even heard of Squirt.

Another dream lost to the wind.

my sleep partner

For the past month, I've been sleeping on a high-quality air mattress, because I didn't have time/a vehicle to go shop for a real bed. The air mattress actually was not bad; I rarely woke up sore or had a restless night. But it was time for the upgrade to the beds of big kids.

Like any good 21st century shopper, I scoped out prices and information online before I hit the sales floor. I already knew which store I was going to, so I was reading through their tips section about shopping for a new mattress. One of the key questions that kept coming up had to do with my "sleep partner." What my sleep partner's space needs were. What his/her comfort level was. To make sure if I did indeed have a sleep partner that I was getting a large enough bed for the two of us to sleep comfortably. And then, once I finally got to the real store and told the friendly but indifferent saleswoman that I wanted a full-size bed, she replied "oh, so it's just for you then?"

Well, I did consider the needs of my sleep partner. His name is Manuel. He's about 10 inches long, fuzzy, with two ears and he smells real good. He's the rabbit that Alyssa sent me for my birthday/graduation/moving across the country comfort gift. He's been in my bed with me ever since. Manuel and I discussed it, and he had the perfect answer for a sleep partner's needs: "Your comfort level is my comfort level." So semi-firm, full sized mattress and box springs it was. And my sleep partner will have plenty of space, thank you very much. If he doesn't like it, he can sleep alone on the air mattress that will now go in the closet.