It’s a Love-Hate Relationship

I love clothes. They’re kind of important. And I love cute clothes. I don’t, however, always love shopping. You know why? Because every time I go shopping I am forced to try on each pair of pants in at least two different sizes. Why? Because clothing manufacturers all have a top-secret formula for determining clothing size, and they apparently aren’t sharing formulas. Shopping then becomes a cosmic guessing game. Will I be a size 18 or 16? Plus-sized or regular? So I just grab a little everything and hope I can find a pair that isn’t hideous, grossly overpriced, and fits. When I think of all the variables to consider, I deem it a small miracle when I find a pair (or on an extremely fortuitous day, two pairs) of pants.

Take my latest shopping venture, for example. I am in a frustrating place when it comes to sizing because a lot of plus-sized clothing no longer fits (hallelujah!), but many misses clothes don’t fit, either. So when I went to JC Penney, I grabbed pants from both sections, not knowing what in the world to expect. What’s interesting is that I tried on size 16 and size 16W, and there seemed to be NO difference in how those two fit in one brand. But in another brand, the 16W was too big, but a regular 16 was too small (and there was no regular 18 to try, nor was there a 14W). It’s enough to give a girl a headache! I ended up buying two pairs of pants (size 16W), and even though I would have preferred to have pants without the “W” on the end, these were on sale and looked good, so I bought them. Ultimately, it isn’t about the number on the clothes, it’s about how those clothes make me feel.

Is it too much to ask for a little consistency when it comes to clothing sizes? Why is it so hard to create a consistent sizing system that all manufacturers use? Can you imagine how much easier that would make shopping?? I would love to be able to walk into a store and pick a pair of pants off a rack and know they’ll fit, but I suppose that will only happen in my dreams.

Does anyone else have this problem, or is it just me? Surely I’m not alone in this craziness.

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From a Disgruntled Shopper

Dear Wal-Mart,

I’ve been a longtime shopper of yours, often in spite of a desire to go anywhere but Wal-Mart. Your low prices and one-stop-shop appeal, however, keep luring me back. However, I must say that if you wish to keep my business, I highly recommend attending to the following problems.

1. If you’re going to have 8 so-called “Speedy Checkout” lanes, have the decency to have at least half of them open. I can’t even count the number of times I have gone to your store for just a few items, only to find that my “speedy” trip has turned into a “near-eternal” wait because there are only 2 “Speedy Checkout” lanes open, both of which are occupied by patrons who have exceeded the 20-item limit. Which brings me to my next suggestion…

2. If you’re going to have a sign at the “Speedy Checkout” lanes that says “20 items or less,” have the decency to enforce said sign (and it wouldn’t hurt to have it be a grammatically correct sign, one that says, “20 items or fewer”). Just today I was at dear ole Wally World in the “speedy” lane, and both people in front of me had well over 20 items in their carts. Yet nothing was said to these patrons, and people like me, who only have 5 items, are forced to wait behind these rule-breaking fiends. (Of course I could say something to the people in front of me, but confrontation is not my strong point, nor do I want to get into a brawling match over some items in a shopping cart. Plus, I resent the fact that your slack rule enforcement would put me in the position of having to do that. I just want to buy my 5 items in a timely, efficient manner, but it seems I am often unable to do so.

3. Please stop redesigning the layouts of the stores. It is highly frustrating to go to a Wal-Mart in another town, only to discover that I can’t find that much-needed item because the section it is in cannot be found in the place I’m accustomed to finding it. I would think that having a universal layout for all the stores would be somewhat intuitive, but perhaps counter-intuitive is what you’re aiming for. If so, you’re doing a bang-up job. Keep up the good work.

Raze the Gender Inequality!

I have a deadline looming over my head (tomorrow), and yet I can’t muster up any sense of urgency. Remind me never to try and get published in the summer. It’s just not a good idea. I think it’s Stephen’s fault, really. Knowing that I’m going to see him tomorrow makes me distracted.

I’m feeling random, so now is as good a time as any to discuss a little gender inequality I have observed. Last week I had to buy new razors, and while standing in the aisle at Wal-Mart looking over the myriad of options available to me as a woman, I noticed something interesting. The type of razor I had selected, a Schick razor in a cheery pink color, was also in the men’s razor section. As far as I could tell, the only discernible difference between my razor and the male version was the black and grey coloring. One would assume that these razors would be identical in price, right? You would be wrong. The black and grey razor (a 4-pack, just like the package I had selected) was two dollars cheaper than my pink razor. Can anyone explain this to me? I scanned both of the packages rather thoroughly, certain that I was missing some key difference, but I could find none. Am I to believe that women are paying more for a color choice?! Tell me this is not true because it rather infuriates me. I ended up buying the black and grey razor, and it’s working quite nicely. I may never buy another “female” razor again, but this means I am destined to a life of bland razors when I could have pretty ones. It’s an unjust world we live in.

On Coke and Protests

EDIT:  Two hours of sleep.  Awesome.  I wish someone would discover a medical cure for procrastination.

Okay, I know I’m updating like a crazy person, but I have this stupid project due tomorrow that I just can’t seem to make myself work on, so I xanga instead!

You Are Coke

A true original and classic, you represent the best of everything you can offer. Just the right amount of sweet, just the right amount of energy… you’re the life of the party. Your best soda match: Mountain Dew Stay away from:Dr Pepper

What Kind of Soda Are You?

 

So where’s Mr. Mountain Dew?? And what’s great about this is that I hate Dr. Pepper; I call it Dr. Puke.  Awesome.

In other news (that’s becoming like the trademark thing for me to put in these posts; let’s make it a trend and spread it around!), I got really excited when I first read the headline “Church to stop protesting at funerals” but then when I read the article, I realized the church in Kansas who protests at the funerals of those who fought in the war is only stopping protests in the states where it’s been made illegal to do so.  Says the daughter of Fred Phelps, pastor of this church, “We’re not going to get arrested.  We obey the law.”  Well, how commendable of you!  Forget that you’re breaking God’s law by showing such complete hatred and disregard for other people.  Forget that protesting at funerals is certainly not the way to “win friends and influence people.”  Forget that Christians are called to spread the gospel and promote the glory of God, not spread hate and breed bad feelings about Christianity.  Forget all of that.  You’re not breaking any laws, so good for you.