XGF, who has worked for that fair athletic manufacturer for more than a few years, will be leaving her post there to attend graduate school at Rutgers, where she got a full five-year fellowship in pursuit of a doctorate. Sweet deal. But it means giving up her sweet-paying corporate gig and taking on the life of a graduate student. Swoosh, bang, boom! Massive change.
She took a few minutes of her day this morning to meet me at the store and let me in, slapping $160 in cash in my hand as I walked in the door. She commented that the last time she was in the store, she dropped more than $500 there.
Everything at the store is 50 percent off (and sometimes more when the store has "clearance," but it's not basement stuff you find in outlets. It's all Nike's collest stuff, cutting edge, style or performance shit, as well as being a source of Cole Haan and Converse.
XGF slapping that money in my hand was almost like giving me a gift certificate, except for that owes me the money. Nevertheless, I decided to make the best of the situation and went in on some clothes and equipment I've been wanting. I got a few tops that I won't be wearing until fall, but my cool deals were on the sunglasses. I fucking LOVE the style of Nike's sunglasses. There are easily a dozen there I could have bought. But I restrained myself to two, which even at 50 percent off represents something of a slpurge on sunglasses.
When I was showing them off to S2 this afternoon, I actually heard myself say, These bitches normally cost $150. These *bitches*? About sunglasses? Here's a photo. You decide. My frames are pink.
S2 crinckled her nose at them and said, "I bet they don't weigh a thing, do they?"I handed them to her. She put them on, and I instantly regretted that she could not have been sunglass shopping with me. She would have loved it. Coulda built her forthcoming triathalon uniform from the eyeglasses down.... (Yes, S2, I meant "forthcoming triathlon.")
But let me tell you something about "performance:" I wore those glasses on my bike ride this evening, and I did not even remember they were on my face. Without a bottom frame, my vision was completely unobstructed, nothing was touching my cheekbones. It's style and technology that I'm sure *someone* out there is masturbating over. Not *me,* but someone. They are indeed "bitches," in all the best meanings of the word.
I also got some glasses that would no doubt fall under what seems to be Nike's coinage for a new niche market: "sports culture." There are fascinating new styles of shoes and shirts that are designed for people who are more interested in looking fashionable in their sport than having technical gear. An example would be people women who like to walk around in *cute* athletic shoes, even when they're not doing athletics. So the other sunglasses are sweet, highly versatile, athletic hybrid that happen to look really fucking hot on me, if I do say so myself. S2 agreed that they looked good (although she might debate "really fucking hot").
Anyway.I also got some hand weights, which I have been thinking about getting for a few months. In the women's section, the hand weights were 3 pounds each, which is basically like lifting "air" in my book. Over on the men's side of the store, I found some 8-pound weights. Better.
When I was checking out, I commented about the light weights for women, wondering how a 3-pound weight could actually sculpt a mussle, and the girl at the stand said, "Yeah, they're really light." Then she eyed me and asked, "How much do you curl?"
I don't know, I told her. I lifted the box, which contained two 8-pound weights, and curled it. Obviously more than this. But I guess these will do for light toning.
"I curl 15 pounds at the gym," she said. "I'm sure you do more than that." She smiled at me and batted her eyes a little.
Aw, shucks! I think I blushed.
The other thing I took delight in buying was a recreational soccer ball that Nike seems to have made to go with my sunglasses, my pink cell phone and this darling little brown and pink Adidas tennis outfit S2 was wearing when she showed up. Here's my cute little prize, no doubt a soccer ball for the "sports culture" rather than a real soccer player.I'm just saying. But it's cute. And the other day when I kicked Getting To Yes's soccer ball up a hill, I realized I wanted one of my own. So I got one that's pink.
S2 looks at the thing, turns to me with a twinkle in her eye and says, giggling, "You are *such* a girl!"
Did I mention that she was wearing a pink and brown tennis dress when she said that? (Over blue jeans, but still....) Who's calling *who* a girl?
That comment made me laugh, but it got me to thinking. Why *did* I buy a pink one? Is it because I thought it was feminine? Is it because I want to be thought of as girlish? Or is it because I thought it was gay? I think a pink soccer ball is rather queer, to tell you the truth. But it is also feminine.
To me, somehow, pink is the new lesbian chic. So I declare, anyway.
Well, I got the soccer ball with the idea that I would kick it around and not let it get eaten by my dog, the way the last one did. All I gotta do is find someone who wants to kick it with me. Seeing as how I don't have a good wall for kicking against. So anytime any of you here in town want to kick a ball around, call me and I'll bring my pink, lesbian chic soccer ball over to play.
Friday, I'll see XGF again -- this time for a meal that seems destined to be our "farewell" hanging out before she takes off for New Jersey. Meeting at a little diner we used to like to go to in the Pearl. A retro flashback seems the perfect place for a restrospective conversation. Should be interesting....
1 comment:
I just would like to make clear, I did not spend $500 at the store. It was the last people I took there as guests. :)
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