We woke up Saturday morning and Victor's adorable parents had prepared a breakfast spread for everyone. We returned to the conference, just missing the keynote speaker. Some of the sessions were good, others were boring and useless. One in particular, where the speaker and member of the audience bonded over having awful childhoods, was odd and uncomfortable. We spent the last session of the day sitting in the back of the room working on the Tony Bennett story. This post and this post were written during the session.
When the conference ended, the group of us sought food. While waiting to be seated, Mel and I went to the Nordstrom rack that was right across the street from the restaurant. We bought shoes, as did Dan, but they unfortunately gave him two right ones. Once fed, we returned to Victor's house and I tried to snuggle with his cat which would have none of it. But it adored Victor.
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Saturday, October 6, 2007
A Day of Adventure
Today I expolred Bellingham with my friends. We walked from campus to Fairhaven. Fairhaven is old downtown. It's a quaint little area with funky shops and cafés. You could spend hours exploring all the side streets and surprise alleys full of places to see.
From Fairhaven we walked down to the water. Along the way we were fascinated by bricks in the ground with interesting facts about the area imprinted on them. I will post pictures of my favorites soon.
We then walked back up to Fairhaven to the gelateria. After enjoying some delicious Italian delightfulness we walked up to the nearest bus stop to make our way to the Bellis Fair Mall. We made our way down to the bus station in downtown Bellingham, then caught the next bus to the mall.
At the mall we went to Target, one of the best stores of the planet in my opinion. Then wandered to Macy's at the other end of the mall to catch the next bus back downtown to catch the next bus to WWU. Before going to the bus stop however, we swung into Big 5 and wandered around to kill time.
Thank goodness for the boys because I don't think we would have made it around on our own. Once we made it back to Western we went down to Haggen to grab a few needed groceries. Then got on another bus, stopped at my apartment to drop some of the groceries off and walked up to Fairhaven (different from the Fairhaven we visited earlier in the day) to eat dinner.
Now I'm home and resting from a nice long day of good ole fashioned fun and mastering the Whatcom County Transit System! Cheers!
From Fairhaven we walked down to the water. Along the way we were fascinated by bricks in the ground with interesting facts about the area imprinted on them. I will post pictures of my favorites soon.
We then walked back up to Fairhaven to the gelateria. After enjoying some delicious Italian delightfulness we walked up to the nearest bus stop to make our way to the Bellis Fair Mall. We made our way down to the bus station in downtown Bellingham, then caught the next bus to the mall.
At the mall we went to Target, one of the best stores of the planet in my opinion. Then wandered to Macy's at the other end of the mall to catch the next bus back downtown to catch the next bus to WWU. Before going to the bus stop however, we swung into Big 5 and wandered around to kill time.
Thank goodness for the boys because I don't think we would have made it around on our own. Once we made it back to Western we went down to Haggen to grab a few needed groceries. Then got on another bus, stopped at my apartment to drop some of the groceries off and walked up to Fairhaven (different from the Fairhaven we visited earlier in the day) to eat dinner.
Now I'm home and resting from a nice long day of good ole fashioned fun and mastering the Whatcom County Transit System! Cheers!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
A summer and day of things learned
I arrived in Pullman yesterday, but my newspaper training has kept me exceedingly busy, and as much as I would have liked to, I can't blog and drive at the same time. I'm about to be late for the ice cream social (fun stuff, I know, but the ice cream is from Ferdinand's), but I shall still attempt to give a quick update.
Things I gained from making plywood all summer:
1) Some money in savings to pay for anything my scholarship doesn't cover.
2) I was able to purchase several new skirts and a few pairs of shoes to add to my closet.
3) A gigantic callous on my right thumb. (I like showing it off to people.)
4) More tolerance for long boring stretches of time. The drive over didn't seem as bad as I remember being in the past. (Although the first half of the drive is a story all in itself which should come at a later date.)
5) The knowledge that money won't be enough to make up for doing a job you hate. I can't imagine working at the plant for more than a few months at a time.
Things I learned in my first day on campus as a sophomore:
1) Single rooms are much better than double rooms.
2) Trying to put your bed on bed-risers all by yourself, is a bad idea.
3) It's not any easier leaving home for your second year, but the first couple days back at school are a lot easier.
4) Pullman/Eastern Washington is hot! (And not in the ridiculous Paris Hilton sense.)
5) In a newsroom, when one says "that line seems too bold," it is important to ask if they are talking about font.
Things I gained from making plywood all summer:
1) Some money in savings to pay for anything my scholarship doesn't cover.
2) I was able to purchase several new skirts and a few pairs of shoes to add to my closet.
3) A gigantic callous on my right thumb. (I like showing it off to people.)
4) More tolerance for long boring stretches of time. The drive over didn't seem as bad as I remember being in the past. (Although the first half of the drive is a story all in itself which should come at a later date.)
5) The knowledge that money won't be enough to make up for doing a job you hate. I can't imagine working at the plant for more than a few months at a time.
Things I learned in my first day on campus as a sophomore:
1) Single rooms are much better than double rooms.
2) Trying to put your bed on bed-risers all by yourself, is a bad idea.
3) It's not any easier leaving home for your second year, but the first couple days back at school are a lot easier.
4) Pullman/Eastern Washington is hot! (And not in the ridiculous Paris Hilton sense.)
5) In a newsroom, when one says "that line seems too bold," it is important to ask if they are talking about font.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Our Friday Night: Part Four
We watched our movie and all was well. It got out around 12:30. Perfect timing to head over to Barnes and Noble to pick up my book. Most of the crazy people should have come and gone. As we pulled into the parking lot, however, we saw a mob hanging outside the doors. Hmmm, maybe people were having so much fun that they stuck around, we suggested. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
It turns out, at around six that evening, Barnes and Noble handed out a limited number of bracelets to people waiting outside. Only the people with these bracelets could go into the store and pick up their book, regardless of pre-order/reserved copy. I was not pleased. I was under the impression, when I reserved my copy, that I would be able to pick it up when the store began selling the books, which it did at midnight. I heard absolutely nothing about these required bracelets until that night. As I said, I was not pleased.
You disappointed me Barnes and Noble.
After we were unsuccessful at picking up HP 7, Ariel and I headed home. It was an unsatisfactory ending to an otherwise enjoyable Friday night, pushy self-scanner excluded.
It turns out, at around six that evening, Barnes and Noble handed out a limited number of bracelets to people waiting outside. Only the people with these bracelets could go into the store and pick up their book, regardless of pre-order/reserved copy. I was not pleased. I was under the impression, when I reserved my copy, that I would be able to pick it up when the store began selling the books, which it did at midnight. I heard absolutely nothing about these required bracelets until that night. As I said, I was not pleased.
You disappointed me Barnes and Noble.
After we were unsuccessful at picking up HP 7, Ariel and I headed home. It was an unsatisfactory ending to an otherwise enjoyable Friday night, pushy self-scanner excluded.
Our Friday Night: Part Three
The next stop was the cinema in the mall. On the way over we discussed the ridiculousness of the self scanner. Then I realized that I would have to sneak my grapes and candy and big bottle of GatorAid into the theatre. According to Ali, the people at the new theatres are very persnickety about letting people in with outside food. We were going to buy the tickets then find a bathroom so I could wash my grapes off, but realized that the rest of the mall is closed at 10PM. So, we just walked in and nobody cared. We went into the bathroom and I rinsed off my grapes and shook them vigorously to get the water off. I wasn't satisfied with just shaking them so I stuck them under the hand blow drier, which basically just happened for laughs because it didn't accomplish much.
We then made our way into our designated theatre and wouldn't you know it it was deserted. We got our prime choice for seats (second section, first full row, right in front of the bar). We chatted for a few seconds about how wonderful it was that we had avoided the scary Harry Potter fans then each pulled out our favorite magazine from my Top Foods bag and read in silence. Thanks again Christina. It's great that we don't have to talk to each other when we are together. We are perfectly happy hanging out in silence. I also found our magazines amusing. Christina chose Cosmopolitan and I chose Every Day with Rachel Ray. They are so opposite from each other, and at the same time reflect our personalities which are also opposites.
We then made our way into our designated theatre and wouldn't you know it it was deserted. We got our prime choice for seats (second section, first full row, right in front of the bar). We chatted for a few seconds about how wonderful it was that we had avoided the scary Harry Potter fans then each pulled out our favorite magazine from my Top Foods bag and read in silence. Thanks again Christina. It's great that we don't have to talk to each other when we are together. We are perfectly happy hanging out in silence. I also found our magazines amusing. Christina chose Cosmopolitan and I chose Every Day with Rachel Ray. They are so opposite from each other, and at the same time reflect our personalities which are also opposites.
Our Friday Night: Part Two
I think it has something to do with the tartness, but grapes really do make my teeth ache. Also, whether green or some other color, I can only chew grapes on the right side of my mouth. Grapes are too cold for my left side. It is very odd.
We then headed over to the cashiers to check out, but as we got there, no one was manning their posts at the registers. Luckily, we spotted a little thing that said "Self-Checkout."
I told Ariel we should try it. "It'll be fun," I said. I was sadly mistaken. It looked simple enough. There was the little scanning place and a small monitor with push buttons. I pushed a button that said something along the lines of "Begin Check-out," thinking to myself how easy it would be.
"Please scan your first item," the machine yelled.
"Ariel, how do you turn it down," I asked.
I don't know why I was embarrassed. I think having a machine yell at me just made me flustered. Still, I continued. I scanned my first item, a magazine. "Four dollars and sixty-five cents. Please place item in bag." (I ignored the directions and simply set the magazine off to the side. I was only purchasing a few items and didn't need a bag.) I tried to scan a second magazine but nothing happened."Please place item in bag," the machine loudly directed. It repeated this every time I tried to scan the second magazine. I gave up and put the first one in a bag.
After this, the second magazine scanned just fine. "How did it know," I asked Ariel. She didn't know. By this point, I was thoroughly embarrassed and frustrated. I found it annoying that the scanner yelled out the price of each item as you scanned it, even though the price showed on the screen. And what if I didn't want to use a bag. I shouldn't have to. It was a very pushy obnoxious machine and I did not like it.
We then headed over to the cashiers to check out, but as we got there, no one was manning their posts at the registers. Luckily, we spotted a little thing that said "Self-Checkout."
I told Ariel we should try it. "It'll be fun," I said. I was sadly mistaken. It looked simple enough. There was the little scanning place and a small monitor with push buttons. I pushed a button that said something along the lines of "Begin Check-out," thinking to myself how easy it would be.
"Please scan your first item," the machine yelled.
"Ariel, how do you turn it down," I asked.
I don't know why I was embarrassed. I think having a machine yell at me just made me flustered. Still, I continued. I scanned my first item, a magazine. "Four dollars and sixty-five cents. Please place item in bag." (I ignored the directions and simply set the magazine off to the side. I was only purchasing a few items and didn't need a bag.) I tried to scan a second magazine but nothing happened."Please place item in bag," the machine loudly directed. It repeated this every time I tried to scan the second magazine. I gave up and put the first one in a bag.
After this, the second magazine scanned just fine. "How did it know," I asked Ariel. She didn't know. By this point, I was thoroughly embarrassed and frustrated. I found it annoying that the scanner yelled out the price of each item as you scanned it, even though the price showed on the screen. And what if I didn't want to use a bag. I shouldn't have to. It was a very pushy obnoxious machine and I did not like it.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Our Friday Night: Part One
As I sat in my van on Aurora Ave. Friday afternoon reading the names of the numerous bars, pubs, and taverns, I saw one of them was named The Chupacabra. I had tried to remember this word a few weeks ago in a discussion I had with Christina and now that the word was fresh in my mind I decided to call and tell her. We chatted for about 10 minutes and I explained to her that we had been driving since 1:00PM and now were stuck in North Seattle trying to avoid the traffic on I-5. We finished up our conversation and I told her I would call her when we finally got home. My mom then asked if Christina and I had any plans for that night. I half chuckled and told her no. Mom asked me why I laughed and I replied "why would we have plans for tonight?" "Because it's Friday night." But Christina and I never do anything on Friday nights other than hang out at my house and watch a movie. We like our mellow nights.
When we finally got home after 7 hours of driving and for me 7 hours of nausea and headache, I called Christina back. We then decided to go to a late movie in Olympia to kill time until midnight when we would drive over to Barnes & Noble and pick up her reserved copy of Harry Potter. I was rather excited and said to mom "Yay! I guess I am doing something tonight!"
When Christina arrived, she stepped out of her car wearing the navy blue Evergreen Swim Club sweatshirt I "gave" to her. I looked at her and giggled "I should wear mine too!" She nodded and giggled with excitement. I ran and got my other matching sweatshirt and she excitedly explained how when we are standing in line we will have to stand next to each other so that together the sweatshirts read "Ariel VanZandt" (she has the "Ariel" one). No one else thought it was funny.
Our first stop was Top Foods as we were in need of sugar and drinks to get us through the night. As we entered we saw a line of Harry Potterfreaks fans camping out by the flowers. Turns out even Top Foods was having a midnight release of the new book. We made our way to the back of the store to the candy area. After we had gotten our candy I realized that I really hadn't eaten much that day because of my car sickness and that I now was ready for some "real" food. We wandered over past the bread then into the produce discussing the different options. Christina tried to convince me that a $5.99 piece of tiramisu was "real" food and as tempting as it was I had to decline. I actually decided on some green grapes. As I was putting them into the bag Christina informed me that green grapes hurt her teeth.
When we finally got home after 7 hours of driving and for me 7 hours of nausea and headache, I called Christina back. We then decided to go to a late movie in Olympia to kill time until midnight when we would drive over to Barnes & Noble and pick up her reserved copy of Harry Potter. I was rather excited and said to mom "Yay! I guess I am doing something tonight!"
When Christina arrived, she stepped out of her car wearing the navy blue Evergreen Swim Club sweatshirt I "gave" to her. I looked at her and giggled "I should wear mine too!" She nodded and giggled with excitement. I ran and got my other matching sweatshirt and she excitedly explained how when we are standing in line we will have to stand next to each other so that together the sweatshirts read "Ariel VanZandt" (she has the "Ariel" one). No one else thought it was funny.
Our first stop was Top Foods as we were in need of sugar and drinks to get us through the night. As we entered we saw a line of Harry Potter
Thursday, June 14, 2007
I Ain't No Hollaback Girl
Borders was a frustrating experience in itself. As we were walking in I was trying to talk to Ali about wanting to become a Physicians Assistant but she kept interrupting me and as we were crossing the street, a truck started honking and the guys in the truck started hollering "Hey honey...nice ass!...hey hottie..."etc. I just kept walking like I always do and Ali flipped 'um the bird and started cussing them out like she always does. She's a hollaback girl.
I hate it when guys do that. It's something I don't' understand. I mean do they actually get women by degrading them to a meaningless "piece of ass"? Once you yell out your window at a woman I have lost all respect for you because you obviously have no respect for women. Are there really women that play into that? I also don't' understand because it wasn't like Ali (or I for that matter) was dressed up. I mean she had her hair in a ponytail, she was wearing old jeans, and a sweatshirt. It would have made more sense if she hadn't just gotten done with physical therapy and had been wearing nicer clothes, but seriously.
So anyway, then we walked in the store and started looking at the books on sale and I was still trying to talk to her about how I might switch to pre-med, but that was apparently not interesting or important enough because she kept making it about her life so I just gave up and let her talk about herself.
After I finally found my book I went to check out and accidentally dropped my Clean & Clear oily face fixer power stuff when I pulled out my wallet. And naturally when it hit the floor the powder shattered into a gazillion teeny tiny little pieces. Crap.
Usually going to bookstores is so pleasant.
I hate it when guys do that. It's something I don't' understand. I mean do they actually get women by degrading them to a meaningless "piece of ass"? Once you yell out your window at a woman I have lost all respect for you because you obviously have no respect for women. Are there really women that play into that? I also don't' understand because it wasn't like Ali (or I for that matter) was dressed up. I mean she had her hair in a ponytail, she was wearing old jeans, and a sweatshirt. It would have made more sense if she hadn't just gotten done with physical therapy and had been wearing nicer clothes, but seriously.
So anyway, then we walked in the store and started looking at the books on sale and I was still trying to talk to her about how I might switch to pre-med, but that was apparently not interesting or important enough because she kept making it about her life so I just gave up and let her talk about herself.
After I finally found my book I went to check out and accidentally dropped my Clean & Clear oily face fixer power stuff when I pulled out my wallet. And naturally when it hit the floor the powder shattered into a gazillion teeny tiny little pieces. Crap.
Usually going to bookstores is so pleasant.
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