Salad Days

As promised, here's a photo of the most excellent salad I've had in a long time:

(Doesn't look half as good in these photos as it did in real life - I swear.)

I mean, I felt the nutrients enter my blood stream and the taste and texture of everything was sublime. I had a brief Twitter meltdown on discovering that it cost $8.50 for some baby spinach, six olives, an egg, 3 strips of firm marinated tofu, 4 spears of asparagus, 2 pieces of mango and about 1/4 cup of berries. (Though when you spell it out like that it does sound like rather a lot.) Please note that the regular Krissie - the one who isn't hellbent on spending less than usual - wouldn't blink twice at this cost. Point is, I was hungry and I went to this just-opened choose, then weigh, then pay places. You can't exactly put it back because you've taken something weighty aka appealing and filling. Bel put it perfectly when she suggested that, at McDonald's, you will spend less but actively contribute to your early demise. In fact, she said "You pay now or you pay later" - an oft-used phrase of my mother. It really does apply to everything!

On the same lunch hour, I wandered into Club Monaco for the first time in a long time. It was ostensibly a fact finding mission. And I found out my fact - which corroborated my suspicion of months ago - that the "no returns on sale merch" policy has been repealed. Like that was going to fly. Just saying, you heard it here first.

(Why have these people not hired me to consult for them??)

You know how everywhere it's sale time. It's actually a torture to the weak-willed. I'm generally not weak, thankfully. I can walk on by. In fact, I found some fabulously lovely, marked down things at BCBG on this very same lunch hour and, on weighing the responsibility of a) finding them closet space and b) paying for them, I put them down. Note to reader: If you like BCBG, the prices are awesome right now.

At any rate, I have had a love affair with CM since 1985. I still have that emblem-ed sweatshirt the company produced in its first year, when Alfred Sung was still involved. Though I have to say, I haven't been blown away by the last couple of collections. (By collections, naturally I mean high street style collections - which is more about a steady infusion of new things on a monthly basis than a new theme of merchandise.) And that no return on sale items policy was the pits.

Today, I found some rather adorable things. CM is in one of its pretty (rather than edgy, minimal) phases. Of course, they're always clean (in the lines). I love that. But right now it's pretty and clean. They've also opted to drop the prices low in one dip - not bit by bit as they usually do. Which is how I found this, originally $119.00:

for $19.00:

Yes, you read that right.

What is that, like 90% off??

Now, I didn't buy it for the discount. Remember how I'm aiming not to buy. I do realize that spending money is spending, even if I've spent to save. I bought it because:

• I wear denim constantly.


• I love denim tremendously.


• I particularly love dark denim.


• I love asymmetrical cuts.


• It looks great.


• I recently lost one of my beloved denim skirts to old age (its, not mine).


• I have thought, on no less than 3 occasions this summer, that I really need a new denim skirt.


• I can wear it through 3 seasons - and I will.


• The cost per wearing justification is indisputable.

See, it seems like an impulse buy - and maybe it was- but that doesn't make it a stupid buy.

PS: On the same lunch hour I stopped in at Godiva to ask the SA if they'd changed the recipe on the chocolate mint "pearls". They're an afternoon snack I sometimes like to have and the last tin I bought was hideous and waxy. (I know Godiva is not the world's best chocolate, but those pearls are easy and melty in a nice way and the price is right.) Without hesitation, the guy handed me an unopened packet and said, I don't think so - try these and see if they're any better. They were. I likely got a stale batch last time because I bought them at the bookstore (don't do that). Talk about unstinting client service. I am extremely pleased to have had that experience. And I'll continue to eat the pearls for a long time to come.

Update: My new downsampled photos are absolute shit, sorry. I have to figure out a way of improving things so that you can actually see detail. I'm working on it.