Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Shopping, showing, skiving, skyscraping

Yesterday, I had a chance to go shopping along the Miracle Mile. I always check out the Marshall's first since the Marshall's in Chicago has items I'm far more likely to purchase than the one in Indy. The last time I dropped in I purchased a pair of shoes that became my everyday-in-every-way brown shoes. I walked those things into the ground until they actually increased a half size through use. No such luck on this trip. Actually, my shopping time was brief due to dinner plans so I hit the Levi's store - which didn't have any standout items. I then went to my holy ground, Gap. My wardrobe is composed almost exclusively by Gap. The cuts and the styles just fit right. I finally broke down and accepted a Gap credit card. There's no point in buying all these clothes all the time and not get a little back. I tell myself that as long as I stay on top of it and never ever ever carry a balance I'll be able to reap the rewards of the card and not feel violated by the jaw dropping percentage rate. It's usury plain and simple.

Indy has a good Gap at the Fashion Mall, but this lovely locale on what is truly a Miracle Mile boasts three whole floors. Granted the basement is a kids/baby Gap, but whatever! It's enormous and it has so many clothes! I didn't even bother looking at Ralph Lauren or elsewhere so out of my price range. I hunted through my favorite store on steroids and came up with a hot outfit for my night out. My first ever pair of navy trousers - dark navy cut curvy with pinstripes. Yow! Also a pair of trousers colored in heather with brown criss-cross - not quite plaid and not quite checked. They're a looser fit. Both pants work with the white button up shirt with thin blue stripes. If I were a guy I'd look like a Republican, but I think there's something hot about a woman in mannish clothes cut for ladies - if not bordering on subversive which will always turn my crank at least a quarter revolution.

Today, my training class wrapped up, but not soon enough for me. Somewhere through the instructor's nervousness and his sudden inability to answer my questions satisfactorily I decided to skive off during a brief lunch break and go check out the Sears Tower. I thought this was going to be a twenty minute side trip. I imagined I'd stroll into the tower, get pointed to the appropriate elevator and check out Chicago from the clouds. Not so. I walked into the business side of the building. I figured I was in the wrong place since I didn't have a swipe card and getting to the elevators required one. I was pointed to the right direction, a separate entrance entirely, and was on my way. This skydeck only portion of the Sears tower has a long series of people herding maneuvers. I was ushered to an elevator going down to a basement where I was ushered through a security checkpoint - brief metal detector walk through - then moved along to a ticket counter. Getting to the skydeck costs moolah: $12.95 for the non-tour version. Nineteen for the tour. I opted for the general admission, given a ticket, and was informed there was a movie. OK. I was then greeted by ticket takers who sent me along a corridor where I came to a stop. Up until this point I was moving along at a good clip. I guess things aren't so busy on a Wednesday after lunch. Along each point of my journey I thought, well, I'll pop up to the sky deck around this corner, check it out, and head back to the training. I even told myself that I was willing to part with thirteen dollars for a brief visit to the top of Chicago especially if it meant getting out of class for half an hour. Silly Scrawler. This was not to be. I turned the corner the open doors to a small theater. I thought, oh well I'll skip that and head to the elevators after using the can. Well, when I got out of the restroom I looked around for the elevators up. No such luck. I walked around the theater and saw that the only possible way to proceed to where I thought the elevator was would be through doors towards the front of the theater. As I realized this the doors to said theater closed, and I noticed they had no handles on them. Once they were closed they were closed. No way to just slide in late.

I stood trying not to fume waiting and waiting (I hate to wait). After what seemed like a looong time, but what was really only fifteen minutes I was able to get into the theater that was totally emptied of people and had no visible exit. The way out had the same handle-less door system and there was no skipping this informative film brought to us by the History Channel.

Finally, I got up up up and away. I'm glad I waited through all of that. I took only a couple pictures and of the two I like this one most:


The skyscraper: penis on the outside vagina on the inside! It's a forest of sex organs. How delightful.

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