As much I despise Robson Street, malls and shopping downtown in general, there comes a time when you just need a little retail therapy. That, and the fact that for some reason 3 pairs of my jeans decided to get torn all within the span of a week, lead John and I out in what little sunshine kissed the city this afternoon.
No matter how much we think we can stomach the throngs of tourists, Sunday walkers (every day of the week) and crowded sidewalks full of dilly-dalliers, we’re never strong enough to withstand Robson’s commercial splendor for more than about 30 minutes. The first stop was eBags, since getting my Macbook I still have not purchased a decent bag in which to carry it. I did get one super cheap but it’s just an over-the-shoulder style which has been causing bad posture and soreness for weeks. Of course the shoulder soreness also causes John pain since he became my masseuse Feb 25, 2006. eBags is located right next to the “House of Clogs” and across from Hon’s. They have some great deals and I found a cute little inconspicuous laptop bag for $19.99.
The next stop was jeans for me and a shirt for John. After a quick pitstop to sample the new orange mocha frappuccino at the corner of Starbucks and Starbucks, we headed toward my never-fail ultimate jean-getting store: The Bay.
Now you wouldn’t think that a department store, in a mall, in downtown Vancouver (or any location really) would have decent, inexpensive, non-hideous denim, but they do. I had great luck a few months ago when I purchased a pair of Buffalos for $20 so I thought I would give it another go. Not that I care at all about the brand name, but seeing as how this is the one pair that hasn’t fallen prey to the rippage, they’re my pretty much the star of my wardrobe at the moment. After about 5 minutes we found a shirt for John, went upstairs and had some luck with the jeans – again. The price tag was a little higher than desirable but when I got to the cashier, they were surprisingly 40% off – and this is what I’m talking about. You have to dig to find what little gems there are at The Bay but once you find them, there’s always a lovely surprise like a discount – which of course is the best surprise when it comes to shopping.
The next purchase for both of us will have to be shoes, but we’re saving that for another day. Although, have you ever noticed that outside of Payless Shoes on Robson there is always a pair of discarded shoes? It’s obvious that people walk into the store in one pair, buy new shoes, and deposit their wear-ins outside near the garbage can. You can be guaranteed to find a pair of shoes there at any time of day, any day of the week. I wonder if Payless has ever considered accepting peoples’ old shoes and donating them? Well, the still-decent ones anyway.
One thing’s for sure, before any more shopping I have to do some serious closet-purging. The last time I did that I had a hard time locating a drop bin or finding a charity that would pick up goods downtown. So if anyone knows of a way that I can work out logistics to get my donations dropped off or picked up, please let me know.
The walk home was pretty soggy, especially since we both left the house wearing sandals, but that justified coming home and vegging on the couch the rest of the afternoon. I’m just hoping the rest of the weekend isn’t as grey, I’m unsure it will be perfect beach-going weather but perhaps we’ll venture into the Park regardless as I’m going to need a little time to detox from today’s mega retail experience.
We’re doing absolutely nothing this long weekend. That’s right – nothing. Seems like everyone is up to something so that, combined with the rain now falling on the city means that I’m not feeling the happiest right now. Someone whose really not doing so great (which is more warranted than my whining for no reason) is Duane, who just had surgery [DuaneStorey.com]. John and I are gonna head over to his place this evening and we’re all going to have lots and lots of beer.
Also, I have to post this because a) I was SO shock-y all day at work today and 2) it makes me giggle. Have a great long weekend!
Update: This is what happens when you get Iowa, Chilliwack and Surrey together in one room… with beer [Flickr]
John’s back at it with another Six Song for this month. We haven’t both hopped in the “studio” for a while for a regular episode but I assure you that RadioZoom Podcasting good times will be happening soon. After last night’s post about Less Than Jake I got in contact with their management and have the a-okay to use their tunes on a future episode so be on the lookout. For now, hope you enjoy this installment of the Donut Spectacular John prepared with his new iMac setup including:
It wasn’t long ago that I made a post to support the fill-a-bag sale over at Discollection [Miss604], although only a few weeks ago the vintage clothing store shut its doors due to problems with the building in which it was housed.
From the design concept to the display ideas to the customer service and goal of being meeting place for friends, Discollection was a dream, an art installation, a community based store and a happy place for the cats in and around Gastown.
These are the characteristics that will define the future direction of Discollection and my work as I move into my kdon line.[Discollection.ca]
It’s sad to see the store go but as Kim alludes to in her post, the future is looking pretty bright, including the sale of clothing through her website and also a potential go at the Canadian version of Project Runway [wiki], which has several international versions including Project Catwalk in the UK [wiki].
It was announced last summer that the popular reality show for fashion designers was headed our way [Canada.com] and Kim has informed us all of her intentions.
For all you out there who are wondering if Project Runway Canada has called yet… here is what I can tell you.. I made it to the final stages of the interview process and am waiting to get the phone call telling me to pack my things and get my ass to Toronto for the summer! If there is no update by June 10th, it means back to the real world and the only enjoyment I will get out of the show is meeting the cool peeps in the interview room and watching the show next fall. [Discollection.ca]
Be on the lookout for the kdon line, and her debut representing local designers, entrepreneurs and fashion gurus on Canadian reality TV – good luck Kim!
At the gym this morning – yes I’ve started going to the gym – I had my ipod on random and came across a song I haven’t heard in a very long time. It was by a band called Less Than Jake that I made a website for in 1996. It grew pretty quickly and included a fantastic scrolling marquee, concert pics, bio, discography and of course, and insanely long url. It was hosted by ‘Rogers@Home’ and later edited with Netscape Communicator.
This was around the time where you could right click and “save as” mp3s off of private geocities-style websites. Before Limewire, Napster, even predating Audiogalaxy (where I also hosted an mp3 ftp site with a bitchin ascii character welcoming you when upon login). The first song I ever grabbed from a website was “Johnny Quest Thinks We’re Sellouts” by Less Than Jake and listening to it always makes me envision the little equalizer knobs bouncing away on my Winamp.
At work today someone mentioned that they still had the actual file of the first mp3 they ever downloaded. Since I was living with my parents when I was 16 and using a Windows machine you can imagine that my files are long gone. However, I still have an “archive mp3” CD that I burnt and often grab songs off of for nostalgia’s sake. Feel free to share your first mp3 story, in the meantime I have some NOFX, Gob, and Face to Face to go rock out to.
Update: I should mention that LTJ is still around and their latest studio album “In With the Out Crowd” was released last May.
Now you wouldn’t think that a department store, in a mall, in downtown Vancouver (or any location really) would have decent, inexpensive, non-hideous denim, but they do. I had great luck a few months ago when I purchased a pair of Buffalos for $20 so I thought I would give it another go. Not that I care at all about the brand name, but seeing as how this is the one pair that hasn’t fallen prey to the rippage, they’re my pretty much the star of my wardrobe at the moment. After about 5 minutes we found a shirt for John, went upstairs and had some luck with the jeans – again. The price tag was a little higher than desirable but when I got to the cashier, they were surprisingly 40% off – and this is what I’m talking about. You have to dig to find what little gems there are at The Bay but once you find them, there’s always a lovely surprise like a discount – which of course is the best surprise when it comes to shopping.
