Journal bethanie's Journal: Yesterday, and Meeting TechnoLust 17
So yesterday we packed the whole family up (me, Hubby, and Kiddo) and headed down to shopping mecca, AKA the suburbs. Seriously, this particular area of Gwinnett County (around the Pleasant Hill exit off I-85) has basically one of every chain store you'll ever hope to see, and "superstore" versions of many. It is the Retail Holyland.
Our primary mission was to test out a ComfortAire mattress, which we had pretty much already decided to buy. But since it seems like a pretty stupid idea to just buy a bed that you've never even *seen* in person before, we sought one out and gave it the good ole "bounce test." (No -- not *that* kind of bounce test -- just the one where one of us lies there while the other one bounces around; we do a lot of independent bouncing on our respective sides of the bed, you see.) Our decision: the ComfortAire will suit our purposes just fine. As Hubby says, after sleeping on a futon for 2 years, a sack of rocks would feel better.
While we were there, we also purchased a full-size "big girl bed" for Kiddo. I'm very pleased with it, and think it will be *very* comfortable for her for a very long time.
When the sales guy had to call in to check that they had something in stock, the person on the other line was obviously asking him for a description of us (probably trying to verify that the commission for the sale should go to him); the sales guy (aged ~25, I'd guess) described us as "middle aged, with a daughter." For the record, Hubby is 41 and I just turned 31. It was all I could do to keep from laughing while we were still in the store -- I managed to restrain myself to a wry grin.
So, having been freshly labelled as "middle aged," we left the bed store having completed our testing and purchases successfully, and headed down to Kohl's and Super Target to seek out bedding. I must have good sale karma, because every time I'm in the market for something specific, like towels, sheets, clothing, WMDs... they're always on sale.
We got a couple mattress pads for each of the beds (because it's always a good idea to have at least two sets of bedding for a potty-training child, and we'll be able to use the 2nd set of king-size bedding on the two twin beds in the guest room when we need to push them together) at 50% off. Two sets of sheets for Kiddo's full-size bed were about $45 -- not a bad price at all for a relatively high (250, I think) thread count. For ourselves, we got just one set of 300 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets; my mom already got us another really nice set of sheets for Christmas last year (when we had *intended* to buy ourselves a new bed, but just kept putting it off until now). The sheets for our bed were marked down from $94 to $65. Quite a good deal, if I do say so, myself.
And you might ask why I'm making such a big deal about thread count. Well, I think that many geeks can appreciate this sort of thing, so I'll tell you -- if you can possibly afford it, you *owe* it to yourself (and any bedmates you might acquire) to get some nice sheets -- 250 thread count minimum, but 300 is where it gets *really* nice. Think about all the time you spend in bed. Think about what you're going there for -- it's your resting place, a place for you to relax and let all the cares of the world fall away. It should be a *really* comfortable place to be. Good sheets are definitely a luxury, but they are a luxury that will most *certainly* pay for itself in your enjoyment of it.
Anyway, so we got a good deal at Kohl's, and then we were off to Shogun to meet TL. He's already written about his impressions of the encounter. We got to the restaurant about 30 minutes early; I had been trying to post some flyers about a breastfeeding fundraiser that I'm putting together, but stores don't have any bulletin boards anymore, so it didn't take as much time as I thought it would. So we were early.
We let Kiddo run around and get some excess energy out. She hadn't had a nap all day, except for the sleep in the car, so I was a little concerned about how she'd hold out -- the only time she misbehaves is when she's particularly tired.
When TL came in, I recognized him from his photo immediately (we exchanged pix before meeting, so there wouldn't be any weird guessing games when we showed up). He's a cute guy. And I could definitely tell that he works out, but I didn't say anything, because that's just not the kind of thing an old married woman is supposed to notice about the bright young stud who meets her (and her family) for dinner.
It was bad enough when I lunged and embraced TL intimately (copping a thorough feel whilst I was at it, for good measure!); it took all of Hubby's willpower not to take TL outside and thrash his philandering ass.
Just kidding. Hubby had no problem at all controlling himself. :-)
Anyway, we got seated and ordered and the show started up. Yes, Kiddo was taken very much by surprise when the chef set the grill aflame. She doesn't deal very well with surprises like that. I picked her up and comforted her for just a couple of minutes, and then she was wiggling to get back into her seat so she could play with her chopsticks and eat her miso soup.
TL regaled me with many gorey details about his Psycho Ex and a few other psycho girls in his past; yes, some of them sound pyscho, but they also sound like pretty typical women. I mean, let's face it, most women (particularly from you guys' perspective) are psychos.
I also quizzed him on CR and asked what, if anything, had been happening with that. Turns out he really *does* tell us everything as it happens, and there wasn't much more to know.
But as we continued to talk, I relaxed more and more into a sense of confidence that he really does know what he's doing. TL is a guy with a very good head on his shoulders, and although he may attract women who are a tad needier than the norm, he seems to do a pretty good job sorting the wheat from the chaff. I'm sure he'll end up with a really good one one of these days. In the meantime, he's got a whole bevy of hotties lining up for turns in the hot tub, it would seem!
One of the major impressions that the experience left on *me* (that didn't have much to do with TL, in particular) was how comfortable the whole situation was. I have been on *many* Internet "dates" before -- of course, none of them with my husband and child in tow -- and they made all the difference in the world. And even if they hadn't been there, if it had just been TL and me, I would have felt the same. It was like, "Here I am, this is me. I have no need to impress you or care terribly one way or the other if you like me. My life is whole." It's no surprise, in retrospect, that I never felt that way when I was single.
It was a great experience to have, just being able to meet another person and get to know them better without all the extraneous pressures that used to linger. We were just two people gettng together to expand our horizons. And it was good.
So anyway, to TL, thanks for making the trek down to Duluth to meet with us. It was a special treat for me, and one that I'd definitely be willing to repeat!
Oh, and that hot blonde in the white top wearing no ring actually stopped me while I was taking Kiddo to the potty; she asked me for your number, and I didn't think you'd mind... You can be expecting a call from her any day now, I'd expect. :-)
Our primary mission was to test out a ComfortAire mattress, which we had pretty much already decided to buy. But since it seems like a pretty stupid idea to just buy a bed that you've never even *seen* in person before, we sought one out and gave it the good ole "bounce test." (No -- not *that* kind of bounce test -- just the one where one of us lies there while the other one bounces around; we do a lot of independent bouncing on our respective sides of the bed, you see.) Our decision: the ComfortAire will suit our purposes just fine. As Hubby says, after sleeping on a futon for 2 years, a sack of rocks would feel better.
While we were there, we also purchased a full-size "big girl bed" for Kiddo. I'm very pleased with it, and think it will be *very* comfortable for her for a very long time.
When the sales guy had to call in to check that they had something in stock, the person on the other line was obviously asking him for a description of us (probably trying to verify that the commission for the sale should go to him); the sales guy (aged ~25, I'd guess) described us as "middle aged, with a daughter." For the record, Hubby is 41 and I just turned 31. It was all I could do to keep from laughing while we were still in the store -- I managed to restrain myself to a wry grin.
So, having been freshly labelled as "middle aged," we left the bed store having completed our testing and purchases successfully, and headed down to Kohl's and Super Target to seek out bedding. I must have good sale karma, because every time I'm in the market for something specific, like towels, sheets, clothing, WMDs... they're always on sale.
We got a couple mattress pads for each of the beds (because it's always a good idea to have at least two sets of bedding for a potty-training child, and we'll be able to use the 2nd set of king-size bedding on the two twin beds in the guest room when we need to push them together) at 50% off. Two sets of sheets for Kiddo's full-size bed were about $45 -- not a bad price at all for a relatively high (250, I think) thread count. For ourselves, we got just one set of 300 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets; my mom already got us another really nice set of sheets for Christmas last year (when we had *intended* to buy ourselves a new bed, but just kept putting it off until now). The sheets for our bed were marked down from $94 to $65. Quite a good deal, if I do say so, myself.
And you might ask why I'm making such a big deal about thread count. Well, I think that many geeks can appreciate this sort of thing, so I'll tell you -- if you can possibly afford it, you *owe* it to yourself (and any bedmates you might acquire) to get some nice sheets -- 250 thread count minimum, but 300 is where it gets *really* nice. Think about all the time you spend in bed. Think about what you're going there for -- it's your resting place, a place for you to relax and let all the cares of the world fall away. It should be a *really* comfortable place to be. Good sheets are definitely a luxury, but they are a luxury that will most *certainly* pay for itself in your enjoyment of it.
Anyway, so we got a good deal at Kohl's, and then we were off to Shogun to meet TL. He's already written about his impressions of the encounter. We got to the restaurant about 30 minutes early; I had been trying to post some flyers about a breastfeeding fundraiser that I'm putting together, but stores don't have any bulletin boards anymore, so it didn't take as much time as I thought it would. So we were early.
We let Kiddo run around and get some excess energy out. She hadn't had a nap all day, except for the sleep in the car, so I was a little concerned about how she'd hold out -- the only time she misbehaves is when she's particularly tired.
When TL came in, I recognized him from his photo immediately (we exchanged pix before meeting, so there wouldn't be any weird guessing games when we showed up). He's a cute guy. And I could definitely tell that he works out, but I didn't say anything, because that's just not the kind of thing an old married woman is supposed to notice about the bright young stud who meets her (and her family) for dinner.
It was bad enough when I lunged and embraced TL intimately (copping a thorough feel whilst I was at it, for good measure!); it took all of Hubby's willpower not to take TL outside and thrash his philandering ass.
Just kidding. Hubby had no problem at all controlling himself.
Anyway, we got seated and ordered and the show started up. Yes, Kiddo was taken very much by surprise when the chef set the grill aflame. She doesn't deal very well with surprises like that. I picked her up and comforted her for just a couple of minutes, and then she was wiggling to get back into her seat so she could play with her chopsticks and eat her miso soup.
TL regaled me with many gorey details about his Psycho Ex and a few other psycho girls in his past; yes, some of them sound pyscho, but they also sound like pretty typical women. I mean, let's face it, most women (particularly from you guys' perspective) are psychos.
I also quizzed him on CR and asked what, if anything, had been happening with that. Turns out he really *does* tell us everything as it happens, and there wasn't much more to know.
But as we continued to talk, I relaxed more and more into a sense of confidence that he really does know what he's doing. TL is a guy with a very good head on his shoulders, and although he may attract women who are a tad needier than the norm, he seems to do a pretty good job sorting the wheat from the chaff. I'm sure he'll end up with a really good one one of these days. In the meantime, he's got a whole bevy of hotties lining up for turns in the hot tub, it would seem!
One of the major impressions that the experience left on *me* (that didn't have much to do with TL, in particular) was how comfortable the whole situation was. I have been on *many* Internet "dates" before -- of course, none of them with my husband and child in tow -- and they made all the difference in the world. And even if they hadn't been there, if it had just been TL and me, I would have felt the same. It was like, "Here I am, this is me. I have no need to impress you or care terribly one way or the other if you like me. My life is whole." It's no surprise, in retrospect, that I never felt that way when I was single.
It was a great experience to have, just being able to meet another person and get to know them better without all the extraneous pressures that used to linger. We were just two people gettng together to expand our horizons. And it was good.
So anyway, to TL, thanks for making the trek down to Duluth to meet with us. It was a special treat for me, and one that I'd definitely be willing to repeat!
Oh, and that hot blonde in the white top wearing no ring actually stopped me while I was taking Kiddo to the potty; she asked me for your number, and I didn't think you'd mind... You can be expecting a call from her any day now, I'd expect.
who needs to date when i can read your lives? (Score:2)
Now i've just got to get the rest of y'all to meet up so i can hear more of them!!! My favourite people telling stories about each other!!! *grabbling the popcorn and listening with rapt attention...*
Yes, i can too eat popcorn, as long as it's not got extra colourings//flavourings on it. There are two different brands i can have. :P
OT: Popcorn (Score:1)
yep! (Score:2)
Re:yep! (Score:1)
Ahem
Are either of them microwavable, and if so, what brands are they?
I've been recently trying to tell myself that I don't need the popcorn to watch a movie in a theater. Been failing.
Re:yep! (Score:2)
Sol dear, I can't eat movie popcorn without it killing my stomach, and I can eat anything. Trust me, you aren't missing out on that one.
Thread count (Score:2)
Re:Thread count (Score:2)
Re:Thread count (Score:2)
Re:Thread count (Score:3, Funny)
looking around, in extreme distress
OMG!! I'm *surrounded* by them!!!
(Well, DUUUUUUUHHH!)
Re:Thread count (Score:2)
But this IS Slashdot... what did you expect?
Re:Thread count (Score:2)
shopping karma (Score:1)
the meal sounded fun and tasty ( like oriental foods ) , had to look up who the TL was so I read his entry.
Re:shopping karma (Score:2)
Cat got your tongue? (Score:2)
And I could definitely tell that he works out, but I didn't say anything, because that's just not the kind of thing an old married woman is supposed to notice about the bright young stud who meets her (and her family) for dinner. :-)
Thanks, and since when do you conform to society's rules of conduct?
It was bad enough when I lunged and embraced TL intimately (copping a thorough feel whilst I was at it, for good measure!)
Oh, so I didn't imagine that.
Re:Cat got your tongue? (Score:2)
When I can actually be physically held down and spanked for misbehaving!!
T-shirt with the math formulae on it
That was the RSA security algorithm; the story goes that when they lost their patent, they printed it up on T-shirts and gave the t-shirts away. Or something like that. Hubby could tell you the real deatils, but fortunately (for me) he's busy working for a living.
I turned you on.... to tabbed browsing, where he had not yet bee
Re:Cat got your tongue? (Score:2)
Sure, pretend you don't like that sort of thing.
Re:Cat got your tongue? (Score:2)
But it's sort of embarassing when it happens in public, ya know? (Surak can tell you all about what happens *then*!!!)