I shopped, then I dropped.

and a happy new year to you, devoted reader and friend.

Yesterday was an important day for me, it was the ever elusive most-of-the-day-off for me and, since my birthday is this month and i love to celebrate my own birthday and take every birthdayial opportunity to buy myself pretty things, I went shopping. I went to work for a couple hours in the late morning, but come mid-noon I was on BART bound for the city. I finally made it to the ferry building where i ate lunch at the Slanted Door's take-out counterpart, Out the Door. Quite a good, if overpriced, bahn mi. I don't usually get pork so it's actually kind of tough to truly compare it to the normal two dollar ones I eat but I will say that the bread was quite extraordinary. Crisp crust that didn't cut up the inside of my mouth and a substantive body evocative of many a fine parisian baguette. Anyhow, I wandered around but didn't buy too much except for four delicious chocolates from recchiuti. Jasmine tea, burnt caramel, sesame nougat and fleur de sel. Damn tasty. I could be a fat happy person--rather, a happy fat person--if i could just eat these chocolates every day. Then I shopped. Bought new sunglasses at Loehman's, used up a store credit and $15 off birthday coupon at Banana Republic, visited a friend at Nordstrom's and bought some socks, finally went to H&M and I have to say I was a bit underwhelmed. Or maybe I was overwhelmed but underimpressed. At any rate, I did not appreciate standing in the long ass line with the overzealous foreigners behind me breathing down my neck. I'm American, don't invade my personal space, damnit! I did buy some tights and a shirt for mm but I don't think I'll be doing any of my personal shopping there for much the same reasons I refuse to furnish my home with goods from Ikea. Last, but certainly not least, I must mention my great buy of the day came at a Miner Miracle where I found myself two pairs of Anne Klein sample shoes for only ten bucks each, my favorite being the teal and cream t-straps that made my day. Retail therapy indeed!