General complaining

I'd like to take a break today from complaining about my weight, and complain about everything else in the universe. Here are the things that are annoying me today....

1. Macy's and the world of fashion
I went to Macy's yesterday since I've had to admit that the seams on the One Pair of Really Comfy Jeans that I own are wearing thin (I should note that I really started out with lots more jeans than this, but have worn them all to the paper thin seam stage, and this was the last respectable pair). I've been trying to put off buying jeans until (sigh) I lost a little more weight, but since that's progressing at the pace of a disabled snail, I gave up. Anyway, I wanted basically exactly the same pair that I bought a little over a year ago, but since they didn't have that, I needed to try on... so of course, the rule is that if you're going to get undressed, you might as well try on about 50 things. So I had a look around. And WHAT has happened to fashion??? I mean, first of all, Macy's is really a big step down from the store that they bought out here, Kaufmann's. Especially in women's lines. But secondly, it seems that the 60s-70s are back with a vengeance. EVERYTHING is flimsy pseudo-Pucci or floral prints and Empire waists. I look like a badly-gathered seatcover in things like this. First of all, the seam that's supposed to hit under the bustline tends to hit in the middle for me (didn't anyone tell these designers that larger sizes mean that your breasts are likely to be larger, too?), and besides that, these styles really only look good if you're about 18. And I don't like them anyway, so there! I couldn't find a thing that I was even willing to try on except jeans (same size as last year, sigh).

To add insult to injury, on the dressing room mirror they had a little photo of Clinton Kelly (I think that's his name, the guy from What Not To Wear) saying, want to conceal larger hips? Balance them with puffed sleeves. PUFFED SLEEVES? Besides that fact that there wasn't a puffed sleeve in the store, puffed sleeves make my arm look like something is eating it.

2. Leaving Macy's in a snit, I went on to my other big errand, a trip to Bed Bath and Beyond (which for some reason we started calling Bed Bath Bat years ago, and so it's the only way I can think of it). I wanted to get some of these terrific stay-fresh containers... the brand name is Oso Fresh (yes, dumb name), and they are supposed to contain silver nitrate or something that keeps food fresher. I bought a set of these about a year ago although I was profoundly skeptical and they were expensive (about $65 for the set). Lately, I've been precooking a LOT of food, and I keep running out of containers, so I wanted to get some more. I have to say that these containers are great... I've never run a comparison test to see if they really keep food fresher or not, but they seem to, plus they have nice snap-lock tops that close well but yet are not fiddly to line up properly. The only problem is that the set (you can't buy them individually as far as I know) has about 5 big containers and a LOT of tiny containers. Great for lunch but not so great for storing large quantities of food.

So I check their website, and, lo and behold. they have them AND the price is now $29.99. But the shipping is enough that I don't want to pay it if I don't have to, so I figure I'll just run in and get some next time I'm in Rochester. You guessed it... none to be had in any store. Grrrrr. If I'd known that... if the web site said, not available in stores.... I would have just ordered them weeks ago and saved myself a lot of annoyance. (You can still get them on the website, and other places still sell them at the $65 price, so it's a good buy. Look under Kitchen Storage.)

3. So then I went to a grocery store. Always a bad idea on a Saturday afternoon, anyway... but, really, people! Can you NOT just leave your cart in the middle of the aisle while you examine every label? Especially when there are five people stacked up behind you trying to be polite? I could have been out in 15 minutes, and it took maybe 45 (and a really bad mood) because no one would just MOVE. Ok, yes, I am being grumpy... but have some awareness of the people around you. I think I'll get a horn.

4. Grocery store complaint #2... and ok, this one is my fault. So on the way out, I wanted to grab a small bite to eat for me and Michael, who was patiently waiting in the car. I wanted to get some sashimi... we used to live on sushi in the high-carb days. No sashimi (of course), so I got some little hand rolls (not so much rice really), but neither of us had eaten since breakfast, and it was about 4 pm, so I thought, maybe a little Chinese food. So I got a random selection... a few shrimp, a few pieces of chicken in different sauces, that sort of thing. I used to enjoy this kind of thing, but every sauce was overly sweet... who knows how much sugar... and although this is not supposed to have MSG in it, both of us reacted in the same way that we do to things with MSG. Should have skipped it. And the sushi probably, too. My weight is up from a nice low yesterday, and ok, this is probably my fault. But still. It shouldn't be quite so hard to get something that you can eat if you don't eat sugar and breading. Millions of Chinese people eat food without sugar and breading (not that this is anything that resembles real Chinese food, but still...).