t
o
n
y
a
n
g
'
s
 
w
e
b
l
o
g


i woke up at 8:00 to go shopping with my mother at the galleria mall macy's. it was raining, and i was afraid my mother would get into a car accident because she seemed rushed, anxious to get her buy on. the indoor elevated parking lot was virtually empty. we found a spot right by the mall entrance (which would come in handy later on). it was weird being in the mall that early, particularly because most of the stores were still closed. the main lights were off and the few people we saw were custodians, security guards, and food court workers. we weren't even sure macy's would be open until we came to the store, all lit up and busy with workers, an oasis of shopping experience.

like a seasoned shopper, my mother told me the best thing to buy with the limited time 20% discount on a new macy's card membership were cosmetics. she bought a bunch of este lauder makeup and perfume, some for my taiwanese cousins when my parents vacation in taipei next march. the clerk was more than eager to help, pushing us to buy more (i think she works off of commissions, that's why).

we then moved to the clothing department, where my eyes sort of glazed over. i volunteered to take the cosmetics back to the car so we wouldn't have to carry it around with us (also gave me a chance to get out of macy's). when i returned, i told my mother i'd go buy the pyrex dishes from the kitchen department (a different store on the other side of the mall) and put them in the car as well. that gave my mother more time to do her clothes shopping.

when i finally came back, she was mostly done. a few pants she picked out weren't on sale and she didn't think they were worth it, even with my 20% discount. she ended up just getting a few things. the filipino clerk we talked to earlier was a bit rude, so we found a different clerk, who was super slow and maybe a bit senile, repeatedly repeating phrases like, "thank you for shopping at macy's" for no particular reason. by that point 2 hours had already passed. we then moved onwards to the home furnishing and kitchen store.

there was more of a crowd at this store, and more special morning only discounts. we bought some pillows, some bed sheet sets, and some keurig k-cup packs.

we left the galleria mall around 11:30, after 3+ hours of shopping ($4.99 for parking). my mother could've gone for more hours, but she had to get back to the cafe. she did say she was going to browse the belmont macy's after work. we made a stop at market basket to get some supplies before i was dropped off at my place.

when i got home i broke open my new sheets. the westfield collection 300 thread (single ply yarn, india made) queen set came with 1 flat sheet, 1 fitted sheet, and 4 pillows (normally $100, just $29.99 on this one day sale). i got it in white because i wanted something simple. i noticed it was only 60% cotton (the other 40% being polyester). normally i don't bother washing new sheets - i like that fresh from the department store smell. but these had a waxy film on them which prompted me to throw them into the wash first.

lint worries me. i know all that lint in the lint trap just doesn't magically appear. but if i collect a ball of lint every time i dry the laundry, doesn't that mean my clothes are slowly losing material? it's hard enough for me to find clothes that fit me (be it shoes, pants, or shirts). that they're also disappearing with each wash is just too much. i guess the solution is to never wash my clothes ever again. also: is there something i can do with all that lint? something crafty? i'll look it up online.

other than my new sheets, i also got 2 new pillows ($14.99, normally $40). not just any pillows, but ralph lauren polo pillows. these are probably the fanciest pillows i've ever owned. normally i just buy the cheapest ones from target. maybe that's why all my pillows are more like pancake cushions. with these new sets i now have 6 pillows on my bed. i say: the more the merrier! you can never have enough pillows.

i finally had lunch when i got home, the leftover tortellini from last night. since i woke up a bit early, i decided to take a supplementary nap around 3:30, testing out my new pillows in the process. i woke up 3 hours later. it was still raining outside and would rain for the rest of the night into the morning. i think we're lucky that the weather isn't colder and we're not getting feet of snow instead. i heated up a brick of lasagna for dinner (my new wednesday night routine) and finished the night watched ABC's comedy lineup.