New Year, New Jacket

A few days before the end of the year, the zipper on my work jacket started separating.  I asked Thing One, who is a whiz at sewing, if it was possible to replace the zipper.  Yes, she told me, but she wouldn't do it -- not because she didn't want to or couldn't but because it's a pain in the neck and probably will turn out misaligned.

So, I have a warm, durable jacket that can't even be donated to charity because of one lousy zipper.  I can't blame the jacket, though, because it has lasted me decades.  Honest.  I think my mom bought it for me when I was still in high school.  It had a good, long, useful life.  Still, I hate to ponder getting rid of it.  After all, a good Cap'n doesn't give up the zip. ;)

I then had to wear my brand-new jacket that I had bought for casual use (because I didn't want to wear my work jacket out into the world, in case it was smutty).  Wouldn't you know it?  The first day I wore it (that brand-new, casual jacket), I stood a little too close to the loader that Skippy was using to pick up broken concrete, and I got mud on it.

Yesterday, I had to look in a store for something my friend Gimpius Maximus wants.  (He got the last one where he lives and thought I could find the second one he needs.)  We went to that store and several others in that shopping center and the smaller Maul (Should I call it the Smaul?).  I found what he wanted, but I also got into trouble.  We spotted a brand-name, wool blend topcoat that felt really nice (5% recycled cashmere fibers) and looked sharp on me.  It was on sale for 50% off.  I was trying to convince myself that I shouldn't think of it as spending too much on a coat; I should think of it as buying a quality coat that would last me the rest of my life.  My reasoning process was saved when we couldn't find one in my size.  Still, they had a water-resistant, winter jacket (60% off) which I bought for work.  Then the cashier scanned a coupon to give me an additional 15% off.  (When Thing One and I get together, our powers of charm and thrift tend to synergize, and we end up getting deals we never expected.)

At another store, we found a similar style topcoat that cost less, was also 50% off, had the same amount of wool in the blend (but no cashmere) -- and had one in my size.  We walked by the display of hats, and Thing One wanted to see how I'd look in a knock-off fedora.  Lo and behold, they actually had one large enough to fit my large, oddly shaped head!  (Hats were on sale, too.)  Then we passed the clearance rack, and there was a brown, faux suede jacket that fit me and looked sharp, too.  For some odd reason, though, there was no check-out register in the men's department, so we slogged over to shoes.  (My arm was getting tired, holding up the coat and jacket.)  On the way, an unknown but very kind woman approached us, said, "Here.  You look like you need this," and handed us a 15% off coupon.  (See?  Synergy.)

I spent far more money than I should have.  (My last credit card bill had the gift certificates I bought for my employees' Christmas presents, but not the airfare for my upcoming trip home, so I was already running along the ragged edge of too-much spending.)  In my defense, I used "Australia Rules", everything I bought myself was on sale (even before the synergy), I did acquire Gimpy's item (the only thing not on sale), and I got my monthly supply of protein bars, as well as the protein bars for two of my employees, who are riding the coattails of my discount.

I really ought to go to the department store's website and see if they can get me one of those topcoats in my size.  After all, it was charcoal gray (I look good in gray), and the one I did buy was black, and those are two completely different things...