Oct
29
Yesterday morning at my workplace it was announced that due to celebrating some milestones, we were having a Game Day, meaning all employees were supposed to play board games, card games, pinball, pool, video games, computer games, or watch a movie (my office actually has facilities for all these activities and more; unbelievably, we develop productivity software), but no working was allowed.
I always feel out of sorts when my office does this. It’s not like it happens all that often, but I don’t really like playing games, and honestly, if I were going to have a chance to watch a movie during the day, I’d rather go to the theater. Plus, it’s never announced ahead of time, so I always feel annoyed for having gone through my normal hectic morning routine and wasted the time and gas on my commute, and if there was going to be no working required then I can sure think of about a million ways I’d rather spend my free time, none of which involve hanging around the office. I like my coworkers, don’t get me wrong, I just . . . don’t necessarily like spending more time at the office than I have to, you know? Basically, I’m a giant gift-horse-looking whiner who can’t enjoy a free day off. I know, sometimes even *I* can’t believe how much I suck.
Anyway, I spent some time chit-chatting, then went slinking out the door while the cacophony of pinball and the Star Trek arcade machine filled the air, and while I had very good intentions for heading directly home and tackling the monstrous amount of housework and laundry that had been piling up, then getting some freelance work done before getting the kids from daycare, I somehow found myself driving to H&M.
H&M is new to Seattle, and I’d never been there before (for the local yokels, I visited the University Village store). If you haven’t had the pleasure, it’s sort of like an upscale Old Navy, except with 150% less crappy styles. The whole place was stuffed with cute, cheap outfits, and I felt like I had been dropped into some magical fairyland where fashion was actually affordable and didn’t come with those big-assed PLEASE REMOVE BEFORE WEARING tags.
The only problem was the sizes. The majority of the available inventory was in size XS, which seemed about the right fit for Dylan, if he maybe skipped a few YoBaby meals. There was a lot of inconsistency in the numbered sizing, too, which resulted in a frustrating dressing-room experience as I crammed myself into one skirt that fit like a sausage casing, then another in the same exact goddamned size which drooped halfway to my knees. Whiskey tango foxtrot, H&M?
Still, I had a totally pleasurable childfree afternoon browsing around, and even bought a few spiffy new things, including a much-needed dressy winter coat, before heading home to the laundry and projects and children. It may not have been what Workplace intended in terms of employee morale-building, but I guarantee I had just as much fun as my fellow employees who spent eight hours playing Rock Band.
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Oh SART, I’d have to disagree with you on who is the last to get all things fashionable. I argue for the “true” Midwest. Ergo: Kansas (me), Iowa, Nebraska and Oklahoma. I would LOVE a H&M store here. From what I’ve seen on “What Not to Wear” they have lots of cute stuff on the cheap. But I SO believe you about the weird sizing. They are from Sweden after all. Glad you got to enjoy, L.
Please, please come to NY and I’ll take you to the greatest H&M known to (wo)man.
Though I must say, I remember back in the day when H&M was only in NY and I would go back to school in DC and everyone would ask where I got my awesome shirt/sweater/vest and now EVERYONE shops there. It makes it a little less special and yet it’s still a great place.
Welcome to the club.