I write this with great sadness since I should be enjoying myself apres-snowboarding in Vail. Yes, the blizzard interfered with my long-awaited plans. Now I’m stuck within the confines of the dirty, slushy city while my snowboard collects dust. Wah wah…
The only thing that snapped me out of the snowstorm blues was a nice bout of shopping. I’m talking 6 hours of hard-core store mania. My guilt-free budget logic was quite simple: spend on clothing what I would have spent during my ski vacay–including the cost of my round-trip flight. (Mind you, I can pretty much justify any shopping excursion.)
During the first leg of the buying frenzy, I spotted–in my periphery–a panda bear walking upright around a store in the Flatiron. Uh huh. You read it correctly. I had to do a double-take to figure out what the heck was happening. A full-grown adult woman was wearing a panda bear hat–chin clasp, ears, and all. It was not cute. Unacceptable, if you ask me. I mean, who even makes such a thing for grown-ups? Halloween costume? Sure. School mascot? Why not. Winter head gear? NO.
If you feel like channeling animals–steer clear of the stuffed-animal kind and go for something more…normal. In fact, combat wearing an animal’s head and opt for a trapper/aviator hat, perhaps?
