December 4 , 2003 - Alyce's Eye for the Straight Guy

My brother and his wife asked me, though, if I would rather accompany them to State College. They were driving there for the afternoon. They wanted to see an old friend and hang out downtown a bit.

But it was a really overcast, cold day, threatening to rain. I knew from experience it would be at least a couple degree colder (and windier) in State College. So I decided on Woolrich.

We ended up taking two cars, because my sister was going to leave from there for State College.

Mom goes up to Woolrich at least once a year, so she told us to go straight to the back of the store, where the bargains were. The Gryphon and I headed for the men's section, because he's been looking lately for fall and winter clothes.

This weekend, my family had been watching TLC a lot, including shows such as Clean Sweep, While You Were Out and What Not to Wear. So I have to admit, both that and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy were running through my head as I helped The Gryphon select some new clothes.

He ended up with a couple sweaters (one a gray V-neck with black edging that I absolutely love) and some long-sleeved shirts (including a burgundy one that really brings out his eyes). Casual enough for his purposes, but they fit well and the colors looked great on him. At one point, we were looking at some button-down chamois shirts and I was holding a shirt against him.

"I don't know. It makes you look washed out," I said. "Try this one." I handed him a shirt in a more saturated color.

A middle aged man standing near us chuckled. "Yes, dear," he said.

"Hey, that's the way to shop," I joked.

He pointed at his wife. "That's what I'm doing. I hate to think about clothes."

No wonder guys love the Fab Five. Someone comes into their life and makes them look terrific, and they don't have to think about it at all.

By this point, my sister had found a coat. She came over to show it to us. It was a black ski jacket. Mom had also found a few things, and they went to the counter to make their purchases. I told them I wanted to look around in the women's clothing before we headed out.

There honestly wasn't much there that fit my style. The only thing I found was a sweater vest which was tan with blue patterns. I opted against the skirt of the same color that could have gone with it, because it was too long and shapeless.

One thing I have learned from watching shows like Queer Eye and What Not to Wear: fitted clothes look far better than shapeless ones.

At this point, it was time to head out and we were getting hungry. Fortunately, Mom had had the idea of buying subs on the way there and keeping them in a cooler. She knew there aren't many restaurants near the store. So we got our sandwiches out and ate in the car before heading back.

Now, the idea had been we could go out to a movie that evening, but as it turned out, Dad had to help get stuff together for communion at the church the next day. But Mom came over beforehand, and we all ate whole wheat spaghetti with homemade spaghetti sauce. She made extra, in case my brother and his wife would want some when they returned from State College.

When Dad got back from the church, we watched Princess Mononoke on DVD. I felt it was better than Spirited Away by the same director. Although there were some legendary figures and spirits, it was easier, I felt, for a Western audience to understand.

My brother and his wife got back while the movie was playing, but they'd already seen it so they didn't mind. They'd had a long day and fell asleep together on one of the couches.

The rest of the night, we watched more TLC. It figures that on the one night during vacation when I didn't have to work, I fell asleep on the couch early.

 

More on the Wilson family Thanksgiving:

December 1, 2003 - The Family Thing

December 2, 2003 - Turkey Day

December 3, 2003 - Shopping Expedition

December 5, 2003 - Sunday Socializing

Moral:
Shopping is a symbiotic experience.