Today's American shoppers have choices, galore, for just about every product known to mankind. Oh, there are some exceptions that I can think of, such as my favorite twelve-year old slippers, or petite clothes for short people that do not look like my grandmother's styles; otherwise, there are so many selections from which to chose that it can be challenging to simply make a decision.
This morning I met a friend for breakfast. Even the breakfast menu had so many items to choose from that my friend, who had never been to this restaurant, had to take several minutes to sift through the descriptions and make her choice. Later, I went to a moderately priced department store to buy a pair of jeans for Capt. SO. It was a good thing I had checked out the tag on his present jeans and had taken the information with me regarding type, style number, size and color. Jean choices are almost overwhelming and, had I not been prepared with his preferences, I would have spent beaucoup minutes trying to figure out what he would want. Regular fit, straight legged, flared legs, carpenter-style, boot-cut, etc., etc., etc. Then there are all the color choices. I can remember when denim came in just one color. Then denim branched out to include white and black we thought we had died and gone to heaven. Now you hardly see black or white, just a hundred shades (or so it seems) of blues.
Here is a good question: Why do we refer to one 'set' of jeans as a pair? Is it because the jeans have two legs and that, therefore, constitutes a pair? Why isn't a "pair" of jeans two jeans? Why wouldn't I refer to my jeans as, "I am wearing my jean today."? If I were wearing more than one "jean", then I could say that I am wearing my "jeans" today. This puzzles me.
Before I close, I would like to talk about my favorite slippers, purchased somewhere between twelve and fifteen years ago. I've been trying to find a replacement pair (This makes sense to use the word "pair" because there are, indeed, two slippers.) for several years now, but have had no success. These slippers are an easy-slip, shoe-style moccasin with a leather sole and fabric upper. They are comfortable on the feet and I wear them a lot.....so much so that recently I kicked them off under my desk and this terrible, awful stench emanated from beneath my chair. At first I could not figure out what the odor was but my nose quickly led me to the two-source culprits: My socks and my slippers. I've never suffered from foot odor so I was blown away by the odious smell. Then I was dismayed to think that my beloved slippers might have seen their better day. They had most certainly seen their better smell. Realizing that replacing my slippers was not a choice, I decided that, since they were most certainly ruined, I had nothing to lose but to toss them into the washing machine, hand-wash cycle/cold water, and hope for the best. I am happy to report that my laundry gamble seems to have paid off. After 48 hours of dripping and drying, the slippers are almost moisture-free and appear to have suffered little, if any, damage. They definitely smell better....in fact, they smell fresh. Of course, I haven't stuck my stocking-footed feet back into them. That will be the ultimate test.
What was the purpose of my rambling, slipper anecdote? To whine about there not being enough choices on slipper selection just like my old, once-smelly slippers.
I am just not to be pleased today. Too many choices of jeans and too few choices of my favorite slipper style. I did buy a new purse today. I won't even begin to "go there" about purse selection. Jeans pale in comparison to purse styles.
Ancora imparo
