Consignment shopping/high end shopping

Yesterday was a really nice day and I finally had my car back from the dealership, after two weeks of arguing with them, so I decided I'd try going window shopping at places that I don't normally shop. I went for consignment and high end stores. I used to shop at Banana Republic when I worked at Gap, but that was only because I got 40% off there. The logic behind window shopping yesterday, since I don't like shopping much in general, was that it would get me out in the perfect weather, listening to music (thanks dad, for failing to mention that the radio didn't work in your car) while I drove around. And since most high end and consignment shops are in cute trendy areas of Minneapolis and St. Paul, I'd have to drive off freeways and I'd have to parallel park. Now, let me address parallel parking. I love to parallel park. It's one of the few things I can impress people with because I can do it well and in tight spots (that's what she said). I did it four times yesterday just because I could, especially since I was too scared to in my dad's Jeep for the last week.

Things I learned from consignment shopping:
1. Smaller women should not be allowed to shop. Most anything I found in my size was horrifyingly ugly. I can look at my closet now with a higher level of respect.
2. People in general buy really unattractive things.
3. If I find a pair of jeans that fits in the waist, it will not fit in one or both of the following: hips, inseam.
4. Shirts have been stretched out from the original owner, who was larger in areas that I am not.

Things I learned from high end shopping:
1. Martin + Osa: The store looks like an ultra modern cabin. It made me dislike people who own a cabin because they did not carry pants in a 30" inseam. They apparently feel that cabin people are only average or tall. But their sweaters were really soft.
2. Metropark: The person that came up with the concept for this store was clearly too pretentious. Also, it made me hate posers because they, like cabin owners, only had an average inseam for their pants, and for women the brands were mainly Rock and Republic and True Religion and I have no interest in investing $200 in a pair of jeans.
3. Ruehl: Too loud. Too much like Abercrombie and Fitch. Also, they lie when they label their jeans; a 27" x 31" inseam is really a 27" x 33". Liars.
4. Karma: I am not a rich enough hippie to shop here...which seems somewhat contradictory, but whatever.

The redeeming parts of the day:
1. I got to drive around Grand Ave in St. Paul. I'm starting to like it more than Hennepin Ave in Uptown. Less traffic, less people, older buildings, safer neighborhood. The only downfall is that the think-they're-better-than-you crowds of St. Thomas and Macalester are too close. Get over it: your parties are weaker and your education is overpriced compared to the University of Minnesota.
2. I got to drive around with a kick ass mix all day. Here it is, just for you.

1. "Freckles"- Gorky's Zygotic Mynci (Spanish Dance Troupe)
2. "American Girls"- Weezer (I'm actually not sure where this came from, so I'm going to go with the name my friend called the Weezer mix he made me- Rock Music)
3. "Lucky Today"- Cloud Cult (Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus)
4. "Yesterday, Today and Probably Tomorrow"- The Courteeners (St. Jude)
5. "Pure"- The Lightning Seeds (Pure)
6. "Time for Heroes"- The Libertines (Up the Bracket)
7. "The Sun on his Back"- Camera Obscura (Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi)
8. "Fresher than the Sweetness in Water"- Gorky's Zygotic Mynci (The Blue Trees)
9. "Somebody to Love"- Queen (Greatest Hits: I and II)
10. "She Don't Use Jelly (Lounge-A-Palooza)"- Ben Folds Five (Whatever and Ever Amen)
11. "Crimson and Clover"- Tommy James and the Shondells (At Their Best)
12. "Soul on Fire"- Spiritualized (Songs in A & E)
13. "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces"- Ben Folds Five (Whatever and Ever Amen)
14. "We Get On"- Kate Nash (Made of Bricks)
15. "Bide Your Time (Acoustic)"- The Courteeners (St. Jude)
16. "I'm Yours"- Jason Mraz (We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things)
17. "Kate"- Ben Folds Five (Whatever and Ever Amen)
18. "Black Magic"- Jarvis Cocker (Jarvis)
19. "Lunar Sea"- Camera Obscura (Underachievers Please Try Harder)

I would like to add two things: 1. I don't normally use links much in my blog, but I did this time for shits and giggles. It was annoying for me to do. Hopefully the people that read my blog are smart and don't need them because I don't really want to do it again. And, 2. Arran, just because I have Jarvis Cocker on my mix doesn't mean I necessarily like it. Notice I have the original "Crimson and Clover" on there too. I still think it's far superior to Jarvis.