Victory Soap v. 2.0

I decided to stay home today so I called in sick. Really, though I feel (or felt) like cack -- I ached in every bone, and couldn't face the thought of going into the office. I don't think I'm coming down with anything, I just think I overdid it this weekend. Saturday I took a long bus trip to the fancy mall, because I took it into my head to go to Crate and Barrel. The trip to C&B proved inconclusive -- I didn't find exactly what I wanted. (I want a set of melamine dishes. I don't want to buy them one by one; I want a boxed set, preferably with coffee cups. Unfortunately these things tend to come out in the summer, when cold drinks are the fashion, and they come with those stupid Eazy-Skratch plastic glasses. This was the sort of thing the store had. I want melamine coffee cups like they used to make back in the old days. I may have to go on Ebay, or wander the thrift shops.)

As I was waiting for the bus I observed lots of construction sites around the mall. I believe that they are going to build the new Ikea in this area, though I could be wrong. But it is the place for "luxury" stores so it would be logical that they would build it there. Of course, undercutting this notion is the new Old Navy store that was almost finished. But then again, right next to it is the location of a new West Elm (I dote on their furniture -- someday....).

Well I'm sure this is all very fascinating to my readers. But the thing is Saturday I walked my legs off as well as getting bus-ass. And Sunday I decided to go the Altamonte Mall, which is the nearest mall to me, not for shopping but because I wanted to go to Crane's Roost Park, somewhere behind the mall. Of course, there is tons of construction, because this is the location of Altamonte's new "Uptown" area -- shops in fake "old town" format and high-rise condos that cost a million dollars as well as ridiculously overpriced apartments (they imagine that people will be willing to pay over $1200 for a one-bedroom with a view of the I-4; all I can say is those better be some amenities) -- so I got rather lost, and ended up walking myself nearly into a coma. I wanted to eat at Gina's, where I've never been, and I've still never been, because on Sunday they don't open until 4pm. I ended up eating at a nearby Chili's. By that time my back hurt so bad I ordered a margarita, which took away the pain but also nearly made me fall asleep on my quesadillas. I finally found the park, and walked around the lake in an effort to wake myself up. They have done it up nicely (I took photos, will post later maybe) but they have speakers all over the place which were piping out music. This is something they must have copied from Disney (the last time I went to Epcot -- a very long time ago -- we ended up staying there way after dark when almost everyone was gone. It was actually after the place closed up, but the friends I was with worked there, that was why. What was eerie was the way the music coming from the overhead speakers continued to play to the darkened, empty park. Anyway, the idea of music playing at me when I might not want to hear any was annoying, though I am not as sensitive as I used to be. (In my younger days I would have expended much energy being irritated by this sort of thing.)