Shopping with Mama Nobucks

Maybe it's my underemployment and inability to find a job. Maybe it's that I'm always suspicious of retailers. Maybe it's that my ridiculously high property tax bill is due in a matter of weeks. Whatever the reason, my Holiday Spirit has been kidnapped!

I decided to give myself the day off on Friday. I took the girl for a serious hike, so deep into the creek, I got lost for the first time in years! My dog mom duties over, I went into Burbank.

My first stop was at the new mini-mall by the airport. When I worked in this neighborhood (2001), They had just opened Lowe's and Target and none of the restaurants were open. This particular mini-mall did not exist. You either had to bring your lunch or plan to spend 20 minutes of your lunch hour driving.

I had shrimp at the Fish Dish. I should say I had rubber shrimp. Maybe I'm just homesick for some tender succulent shrimp from Mike Anderson's or Brunet's. So much for lunch.

I headed to the movie theater and stopped in Barnes & Noble to pick up book I want for a Christmas Gift. I picked out a few beading magazines and the book. I almost freaked when they told me the book was $26! For that price, I would expect it to be printed on gold... or at least silver! I passed on the book, knowing I could get it for $14 on Amazon, paid for my magazines and left.

I got to the movie theater and had some time to kill so I opened my bag from the bookstore. I realized my three bead mags had cost me a whopping $35! WTH??? I really enjoyed the movie (The Blind Side) and saw another (Precious) but I wish I had seen them in the reverse order...one is an upper and the other is a downer. Both are Oscar worthy and the high point of my day!

But the whole time, I kept thinking $35 for magazines?? I planned on having Thai spring rolls and red velvet cake at CPK after doing a little shopping. I hit Bath and Body works... always great for stocking stuffers and several of my friends love their lotions.

But as I browsed the store, everything just looked the same. The same old stuff from years before; same old candles, same old lotions and potions. Sure they did have some new fragrances and some old favorites. You would think they would bring back the best seller from a few years back, Tuberose but no. This year they have Butterfly and I Love You.

Um, 'scuse me Mr. Butterfly, could you hold still so I can see what you smell like??? And just what should I Love You smell like??? Is it all candles and roses or raw sex??? Really, you could go in any direction with that...but I like names that mean something in my lotions and potions. Coconut, Waterlily, Lemon...those are fragrances!

My personal favorite was the candle named Moonlight Woods. Can you say "lawsuit?" The visit was good for a few laughs but I left empty handed. Ran smack into a glass jewelry counter..."Everything $5!" Yep, imported glass from China. ICK!

My tour of Macy's was just as fruitless. They were having a big sale - 25% off but it felt like all the prices were about 25% too high to begin with... like there was a mark up to compensate for the mark down.

Next stop, the Ikea holiday tent. I love to pick up wrapping paper or cute little ornaments. But this year, they've put a big red heart on everything! And not even a cute heart...they've tried to make it look like a bell or something. I just stood there, wondering if it was Valentine's Day. I get it...'Christmas is LOVE!' but I don't want my decorations to look like another holiday! Come on!

By this point, the $35 I had spent on magazines was killing me. I went back to the bookstore and got a refund and left without getting dinner. After this shopping trip, a cup of soup and a grilled ham and cheese just felt more to my liking.