Ok, time to vent here. There are two things that I loathe shopping for: socks and underwear. At least socks are easy, all I need to do is go into Ross Dress for Less and buy a 6 pack of white gym socks or a couple of el-cheapo blue dress socks. Underwear is another story. The unfortunate thing is that there is no such a thing as comfortable discount underwear. Last time I went to Ross, I bought 12 gym socks, 3 pairs of dress socks and three pair of no-name boxers. I figured that for $3.50 a pair, it was worth trying them out. Boy, was I wrong.
The waist band fits perfectly. The cotton is comfortable… and the fly won't shut. Do you know what it is like wearing jeans with a really sharp zipper and the only thing in between some very sensitive skin and some very rough denim (or that really sharp zipper&#41 is a flimsy piece of  fabric that just won't (how can I put this delicately&#41 stay in place? This means that this weekend, I am going to head out to Old Navy and buy a couple of pairs of  "athletic" (read: no fly or button fly&#41 boxers. It looks like Janet is going to inherit another couple of pairs of boxers.

Shopping in Union Square (tourist central and crowded as hell&#41 always makes my blood pressure rise just from the crowds alone. I can only step around so many tourists videotaping buildings (buildings! They don't even move!&#41 in one day. This past Saturday, however, it was the Gap that got my goat. I went in, made it past the giant GapTV screens with the giant GapTV commercials, made my way over to the jeans section and found my size. I couldn't help but notice that there were 5 shelves full of sizes 1 through 8 (mostly sizes 1-4&#41 and only 1 shelf of sizes 10 and up.  I happen to wear a size 12 Gap jean, so I felt a little left out. I mean, it's hard enough to find stuff that looks good in size 12, and here I was in front of a shelf that only had one more pair in my size! Are they saying only tiny-waisted, no-breasted negative-hipped women should buy their clothes? Oh well, their men's stuff is much better quality, and cheaper.
I also had to buy eye-makeup remover, so I went to the Lancome counter and got the only kind that works, the one with oil in it. $18.50! Plus tax! For a little tiny bottle! I swear that 6 months ago this stuff was $12 or $14. At that price, I'm sincerely hoping that I don't knock it over. Alas, I have tried the cheaper $5.95 version, and practically blinded myself it burned so bad.

Today is a day of major depression for Avery. Since my mother is in town visiting (from the oppressive land of Connecticut&#41, I took this as an opportunity to work from home. However, today, my mother decided to go see the 12:15 screening of Saving Private Ryan… which left me free for lunch. So, at around 2pm, I decided to go to Rosamunde for an Italian Sausage sandwich (with onions, peppers and sweet mustard&#41 and instead of eating the sandwich at home, I decided to stop into the Toronado to eat the sausage and have a beer. It was nice to see Dave and Jennifer… and I got to try a new Belgian Brown ale from Liefmans. In the process of having the beer, I picked up a copy of Celebrator Beer News, the authoritative journal for beer in the West Coast.
Page seven revealed the shocking news: "The consequences of this statewide action designed to "save us from ourselves" is just now being felt. The neoprohibitionists (tobacco and alcohol&#41 are euphoric in their successes. On Wednesday, July 15, one of our industry's model brewpubs closed for good.Barley & Hopps in San Mateo, CA, was shuttered, unable to sustain its early years as a great restaurant, superb maker of beer, Blues Club of enormous importance (ask John Lee Hooker&#41 and cigar and single-malt emporium of unique proportions. Some staff members admit that they never recovered from the antismoking ordinance."
So, to all of the State Politicians that thought that the anti-smoking legislation wouldn't hurt business in the State of California, I have just one thing to say: Fuck you.

Here's something depressing and unmotivating: realizing that you probably have to go back to school to get another college degree to get the job that you actually want, while still paying off the first college degree which you were assured would get you the job that you wanted. I can't believe that four years ago, people that were supposed to know what they were talking about assured us that we would be able to get practically "any job we wanted" with Bachelor of  Liberal Studies degrees. Meanwhile, no matter what title you want to slap on my job, it's still pretty much an administrative assistant position, and that's not what I paid $100,000 for!  When I was 10 or 12 years old, I always thought that by 30  I would be an executive or have my own company or be doing something that satisfied me…at least have my own office! I guess I'll have to start studying again, in order to  keep up with the 14-year olds who can design their own web pages.