enJOY it

Old Town Pasadena.

I went because I was determined to look inside the fabulous paper store that I saw yesterday before the football game.  But when I get to Old Town there are cars upon cars.  Which equals no available parking in the free structure.  Because I refuse to pay $5 for parking, I drive up and down Colorado, waiting for street parking.  And finally I find it, and dig under the seat to find enough change to feed the meter for 41 minutes. 

I rush down four blocks to Paper Source, which happens to be one of those stores that when you enter you accidentally say "Ohhh" out loud.  Because it is so beautiful.  Just racks of paper and cards and planners and ribbon.  So much texture and color to take in.  So I wander aimlessly and look at everything and nothing at the same time.  And then I see this mug.  And if you are anything like me you are thinking, Dude, how fabulous.  But if you actually ARE me you are thinking, Dude, how fabulous, but you should have a job before you spend $9.50 on a mug when you could just WRITE that on a Styrofoam cup.

So without the mug, but with four [pretty fabulous] stickers and 20 minutes left on the meter, I head back down the street.  And then I see Starbucks, and decide that because I have a gift card I can stop in.  And resisting the urge to leave when I see the crowd, I wait.  And wait and wait.  And finally, after 16 minutes of tapping my fingers on the bar I have my coffee and I am out the door.

This time I fly down the street to my car.  And thanks to the 80-degree-in-December-
weather I am starting to perspire and I KNOW people are staring at the crazy girl running down the crowded street.  But I reach the ticket-less little bug and hop in as the meter starts to flash. 

As I enter into traffic and take my first sip of my melting drink, I think about my four stickers and the $5 I saved.  And I smile.