|
| I'm a Movie Star, Part III |
|
|
Today was my last day of mini-vacation. In light of this, I wanted to have some fun in Pasadena before driving home. My intentions were to visit some of the museums and things that are there, but when I parked, I found that in the Colorado Square (I can’t remember the name of the shopping square) were some different music, dance, and theater acts. Apparently there was some kind of anniversary for the Los Angeles Arts. I decided to stay and enjoy that.
I walked up the stairs from the parking garage to the mall/square and started looking at some of the little kiosks there. One guy stopped me and asked me to take a look at his candles. I love candles, so yes, I was sucker and looked at the candles. They were expensive—about $15 for a small candle and $34 for a larger one—but they really were cool. They were gel candles, but there was a little votive area within the globe and so only the inside of the candle melted, leaving the gel on the edges in tact. He showed me what it would look like when the wick was burning and it was really cool! He had some Christmas ones, too. The gel had little bubbles in it so when the candle was burning, it looked like it was snowing. The candles were very cool.
I knew they were a little out of my price range (and besides, I had spent so much money, like I had it or something!) but I have a hard time saying ‘no’. I picked out a couple, one for a gift and one for myself. I took out my check card to pay for it, and he said that he didn’t take them, asking if I had any cash. The total had come to $36 (a little candle and a medium-sized candle plus a discount for buying two) and I told him I only had $25, hoping he’d say that was okay. It doesn’t work that way, I guess! Heh. I told him I’d have to run down to my car to get my checkbook and that I’d be right back. I went and retrieved my checkbook, but on the way back got suckered into buying some kind of amazing, nourishing, aloe-based lotion that would be sure to take away my dry, rough skin. Yeah, I bought the big $40 container. Like I said, I am a sucker!
Because I just spent that amount, I didn’t want to buy the candles, too, especially when I hadn’t really wanted to buy them. What did I do, you might ask? I, uh . . . went back down to my car, dropped off the lotion, walked through the parking garage to the other end of the shopping square, up the stairs and completely avoided the candle kiosk. How horrible am I? Oh well.
There was a 40’s style band and singer performing in the square, so I sat and listened to them for a bit. They were very good. Then I went onto some more kiosks, looking at the jewelry and hair goodies. I continued out to the street and began walking along Colorado Street, which has a lot of little stores strewn about. I went in a few, shopping for windows apparently. I walked up one side, back down, farther down . . . and down . . . and down before turning around. Once again, I did a whole lot of walking, but it felt really good! I stopped in Origins and picked up some mascara and foundation. After the little makeover and pampering night, I had decided I did like the foundation, so I purchased it. Then I walked back toward the car to find someplace to eat lunch before heading home.
Being a particularly picky eater makes it very difficult to find a restaurant. I really wanted to eat somewhere that would be a new experience for me. Although there were a lot of little restaurants, I started feeling self-conscious about eating alone. I finally ended up back at the square and just decided to eat at Islands. We have one in Palm Desert, but that’s okay. I knew that I’d enjoy it.
While I was sitting in my little booth-for-two, I realized that I was not getting the service that one usually likes to receive at a restaurant. It was made very clear to me that I was a just a nuisance, someone that someone had to take care of. I could tell that my waitress felt that I wouldn’t bring her much income and that she would do only the minimum to get me food and then get me out of there. I watched her with her other tables. She was all smiles, returning often to ask them if they needed anything, how things were. She put my food down and left. I barely got a “thank you” out before she walked away. I most certainly didn’t feel like a star anymore!
Before the food actually came, I could see her disinterest in me, I was feeling lonely being in a restaurant by myself anyway, and I actually teared up. How awful to be made to feel that way. I am a good tipper, but I didn’t tip as well as I normally do when I left. She got the bare minimum, but in my opinion hadn’t earned that. However, being a waitress before, I know how important those tips are, so I left just what I should. She could have earned another couple of dollars from me. Too bad for her. Needless to say, when I left there I wasn’t much in the mood for anymore shopping or anything. I went home.
It was a nice drive home. Lucky was happy to see me once I returned, and I just vegged for the rest of the weekend. What a lovely time I had!
previous | current | next
| |