Yellow ... or is it orange?

I went for coffee at Starbucks this evening. They closed early. To appease the people in the Starbucks, they handed out free coffees to everyone there ... the leftovers, I'm guessing. They gave out the largest size ... and it was caffeinated.

So, it's 2:30 am and I'm wide awake. I only had 1/2 of it ... but remember, I had a coffee before that (mind you, it was decaf). I was talking to a friend halfway across the country until about 1 am. At that time, I said I should get ready for bed. Hehe. Guess I didn't. The coffee is keeping me up ... I may as well post something.

Today, I bought a new winter jacket. The yellow one has seen better days. At a birthday party on Friday, when the temperature was well below zero, the zipper broke again. There's only so many times you can squeeze the slider with a plier to 'fix' the zipper. I found a jacket at MEC that was on sale. Apparently, it's a good time to buy winter jackets ... they are trying to clear out this season's clothes.

Later, I went to a mall to develop a film and to check on jackets there too in case there was another that I liked that was cheaper and good quality. I must say that there are many jackets out there solely for 'fashion' and not for warmth. There was one jacket that was a 'winter parka' where the tags did not talk anything about warmth but showed about 20 different pockets and gadgets with the jacket including an mp3 pocket, a cell phone pocket and a pocket for a ski lift ticket that can be pulled down to show the ticket. If all those pockets were full, that jacket would be very heavy. Definitely something worth stealing for those who are so inclined. As I was leaving the mall, I saw a shoe repair place and decided to check whether they could fix my zipper on my yellow jacket. Sure enough, they could. Well, sort of. They replaced the slider - in a hideous colour that does NOT match the jacket. Oh well, that jacket is now my back-up jacket.

I should tell the story of my yellow jacket ... why I bought it. :)

I saw the jacket first in a catalogue. Unfortunately, the price was about $300. Quite out of my budget. That was probably 8 years ago. The winter following my return from Australia (7 years ago), I realized my previous jacket was losing it's stuffing ... from a hole in the back of the jacket. Definitely time for a new one. I was shopping with my sister and her husband. I saw the jacket in a store ... on sale for $99! My first thought was, "Wouldn't it be fun to shock mom?" I could totally picture her response .... she'd stand at the top of the stairs by the kitchen, lean over a bit, sort of twist her mouth, tilt her head and say, "Yellow????" when she'd see the jacket for the first time. I so looked forward to showing her the jacket for the first time. I bought the jacket primarily for the shock factor. And, sure enough ... I got the exact reaction I was expecting including the facial expression and everything else I described. Except, she said, "Orange????" I still smile when I think about that moment. The jacket was well worth the 'shock factor'. :) Sorry mom, not trying to make fun of you so please don't be offended. You are just predictable in some things. Hehe.

This new jacket, however, is 'sensible'. It's a more neutral colour. It's also less bulky and it's nice and soft. No 'Michelin man' jacket for me - that seems to be a very popular style right now. Hopefully the jacket will be as warm as the yellow one. When I got home after going for coffee, the temperature was -20, I believe, Wind chill not factored in. It kept me warm tonight as we went for coffee ... me on my scooter and my friend walking.

Ok, time to get ready for bed now. My eyes are almost closing. And it's now almost 3 am.