Blond over Blue

This is a story of a bargain that made me happy and a rip-off that made me ecstatic.

The Bargain

On Friday morning, while appreciating the amazing whether outside, I walked to a small out door market place here in Soho. There I spotted a necklace that I fell in love with. It had gold and amber beads and a price tag that said $25. I made sure to use my acting skills to make it look like I was uncertain of the necklace and burrowed my eyebrows.

“Oh, so, eh, dat one is a twenty fieve”

At this point I looked up so he could feel the full force of my hesitate face. I even puckered my lips to the side so that I would appear extra trouble by my decision.

“For a pretty face a like yours, twenty”

At this point I sighed, gave the man a quick smile and put the necklace down, “It’s a great necklace but I only want to spend $15.”

Sold!

The Rip Off

Later that day it occurred to me that I needed a lamp for my desk. I went to the K-mart on the Astor Place stop. There were two aisles dedicated to lamps in said store.

To say that the options were dismal would be an understatement.

The entire selection of lamps was made up of fake antique, ugly, or completely devoid of any taste lamps.

I chose a lamp that was all three.

From a distance it appears to be a perfectly fine lamp:

Up close however:

Allow me explain my attraction. The television masterpiece “Wonder Falls” (may it rest in peace) was about a girl who talked to toy animals. This included a very wise monkey that helped her to get the man of both her dreams and mine. The way I see it, Rafiki is going to start talking to me any day now in kyptic messages that will somehow lead me to meeting Billy and our marriage ensuing.

If he can’t get me Billy at least he could get me the guy from Wonder Falls.

On another note, the lamp also cost be $15 (including the shade!). This was probably $10 more than it is actually worth, so after spending $30 in the day, I’m pretty sure I came out even. The lady in the check out was trying to get me to buy a $3 one year warranty, but the thing is so clunky and sturdy I think that its 10x more likely to fall and break my floor than the other way around…