through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered . . .

I went to the mall today. It mutated far beyond my control. I'm not even telling how much I ended up spending, but I think groceries next week are going to be, like, lentils.

* First, the purchase I actually intended to make. Way back last decade, there was this series by an author named LJ Smith called Night World. Night World was awesome. It dealt in teenage supernatural romance and the idea of soulmates and I have ALWAYS, even as a teenager, thought both those things were CRAP, so you understand how good this series had to be for ME to like it. There were nine books published in a fairly short span of time, as far as I can tell (1996 to 1998 - I got into it a couple years after the last one was published, I think; I had a friend who was HEAVY into it and had to really scrounge around online to find all the books). It was building to a climax and then it just . . . stopped. The final book has still not been published. So I gave up on the series years ago, other than to occasionally wonder, "Did that ever get finished?"

And then Twilight happened, and suddenly teenage supernatural romance was cool and popular again. And Night World is being reprinted, in three three-book volumes, with the final book FINALLY due out sometime next year. I found this out yesterday, and found out the first volume is out, and IMMEDIATELY made plans to hit the mall after work today. I'm about thirty pages in and finding, much to my joy, that it's holding up really well. You can never really tell with the stuff you liked as a teenager; I was ready for it to suck. I am ready for the possibility that it will suck later. But so far, it's good, and I'm really happy.

* This one has girl talk. About bras. Deal.

Meanwhile, I went home over the weekend for my younger sister's birthday celebration. Conversation with Mom and my, uh, older younger sister? the twenty year old, not the eleven year old - turned to bras. As it does. Long story short, it was determined that I should get a fitting and some new bras whenever I could, because apparently ancient sports bras from Wal-Mart really don't cut the mustard after a certain point. Who knew? Not me. I've never known anything about bras. Couldn't be bothered.

But that was in my head when I went into the mall, so I ended up in Victoria's Secret to get fitted. Turns out I've been buying two cup sizes smaller than I should be - which explains why I could never deal with anything except sports bras, since obviously too-small underwires aren't going to be too pleasant - and I have never in my life worn a bra that fit me properly. Now, thanks to the lovely and very helpful Sarah, I am. This fact has led to my being in the following two states of shock:

A) Holy shit, I have boobs. I have nice boobs.

B) Wait, a quality bra costs HOW much?! I CANNOT BELIEVE HOW MUCH I SPENT ON A BRA. I know, I know, Victoria's Secret, paying for the name, blah blah, but I had absolutely no concept of how much could be charged for a bra. I really, really should not have paid it, but I went in there and availed myself of their services fully intending to buy, and I would have felt like an absolute shit just skipping out. And, damn, it's a REALLY awesome bra. I'm not as sorry as I should be.

* So. Possessed of a book and wearing my new bra, I made the TRAGIC mistake of wandering into a Hot Topic, where I was confronted with: a display featuring a squillion Dark Knight Joker t-shirts. (And also an awesome I Believe In Harvey Dent shirt, which I liked but was too cheesily designed for my tastes. I mean, it was a mock political shirt, it was meant to be cheesy, but still. I don't really want to wear Aaron Eckhart on my chest.) And I was just going to look. I really, really was.

But then an employee wandered over all, "All the Dark Knight stuff is ten percent off if you have a ticket stub!" And I just happened to have my stub from Sunday still in my pocket. Dammit, I never had a CHANCE.

So I bought this shirt. It was hard to decide, because there really were some excellent designs - say what you like about Hot Topic, but they give great pop culture t-shirts - but in the end, I really don't like to have my shirts staring at me.

Usually, I buy large t-shirts, just because I always have. It used to be because I found them more comfortable, but now it's mostly out of habit and I tend to find them to be TOO large these days anyway. I have a few shirts that are smaller because I couldn't get larges, and I tend to gravitate toward them more and more lately. So, emboldened by the new bra, I decided to size down, not just to medium, but to SMALL. And I like how it fits. By which I mean that it, like, FITS. It feels a little tight because I'm not used to it, but I checked the mirror and didn't see one of those chicks who wears her shirts way too small and oh my god REALLY REALLY REALLY shouldn't, so I think it's okay.

MOTHER OF CHRIST THIS IS THE GIRLIEST THING I HAVE EVER WRITTEN.

My overall point being - much like this post, my quick trip to the mall to pick up a book got WAY out of hand. And I'm not sorry.

Went to see The Dark Knight again. I have a few random thoughts upon being able to sort things out a bit better.

First, though, for like the one of you who will get it: I walked past a guy in a t-shirt that said "BANE" on the front in giant letters. I managed not to laugh and go, "It's organic!" until after I'd passed him.



( TDK spoilers. )



Also, this movie makes me jumpy. I heard some random beep in a pub bathroom not long after I left the theater and I about jumped out of my skin. Because CLEARLY there was a bomb. In the ladies' room at Bull Feeney's. Yup.