Why the silly title? Remember that mid-90s show 2 Guys, a Girl and A Pizza Place?
Ryan Reynolds [formerly Mr. Alanis Morrisette, formerly Ms. You-Can't-Do-That-On-Television (the later years), currently Mr. Scarlett Johansson] was on that show, with the dreamy Nathan Filion. But I digress...
PART 1: 2 SCHOOLS
Today I didn't have to get up at an ungodly hour, and even the hideous No VA traffic did not get me down. This morning, I heard "Is It Like Today" by World Party and "Oblivion" by Electronic back-to-back just like they used to do it on HFS, an audio flashback to my time at MICA. But no, it was 15 years later, and I was on my way to my first visit at 9:20 am. By 2:00 pm I was done with my second visit. Overall, I was a bit weirded out by how quiet the kids were. Even when their teacher wasn't there, they sat in their seats and read the materials I brought for them. Even their teacher told me (in a Real World Confessional Moment) that she often felt like starting a ruckus herself so that they could learn to act like real kids.
PART 2: THE MALL
Tysons Corner Center is the biggest mall in Virginia, but not as big as King of Prussia in PA and Mall of America in MN, both of which I am not ashamed to admit, I have both visited. Still, I had to go. I just managed to miss the onslaught of buses converging on the second school, and set a course with Garmin for Tysons. One of my pet peeves is being able to see the second level of a mall with no easy access to that second level (i.e. escalators clear on the other end). Tysons is like that. What I bought: A cool grey GAP dress that can be dressed up or dressed down, GAP plum tights, Stila Cherry Crush cheek/lip stain, sparkly Stila Kitten eyeshadow, a Shu Uemura mini-eyelash curler, a clear makeup case, cupcakes from Cakelove and an IPEX bra in the correct size. What I didn't buy: a navy umbrella with red polka dots (the GAP people claimed that it was a GAP Outlet umbrella that could not be returned to a regular GAP, therefore they couldn't sell it to me), a Quotable umbrella at Barnes & Noble (too cute), "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" by Michael Chabon, two GAP mini-skirts (too short), and an IPEX bra in the incorrect size (a C-cup? Really? I don't think so! Still the salesgirl tried to to sell it to me!
I walked past The Limited (my friend Donna and I were obsessed with the Forenza label surf-inspired T-shirts popular in the mid 80s) but did not go in. I also walked by the Esprit store (which was another label I was obsessed with in the mid 80s but Donna, not so much) and did go in, but didn't buy anything. I was at Tysons for about five hours, with the idea that I would 1. get my workout by walking around aimlessly at a fast clip and 2. miss all of rush hour, which the kids at school 2 told me lasted from 4 to 7pm. I think I succeeded at both.
PART 3: AND A THUNDERSTORM
The weather forecast predicted rain by evening, which seemed far-fetched in the sunny afternoon. On my drive back to the hotel, however, a dark cloud loomed overhead flickering with cloud lightning. It was lovely. I wanted to watch it instead of the road. I left the radio off, and it was a strange, eerie experience driving with the flashing strobe effect of the lightning. By the time I made it to my temporary home, the lightning had begun to fork out into the more serious stuff, and thunder started to rumble in the background but it didn't start raining until I was safely inside my room, looking out the window: Just in time. I have two whole days left to check out the intriguing "Bombay Bistro" down the street....Oh, and Ama emailed me a photo of my Jackie O/Andy Warhol bag... at Marshalls! Oh, the humanity! I told her I would have bought every single one if I'd been there in PA.
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