What does your registry say about you?

Van and I have been spending a lot of time lately building our wedding registry. We have spent many hours debating the merit of certain brands of toasters, blenders, knives and cookware to select the exact items we want most. We have also been worried about what certain items would say to our guests. For instance:

Vacu Vin Wine Saver - I start things that I don't finish.

Vacu Vin Wine Saver Extra Stoppers - Maybe I start a lot of things I don't finish.

Simple Chinese Cooking a Cookbook by Kylie Kwong - I'm trying to impress my soon-to-be-mother-in-law

Black and Decker 6-Volt Cordless Screwdriver - Van must have been working on the registry that day.

20 Pieces of Lock&Lock Airtight Storage Containers - We love Lock&Lock!

Glass Pitcher, Glass Vases and Glass Canisters - Van is putting way too much trust in me not to break something.

Culinary Torch - Clearly, I am asking for trouble.

Blue Dessert Knife - We eat enough cakes, brownies and can't leave alone bars to warrant getting a special knife.

Metrokane Rabbit Corkscrew - I apparently need to get into my wine faster.

No Cell Phone=No Shopping

This afternoon I decided to take a short walk around the area by my office during my lunch hour and as I often do, I called my dad to chat. I usually walk and talk, occasionally stopping in a store if something catches my attention. I’m not a super spender, but there are times when I do purchase items during those little “walk and talks.”

Today I started my walk on Connecticut heading up toward Dupont Circle. I stopped in the Gap to check out the new spring merchandise and wandered around there for a bit before moving on.

Still on my phone, I decided to stop in a little shop just South of Dupont Circle. It’s a cute little store that sells books, novelties, accessories and clothing. The store was fairly empty. There was maybe one other customer and two sales women. I started looking at the books when I felt a tap on the shoulder. It was one of the saleswomen informing me that the store has a no cell phone policy.

I promptly left and finished my conversation all the while feeling kind of irked. I decided to return to the store to inquire about the policy. I entered the still empty store and approached the sales counter.

“I didn’t realize that there was a no cell phone policy in the store,” I said to the saleswoman. “If I had known I wouldn’t have come in and I wish that there would have been something clearly marked on the door that I would have seen before I came in.”

The saleswoman started explaining that there wasn’t a lot of space and there was notice posted near the door and that she appreciated that I had respected the policy.

I said that I understood but that I would probably not visit the store again and left.

I admittedly have a whole third-grader-have-to-please-can’t-do-anything-wrong issue. I truly felt like I was being chastised. I wasn’t screaming on the phone, laughing hysterically or being a disturbance. There wasn’t anyone around me at all.

I think that I would have felt differently about the situation if the saleswoman would have taken a different approach. She could have waited until I was off the phone and just said something like “I just wanted to let you know for the next time that you visit that we have a no cell phone policy” instead of pouncing on me as soon as I entered the store, especially since the store wasn’t crowded.

I completely agree with having a no cell phone policy at the movie theater or in a spa. I would even go along with having one at an extremely high-end store like Vera Wang or Hermes. If you are about to blow $1000 on one item of clothing you should have all the quiet you need. Having a no cell phone policy at a little gift boutique seems pretentious to me. What if you are in the middle of trying on clothes or waiting to pay when your babysitter calls about your kids? Do you pick up the phone and stay in the store defiantly? Do you drop every potential purchase and accept the call once you are outside the door of the store?

Maybe I have strayed too far from etiquette, taking for granted my right to talk on the phone or even overacting. What do you think? Would you shop at a similar store if you knew they had a no cell phone policy? Especially one so diligent about enforcing the policy? Maybe it all depends on whether you were already on the phone or not.

Oh, I Sure Did!

Yup, I wore flip flops on my way to work today. I don't care what month it is, if it is 71 degrees it's time to wear flip flops. Thankfully my pedi still looks great!

Deception

If I didn't know better I would think it was Spring. The warm sun, cheerful mood, bright skies and everyone milling around sans coat. It doesn't seem quite fair that in a few days we'll be back to the cold, chilly winds and gray winter days. What a perfect day to enjoy the moment.

A Little Beach Break

I'm finally back from all of my holiday excursions. Van and I had a blast on our cruise to the Bahamas. The weather was simply beautiful and thankfully I didn't get a sunburn.

It wasn't quite the Love Boat...

We were finally able to get off the boat.

Beach refreshment, anyone?

Maybe if I wish hard enough I can be back on the beach.

Van conquering the rockwall.