I sustained an actual enthusiasm for clothes shopping for a record two stores, but by this time I was willing to settle for just trying on a topcoat and seeing how I looked in it. This resolve was strengthened by the $200 price tag on the topcoat.
The trying-on was a disaster. I'd thought I could just wear a topcoat on top of whatever and it would be warm and make me look classy, but I looked like a slob who'd stolen a topcoat from somebody. I was like the woman in Cryptonomicon who starts wearing stockings and then discovers that stockings dictate your entire wardrobe and lifestyle.
The topcoat works on Evan because Evan already has a compatible wardrobe, but it's totally out of my demographic. This was a fairly distressing realization. The coat would not transfer its class to me merely through a mercenary monetary transaction. This is the difference between class and mere wealth, and I don't even have the consolation that I became extremely wealthy and then discovered it.
![[Comments]](/nb//themes/Default/comments.png "4 comments")
(4) Sun Dec 31 2006 21:50:
Today I walked around Manhattan with Evan. I mentioned my desire to own a nice topcoat and Evan took me to basically every clothing store in crowded SoHo. Finally we found a topcoat in the basement of J. Crew. I guess they haven't been selling well lately what with the oppressive non-cold.
I'm glad I got to spend a lot of time with my mother before she died, and I'm glad we got to see Susanna and John for Thanksgiving. My main 2006 regret is along the same lines: I wish we could have all been together for Christmas; I think we should start making plans for next year and get it set up as early as possible. Someone said that with Mom dead we would need to put in work to see each other, because we'd no longer have a natural gathering place, and I'm starting to see the truth in that.
My current plans for next year are writing-related: the REST book and lots more SF. Let me know if you want to read the noir space opera I'm trying to sell.
(1) Sun Dec 31 2006 23:31:
Apart from my crushing last-minute defeat by a topcoat, 2006 was an okay year for me. I got married and got used to New York. I got a book published, and sold a book proposal and a SF story. I saw a lot of friends and had a lot of ideas and played a lot of games.
