i'm a cheap date

Okay, before you go getting excited, I did not have a date today. In fact, it's been so long since I've been on a date, it's embarassing! No, today, I played hooky from work and had a "me day." So, I guess you could say, I had a date with myself. No, scrap that - it just sounds sad and pathetic.

Aaaanyway, I'm not sure I've ever taken a day off from work in my life, so I wasn't sure what to do. First thing's first, I slept in. Well no, I actually woke up at the usual time, turned on the morning news and laughed at clips of the morning commute, had breakfast, then took another nap before packing my swim trunks and a towel and heading to the pool.

Before heading out, I stuffed $25 into my wallet, and haphazardly decided to make it a $25 day. Basically, the plan was that I'd try to entertain myself with just the money in my pocket...nothing more. Oh, and no pre-planning allowed, so no newspapers or movie listings, etc. So, here's a run-down of my day (format courtesy of mastercard).

pool admission & locker rental - $3.55
I was actually really excited to go to the pool. It's been years since I've been swimming, and I used to do it quite regularly. Heck, I went through Bronze Medallion, Bronze Cross, NLS, AquaLeaders, and Water Safety Instructor Certification. I was hardcore...once upon a time.

And now, I just suck. I made it through 400m before I had to stop and just sit in the kiddie pool to catch my breath and soak my aching muscles. (i don't even want to think about why the kiddie pool is warmer than the regular pool, so don't go there!)

sunshine - free
After my swim, I decided to enjoy the sunshine outside at the adjoining park. The pool itself is just off a highway, but there's plenty of greenspace around it, so it made for a good tanning location. I just whipped out my pool towel, and presto, change-o! Since it was an impromptu tan and I neglected to bring any sunscreen with me, I expected to get a little burnt, but so far, I'm only slightly pink. I hope this means I won't start peeling like a leper.

lunch - $7.02
For lunch, I devoured my Turkey Bacon Club and had a Honey Cruller for dessert, along with an Iced Cappuccino. Mmmm... Timmy HoHo's spreads this great honey mustard sauce on the club, and it's just delicious! Think of an Italian Mama with her lips to her fingers - "perfetto!"

movie admission - $8.55
In the spirit of spontaneity, I went to the ticket counter, asked what the next movie was going to be and bought a ticket for it. Turned out to be Shrek 2, which was nice because I had wanted to see it anyway.

window shopping - $0
Had about 45 minutes to kill before the movie started, so I walked over to Winners to window shop. Actually, I didn't even really pay attention to the windows, I went straight in and checked out the racks. Now, some people hate going to Winners because they never seem to be able to find anything for themselves there. I'm in love with this store because while it may look like a tacky store, there are usually some great finds to be had. It's like a bazaar...you just have to dig around.

I found a pair of pyjama bottoms that i wanted to pick up, but remembering my $25 rule, I didn't make the purchase. I must admit that I sorta cheated though. I ended up placing them on hold and will probably go and pick them up tomorrow.

medium sized iced tea - $3.58
Back to the movie. The theatre was pretty empty, which was nice, so I had my pick of the seats. The last time I went to a movie myself was probably about five years ago, when I was living in Victoria. That time, I was pretty much forced to go by myself since I was new to town and didn't know anyone yet. I enjoyed the solo movie-going, but didn't like that I had to wait for my friends to go watch the flicks before discussing it with them, so I stopped doing it when I moved back to the mainland.

The movie itself was fun. I loved the metropolitan land of Far, Far, Away, copmlete with its own squeegie kids and Farbucks . The intertextual elements and references to other fairy tales was amusing too, and would have made a great essay for my Children's Lit. class if I was still a student.

fliping though magazines - $0
After the movie, I went to Chappies to flip through some magazines and browse the shelves for interesting titles. I tend to pre-shop before buying books. I look for interesting book covers and make a mental note of which books jump out at me, then I usually go home and read reviews and synopses online before narrowing down my choices. This way, I'm usually guaranteed to like the books that I buy. Neurotic, I know, but the pre-shopping concept kept me within my budget for the day since I didn't have to buy anything.

vintage hunting - $0
With about two or three dollars left in my pocket, I decided to hit the thrift store to see if I could score any cool vintage swag...cheap. I found a pink PUMA golf shirt and a striped GIVENCHY dress shirt, but at $4.99, they would have blown my budget for the day.

dvd rental - free
With that, I ended my day and headed home. Had a light tofu dinner and popped in the DVD that my sister rented last night.

grand total = $22.70
Not bad. Good times for under $25. Maybe I should do this on a more regular basis. I could get used to taking time off from work...