16 December 2011

The Hundred Dollar Sweatshirt... and other stuff

As I sit here in my hundred dollar sweatshirt thinking about Christmas and how little prep work I've done so far, I am not nervous. I am not stressed. It is what it is. I'm letting go and finding balance. And I have a hundred dollar sweatshirt...so I am alllllll set.

It would be funny if I were to tell you that I had gone to Costco today with the sole purpose of picking up a sweatshirt. And walked out with a 30-pack of Northern Quilted toilet paper, a Brita water filter, two dozen Duracell AA batteries, an 8-lb. block of Kraft American Cheese Singles, and one of those double-packs of Honey Nut Cheerios in addition to a Gloria Vanderbilt sweatshirt. Seriously, who hasn't done that?

Or what if I said that I had gone into the local Goodwill to grab a sweatshirt but had gotten waylaid by all the awesome VHS tapes they were selling three for a dollar (who wouldn't love copies of He Said, She SaidAn Officer and a Gentleman, and Field of Dreams?) and the myriad of kitchen tools just begging to become a Granny's Gadgets feature? If I went on to tell you that after finding the sweatshirt, selecting a fine assortment of 80's and 90's entertainment, unearthing THE Ginsu (!) and escaping for under twenty bucks with all that loot, I went outside to find my car with a $78 parking ticket tucked neatly under the windshield wiper...in it's o-so-cheery neon green envelope :)...that would be kind of funny, right?

While both of those scenarios would have resulted in a "hundred dollar" sweatshirt complete with a laugh and some good commiseration, this is not a funny story. And my hundred dollar sweatshirt gets no quotation marks.

I have a hard time fathoming how someone could spend so much on a #@*ing sweatshirt...but people do. They don't even wait for them to go on sale...they plunk down full retail for these suckers. Having worked in retail for years and years, I have a really hard time doing that :P

Now being in possession of a hundred dollar sweatshirt (I am wearing it right at this moment...and if you are reading this pretty much anytime in the next five years, I will probably be wearing it right at the moment you are actually reading this), I must say it is really, really nice. But I probably wouldn't spend real money on one. I won mine...remember that Soyjoy Workout Wardrobe Make-over Contest?

I've gone from this:


To this:


Notice how I look a lot more comfortable in the tattered, 'vintage' outfit?
it might be the clothing... 
but it might be the fact that the fancy sweatshirt picture was taken in the kitchen.

I had a little of my winnings left over. It's been converted to a gift card that will be part of the Jingle Bell Hell 2011 Grand Prize. Click that link to see details of the real and virtual races this weekend.

All runners who submit a race recap linking back to Taking It On will be entered in a drawing for various running-related prizes...Nuun, Gu, reflective stickers, a race-number belt, those sorts of things... and my favorite write-up (can be a blog post, a facebook update, an email to me that I can post on my blog, or a photo representing your hellacious fun) will win a $10 iTunes gift card and a $30 Lululemon gift card (that'll get you a headband or a pair of socks...or roughly 30% off on a pair of running tights...and they do have stuff for guys).

Please understand the write-up winner selection is entirely subjective. Big Hint: I am looking to laugh. 

But honestly, it's not about the prizes...it's about having fun.

Disclaimers: Do I need disclaimers? Some of the stuff in the giveaway I won, some I bought and some was given to me in exchange for nothing. Except the Nuun... some might say I sold my soul for that one.  But Hood to Coast was worth it.

19 comments:

  1. Holy crap - nice sweatshirt! I liked your alternative explanations though. I have a lot of items that would resemble the Costco trip (although we don't have that here so sub Walmart for Costco). I'm trying to fight off a wicked head/chest cold, but have thought about my Jingle Bell Hell race course options and plan to attempt it. Trying to figure out how to make it the most "fun" and "hellish" at the same time.

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  2. Haven't read this yet but you look so pretty in that second picture.

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  3. Love. Love. Love the new sweatshirt.
    Kinda did the old one too though.
    You're style just rocks. Plain & simple.

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  4. I bet $100 sweatshirt is super warm and comfy, you sure look happy in it. :)

    I'm running a hellish race tomorrow, so I took the bait and signed up for Jingle Bell Hell - the virtual addition. I think I will dedicate the last loop of my race to it.

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  5. This whole post is in momspeak and though I recognize some of the words I don't understand context. In momspeak does "$100 sweatshirt" translate into "fashionable anti-gravity suit"? Because with that stitch pattern on the front it looks like something you'd wear on a journey to Mars - looking fashionable of course.

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  6. I'm impressed you got out of Costo with so little!! I'm a minimum $200 Costo girl myself...and I always look at my bill and say, "Seriously? I didn't even buy anything!"

    Love the sweatshirt, though...and you look adorable :).

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  7. There is a winter ultra tomorrow in Pullman (50k). I'm not running the whole thing, but a couple loops will work for jingle bell Hell right?!

    btw, your eyes POP in the second pic!

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  8. All things go better with a block of cheese. Too bad that was not the scenario. I have been in Costco 1 time. I bought nothing. I am the sooo not with the times. I'm heading to my little gym to run 7 miles. Guess I better get in on your giveaway!!

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  9. I'm having trouble with the very concept of a $100 sweatshirt. I sure wouldn't be sweating in it, even if I did win it.

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  10. well look at you fancy pants in your $100 sweatshirt! :) It does look super cozy. Planning on doing some sort of run tomorrow, prob just a 5k b/c of the PF (STILL) and prob on flat boring loop, so yes, it will definitely be hell-ish...

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  11. Honestly, I like the first look better if I'm lookin' for a friend to hang around and chillin' at home (or running the Jingle Bell Hell), but woman, you looked *woot woot!* gorgeous in that second photo!!! GORGEOUS!!!

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  12. The second photo of you in the new sweatshirt is great. The color of the sweatshirt really sets off the blue in your eyes. I'll have to see if I can talk my running buddy into some sort of "Jingle Bell Hell" run on Sunday. I'll keep you posted.

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  13. Akk!the weekend has arrived & all those hills I work so hard to avoid will now be my hellish run!

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  14. That is a beautiful sweatshirt, when you said it was $100 I immediately thought of the beautiful shirt I've been coveting on lululemon! I'm glad you won it, because like you I can't fathom spending that much on a sweatshirt, it is gorgeous. Must think about Jingle Bell Hell...

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  15. Just ran my own 10 miles jingle bell hell run. Hope to post on my page soon. Felt tough with only 6 miles under my belt for the week. Miss you and yes your eyes look fabulous with the news sweatshirt.

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  16. We run our Jingle Bell Hell Sunday morning! Can't wait!

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  17. I have one of those favorite sweatshirts. My hubby so go sick of looking at me wearing the same one that he went and bought me a new one. I hope he looked for a sale, although his mental sanity was probably worth full price.....

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  18. I already wrote a recap of an awesome run I had today! I would love to enter the giveaway...do I need to make a link on your page or something?

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  19. I'm guilty of $100 jeans, but not sweatshirts!

    I'm unfortunately sick, so I'm gonna have to have a Hell run next week!

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