groceries

Okay. I can't really cook. Well. Maybe the more accurate thing to say is I don't really cook. I'm capable. When I try things taste generally good and don't make anyone throw up afterwards. But I don't generally have a ton of time to cook or anyone to cook for beside myself. And I'd just as soon make some mac and cheese as anything more interesting than that when I'm the only one eating it.

But, I'm trying to eat super healthy due to the next few months having lots of look-my-best occasions. When I eat super healthy I wind up eating a lot of the same things over and over again and that gets hopelessly boring quite quickly. And Glamour has all these yummy recipes online that actually don't make that many servings. For instance, a mushroom stroganoff. I am a mushroom addict.

So, I've decided that I'm going to make this tomorrow. And yesterday I went shopping for the ingredients. Instead of going to WalMart like I always do I decided to find a grocery store closer to my townhouse because I just needed food, instead of needing other random things that make WalMart a more logical choice. There's a grocery store right down the road, but it's pretty shady and I don't really like going there, so I decided to check out the Copps that I knew the general location of but had never been to before.

Oh am I ever glad I did. The front on the outside is all natural stone and the inside is tile and warm paint tones and softer lighting. It's new and shiny and clean. I LOVE it. I am seriously excited to go grocery shopping again just so I can go to the pretty grocery store that has all the same things as WalMart.

This is why I love marketing. It's the packaging, the presentation. Well, and a lot more than that. But a big part is how things are displayed and how that can influence the customer. The customer service wasn't really any better at Copps than at WalMart. The guy at the meat counter didn't even hardly smile at me. But there was pretty tile on the wall behind him. And washed stone on the ground underneath my feet. And that made the whole experience better.

I cannot WAIT for school to start again. I need brain food.

people

Every year I buy one People magazine. Their Sexist Man Alive Issue. I can't help myself.

This year, this image was my favorite.



Surprising, I know, but I think it's fantastic. It's part of an ad for GMC, and on the page next to it it says "IDEAS ARE SEXY TOO." Cracks me up.


I also, however, happened to enjoy the pictures of Ryan Reynolds, Matt Bomer, Tim McGraw, Chace Crawford, the Glee boys...you get the idea.

pink

I am hopelessly addicted to Victoria's Secret PINK. I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't help myself.

What's cool about PINK is how phenomenal their marketing is. They leave no detail out, and they've defined their brand. Most people think of sexy things when they think of regular Victoria's Secret, because that's how they've branded their store in general, but PINK is for college girls, and a younger, more fun version of sexy. Still bras and underwear, but with funny(underwear with lollipops and the word "sucker" on them), bright patterns at a more affordable price. Not that it's cheap, but slightly more affordable than their usual stuff. Plus they have comfortable clothing, like zip ups, hoodies, sweatpants and yoga wear, and perfumes and body sprays in light, fruity scents. They've got a younger set of models with bright-eyed, girl-next-door looks and the photoshoots are fun and basic.

They use a little dog as part of their logo, and they also sell them, or often offer them free with a PINK purchase. I love mine, just because it's bright and happy. They do a lot with coupons for a free panty, or $10 off a purchase, drawing broke college kids in, and they market using things those college kids care about. They've combined a peace sign with a heart in their current line, and promote things like going green and recycling with a hint of college-age humor(shirts saying, "save water, shower together").

It's so smart. They bring young girls in giving them exactly what they need at that stage of their lives, and then they've already got that door opened for when those college girls get their first jobs and need professional clothing, and guess what? Those coupons work for any Victoria's Secret product, not just the PINK line. Maybe $10 free would be better used towards a purchase for Victoria's Secret dress pants, or a blazer, or new wear-anytime boots that they can wear to work and wear out at night. And when that working girl gets married, there's a whole section of white lace that her husband is bound to enjoy on their wedding night.

Possibly the most brilliant thing they've done is teamed up with colleges, combining the school's logo with theirs, and making it available online and in stores near those colleges. I bought right into that scheme, ordering a zip up as soon as they came out. Girls love that stuff, having athletic wear that's more girly, fitted and also carrying the VS logo.

They've recently put out a new line of organic body care products. Lotions, hand cream, chapstick, shave cream, body wash. The works. All the products are green, and I'm crazy about them. I'm not even a huge green backer. I mean, it's 100% a good idea and I try to make smart purchases, but if a lotion smells good and moisturizes, I'm going to buy it whether or not it's green. I tried the shave cream and think it's excellent, but what I really love is the lotion.

There's three of them, Energizing, Nourishing, and Soothing. There are days where I wear all three. I put on the Energizing first thing in the morning because it smells so fresh and gets me more excited about my bike ride. Then after my shower I'll put on the Nourishing one for the day, or whatever other lotion I might want to smell like. Before bed I put on the Soothing one...it smells amazing and makes me sleepy because it's a part of my nighttime routine now. There's no question, I'm definitely hooked.