Today For Lunch

Today for lunch, I took a jacket to Martin’s Tailor. They were the tailor that won my Tailor Trials. They had quoted me $55 last time to alter this jacket. This time, she sees the button holes (which she noted last time) on the sleeves and says, “Oh, I can’t do that (shortening the sleeves). The button holes are in the way.”

I was a little befuddled, but what was I going to do? Tell her, “No! You shorten those sleeves NOW!” So I left and went to see Ozzy at The Rack.

So Ozzy sizes it up, I point out the button holes, and he adjusts the sleeve length. Well, for the proper sleeve length, all three button holes would be tucked up in the new hem.

So he goes, “You’d lose all three button holes. Is that ok?” I said, “Sure.” Thinking otherwise I have a jacket with gorilla arms.

And off we go. Problem solved. He’ll reattach the buttons decoratively and we’re set. Now, Nordstrom Rack charges twice as much for alterations to clothes you don’t buy there. LAME. He tells me this, fills out the alterations sheet, and comes back to me with his card.

“Here’s my cell phone number. I also do alterations at home. It’s a little cheaper.”

BINGO! And just like that, I have a jacket that cost more to alter than it did to buy, but I have the home phone number of a tailor I like.

CASE CLOSED.

Today for lunch, I walked out to IOA to meet some old friends. Well, mostly one old friend who has since married and spawned a child and impregnated his wife with a second. And he brought his parents.

Good times were had by all, and I got to buy a second Butterbeer mug. Now my girls can toast each other with acrylic steins of milk.

Today for lunch, I went and met Ali and Kaylee’s new teachers. And got to see the brand new school building! It all looks wonderful. So much better than being in portables. Kaylee is downstairs and Ali is up and a bit down the hallway. Good daily exercise. :-)

Both teachers seemed really nice, and Ali’s 1st grade teacher (who was fantastic) said Ali’s new teacher was a great fit. So super yay’s all around.

Today for lunch, I ran a few errands at the mall. Yes, we even have palm trees indoors.

Today for lunch, I packed my trunk and a van full of stuff for a weekend retreat to Lake Kerr with the Young Adults. Off we go!

Today for lunch, I ate. And it was GOOD. We took an end-of-summer daycation to Coco Key Water Park (think hotel with a water park instead of just a pool). They have a FL resident day ticket and they’re right down the street so…

It’s a really fun place with far less people than Aquatica or Wet ‘n Wild would have. Just perfect for a short, one-day excursion.

Can’t type more—gotta go swim and slide! In 30 minutes, of course.

Today for lunch, I laid my hands on a can of Cheerwine… which I did not drink until after 4pm! Cheerwine is a local soda out of North Carolina. Which is where a co-worker of mine was over the weekend and returned with the booty!

We used to get it all the time on our annual summer & winter youth group trip to Teen Valley Ranch. One sip and I was instantly transported back to the 24-hour bus ride to get there, putt putt golf, riding horses, the zipline, and epic games of capture the flag in the woods around the camp. Good times. Scratch that—great times.

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Today for lunch, I sent off a letter. To the address shown above. For the purpose of getting less junk mail.

If you want to reduce the amount of unsolicited national advertising mail you receive at home, you may register with the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA’s) Mail Preference Service (MPS)…

I first heard about it in Dave Ramsey’s “Financial Peace University”, but there are plenty of places online with info. PrivacyRights.org explains how it works here and provides more info here (although they have a different PO box. Hmm…). Apparently you can even do it online. Even better.

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Today for lunch, I bought some new kicks I’d been saving up for. Clarks Bushacre desert boots in Beeswax. Suh-weet!

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Today for lunch, I started The Great Tailor Trials of 2010. I had previously scoped out Martin’s Tailor, a local joint featuring a friendly woman named Kim. My second contestant was Nordstrom Rack. Turns out today was the first day for their new tailor, Ozzy.

I gave each tailor an identical shirt (XXL Façonnable button-down dress shirts) and offered minimal input on the fitting. When I get them back, I’ll compare the results.

Now, before the final shirts show up, there are additional factors to consider: price, distance, communication/service, expertise, and speed.

Price
NR = $38 | MT = $15
Martin’s wins hands down, obviously. Nordstrom Rack charges almost double for their services when you bring in clothes you don’t buy there. If they didn’t, it’d be neck and neck. The Rack also goes by a corporate rate card, so you’re not going to get any breaks. However, I also took a jacket in to get quotes on, and they weren’t that far apart ($55 vs. $68), but Martin’s was still the cheaper.
Winner: Martin’s

Distance
They’re both pretty close to my office, but it is easier to get to Martin’s. However, you get to browse (or buy) lovely clothes and shoes when you go to the Rack. That can be good and bad. :-)
Winner: Draw

Communication/Service
Both were non-native English speakers. Ozzy was Brazilian, Kim from an Asian country. I’d probably go with Chinese if pressed. Ozzy definitely had a better grasp of English, but both proved to be a bit of a struggle to communicate clearly with. However, Ozzy was more conversational and seemed to be taking his time with me. By the time Kim finished marking up the shirt and I’d turned around, she was already in the other room writing up my ticket. But Martin’s was a nicer environment; you were in the fitting room in a private business, not just the dressing room of a big clothing store.
Winner: Draw

Expertise
Ozzy said he started tailoring when he was nine when his mom started teaching him. That’s pretty strong. I didn’t get to talk to Kim about her background (see above on disappearing), so I don’t know. The way Ozzy answered my questions (especially about the jacket) and discussed options gave me a lot more confidence in him.
Winner: Rack

Speed
This isn’t too big a deal, since one wouldn’t usually be needing things in a flash. But ya never know, so it’s worth a quick mention in an already-too-long-than-I-ever-thought-it-would-be post. The Rack had a posted date of next Wednesday for it to be ready. But Ozzy said it’d be ready by Saturday. Kim quoted me next Wednesday. Guess one week is industry standard.
Winner: Rack

Assuming the shirts are fairly close in fit, I’ll probably use Kim at Martin’s as my go-to tailor. Even though I liked Ozzy more, the price just wouldn’t justify using him. Of course, if I need to tailor something that I buy at Nordstrom Rack (or regular Nordstrom), he’s my guy.

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