Why I will never be a fashionista

The short version of this story is that I lost my new tuque two times in one week.

The longer version is:

These past months I've been working on improving my wardrobe. My baseline was casual, eclectic, and minimally acceptable for any office environment. That fit pretty well with my last job, which I had for seven years. It involved a lot of work outdoors, not a fancy setup at all. But I have a new job that requires a more professional approach to wardrobe.

That's one reason why I decided to buy more clothes. Early January is of course a good time to stock up on sale items from the winter season, so I hit the stores, quite successfully.

Along with the needed items, there are the not so needed items. My new pink tuque was one such item. I spotted it a couple of weeks ago. It was on sale, it was a nice dark pink colour, and best of all, right beside it was a pretty colour coordinated scarf. I bought them both.

I felt good about the new tuque and scarf. It improved on my existing tuque, which I've had for four years. The old tuque is alright, it's warm with a fleece lining, good quality, washable. I have a number of scarves too, none of which can be said to be a really good match with my old tuque. The new pink tuque and scarf however would look better, and give me OPTIONS -- the hallmark of the well dressed woman. I wore them everyday for the first two weeks.

Then, last week, I left my new hat on the bus. Just after I stepped off one freezing morning on the way to work, I realized it. It was too late. I was irritated by the loss. I don't often lose things (permanently let me emphasize -- some people will point to my habit of misplacing things temporarily, but I FIND them again!) Moreover, it seemed a waste to lose something I had just purchased. As if the cost divided by the number of times I'd worn it were the true measure of the loss.

Unwilling to give up, though the price of it was not really the issue, I pursued my lost tuque to the OC Transpo lost and found office. If you have never been there, let me tell you the staff are really nice, though they did not want to look for it themselves. The lady I spoke to sounded a bit harried actually, as if the phone was constantly ringing and she hoped to have only a brief conversation about my hat. So today after work, I went down to the Lost and Found on Chapel Street. The lady told me to look in a large filing cabinet where they put the hats and mitts. Another note on her tone: she wished me good luck as if the chances were slim it would be there. I wondered, would I find my tuque?

Yes! I opened the first drawer and there it was, lying partially covered by other winter gear, amid a deep drawer full. The pink popped out immediately. I think the staff person was surprised. I was happy. Reunited. I thanked the staff and thought with gratitude of the passenger, bus driver, however many people had a part in this small miracle.

I headed home by bus. While waiting at the stop, I tried on my tuque. To be honest, I wondered if I had spent enough time looking. Maybe this wasn't really the same one. Yes, it felt right, the fit was the same.

I got off at the Rideau Centre and trekked through to the transit way. Again, stopped in a couple of stores, but didn't buy anything. On the way out, I reached for my hat -- and quickly realized it was gone. AGAIN!

I checked my tote bag. Only old tuque was there. I checked my pockets. I decided to retrace my steps. I was incredibly irritated! I was getting hungry. A cursory retrace did not turn up Pink Tuque. I am just now getting out the frustration. And over such a small insignificant item really. I'm sure I'll feel even better tomorrow.