What Did You Think of "Pretty in Plaid"?

I will start this post by saying that I'm a huge fan of Jen Lancaster's. Rarely do I laugh out loud when I read a book, much less laugh out loud in public while reading a book {hello, embrassing!}. She absolutely kills me and often I find myself nodding my head, comparing situations in her books to my life.

"Pretty in Plaid" was no exception. While I didn't necessarily enjoy reliving the 80's and being reminded of my awful Brownie and Girl Scouts uniforms, I continue to be amazed by her memory and such accurate recounts of 80's pop culture. Plus? I firmly believe Jen and I must have been separated at birth. We both worked previously in corporate communications. Fletch worked in a call center (so did my husband) doing benefits administration for a consulting firm. I also worked for a consulting firm specializing in benefits administration, but I worked in corporate communications. Ok, so that was a little confusing...

Anyway, my favorite part of the entire book occurs around page 252. Jen is preparing to take the Metra {Chicago's commuter rail system} from her suburban apartment into the city for her new job. Immediately I could relate, as I did the exact same thing those first few years after college when I lived with my parents {don't laugh}. Just like Jen, I was a total wreck about taking the train. I never had a reason to take the train in my entire 20 years of existence, and my parents and friends had never taken it either. So it was all up to me to figure it out. Funny, I still recall how I was so afraid that I'd get on the wrong train...really, the trains only run north near the Wisconsin border and south into the city. You can't mess it up.

So anyway...I must share a little excerpt from the book because I do the EXACT same thing as Jen describes. I am so relieved there is someone out there just as anal as me. I busted out in laughter in the middle of Panera Bread reading this, much to the enjoyment displeasure of the Boca Raton Ladies Who Lunch crowd, if you get my drift.

"I've been driving him {Fletch} nuts for the past twenty-four hours rehashing exactly how I take the Metra commuter rail to get to the city to get to the office. I already have the train schedule memorized. I figure I live a ten-minute drive away from the station, so I plan to leave fourty-five minutes early. Can't be too careful, right? I'm so tense when I get down to my car that I'm trembling while I wipe the dew from my windshield. I adjust my mirrors and double-check everything in my Always Prepared tote bag--keys to this apartment plus the one I still have at school because I couldn't get out of my lease, two shades of lipstick, extra sunglasses, pressed powder, a tube of concealer, a book, a magazine in case I finish the book, a bagged lunch, salt and pepper in case there isn't any in the lunchroom, pepper spray, peppermints, a train schedule, a second train schedule, a third train schedule in case anything unfortunate happens to the first two train schedules, cream and black and neutral pantyhose, clear nail polish in case I run all three extra pairs, an umbrella, mittens in case of a cold snap, socks in case I lose the mittens, a sewing kit, Band-Aids, tampons, a pen, a pencil and a legal paid in case they don't have any in the office, a framed picture of my parents' dog Nixon because I love him, and one extra brass anchor button in case anything pops off my stupid navy suit. Okay, I'm ready."

Ok, this made me laugh so hard I started crying. I'm so glad I'm not 20 years old anymore! I can't believe I used to stash that much stuff in my work bag. Reading this made me think about my new job I'm starting soon and how 15 years ago I'd be worried sick if I had the "right" items in my Always Prepared tote. When I start the job in a few weeks, I'm planning to leave the house with my purse, any necessary paperwork, and that's about it.

Yes, sometimes it does feel good to be an adult!