After our family hike a few days ago I realized I was the only member of my little family who does not own a pair (or 4) of tech pants. You know, outdoorsy pants with spf that dry super fast AND convert into shorts. With the way the bugs like me around here I am thinking that long pants are a necessity.

We were at the mall a few days ago (the same day we got the library cards) and I saw a Columbia Store. Perfect! And I was pleasantly surprised at the prices. I would have been happy to find similar prices in Oregon. I grabbed two sizes to try on. My normal size (I lived in Oregon. That's how I know my normal size in Columbia.) and I grabbed one size smaller thinking maybe just maybe all this walking and sweating in the heat was contributing to extra weight loss.

We forgot our scale when we moved here. I don't want to talk about that.

Anyway I took the pants into the dressing "room" which I swear to you was the size of an airplane lav. But darker. And the mirror was tiny. I tried the smaller ones first. One leg half way in was all it took for me to realize that wasn't going to work out. So I reluctantly grabbed my normal size and put them on. Felt right, looked right. I was especially pleased with the length--it's unusual that stuff is not too long on me. I heard my kids starting to go crazy out in the store with B so I quickly put myself back together and headed to the cashier to buy the pants. I couldn't believe how easy it had been to find them!

I handed the smaller size reject back to the sales girl and I put the ones I wanted on the counter. She starts to ring up the sale and as she scans the tag
she says "These are big size. Small size no fit you?"
me "No, bigger size was better." Thank you so much, Tiny Asian Girl, for pointing this out.
she says "Oooooohhh small size no fit you. Ok ok."
At this point I know that my use of sarcasm will only confuse her so I kept quiet.

When we left the store I asked B if he had heard any of this. He said he did hear it and he knows that she was actually complimenting me because she thought I looked little enough that the smaller size should have fit. B is a smart smart man. I truly hope that's what she meant!

So today I went to put these "big" pants on and, for the first time, really got to look at myself in them. From the front they are totally fine. From the back? Looks like I need to lay off the Haagen Dazs. How can this be? I own like 3 other things in this same size in the same brand. I guess the "big" size in Asia is still not big enough.

There is a total sizing issue over here. B bought a cycling jersey with a local logo on it a while back and needed a XXXL. That's triple X, people. Tri Chi. And I remember he had a very similar conversation with the sales guy when he was trying on these jerseys. I think he started with the XL (in which he compared himself to a Vienna sausage) and the guy then offered to get him a XXL from the back room and when that didn't work the guy was baffled and went back to search and hunt for a triple X. I think he was calling B his "big strong man" or something like that during this whole thing. I only wish I could have been there in person to see all that. I am pretty sure it would have been hilarious.