As the weather gets colder, I’ve run into a bit of a problem. Last year, and for several years before that, I had my wonderful Columbia Sportswear jacket to keep me warm in winter. The problem is that I lost the (awesomely warm-keeping) liner portion early this year. (I forgot it at a restaurant. By the time I called, it was gone. Argh.) The shell portion of the jacket by itself makes a good rain guard and a mediocre windbreaker, but even combined with the best sweater I have doesn’t make a very warm coat.

So, finally, this evening I went to Burlington Coat Factory to see if I could scrounge a decent winter coat that I could afford. All of the wool-type coats I tried didn’t fit in one fashion or another. It was a case of too much shoulder, too much sleeve, not enough room inside, or some combination thereof. In the next aisle over, however, I found a selection of trenchcoats. The very first one I tried on fits perfectly, looks pretty good on me, sports a detachable liner, is comfy as all get-out… and only cost $50. Score!

In related news, I was a very very good boy when we (Lil’ & Geoffrey & Angst) were at Best Buy (picking up a cheap little digital camera for Angst’s birthday). I looked at, but did not buy, a boxed set of anime that I’ve been considering picking up. I resisted temptation even though the sticker price was only about 3/4 the list price I’ve seen online! Go, me!

I’ll get the hang of this fiscal responsibility nonsense yet, dammit.