Hello sir, can I help you?

I love window shopping. That's the one thing I can do to kill time, just wandering around the mall looking at stuff, considering which is worth buying, and which isn't. But window shopping for clothes, that's another story.

Usually I'd just walk into a store and look at the stuff, and buy something if I want it, and leave the place if I don't. It's that simple. And I like it like that. But clothes? No, there are complications. Somehow, most clothing stores have really super helpful staff that will go out of their way to give you a hand.

They start with that question, and that's all it takes to rattle me. Yeah, I know. It's weird for me. I hate it when they come up to me the second I walk into their premises and ask that question. And being the nice guy that I am, I'd just smile and say "just looking." And that's when I feel guilty. It's like when they ask, you're supposed to tell them what you're looking for, so that they can help find it and you can buy it from them. I know there's no obligation on my part to do that, but this whole process makes it feel like I do. I mean, why tell them what I'm looking for if I'm not really sure about buying anything? Like I said, I'm just looking. If I tell them I'm just looking, I may end up looking like someone who can't afford their merchandise, or I have other plans, like robbing them or something.

So why can't these people just leave me alone? Just let me walk in, look around and take my time. If I want your help, I'll ask. If I don't, I'll just walk out. Maybe I'll come back, maybe I won't, but it's not their problem. That works for me. I know, I know. The super friendly staff are there for a reason. They're supposed to serve us customers, including acting really nice when you walk in. It's all part of the customer attraction process. But please, if I could tell them I don't want their help without feeling bad or having it come out insensitive, I would. This is why I love going to the video store. I could browse there for hours and nobody gives a damn.

These days it's hard for me to find anything in my size. For a guy, I am rather small. I do know I'm taller than Ira and Anouk (at least I think I am). Most of the clothes I find are too large. I guess I should eat more. I should talk to Michael about this.

So excuse me while I heal from this cold. Crap, I'm missing everyone again.