Anniversary (Happy New Gear)

As of today, I have been in the United States of America for exactly one year. So, how did the U.S. of A. and I celebrate our anniversary? Well, I am a rather thrifty person (in my humble opinion, that is), but today I did spent a lot (and I mean: a LOT) of money just on a new outfit. Benefiting from the stores being open on sundays on this side of the Atlantic, I set out to grab myself some new gear for the conference I will attend in the near future. Shopping on Sundays is generally impossible in Germany, as it is considered unfair to mothers and fathers, who would be deprived of precious family time otherwise. For the same kind of attitude, people are much more prone to ride mass transit instead of driving that here. As for myself, I actually owned a car once, but could not afford to maintain it eventually, so I have been a pedestrian and customer of public transportation ever since. Even in Chicago ...
As I said, I went out to buy a new outfit, which means: a suit (jacket and pants plus belt), a shirt, a tie, and a pair of new shoes. One place to get all these things is Macy's, a department store chain (much like Kaufhof in Germany). One Macy's branch is located just next to the Water Tower Place, one of the local malls. I quickly found everything I needed, which pleased me - in Germany it is much harder to find the right size for me. That has to do with the fact that I am 5 ft. 10 ", and I weigh about 220 lbs. At this point a statement of my colleague Jing crossed my mind; she said: "When I came to the U.S. I realized that I am not fat." Check an earlier post for a picture, so you can make up your own mind. I believe she was being silly, but I am still a bit impressed that even a guy of my, well, physical presence can find the right clothes in almost no time.
Yet a make-over does not come for free. I don't think my choice was unreasonable or particularly luxurious, and yet it all adds up to about the same as the air fare for coming to Chicago from Germany. A malicious person might say, so much for those Euros all being - once they get the chance they turn into mindless shop-a-holics. But at least I bought my things at a place that has a five-pointed red star in its logo, didn't I?
Oh, and if you want to see the new outfit, please wait for the conference pictures. It is the Fall Meeting of the American Vacuum Society, which is going to be held in San José, CA, and I have made arrangements to spend the weekend after in San Francisco. In other words, stay tuned for a whole bunch of pics to come!