shopping sucks

Who knew getting a t-shirt printed would be so hard?

It started months ago when my friend Chimpy sighed romantically over the use of A Certain Word on Sex and the City. Well, she decided she'd like a t-shirt with the Certain Word on it. And since her graduation was recently, I, being Surdus, decided it would be fun to find a place to print it up and send it out to her.

Uh... Chimpy, I love you, don't get me wrong. But next time you graduate you're getting flowers. Hear me? FLOWERS.

I first went to the printing shop, designed how I thought it should look, and they said they'd take care of it. Mind you, it was tough to find the printing place. I knew it was on 30 and 8th, but that was it. Walked around in the rain for 20 minutes. Went to 7th on a hunch and there it was. Did all the designing, paid, left. When I went back the next day they looked at me like an idiot. Turns out I was supposed to supply a t-shirt. They didn't mention this. Went to a sports shop nearby, bought a nice black tee (which Chimpy said she wanted.) Went back to the store. "Ah! Is black! Is black!" I'm thinking, ah, t-shirt racism, but no, this wasn't the case. They charge more for black t-shirts. Why, I don't know. I asked, but they gave me an incomprehensible answer in an Indian language I can't identify. Okay. Whatever. The price wasn't an issue - it was just, hello, why didn't you mention this when I said I wanted it on a black t-shirt? Then I asked for a list of typefaces. They didn't want to let me pick a typeface. Turns out they just printed a t-shirt with one type of face and wanted to keep, er, facing it. No, I said. I wanted a certain kind of typeface, I said. Finally they let me pick it out.

I'm not even GOING to explain the problems I had explaining "hot pink." They were lucky I didn't bend them over and spank them til the color came out right.

I get the feeling they were playing with me.

Then - sorry, Chimpy - I told them it was for my girlfriend. Thought this would help quell the arguing and get me what I wanted ASAP. They gave me lots of winks (because of the Certain Word) and told me they will make it beautiful, beautiful! I'm to pick it up today at 5 pm. Pictures may appear if they get taken. Hope it's all worth it - if she loathes it I shall beat up some serious ass. I'm just cringing, thinking of all the things that could go wrong...