A Good Day to be Brandy

I woke up with a good feeling on Tuesday morning. Not sure why - I was tired as usual - but I felt unreasonably good for no known reason. Work was work, then it was off to the mall, where three awesome things happened:

1. The mission was, unhappily, dress shopping. Don't get me wrong - I love to shop - but shopping with a purpose tends to dampen enthusiasm. The first store after Zellers is Mariposa. As a rule, I do not shop there, but it was the first store, so I took a look. Second dress I tried on was the winner. I looked in other stores, but didn't even find anything else I wanted to try on! How can it be that easy? It was a good day to be Brandy.
2. The secondary mission was to get something engraved. I couldn't come up with anything shorter than 68 characters and the item itself was $14.99. This was going to be a $75 dollar job. So the lady behind the counter says "Thank you for counting these characters for me. Looks like there are 50." She gave me 20 characters at 80 cents/character for FREE! How did I get so lucky? It was a good day to be Brandy.
3. Here comes the coup de grâce. Even though I've already found "the dress," I'm still looking because I can't believe how easy it was. I hear someone talking and being the nosy person I am, look up to see who it is. It turns out to be someone I know - who will remain anonymous because the rest of this story is not particularly flattering (If you know who it is, good for you, but this person deserves better than to be made to feel bad, no matter their previous conduct). So, this person doesn't immediatly say anything and I'm not entirely sure they noticed me. I'm done looking and I'm not entirely sure what to say, so I make a beeline for the store across the way. I'm standing at one of the front racks of the store when a minute later this person comes walking up. They couldn't have missed seeing me. Still not saying anything to me and chatting loudly to a friend, this person proceeds to look at dresses on the rack to the left of me, to the right of me and behind me, all the while maintaining a mere 2-5 feet of distance and refusing to acknowledge my presence. At first, I am a bit nervous and am unsure of what to do. Then, I realize this is quite obviously a bid to intimidate me and make me feel small, uncomfortable and unimportant. This would have worked 2 years ago and I would have had a terrible evening as a result. BUT, the person I am today no longer lets the actions of others determine her worth. So, what did I do? I pointedly looked at this person as they moved around me, finally saying "Hi, how are you?" in a cheery voice and forcing this person to respond and acknowledge me. We have a short, stiff, maybe 30 word conversation about nothing and this person promptly leaves the store without another word. So, you thought you had my number did you? NOT A CHANCE! I can be polite in the face of your rudeness. You don't have any power here. TAKE THAT. So, how did this potentially disasterous situation become a hugely positive story? It was a good day to be Brandy.

CONCLUSION: I think everyday is a good day to be Brandy!