My Last Hundred Bucks: Chai and Thai and Wine and Words
by Sarah Todd

Where did your last hundo go, Sarah Todd?
$4.98, Rex Goliath sauvignon blanc I got this at my favorite wine shop, where there is a sweet elderly woman who always asks to see my ID. Then she notices that my driver’s license is from Ohio, and she tells me her son used to live there. We talk about this every time I see her. Tradition!
$4.16, Chai latte + tip This year, I adopted my friend’s weekend-only fancy coffee drink allowance, which has made writing in coffee shops feel way more luxurious. While I was drinking the chai, the man at the next table said he was my blood brother because we were both wearing Claddagh rings. We had a brief conversation about Ireland, and then I realized that he wasn’t going to stop talking to me, so I just started typing really fast even though all I was writing was “I hope he stops talking soon” over and over like Jack in The Shining.
$13.50, Movie ticket to Beautiful Creatures + plastic cup of pinot grigio A fine new film! Four stars, a teen paranormal romance Southern gothic camp triumph. Goes great with cup wine.
$23.75, iPod car charger, seltzer, and N.Y.C. Makeup blush in rose glow I was listening to the This American Life episode about Harper High School in the car and my iPod was about to die — I pulled over at a CVS and bought the charger so I wouldn’t have to wait to finish it.
$17, Pad see yew + split order of spring rolls + bottomless cups of green tea + tip Tofu never does that crispy, golden-brown cubed perfection thing when I make it at home. What is the secret?
$8, Cappuccino + chai + tip Friend + me.
$8, Grilled portobello-spinach-basil pesto sandwich Normally I eat out almost never, but that went out the window last week. Frugal February fatigue, maybe.
$16, Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed (indiebound // amazon) I was walking down the street trying to figure out what to do about two life-type matters, and I passed a bookstore, and I thought maybe Cheryl Strayed would tell me what to do and then I wouldn’t have to decide on my own. She is much wiser than I am. But none of the letters were about my two specific questions, which makes sense, because why would they be. It’s not a psychic book. It’s still tremendous, though.
Sarah Todd blogs about feminism and popular culture over at Girls Like Giants.
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