San Francisco.

DAY ONE.

I am staying at Union Square in San Francisco until tomorrow. Then I ll switch to Castro. I am surrounded by corporate brands calling my attention to their stores. Giant logos from H&M, Urban Outfitters, and DSW keep flashing in front of my eyes. Every corner there is a giant shopping store, there, for me and others to fall on the knee and buy products. Horrible thoughts run in my mind: “I should skip this panel to go and shop at Urban!” The same panel that discusses countermovement to corporate brands and consumerism. It is terrible. How far can our will or ideology go against that cute black dress that makes you feel pretty? How can I as a person be such a hypocrite? But, I am holding in there. If I can only resist until tonight, I will be fine. What is it that makes our mind and soul go crazy? I can tell you one thing for sure. The only reason why I have not broken the rules unfortunately it is not entirely linked to my ideology, but it’s the economy. I just can’t afford to buy.  And there is one thing I like to spend more money on than clothes – food. I had a great dinner last night and great breakfast/lunch. If I last on this trip without buying anything, I would be very, very proud of myself.



My organic breakfast from which I got sick:( probably not a good idea to mix beans, avocado, eggs, chicken and some unknown sauce. Read more in Day Two.

DAY TWO.

My organic dinner and lunch resulted in an explosive diarrhea and almost vomiting. While my friend was shopping at Macys for two hours, I was lying on the sofa of the department store, almost as I was passed out. I was pale, shivering from fatigue and food. I had no desire to shop. Another day without shopping....Until...I felt better. After watching my friend shopping and buying many clothes I felt I wanted to feel as good as she did. I BOUGHT 36USD worth of an outfit. Beige sweater and pencil brown skirt. Since we are allowed to buy an outfit for xmas, here it is. I am done now. I bought two items that I know I will use everyday. They are simple, adult-looking, comfortable but elegant.



This is at Macys. I loved the decorations. I am wearing H&M grey sweater that I used as a jacket, Express Jeans and Zara ankle boots. The bag, which I use to store my laptop is from Urban Outfitters. The picture was taken after relazing on Macy's sofa for 2hrs.



This is solid shampoo from Lush. Because of traveling and security at the airport I decided to buy solid conditioner, lotion, shampoo and perfume. The products have a very strong scent, but they are all natural made.

DAY THREE.

I wanted to break the rules of this game. I went to H&M, Urban Outfitters and DSW. I did NOT buy anything. I went to the art museum and spent $9 to view beautiful art. I did not buy for multiple reasons. First, I just don't need another tee, or grey sweater. Second, just because something is on sale does not mean I have to buy it. Third, most of the items are trends that I will not follow in 3 months. I grabbed a cute grey t-shirt that was selling for $5, but then I realized that it was just another tee, one of the many I already own. Nothing special to that t-shirt, so I abandoned it. I tried some jeans on and I thought, "Why would I spend $40 for another pair of jeans when I have 10 at home?" I saw beautiful pants, but just could not justify $49. Everything suddenly was crap. I don't want the $5 tee, I want the real leather jacket that costs $200, but because I can't afford it I should grant myself with the $5 tee. Well, I don't think so marketing mastermind. Another turn off from shopping and buying was the crowd. I don't like to shop when girls are aggressively and ferociously competing for the same item. I like privacy and calm. Another aspect that bothered me was the contrast between high stores like Prada and the hobos sleeping in front of the store. I have never seen so many homeless and crazy people concentrated in an urban space. I thought Miami was bad, but it's nothing compared to SF.

At this point, I can't wait for the 91 days to be over and really see what comes next. Will I really go on a shopping spree? I really doubt it.

DAY 4. ON FOOD.



Modern Art Museum designed by Mario Botta.

Since my studies revolves around food and the media, I wanted to share few observations about SF. It is definitely easier to find organic products on the menu` . It is refreshing and allows consumers to choose. But I don't know if that is still enough. I am extremely picky when it comes to food. I eat everything, but my body rejects everything that is not 'home-made'. Shawn and I rarely eat out these days because we tend to get sick. There is just something about the act of making your own food, knowing where everything came from, how it was made. It is strange but my body tells me when something is just not the way it should be. I have almost thought going to the doctor to find out if I am intolerant to certain types of food, but I think I am intolerant to eating out. Even when I was in Italy I had some problems with a dish from this very notorious restaurant. My body just told me, "You are eating an heavy 'pasticcio' off-season.' It is only when I went to Sardegna and had local raw food that my belly was happy. How sad, but also how serious the situation is. I heard this paper about prison food and it was amazing. It discusses how many prisoners got sick and died from 'poisoned' food. I think airport or airplane food is the same.