I Wanna Be Rich!

Thursday afternoon, I dropped some signed papers off at my lawyer's office and then went to Saks Fifth Avenue.

If you haven't been, Saks is one of those hoary shopping relics in New York City that remain standing as interactive museums of The Way Things Used To Be. I had a chat with an old salesman there named Sandy who offered me his business card. First of all, he had his own business card. Not exactly the kind of expense that Urban Outfitters is willing to shuck out for their sales personnel. Second of all, the guy seemed like he'd been there for the better part of his adult life. Not just working at Saks Fifth Avenue, but IN THAT SAME DEPARTMENT, in that same suit, in that same nook within the awkward, labyrinthine network of escalators and floor dividers.

Why did I go to Saks Fifth Avenue? I've got a bit of money coming in and it has been a small eternity since I've had any real money. And while I intend to be very responsible with it, I thought it might be fun to do a little window-shopping... and consider the things I could afford to buy, even if I wasn't about to go on a spending spree.

Let me tell you, Dear Reader... it was exhilarating.

For a small spell, I imagined a life where I didn't have to worry so much about how much something costs. All that mattered was whether it was cool enough, whether I really wanted it.

Walking through Saks was like wandering through a little corner of the city that was trapped in another time. Like something out of MAD MEN.

A friend just posted one of those life-affirming Facebook status updates. "How do you measure success in life...? Fame...? Wealth...?"

Fortune and glory, baby. Get your priorities together.