Talk Without Speaking

So, with my RCMP interview a few short days away I’ve been seriously thinking about going out and getting some new clothes, specifically a suit. Went up the street and started looking at prices of these things. Yikes.

So, I have a blazer but it has these gold buttons on it which, while great for weddings and things, are not what I have in mind for an interview - too flashy. Catherine comes up with the awesome idea of, instead of buying a whole new suit, of simpy replacing the buttons on the existing blazer. Sounds awesome. I call around and end up with Tip Top who say no problem. They ask me if I have the buttons. I say no. They say no problem. So off we go.

Of course when we finally get to Tip Top they say I need buttons. Grr1. They point Cat and I in the direction of a nearby sewing shop which, they say, has all the buttons in the world. Cool. We trek off and, eventually find this store and, sure enough, they do seemingly have *all* the buttons in the world. I mean, how am I suposed to pick from all of these - there are too many of them! We ask for help and they say that we should go up the street and ask this nearby tailor. Grr2. So we find the tailor and, although he refuses to tell us how much it would cost, does say that he can put any button we want on the jacket *but* he himself has no buttons and we need to go to this nearby store that has all the buttons in the world. I know what he is talking about. Grr3

Back to Button world where after some searching we finally come up with 6 small buttons (cuffs) and 6 big buttons (front). Cool. $3.98. Cooler!

Back to tailor where he tells us that these are two hole buttons (they are) and that he can’t possibly put these on my jacket. (Do I have my PHD in button etiquette??) He needs 4 hole buttons. Fine. Grr4. Grr5. Grr6.

Back to button land where we eventually find some 4-holed replacements for our 2-holers. Back to tailor. After interrogating him he finally tells us that it will be $10.

From here on in things get much less painful. We wander off and get some new shirts and ties and then pick up the jacket from the tailor 1/2 hour later. He has done an awesome job (although I do not have my PHD in tailoring so I would likely not have noticed if he had staple-gunned the buttons on) and even delights us with some slight-of-hand magic tricks with his nimble thimble. Cool.

More mentally painful than simply buying a suit but probably saved a few hundred bucks. I’m happy.