I'm a loner, Dottie. A rebel.

So my sister and I got together today, in celebration of her birthday.

I love spending time with my sister. She has a very unique, clear vision of the world, and I like to be in her presence. And I like being with someone who's known me as long as I've been alive.

So of course she likes to thrift. It must be genetic.

And we did a bit of thrifting, in a part of town I rarely visit.

The thing is, I love to spend time with my sister. But if push came to shove, I'd have to admit that I prefer to thrift by myself.

My sister has her own take on the concept of time, and she goes at a speed that's a few notches slower than mine. So when we shop together, we operate at two different paces.

I'm not judging. And as I've mentioned, I love to spend time with my sister. So Kathy, if you read this, please don't take my comment as anything but a compliment to how much I love spending time with you. Our thrifty time is simply a vehicle with which to drive home my point.

Which is this:

It's wonderful to find someone with whom you share a certain symmetry when it comes to when it's time to leave.

I had that symmetry with my mom. And I have it with my friend Robin, although we don't get to test my theory enough. I never get to spend as much time with Robin as I'd like.

What I'm left to assume is this: I think I'm a loner. I love the intrinsic 'time spent together' aspect of shopping with someone else. But I think it's rare to connect on that symbiotic level with someone else.

And to be crystal clear, I'm putting my sister in the same basket I'd put anyone else. Once I do my surgical strike of a store, I like to leave. But when I go with someone else, I have to stay until they're done.

Sorry if that makes me sound all me-me-me.

 But back to today.

Of course my sister and I thrifted a bit. And we stopped by the new Goodwill Outlet, expecting to kick some tail, and we learned that it's not open until March 1. But I'll definitely go back! The front door was open for the construction crew, and we stayed long enough for me to realize that the Goodwill Outlet is just like the Bins in Portland! I can't wait until it opens!!!

And after thrifting, we went to a movie theater that offers a full menu, and I treated my sister to a very lovely and tasty lunch.

Would that the movie was as good as our tasty luncheon. Suffice it to say that I saw the third movie in the sucky trilogy of sucky movies I've seen at movie theaters lately.

It's Complicated. Shutter Island. And today, To Paris With Love. The triad of suck.

Thank God for Netflix.

But the suck is beside the point. I really loved spending time with my sister today, and I did find a couple of very cool items, as did she. She was particularly fond of the purse she bought. The purse with many compartments.

The good of the day far outweighed the bad.

But To Paris with Love really did suck.

And to draw today's content to my title, it's from Pee Wee Herman's Big Adventure. He was looking for his bike. I'm always on the prowl for a bargain.

Pee Wee and I have a lot in common.