DON'T TAKE ME TO THE RACES

There are certain products, shows, styles that I have really liked over the years.  You know, stuff and or things that you just enjoy.  We all like to think that what we think is good or funny or entertaining or flattering on us is the same for others.  I'm finding that is not true, even though I feel I have stellar taste:)  It happened again to me yesterday.  I have a handful of things that I love.  One of them is one of the two fragrances that I like to wear.  It's a smell that smells, what I imagine anyway, my personality would smell like if you could bottle it.  Some of you are now laughing hysterically at that thought and saying something like, "Wow!  Who would ever buy that!" (I agree with you!).  I wear only two fragrances - 360 by Perry Ellis and Ralph Lauren's Polo Sport.  In fact, they are so distinctively me that I have people (those I know and perfect strangers) comment to me that they love the way I smell - what am I wearing?  My Polo Sport bottle has been empty for a few weeks now.  I searched for it in the store where I normally get it and have not been able to find it.  So, yesterday I searched the web for it.  What I found out alarmed me - Ralph Lauren is pulling that fragrance even though it's been one of its best sellers since its inception in 1996.  WHAT!  It's happening again.  It would seem that products I come to love get pulled from the market or the store I shop in.  You may not want to take me to the horse races:)  I will now have to buy a case (and take out a home equity line of credit to do so) of Polo Sport through the internet just to last me the rest of my natural life as it defines, smell wise anyway, who I am.  It happened too with coffee about a year ago.  I only like good, smooth bodied coffee brewed strong.  I have tried many brands over the years, but Christopher Bean roasts some great coffee.  Their Jamaican Me Crazy and Winter Wonderland are my two favorite flavors.  I used to be able to buy them in a local grocery store where I live until a year ago when they quit carrying that line of coffee.  Why I say?  Why?  Again I turned to the internet to find my caffeinated addiction.  I now have to order it by the case every few months.  Before you think it's just me that loves this coffee, I have now gotten my boss addicted to it and, at the last several Cherry gatherings, I brought the coffee (I hate my mom's coffee).  The crowd loved it and asked for more.  I'm wondering who Ralph Lauren and Christopher Bean polled to come to their marketing determination.  They didn't poll me.  I can assure you of that!  I think most people find favorites of things and don't like when they disappear.  Remember when Coke pulled regular Coke and, with a stupid marketing strategy, deployed New Coke.  Some things don't need improvement, remarketing or removal from the market.  Unfortunately it never seems to be the things I favor:)   There have been a few TV shows over the years that I thought were great that soon disappeared.  One was years ago, a show called, "Crime Story" (ok, I also liked Mickey Spillane's "Mike Hammer").  It was a great show with some great characters in it, set back in the 1960's with, you guessed it - cops and crime.  I thought it was more original and creative than most shows with a similar story line.  Obviously I wasn't polled on it and must have been one of the few viewers that tuned in to watch it weekly.  In more recent times, I fell in love with the American version of the British show, "Kath and Kim".  I loved who they cast in the show and thought it was humorous and different.  My love of it only kept it on the air for one season!  Today I went to lunch with my daughter after which we were in a store.  I was riffling through the rack of pants and pure panic rose up in me.  Pulling a pair, that from the waist looked like something I would like, I removed them from the rack and was visibly shaken.  From the knees to the ankle they were skinny pants - UGH!  Why, I cried in my head?  Why?  Fighting terror I quickly pushed through all the pants looking to see if all normal width legs were now absent from all pants.  I could only find several "normal" pairs.  Would I have to stock pile normal legged pants (much like Noah did with the animals on the ark) till the flood of skinny legged pant styles relent?  I am going to need a shelf in my basement to store my stockpiles of my favorites soon.  My daughter said something interesting today.  Walking out of the restaurant a John Mayer song was playing.  She said, "That's new John Mayer, isn't it?".  "Yes," I said.  She commented that she used to listen to new music all the time, but she must be getting older as she likes what she likes and doesn't necessarily care to look through new artists and music like she used to.  Preferences reign even if you are 23 too.  If you are ever out and about and run across Ralph Lauren's Polo Sport or Christopher Bean coffee you can think of me, try for yourself the goodness that they both are, or buy it as a gift that clearly says LYNN!