Now in our 50th week of pandemic, I am desperately missing spending time with friends and family. Actually, I am considering of making up some pretend adult friends to hang out with while I grade and clean food bits out of the kitchen sink. A few years ago, a woman had a clever blog about her imaginary well-dressed toddler based on stock photos from clothing catalogs. All the kids had hipster names and did fancy things. I wonder what kind of catalog has people in my demographic that would be entertaining in my made-up bubble?

So, while my husband IRL was rooting around in the fridge for a pre-bed snack/savory dessert, I searched online for an ideal, pretend friend. Gap had cool looking people, but they’re aged nearer to my college students. Old Navy models seem friendly, but lack irony. Chicos looks like my mom’s friends. Google suggested Land’s End, but those put-together ladies remind me of judgmental moms from PTO. I probably need someone who shops the clearance rack at REI. In the meantime, any suggestions for my fantasy friend-group would be helpful.