"Shop til you drop...."

Here it is, the day after Black Friday. I literally did "shop til I dropped". Not that I spent a lot of money, but just being "there". In the mall, the heart of things. Being witness to the craziness of others. It was pure excitement! Unlike the experience of the Outlet Mall four years ago, where a police trailer was set up with the dispatcher able to view the whole area. That day there were police on horse back attempting to control and add semblance to the chaos. You could not find a place to park anywhere. All of the stores had line ups either outside the doors, where they were letting in people in groups of ten, or people lined up "snake" like to either get into fitting rooms or to the cash registers. People fighting over at the table in the Guess store, for the $25 purses. Women grabbing blouses by the handful off the crowded racks in the Saks - 5th Aveune store to be able to buy a blouse that is regular $450, and today on Black Friday, pay only $295. Don't even go near the electronic stores! Think of the Army & Navy shoe sales of years gone by, and multiply that by about one thousand. Insanity at its best!

This year however, was somewhat more subdued. Most Canadians may not be aware that the big sales are from about 0400 - 1300 hrs. The great deals are during those hours only. So if you slept in and did not arrive at the mall until noon, then you were pretty much "hooped". We arrived at the mall, one of the smaller malls, at about 10:00 am. So really we knew before we got there that we would like not find any great savings. Which is exactly what happened.

Let me say, if you are a size 0 to 8 and are under the age of 35 years, then you will find lots of great buys. But for someone of my gargantuan size and middle aged as I unfortunately am, there is not much for sale. You might find a bathrobe sale or something like that, but forget getting some great deals on sweaters etc in size 12 or higher! The shoe stores that I dared to venture into, had a measly 25% off. What kind of sale is that?? I can get that in Canada on Boxing Day.

So when I say that I did shop til I dropped, I merely meant that today, the day after "Black Friday", I am ill. I have a terrible cold, not quite the flu. Yes I dropped!

I need to rest up for 2011 Black Friday,,, thank God I do not do this every year!

Shoes, glorious shoes!

Saturday, a lazy day. I can't seem to get motivated to get out of my pyjamas to get on with my day. I have things to do. Grocery shopping, shoe shopping, packing for our trip. Wait did I just say "shoe shopping"? Where did that come from? The word "shoe" just seemed to flow and appear on the screen. Does this mean I am a shoe "addict"? Argh,,,, what is it about shoes that entices me so much to look, try on and buy? Could it be because it is so easy to do. I mean shopping for pants is impossible because the length is just never right, shopping for dresses - well that just will never happens!! And don't even talk to me about shopping for bras! Bra shopping is a nightmare!!! So shoes just seem so simple to shop for. I have never head out the door with the intent of buying a pair of shoes. It is really something that just "happens".

Recently I was out shopping for Christmas gifts for my loved ones. Every time I went past a shoe store I had to go inside and just "look". I would even just stop outside the door and peer inside. If I did not enter the store, then I was not really "looking", was I? It is almost like those beautiful sleek, 4 inch spiked heels were beckoning me to come in and dare to pick them up. Just to feel the beautiful soft leather under my skin,,,,,ahhh yeah that is what makes me do it. The feel! I mean, I would not even wear a pair of four inch spikes. Really I would just fall over the second I took a step forward and fall flat on my face and then some unknown stranger (probably a male) would ask if I was okay. Just the thought of me lying in a heap in the middle of Ingeldews wearing my "too short" pants and not being able to pull myself into a standing position! How embarrassing would that be? Actually it would be hilarious!!

Anyway while I was out doing my Christmas shopping I came upon two beautiful pairs of leopard "flats". They were so yummy, I just knew that I was going to buy one of them. But how to decide which pair would be the ones to take home? One pair had shiny black patent toes and a small wedge heel. The others had a large bold buckle and a more substantial sensible heel. Thinking to myself, I really could buy both as they were fairly inexpensive. But who needs two pairs of leopard flats? Who I ask you?

I had to go away to think about this, so I ventured into the mall and had a grande non-fat double shot latte. This was a big decision and I needed all the caffeine that my body could absorb to enable me to decide. A million thoughts were going flashing through my mind, but foremost was how I was going to tell my husband that while shopping for others, I had been selfish and bought something for myself. Something that I did not need, just really "wanted"..... He was going to "kill me"!!

I broke out into a cold sweat and slowly got to my feet. I dumped my empty coffee cup into the trashcan as I blindly headed back to the shoe store. It was the big golden buckle that I could not get my mind off. They were fabulous, glorious shoes. I had to have them! I would take them home and introduce them to my many other shoes. I was thinking that perhaps I could have a shoe tea party and send out invites to all my shoe crazed friends.

Then it hit my. I was the ONLY shoe crazed person that I knew.

An old friend

I am having lunch today with an old friend from my high school days. Well she is not really "old", because if she is old than that makes me old as well. And I do not feel very old, at least not today.



When we were in our teens, in high school I always admired this friend of mine. She was attractive, smart and popular. She was on the student council and was on the "annual committee" creating the yearly annual. She was in my typing class in Grade 9 when we first met. A speed typist she was, in fact she aced all the classes she was in. Unlike myself who barely passed Shorthand, as I told my teacher that it looked like "chicken scratch" and then the same teacher failed me in typing. Who fails typing? If I remember correctly she took a lot of business classes as she dreamed of working in an office somewhere. That was, unless she married someone first. Mr Starr was the Business instructor and she was his star pupil.



After high school, she got married and I moved away. Over the years we have run into each other here and there. And chatted "on line" a bit. It will be interesting to see how our lives have changed through the years.



Are we living our lives as we thought we would when we were teenagers? I am sure things have turned out differently than we had planned and hoped as it does for everyone.

Rat-a-tat-tat

Bang, bang, rat-a-tat-tat,,,that is the noise that I am hearing right now. By my own choice and encouragment we are living in a construction zone. Suites in the basement don't just "appear" when you wake up in the morning...what was I expecting you ask?? I am not really sure..

I have this fear that I am going to walk out of the bathroom naked only to realize that I forgot to close the door, or that Ray came into the bedroom, exited and forgot to shut the door. Nonetheless, I am worried that this is going to happen! Oy vie,,,

The construction or reconstruction won't last forever and is truly moving along faster than I originally thought it would. The drywall should be delivered tomorrow. Once that is up, then it will be ready to paint...

I could just give up showering until this is done. Now that is a thought. I will then be so rancid that no one would even give me a 2nd glance. Ha ha , yeah Ray would love that NOT!!! More to the point I would not like it. The neighbours would avoid me thinking that I am one of those half crazed people who have moved into the "hood".

I will persevere and soon it will be over

Oy vie,,,,,

I have never done something like this before. Create a "blog" that is. What exactly is a "blog" and who on earth gave it that name? Whatever happened to a "diary"? So as this is all new to me it will probably take me some time to even think about what to write and who to invite to read my "blog"...

Today is November 2nd, 2009. Skip's 89th birthday. We are having her a small family dinner tonight. Ham. Not Turkey. Why I say this is because turkey seems to be the family favourite. Regardless of what we are going to eat, it will be a nice evening spent sitting around the dining room table.

Like I said, this is all new to me and as this first post is somewhat boring, I just wanted to write a little something to "post".