When Love Hurts

I was wearing some great shoes today. I love them. I had a plan to elevate my simple jeans and t-shirt thing with an interesting shoe choice. It made me happy.

Until they started to hurt. I was off in my calculations (how hot it is going to be x how much walking x how long I'm going to be out). It was too hot and therefore blisterville came earlier than I expected.

Luckily my last stop was the shoe store. I was on a mission for others today (yes I do shop for other people as well as myself). Kim needed to replace a brand new pair of yellow patent leather t-strap cuties that the neighbor's dog chewed (ouch!) and Rose is on the lookout for silver pumps. So, if the pain got to be too much, I was in the perfect place to remedy my situation.

I hobbled my way into the store (I never realized how long that walk was from the parking lot to the door). I immediately took my own shoes off. Which is weird when you aren't actually trying anything on yet but what are they going to say?

"No shoes. No service"

That wouldn't make any sense.

I made my way to the clearance section to see if any magic was going to happen. There really is nothing better than finding an expensive, beautiful, perfect pair of shoes that match the exact mood you are in with a 70% off sticker on them. Or finding a needle in a haystack as is the case with Kim's shoes.

Unfortunately today wasn't a magical day of gasps, sparkles and unicorns. In fact, there wasn't anything that made my heart skip a beat.

I began to look for an inexpensive but cute pair of flip flops to wear home and wouldn't you know it, there wasn't anything under $25.00.

Now, I love shoes. I love lots of things but I don't take any of it lightly. When I was little I loved my new shoes so much I would wear them to bed. I am of the mind that I simply cannot spend money on anything that doesn't make me feel like that. If I don't REALLY love it, if I wouldn't wear it or take it to bed, then I can't get it. No matter how much it is. And today's situation was especially stressful because I needed to be so sure about my choice that I would wear it out of the store, hence rendering it unreturnable. No room for doubt.

This poses a problem when you are standing in a sea of shoes with blistered feet and you can't find anything that fits that criteria. I couldn't spend $25.00 on a pair of flip flops when really all I needed was a bandaid.

After going around the store for a third time (I couldn't quite comprehend the fact that in this huge store there wasn't one pair I would take to bed with me), I came upon a pair of flats that looked eco-friendly (you know the style) and great for fall. They were super comfortable and I kind of loved them. I got excited but then as I was walking up to the register I started second guessing my motives. Was I talking myself into this choice out of necessity and pain or did I really love them? I became paralyzed for a moment. I started to wonder if I would just stay in the store forever, trapped by my own cluster fuck of indecision, self doubt and my inability to walk.

Eventually I started to get exasperated and annoyed with myself.

The only way to know if I love the shoes is to wait until I am out of desperation's clawing grip. I could

a) leave them there and hobble home
or
b) buy them and hobble home.

I'm staring at them right now. I can't wait to see how we feel about each other in the morning.

The secret art of attracting repellent

Kim is in town and we have all sorts of goals during our time together. She was on the hunt for an "Off Fan" thing that you clip to yourself and it apparently emits bug spray without you having to wear any. It sounds like it creates a bug repellent aura around you. Neat. Apparently they flew off the shelves in Illinois. So it became a quest for her to find it. It isn't even for her but for someone else. I, of course, completely understand that nagging "I have to find this" feeling and the sense of personal challenge it can bring. I was recently challenged to find a discontinued shade of OPI (actually for Kim) and I scoured the city and then online to find it. That feeling of satisfaction when you accomplish a shopping mission is unparalleled.

We found the Off Fan at the first place we looked. It was the last one on the shelf, which made the victory even sweeter. It was an exciting moment in the Rite Aid for her. I was also elated because I love nothing more than being a part of the moment of success. Contrary to popular belief, shopping is, in fact, a team sport and I get points for the assist.

That being said, I'm extremely wary of the fashion choice of clipping a (not so small) fan to your outfit. I can see sitting next to it at a bbq, but clipping it to yourself? Ummmm, no. Now I will admit that zillions of people must disagree since this item is so hard to find. However, I will say in support of my case, I have never seen anyone actually wearing the fan. You would think that a hard to find item would mean that you are seeing people all over the place wearing their battery operated, personal fans.

"OMG where did you find that? I can't get one anywhere. Not even on Ebay."
"you know I got lucky. A friend of a friend works at a place that had some accidentally delivered there and she held one for me."
"I got mine on the black market and I paid wayyyyy to much for it. But totally worth it."
"Listen, I got in on the ground floor. I've always been ahead of my time when it comes to bug repellent and fashion fans."

Well, it looks like I missed out and will have to stick to the old fashion sprays. My picks: Skin So Soft (for you and your dog) or Flea the Scene (insect repellent and sunscreen for the pup).