Whoa, I didn’t mean to make the image that big. But I also can’t seem to figure out what I did wrong, so let’s move on.
I haven’t posted in a while, so you (I do have a realistic perception of my readership, so yes, that would be “you” in the singular) may be wondering what I’ve been up to. The truth is, I can’t really remember. I blame my children. I have this theory that while you’re pregnant, the child, in addition to sucking all the nutrients out of your body, also drains away the ability to ever wear dresses made of knitwear and your short-term memory. The worst question anyone can ask me on Monday morning is, “What did you do this weekend?”
The good news is that I have been taking pictures, so those usually help me with recollection. And I do remember that two days ago, I got into work, reached into my bag to pull out my laptop, and promptly got a deep wide paper cut from a manila folder that I had also shoved into my bag. It was on my fourth finger on my right hand. Before I went on my trip to Colombia I went through the exercise of carefully selecting a fingertip to have lopped off if my kidnappers were to do so in order to prove that I was in their custody (this also assumed that they would have taken requests, but I would think that most kidnappers would). I’m pretty sure that at the time I went with the fourth finger — probably on my left hand. Having cut the fourth on my right hand, however, I’m sort of reconsidering. The fourth contributes more than you think — it really helps to balance your hand when doing a variety of tasks, ranging from slicing vegetables to styling your hair. So I’m really not sure what I’d pick. The pinky? That one’s pretty important too — especially for capitalization on a QWERTY keyboard. Tough call. Maybe best to leave it to the kidnappers.
Speaking of business trips, I have another one in about a week. I’m going to Connecticut and New York. After I booked the trip I realized that I had no closed-toe shoes. See the photo above to find out why. So I embarked on a mission to find ankle boots that met the following criteria:
- I can comfortably spend 12 hours on a plane in them.
- They are not totally boring and devoid of style.
- They are no more than $300, since the majority of their useful life will happen on this trip.
- I can walk around NYC in them while lugging a laptop, luggage, and a handbag that I would have rubbed with Apple leather cleaner prior to departure.
Since the local selection is pretty limited, I ordered a total of 8 pairs of boots from the following retailers:
As my forecast expected, only one of them really worked out. To my surprise, it was the cheapest of them all — they were so cheap, in fact, that I almost didn’t order them. So the winner is: Audrey Brooke’s Jimmie Leather Ankle Boots — at $69.94!!! They’re cute, incredibly comfortable, and practically free! A close runner up was the Boutique 9 Coda ankle boot from Bloomingdales — going for $195, it had superior materials and craftsmanship, and surprising comfort level given the height of the heel — but I think the boots run a little big, so the pair I got was way too loose. If my trip weren’t next week I’d consider exchanging, but the Jimmies are so comfortable that I’m not looking back.
And kudos to DSW, from whom I’ve never purchased: they shipped everything quickly and packaged it beautifully. When it came time to return one of the pairs of boots that didn’t work out for me, they made it really simple: there was a DHL label enclosed, and best of all, you can schedule a pick-up from your home free of charge. That’s so lazy — I love it!
But to answer your question, I have sometimes been taking the kids to the beach (see above). I think part of the reason I don’t remember much is that nothing really happens to me anymore. Does going to the grocery store happen to you? Does being tired all the time count as happening? Anyway, I’ve also gone to Legoland recently, but I’ll write about that another time.
Home