Shoes

I've been needing new black heels for awhile now because the ones I had are at that point of deterioration where they've become uncomfortable to wear. I've been putting off buying new ones mostly because I'm cheap about that sort of thing but yesterday, before it got too nasty and cold out, I went out shopping determined to find a pair of shoes that I liked and could wear to work as well as out. And I found these, 50% off!

If nothing else, much nicer than my floor, which needs washing--or better yet replacing--in the worst way.

Playing Santa

(More cellphone pictures today. I suck. I really must just keep my camera in my purse during the holidays.)

So my office does that thing where we get together in groups and buy gifts for a child who otherwise wouldn't get much of anything and my group is wrapping tomorrow so I made a run to FAO Schwarz today.
I'm not a big shopper, Christmas or otherwise, but I love going to FAO Schwarz. Even though they have a lot of the typical toys and a lot of things that are overpriced, I think they also appreciate the wonder of toys in a way that Toys 'R Us with their bargain bins doesn't. Their collections of classic toys show that, as do the too expensive for most to buy displays, which are often works of great imagination and craftsmanship.

And then there's the piano that you play by walking on it. If I'd had a child with me I'd so have waited on line for that.
Anyway, the child had asked for cars and, more generally, toys, and the other people in my group had taken care of the cars. So I wandered aimlessly, not quite sure what I would get. I found one toy that I was happy with, but wanted to get another as well and was having trouble finding just the right thing. And then I stumbled on a corner of the store devoted to Playmobil.

Now, in case you're not familiar with Playmobil, let me just say that their toys are totally awesome. They're well made, they encourage imagination, and they're just plain fun. One of my very favorite toys when I was little was my Playmobil Eskimo set, since discontinued and apparently rather difficult to find.
Our kayak wound up being rather interesting looking after I left it up against the radiator, melting a series of thin holes into its side. But we had the set for years and my sister and I certainly played with it a great deal. Of course we lost all the pieces eventually but it's still the toy I remember most fondly.

So when I saw that corner, I had to get him something from the company. I toyed with getting a few sets of knights, complete with cannons, prisoners, and flame throwers, but eventually decided to go with the transportation theme and bought the medical helicopter.

I'm so incredibly excited about the idea of the kid playing with this toy. I only hope he loves it as much as I loved my Eskimo set.

I then walked past the giant menorah lit up for the last night of Chanukah on my way back home, feeling about as good about the holidays as I've felt in a long time.
I'm not entirely sure what that says about me--I think nothing particularly good or bad--but still, it was a very good day.

Shopping etc.

What could be more mundane then my writing about my shopping Saturday shopping. Next thing you know, I'll be taking pictures in the grocery store just so I can truly document all the boring, quotidian details of my life with you. Anyway, I was walking around the neighborhood last night, because when I get antsy at night I tend to kind of bounce around in circles in my apartment which is problematic for two reasons: a) it's really obnoxious b) it has led to me spraining my ankle on not one, but two, occasions. So anyway, out walking. And I saw a dress outside a store on 2nd Avenue and thought, I must have that dress. But I then decided I didn't need the dress and didn't go into the store.

Then--and could this story get any more inane?--this morning I decided that I really did want the dress. And also that it was high time that I went shopping for new jeans since the only pair I have has a saggy butt and is just generally too big. Calvin Klein has a serious vanity sizing problem and it needs to stop. Because I'm not a size 2. There's just no reason I should have to replace size 4 jeans because they're literally falling off. It's absurd. Also, I was in a good mood this morning, which is a shopping necessity for me. I'm not a retail therapy kind of girl. I find the whole process stressful.

Anyway, the ladies who run this store are delightful and keep making suggestions and bringing you new things to try and saying things like, "oh, this one looks really cute on." Then they poke their heads into the dressing room (it's just a curtained off space) and give you their opinion on the dress. I loved them. The dress I wanted was only available in medium and large and the medium was quite a bit too big, so I tried on other stuff instead, and found this really cute black dress (and I took pictures of these to show my mother, so I might as well post them here as well). It's very simple and made of that material that you can just kind of ball up and stick somewhere without having to worry about it getting wrinkled. And the detailing is really quite nice. It goes all the way around to the back.

Anyway, it's a nice floaty summer dress even if it's not in a summery color. And, I can pair it with a cute cardigan and get away with wearing it to work. Because it's long enough that I can consider it business casual. With the top covered, anyway. And yes, I used all these things to justify buying a dress I wasn't planning on getting.

I really needed the justification, too, because it turned out that the dress I'd seen outside was a small, and they went and stripped the mannequin for me. The black dress is at least, although a casual fabric, pretty simple and multifunctional. The mannequin dress? Not so much. And I have nothing in particular to wear it to. But I think that, paired with the right shoes and bag, I can just wear it casually when out and about. And it does have a summery look to it. Incidentally, my dad is totally going to see these pictures and call me up all, "so when are you going to start exercising your arms? Because you really should." Oh the joys of having an exercise fanatic for a father and flabby arms.

Anyway, having bought my dresses and moved on to looking for jeans, which was a disaster and shall have to be attempted again tomorrow. Then I decided that I needed black sandals to go with my new black dress, so off I went to Sacco because I figured as long as I was spending money I might as well add shoes to the list. Unfortunately they had no black sandals that I liked. Even more unfortunately, they did have brown sandals that I loved. So you can add that to the list of impulse purchases today. Again, justifiable though, as I needed a pair of brown sandals I could get away with wearing with a dress as well as jeans. My only other brown ones are rather chunky and super-casual. I did wind up buying a cheap pair of plain black flip-floppy sandals at Aldo, so I got what I needed as well in that regard.

It was nice to spend so much of the day walking around too, since it was beautiful today. I got one of those mangos on a stick (the ones where they slice it so it looks kind of like a giant, edible flower) and a lemonade-y flavored smoothie at Jamba Juice. And when I got home I went out and read on the balcony with the cats. Pyramus has to wear a little halter and we attach him to a chair with a leash, because he once tried to climb over the edge of balcony and we live on the fourth floor so it wouldn't be pretty. Provided he survivde it, the vet bills might kill Wendy and me. Bonnie, meanwhile, got kicked inside after a little while because she keeps trying to climb over to our next door neighbors. As soon as we get around to buying another, she too will be forced to wear a halter. Despite that brief drama--she was not a happy cat--it was really lovely.

I promise not to regale you with tales of jean shopping tomorrow.