Just for Kicks

There is a short list of things I’m not good at and shopping is on that list.  It’s true, even though I want to have it all I do not particularly enjoy shopping.  While I like having new things my distaste for crowds, high prices, valets, and frustration generated by my own indecision, usually keeps me wearing the same thing again and again.  Not to mention, I would rather spend my money at bars or restaurants.  I have a few theories as to how I got this way.  The first is Catholic school.  If you’re forced to wear the same horrible, ugly and uncomfortable ensemble every day for 10 years it builds a deep rooted complacency that makes you feel like it’s okay to wear the same thing all the time  as long as it’s clean, properly pressed, and modest.  Oh, and skirts and dresses; I’m still retaliating against them.  They were forced on me at an early age when it’s nearly impossible to sit still.  Their solution?? Modesty shorts. Yep, young Catholic girls get to wear the skirts and the shorts AT THE SAME TIME.  Brilliant.  Overall though, I feel like the uniforms were okay because of the character building aspects.  I can appear relaxed in the most awkward and uncomfortable situations and I actually know how to act in a skirt (no Brittany photo ops for me).

The second theory is genetic.  I don’t know anyone in my family that enjoys a good trip to the mall.  Even with my passion for food and booze, I still do not like going to the grocery store (too much loading and unloading, not to mention you may run into kids and old ladies).  Whole Foods is bridging that gap for me now that most locations have a bar so I can combine drinking (yay!) and shopping (ughh) for a mediocre time at the supermarket.

So I don’t go shopping that often.   And when I do, I find myself with a series of impulse purchases that make me smile because having it all is mostly about being happy, not well dressed.  Here are a few of my recent prizes:

When I failed the Level 2 CFA exam I had to buy these:

Because gift registries are really just a suggestion, I had to get this for my friend’s Asian baby:

And just last weekend, I bought these new running shoes and customized them myself.  Why go the distance and design your own shoes in the store if you don’t like shopping?  Because if my shoes are tackier than all the others in the gym I may run a little faster.  If my shoes have my name on them, I will certainly wear them more often… that means more time exercising! … riiigghhhtt.