Today, the Expensively Mundane

I promised myself I’d write every day for just a week, just to try to jump start some consistency in my approach to journaling, but I find, as in most things, I am discouraged my habit of only doing things in extremes. Either my life is so boring I spend my evenings picking lint off the back of the television (not really…yet) or I’m suddenly starring in my own Lifetime made-for-TV movie. Either way, writing an entry can take all night. But I don’t have anything more pressing to do right at the moment, so…I give you today.

Payday! During my 5 AM, on-the-way-out-the-door weather/finance/headline check, I noticed the healthy, just-paid condition of my checking account, so I made a quick list of things I’ve been meaning to buy and emailed it to myself at work. I email myself regularly and am fast becoming my most faithful correspondent. Beats the days when I used to leave myself answering machine messages, but what is technology if not to keep me organized with a minimum of effort on my part?

I finally bought new running shoes online, which I hated to do, but I live in a town where everything is Nike or Reebok and no one’s even heard of Asics, let alone a shoe for motion control. I never realized before I read an article in Runner’s World on shoe construction how different each type of sneaker is. It’s no wonder I have such horrible knee pain. I’d probably be better off running a 10K in stilettos than the flimsy (but so cute!) Shox I’ve been sporting this year. I did one of those shoe-finder quizzes and picked the least orthopedic looking of the lot. I almost went to Foot Locker to have them ordered, but at the last minute checked another site and found them $25 cheaper! I picked the slowest shipping to save money, so I may just barely get them in time to break them in before the half marathon.

I started to buy my niece’s and nephew’s birthday presents, but after hours and hours on Amazon, realized 1) I have no idea what an 11-year-old boy wants, never having been one, 2) although I was once a 6-year-old girl, it was a long time ago and kids want way cooler things now, and 3) a two-day visit once every other year makes a lousy foundation for getting to know your relatives well enough to pick out presents without assistance. And because I’m the Cool Aunt, I want to make sure I don’t buy them dorky gifts that will be stuffed in a closet and ultimately used to illustrate hilarious gift-horror stories for their friends. I tentatively picked a pair of pink cowboy boots for my niece and a remote control ATV for my nephew, but shot off an email to their mom to check first. She better respond soon, though, because I’m leaving the country in a couple of weeks and I’m sure even a dorky present would beat not getting anything at all. Maybe I should just send them money. Everybody likes money. Except then everybody knows exactly how much I spent. Or didn’t spend. Ugh.

I also checked out camera/laptop backpacks in preparation for my trip. I was amazed at the wide range of prices and features, so it took me a few hours (curse the internet and its limitless resources!) to narrow it down to three choices, at which point my decision-making abilities became completely paralyzed. I called around town for a camera shop in hopes of actually looking at one before buying, but I only managed to reach some old guy who confirmed his out-of-business repair shop was the last one left in the whole area. He even said, “You ain’t gonna find nothing like that in this town,” twice. God, I miss the city. I eventually resorted to dragging a coworker into my option-loaded hell and using him like a human quarter. We eventually settled on the Lowepro CompuDaypack, which, if it’s big enough to fit my big zoom lens comfortably, should take me through six airports, three countries and two days of flying without much trouble. My back, however, may take exception once the thing is fully loaded with the two cameras, three lenses, laptop, power supplies, phone, iPods, wallet and bottled water. I’ll be lucky if I don’t tip right over.

The one thing I didn’t do, however, was the one thing I should have done first; register and pay my entry fee for the half marathon. I know I’m dragging my feet (no pun-…whatever) because I’m a little scared of my first big race with Real Runners, but then I remind myself that I have a partner and we’re just doing it for fun. I don’t have the knees, feet and ankles of a runner, so I’ll never be competitive and it will always be just for fun, but still…new territory for me.

I almost bought a few pairs of shoes for my trip, but realized taking shoes to Italy is like buying cheese to take to Wisconsin. I told Char I’ll just bring my tax return and an empty suitcase and let her lead the way. Char and shoes are like…well, let me put it this way; the woman can plunk down $800 for five pairs of shoes in twenty minutes, has woken me from a sound sleep to tell me she’s actuallyworshipping on the actual steps of the actual house of Prada, and had two fifty-shoe-capacity custom wardrobes built which don’t accommodate even half of her collection. Here is a woman who will shart herself if I show up wearing Payless, was crowned (literally; she has the tiara to prove it) Shoe Queen by a barful of gay men, and has spent four hours in deep discussion about the therapeutic benefits of shoe shopping to three guys who wear combat boots and drink JD by the gallon. Four. Hours. To say it’s a sickness would be gravely understating the situation.

So. Shoes, both running and Italian, will be had, cameras, etc. will be stylishly toted, pint-sized relatives will be gifted, and races will be run.

That is not all, but it’s good enough for a beginning.

Because I post here, I don’t really have anything to post here. I might try someday anyway. . I don’t accept notes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t comment.