Friday, April 01, 2005

At the mall

Today I did something which is ubiquitous to American culture, but which I don't do very often - a friend and I hung out at "the mall" all afternoon.

My friend, who lives in Hong Kong, is back in New Zealand for a couple of weeks' holiday. At first we wanted to go out for a long walk outdoors somewhere, but due to the early arrival of Winter we had our walk in a shopping mall instead.

I was doing a very good job of getting her to buy stuff. I helped her choose some greeting cards, a sketch book (she's started learning to draw), a notebook, a book on drawing, two pairs of sandals on sale and some Body Shop skincare. It was almost more fun than spending money myself.

Then there was a hiccup - we went into a shoe shop and I found a pair of really nice cherry-red, flat-soled ankle boots which would make perfect mid- to late-pregnancy footwear. I tried them on, liked them, and attempted to avoid actually purchasing them by saying I'd think about it. This would have worked, too, except my friend then pointed out another pair of flat-soled ankle boots, in a soft, aged golden brown leather. This time my resolve failed me. I bought them.

I have spent so much money this week: first there was the fridge/freezer; then the boy and I decided we needed to get another bookcase - they were sold out and I had to put an order in, but I did find Angel Season 5 part 1 on DVD though; then the $200 boots.

I need those boots though, and they're surely going to last me several winters at least - if my pregnant feet don't swell up until they are permanently one size too big.

10 comments:

portuguesa nova said...

You can't put a pricetag on nice footware that you get a lot of use out of. Congratulations on your find! Have a good weekend.

C'lam said...

ooh i love shoe shopping - i got a great pair of pink shoes last week - they have the best wee heels.

Happy and Blue 2 said...

$200..Are you nuts..
Just kidding..

Unknown said...

there's no point in cheaping out on shoes, that's my motto. but then again, i'm a bit of a shoe addict myself. buying a new pair of shoes makes me feel good, its theraputic! enjoy!

LK said...

I usually never pay that much for shoes but I'm starting to think that I should as the cheaper ones do not last past two years at the most. So good on you - just make the boy starve for a week to afford it. ;)

As for the winter weather you spoke of in the other post - huh? I'm still getting sunburnt up here.

But I do have to tell you one glorious fact about being pregnant over winter - the baby becomes your own personal in-built heater in the later months and you will quickly find that two duvets is too much for you. Of course it is frustrating for the other half because they are freezing their butts off but us pregnant women are just dandy.

NIna said...

I know *everything* about the spending too much thing. Especially when summer´s around the corner you need new shoes, a new jacket, a couple of tops...the list is endless. And then there´s this little mp3 player you absolutely *must* have...and by the end of the month you`re broke.

Ah well, have fun spending money it´s a girl`s birthright. :D

Kazzer said...

$200 Violet, that's definitely a bargain. I just hope you don't hate them when your pregnancy is over!!

Violet said...

It's hard to part with that much money for a pair of shoes or boots, because you know that you can get something similar-looking for ten bucks at a shoe warehouse. But then again, I expect these guys to last a long time you're more likely to get that with real, nice leather than with vinyl and plastic. And they are Italian, after all...

Violet said...

llcoffee: I heard it was still nice up your way, but down in my corner of the country it went wintery for several days...now we're back to autumn.

glomgold said...

That mall air is tough for me to take after an hour. I thought I was supposed to be immune to it like any other good ol' USofA-er!
I've been trying to find some of those Chinese cloth kung fu shoes for $1, but so far no luck.