Whatever, NYTimes.com

Fine, just post something about what I had been working on for my blog. Whatever. See what I care.

Hrumph.

The basic premise is that we choose to surround ourselves with things not only because we like them, but because we are aware of what they say about us. An iphone isn't just a cool gadget, it's a signifier. Ditto to crocs. *shudder*

No sympathy for the rich ...

This article from a self-proclaimed CEO wife bemoaning her financial predicament disgusts me:

“We traditionally celebrate with about 30 friends … [N]ot hosting a birthday dinner would have spurred rumors that we were broke…”

Those are some good friends you have there. Anything less than 30 people at a party thrown in a multistar restaurant would be a disgrace? When did spending an intimate evening at home with your wife and kids become gauche?

“We still live in relative luxury, we can afford almost everything we need, and we aren’t facing the prospect of losing our home or having to turn to our families to support us.”

You can afford almost everything you *need*? I think you mean you can afford nearly everything you *want*. There’s a big difference. Choosing between food and your heart medication is vastly different from choosing between Bergdorf Goodman’s and the Gap.

“Meanwhile, retirement is like a rainbow, a beautiful mirage that we’ll probably never reach. To some people, these may seem like luxury problems, but to us they are painful.”

Boo fricking hoo. Virtually all of the older folks I know are still working because they HAVE to. Because retirement can be unaffordable even to the most frugal of hard workers. If your idea of retirement didn’t include the Bahamas and biweekly spa treatments, you could have retired a long time ago.

“The good news is that Americans have short attention spans.”

Not this one.

Let's get some choos. Let's party...

Embarrassingly enough, my shoes literally fell apart last night at dinner when I was out with some friends. My feet were fidgeting under the table and I felt a snap. After peeking at 'em, I realized the part of the thong that connects between your big and second toes had pulled out of the base of the shoe. Sigh. My boyfriend was nice enough to sneakily run out to the car and slip me an alternate pair of wedge heels under the table. Sure, I was 4 inches taller when I stood up, but oh well. My shoe issues actually started earlier this week. I found hole had developed in my favorite, and only, comfortable pair of flats. With all my ankle troubles, I really can't do heels for awhile. The loss of two pairs of shoes totally decimated my options.

I finally sucked it up and went shoe shopping today with my boyfriend. He bitched and moaned about it before we went, even jokingly offering a friend $300 to take me instead. To his credit, it's totally warranted. I spent three days shopping with a good friend over Thanksgiving and tried on over 50 pairs of shoes. Out of that, I got one pair of flats (the ones with the aforementioned hole). I'm pretty sure my feet are built for fitting into heels, but my ankle is still recovering and I really can't risk the instability. Soon, but not yet...

Anyway, to my surprise I found five pairs I liked. Four dressy enough (not super dressy) for work, and one casual pair. I'm thrilled. I've had a real shoe deficit going on for a while now.

Introducing my new babies:
































These next ones are infinitely cuter in person.





































































































That last one doesn't look like a shoe!

Oh yeah. I forgot to mention. -- I also found a purse I liked for $20.

Yay.