S.U.I.

    I have something to admit. I went shopping last night, under the influence. Not while intoxicated. I was under the influence of the rain, see, and the 'it's been raining for days and I'm sick of it' rain-induced melancholy that seems to take over sometimes in the late spring and early autumn. I was just tired of it. Not the right time to be shopping.
    I went out, originally, to buy a bed. Originally intending to get a nice, new bedroom set, I've come to realize that my new apartment is:

1. adorable
2. affordable
3. sized for one miniature person with no personal possessions

I hope that it has become clear to anyone who reads what I write that I am:

1. not miniature (although I'm definitely not any larger than "normally-sized," whatever that means)
2. possessed of significantly more possessions than the average person
3. prone to acquiring additional possessions frequently

    So I went to Pier 1. Intending to at least look at, if not buy, a bed frame, and perhaps a flat head- and foot-board. Queen-sized. Perhaps with a chest and dresser. I found a couple of options that would fit in the space in which I can fit the bed (the Rio Grande and the Miranda--who comes up with these stupid names? Why would any woman want to sleep in something named Miranda, for chrissake?!). The Miranda is so not me. And the Rio Grande, while somewhat closer to "me," is still pretty chunky and post-y. So I wasn't going to buy. I moved on to sofas & loveseats. My 'living-room' isn't terribly wide, so I'm thinking that one reasonably good-sized piece is going to be the focus. I liked the Tampa sofa, but I wouldn't want it in the only color in which they offer it.
    I wandered through the entire store. Looked at pretty much everything they had. And bought one $2.50 spiral blue shot glass.
    I was disappointed. I'd been in the mood to shop, and had paid cash for my glass. Pretty ridiculous notion for someone who ought to be saving her pennies in a pickle bucket (shades of Wolfgang), but.... I departed the store in a funk, walked through the rain to the car, and immediately drove not back to the crash pad but to....
    Bed, Bath & Beyond. (What is "Beyond," anyway?) Intended to get a clothes hamper. Walked through the whole damned store. What did I buy?

1. Pillow (down, firm)
2. Can opener
3. Trivets (set of 3, cork)
4. Sheets (standard set, Queen--so I guess I'm committed to buying a Queen bed, 400-thread count, made from a funky sort of fabric called 'Modal', pristine white)

    I trudged out to the car with my huge B, B & B bag and stuffed it all into the back seat. By this point it was raining really hard. I was pretty well soaked. My hair was hanging limply in the back, and sticking to my forehead. It was about 8:20. I was alone. Sort of lonely. Bored. And the car was parked equidistant between B, B & B and J.C. Penney's, in which I have not shopped in several years. I looked up at the neon sign (which reads, "J...enney's" and thought, "Eh, why not?"
    I walked through the store. Found a sweater that I really liked, but the only two colors in which it was available were black and blue. The majority of my clothes are blue or black, and I'm trying to get out of that habit. (Although I'm not trying very hard--today's outfit is a white t-shirt, blue short cardigan & black pants.) Next found a very cute blouse--red or pink--in a sort of crisp cotton. But it was kind of "junior-ish" and I wasn't sure enough that I could pull off the look, to actually buy it without someone along to nudge me. Looked at black leather jackets, but realized that I was just feeling sorry for myself and shouldn't give in to the desire to buy something without exercising some fiscal restraint. Eventually found myself in Shoes.
    And in love.
    I don't like boots. Not the 'current styles,' anyway. They do nothing for me, aesthetically, and I've never had a wild desire for them. But as soon as I saw these, I wanted them. And they're black, which made them even better. (I'm in a 'black period,' leather-wise, in case anyone hasn't noticed.) But I tried to talk myself out of them. I wandered around. Unfortunately, my wandering led me to discover a pair of shoes that would go perfectly with my new suede trousers. (The Cat will be pleased with this news--she sat through countless 'catwalkesque' fittings in G-burb that led me to realize:

1. that my feet have shrunk, from a perfect 8 to an imperfect 7.5
2. that I'm very much out of sync with the current style of shoes, and
3. that no matter how much I need a pair of shoes to match the perfect pair of trousers, I cannot bring myself to buy atrocious, ugly things that make my feet look huge.)

    So I had to at least try the shoes. And since I was going to try the shoes, I decided, why not try the boots? I was wearing Levis, fairly straight-legged. I wasn't even sure if I'd be able to get the boots on, since they'd have to either go over the jeans or the jeans would have to go over them. Not the ideal situation.
    Well, I tried the shoes first, in a 7.5, and they fit perfectly well--even with my right foot wearing my thick boot sock and my left foot wearing the hideous nylon bootie thing from the store. (I wanted to compare.) The shoes were a hit, and I had to get them. (They were also on sale, and incredibly inexpensive anyway.)
    The boots were only available in an 8. Seemed ominous, since the shoes fit a half-size smaller and were the same brand, but I tried them on anyway.
It was as if they'd been made for me.    Love 'em. Oh, my God. Love 'em! I just shoved my jeans up to my knees (a neat, and fucking ugly, trick, let me tell you) and pulled the boots on, and ...it was goddamned surreal. Exquisite. Love 'em.
    So. Less than half price, the boots were. Shoes + boots, $80.
    I walked out to the car with another huge bag, grinning to myself like an idiot, getting rained on again. Shoved the bag in the foot-well behind my seat. Got in, stuck the key in the ignition, and though, "I'll wear them to work tomorrow." And then, I thought, "Oh, fucking shit."
    I don't have a goddamned thing to wear with black leather boots.
    See what happens when I shop under the influence?