See, I was never one of those giggling high school girls who move in packs through a shopping mall. I was never a very girly girl. Most of my friends throughout high school were boys, and those friends who were girls were non-girly girls as well. In fact, several of my female friends were sports fanatics.
Not exactly makeup-caked giggling high school girls who followed the latest trend.
About as trendy as I ever got was getting suckered into the "pegging" of one's jeans when I was in junior high. Yes, I was one of those folks who folded the cuffs of her jeans so that it was tight against her ankle. This is a major fashion faux pas now, especially when you consider that I have always been pear-shaped. Tapered jeans just accentuate how ginormous my hips are; that's why I'm so glad bootcut jeans are now the fashion!!!
Although I do have to say, when tapered leg jeans were the norm, I had no problems finding jeans to fit my short legs. It didn't really matter how long the jeans were because they would just bunch up at my ankles and stay out of my way. With bootcut jeans, you have to get the proper length, else you're walking on the ends of your jeans all the time. And let me tell ya -- not many people make a 28" inseam for us shorties. :o)
But back to the shopping....
So when I was in high school, I would go to the mall... but with my guy friends. This usually meant that we were there for one of two reasons: first, to go to a movie. Second, we were there to go to Games Workshop.
Yes, I was a nerd in high school. We have established that. Our preferred hangout was this place in downtown Springfield called RPG Solutions, a role-playing game store. There we would either stake out one of the back rooms to play a role-playing game (most of which I sat out because my stepmom wouldn't let me play Dungeons & Dragons anyhow, and secondly because I just couldn't get into playing a game with people in my mind), or we would sit in the front of the store and paint the little figures that one uses when one plays Warhammer or Warhammer 40K.
But when RPG Solutions closed, we had to find a new hangout. Hence Games Workshop in the mall.
Once I got to college, I finally started being friends with people who actually liked to shop. My last roommate wasn't a girly-girl either, but boy, could she tear apart a Target!! So we'd con my then-boyfriend, who was our only friend with a car, to drive us to Target on a regular basis.
Now that I have my own car, and plenty of shopping nearby, it's all I can do to stay home.
For me it's not the acquiring of stuff or even spending money. I can quite happily window shop without buying a thing!! I just like to see what's new and cool out there. I mean, I used to read the coupon fliers when I still lived at home, just to see what cool new products the company was coming out with.
Of course, nowadays I can't go into Target without spending some money, but that's because I generally only go when I need something. I save my window shopping for the historical downtown of our little village -- like I did yesterday. Only my favorite antiques store was closed. Who closes on a Wednesday?!?! Apparently these people do. So much for whining about Walmart taking their business. I can't buy something if they're not open!
But I do try to buy something when I'm downtown, simply because there is too much cool stuff there! I'm still trying to convince Kurt I need $100 for some of those European comfort shoes in a maryjane style, but he's not buying it. He's such a spoilsport.
So there you are. I love to shop because I didn't get it out of my system when I was a teenager. Too bad the only person I have to shop with is my husband!!! :o)
PS -- Happy birthday to my brother-in-law Ben!!! HAHAHAHA!!! You're OLD!! Just kidding.