ah well, dh has worked his magic on my LO. So. Here I am.
In the absence of much purchasing today, I've made a few observations (channelling Carrie Bradshaw - not. Insipid, irritating woman.)
Here's the thing - give me bad skin, greasy hair and the body of a pubescent boy and I would be a geek. The kind that comes under suspicion for possible high school massacre tragedies.
I prefer the net to RL. This is the conclusion I've come to, at least where it comes to shopping But honestly, it is very difficult to be avid about shopping in RL; much easier to be wise. Can I return it if I change my mind? yes, if you fancy another 2.5hr drive with 3 dcs in the back. That's real fabric, real impracticality, a real queue full of real people and real money/ card that's being handed over. It's far easier to be cavalier on the net. "Well, I'll just give it a bash.. can always send it back if it doesn't work". And then you try it on in the peace and space of your own home - no cramped dressing rooms, no queue of anxious punters lining up outside - and hey, guess what? In that skinny mirror that you never dust specifically so that it continues to give you a lovely, soft-focus appearance, it looks pretty bloody good! and it goes with so many other things ... let's ignore the fact that they're things you never wear... you;ll start wearing them now, right? RL shopping gives you none of that - your mind goes blank about the rest of the contents of your wardrobe, you can't envisage what this coat/ top/ skirt would go with - probably nothing - so best not risk it. Those trousers look great - and your legs look so slim and long - when you try them on with the 4 inch heels that you never wear because you can't walk in them. In a change room, with nothing but the old "stand on tiptoe" trick, your legs just look dumpy. No sale.
So, I much prefer online shopping, esp where potential purchases can be linked to and discussed with non-RL friends (aka you lot) - there's far more frisson and excitement involved. The discussion, the ooh, the aah, the purchase, the delivery, the ripping off of paper, the trying on. RL shopping seems terribly dull by comparison. Good for shopping wisely, doubtless, but for avidly? Not so much. Funnily enough, I started the year on the "use it all up" thread declaring that i needed and would buy nothing more than a pair of jeans this year. 2 months and many purchases later, I have my jeans. A size larger than I would have liked, granted!! But what this tells me is that if I want to curb my habits, RL is the way to go. If I want to get swept up in the glorious irrelevance of retail - which, I confess, I do - then it's online all the way.
and that, dear friends, goes for shopping buddies too
tracey I hope you are having a lovely night with your dh.
Night all