Turn Turn Turn

During the last few weeks of August, I'd sometimes pass by this one tree walking to and from work and even then its leaves were changing colour. The premature golden reds dismayed me because I felt like I didn't have enough of a summer yet and really, it was still August! It rained nearly every other day during July when I was in Chicoutimi and when I came back to the Loo I was in the office everyday and hardly got to enjoy what was left of the sun. Alas, I've been able to smell the onset of autumn for weeks now, but with the brisk air in the mornings and early sunsets and dusks recently, Fall really has come around again.

This means a couple things for me: a cold, inevitably. I'm sniffling as we speak and the congestion headache is getting worse by the hour. In a few minutes when I'm bound to sneeze, I will follow up by stuffing tissue up my nostrils. My immune system isn't what it used to be, so with the added stress of work, lack of good sleep and proper nutrition, the changing of the seasons usually means a breakdown in health for me. Yipee.

Autumn also means another thing: a new line of shoes. There is, honestly, little to nothing better for me than a nice, hot pair of stiletto boots. I love Fall because of what it means for the shoe stores, really; I'm like a kid in a candy store. The heartbreaking thing here is that I can only window shop and drool because nothing fits over MY FAT CALVES. I'm only a little bitter. I swear to goodness, last winter Tanya and I did two whole rounds of the Eaton Centre in Toronto (quite a large mall), and went into EVERY SINGLE SHOE STORE and still! I didn't find a single pair of boots that would comfortably zip up two inches past my ankle. I say "comfortably" because I do remember one or two pairs that I managed to zip up all the way, but in the process of doing so I think I cut off circulation to my feet and left the skin on my lower legs red and imprinted with the design of the inner boot, ie: the seaming. I have since resigned myself to buying the winter ankle bootie, something I thought I'd never do. It'll have to suffice until a designer out there realizes the plight of the Fat Calved Woman Who Loves Tall Boots. Le sigh.

Speaking of shoes, I somehow ended up shopping today after my school visits were done. I'm noticing a disturbing pattern wherein I spend most of my free time on this job either eating or shopping. Both of these activities will have to be cut down lest I end up fat and poor. Or, like Tanya says it: Well dressed and well fed. In my defence, I did spend an hour at a park, sitting on giant stones by the lake reading with my shoes off. And then I went for a walk in the cute downtown area and read some more at a little cafe. These are the things that I really like to do with my spare time, but there's only so long that you can sit at a place before it either gets too chilly or just up and closes because hey, it's the end of the day. So I ended up at the mall. I need to run an errand anyway. I will, however, sheepishly admit that I left the mall with 2 skirts, 4 tops, and 2 pairs of shoes, and NOT the items that I needed to get in the first place. Again, in my defence, everything I bought was on sale AND: 2 shirts are for work, one skirt replaces one that I just got rid of (and it was only $5!), one pair of shoes is for work, and the rest of the items were just pretty. And on sale. Find me someone else who can get 4 tops, 2 skirts and 2 pairs of shoes for $100! In my deep concentration while shopping not only did I completely forget to get my very necessary items for this week, I also gave myself a headache by the time I left the mall. Yes, I have a problem. I realize this. And in my super-oraganized-ness, I also have notes for when I'm able to go back (it's like Shopping Food For Thought):

- Vans ripoffs: High or low tops? $19.95
- Pointy black flats in matte or patent? $24.95
- Leggings with tall fake suede boots? $10, $39.95
- Skinny jeans?

Note that the skinny jeans also have problems fitting over MY FAT CALVES. No, it never ends.

I'm going to nurse my change-of-season cold and my post-shopping headache with the two oranges I took from the hotel lobby, some nasty ginseng tea, and a handful of echinacea pills. Happy October everyone.
8:50 pm