Trivial Pursuit

I'm trying to be really organised for the festive season. I really am. I'm not one of those people who goes totally over the top and has the house bedecked on December 1st, hand makes all the gifts, stencils the wrapping paper etc. But fer cryin' out loud, everything I try to do is thwarted. (Throws back of hand to forehead in totally over the top fashion.)

Takes shoes for example. We're going to a nice dinner and party this weekend. I haven't bought anything new as I have two great dresses which rarely see the light of day. However, I can't for the life of me figure out what I wore on my feet with them. Given that I have clothes and shoes from before I had kids (almost 17 years ago), I would be very surprised if I'd thrown them out, but I'm buggered if I can find the partner shoes.

"What I need" I thought "is an elegant pair of black, suede evening pumps/court shoes." And that was that - jinxed. Isn't it always the way that when you have the time and/or the inclination to meander round the shops, (once a decade) you don't need anything. The minute something urgent appears on the horizon there's nothing remotely approaching what you need.

Against my better judgement I've been scouring Chicago looking for said plain shoes. (Confession time, my idea of scouring is about two shops per day.) Apparently the sales assistants have all gone deaf, since the shoes they point to (no one actually sits you down and brings you sizes these days) are either open-toed, not quite black, far far too high, have frilly bits down the front, or look like something a prostitute/gladiator might wear. I did actually find the perfect pair - and they come in red, grey and brown. Apparently "there's not a lot of black suede at the moment". Once again, I'm out of fashion. I like to call it ahead of the trend.

I had planned a last ditch pursuit of the Holy Grail today, with discount coupons at the ready. Then the little one got up with hacking cough and full on snot fountain. I slipped him cold medicine in the hopes of getting him safely into the classroom without being busted by his peers but the poor thing didn't even look too good. (And of course the Ball & Chain is out of town, although I could hardly ask him to stay off work so that I could buy shoes, could I?.)

So I'm now blogging and he's lying on the sofa watching his fourth hour of TV.

Perhaps I'll just look at the online inventory of plain, black suede shoes, then call up the shop to see if they have my size. If they stay open till about midnight I may even get there to try them on.

PS. This isn't the only thing over which I've been thwarted, in case you thought I was a bit of a fashion drama queen. Oh no, there's a list.