It's ALL About ME

I had The Best day today. Shael is not going to be happy about it when she finds out I went to the mall without her. Mike went to play poker with his buddies and I went shopping. Shael is at her Grandma's house for the entire weekend. I went back to Best Buy and got me that Michael Buble cd I had my eye on last night. Thanks, Grand Lake Casino! I first heard Michael Buble on NPR in Kansas City 2-1/2 years ago. I knew right then and there that I wanted a cd. I couldn't find them for the longest time, though I never forgot that name or that voice. When I finally started seeing them in stores, I never really had the money to get one. Until today. I put it off no longer. I'm listening to it on my computer right now, and I can tell you one thing, the ladies at work are probably going to get sick of this cd because I have every intention of listening to it over and over for several days in a row.

I also made it to the mall, as I mentioned. I searched for some boots to wear on the motorcycle. I found some and snatched them up before someone else saw what a bargain they were. I got these $50 boots for $14.98 (that's with tax!) and I couldn't wait to tell Mike about my great catch. They don't quite have the right sole for biking boots, but they'll work, as all I ever do is sit on the back with my feet tucked up on some pegs anyway. No, putting my feet down on the pavement at every stop sign or light for me. Nope, I sit there all queenly and don't touch the ground until I get off the bike.

I saw Mike's boss's son (he's technically the boss, too, these days, but he's like 25 years old, if that) at Sears and I spoke to him. He didn't recognize me so I told him who I was. He apologized for not recognizing me and I laughed. No biggie, since he only sees me once a year, I told him. And what I was thinking but didn't voice was...and that one time a year I see you you are always so dang drunk I doubt if you even recognize your own mother. He's not as hot as he was when Mike first started working for them 6 years ago. Too many drinks and too many drugs. Too many women, too. He had this HOT girlfriend when Mike first started working there. A couple years later she became his HOT wife. A year later she became his HOT ex-wife. The guy is loaded and when she filed for divorce, she told him he could have it all she didn't want one thing. And she didn't take one thing. They'd just built this brand new home that was huge and he still lives in it. She must've been one unhappy HOT woman. And he must've been one unhappy husband because he spent all his time at the bar the whole time they were married. Now he's with this chick that is so not hot. She looks rough because she is. She was rubbing all over Mike one night at the bar back when Mike use to go. And any of you who know Mike know he's a big flirt. Please, ladies, do NOT encourage him.

I also went to Michael's craft store, Hobby Lobby and Books-A-Million today on my shopping spree that was all about me. At Books-A-Million I joined the discount club thingie and when the guy asked me what phone number I wanted it to go under I told him and he said "Quapaw, right?". Uh, no. Grove, I told him. He said "Oh, yeah, Grove. I'm from Wyandotte, myself" *sings It's A Small World After All* These days instead of asking people what their names are when they say they are from Wyandotte, I ask them how old they are. When this guy said 18, I went, "Oh, then I don't know you" Somehow, we started talking about people we both know and he mentioned this guy named Kenny Young. Yes, I know who he is, I think he's somewhere around my sister's age, and he said "Funny thing about Kenny Young. Most of the kids my age have partied with him." Okay, little bit of inside info here, Kenny Young is somewhere in his 40's. When he told me the kids his age have partied with him I gave an involuntary shudder and said "Eiw. He's the creepy, old guy at parties?" The boy laughed and I told him I refuse to ever be the creepy, old person at a party. I know I still feel like I'm 18 in my head, I still think 18, but I still walk around in the real world and am aware that I'm almost 33 so I try not to dress too young or speak too young or hang around with the too young crowd. Shoot, when I have to explain who freakin' John Lennin is, than forget it, get me a 30 something.

I bought me five new books. I had to leave before I spent too much. I got Plantation by Dorothea Benton Frank (another lowcountry tale, I love 'em), Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson (which says it's now a major CBS television event, but since I hardly ever watch CBS, except to watch CSI, I figure it won't be a problem), and then I bought three books I've read before but wanted to own. Two Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook and The Wedding and my old stand-by by Colleen McCullough, The Thorn Birds. Can you believe this is the first time I've ever owned a brand new copy of that book? I've only ever owned used paperbacks and my old, old, OLD, used hard back. All the books I got tonight were paperbacks. Which one should I read first. I think the James Patterson, then the lowcountry one, then The Notebook, The Wedding, then I'll savor The Thorn Birds for a month. Going over my favorite parts leisurely.

Mike took a coffee can with $25 worth of change to his poker game tonight. He gave it a shake when I picked him up tonight (I had to be the dd again, you know) and he still had some money in it, just don't know how much yet.

I had so much fun today, I almost hated for it to end. I can't even remember the last time I went shopping by myself, for myself. No groceries on the agenda. I discovered something about myself. Something I use to know, but had forgotten. I'm a very efficient shopper when I don't have Mike and/or Shael tagging along with me. When I don't have to spend more than half my time searching for Mike only to find him in the most obscure areas of the store or going four rows over from what I'm looking at trying to make my decision to go look at something Shael says I just "have to see". Seeing it and saying "that's amazing, Shael" and going back four rows to find 3 fat women standing in my spot, looking at my things and not in any hurry to move along so I can get back to what I was doing. I found that I could drive from Carl Junction to Joplin and going to Wal-Mart, Best Buy, the mall where I looked in four stores, actually bought something in two of the four stores, tried on two pairs of boots, then go on to Michael's then to Hobby Lobby all in 3 hours. I was in Hobby Lobby over an hour, too. Mike wasn't ready to go so that's why I went to Books-A-Million. I had to leave there or I'd spend every penny in my checking account and every bit of cash in my purse.

We got home by 8:30 and Mike went straight to bed. He's been up a whole 8 hours, poor baby, he should get some sleep. I slept in a little bit this morning, but still got up by 8:30 this morning. Maybe I can squeeze in a nap tomorrow after church. Before we go to pick up the kiddo. Before our nice, quiet home turns loud and rowdy again. Here's hoping.