I spent an unspeakable amount of money on clothing and shoes today. I thought that my bank would freeze my card by the last purchase and check with me to make sure it hadn't been stolen by someone going on a spending spree. Yes, I spent *that* much.

This is highly unusual for me in many respects; first of all, I loathe shopping. I am not one of those girls who finds comfort in shopping when she feels the world has wronged her (unless it's buying a new computer, which always brings me joy). I shop like a man, and that is to say, that I shop with a purpose. I'm never one of those girls that likes to check out the stores on a regular basis to see what deals are going on. Nuh-unh, I go in because I need something. Period. And since I hate shopping I try to keep the instances of it to a minimum; that means if I actually find a pair of pants I like (which is NO easy feat, ladies and gentlemen!) I buy the damn things in every colour so that I can hopefully avoid pant-purchasing for at least a couple of years. Yes, I know how that sounds but I really don't care. Fashion is not exactly at the forefront of my mind, and given that I spend my work days traveling to various Home Depots, I don't exactly need to dress to impress.

After trying on pants after pants that I hated (read: hideous low-rise pants meant for scrawny girls of about 16 years old) I finally found pants that would not expose my underwear at the back, and not accentuate my belly flopping over the top at the front. I nearly wept for joy as they had the bonus feature of "stretchy" material embedded in there. I raised my eyes to the heavens and thanked the Gap gods for creating pants that met my needs. I then promptly bought 4 pairs.

I also went into Mexx to buy a sweet little pant suit number for this sales conference I have to go to on Sunday; there's an awards night and I need to dress it up a little. I have learned from awards nights-past that skirts and dresses equal freezing your butt off all night, ultimately ruining any chance of having fun. I am opting for a more comfortable yet fantastically adorable form fitting grey suit. Also picked up a satiny blue blouse to go underneath.... I'm lookin' like a hot mama! Always gotta go with the blue shirts..... brings out those blue peepers of mine and scores me the compliments without fail. Hey, if ya got it, flaunt it!

And to round out my atrocious spending I bought not one, but TWO, pairs of leather shoes.... suitable for business meetings and the like, while also being comfortable. One pair in brown, one in black, to suit all clothing choices. I never spend this much money on shoes, but I felt it was time for some big-girl shoes. Hopefully at this pricetag they will last a hundred years, furthering my goal of not having to shop again anytime soon. Did I mention how much I hate shopping?

I feel very accomplished. I even got the pants in the suit altered today so they fit my short little legs. So many birds with one stone! I am ready to rock the sales conference next week! Woot woot!

On a completely unrelated note, check out the bruise on my knee! I'm not even sure the picture does it justice (click the pic for a larger version) but let me just tell ya..... it HURT. I was leaping over a snow bank when my knee met with a metal pole (intended to secure bikes, if you need to lock it up) and made a stomach-turning *GONG* sound. The fellow I was with at the time had no idea what my problem was, thinking that sound was caused by my steel toed boots (which I was *not* wearing, but have been known to for work). Upon informing him it was actually my knee that struck the pole he realized the velocity with which I made impact and understood why I could barely string 2 words together (that would be the indescribable pain rendering me speechless). All I could do was bend over slightly and focus on not throwing my dinner up all over the streets of Toronto. Ever had a pain so bad you wanted to puke? It's unpleasant, to be sure.

When the pain subsided enough to stand upright again I limped on down the street to that bar where my brother and his band was playing, met up with a few of my friends, and had a great evening. The highlight had to be the drunken chap from England who kept coming over to our table and hanging off my friends while blathering on about everything from soccer to his divorce. Eventually we got the bar staff to remove him from the premises, as he became belligerent from time to time and we wanted no part of that.

Who wants to help me move next weekend? Any takers? Come on... .I'll supply food and drinks! Whatever ya like!