We have established that I am out of the loop in respect to several aspects of modern American culture. I don’t have a computer, I just recently learned what the “raw” in a sexual context means, and I have no interest in purchasing a larger, flatter, better TV until mine poops out. Even then I will probably buy the cheapest one in the store that is on sale. I don’t have On Demand or Tivo and since I am not exactly sure of the benefits I don’t think I am missing out. The perk of my ignorance is by not caring about this stuff I am saving me money so I’m not rocking the boat on that one. I did recently purchase an iPod but in the month and a half I have had it I have only used it twice. It’s a total hook too. To fully reap the full benefits of the iPod one must also purchase all the accessories. More stuff I will have a hard time figuring out how to use. A waste of money for technology challenged girls like me. When I asked boys in my dorm to help me hook up my TV or computer I wasn’t trying to play a flirty damsel role. I honestly was helpless and still am. I will admit to having a crush on the Mac guy from the commercials but I think the allure of him is how he can help me with all the technical stuff I can’t be bothered with. Still, my biggest problem with the iPod is that I am like an old lady (the woman in the picture is how I imagine myself in 50 years) who talks to people in checkout lines or on corners waiting for the light to change and so on and my iPod (when I used it) turned out to be an unsuccessful distraction from my random socializing.Moving on, today I came across another instance that made me feel like an alien amongst modern youth of the nation. Earlier this week I made plans to go running in Old City and Northern Liberties after work with a few of my friends from Pilates. I guess running would be a good time to use my iPod but I like running with a group. It reminds me of my old days on the XC team but without the dysmorphia and masochistic tendencies. So I was annoyed this morning when I went looking for my running shoes I found them in my back yard ravaged the recent foul weather. They were old anyway and I was due for a new pair so on my way to the bank I stopped in three shoe stores on Chestnut Street before finding a pair. I was shocked by the poor selection of women’s running shoes and the excessive options for casual athletic footwear. Now, I am a person who never wears sneakers unless I am going for a run. Even trips to the grocery store I put on a casual yet stylish shoe. Even in college I could never bring myself to wear sweats let alone pajama pants to class. I know not everyone is like me in this capacity but I was still amazed at this sneaker thing. While I waited for the lady to bring out a size 9 Nikes, I counted 65 sneakers that nobody would use for an athletic activity and 20 for actual sport. There were those Reebok high tops from the 80’s in 6 different colors. Even silver and pink swirly ones! Women’s running shoes, there were only 4. Now, I am not counting the vintage looking New Balances because I don’t think those are proper shoes for distance running. They just don’t offer the proper support and their trendiness puts them in the other category. Even then there were only a couple of them. There were shoes with a cat design in rhinestones and ones in obnoxiously fluorescent colors and not only that, most of these shoes were over a hundred dollars! A ridiculous amount of money for shoes that many nighttime establishments will not allow you past the front door for wearing. I found only two running shoes conservative enough for me to consider and sadly they were not on sale. It kills me to buy something at full price but this was my only option.
I love shoes. No, I LOVE shoes. From my red clogs in kindergarten to my Chanel stilettos I bought in the dressing room at Lohemans that I suspect were stolen, but I can’t get into this fancy sneaker thing. I am not going to feel bad about this like the iPod and computer thing because I doubt Carrie Bradshaw & Co. would be with me on this one.
2 comments:
I personally like the New Balances, but I am not using them for sport. I wore out my other sneakers, so I finally asked for some new ones for Christmas. My mom got me 2 pair of New Balance that feel pretty great. One is a traditional sneaker, and the others don't have a back to them, so they are like a slide. Certainly not something to run in, but comfy nonetheless. My feet have like no arch, so any kind of sneaker with any kind of support feels pretty darn good. I am with you though on the price. I won't buy them unless they are on sale. I just can't do it. Even with cute shoes. I go to Ross most of the time. They have a great selection and they are designer, or at least good knockoffs, I haven't decided which, but they are super cheap. I LOVE shoes right along with you, but I just can't pay full price for them. I guess the last shoe I actually paid full price for was my wedding shoes, but even those I had to order online because they didn't have the color I wanted at the store. They were Kenneth Cole. I think the website I got them off of had them discounted a little bit.
On a different note, referring to your "the meaning of raw" comment, don't feel bad. My mom has been wearing this "Got Wood" shirt around for the past few months that she got at a lumber convention. Since she sells lumber, she thought it was innocent, implying that she is a lumber salesperson and can fill their wood needs. She kept wondering why we were laughing at her. I just assumed she knew and was playing oblivious. She informed me last week that while watching the episode of Grey's, she figured out what "wood" means. Now she says she's gonna start wearing it to bars to pick up men. Classy, mom, real classy.
The irony of my life is that the smallest part of me is meant to hold up the rest of me. Whereas freakishly small feet means a reduced surface area (not a good thing in my line of work where walking through coastal wetlands means Kate sinks and gets hopelessly stuck in coastal wetland mud) and makes me the laughing stock in an office full of guys, it also means that I get to shop for shoes in the kids section. I find my average savings are between $10-20 if I buy little boy sneakers rather than regular grown-up sneakers. It will admit that it was a little embarrassing when I wore heels to my grandmother's funeral and my 10 year old cousin wanted to try them on, but even her feet were bigger than mine. Such is life...
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