Cat in Heels

Sometimes when I'm out shopping I see something that triggers a memory of a conversation I had with someone or makes me think of a friend or family member. Sometimes that feeling is so great I'll snap a photo and send it to them. This week I escaped the confines of the hotel in San Francisco long enough to wander out into Union Square and find Ross , a discount superstore akin to TJ Maxx and Marshalls  (which I love). As I wandered through the shoe section (because where else would I start) I saw a pair of black glitter with black spikes, Steve Madden Andiie heels, that made me think of my friend Esther (who was at the conference with me) and a conversation we had over sushi that day at lunch. It can be summed up by this: We both love spikes on shoes. The rack of perfect shoes. Since I have an insane number of shoes (with and without spikes), I sent Esther a photo of the shoes, letting her know that she obviously needed them, and what size should I pick up. She repl...

This year's Black Friday shopping adventure really wasn't that exciting. It was exciting because there were great deals, and I got to spend the day with my sister, niece and mom, but there weren't any crazed shoppers pushing people out of the way, pulling hair and hitting one another with display heels in an effort to get the last size medium dress. Same boots, different day Instead we shopped our way through the mall grabbing great deals, and finding some really nice stuff for Christmas gifts. My two-year-old niece waved at Santa (the highlight of her day), danced to music in every store, and pointed out all the shoes she thought were "So cute." For being two, she has great taste in shoes. Surprisingly, I didn't buy any shoes today. Or maybe that's not surprising because I was actually Christmas shopping, and for once not focusing on myself. At least not the whole time. I also learned that my Kensie boots look awesome, but are not the best ...

While most people spend Christmas shopping for others, hoping they like whatever you bought, keeping track of gift tags, and asking strangers to try on sweaters because they're about the same size as the recipient, my family goes practical. Every year my sisters and I each get a day with Mom where we wander the mall, purses stuffed with cash and coupons, and pick out all our Christmas gifts. They all love me, even if I hate them. Sure, it takes some of the surprise out of it, but it's better to get things you like than some awkward sweater that doesn't fit and you'd never wear, and you have to feign like you love it. Plus we've always done it this way. It's one of our quirky Christmas traditions. So last weekend Mom and I busted into the mall, pushed past droves of children waiting to see Santa, scurried past the stage of tweens dancing to "Party in the USA," (WTF?) and walked into the store to pick out my annual Christmas wardrobe. I brought ...

The Daily Express in the UK ran an article about what women spend on shoes in their lifetime. They said it was about $20,000 and assumes that the average woman has 16 pairs of shoes. I think that may mean that I'll spend about $50,000 in my lifetime, if not more, based on the fact that I have way more than 16 pair of shoes. That figure is in no way based on real math, so it could be more over the course of my life. Couple that with the more than seven pairs a year my significant other buys, and he and I will have spent enough in a lifetime to buy a small island. The article goes on to say that women own an average of six pairs of flip flops and ballet flats (I have 2 flip flops and 0 ballet flats), three pair of boots (I don't really have time to dig those out and count), two pairs of "work shoes (what the hell is a work shoe?), four pairs of "foxy shoes" for going out (shouldn't all shoes be foxy?), and a random pair (like clown shoes?). I'm not...