Packaging. We're so bi-polar as a society sometimes. I went to the mall today for a non-shopping reason initially but I did manage to get some shopping in. My son was being a mean big brother baby this morning. He whacked his sister on the head with his golf clubs. Repeatedly and more than one incident. We watch him. We watch her, but he can be fast and some things happen unexpectedly.
Disciplining him aside, he was full of energy and needed something that was interesting and new, not boring and dull, or maybe just new and not same-as-yesterday. And I wanted to come up something new for him to do. So we went to the mall and I tried out their drop-off daycare for two hours.
From his and my daughter's perspective, this was an exciting adventure. New children, new toys, interaction with other children. I didn't need to shop, but I wanted him to have a new experience. He came home tired and calm from the morning.
Back to the shopping though. I wandered around the mall and looked at lots of things. I ended up looking at purses. I like my current purse okay, but it's larger than I'd like and it's a bit unwieldy to manage.
I have lots of requirements on finding a purse: lots of compartments, large enough to fit my iPad in and out of it and do so quickly and easily. Fit on my shoulder and stay against my side with the pressure of my relaxed arm and not be some crazy garish color or pattern.
The last purse, the one I am not that happy with, was a compromise because nothing really fit what I wanted. This time, bam, I found exactly what I needed. It wasn't too expensive and it had all the qualities I was looking for. And it was much smaller than my current purse. I took it to the counter to buy.
Let me back up a bit though. We're a recycling-conscious nation and efficiency in packaging is something we seem to value, unless it seems, we're trying to emphasize how valuable a particular thing is. It would appear purses are in the "ever so valuable" category.
First, there was a "bag" inside the purse. The bag is so you can put your purse in it and not get it messy or something? Hang it on the wall and know it's in the corner looking so pretty and stylish and hidden? I don't know, but this is a fad that's been going on for a while. After ringing up this purse—which was not that expensive—the lady said she needed to go to the back to get the box. I explained I didn't need a box. She said, "Oh, you're going to want this box."
There were other people waiting to check out. She returned with a cardboard box, in base cardboard color, with some printing from the purse brand on it. She then took the purse, opened it up, took out the bag inside the purse and I stopped her and said, "You don't need to go through all that, there are people waiting." The other people told her it was find and they could wait.
So she puts the purse in the bag that was in the purse to start. Then she puts the purse in the box (with a swanky handle to match) and then, because I won't possibly be able to go home with my new purse in this state, she puts the whole pile into a paper bag, also from the brand, with more fancy handles.
Is this insane or is it just me?
The Big Boy Update: Nononononono. He says no a lot now. When he says it, he means no. If he says it repeatedly, he means no more emphatically. At this point, it's mostly communication. I suspect very soon, it's going to turn into defiance and battle of wills. We shall see.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: I will feed myself, thank you. She loves to feed herself. She doesn't get too much in, but she will be occupied for long periods if you give her something to shove in her mouth. She does well with all sorts of things like french fries, cookies and apples.
Running Update: It was hot yesterday but I wanted to get some exercise. The children had had a challenging (read whiny) day and I needed to get out. When they went to sleep in the afternoon I told my husband I was going for a walk. I left the house and before I'd gone two lots over something told me I needed to run. I started running and got into the park. I wasn't trying to break any pace records and it was ninety-five-ish so I just ran at a comfortable pace. I was surprised that I wasn't going as slowly as I had expected when the app on my phone counted off miles one and two so I kept going. I got to the part that was a long uphill climb and I kept running. That's when I realized I think I'd prefer running uphill than biking uphill. I bet it's because my muscles are more comfortable running than biking. On the bike, the hill looked ominous (and it wasn't that much of a hill) but running, it just meant more huffing and puffing.
That's when I "Forrest Gumped" it and just kept going. It was hot, I had drenched my shorts and shirt, but I was going to make that quarter marathon distance darn it. When I got back to the park entrance, I ran around the neighborhood. The hill I hated several months ago, even after six miles of running, was just more road to run. It's impressive what the body can do. I continue to be amazed. I thought I was close so I ran past the house and shortly afterwards I heard, "Seven miles..." Whew, new record, in both sweating and distance.
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