A Minor Conflict Over A Pair of Shoes

I wore jelly shoes a lot when I was a kid until they didn't sell them in stores anymore. I wore mainly pink, but I'm sure I had other colours. I wore each pair until they were unwearable, then went and bought another pair.

I remember searching for them on the Internet and not finding anything. Not in department stores, not with Google's product search, not on any shoe sites, nothing. And now that I work at Family Dollar, I've noticed that we sell them. In my size and in several colors. I work for the store that sells jelly shoes and I haven't bought a pair of my own yet.

Here's the reasoning behind the typically-frugal-Kate approach: We'll be moving to Oregon soon. It rains a lot in Oregon, doesn't it? Thus, jelly shoes aren't very practical in the rain, and I won't be able to wear them much to allow the purchase to be worth it. Or to be able to break them in. Also, there's a chance my feet will be changing shape within the next year. I've been avoiding the purchase of any new clothes (or garments) because I'm anticipating that change.

Yet I work in a dollar store. It's not much expense at all to buy a pair of jelly shoes. I'm half-tempted to run and buy a pair right after I post this. Right after I write this sentence.

I'm still sitting here. I've been to work once today to get my schedule. I don't really want to go to work again and have my co-worker scowl at me as I walk in the door. Even if it's for jellies. And I can't very well come into work before my shift, take off my shoes and socks, try them on, put my socks back on, buy them (plus chocolate), and then start my shift.

sigh.

Beginning of July for Two Adults

Fourth of July is getting really boring. I realize that it's madamemama's favorite holiday (along with Thanksgiving), but maybe it's because she gets a lot of change in scenery and activity.

My Fourths have all been about fireworks. I've seen small fireworks in various people's yards, streets, and driveways, I've gone to city events where, amidst a massive crowd, we play with glow sticks, sparklers, and flags, and then sit and break our necks and our eardrums to watch fireworks.

For the last two years, Just'In and I have played it simple, but it's still been centered around fireworks. We'll climb the campus of Weber State (it's built up the side of a mountain, with lots of stairs) and find a good vantage point in the dark. Last night, we ate burgers and onion rings and watched three different city displays: Farr West (yes, it's a city), North Ogden (that's a city too, not just the north part of Ogden), and Riverdale. We made cryptic comments about our love for fireworks and, as we often do, had good conversation while eating a meal that we were both starving for.

And we watched a cricket stare at us while standing in the middle of the sidewalk. I'm sure it wondered what in the world we were doing in his quiet world in the middle of the night. We were enjoying the little things about a holiday: the smell of sulphur to a dormant pyromaniac, the silence of a campus we don't set foot on anymore, and the musings of two imaginations about possible conversations of a fireworks crew.

We also related memories of the holiday; it turns out I'm not the only one who's sick of fireworks.