1.16.98

How do you say? Is it "fall off the wagon?" I think that’s it. I did it. I fell off the wagon. I was super slacker yesterday. I can justify it. No problem. But I still feel bad. Need an AA for slackers - only who would have the energy to organize such a thing? Hahahaaaa! Someone said that before. Maybe it was in this journal, or an email. Most likely Tom or Milton said it. Maybe Milton. ANYWAY… I didn’t do jack shit all day long. I’m losing hope for my resolution. Wait - don’t lose hope yet! It was just one day. Calm down. Think tomorrow…. Yeah, everything is doable once again tomorrow. Love that word. It is my mantra. If I took that meditation class at the zen center, I would focus on that word. Maybe it has too many syllables? Well, then I would use "later." Heee! I’m blaming my slothfulness on Wednesday’s events: It started innocently enough. I was just going to meet Kathy in Itaewon around 10:30am to show her the cool places to go. I fully intended to be home by 2:00pm to "check-off" the items on my sad-ass list. The excitement started to mount when I showed her Two Sisters, a hole in the wall (literally!) store that sells either totally awesome reproductions or stolen authentic designer purses (Prada, Ferragamo, Gucci, Christian Dior, etc.). We left without purchasing. I had already shown her the little stall where I get pilfered Ann Taylor stuff, and where she bought three things. As we moved farther along the street, the temptation to shop all day grew. See, someone told me about a secret place in Seoul where there are really great deals on otherwise expensive brand name clothing. I knew where it was but hadn’t been there. So, after lunch, when we did go back to Two Sisters and we both did each buy a Prada bag, I was like, "Let’s catch a cab and find those other stores." Good grief. First of all, it’s like I would never buy a Prada bag in the States. It’s not my style. I’m always attached to my backpack; in fact, it is so much a part of me that sometimes when I’m walking I get this momentary panic flash and wonder if I left it somewhere because I no longer feel it. Sad statement. So, it’s unlikely you’ll see me on a train sportin’ a nifty leather Prada bag. I figured (this is the logic one uses to convince oneself that something is "needed") that if I ever go out somewhere, my nice outfit will look oh-so-much-better if I’m not lugging around my green backpack. Nice purses last for years, right? And anyway, with the exchange rate the purse cost me $45. Anybody know how much a Prada bag costs in the States? If so, tell me. I wanna feel good. OK, so we went to the secret area and went totally NUTS! I couldn’t believe all the stuff there. All the new places for me to shop now!! Not a good sign. We spent four hours perusing the little boutiques tucked away in this little corner of Seoul. Miraculously, I was spared from effusing loads of cash, but Kathy was not so fortunate - or was she? I mean, she hauled away more bags than she could carry: She was so loaded down while walking that an ajumma took pity on her and helped her carry one bag for a block. Serious windfall for Kathy. It was her energy that kept me movin'. When she tried on that leather jacket and literally started dancing around the store (just like those guys who score touchdowns), I knew it was the quintessential shopping moment. I bought a red, shiny (iridescent) silk shirt and an iridescent silk scarf. I’m feeling a little remorseful about it. Those were the only two things, besides the purse, that really grabbed me; of course, I had to have them. But they weren’t the best deal. Fifty-five bones for the dos of them. Silk designer stuff in the States? Hmm…it probably would of cost around $200, if not more. So, it’s a deal, but $50 still feels like a lot to me. The worst part was that the chicks in the store were totally snooty. Like, just because I’m wearing a bright blue Swatch, or got a green backpack, or maybe even because I’m American, I wasn’t good enough to shop at their store. They hassled with my credit card long enough that I got nervous and started feeling like they might be stealing the number. See, the woman took my card into the back room and didn’t return for several minutes. That happened to me once before and the next thing I knew, my bank was calling me up asking why I tried to charge $3000 in 3 days. So yesterday morning I called my bank and the woman there said everything looked fine so far. Looks like they’re not dishonest, just stuck up. So, I guess you could say we shopped till we dropped. Today I was a much better productive citizen than yesterday, but it was a boring. Ho hum… Nothing to write about. I’ve got something cooking for tomorrow though, so WATCH OUT!

future past index