Tuesday, June 24, 2008

It happened a few days ago. In the morning, while I was tearing through my closet, pulling out fistfuls of T-shirts and trying ton pair after pair of jeans, flinging scarves, shoes, belts all over my bedroom the thought entered my brain: I have nothing to wear! I should buy something new.

Now comes the part where I have to start practicing self-restraint. Up until now this Challenge has been easy, but suddenly, as if I were a light bulb happily turned off, I have been very much switched on...

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Notes on a Shopping Mall at 8 a.m. on a Wednesday

I have just been to the twilight zone and back, and it is called the mall at 8 a.m. on a Wednesday.

A coworker and I were sent to the Apple store in the local mall so we could begin some training on our shiny new MacBook Pros, and our class began at 8 a.m. There is a surprising amount of activity in a shopping mall at 8 a.m., and it is an especially curious sight for a girl who is committed to not shopping. I think it strengthened my resolve while I do this Challenge (although so far the Challenge as been quite easy for me since all my time is taken up with work, Spouse and friends).

At 8 a.m. the light coming through the mall skylights is pale blue and reflects off of the shiny white marble floors. Construction workers (who have already been up and working for hours) trot back and forth with tools and clatter around while installing up a new facade on the Williams-Sonoma store. Two teenage boys in hard hats clean windows with squeegees. Senior Citizens, wearing sweats, Keds, and "walk for life" name tags stroll in small groups around the halls. Puffy-eyed young mothers with strollers and toddlers and coffee cups in hand sit on benches, staring bleakly into space. Teenagers hang out in front of the coffee stand, jittery and casting longing, hormone-filled glances at each other. This is all at 8 a.m.!

The Apple store was bustling with adults sitting on tall barstools, watching their instructors. It was cozy and quiet, and I was happy to sit and concentrate on learning the many-faces of Keynote for an hour and a half. After our class was over, we walked out at about 9:45 a.m. Shops were open, people were shopping. The halls had now filled with more mothers pushing strollers and dragging toddlers, looking sleepy, looking bored. My coworker and I discussed the strangeness of the mall at 8 a.m. on a Wednesday in June. He was even more baffled than me...

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Challenged

So far the Challenge is going well. I've been at it for a few days and I have had fewer shopping urges than I thought I would, probably due to the fact that I have kept busy and not become bored. My best buddy Katie is joining me, and her enthusiastic support has been an enormous help, although I must say, I think she is completely insane. Amongst her Challenges she included quitting beer. QUITTING BEER! I think that's taking it a little too far. Since this will undoubtedly reduce her quality of life and I feel bad for her I told her I would...cut back on beer. For emotional support.

I had a Red Hook summer ale with dinner last night. Delicious. Fortunately, I don't think she reads my blog very often.

I have made my own lunch and taken it to work every so far this week. The experience is not rewarding, especially at 7 a.m. when I had trying to rub sleep out of my eyes and spoon stinky tuna fish on my sandwich before showering, but at least it's inexpensive and I can carry the Spouse's tin spaceship lunch box to work.

I have also made a good effort to cook dinner, and in fact, since I won't be shopping while the Spouse is working late tomorrow I will be having friends over for some comfort food and conversation.

So far it's working out quite well!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Here is my inspired lists of things that make me happy this morning (in no particular order and for no particular reason):
1. "Au Fond Du Temple Saint" from Bizet's The Pearl Fishers (Les Pecheurs de Perles)
2. Homemade yogurt with honey
3. Ripe tomatoes (I appreciate even more since I can't eat them until the salmonella scare is over)
4. Stress-free work days
5. Warm sweaters for record cold and wet June days (second coldest June in our state history!)
6. Good conversation with the Spouse

Monday, June 09, 2008

Don't ask me why I have decided to do this - it certainly wasn't anything that I heard recently on the radio or read in a magazine or on the internet, but I want to try something called The Challenge, or Buy Nothing Day...except I am going to try it out for a few months. Some people do it for 6 months, some for an entire year. I think I shall try it until August and see what happens. Parameters: I will still purchase toiletries (only necessary ones like toothpaste and soap, etc.), socks and underwear from stores, and, of course, food. Since we are also in the middle of a remodel, and currently have holes in our chipped-painted drywall and jagged gaps in our stained carpet that reveal the cement underneath, I need a dispensation from materials for our home improvement, but they will be construction-related only.

What can I purchase? Second-hand only. If I want to read a book I will get off of my backside and walk to the library, two blocks away, that I have never used. If I need a new shirt I can buy one at Value Village as a need instead of a novelty. Same goes for useless trinkets, which I have started acquiring in number. The Spouse, who chases the trinkets away like they are rodents or cockroaches, is very excited about my challenge, although he loftily declared that he doesn't need such frivolous games because he is already an idea non-consumer. I decided to keep my mouth shut about the two Xboxes in our living room, although I couldn't' help taking a jab at the three-foot tall carpet-dryer that is currently clogging up our storage unit.

I'll post occasionally about my progress/lack of progress. If anyone has tried and failed, tried and succeeded, or thinks this is crazy, I'd like to hear about it!!