After our travels to a small isolated town with very little shopping, I was chomping at the bit to check out the Boxing Week deals in Victoria.
I even managed to convince my sailor to walk downtown with me. Of course, he wasn’t permitted to actually shop with me because he is a lurker in the mall–silently trailing after me, inspecting and judging everything I pick up(not with words, but body language and eye rolls.)
This time, I bribed him with brunch at Pagliacci’s. As we had walked, our permanent designated driver even permitted himself a glass of wine, which added a festive flair to the afternoon and was all the encouragement needed to order dessert. It came with two forks, which was lucky as this huge slab of custard-y vanilla whipped cream cake was bigger than my head! The best part–it was decorated with marzipan flowers, which I promptly devoured.
After lunch, I ditched my sailor for a little more shopping before we walked home together and collapsed in front of the TV.
Although the day was good, the shopping was just meh.
Maybe all the good stuff was scooped on Boxing Day, or maybe the pre-Christmas sales we get now have taken all the fun out of the post-Christmas sales I used to love so much.
What did I get? Some half price Christmas crackers (the last box I could find anywhere), a selection of half-price festive themed chocolates at Rogers (chocolate tastes just as good wreath-shaped!) and a photo of Ye Old London Pub that I’d admired in a shop window all of December. It was 50% off, too.
The realization that I could afford a trip to London to take my own photos of pretty pubs if I just stopped buying so much junk is not lost on me, but who can resist a deal?
The eye rolling is one of our few defenses as married men to the wnadering shopping meander.
I prefer to find the “man-pen” where the rest of the men are milling about and play with my phone while my wife shops.
I do carry her stuff though so she can keep her hands free. 🙂
My sailor is good about carrying things, too. I only buy heavy things like giant hardcover cook books when he’s with me. I’m not sure where he goes when he’s not lurking behind me at a sale, but it probably involves a comfy seat and technology like his phone.
Ha! When we get to a store, my wife actually looks around , then points and says “There’s the man pen. See you later honey.”
She really is The Most Wonderful Girl in the Universe if she actively looks for a “man pen” holding area for you while she shops! I follow the out of sight, out of mind rule when I need to ditch my sailor during shopping expeditions.
LOL – I’m like that with the lottery tickets – if only I wouldn’t buy one but save I’d be richer. Happy New Year to you and yours!
I confess to buying the odd lottery ticket myself. It’s hard to resist the chance to win a fortune! Happy New Year to you, also! I look forward to reading more of your wonderful stories in 2014.