Boot Cramp

I’ve just finished my first four-star Sudoku and now consider myself a genius.

Okay, that’s not true. If I were a genius, I wouldn’t have gone to the Mall of America wearing my snow boots last night. Like so many of my smooth moves, it seemed logical at the time. I had to put on the boots to carry the snow blower into the living room, and we were leaving to run errands right after that, so why change?

What, you don’t keep your snow blower in the living room?

Normally I don’t either. However, when I was blowing snow last Sunday, I ran into something solid, and the motor quit and refused to turn over. The guy at the hardware store advised me to let the blower thaw completely in case a chunk of ice got lodged in the works. The garage at Sensational Acres isn’t heated, so the only place the machine can thaw is inside the house. It’s now guarding the front door — very fiercely, I might add. I’ll test it tonight, and if it still doesn’t work, it’s off to the repair shop.

So that’s why I had my boots on. Mother Media and I had one quick errand to run at Target and one at the Darth Mall. I figured they wouldn’t take long, so the snow boots would be fine. But I had forgotten one key point: unlike me, Mother Media is a shopper. I’m a buyer. I go to the store only when I know what I need and where to get it. I buy it and go home. But Mom is a shopper who actually compares prices, products, and stores before settling on a purchase. Her method is more fiscally responsible than mine, but it also takes longer.

And that’s how it came to pass that I tromped through half the Darth Mall in my biggest boots last night. Yeah, we only had time for half (so far), but that’s just as well. Those boots are NOT made for walkin’. There I was in Baby Gap, clomp clomp clomping amongst the delicate kiddie clothes. There I was in the Apple store, clomp clomp clomping amongst the delicate electronic devices. In the all peanut butter store, clomp clomp clomp. In the classy department stores, clomp clomp clomp. Trying to keep up with Mother Media on the mall thoroughfares, clomp clomp clomp. Clomp! Clomp! Clomp! I was tired when I got home!

How tired? So tired I didn’t even check my e-mail.

Today around the world: December 22 is Winter Solstice Holiday in Hong Kong. Here comes the sun!