Champagne shopping

Thats what I had planned to do- my fav Christmas tradition. Every year, le Bon Marche does a special Thursday night of Christmas shopping, when they have live music, waiters handing out glasses of champagne and petits fours, and special events like book signings, etc. Last year B and I went I had a fantastic time. I must have had 4 glasses of champagne while we wandered around (only turned into 4 because B cannot make a decision to save his life and those lovely waiters kept taking my empty glass from my hand and automatically handing me a full glass. How do you say no?!!) and plus I got all my shopping done. I tried on all the fur coats after the saleswoman irritated me by saying that she didn't think that they were in my budget. Most of them weren't in the budget, no, but thats the worst sales technique I've ever seen. Anyways, I showed her- every single one of those coats was double-locked on the rail and she had to crawl around for 20 minutes releasing and attaching cords. Snotty salespeople is the downside of BM. The best thing about the Bon Marche is that it is never too crowded, so pushing a stroller around isn't the nightmare that it would be in the other grands magasins.

I was really looking forward to going again this year and then B told me yesterday morning that there was no way that he could leave the shop early. So already, I knew that it would be a bit difficult. Then instead of deciding on whether we would meet at home or at the Bon Marche, we decided to wait to see how Ella's nap went. Well, she only napped for 2 hours, which is much less than she seems to need lately, so I thought that there was no way I could manage to take her alone on the bus all the way across town at that time of the day and decided to wait for B to get home so we could go together. But after 4 hours of Ella whining at me, I was not in the mood to spend another minute with her. When B walked in, I handed him his child and said he was on his own for the night.

There are some days when I use up every last bit of patience that I have and I am counting the seconds til he walks through that door. Thats why I am convinced that mothering is a Real Job, because it takes some very specific qualities to be good mother. Its like cooking- I can cook a meal, but I'm not a chef. I can drive a car, but I'm not a Formula One Racer. I can take care of my child, but I'm not sure that this is the job that I should be doing everyday. I don't feel bad admitting that either. I feel worse about not actually finding an outside job so that Ella can spend her day with people who are good at entertaining and managing toddlers. 2007 is my year, I can feel it.

So anyways, I grabbed my knitting and headed out the door to join the Knotties who had decided to meet over at St Michel (a bit of a pain for me, but I figured a nice long walk to clear my head would do me good) when my cell phone rang. Turns out it was Mimi asking if I wanted to join her and some girlfriends for drinks at Six Seven over by the Champs Elysees. Drinks with the girls was EXACTLY what I needed so I turned around and went home to change my clothes and headed back out. I had never actually been to this bar and while I didn't go down into the club, the music was really good last night and plus we had a nice comfortable sofa and chairs in the corner, perfect for people watching. The only downside is that the place was so smoky that I had to leave early. I'm only just getting over my cold and my throat started burning after some fat old man who was the friend of a friend of a friend sat down just across from me and started smoking a cigar. Honestly, I think smoking bans are ridiculous and I am totally against them, but I do think that out of politesse, people who smoke cigars should atleast ask the people near them if that is alright. That this horrible person would come and sit down at my table and start smoking an enormous stinking cigar right in my face without even considering if it would bother me was a shock. It makes me wonder how he treats people he dislikes if this is how he is with people he is trying to impress.

Was also a good opportunity to give my Louboutins an outing. I've only managed to wear them three times since I bought them, and frankly, its looking like I might have wasted my money, considering how much they cost. Here's the problem- first of all, they are so high that I either have to go to my destination in a taxi or in a different pair of shoes and change because I cannot walk any distance in the heels. Secondly, they are so high that they end up being quite short (distance between toe and heel) and I have pretty small feet already so it looks weird if I wear them with trousers, only a tiny bit of toe manages to peek out from under the hem. I have to wear them with skirts and in the middle of winter this is not generally my first choice. Thirdly, I can't wear them with footed stockings because then my foot slips a little bit and I end up wobbling around like a 12-year-old who just raided her mothers closet. Or like I am hopelessly drunk, neither of which I find to be a particularly attractive vibe. Of course, i can't even think this when B is in the room otherwise he will never shut up with the 'I told you so' s.

Also, while I was out I got a texto from that friend with whom I had argued. It wasn't exactly an official pardon, but atleast it means that I'm not being ignored and will probably have a chance to apologize in person. Feeling much much better having that situation halfway sorted out.

And now it is the 1st of December? I can't believe it. I have no shopping done, no lists made up, no projects started. Plus, on Sunday, I might quickly fly up to London and try and have lunch with a friend so that I can sneak in another flight for my frequent flyer card. Its a fun idea, because its so ridiculous, but also? maybe I should just forget about the stupid frequent flyer miles considering everything else that I have going on? Who am I kidding- when have I ever chosen reasonable over fun.