We're talking about boots.

I came to Sweden with the following footwear: chacos, small (dressier, but still pretty casual) sandals, brogues, short boots, and hiking boots. The change in weather eliminated the possibility of wearing either of the first two. The brogues were the cheapest shoes on the planet, and as such are just not very comfortable. Also, they are quite slick on the bottom, so it is basically impossible to wear them once it snows. So those got eliminated. Then the short boots that were nice-looking and comfortable for everyday wear started to get a bit too worn down. One day I noticed that I had worn through the sole and my heal was stepping onto a bolt which was leaving a mark.

Then I spent a few weeks wearing only hiking boots. It was pretty awkward. Hiking boots aren't super comfortable. They are made to be stiff and give support. And I am just so bad at shopping that I never changed the situation for kind of a long time. But before I went to Prague I was determined to buy new shoes, because I really didn't want to be meeting colleagues while wearing hiking boots (even though our community is quite casual).

So.

Greg suffered through several horrible shopping trips with me. On at least one of them I was ready to go home before we even started. Actually, I think it happened at least three times where we would head into town with the intention of running some errands and doing shoe shopping, and then I would back out of the shoe shopping. Once we did start shopping, I sort of had to figure out what I wanted. I also had to be okay with spending a large sum of money (Sweden doesn't really do "inexpensive" (Ikea is an anomaly), usually most places sell quality items at a quality-item-price).

By the end of one trip I had found a suitable boot, but then it was only available in a tiny tiny size, so that was no good. So I decided that I'd just buy something online and hope that it fit me. Shopping online is something I can do quite easily. So I settled on a boot that was similar to the idea I had gotten of the type of shoe I wanted. Except that the expected arrival date was one day after I left for Prague.

So then we had to make another shoe-shopping trip. Except this time, my standards were seriously low. I already had good boots on the way (assuming I chose the correct size), so I would just pick anything to have as Prague footwear. And in the first store we walked into, I saw nearly exactly what I had been hoping to find.

And that is how this happened.



Yes I basically own two identical pairs of boots. At least give me credit for knowing what I want (once I know, that is)?

7QT

More quick takes with Jen and friends.

- 1 -

There is such a thing as a Swedish mile. It is 10 kilometers.

- 2 -

I was reminded about Reese's Christmas trees (and other specialties, like pumpkins, hearts, and (most importantly) eggs, for that matter) after reading this post by the latest random blog by a stranger that I'm enjoying reading. We'll go ahead and add those to the top of the list of Foods That I Miss Being Able To Have Since Moving To Sweden.

- 3 -

On Wednesday it snowed something like 30 cm? After the storm was over I realized that it was actually quite a big storm. I was just kind of operating under normal mode all day. It wasn't until I tried to take a bus and a bus never came that I realized it was a fairly big deal. I guess it is not typical for the buses to stop operations more than once or twice each winter.

- 4 -

And even though the buses weren't running, no amount of blowing and drifting snow can stop people from riding their bicycles. Seriously.

- 5 -

I've been in a bit of a shoe crisis lately. I sort of ran out of shoe options and found myself with only my hiking boots as wearable. I finally managed to order some shoes online, and then I spotted a (possibly nearly identical) pair in a shop yesterday. So I bought those too. I don't remember ever being so frivolous with shoes, but the shoe crisis has been keeping me in panic-mode for too long now.

- 6 -

I forgot to water my plant, which I normally water on tuesdays. I keep remembering at times when I can't water the plant, so really I am just typing this with the hope of being able to remember to water the plant at the next possible opportunity.

- 7 -

I had a really cute plant with tiny orange balls on it. Unfortunately it is so dry here and I am really only good at watering plants once per week (or less). So that poor guy died.

Before & After...

Follow-Up and Re-Cap and Open-Question

I know this isn't quite the same as seeing Greg and I wearing the matching Arizona outfits, but this is the sneak preview. I told Greg's mother the story of going to the dance and bidding on the outfits. I think I validated any questions she might have had about my sanity.
:)
But just look how happy I was within moments after finding out I won them!!

Also, to clarify, the wedding I was taken to when I was forced into the dance circle while sitting on my chair was not a wedding for anyone I knew. My cousin had taken me along to either a friend of her family's wedding or a family member on her other side of the family. Probably the fact that these were all strangers (aside from my cousin and aunt and uncle), had something to do with me not enjoying the circumstances.

Anyhow, onward!

This weekend, Greg and I went shopping, which is not something I have spent much time doing in the real world lately. I basically do all of my shopping online. It is a much more pleasant experience for me that way, with the exception of being able to try things on. In Tilton, NH there is a fairly large outlet mall, which I had heard much about, but had never been to. This is fairly close to Greg's mother's house, so we made a trip of it.

I ended up buying six things! (I think.) I think Greg got seven, so he won. Actually, no, I got seven. And spent less, so I win!

All in all it was a good time shopping. Usually I get pretty stressed out being in stores with other people. I always have people being incredibly rude to me (generally other shoppers, not the people who work in the stores), which I'd much rather just walk away from than deal with. I'm perfectly happy with online shopping, so why bother with these people? Greg actually reminded me of how this ties into the the book Love & Responsibility (written by Blessed John Paul II, before he was Blessed and before he was pope). Our society seems to be tending toward egoism, in which everyone acts in ways that are dictated only by self-interest. I mean, the shopping mall example is kind of wimpy, but it is true. If I am standing in front of a rack that a lady wants to look at, she will just stand right up against me to get to the rack, instead of patiently waiting the whole 8 seconds that I probably would have stood there.

Hmm, so now I get to thinking more about Utilitarianism. I think it makes sense that utilitarianism doesn't really work in its ideal form, that it always leads to egoism. But is contra dancing a true example of utilitarianism that actually works?