shhh. it's computer-free friday. you never saw me here. let's just say i wrote this post last night and am simply posting it now. yeah, that's the ticket...
Yesterday, for the first time in, oh, ever, I had lunch with my sister-in-law. No kids, no husbands...just me and my SIL. As she would say, "How fun is that!?" We met near her place of work, and because our lunching establishment was steps from a major mall, after we air-kissed goodbye, I, shall we say, hit it.
Since I've been married, I've probably only been to a shopping mall a handful of times (as opposed to the other mall which we hit quite frequently). This compared to my young, care-free, budget-busting bachelorette days when I would probably Metro there twice a week after work.
As I walked off my lunch and stopped in the many, many, many shops, I could not help noticing that my new status as a Wanna Greenie has changed my mall-going experience.
The noise - From the music in the stores to the people talking on their cellphones, I never realized just how noisy a shopping mall can be. It was quite overwhelming at first and then, of course, it becomes second nature to read a magazine at the bookstore while listening to Burning Ring of Fire (which happens to be one of my favorite songs, but that's not the point!).
The lights and lack there of - In addition to the aural bombardment was the visual bombardment of lights and spinning things and window displays. Don't get me wrong. There are times when I absolutely LOVE visual and aural bombardment - walking in Manhattan is one of my all time favorite activities. Fifth Avenue feels energizing to me - the mall does not. Maybe it's because I don't have New Yorker about to run up my heels if I don't pick up the pace, but perhaps it's because of the lack of natural light and a purely artificial environment.
and
The cr@p, my gosh, the cr@p - I could not help but critique the quality of the goods sold at the mall. Of course, there are some very high quality, and even eco-friendly goods, but the majority of "stuff" was pure junk, especially the clothing. I can't tell you how many times I put back a shirt or piece of "jewelery" thinking...I could get something better for a third of the price at the thrift store or something even more beautiful than this handmade on Etsy. I would never have considered these options before becoming a Wanna Greenie.
How has becoming a Wanna Greenie changed your shopping mall perspective...if you still go them?
Oh, and while I was there I just happened to stumble upon the Apple store, and yes, I will be getting a MacBook - thanks for all your recommendations. I am a little nervous about making the leap from PC to Apple, but I think I can deal. Can anyone tell me how much memory their MacBook has and if that is sufficient for their blogging/surfing needs? Also, can you tell me what type of external hard drive you have for backing up all those adorable baby pictures you've stashed away on your C: drive?
Have a great Friday, everyone. And remember. You never saw me here.
2 comments:
Perhaps your change of perspective is caused by the fact that you now have a "green" husband and two "green" loving children! no comparsion! a walk in the woods at the nature center, a playground visit, a visit to the zoo, visual delights at a farmer market ,ect. all give us real joy.....not shopping for "things". i'm glad you made the discovery:)
Ooh, I so agree with your nana. Your nana rocks. Amy, your post is very timely. We were just at Costco tonight, picking up basics for our large family, so it was a very reasonable shop-up, but I had the same thoughts about how much crap there was that I so don't want to buy.
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