My inlaws gave me cold hard cash for my birthday. It was tucked in a pretty card with a couple of those wind-up paper butterflies in it. They FLY out at you when you’re least expecting something to fly out at you.
I shrieked. And almost dropped the cash.
(Someone could have lost an eye you know!)
I think it was last year that I used the money to buy myself a really great purse and new wallet. This year, I had no idea what I wanted.
I went to Bayshore and wandered around for two hours. I looked at shoes (all too boring), purses (too many grommets on them this year), jeans (is that really a birthday item?) and earrings (I’ve worn the same pair of sleepers for the past 5 years).
I was also seriously considering buying myself a membership to the nearby fitness centre. Gah. Boring.
It is the biggest irony, isn’t it? When you don’t have money to spend you see LOTS of things you’d like. But when you DO have money, everything suddenly seems really cheesy and uninteresting.
So after much deliberation, this is what I bought:
1) A two-year subscription to my favourite magazine: Cloth, Paper, Scissors. It’s a multimedia art mag. I am still reading and rereading back issues.
2) Art supplies: watercolour pencils to share with Emma and Sarah, a permanent-type black ink pad, and some v.cute Laura Ashely notecards.
And I also I bought this:
You know, it’s not like I walking through Westboro village thinking, tra la la, what should I buy myself for my birthday, hey, what about a BOWLING PIN!?!
I was in the Country Clover store (a mix of scented candles, potpourri, old and new stuff) and I saw it. Indeed, it was an old bowling pin. It was heavy. And beat up. It was only $15. I paid, and waited for the lady to put it in a bag for me. I think she was expecting me to take it without a bag. Like, yeah, I want to walk all the way home and to my kid’s school with a bowling pin in my hand. People think I’m weird enough already.
And I love it. It’s going in a place of honour in our living room.
Now tell me. How would you spend $100? Remember: it’s your birthday. So try not to be too practical. :)
