a few days ago, i went shopping with a fellow blogger with the intent of spending some money. my wardrobe is pathetic. i go to meetings looking like the slacker that i am. after all these years, i'm still a little uncertain about how to dress like a grown-up. when i'm shopping, i am pulled like a magnet to the t-shirts and low-rise jeans, the flip-flops and the hooded sweatshirts. is it so wrong? really?

as i find myself in some fairly important business meetings lately, i decide maybe it is a little wrong. most of the other people around the table are usually not wearing hoods. doh.

so...to the mall. my shopping partner is trying hard to be supportive, but she's been through this many times before. she knows my ways. she points out nice work clothes (boring, conservative...no hoods) and i try not to glaze over. i grab a few things and carry them around the store. this is where things usually take a turn. "carry around the store" almost always leads to "put back while shopping partner is not looking." we do this a few times and with a sigh my trusty pal says "to the Gap?"

ah, yes. perhaps i will find my shopping bliss at the Gap.this is where most of my jeans are born. why not the rest of my wardrobe? about 30 minutes later, i find myself wandering the aisles with a brown scraggly turtleneck and a black scraggly turtleneck. this is when my pal and i both begin to laugh hysterically. look at my pitiful selection. seriously? two turtlenecks? sigh. i suck at shopping. and i really suck at purchasing. i put the scragglies back and we head for the door. the mall is no place for me. my friend knows this.

she looks at me and says "to scheels then?"

my night has suddenly brightened. yes. so what if i buy all my clothes at the sporting goods store? who cares if all my sweaters say "columbia" inside? i can't help it if my favorite shoes are for hiking mountains. i'm a stay at home mom/freelancer. the next time i need to attend a big business meeting, i'll just invite the client to my office. then we'll see who feels out of place. ha.