Remember my post on how I was a changed person after living in Europe twice? About how I realized how wasteful my lifestyle is in North America, how little I realized I could happily survive on, how I realized how much more satisfied I was with life even though I had no extras in my life at all in Europe, compared to now in Toronto, where I have a (very) modest income and could afford to buy some things for fun?
Well, I had an "I'm Back!" moment the other day at a jewellery store.
Just a bit over nine months after coming home from my second European sojourn, my long suppressed/ignored inner Material Girl, who'd been trying here and there to sneak out, burst back onto the scene with a vengeance. She was back, and she wasn't willing to sit in the backseat anymore, and goddamnit, she'd been gone for too long already.
In case you were wondering, no, I didn't make a huge impulse purchase. My Material Girl is still a part of me, and I am nothing if not practical (although only people who know me very well would know this). I didn't buy jewellery or lots of beauty products or clothes - no, I have my sights set on a new laptop and a new camcorder, the better to relaunch my YouTube channel with.
But how did I know that my Material Girl was back? I was out shopping with the Original and Retro Material Girls when, not surprisingly, we found ourselves in a jewellery shop, admiring the diamonds. I was trying on some solitaire rings and weighing them as possible Christmas presents for myself, while the other two were trying on more elaborate styles, befitting the statuses of mommies and grandmas.
The sales lady was unusually gregarious, and upon learning that I had just entered the work force, gushed, "How wonderful that young miss here is just starting to work! How does it feel, earning money? Here, let me show you this - it is perfect for girls who are just starting out and begining to build their collection."
She took out a very thin, light ring, which had a semi-intricate swirled pattern on the top, and the swirl was encrusted with the tiniest diamonds I'd ever seen. Diamond powder, Original Material Girl snorts derisively, every time she sees similar pieces in window displays. I didn't want to be rude, so I put it on.
To my embarrassment, I ripped off the ring almost immediately after donning it, with a disgusted and emphatic cry of, "Too tiny!!!" Not the ring - it was a size 6, which fit my middle finger just right - but the diamonds. They were practically microscopic. They didn't even sparkle, probably because they were too tiny to reflect any light. I couldn't bear to see such teeny diamonds on my finger. I really didn't mean to be rude, but the feeling and the motions and the utterance came so organically from my insides that I couldn't even stop them; I didn't have time to self-censor before they happened.
And that's how I knew my Material Girl was back!
So what will happen from now on? Will I be making lots of impulse purchases? Will I be buying my way into the poorhouse? Will I be buying beyond my means?
I think not because, like I've said, I'm super practical by nature, which means I'm really budget-conscious. But keep dropping by and I'll keep you posted about any new additions to my bag/shoes/clothes/jewellery/book harems! :P
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