Thursday, April 1, 2010

Bright Shiny Things

I’m one of those people who can be walking down the sidewalk and stop dead in my tracks if I see something in a window that speaks to me. It doesn’t always have to be ‘bright and shiny’ but the effect is the same. I’m dazzled. It doesn’t always have to be a window either. It can be something I see on TV and decide I HAVE to have but then sometimes when I get it, the bright and shiny turns out to be dull and drab. Which begs the question – how did my perception get so skewed?

Over the years, I’ve fallen for my share of MUST HAVE, GUARANTEED TO GET RESULTS, CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT products advertised on radio, TV, in print, or on line. For instance – the ‘skinny’ pants that were guaranteed to reduce the size of my hips and thighs ‘just by wearing them’ turned out to be a real joke. The fact that I was young and impressionable and actually thought I had a big butt back then is little excuse but desperate times and all that. (Still trying to figure out what could possibly have been desperate about the size of my hips when I was a size 4 at the time – ah youth and the stupidity inherent to it.)

On the flip side of youth I’ve also bought my share of anti-aging creams, and make-up guaranteed to ‘defy wrinkles.’





I’ve bought a George Foreman grill because i like George and, well, George said I needed it.





I’ve worn plaid because it was the current style, paisley for the same reason. I’m not a slave to trends but I sometimes think I ought to at least make the effort to ride a current wave.

I’ve considered getting a tattoo. But then I thought about the pain and the probability that a sexy little rose bud tattooed above my left breast would eventually turn into a long stemmed debacle.



So what about you? Do you dive into the latest fad with no misgivings? To you watch QVC or some other shopping channel and pick up that phone because you just HAVE to have THAT amazing product??? What kind of impulse buys have you made that either made you laugh at yourself or curse yourself later? And how many George Foreman grills DO you have?