<wednesday april 16, 2003 - 12:45 p.m.>

Yesterday it was a balmy 24 ° C. Today it snowed.

Yesterday afternoon I was fully aware of the pending change in weather. How could I not be? It was all everyone was talking about.

Nice weather today!
Yeah, you better enjoy it because it'll be freezing by tomorrow. Sometimes I wonder why I don't move to a warmer climate.
What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, don't you know?

If there wasn't any weather, I have no idea what we'd talk about.

I went shopping to stave off the depression.

Destination: Payless. I bought a pair of open-toe sandalsÉ in a funky soft moss green suade. I also surprised myself by buying A Purse.

(!)

Anyone who knows me well enough is gasping in awe. I've been talking about this gap in my wardrobe forever. Also, it was high time for me to join the ranks of the grownups. Knapsacks and little bitty bags just weren't cutting it anymore.

I hate purses. But perhaps "hate" is a strong word. How about Dislike Strongly?

Even the word "purse" conjures up an image of a little old lady. As does the word "clutch" or "handbag." I much prefer the French word for it: sac à main. In highschool my friend Martine and I used to pretend this was a swear word, hurling it at each other angrily.

"Ah, SAC A MAIN!"

My mother had a closet-full of purses. She couldn't get enough of them. She collected purses the way others collect shoes. I seem to be the complete opposite. I have two purses I use, one black one and one red one. The black one is the one that I truly loathe, yet I have been unable to replace it with anything else.

I bought the thing several years ago at Fairweather. It is a combination purse-slash wallet. It is dusty around the edges, tends to fall open at inopportune times, and it just screams "fashion heathen." Don't even ask me about the strap. Suffice it to say the whole thing is gauche.

My lack of accessories has made me feel like less of a person somehow. It's not that I need an expensive handbag to make me feel good, but at the very least I need a handbag that doesn't look like it was dragged behind a truck.

I have looked around with intent to buy but have never found anything that reflected me very well. I need to own things that show people what I am all about. For example, my new glossy dark red raincoat, what does that say about me? Hopefully it says Happy and Fun. My favourite little red sweater with silver threads interwoven throught it and tassels around a plunging neckline? It says "Look at me I am Happy, Fun and Cute too. I Can Make You Laugh. I Can Make You Snort Milk Out Your Nose."

I didn't want a purse that was too girly. I also didn't want anything that was too big, or two little, or too weird. I just wanted something cool, yet plain, yet functional. Was I asking too much?

The Patron Saint of Handbags must have been with me yesterday. So there I was at Payless. I scanned the racks, and there she was; black, plain, medium-sized, and most importantly, pleasingly unnoticeable. I am perfectly happy, and don't feel like such a ragamuffin anymore.

B-day pictures to come, I promise.

andrea