Looking for spare change in a shopping mall

One of the blogs I really enjoy is a private Xanga. I’ve been reading it for years, ever since my own Xanga days. The author has two little ones and has such a talent for conveying meaning and atmosphere as she writes about the ordinary events of her days. I enjoy every single “this-is-what-I-did-today” entry.

Sometimes blogging becomes so formulaic and topical that I miss out on the fun of crafting well-worded essays on the simple events of my life… and isn’t that how this whole thing got started?

So in defense of the ordinary…

Naps:

We’ve had an interesting couple of days around here, nap-wise. Christian has been a consistent napper for months now, and yesterday he threw in the towel. He took three naps: 30 minutes, 50 minutes, and 45 minutes long, and woke up crying from each one. (Usually he takes at least two 1.5-hour naps, and wakes up happy.)

He has two bottom teeth that came through a few weeks ago, and right before they did he had a day where he hardly slept at all. I’m wondering if he has a similar issue going on now. Today has been a little better… his first nap was an hour long, although he did wake up crying, and he’s almost 45 minutes into his second one right now.

The daily grind:

I already dusted and cleaned the bathrooms this morning, but my to-do list isn’t close to being finished. I’m unusually tired even though I got a full night’s sleep. *Yawn.* One of the items on my list was to respond to emails and Facebook messages and write a blog post, so I decided to do that during naptime.

I’m still struggling to find the balance between perfectionism and laziness. I have to fight against the urge to waste time… and I often lose, especially when it comes to pointless computer time. It helps to have an objective when I sit down. If I’m going to relax, I’d rather read a book in the sunshine.

And the story:

Speaking of sunshine, it’s incredibly hot here still. Right now it’s 91° with a heat index of 100°. Yesterday I was so tired of being stuck inside that I went to the mall to exercise. I used to mentally mock mall-walkers (try saying that five times fast), but no more.

I masqueraded as a normal shopper. I just wore regular clothes and flip-flops. The only difference? I was speed-walking and not stopping at any stores. Good thing I have moderate self-control when it comes to retail purchases. It’s rather tempting to indulge when you’re flying through a sea of consumerism.

I walked from one end of the mall to the other and back, and even broke a sweat. Christian rode contentedly along in the stroller. I hoped he would fall asleep but he didn’t. Then I was hungry, so I decided to completely defeat the purpose of my walk by having some fast food. I had a heap of quarters in my wallet that I had adopted *cough* stolen from A.J.’s car on Sunday, and everyone knows if you use spare change to buy something it’s basically like getting it for free, right? Although you drive cashiers crazy…

I calculated that I could afford to buy one chicken sandwich at Chick-Fil-A, and I would buy my drink from a vending machine because you get more for your money that way. So I ordered my sandwich from a very nice girl who didn’t mind me taking the time to count out $3-something in quarters. Then I went to a vending machine, where I discovered to my chagrin that they charged $1.50 and I only had $1.25!

So I set off through the mall again with two objectives (I can’t believe I”m sharing this): 1) to find a cheaper beverage, or 2) to find a spare quarter. I walked all the way back to the end of the mall, looking for quarters on the ground. I stopped at a little cafe to ask how much their bottled drinks were. ($1.75.) I couldn’t believe I was actually spending 10 minutes looking for spare change in a shopping mall. Christian was still in a good mood but starting to get a little antsy.

I doubled back to the food court, and next to Auntie Anne’s, I found a little shop that was selling cans (which I preferred anyway) instead of bottles, for only 75 cents. I apologized for buying only a soda, but the man was very nice, and I left what remained of my abundant wealth in the tip cup.

Finally I sat down at a table by the window, held Christian on my lap, and enjoyed my hard-earned chicken sandwich and Pepsi.

I didn’t really plan to go into that much detail about that story. In fact, I didn’t even tell A.J. yet. But it was fun to describe. However, this is close to being one of my longest entries ever, and I’ve spent about 20 minutes writing it, so I should probably close for now. Happy Thursday!