Minimum Wage sucks, and I totally respect you

Hello mes amies,

My Murray commented this morning that he had read my post about my small feet. I usually don't share with him prior to posting, and like to think that I'm my own great Editor. He did make a valid comment:

"You shouldn't make fun of people who make minimum wage like that." Very true mon petite chou, very true. I wasn't making fun of the entire work force. In fact, I used to be one of those minimum wage, retail people. I paid my dues for 10 years actually and totally respect the work and bullshit you often have to put up with. But in all my 10 years, I don't think I made such a comment to a customer. So that's why I thought what I did. You might not like a customer, but no reason to make such comments. So please my friends, do not take offense.

xoxo,
mh

My Favourite Things

I recently purchased my very first apartment. It was exhilarating and the most stressful experience of my life to date. Mostly because I bought the first one I saw. I know, incroyable! More like ridiculous on my part. I spend more time shoe shopping than I did for this massively expensive thing that isn’t going to go on sale, and there are no refunds. Yikes! But I did it and now the bank owns me until 2045. Yay me.

The purchase has finally made me an adult, I think. And shit, things are expensive! Luckily, I had already hoarded enough major pieces of furniture and knick-knacks that I'm not living in an empty box with a plastic lawn chair and upside down box in the living room. But there are some things that I now have to find and buy new. As I always love a new project, I’d like to share with you a few of my (new) favourite things:

This first fave thing stems from one of my least favourite things: Ironing. I’m still on the fence about which chore I dislike more – ironing or washing dishes. Thankfully, my place has a dishwasher so it makes the choice less painful now. However, there is no automatic machine thingy that you just throw your clothes in and they come out pressed. (Well, I suppose there is the drycleaners, but I’m house-poor now, so no services like that for me!) The alternative – a kick-ass new iron!!


It’s cordless. That’s all I have to say about it (well that, and it has its own cover!) I highly recommend you invest in one. This model was not cheap but so far, well worth the money. I even found myself trying to find things to iron. Yes, it’s that good. Tough call now – which chore do I like more? – ironing or unloading the dishwasher.

xx,
mh

Plasticine and Miss Pea

I haven’t connected with my friend Pea in quite some time. She’s becoming a primary school teacher and has been very busy being “Miss Pea the Student Teacher”. In honour of Earth Day, she recruited me to test her kids’ craft project. I am never one to say no to a craft project. But she didn’t mention it consisted of plasticine. I didn’t know it was still legal to produce it.

After our gossip catch-up over yummy sushi and desserts, we got into our eco-friendly-recycle-the-crap-in-your-house project. Testing the project for the kiddies was a good idea. We timed it. We critiqued it. We modified it. And then we streamlined it. We really got into it!! It’s what Pea and I do. We organize things – even kids' art projects!

As our one hour time limit was up, so went our art on the wall. Miss Pea gave us an A+!! So on this Earth Day, how about turning off the lights, lighting some candles and reuse your 90s cd cases.





Happy Earth Day mes amies!

xx,
mimi

"How do you not fall over?"

Mes amies! Oh how I have missed you so. Bad Mimi! Please forgive! I'm working on so many things right now, I don't know where to start! So how about we start...at the bottom? My feet!

I am 5’8” tall. My shoe size is 5 (Euro size 35, Asian size 24). Freakishly small, the bane of my fashion existence. I used to wear a size 6.5 shoe. I wonder, are my feet shrinking, or has the shoe industry started to re-label sizes to console the ego of the…ahem…large masses?

Regardless, it’s still the bane of my shopping existence. If I'm lucky that a brand even makes shoes that start in a 5, the one available is usually the one on display. *sigh* The one where the mate has been lying alone in a box in the back while its mate has been tossed and abused by the fondling, not-a-size-5-but-I'll-shove-my-giant-foot-in-it-anyway public. Ew.

This is by far my favourite shoe-fitting experience:
MH: "May I try this shoe in a size 5, s'il vous plaît?"
Store: "You are a size 5?? How do you not fall over when you walk?"
MH: "Probably something to do with physical equilibrium and your inner ear. Now take your minimum wage ass to the back and get me the damn shoes!"
Oops did I say that out loud? Mais non! A lady would never.

I tell you, shoe shopping has become a tragedy of constant rejection. It's not even like I'm picky! I'm a shoe whore. I will wear anything. As long as you have it in a size 5, please and thank you. I have a coveted pair of Ferragamo pumps that I scored for 90% off. And the main reason I bought them (besides the incredible deal), they fit like a charm. A size 4.5 charm. Yes! I said Quatre.demi!

Have I mentioned I love a bargain too? I don’t remember the last time I paid retail. Pshht. Retail is insulting. I know you are going to mark it down in a few weeks, and honestly, I might be precious, but I’m too cheap to be the first in town to own something. And besides, the hunt of a bargain is the best part. It’s exhilarating.
Murray once asked me: "Mimi, why do you like shopping so much?"
In order for his man-brain to understand the full spectrum of my bargain shopping fondness, I chose this analogy: "Murray, it’s like how you like to go fishing. Casting the rod thingy, waiting/looking for the bite, and then reeling it into the net thingy and you’re so happy when it’s a big one…"
He nodded. I digress.

Desperate shoe shopping calls for desperate measures and tactics. The shoes in the photo are my Converse All-Stars. Children's size 3. More than half off the price of adult size shoes and a perfect fit. What more could I ask for? A bargain AND a perfect fit! And that’s my secret – the kids’ department. Move over 8 year old, I believe I see a Stuart Weitzman Kids sandal in my size. No really, they are a perfect fit and just in time for summer.

xx,
mh