Something Wicked Comes This Way

I really need to stop shopping online for books, because I am constantly finding new things I want to read (and also, not getting any real reading done.) For example, I really want to take a look at Wicked Plants based on a interview and review that said it was particularly gory.
Also, Freud did cocaine?

Christmas Gawking

I went out today to do some Christmas shopping and looking at Christmas decorations.  I know lots of other people do the latter, driving around neighborhoods, hitting the local downtown to see how everything is decorated, but I've never heard a very good verb for it.  As of right now, I'm calling it Christmas gawking, for lack of a better word. 
Today's Christmas gawking was very good.  I found a bunch of tacky Christmas musicians statues.  I went past an ice skating rink, and even though it was morning, the place was in full force.  I saw some light/snowflake things and Angels with big horns decorating an area full of bushes.
I went into a toy store.  I wasn't really planning on buying anything, but I thought maybe it would get me into the spirit.  There were lots of kids running around and yelling and begging for things.  They had fancy Lego displays out.  I really love legos, still.  I loved elaborate mansions for my lego people to live in when I was little.  (I was not very interested in using the bits and pieces the way you were "meant" to; I liked making my own things, though they were probably not as appealing.)  The only bad thing was that the displays were set at a child's level, so I had to bend down to catch a peak at most of them.  Luckily, one of the square right outside the door was totally visible no matter what your height, and I loved that Darth Vader with a whip and a Stormtropper were battling it out on top of a skyscraper while some owls watched near some pirates getting drunk.  Pretty amusing. 
I headed out again.  I wandered around a bit because I had forgotten the directions I had written for myself this morning.  I was a little annoyed with myself, because I had reminded myself about five times to write them down, and then they ended staying at home anyway. 
It took me one false try, but I found where I wanted to be and headed into a shop.  This year, some of my friends and I are exchanging gifts, and I wanted to get them all done in one swoop.  Also, I wanted to get something nice for my sister.  (I had already managed a box of chocolates for my Mom.)  So, shhh!  don't tell anyone what I got for them.  :)
I was expecting to have an easy time for Lisa and Tori's gift, but actually the first thing I found was for Madison.  I was going to get her a purse, and I found one, a little bigger than I wanted, but with the design I wanted.  (It's pink.  Madison likes pink.)  So I got that down.  I found some postcards too.
(As I've mentioned before, I collect postcards.  I'm very picky with what postcards I take, and most of the kind out there I reject, but luckily I found a few I like.)
Did some more wandering around, looking in shop windows.  I went into another store and found the calendar I wanted for Tori.  (It's all pictures of hot guys.  Or what will probably be hot guys to her.  Honestly, I only found some of them attractive; what I want is a calendar of hott guys from my real life, which is to say, as a tentative list: Mark, Philip, Juicebox, Paul, Josh, Matt, Jack, Ryan, Dan...The problem with most of this list is that I suspect most of them would not agree to it, and I know Juicebox would not, because I ran the idea of him doing sexy Valentines past him last year and that did not go over well.  And, moreover, a lot of these boys are super awkward around me with clothes, and I can imagine in those pictures they'd just look super awkward without clothes, so maybe it is for the best?  Sorry.  I digress.) 
I decided not to be too picky about Lisa's gift, because she would probably love it no matter what.  I got her a stuffed teddy bear that was especially cute.  I almost got her a violently colored long-limbed monkey, but I feel like she'll like the classic better.  Lisa has a whole collection of stuffed animals (Michal complains about them.)  She even has stuffed animals buckled into the back of her car. 
I was looking at more postcards, and I found another vintage one (my favorite) and when I went to buy it (a quarter, which made it even sweeter) he told me just to take it as a gift.  I was totally flabbergasted because, yes, it was nothing, but I'm not used to getting anything for free.  I was so flabbergasted it wasn't until later I realized I didn't thank him.  Oh man.  Where have my East Lansing manners gone off too?  Maybe that's what I need to put on my Christmas list for Santa. 
The last one was my sister.  There are purses that I've been considering for her, but I didn't have any luck finding the kind I want for her.  I talked to my Mum on the phone last night for ideas, and she gave me some, but no luck yet. 
I'm going to go out again tonight and hopefully find something.  I actually have a lot to do and don't really have time for this, but I feel like I should try.  I could just get her a nice scarf (though I've never seen her wear scarves) or maybe some fancy lotion from a boutique. 
I should have started doing this earlier. 

Poles

My sister and I were in a store.  She wanted a new baseball cap for when she went outside.  She wanted an MSU one.  We were looking at some particular MSU ones, and noticed that all the smaller sizes were gone.  A young man helping us in the store noted that the opposite was true for the U of M hats; all the larger sizes were gone.
"That's because people at U of M have heads pumped up with hot air," I said jokingly.
It took him a moment, but he got it.  He laughed. 
Later on at the same store, I was holding one of those metal sticks that one uses for getting things down from high places while my sister was trying to decide on hats.  One of the other young men working in the store came up to me and asked if I liked poles. 
"I like all kinds of poles," I answered. 
Like most people who have never encountered me before, both of the young men standing there were both totally shocked.  What kind of girl says that?
My friends are used to my wit, but sometimes it takes other people by surprise.  I am used to this. 

"You should be a comedian," the second boy replied.  I get that a lot.  I told him I was a writer, and that some of the stuff I write is funny.  Most of the stuff I'm writing right now isn't, but that's because I have only had time to write when I am upset about something and am using my writing for therapy.  I use to write a lot of humorous short pieces and before that screenplays with the sense of humor you might see on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 
Tori is convinced I should be a comedian, and maybe one day I'll sit down and write a stand up piece and try it out on some poor, unsuspecting audience.  For the time being, it is nice to be recognized as a wit and to make people smile.  Making people smile and laugh is the most rewarding part, I can assure you. 

The Steal

Truth: I don't really like malls.  Or shopping.  I still have issues with clothes.  (Why don't they ever fit right?  Why are they all made for the super skinny?  Why do I have to dress the same way?  Why do stores all sell so much of the same stuff?)
So going to the mall today with some of my friends was sort of a different thing for me.  Obviously, I was going so I could chill with them.  They're all much bigger shoppers than I am.  I don't even remember the last time I was in a mall or out shopping.  Last summer probably, but I can't even remember.  Oh!  Now I know: I went out in May 2009 to help my sister look for a graduation dress.  I bought a dress for the Honors College Ball (one I looked amazing in) and bought two other dresses, and my sister didn't get anything, because if there's anything I've learned about shopping, it's the person who's not looking for something who finds exactly what they've been looking for. 
First, we went into this store that sells accessories.  I started looking through stuff.  I found this great top hat decorated with red lace ribbon.  Ever since my steampunk convention a few weeks back, I have been on the lookout for cool steampunk wear.  I could totally use something like this, even though I already have an (artfully battered) steampunk hat with gray ribbon.
I try not to be an impulse buyer.  I try to talk myself out of at least 75 percent of my purchases.  I talked myself out of this one. 

Meanwhile, Tori and Natasha were inspecting vampire stuff.  "What's this?" Tori asked, holding up a journal with a design from the Vampire Diaries. 
"The Vampire Diaries," I explained, thinking that was enough.
"True Blood?"
"No, that's a different show." 
"Wait, in addition to Twilight and True Blood there's another vampire thing?"
I decided not to mention Buffy or Interview with a Vampire or Anita Blake.  Might not go over well. 
We walked down to a store that sold body lotions.  We walked in.  "I have a headache," I said thirty seconds later.  Natasha heard me and laughed.  It was actually not that bad, but my Mom cannot handle those places at all.  She's very headache-sensitive. 
We looked through things, and I smelled some of the testers.  I kind of hate it when things are described as Midnight Rendezvous or April Showers, because I always think "What does that smell like?"  With something like Strawberry Sorbet it's like, sure, it's meant to smell like strawberries.  At least if it doesn't smell like whatever, you can still be like "Oh, well, at least they achieved a general fruity thing." 
Madison picked up this massive brush and hit me with it and it hurt.  I thought about Josie and pervertables.  She'd love to hear about this.
We then went into an actual clothing store.  While Madison was looking around, I went into the boy's section.  I really love guy's clothing, and a year and a half ago, I promised myself I would start wearing stuff I liked, regardless of where it came from (unless it was from a store that sexually abuses its employees.  I'm not supporting that.)  I'm a big fan of plaid shirts (or plaid anything, really.)  This isn't the right weather for it, but I looked through.  And then I saw this bag on the ground. 
When I went to that convention, I was really sorry I didn't have a better bag (I had just opted to take my handy-dandy goes anywhere black purse).  I had wished I had a canvas bag and there one was.  Like God had heard me thinking about it and asked my Dad if he had one, and then decided to send me to the mall and a store I about never go into. 
I picked it up.  It was a decent size, which was what I wanted.  It was a messenger bag, like I wanted.  It didn't have holes or tears.  Good, good...and I looked at the price.
7.99. 
It was cheap.  A bag like this is a minimum 20, sometimes 30.  How the heck...? 
Well, obviously, I had to get it.  And then, as the clerk was ringing me up, she was like "Oh, it's on sale, plus you get another 20 percent off.  5.49."
5.49?  Sold! 
I showed it to everyone and they were all impressed.  5.49 for a nice big bag like that?
I'm the kind of person who buys something and then instantly regrets it.  I keep expecting it to happen with this bag.  I keep opening it expecting a giant spider to come out and chew my arm off.  To be fair, it's a little awkwardly designed.  If I was making this bag, I'd order different clasps and shoulder strap, but it's really the right look.  
Hilariously enough, of all my friends, I was the only person who bought something today.  See what I mean?  When you're not looking for something, it finds you.  

Women's Writing Book Shopping

I'm off on another round of book shopping online.  This time I'm looking into lesser-known "classic" works.  Things that look good, so far:
The Enchanted April About four women who don't know each other but rent a villa together.  I'm wondering how much of this book will be like all these modern works with four female characters interacting with each other (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Sex and the City, etc.)
Belinda It's a feminist book that makes fun of the upper crust of England.  That's really all I needed to hear. 

Silas Marner  About some old man who finds redemption in raising a child.  I'm interested in it because it has such a silly name and because it's by George Eliot. 
Captivity and Restoration The authoress chronicles her time being captured by Native Americans.  This could be used in a both a historical or literary interpretation. 

A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains  Again, a woman talking about her experience that is both historical and literary.  The only problem with this one is that I can only find it via Kindle, which I don't have. 
The Circular Staircase Another Kindle-only one that I'm going to have to try to scout out elsewhere.  I'm interested in this one because it's plot is similar to The Turn of the Screw.  I'd like to write a comparison of them. 

Selected Stories of Katherine Mansfield Because I haven't got short story collections on this list yet. 
The Upas Tree One of the many things I look for with books is the possibility to write about them academically, and this book, about a (almost certainly white) man who experiences the magic of an African tree.  Probably an easy book to consider race under.  

The Life of Charlotte Bronte  I actually don't like Jane Eyre strictly as a reader, but I like it as a work to analyze.  I've heard that this Bronte was particularly interesting, so I want to read about her. 
Wuthering Heights  Saw a film version of it, thought it was trash-licious.  Want to read, again, because I'm a feminist. 
Ruth Hall About a woman who loses her husband and is forced to write to support herself.
Night and Day I've read A Room of One's Own a couple of times now.  I like what she says, but I've never been impressed by her writing.  Maybe trying another book will change my mind?  Also, look at the cover of the book on the link.  That is the most ridiculous cover I've ever seen for a Woolf book.  Someone had no idea what they were doing when they designed that. 

The Laughing Cavalier It's by a Hungarian woman.  So it's a must read for me. 
The Slyph  I had no idea that the Duchess of Devonshire was also a writer.  I'm curious now to see how good of a writer she was. 

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl See above explanations about literature and history and non-white characters. 
Curse you Amazon, curse you Internet for making it so easy for me to see that yes, there are even more books out there that I want to read.  Because God knows I don't have a huge pile in my room right now.