Another return trip to the mall

I should never be allowed to go shopping alone. I hate it. I hate everything about it. Well, not everything. I like people-watching and walking around indoors during the winter. I just don't like the shopping part.

You may think the problem is buying too much. That would be a typical girl thing to do and I am not a typical girl. The problem is not that I buy too much; it's that I don' t buy anything. I can't find exactly what I'm looking for - an almost impossible task when I don't know exactly what I'm looking for.

That is the problem usually. The other problem I have is that I buy the wrong things. The scenerio: I see something and try it on. I love it in the store but once I get it home and try it on again, I fail to see what I loved about it in the first place. It's not like I just randomly pick something up and buy it, either. I put a lot of contemplation - probably too much contemplation - into a purchase. It can't be that my taste changes on the drive home, so there must be something deeper.

I believe the problem is that I don't have a good shopping friend. I don't just mean a friend who enjoys shopping. I need someone who is decisive and not afraid to say whether or not something looks good. I need more than simply a second opinion; a lot of times I need a first opinion.

One good thing did come out of today's little venture to the mall. I found a purse that I really like. I've been looking for a purse for at least 13 months (since I came back from Chile). What a relief it is to finally find one. Now, if only I could find a fall jacket....