I know it isn�t that much money, but I�ve never bought myself anything like this before. I�m more the type to buy cheetah-print shoes. Case in point:

Add to it that I also have these red satin and black lace heels, grey and black snakeskin heels, and pink slip-on strappy heels. Ooh la la!

I love cute shoes, but don�t think I�m Carrie Bradshaw with $40,000 blown on them. I instead have a house that�s 25% paid for, a maxed out Roth IRA, a matched 401K, and enough insurance and bread to feed the proverbial ducks should anything ever happen to me.

Speaking of shoes, I think these are the last few months ever that I�ll get to wear my knee-high boots. Plans for sunnier skies are moving along, and I�ve recruited a few people to come with. I�m not keen on having roommates, but whatever works will work.

In truth, it�ll probably end up being just me and Hambone when the time comes to actually pack up and head out there since I can�t count on others to do what I want them to do. But whatever. I did Chicago all by myself. I can handle the beach the same way. At least this time I�ll be warm and employed.

My knee-high boots are smokin� hot with a skirt, but I�ll gladly trash them if I get to paint my toenails and wear any of the above-mentioned cute heels for nine months of the year.

Le sigh.

Earlier this week I went in for a dentist appointment. Can you please tell me why they even bother handing out freebie toothbrushes when I wouldn�t even brush Hambone�s teeth with what they gave me? I�d fear that the bristles will fall out and choke my poooor wittle kitty.

But really. After billing my insurance company $100 for 30 minutes for scraping my teeth, couldn�t I at least get a flat-headed Oral B? Is that really too much to ask?

Bueller? Bueller?

Last night I stayed in my cozy house and dyed my hair super-dark red again. Although we�re still months away from warm weather (when I�d consider going back to a hair color closer to my natural shade), I�m already thinking about it.

A friend pointed out a photo of me hugging my Catie where I look like I have really light brown hair. This is a possibility... I�ll stab myself in the belly before I go blonde.

I have nothing against blondes. A lot of people really do look good like this. My issue is that I�ll look all washed out if I went too light, I�m unwilling to dye my brows to match, and that I�m sick of every makeover show adding blonde highlights to any young white girl, saying that it�ll brighten up her face. Ugh!

Moving along now, tonight is Super Fantastic Happy Hour, the twice-monthly evening where I name a bar and 20 of my friends show up. We�re again going to Trinity, this non-smoking bar with cheap Guinness on tap, since I�m the boss of SFHH and I want no smoke.

Of course this care will be negated by going to Carol�s, a late-night dive where they play country-western music and welcome all walks of life. There will be bikers, southern belles, suburbanites who paid for an all-night babysitter, and plenty of late-night bums like me who are itching for a Lone Star longneck and someone to call darlin� while we boot scoot across the floor.

Plans for after we get our fill of two-stepping will be to fill our bellies with Korean BBQ. They bring you a hibachi, plates of all sorts of stuff, and you grill everything on the table. I don�t know about the safety of giving a bunch of drunk people a mini fire at the table, but I love the little plates of stuff: cabbage and vinegar combined every which way. So good!

Anyway, it�s time to get outta here. I have to go grocery shopping before I get the weekend started. It�s 15 degrees out, but it feels closer to a blissful 30 after the shit weather we�ve had. I might just walk to the grocery store!

Hope everyone has a good weekend.�