A Difficult Week
It’s been a difficult week. A number of things went wrong in quick succession that have left me a little out-of-sorts. Firstly, my favourite jeans died. You know, that perfect pair you’ve had for years, that fit perfectly and that, between the patches and the fading, are like a diary of your life. If those jeans could talk, what a story they’d have to tell. They’ve been patched and repatched and now the material is so worn that the patches won’t hold. I have to accept that they are no more. I would love to go out and buy an identical pair, but given that they’re nearly 10 years old it’s unlikely they’re still available. Which brings me to problem No. 2 – shopping.
I hate clothes shopping. I must have been away the day they were handing out the shopping gene because it missed me completely. I have a bohemian style and like unfussy, unpretentious clothes. I like bold colours, simple cuts and natural materials. My clothes need to be practical, functional and comfortable. So all in all, the exact opposite of most of the clothes available for girls. I often look at the men’s section and lament the simplicity – straight cut jeans, chunky jumpers and an endless selection of cotton t-shirts. Dutifully, I went jeans shopping. After eight stores and twenty pairs of jeans I gave up and went to the Farmers’ market for some veg therapy.
Next on my list of mishaps was a run-in with some snow. I’ve been enjoying the snowy landscapes and colourful skies around our village lately and have been trying to take as many photos as I can while it lasts. Last year we got very little snow and I fear the snow will suddenly melt and we’ll be back to greyness. I really wanted to capture some deer with a snowy backdrop, so one afternoon when conditions looked perfect, I set off down towards the forest to see if I could spot any. They’re mustn’t have been much traffic down the lane that day because the deer were actually standing on the road. Unfortunately, they ran into the forest when they saw the car. I guess I should have taken the lack of traffic as a sign that perhaps road conditions were not good, but I was on a mission and I persevered. All was fine until I got to the end of the road and had to turn to come back. This involved a three-point turn through a gateway and down a small incline. I reversed through the gap in one smooth movement – and then I got stuck.
After a few minutes of futile efforts to get back onto the road, I rang Arūnas for advice. “Keep reversing back and driving forward until you get out”, he says calmly, like this is all normal. Reverse back? Deeper into the snow? Really? Reluctantly I took his advice and, as anticipated (by me), got even more stuck. Now what? “Try driving forward”, he suggests. Genius – now why hadn’t I thought of that? I revved the engine and got screamed at down the phone. “Gently! Gently!” Gently. Right. This might take a while. For a solid 30 minutes I jumped in and out of the car, kicking clumps of snow from under the wheels before trying again to drive out. I was determined not to panic, so I deliberately made myself laugh when I was kicking the snow, like it was all a big game. If anyone had seen me they would have thought I was a lunatic. Eventually, after I’d cleared the entire gateway of snow with my boot, I managed to drive out. Phew!
Can ye tell what it is yet?
The final blow came later in the week when my laptop upped and died. It had been on the blink for some time, working progressively slower and slower and requiring rebooting quite often. Then it started to make a loud whirring sound, like the blades of a helicopter. I was waiting for it to lift off my knees and fly out the window. Thankfully, I had the foresight to back up all my data to an external drive. One afternoon as I was mid task it just switched itself off and that was that. I have since bought a new one, but it came without Windows (it was much cheaper that way) and I am still waiting for my online order of Windows to be delivered. So I am laptopless. It’s a very peculiar feeling. I do so much on my laptop every day – more than I realised. Not being able to pop it open whenever I need it is strangely disorienting. I have an iPad that I can use for social media, so at least I can keep in touch with the world. And I can do a certain amount on the new laptop using the Linux software it came with. It’s unfamiliar, though, and everything seems to take longer than it should. Hopefully the postman will arrive with my new software soon.
I took a ton of beautiful photos the day I got stuck in the snow. I had remained optimistic that I would spot some deer, and did manage to capture one hiding at the edge of the forest. I had processed two (quickly and imperfectly) to share on Facebook and I’ve included them here. As soon as I’m back up and running I’ll share some others.
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Know what you mean about the jeans 😦 Lovely photos
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I am with you on shopping. I missed the day they handed out the “I love to go clothes shopping for hours” gene. And what is up with all of the non-functional but it looks good clothes. In my opinion, they do not even look good. I need comfy, functional and long lasting. When I do need an item of clothing, I find they have EVERYTHING, except the one thing I need. Oh well, what is a girl to do that hates shopping? 🙂
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I’m so glad i’m not the only one, Amy – I thought it was just me that hated clothes shopping. Someday a brand will create clothes that are both functional and stylish. Don’t hold your breath, though!
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An enjoyable read, even if it was a difficult week for you! Fully get the missing shopping gene too.
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Good luck finding just the right pair of jeans. I hate when my favorites to up and die. I like to wear them into extinction. Clothes today are just not my thing. I don’t like the style, or if I do, they just don’t look right on me. I wear a lot of men’s jeans. They do manage to last a bit longer than women’s jeans. Your picture turned out very nicely. Lovely landscape. And the deer peeking through the trees are great. 🙂
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Thanks Cheryll. I’m still holding out hope for those perfect jeans!
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You will. Eventually! 😀
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Hope you will find another pair of jeans and enjoy it. 🙂
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I’m absolutely with you on shopping. A month ago I bought a pair of cheap jeans just because I was so frustrated. They’re awful. I bought them a little big because I would rather comfort, but I really don’t want them falling down when I’m walking around. : -) And now I can’t face going out to buy another pair. I’m short, so I have the opposite problem of you tall women.
But it is a lovely shot of that deer!
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It’s so interesting to hear how many woman also hate clothes shopping – I though I was the only one! If only I could afford a personal shopper (and the expensive clothes they usually pick!)
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Fabulous photo of the little deer hiding in the forest. Look into his eyes…I’ll never eat venison again.
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They are rather cute, Gary. So are cows and lambs, though! 😉
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A perfect story about why we need optimism. I think you will find your jeans soon, on sale and they will fit perfectly after the first wash. You will find a better laptop with the software packaged with it. For this week, stay home and stay safe.
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Thank you! I do find if you smile you automatically feel more optimistic. Maybe that’s why I wasn’t worried about getting out of the snow!
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Right with you on the clothes-shopping. I am a jeans and t-shirt kind of gal, and luckily where I live now doesn’t demand much else. Luckily Gap jeans fit me perfectly, but I don’t know what I’ll do if they ever go out of business.
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That’s the thing about moving to a new country – the brands you’re used to aren’t necessarily available and you have to start again from scratch. Nightmare!
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Don’t throw the old jeans away! Use pieces to make … whatever; denim makes for nice purse. Adding some other fabric, new or used, to the denim makes for nice purses, bags, carryalls, wall hangings. And … don’t discard any pockets; they make for nice finishing touches on some things.
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Good idea, Frances! I like the idea of a bag. I’ll see what I can come up with!
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Oh yeah…shopping for clothes is the worst…..Those changing room mirrors are so cruel and I can never find stuff i like/want/need. Sorry to hear of all your other woes. maybe you can put them down to Mercury being retrograde…Apparently it finished yesterday so things should calm down. I know it’s possibly all gobbeldygook but seriously, google it!
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I don’t doubt it, Karen! I’m a Cancerian and I know I’m lunar. If the moon can have an effect, why not Mercury! Some fitting rooms are a joke. How are you supposed to pull off knee-high boots without a seat?!
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Snap! Fellow moon-child (American for cancarian I’m told!)
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Shopping is the work of Satan. I HATE it. Being a smidge off 6′ I often buy mens sweaters and shirts and indeed jackets but trousers are more of a problem … the cut is a little different for obvious reasons. I hope this week is much better than last, I hope the snow lasts but doesn’t cause any problems, I hope the Windows software arrives tout de suite (though Linux is well worth persevering with) and mostly I hope that you can find some new jeans that will last you another ten years 🙂
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Back in college I used to buy men’s 501’s and just bunch them in with a belt. Like you, I’m tall and back then I used to find it very hard to find women’s jeans that were long enough. At least they’ve fixed that! The Linux is actually great but my photo editing software and a few other apps I use regularly won’t work on, so I remain a Window’s slave! Here’s to a good week! 🙂
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Bad things happen in threes, so the good news is: you’ve hit your quota. 🙂
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Here’s hoping, Nancy!
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Make your own jeans using the old ones as a pattern?ev
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Not a bad idea! Finding the right colour and grade of denim might be nearly as tricky as finding the jeans, but it’s worth a shot!
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Ouch… things can only get better.
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…and still no jeans 😦 Oh, trouser shopping is the worst!
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I can’t express how much I dislike it, especially in winter with big boots and skinny jeans. All that disrobing is painful.
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And I guess you searched eBay etc. for old stocks of that particular model… you probably wouldn’t even flinch buying it by the pallet 😉
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I did look online, Simone, but didn’t think of eBay. They’re an obscure Hungarian brand that I bought at a market here in LT, so highly doubtful. Worth a shot, though. And you’re right – I would definitely stock up!
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