my grown up lady purse

I am very fickle about purses. At times, I don't even want the hassle of lugging a purse around. At these times, I very mannishly jam my wallet into my arse pocket and go on my merry way. But most of the time, I have too many necessary accoutrements (hair clippie, mints, compact,etc..) to be able to forego a purse. And I tire of purses quickly. I want to change them out all the time. So I'd been using this black canvas tote (emblazoned w/ AC/DC logo) since the start of August. Quite a while, si? Well, because it was big with no organizational pocket system (making it absolutely impossible to find anything within in less than a minute) and because I got a mustard stain on it on Labor Day and because I was just plain getting sick of it.... I bought a new purse on Monday night.

I have been calling it "my grown-up lady purse" and I am quite enamored** with it. I was trying to find a pic of it on the Kmart website (YES, I bought the thing @ Big K...don't you sneer at me) but it's not on there. Maybe I have a West Lebanon store exclusive, who the hell knows... Anyways, it is a doctor's satchel style bag...the top is dark brown leatherstuff with muted gold accents..the pouchy part of the bag is off-white and cable knit. I have just become increasingly smitten with the thing... it's rather sophisticated and has this real autumnal** feel to it. I have been embracing fall fashion as of late...today I'm sporting jeans, my fave brown boots, maroon v-neck long sleeve shirt under an olive corduroy blazer, with a plaid wool scarf. The whole ensemble strikes me as pretty autumnal anyways. And of course I am carrying my grown up lady purse. This indirectly led to me TOTALLY insulting my boss this morning.

Allow me to elaborate...

I was blathering this a.m. about how much I adore my grown-up lady purse, and Robin joked " Is that the one you tuck under your arm and it makes you look like Sophia Petrillo??" and I laughed and said "PICTURE IT... Sicily 1932..." in a very funny voice that didn't sound anything like Estelle Getty. And there was much chortling. And then (as I was mixing up my a.m. coffee) I thought to say "Did you know that Betty White was married for many years to the dude who hosted 'Super Password'??" Dialogue proceeded like so ...

ROBIN: Yes! I did know that! Alan somebody...

ME: Alan Ludden

ROBIN: YES!

HEATHER: Who?

ROBIN: Betty White. Married to Alan Ludden. Who hosted 'Super Password'

HEATHER: I've never heard of 'Super Password' I don't know who Betty White is either..

ME: Yes you do!!! If I'd said Rose from the Golden Girls you woulda known right off

HEATHER: OOoooh...

ROBIN: And now she does those Pet Meds commercials. She's like 100 years old

ME: Heey! She does alright for her age! She's very spry...for an old broad. I should like to be an old broad like that when I am an old broad!!

MAGGIE/BOSSLADY (with her shoddy hearing, just picking up that last scrap of conversation): WHO are you talking about??

ME: YOU!!

Yeeeeah, sometimes my quick wit is too quick for my liking. Everybody was laughing--Mags included--- but I felt perhaps I crossed the line and my face got about as maroon as my shirt and then I made another pot of coffee. Mostly because I'd used up the last of the coffee but also kind of as a means to make amends.

Even more beloved than my grown-up lady purse is this scarf o' mine. I picked it up at this Celtic shop in Ottawa last summer...it is the Matheson (that's my mum' maiden name) family tartan. Or I should specify-- it is the formal clan tartan. My sister bought a scarf at that same shop, one in our clan's hunting tartan.. Visual aides to follow, I'm sure you will agree with me that MY tartan is far more attractive...

Well agree with me or no, this scarf IS the shiz-nit, and Sept-March I am liable to don it anytime I wear an outfit that is even remotely matchy. Today though, my passion for fall fashion proved a skoach ill-advised as it's in the high 70s out there. I could take off the jacket but, really, this shirt does NOT look so hot on its own (it rather highlights my back bacon if ya know what I mean).

** autumnal & enamored are on this weird list of impressive vocab words that we are compiling in our crazy-ass office. It's a new thing... so far it's just : autumnal, enamored, & mercurial