the fabulous fall cold

I have been inactive this week, literally. I developed a sore throat on Monday night that by Wednesday had developed into a serious head cold, with a side order of laryngitis. As with many things that you abhored as a child, this policy of my mother has stuck with me for some reason: "Too sick to go to school/work; Too sick for TV." Fortunately, I'm very rarely too sick to read. As luck or fate would have it, I had just made a book run on the weekend and was well stocked. I have been alternating between The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, which is pretty hefty and a little scary and Under the Duvet by Marian Keyes, which is not scary but funny and poignant.

In under the Duvet Ms. Keyes describes how to know if you're an "Imelda," i.e. a person who values shoes above most things. I am cribbing her below and letting you know just how deep my own problem with footwear actually is ...

- I have bought shoes and never worn them because I didn't want to damage them. I have also bought shoes and never worn them because they were really painful, but so pretty on my feet as long as I didn't stand up.
- I am known to structure my day around the shoes I will be wearing. Especially if I am going out.
- I have spent more on shoes than I would on a holiday. I have bought shoes instead of groceries. I have spent more on shoes than my rent.
- I have been hurt by my shoes and I never blame the shoe.
- I do not loan my shoes to other people. They are my babies. Fortunately I am the proud owner of freakishly small feet, so this isn't really an issue.

Must run and meet the husband for dinner. He's been at a closing party for some deal, maybe he'll be in a really good mood and happy to discuss my new current obsession: Handbags.