My thoughts on purses

I ran across a hilarious narrative about purses. It describes me and how I cannot live without some sort of thing to carry all my stuff, but at the same time, I cannot be tied down to match, accessorize or flaunt my class with said receptacle. Nora Ephron had this to say in her book 'I Feel Bad About My Neck':

"I hate my purse. I absolutely hate it. If you're one of those women who think there's something great about purses, don't even bother reading this because there will be nothing here for you. This is for women who hate their purses, who are bad at purses, who understand that their purses are reflections of negligent housekeeping, hopeless disorganization, a chronic inability to throw anything away, and an ongoing failure to handle the obligations of a demanding and difficult accessory (the obligation, for example, that it should in some way match what you're wearing). This is for women whose purses are a morass of loose Tic Tacs, solitary Advils, lipsticks without tops, Chapsticks of unknown vintage, little bits of tobacco even though there has been no smoking going on for at least ten years, tampons that have come loose from their wrappings, English coins from a trip to London last October, boarding passes from long-forgotten airplane trips, hotel keys from who-knows-what hotel, leaky ballpoint pens, Kleenexes that either have or have not been used but there's no way to be sure one way or another, scratched eyeglasses, an old tea bag, several crumpled personal checks that have come loose from the checkbook and are covered with smudge marks, and an unprotected toothbrush that looks as if it has been used to polish silver.

This is for women who in mid-July realize they still haven't bought a summer purse or who in midwinter are still carrying around a straw bag.

This is for women who find it appalling that a purse might cost five or six hundred dollars--never mind that top-of-the-line thing called a Berkin bag that costs ten thousand dollars, not that it's relevant because you can't even get on the waiting list for one. on the waiting list! For a purse! For a ten-thousand-dollar purse that will end up full of old Tic Tacs!"

Anyway, she goes on and on about this and it's hilarious and I can so identify with her. Now, mind you, I have friends who collect purses (hi Julie Nixon!) and I actually toyed with the idea that I might want to have a designer purse too, and so I went to a cute little store here in town called "What's Hot". Now I don't know if being hot means the higher the price tag, the hotter it is, but if so, these purses were smokin. We're talking $700 easy for one bag. But I actually saw a few that I wouldn't mind having and then I thought wow, I would actually be accesorizing myself with a designer purse. I found myself on the bargain isle and found some really cute hand made quilted bags for about $150. Hmmmmm.........they really are well made and so colorful and look at all those handy little pockets that are so well-sewn. Maybe when I get a good bonus at work, I could spoil myself. Heck, I deserve this. Then I woke up. Then I was laid off. End of purse obsessing. Besides Greg, my sweetie, bought me the cutest purse in September and although it's a little small (I can never get it fastened correctly because of all the junk I put in it), I love it and to me it's Designer. We got it at JC Penney's.