CHAPTER 103
Hello all of you,
I hope things are going on smoothly for you. What have you been doing since last week ?
Enjoying winter holidays in a snowy resort or sunbathing on a white sand beach ? Yes ! How awesome !
But let's come down to earth. Maybe after Xmas season, a bit short of cash to go away ?
Never mind, after all, a staycation is not that bad, is it ? No rude awakening, no tight schedule,no hustle and bustle, just lazy mornings, idle afternoons and cosy evenings, so ...what else ?
Well, now let's take off our rose-coloured glasses and be a wee bit less upbeat (mind you ! I have said only 'a wee bit').
I guess very few of you live off your private income, and even if you are not a workaholic, the words 'job' and 'office' must ring a bell to you.
Then, even if you have been working very hard, sometimes perhaps, burning the midnight oil to deal with stressful deadlines and bossy people, I hope you have managed to stay perky !
Don't worry, I won't let you down : I'll do my best to change your mind off things, make you crack a smile, and perk up !
Not that difficult ! When I go over your mails, I think you are benevolent and flattering readers.
Come on, don't get me wrong ! No humble bragging !
Ego boost is part of the game, of course, and your mails full of praise always make my days.
So, keep on cramming my inmail box with your comments, your tips and your suggestions, cause they are really the foolproof ways to lift me up and help me go ahead.
Next week is my second blogiversary.
How to celebrate it with you ? All your ideas are welcome.
In the meantime I have to go on a good wardrobe cleaning-out, and check if my bathroom scales have been lying to me over the last few months.
If the numbers I see whenever I step onto that treacherous weight watcher are just nonsense, great then !
But, if ,unfortunately, they turned out to be true and pitiless, I can kiss goodbye to my lovely special occasion dress.
No use crying over spilt milk ! By the way, how much does a tear
weigh ? Well, I'd like to know, cause then I could shed more crocodile ones, and perhaps drop a bit of weight...
Kidding aside, I really need to get a smart outfit, cause, to celebrate the D-Day, Dearhubby has booked in a top-notch restaurant.
So, no way to escape shops, awful trying-on experiences, tiny fitting rooms, and, to crown it all, shop-assistants' smirks or compassionate gaze when you get out of the room, tousled, in a sweat, and with something on ,far from fitting you like a glove !
Well, by now, you must have understood that the shopaholics among you can't count on me to join their community.
Searching through rack after rack, listening to some annoying background music, never finding what I am looking for, and ending up with something I will never wear,or just once not to feel too guilty, well, all that either makes me feel miserable, or drives me nuts !
To cut it short, shopping is my pet peeve. I'm not good at it, let alone haggling ..
I always get green with envy in flea markets or second-hand stores, when I eavesdrop on bargain hunters. They spare no effort to negotiate the seller down in their price. In the offer-conteroffer game they are just like ducks to water. They make faces, they show hesitation or they remain silent, till they get a good deal.
I have watched them so often that I know all their tips and tricks by heart.
So, what ? Let me tell you a secret, but please don't spread the word around ( ...useless request on a blog , isn't it ?).
I'm a real patsy (an old-fashioned word for 'sucker', but I like it).
Overcharging me for cheap tat is child's play.
And yet, believe me or not, I've tried many times to be a sappy and clear-sighted customer, but ...always in vain.
More often than not, I get out of that kind of shops with doodads and stuff not worth the money.
So, let me show you how shy and awkward I am when it comes to haggling.
Years ago, when we were living in Paris, once I decided that our flat needed to be freshened up.
We had been living there for seven years, and the paint had gone dull and the rooms didn't look squeaky-clean any longer. A new coat of paint would brighten up the place.
In those days, Dearhubby was a workaholic, so no use counting on him or his tool-box to start my 'renovation work'.
My list of supplies was as long as my arm : masking tape (for clumsy busy bee), brushes,rollers, an extension pole for the ceiling, a bucket, a paint grid, and, of course, quite a few cans of paint.
Elbow grease was free, but the rest would cost a lot.
That's why I decided I had to take the plunge : once my shopping done, I would negotiate a discount with the nearby paint shop owner.
After all, it would be fair game, cause my bill would be rather high, and, what's more, a DIY shop had just opened not that far away.
Of course, I prefered that small store, cause the staff there had years of experience in finding the right tools and materials for any task.
But a free bonus would be welcome.
Well, that's the pep talk I gave to myself all the way to the paint store.
I handed my list to the shopkeeper and followed him all along the aisles.
No need to tell you that I was only half listening to his advice.
While he was explaining step by step how to paint a room, I was just rehearsing my haggling speech silently.
By the time he piled up all my supplies near the till, my heart was in my mouth !
Then, I think, I could understand what stage fright means.
But, it was now or never !
I cleared out my throat, and all shaking inside, I spluttered out :
" H'm,...Wow, such a bill just half-an-hour after opening time ! I
made your day,for sure ! It is well worth something,isn't it ? ".
My heart was pumping, and to make it worse, the man smiled and asked :
" What do you mean ? ".
Grr ! Sure he was doing it on purpose ! Anyway, I had to go through with it, so I explained :
" Well, a discount of 5 percent, for example ! ".
" Oh, I see ", he replied, " don't worry about that. I usually give
10 percent, but if you prefer just 5, no problem ! ".
That was the first and last time I bargained for Something !
That's all for this week, folks !
Enjoy your reading, share it with all the fun lovers you know, and don't forget :
BE PERKY !
PS : here is the link to my email address :
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