Just a little meme thingy that has been going around:

Your Name is Blue

Your name tells people that you are friendly and caring. You have a strong sense of empathy, and you aren't afraid to wear your heart for all to see. You can often be found in quiet reflection. You rather think about something than act on it. People see you as insightful and intuitive. You usually have a wise take on what's going on. You try to rise above your instincts. You believe that it's important to live as good of a life as possible.

Interesting, since blue is my favorite color. And mostly accurate. I don't always "wear my heart for all to see" in direct human interactions - but I most certainly do here in this journal.:) Also, I'm not quite sure what they mean by "rise above your instincts" - if it's just a pretty way of saying that I hardly ever do anything impulsive, then yes, it would indeed be quite correct.:P

Which is going to sound quite amusing in light of the fact that I just bought four pairs of shoes. Now, I should probably establish right away that I am NOT one of those women who are absolutely crazy about shoes. Really, I am not. My approach to shoes is quite practical: I only buy them in black or brown, to make sure they go with most of my outfits, and the chief requirement is that they have to be COMFORTABLE. It is nice if they are also stylish - but I would never buy something pretty that looks like it will make me suffer, because I know that would just end up gathering dust in the closet. However, my feet are VERY sensitive... so just because a pair of shoes seems comfortable while I'm trying them on in the store, that doesn't necessarily mean that it will NOT make me suffer if I walk in it for several hours. In fact, most new shoes inflict some minor injuries on me sooner or later - which makes me extremely picky while shopping for them. For example, the soles can't be too hard, there has to be enough room to move my toes, there can't be any rough edges anywhere... etc.etc.etc. You get the picture. Also, I have a certain phobia of high prices (as most people at my income level probably do, I venture) - which unfortunately often results in buying some cheap crap that only lasts about a year or so.:/ And that is exactly what happened in regards to most of my fall footwear. I bought some fake suede boots (brown AND black) a year or two ago, and they were cheap and pretty, and I was very happy about them. Now, however, after they've been worn a number of times in rainy weather, I find them looking rather miserable. And it's still too warm for heavy, waterproof winter boots, as well as too cold for sandals - so I did need something suitable to wear with a skirt that doesn't look like it belongs in the garbage. But because I am so picky, I hardly expected to find TWO really nice pairs of such boots (black AND beige, respectively) on the same day - let alone TWO pairs of simple, comfy-looking slip-on loafers (yes, you guessed it, black AND brown) that should go perfectly with jeans or slacks alike. See, my old black loafers are getting a little worn out as well, and my beloved brown mocassins (or Mudds, as I call them) do tend to scrape the skin off the backs of my ankles sometimes, if I happen to take a longer walk in them.:/ Which is exactly what happened sometime this month. So I thought I should have another similar pair, just in case I need a break from them. See, it's all extremely practical, really - no gratuitous "OMG pretty shoes gotta buy them" or anything - it just so happened that I was lucky to find several pairs I needed all at once (btw, I also threw in a pair of comfy furry slippers for good measure :). I still need a light jacket in brown/beige/green, and possibly some new stylish wide-leg pants to wear to work during the cold season (yes, I have gained weight, dammit, and a few old pairs don't look so good on me anymore...:/). But that will have to wait. I couldn't possibly have carried another shopping bag today as I trudged home via public transport.:D

See? I made a happy post about a mundane, "real life" subject.:) Not all hope is lost, it seems.:P But rest assured I will now promptly go back to reading vampire fanfic.:D Let me just share something inspiring before I go. Snakeskin - an awesome musical project headed by Tilo Wolff from Lacrimosa. Which, in case you don't know, is my favorite goth rock band of all time.:) Snakeskin is more darkwave electronica than rock, I suppose, but it is equally gorgeous - and very much in keeping with my current gothy mood (the album Canta'Tronic has some interesting song titles, btw; like, for example, Mortal Life, Bite Me or Stonecoldhands...;). Here's my favorite track, Etterna (the video contains images of Tilo Wolff - the composer - and the vocalist who accompanies him on this album, the opera singer Kerstin Doelle):