Monkees, Davey Jones death and memories

I was so sad to hear that Davey Jones died today.  

Davey Jones of the Monkees

Just thinking about the Monkees takes me back to my childhood.  I remember having my girlfriends over to my house and we would dance to my record player.  

I had this album:

I watched the tv show.  Do you remember how we used to ask each other which Monkee was our favorite?  Mine was Peter Tork.  I liked his shyness.  My sister always said Davey Jones.  

I remember when Marsha Brady got to have her dream date with Davey Jones on the Brady Bunch.  What a dream come true that would have been for any girl in those days.  And, he came to her school dance.  Woo Hoo.  Lucky girl.  Marsha Marsha Marsha.

Just look at them.  Doesn't that take you back?  Things just seem so different now.  What innocence.  Was it really like that? 

When I watched the Monkees, I loved the slapstick comedy.  They were just so wacky.  Each one of them was fun to watch.  Davey Jones was sweet and always had the girls chasing him.  Not just on the show, but in real life too.  I have heard on my Facebook page that many of my friends have seen him in concert recently.  He had a very long career.  

I'm feeling old today, just hearing this news.  I think, wow, this is just going to keep happening from here on out.  I'm over 50 now.  It's not like I think my life is over or anything like that.  But, I know that my mother in law is always talking about movie stars that have been dead for a really long time and that I have never heard of.  I'll bet if I ask my kids who Davey Jones is, none of them will know.  But, I know.  And, I will remember.

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In pursuit of the perfect purse

I'm going to admit that I enjoy (am obsessed with) reality tv.  I love Survivor, American Idol....and it has snowballed from there.  Bachelor, Bacherlorette....I could go on and on.  I don't even remember how I started watching the Kardashians, but I feel like I know them personally.

When I was in the mall shopping for a purse, I couldn't find the right thing.  Why is it so hard?  I looked at hundreds (felt like thousands!) of purses.  Nothing.  I went to Macy's, nothing.  Nordstrom...I didn't think I could even afford to look there.  I went to Brighton, I have one and it's always been a favorite, oh my gosh they are expensive!

This is mine when it was newer....I've really worn it out at this point.  (does anyone have some tips on cleaning a straw purse?).

Then I had a thought.  If Sears is good enough for the Kardashians, it's probably good enough for me.  So, I went in and looked around.  No.  Absolutely not.  The only thing I even liked in the store were the posters of the Kardashians.  The reality was that it was a messy store and the quality of the items just didn't seem great to me at a glance.  I wasn't even tempted to look further, so I left.  

That took me to Penny's.  What a relief.  The purses were on tables and shelves.  I didn't have to look through a tangled mess of purses hanging by the strap.  (I hate that!)  I'm a fast shopper.  Some of my friends (you know who you are) can get frustrated with my speed shopping.  I don't like to sift through piles.  I just want to look around and see if there is something that catches my eye.  And, there was.

It was a pretty, classic and simple purse by Liz Claiborne in bone.  I picked it up.  It had the shape I wanted, the strap was the right length and it had POCKETS for all my stuff.  But, "bone"?  I only wear black. (how boring is that?  but it goes with everything!)  So, I kept looking and in the end I came back to the bone purse on sale for $25.  Lo and behold there was a black version of the same purse (the only ONE), and I picked it up.  $50??  Why? Just because it's black?  I decided to get them both, it's still a good buy.

I asked the clerk why the black one was more, and she said "It's not.  It's marked wrong."  Ah Ha! Also $25!  Yay.  

And, I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new purse.  It's just perfect.  Nothing fancy or really fashionable.  But, it's pretty and comfortable and my "stuff" fits just right!  

Is it just me or is finding just the right purse a difficult pursuit?