Albert's New Shoes

The human psychology is a mysterious and fascinating thing. You can always fool other people, but you can't fool yourself.

Do you really need a new pair of shoes? You've got three pairs of rubber shoes: one for walking, one for light wear, one for strenuous activities. You have two pairs of loafers: one for regular use, one for carpeted/minimal walking. You have three pairs of office shoes: a brown one for light pants, a black one for dark pants, and another black one for load-balancing. So do you really need another pair? Boat shoes at that?

This shoe outlet store is having a sale, you see. And it's not just any sale. From the discounted price, they're still giving another 50% off. It's true that Colorado is selling THEIR boat shoe for half THAT price (AND it even has a washable insole with an Energy Return System), but it's still not a Sperry. Not that I'm obsessed with brands and stuff, but I truly believe that certain things are expensive for a reason. So I found the model I wanted, and it happened to be the last pair, too - in my exact size and in the exact color shade. In the weird way that my mind works, I thought that there could be some other model with is better and/or cheaper, so I put my pair back on the shelf. The moment it left my hands, this Japanese tourist picked it up, tried it on, and took it to the cashier. Talk about timing. It was at this point that I decided that I HAVE to buy a pair - any pair - to replace the one that slipped away.