DIANA RODRIGUEZ WALLACH

A belated happy new year to all of you! I hope you all had fun rockin’ it in with Dick Clark, aka Ryan Seacrest. And while I’m a little sad to see 2008 pass (It was the year I published my first novel! And the Phillies won the World Series!), I must say that I think 2009 is off to a good start. Why? Well, it all comes down to a pair of shoes.

You see, I’m a shopper—in every aspect. I pull the catalogues out of the mail so I can immediately peruse items I’m not in the market for while leaving the “important stuff” for another day. I love to window shop, walk down Walnut Street coveting items that I can in no way afford but like to look at anyway. I am an excellent coveter. (Essentially, because I’m also financially responsible. So while I may look at expensive items, I rarely buy them.)

But on one such excursion through the shops in Philly, I fell in love. With a pair of boots. They’re beautiful. They have Nike Air insoles so the heel doesn’t hurt your feet. They’re made of leather so luxurious that every other leather item I own looks like plastic in comparison. And they’re Cole Haan.

Now, if you know anything about shoes, you know that Cole Haan is up there in the stratosphere of pricing. They’re out of my league. They wouldn’t even talk to me at a bar if we met. So I was content to covet, worship from afar. Once in a while I’d visit them, say ‘hi.’ But we both knew they were too good for me.

So I began to accept reality.

And then, the day after Christmas, my husband and I were at the King of Prussia Mall, and I decided to swing by the Cole Haan store—just give the boots a quick, “Merry Christmas.” But they weren’t there. Apparently, the rest of the world also liked my boots, only they had the money to afford them. The shoes were gone. It was a sad end to 2008. The dream had died. Until…

This past weekend, I visited some friends in Manhattan. And on the way home, we decided to stop off at the Short Hills Mall. My husband insisted that we go to Bloomingdale’s, which is not typically my scene (I’m more of a Macy’s kind of girl). But we went. And low and behold there are my boots hanging on the discount rack.

They’re 66% off.

There are only 3 sizes available. One of them is a size 8.

I swear the lights in the store shone brighter as a strobe light descended down from the heavens illuminating my boots as an angel sang in the distance. They were my size. They were perfect. The box the saleswoman brought still had the shoes wrapped in plastic with the little paper balls wedged inside. They were untouched.

Needless to say, I bought the boots. But my story is not about the boots. It’s about “signs.” I think the boots are an omen that 2009 is going to swing my way. Already, the Eagles won their first playoff game. My husband bought the car of his dreams (with all the fixings) at a price we could afford because of a sale that lasted three weeks during the exact time that our Volvo started dying.

Then when I came home from that shopping trip, I felt compelled to fix my work-in-progress. I’ve been kind of procrastinating lately. I knew I needed to make changes, but I was resisting doing the work. I think part of me didn’t want to let the old version die. But now I’m back in the game, ready to start 2009 with a fresh manuscript. I know what’s wrong with my book. I know how to fix it.

And it’s all because of the Cole Haan boots in my closet. They’re magic, like those Sisterhood pants. I should invite you all over to try them on because I think they’d fit, no matter your size. They’re that special. The Magic Boots of 2009.

Pop Culture Rant: E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!

Bring on the Giants, baby! Now I know the Birds squeaked into the playoffs after an act of divine intervention (like I said, ’09 is swinging my way). But if we could pick any team to play in the next round of the playoffs, I’d pick the Giants. Sure, they’re Super Bowl champs. Sure, they’ve got an all-star team. But I’m telling you, those guys have lost their mojo. Maybe that bullet in Plaxico’s leg ripped it out of them. The Giant’s have lost three of their last four games. The Eagles have won five of their last six. If we have any shot, it’s being the underdog against a team we know well. Just ask the Cowboys.