Who is this girl, and what has she done with Audrey?

Today at lunch, for the first time in my life, I went shopping for a purse. I don't usually wear purses, much less shop for them. Sure, I've purchased a "bag" or two. One time I begrudgingly let someone buy me a purse. But this, this is insane. I'm not sure what's come over me the last few weeks. Somehow, since I moved to New York, I turned into a GIRL.

Maybe it's because tomorrow morning I leave for Mexico to attend a wedding where the guest list is largely comprised of Marina Girls. Marina Girls, for those of you that have never lived in San Francisco, are high-maintenance, yuppy, ex-sorority girls. They are often blonde, and they are usually found in San Francisco’s Marina District, however I have discovered that you can stumble on Marina Girls in every city, state and country. A somewhat harsher definition can be found here.

However, through my friendship with Susan, the bride-to-be, I have found that Marina Girls can also be very caring, intelligent and kind people. See how much I learned by living in San Francisco? Susan says I used to introduce her as: “This my friend Susan, she’s lives in the Marina, but it’s okay – she’s cool.” (Did I really say that out loud? What a bitch I can be.)

So whether it’s because I’m trying to impress these Marina Girls, fit in with them, or simply because I need a receptacle in which to carry my wallet, keys and camera (Cate says the plastic grocery bag I usually carry them in doesn’t match my dress), I decided to buy a purse. A nice purse. A purse that’s not made of thin grocery store plastic.

Which brings us to Audrey, out in Manhattan, shopping for a purse. One little hiccup in the plan: I don’t know how to shop for a purse. Is there an art to it? I just did what made the most sense to me. I emptied the contents of my current bag – phone, wallet, iPod Shuffle, subway map, notepad, a tampon or two, and a pen – into the purse in question and then carried it around the store for a little while.

I don’t think this is what most women do. I got some strange looks. Well, Miss Disapproving Anne Taylor Sales Lady, if I don’t put my stuff in the purse, how do I know it will fit? And if I don’t practice carrying it around, how do I know that it feels right? Don’t worry, I will take the tampons out of the purse when I’m done. OR, maybe I’ll leave them in as a special gift for your next customer.

After trying out a few different purses at multiple stores, I found one that I liked. It’s small, it’s silver, and it has a tassel. It’s very pretty. I’ve named it Peggy.

Peggy and I will be blogging from Mexico amidst the Marina Girls for the next four days, assuming the hotel has wireless Internet. If not, we’ll have to catch up on Tuesday.