Payday Loan month is here. Every year we have the same problem in January. January is notorious as the sales month, where you could save so much money on the things you need, yet, after you’ve spent all of your money on the holidays, it’s also the hardest month of the year financially.

This is where a payday loan can really help

Have you seen the shoes in the windows? And the clothes hanging on the racks? Have you seen the colors and the styles? All the stuff you couldn’t afford before winter is now on sale at half price and you’re determined to save money.  You know you’re going to end up buying these items anyway, only at a much higher price later.

The sandals

The problem with sales shopping, as we women know, is that you start with one little item, say a pair of sandals. They are light; they are pretty; they are something you will wear only a few times when you go down to the beach.  But they are on sale, January clearance even, so you buy them. It’s no big deal.  And, buying on sale and getting a bargain is like getting a vitamin shot; it makes you feel good. The cashier puts them in a bag. You pay and turn to walk out then you see that pair of shoes that you have been looking for the whole year. Is this where they’ve been hiding?

The shoes

You try them; they fit like they were painted onto your feet so you buy them too. They were not exactly on sale, but you’d been looking for them all year. You walk out of the store and you know already that it’s going to mean taking out a payday loan to pay for what you just bought. The shoes are Burgundy, a deep shade of red almost unknown in the fashion industry. They need a dress to make them look good. You know you need these shoes and clothes for work.  If you can find the dress on a January clearance sale, it will all be worth it.

The dress

Now the hunt starts. You go from store to store, the cheap ones, the expensive ones, the ones with the sales and the ones that never hold sales. Burgundy, repeats the cashier, burgundy? You find a red dress. It’s not exactly burgundy, more the color of a Bordeaux wine. You’ll have to put the shoes on to make sure these colors are in sync and don’t clash. It works. The dress is more expensive than you would have hoped, but on clearance, none-the-less and the cashier assures you, it is the only one in town.

The coat

The cashier guides you to the exit of the dress department. Perhaps, she suggests, you should stop at the coats on the way to the elevator. They are on clearance and it’s still pretty cold outside, she smiles. You nod, lost now in the shopping excitement. The third coat is just right. Both the size and more importantly, the color, are perfect. Don’t wrap that, you say. I’ll wear it. It’s still pretty cold outside.

The glasses

At home you put all the new clothes on and stand in front of the mirror. Not a bad day’s work, you think. There are still a few adjustments necessary. Change in nail polish for sure and oh my, new eye glasses. Super high density progressive bifocals and brother do they cost! You wonder  if they are on clearance somewhere.

The bill

Well, it’s definitely worth a payday loan! You wonder if you can order a double?

Not your usual eBay auction

The bidding started high and fast after Muntadhar al-Zeidi was arrested in Iraq after he hurled his black size 10s at Bush in a defiant act of protest. Technical director of the Iraqi football team Adnan Hamad offered $100,000 for the shoes. But he wasn’t the only one willing to show his support for the man who openly insulted the U.S. President.

As word spread of the incident, one businessman said he’d pay any price for the pair of shoes. But the award for highest bidder currently rests with the Iraqi entrepreneur who offered $10 million for just one shoe. As of today, the location of the highly desired shoes is unknown.

Why all the fuss?

So, why would someone spend $10 million on a single shoe? The football team director who started this trend of offering large sums of money for the shoes said al-Zeidi’s act reflected the attitude of all Iraqis. It seems many people in the nation are coming together to support the symbolic gesture that swiftly summed up their feelings toward Bush.

Al-Zeidi says his actions were the result of years of filming suffering Iraqis. After covering the effects of the war in Iraq on the country’s citizens, Al-Zeidi couldn’t hold in his rage any longer.

The other shoe drops

Back home, citizens in the country Bush has led for eight years are showing support for the shoe thrower. In New York, copycat protesters have started hurling their shoes into trees to show solidarity and express their own frustration toward the president.

“We know a good symbolic act when we see one,” said a shoe thrower in New York City’s Union Square Park. It seems New Yorkers have been searching for a method to display their frustration about the war. Al-Zeidi’s method seems to be hitting home with the president’s critics.

Civil disobedience

Frustrated New Yorkers aren’t the only American citizens having a field day with the incident. Late-night comics including Jay Leno and David Letterman aren’t passing up the opportunity to spin comedic gold. The funny men wasted no time before cracking jokes about the President’s newfound ability to lean to the left.

Amateur YouTube artists got in on the action, making spoof videos and finding creative ways to re-enact what U.S. headlines have called “shoe-icide.” Shoe-icide? I’d think twice before taking out a cash advance to buy a copyright for that one.

Hailed as a hero

After Al-Zeidi was handed over to the Iraqi military and carted off to jail, cries for his release began immediately. Thousands of protesters demonstrated in the streets of Iraq, waving shoes and demanding the release of the man they now consider a national hero.

Iraqis, Americans and at least one ridiculously rich Saudi businessman aren’t the only ones engaging in hero worship. A Lybian charity group has given Al-Zeidi a bravery award. The group also has joined the throng clamoring for his release.

Where are they now?

So who will be the recipient of the millions that have been offered for the shoes? It is speculated that the shoes are either in the custody of Iraqi security service agents or an employee for the Bush administration. It’s reported that if Al-Zeidi is found not guilty he will have the right to claim his shoes.

One thing is for sure, whoever is deemed the rightful owner of the shoes heard ’round the world won’t need a cash advance to end up with some serious extra cash.

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