Eleven days and counting. Yeah, I am that annoying person who announces to the world just how long it is until she goes on vacation. Still, I keep thinking how little time that is and how much more I need to do. It is getting to the point that it is a bit of distraction at work. (Do not worry, however. I am still an upstanding employee making sure that all of her responsibilities have been taken care of before she lets her mind start to wander...it is a bit too soon to let my mind go on vacation just yet). What is weird is that right now, I am not so much thinking of all the fun things that I will do on my vacation. Instead, I have this urgent need to shop. It is a compulsion I feel rarely, but when I do, it certainly hits with a vengence.
So, what is it that I am in the market for? Well, for starters, I want some new shorts. Granted, I have a couple of pairs of shorts that (probably) fit and would work just fine. However, I am afraid they won't be as comfortable as I want them to be, and it would help if they are the wash and wear type. You never know what you might encounter along the trail... To go with my new shorts, I will need a few new t-shirts that, again, lend themselves to quick drying for wash & wear use. And it wouldn't hurt if they look good. Most of my t-shirts at home are rather shapeless and blah. If I am going to travel, I should travel in style, right? Which leads me to finding a cute dress. While I enjoy the versatility of the typical tourist uniform of t-shirts and shorts, there may be a couple of times during this trip that I want to look a little nicer. You know, if somehow I work up the nerve to go out at night for a nice dinner or something. I want to have something available that will help me look a little less like a vagabond and...dare I say it...look cute. (Believe it or not, being cute/attractive or whatever is not usually on my top list of priorities when I choose my wardrobe. I tend to adopt a more utilitarian perspective, hoping to achieve a level of professionalism that doesn't really call too much attention to me.) When traveling, though, I like to leave behind some of my more reserved nature and be open to exploring different experiences (still while exercising caution! I know the challenges out there for people traveling solo, so don't think I see traveling as an opportunity to leave ALL senses behind.) Again, one of the reasons I love to travel--no one has preconceived notions of who I am, and so that frees me from living up to expectations. (And, yes, I recognize that I can adopt this mentality in my day-to-day life, but it is a little harder since I easily allow myself to be pigeon-holed into a certain role. Hmm...lots of asides in this post. Oops!) If I do find something, I'll let you all know. And if you know of any good places to find cute dresses, that would be helfpul, too...
Besides a few new outfits, I am thinking I need a new camera. I didn't think I needed a new camera until a friend showed me her new camera the other day. Then it got me thinking I should trade up to something a little less bulky than what I currently own. I don't need anything super fancy as taking pictures often comes as an afterthought. But, if it is a bit more compact, it will make my life just that much easier. Right?
So, I completely feel like I have been lured in by the typical materialistic messages to which we are all exposed daily. Yet, since I so rarely indulge in good old consumerism, I feel a little less guilty in buying things that I really have no need for. My when I actually have the time to indulge (this weekend), the urge will have lessened significantly, and I will not be inclined to spend quite as much. And, I tend to be extremely picky, so the likelihood I will find something I want to buy is even less certain. We'll see.
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