Well, today there was no drooling and no puking to write about so by default you KNOW this blog will be better than the last one, hee hee!

I have this massive to-do list. One of the things on my to-do list was to finally go to this vacation-share (like a time-share) promotional tour to pick up the free airline tickets/weekend resort gift certificate/restaurant gift certificate, etc. etc. I was sort of dreading it because my mom told me about this horrible time-share promo experience she had a few years back where, as soon my folks let the people know they weren't interested in buying, were treated rudely, despite getting the free gift for sitting thru the presentation.

Well, my experience, thank goodness, was nothing like that of my mom's. And to be quite honest, this is a company I'd recommend to anyone who knows they want to go on at least a week's vacation to a resort once a year. In fact, if I myself were at a different point in my life, I might consider owning a piece of the pie but, hey, let's face it folks, I can hardly commit to a shampoo, let alone a life-long vacation commitment!!! The company is Bluegreen Vacation Club and they seem to be a good company for one's vacation needs. From many standpoints, this would have been a very good deal, this vacation package thingy, but I'm just not ready to jump into something like that! The rep who explained the system to me was very cool. She practices reiki. While I'm sure she's disappointed that her talking to me did not end in a nice fat commission, I am thinking about going to have some reiki done in the near future. Some meetings happen for a reason.

The greatest part about going to this promo (besides the free stuff) was that it happened to be located right near the Mall of America. It has been so long since I really went shopping. And tonight, it was nothing to write home about. After taking a quick late afternoon lunch at the food court (Japanese fast food place had miso soup filled with plump tofu, yum!) I headed to one of my favorite locations that satisfies the petite Virgo.

For the first time this year, I not only did very little fall shopping but also very little xmas shopping as well. The materlialist in me, the girl who loves shopping, is slowly transcending toward a greater purpose. I think it all started when I decided to cancel my subscription to Lucky Magazine last year. I used to LOVE that magazine and a part of me still does. But it's just not the same magazine it was when I first subscribed. In the beginning, you didn't have celebrities on the cover. It wasn't targeting teens but instead twenty somethings. This has changed and no longer did I enjoy reading it.

Secondly, as I've gotten older, my attitude toward the fashion industry has become a bit of a hostile one. I'm petite and it's extremely difficult to find trendy clothing in petite sizes, readily available, that is. Ann Taylor is the closest I get. Banana, JCrew, all those other places only have sizes online. What good does that do when you need something right away? And how annoying is that when you have to return things? I've practically boycotted almost all the places where I used to shop. They are of no use to me when I have to make a special trip to a tailor just to wear the stuff off the hanger!

The other issue I have, as many do with the fashion industry, is that I think they make women feel like S**T and do nothing but confuse them instead of give them a true sense of self-confidence. Open up Teen Vogue (my 14 yr old sister has a subscription). On one side you have this serious article about eating disorders, depression, and then you turn the page and see an anorexic-looking model sporting the latest fashions. Or, OK, here's my favorite one about Lucky magazine (and other magazines that "claim" they are not targeting teens...): alcohol and cigarettes, especially all the designer flavored types, are heavily advertised. So, now our young skin is wrinkly and dehydrated from all that booze and smoke and now we need to buy that $75 face cream promoted on the next page? Hmmmm.....

Well, I've come to peace with these things in many ways. First, I don't give into the fads as best I can. Yes, sometimes it's tempting, but the bottom line when you look at a shoe or an article of clothing like it's the biggest decision you'll ever make in your life, you have to step back and say, OK, is this really going to matter six months from now? Really? Do I REALLY need this thing? I've come a long way from when I used to be a slave to clothes. In freeing myself, I'm also making a contribution along with the minority of Americans who do not wish to enslave others in third world countries where this stuff is made.

When I do buy things like this, I try to buy them on sale. Not because I'm trying to save money as much as I know that whether I buy the stuff now or later when it's on sale, that 14 year old who made the coat won't see the profits either way so why let the big guy get a piece? That being said, I needed a good transition winter/spring coat since I messed up the fake fur lining on my old one and found a very nice petite sized coat today at Ann Taylor for a fraction of the price I would have paid before Xmas. The other stuff in the store was very cute. But I just didn't need it. I didn't even try it on.

Before I began typing this, I just ate a lovely wild rice deli concoction from Linden Hills co-op. It had some apples, mustard, nuts. Quite yummy. So here I am, following a great diet, have a great figure, but have very little desire to wear the trendly little clothes that show them off. What's wrong with me??

Nothing. I'm just a virgo.