A Raging Case of the Wants

I want this vest by Kathleen Crowley, among other things. Lots of other things.

Here's a normal exchange between my husband and I while running errands:

Me: "Anyplace else we should go while we're out?"

Him: "No, there's nothing I really need or want."

I just don't understand that. I mean yeah, my needs are pretty well-met, I have everything necessary to lead a cozy life and all I have to do is go out to replace things as they get used up or worn out. But wants? Man oh man, there's always something I want. Many things that I want, actually.

That vest up there is just one piece of costuming that I want. Never mind that most of my performances are with Fire & Gold Bellydance, so I have to wear my troupe costumes. There's always a new pair of dance pants or a new skirt catching my eye, causing me to daydream about what I would wear it with. Sometimes it wouldn't even go with anything I already have.

And then there's makeup. I can't go into Sephora or Ulta without seeing some new palette or color of lip tar that I want. Even walking by the cosmetics department at Target causes me to hone in on new colors of nail polish, despite the fact that I haven't even worn most of the colors I already have.

Supplies? Well, let's see, I've been doing beadwork for over 15 years. I have a decade and a half worth of indulgences piled up in my collection, beads I HAD to have and still haven't figured out a use for. Before I even started sewing, I'd go out for fabric to cover a bra and buy things for future sewing projects.

Jewelry is a big downfall. If I added up all the money I spent on cheap bangles, rings and earrings in my first couple of years as a dancer, it would definitely be enough to have purchased a couple of high-quality pieces instead. Now most of it goes unworn because it looks tawdry against my more professional costumes.

Lately I've been trying to keep myself under control. No more nail polish until I throw out some of my old stuff. No cheap jewelry unless it's something I'll actually wear in normal life. No beads until gem show in February. No fabric unless I need it for a troupe costume. But that doesn't stop me from wanting. And it doesn't stop me from buying things that aren't on the forbidden list (hello, new eye palettes and sweaters).

I'm not greedy, by the way. My list of wants includes things that I want to buy for other people. I always see things and think "Oh, that would be perfect for so-and-so." I start bookmarking things well in advance of birthdays and holidays, so that when the time comes I can choose between them and then use the rest as recommendations for people who come to me for ideas.

How about you? Are you content with what you have, or do you have an Etsy favorites list a mile long, just waiting for the day you win the lottery?

Rotten Day

I'm at least a third-generation believer in Retail Therapy, so I tried to make myself feel better by buying a pillow with a beetle on it. What does that have to do with anything? Nothing. But blog posts need pictures.

Today has been a rotten day. Really, things have been varyingly rotten since I received bad news on Saturday (please read this post on my other blog to learn about the loss of a dear friend. I don't want to rehash it here), but today was one of those stupid, annoying days where nothing went right.

First I tried making some jewelry, but I didn't really have many ideas and the ones I tried didn't work. I ended up with one small item and a mess on my desk.

Then I decided that I was going to be a grown-up responsible adult and do the laundry. Well, that's when I learned that our pipe was full of tree roots again, as the water draining out of the washing machine had no place to go so it came back up from under the toilet. GROSS! Luckily since this had happened before we knew exactly what was happening, and the plumber came out and fixed it quickly, but it cost some cashola.

Plus, you know how whenever you have a service person over, as soon as you think "Ok, well he seems to be doing his own thing, I'll go get some little job done now" that's always when they suddenly need you for something? Yep, that was an hour of my day that I got nothing done.

Oh, and I tore one of my favorite little yoga jacket thingies while moving something that was blocking the access point to the pipe, so dammit. I really liked that jacket.

So then I was like, well, I'd better salvage this day with some dance, let's sit down and pick out a fan veil song for Open Stage! An HOUR LATER I decided that I hated all of my music, old and new. Albums that I had purchased because I loved the music at the time suddenly sounded awful. Note to self: you hate everything when you're in a bad mood. Next time just drill.

Then we went to Target where we couldn't find some things we needed, but at least I got a beetle pillow, because that is clearly what I need in life. I wish the coordinating comforter also had beetles on it instead of just a floral jungle-y print. I would love to have my bed covered in beetles.

I almost didn't go to class and practice tonight because of my bad mood, but I like to save my skipping for when I get sick. And you know what? I'm glad I went. My bad mood melted away. I've been enjoying the hell out of classes lately. I don't know if they've been especially fun or if I've been especially receptive, but it's just been a great level of challenge and accomplishment and new material and good music and good friends.

So the day wasn't all rotten, but it sure did try. I hope tomorrow will be better. I've got a massage scheduled, and I need to work on Friday's cosmetics review and definitely get a lot of practice no matter how much I hate my music.