Stuff 'n Nonsense

You guys.
I am having a little bit of a wigged out week. Lots of crazy stuff happening, but the main thing on my mind is work. I'm a hard worker. I like work in general. I spent a year not working and I nearly went crazy. So maybe it would be more specific to say My Job.
My Job is a fine Job. I work for a major retailer, but a really nice one, with actual values all the way up the corporate ladder. This is no Wal-mart. It's boring and pedestrian, but I get to help lots of customers and keep things tidy, both of which I like.

The thing getting to me is The Waste.
There is so much Waste! Cardboard is recycled, but everything else just gets tossed. Paper, plastic, Styrofoam, broken stuff, glass... Every week, I toss another plastic bag of plastic wrappers that freight was wrapped with and I inwardly cringe. So much is just sent off to the landfill! I realise that this is the world we live in, and there's nothing I can do about it. But still.

And right up there with the Waste is the Stuff people buy. I am tempted constantly by all the cute stuff I see. Especially when I am checking and those nice people are all buying the cute stuff, and I think, "I want me some of this cute stuff!" And they swipe that plastic and I suddenly realise that, half the time, they are putting that cute stuff on credit and the illusion comes crashing down. People! You do not need more stuff! You need less debt and more real quality in your lives! And I think about my house and I know, I already have too much stuff!

I value Simplicity! Thrift! Quality things that last! But I have realised really profoundly this week that, not only is my job boring and pedestrian, I am personally contributing to the mountains of Waste in our landfills, the mountains of Debt accruing to keep us chained as a nation, and perhaps worst of all, the Stuff in people's lives.
And I can't even wear my skirts.
Sigh.

Sorry to bum you out, but there it is.

In praise of skirts (and dresses)

Apparently my Memorial day excitement was unfounded. But now I'm Back!
If I can get pics working, we'll be in buisness!

So yesterday was my anniversary, and we had a great time at the lake with the dogs. Afterward we went to our favorite Mexican place for an amazing meal and I wore an amazing dress I got last year but hadn't had a chance to wear. It's a simple strapless sundress, and it always seemed either too casual or too dressy. But last night, like Goldilocks it was just right. I was not only pretty, but I was both well-covered and cool, which can be hard to pull off in Kansas in the Summer.

Something I don't love about my job is that skirts are pretty impractical. I have a lot of them that I love, but I seem to be wearing bell bottoms every day. Not that my love for bell-bottoms decreases, but I love to wear skirts, too. They are so... Feminine. When I wear a skirt I feel like I stand up a little straighter. I feel more poised. They are extra cool and breezy this time of year.  And in the winter, you can wear tons of layers without anyone knowing. This December one of the ladies at church remarked how cold it was and I said I was okay, but then I was wearing 5 layers. Those pioneer ladies knew what was what.

It seems like skirts haven't been too popular for casual wear since, oh, the '80's. But they seem to be making a comeback the last couple years. This summer floaty skirts in particular seem to be the thing to wear. And Maxi dresses. Where better to get a pretty one than second hand? I'm always ahead of the trends like that.

I just counted: I have 17 skirts and 31 dresses. (Not including formal wear.) Dresses are not as all-season as skirts, but I realize I can never again legitimately complain on Sunday Morning. If I can't find a dress I feel like wearing, I need Therapy. But, I may need a few more skirts.