Date: 2003-05-16
To: Less is More
Miles today: 0.0

Aloha! Today¢s the day! Today is the day before the day before I head off on my Grand Adventure, Part II. Wuhuuuuu! Today is the day that I had all my hairs cut!   Yep, they¢re gone. Gone, gone, gone. She pulled out a razor, no scissors in her hand, and shaved all of them -- every last one of them. Okay, let¢s get this understood. She did shave all of them¢¦ just not burr short. Told you, can¢t do that shaved head/burr thing. It¢s probably 1.5 to two inches in length now. As much as I¢d like to say it resembled Rod Stewart¢s hair of the past, it¢s more like Halle Barry¢s (spelling?) of present. Now if only I could have her looks and figure to go with!   From the hairdresser to the legalese I go. Yep, today was also the day to ensure everything was legally in order and updated. These items included my will, living will, medical directives, powers of attorney, etc. This isn¢t to say that I¢m expecting to fall off a cliff, be eaten by a bear (there are no bear on the AT), or have to saw my arm off while dangling beneath some rock. This is because it¢s something that I believe should be accomplished and updated regularly regardless. Think about it, on a day-to-day basis, you have a much better chance of being hit by a car, mugged, or whatever else may threaten us out there than you do of something horrific happening on the trail. I¢m not updating because I¢m going back to the trail, it¢s just an even better reason to do so now. Again, it¢s just something I believe needs to be reviewed and in order. Somebody has to pay my mortgage! Okay, that¢s my two cents on this subject. If you¢d like change just let me know. Out of the fire (legal) and into the frying pan (REI)! What can I say? I had a couple of previous purchases that I needed to return and wanted to pick up some Kelty trip tease cord. Since they were only ten miles away from my attorney what better time to stop? I couldn¢t think of a reason either. So, I drove like an east coast I-95 maniac in the pouring rain and fog to get there. (I am beginning to fit into the east coast mentality!) Anyway, with returned merchandise in-hand, I opened the door, entered and inhaled deeply. An all-encompassing wave of calm flooded my every pore. I immediately knew that my beating the little old lady out of the one and only parking space was karma and meant to be. I was home! It just so happens that the customer service counter is located at the extreme opposite end of the store. Go figure! The long walk allowed me ¢ogle and smell¢ all the odds and ends and finery the store had to offer. Needless to say, I took the long way to the counter. Once the merchandise was returned it was time to repeat my ¢ogle and smell¢ walk. Ahhhhh¢¦ but I didn¢t get far (like three feet) when my ¢home support system, transcriber and everything else¢ (HSST&E) Char showed me a pair of aqua shoes that weighed less than my current ones and offered more protection than my flip flops. I snatched them, got my size and left the area like a proud mama. On the way back through the ¢ogle and smell¢ walk I lingered a moment to long in the ladies lingerie section. I¢m now also the proud owner of two, not one but two, pair of Patagonia bikini underwear. And a sports bra to match! (Fashion counts even in the backwoods!) From there it was up and down every aisle just confirm that there was nothing left that I couldn¢t live without. That was such a wise decision. It just so happened that a titanium cup jumped off the shelf and into my right hand screaming at me to save it from a destitute life on a shelf. A mere 3 ounces or so I felt it only right to save it from such a life. Shortly after the cup jumped into my hand, I was feeling a bit guilty about spending money on last minute impulse items. I had to go. To the counter I went, paid my bill and headed to the door. But wait, it¢s raining¢¦ still. I just had my hair done. It would be so much wiser if I waited out the rain. Hate to ruin a new do. So¢¦. I browsed¢¦ right over to the packs. Did you know that there hundreds of packs now? Big ones, light ones, little ones, light ones, heavy ones, light ones, some with no pockets, light ones, blues ones, light ones, blue light ones, blue light ones made by Gregory, blue light ones made by Gregory with a 20% off coupon, blue light ones made by Gregory with a 20% off coupon fitted to me, and blue light ones made by Gregory with a 20% off coupon fitted to me and at the cashier¢s counter. Okay¢¦ so I bought a new pack the day before the day before I leave for the trail. Anyone see a problem with that? Life is good. I have a new pack, shoes and underwear and still shaved two pounds off my back! And most were 20% off! Wuhuuuuuu!!!!What can I say? Outdoor stores are toy stores for adults and can be hazardous to your pocketbook. But ohhhhhhhh¢¦. So much fun! Less hair, less money, and less weight on my back -- less really is more! So that was my day. How was yours? (Oh yeah, there really wasn¢t a little old lady in the parking lot. That was an enhancement to the story.)