When the going gets tough

Yesterday I was musing about how deprivation can intensify your focus on a more-limited universe. Today I'd like to totally contradict that idea. When I read back through the blog, I occasionally find one paragraph totally contradicting the prior one, often when I change topics and don't realize how my internal logic might not translate. Or might not be logical.

Anyway, many things are more expensive in Ireland than the U.S. Clothes, electronics, linens. This has inhibited my need to address the privation I feel from living out of two suitcases for five months that weren't packed properly for Ulster's climate. For instance, my shoes are too summery or too formal.

Since I've been back in the U.S. I've bought six pairs of shoes. Disclaimer: Only four count because one pair was for David and one was a pair of Tommy Hilfiger sandals that are totally inappropriate but were adorable and $12 on clearance.

I also went wild at an early bird sale today at Kohl's and bought blankets, sheets, towels, socks, and trousers and shirts for David. I am in the process of trying to fit all of this into my suitcases.

I've said previously that separation from a 20-foot container full of my worldly possessions caused me to moon over furniture at the auction houses. Similarly, the two-suitcase clothing diet has made me, um, vulnerable to the allure of the U.S. bazaar, where if you shop early, everything is 20% off, and if you use your card, it's another 30% off, and if you spend $50, you earn $10 for your next visit, and--hell, we'll just pay you to take the stuff.
9/13