The frivolous, the mundane, and the important-- photo-friendly

The Frivolous
I've had a gift certificate to Coldwater Creek for some time now, but they recently opened up a store in Asheville and tonight I stopped in. I bought a delicious dress and some über cute shorts to add to my pitifully bare summer collection. Apartment fire = Megan has limited options this year. The money isn't exactly growing on trees, and there are other things to spend it on every month, you know? But summertime on a college campus is distinctly more casual than the rest of the year, and my conservative (read: winter) black and browns aren't going to work for long. Especially since I wear the same three pairs of pants every week. I'd like to think that I'm clever enough with shirt and accessory selections that no one really notices how often I recycle my pants, but I think people are probably just being nice. Anyway, if they aren't paying me enough to go shopping, they shall just have to see me in my same-old, same-olds week after week. Doesn't bother me much.

Except when I go into a clothing store. There are so many cute things that a 22-year -old has the body for (although, as noted in my earlier post entitled "Huffin' and Puffin,'" this body could use a tad bit of work) and I become completely enamored with long, flowing skirts and dresses that are tailored exactly to my curves. Not to mention earrings... oh, after the fire I had to bid my obsession with earrings adieu. There were so many lost that had been acquired years ago; it was a sad thing. I think I have been in mourning.

We'll consider this my shopping rebound. Clothes have not been in my budget for the past half a year, but as summertime approaches, I think a few dollars from every paycheck could by me something cute. What do you say?

The Mundane
A storm is brewing in the Skyland mountains tonight. It really is brewing, like coffee brews. With coffee, it begins with just a hint of that rich smell along with the sound of the water beginning to percolate. Likewise, the wind has picked up a bit, and a few raindrops were spattering my glasses when I left Biltmore Village. It even smells of precipitation. Soon, like the robust smell of coffee can permeate a kitchen, the gray sky is going to open up and drench Asheville. My weekend has just started beautifully.

I am also listening my most recently purchased songs on iTunes while greedily shoveling left-overs from the Thai restaurant near campus into my mouth. Can you guess the song I'm currently listening to? Here's a hint:

So here's the story from A to Z You want to get with me, you better listen carefully...
Slam your body down and wind it all around...

Okay, I'll admit it. My latest purchases include Jordin Sparks, Chayanne, Natasha Bedingfield, Gloria Estefan, Ciara, and yes, the Spice Girls. Most of you probably don't even know who Chayanne is, and I wouldn't either, except that he sings a song called Tu Pirata Soy Yo (I Am Your Pirate) and it is absolutely perfect because those of you who follow me from LiveJournal, or know me at all, know that I am destined to have an unparalleled love with a pirate named Armando del Castillo, who will romance me with suave lines about my eyes being like emeralds and, like Chayanne's lyrics, my heart being his ocean. Here is a picture of me standing on the Pacific coast in Nicaragua, longingly awaiting my love:


Seriously, though, check out these lyrics:

Tu pirata soy yo (I am your pirate)
Y mi mar es tu corazón (And my ocean is your heart)
Mi bandera, tu libertad (My banner, your freedom)
Mi tesoro, poderte amar (My treasure, to be able to love you)
Tu pirata soy yo (I am your pirate)
Tu querido ladrón de amor (Your beloved thief of love)
En mi proa tu nombre va (Your name will adorn my bow)
Tu pirata soy yo (I am your pirate)

If you have the spirit of Simon Cowell within you and wish to condemn such nonsense, I will unapologetically stand by the swoon-worthiness of this song. Even if it does have a clunky-sounding synthesizer attached.

Weekend plans include: eating chocolate ice cream, having a garage sale (proceeds going towards Joshua's trip to India!), going to see the next Narnia movie, the beginning of my container gardening extravaganza on my back porch, and of course, watching ER. Doug Ross (a.k.a. a young, smokin' hot George Clooney) has just left the show and I don't know what Carol Hathaway is going to be like without the foil of Doug. The last episode I watched was his last, and it was very heart-wrenching. I have a tendency to over-identify with fictional characters anyway, and whenever there is a love story plot going on, insert me and Joshua. Hence the break-up of Doug and Carol being so sad. What to do with me?

And last but not least, is everyone geared up for the grand finale of American Idol? Which David will it be? Both will do well regardless of the outcome-- Cook for his showmanship (even if I do find it trite) and Archuleta for his natural talent. If you have a voice as unsinkable as that, you'll never go hungry.

The Important
Now that I've spent a very long time talking about the mainly inconsequential, here is some real news: my very good friend Kak is walking the 3-day this year. First, who's Kak? She's a savvy, smart 40-something who lives it up in Washington, D.C. She is seriously one of my favorite people on the planet and I have no other word to describe her aside from "cool." Second, what's the 3-day?


The 3-day is exactly that-- a 3-day, 60-mile walk whose participants raise money for breast cancer research. I guarantee that everyone reading this post knows at least one person who has had breast cancer. There's no reason that in our times a cure should not be possible. If they can cure leprosy, they sure as hell should be able to cure cancer, pardon my French. (Why did the French get cursed with assumption of liability for cursing?)

Each participant in the 3-day has to raise at least $2,200 to walk. These people train for months to be able to walk the 60 miles. Kak is currently training, raising funds, and spreading the word. She has walked before and this year she's set her sights on exceeding the entrance amount-- she's aiming for $10,000! Obviously, this is not a goal that she can accomplish singlehandedly.

I'm giving you, my loyal readers :), a chance to give to something bigger than yourselves. I talk about Jesus a lot, and if you know me, someday soon I'll probably be asking for money (again) to go talk to people about him because they haven't heard about him yet. But if you aren't into that sort of thing, you are into this-- that woman you know who has been throwing up because of chemo, is scheduled for that mastectomy, or shown you the burns from radiation therapy. One or two of us will have to go through that ourselves. Unless we can work together to find a cure.

Give up your Starbucks, booze, or restaurant tabs for two weeks and give that money to breast cancer research.

Money is something that slips in and out of our hands. We might as well spend it on something worthwhile. Spend it on someone's chance at life.

Give here.

In the words of Nobel Prize-winning philosopher Albert Schweitzer-- “Think occasionally of the suffering from which you spare yourself the sight.”