Naked Mondays # 18 The 2008 Swimsuit Brigade for Honest Photos

I was once again inspired by an article I read on blogher.com. The 2008 Swimsuit Brigade for Honest Photos is a call for photos of bloggers in swimsuits, no touch ups, no photoshop, no excuses. This, my friends, is as Naked as I've been for Naked Mondays and as Naked as I'll get. Other than cropping the photos (taken by a friend) and lightening the second one, there are no touch ups. It's all me. I usually go out of my way when clothing myself to avoid showing my cellulite and the stretch marks across my hips that I've had since a particularly quick growth spurt when I was 13. But, this swimsuit was only $10 at H&M and bought for the purpose of tanning in my friend's back yard pool. I show it to you today to illustrate a point.

I spent a large part of my teen years and 20's sure that every one was staring at me, comparing me to girls in fashion magazines, disgusted by my stretch marks and my round butt that never has been nor ever will be supermodel small. And, then, one day, I just stopped caring. Yeah, I have cellulite, yeah, I have stretch marks, and, yeah, I even have a butt. Some days, sure, I look in the mirror and am not exactly happy with what I see, but for the most part, I'm happy with my body and my skills with clothes camoflauge the parts that may need it. Here I am. In all my swimsuit....glory? ;)

I'm not fishing for compliments, here. I don't need you to say that you can't see the cellulite (it's there, you can tell in this one). I don't need you to tell me that I look nice in a swimsuit. If you leave a comment on this one, I'd prefer that you say that you'll go support the other women that take on this challenge. If you compliment me at all, say that you think it's brave that I did this and you admire my ability to expose myself in this way without throwing up. ;) I am comfortable enough with myself to know that the imperfections don't really matter. (Fake it 'til you make it.) The imperfections don't matter because I don't let them, I refuse to let others and what I THINK they see determine my self image. This is me. Naked. Sort of. ;)

Naked Mondays # 16 Thinking on Love and Marriage

I was reading an article yesterday on BlogHer entitled "Are You Marriage Material? Er, Do You Want to Be?" and it got me to thinking. I never really talk about relationships here, or if I do, it's in general terms. I had a silly post planned about my apartment and how much of a slob I am but all this thinking about my life had to be shared because this isn't silly Monday, it's Naked Monday, and it doesn't get any more Naked than sharing your views on love, marriage and relationships. There won't be any photos with this post, but there's lots of Naked. Whew! Okay, here we go.

When I was 21, like many 21 year old girls, I thought I would graduate from college, have some fun, get married and start a family. Bing. Bang. Boom. Married by 25, first child by 30, happily ever after. Tada! Done. It never occurred to me to wonder if this was what I really wanted, or just what I thought I was supposed to want.

I have never really felt connected to my family. I love them and they love me, but I never felt like they "got" me. I get many confused or bemused looks from just about everyone, which is fine, but it left me craving a place to be, a family of my own. I still want that, just not in the same way anymore. At the time, though, I thought that meant husband, kids, dogs and a house.

Then, when I was 27, the 9 year relationship that I thought was going to transition into marriage, ended in anger, confusion, and pain on both sides. I sort of floated about for a while, played at meaningless relationships, but I still thought I was going to get that family. In fact, I told my sister that when I had my career going, if I still hadn't met a guy who was interested in giving it to me, I would just go to a sperm bank and do it myself. (Yes. I am an idiot occasionally. Okay, more than occasionally.) (Not that there is anything wrong with this decision, but it was definitely not a good decision for ME.) Then, about a year ago, I went through another big break up, not one that I thought was going to transition into marriage, but one that was very important to me. Some other things happened that are still too painful to talk about and I ended up in therapy for a short time. I'm telling you all of this as the back story for the point of this post, which is this, I am no longer interested in marriage or children. I love children and I think marriage works very well for many people, but I do not see myself joining them.

Now, let me back up a bit and say, I make it a point to never say never. Got it? I am NOT saying that I will never get married or have children. I AM saying that it is not something I want right now and it seems less and less likely as time goes by. This is why.

My life is relatively uncomplicated. It sometimes resembles a Lifetime movie or an episode of Jerry Springer (believe me, you don't want to know) but I, myself, prefer a simple life. My personality comes into play here, too. I'm never going to be a wife in the traditional sense of the word, I don't think it's in me. I don't see anything wrong with that, either. I am supremely absent minded. I recognize that movie stereotype in myself. I get caught up in projects and deep thoughts and unimportant things like dishes and vacuuming fall by the way side. I don't do domestic. Color, design, beautiful things I can do, remembering to pay bills on time or making sure there is food in the house to eat, hell, remembering to EAT at all is too much for me. (My diet secret right there. FORGET TO EAT.) It's a constant struggle for me to keep on top of every day things like schedules and being somewhere on time. I accidentally locked my cat out on my balcony for hours. Twice! Luckily, she's used to my inattention, so other than verbally letting me have it for a good half an hour, she was fine. (Yes, she yelled at me. I have no idea what she was saying, but I think I can imagine the gist of it.) Not that I think I would ever do that with a child and I've spent lots of time caring for children and infants, but it does make me hesitate to get a dog. ;)

I'm not getting any pressure from my family to settle down and produce grandchildren. In fact, I told my Mom last Fall not to expect any grandchildren from me, that I didn't think it was going to happen any time soon, probably not at all and she was fine with it. She has one grandchild, my nephew, who is (ahem) a hand full. She told me that I should do whatever I think is best. And then I cried. (Have I mentioned lately how awesome my Mom is?)

None of these decisions have come about overnight, I've thought long and hard about it and talked, talked, talked about it with people who are close to me and every time I say it out loud, it gets a little easier to say and feels a little more right. So, what does all this nonsense mean, exactly? What do I want out of my life? I like love and being in love and hope to find that again someday. I like companionship and would like to have a roommate in the girl/boy sense of the word again someday. That's pretty much it at this point. That's all I have room for, all I'm looking for. Will that ever change? Maybe. Talk to me a few years from now, or after finding someone special and I may change my mind. Never say never, right? ;)

Today, though, this is where I am. Really Naked.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

As promised, the answers to your questions...

Courtney asked:Q & A for you: How did the "naked" posts begin?

Well, I was trying to think of something that would evolve into weekly posts, something that would have a natural progression from week to week, something that would interest readers, and I'd like to say that I thought it out like the plot of a book and could clearly see where it would go but, frankly, I had no idea what I was in for. I started with body parts and intended to reveal little things about myself that blog readers don't generally learn. I never actually intended to be "naked", but I'm a tease and I knew the word would be remembered. Every monday, I try to think about a body part or neuroses that I haven't revealed and any way I can tell a story that is even remotely interesting. Recently, I started asking questions, hoping that people stopping by would participate in some way. It's been fun, and I'll keeping going as long as I can come up with things to say. I think it would be great if others would join in on their own blogs, I shouldn't be the only one getting naked. ;)


Rosey asked: Are you going to school for something? I think you mentioned something in your blog about being a student. What are you studenting to be or do?

I am an education student and have been for a really long time. I started and stopped a couple of times, but I'm actually close to graduating now from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. I'll be certified in Missouri 1st through 6th grades. I would like to teach the younger ones, 1st or 2nd grade.

Mocha asked: What's the weirdest thing you've ever experienced when sharing (or oversharing)?

I've never really had a weird experience here, so far everyone in the blogosphere has been great. I've been fortunate enough to avoid the trolls. Oversharing in my real life is pretty common, I often open my mouth and lose my brain until those around my are staring in shock. This is something I'm used to, this is why I like blogging, the ability to edit. I have never regretted sharing anything here. A perfect example of oversharing in real life though is this post. I managed to create the most uncomfortable silence ever known to mankind. Luckily, he had a sense of humor and I'm sure he won't remember this story the next time I'm there. Surely not. Right? ;)

Goin' to BlogHer, Baby!

Soooo, the road trip thing fell through, but then they announced that they had hostel rooms available less than a block away from the hotel where the conference was taking place. Whooo! I've never stayed in a hostel before, neato! So, all that was left was paying for the airfare. I was telling my friend, J, about the situation and the camera I've been trying to win on ebay, when he started to look at me funny.

"What?"

"Why don't you just use the money for the camera on airfare?"

"Um, I don't know?"

"That didn't occur to you until I said something did it?"

Oh. my. god. It didn't. Hello tunnel vision. I was determined to go to BlogHer with a better camera. So determined that I almost couldn't go. Am. IDIOT. So thanks, J, for pointing out the obvious!

So, in the next few days, I will be setting up my travel arrangements and keeping my fingers crossed that nothing crazy happens in the meantime.

(If you knew how absolutely bat shit crazy it makes me to actually pay for a vacation this far in advance you would all be giving me a giant hug. Just saying here that I'm definitely going makes me want to throw up. Yes, I really am that neurotic.)

Hot Gay Kisses (or how Greys' Anatomy prompted me to once again bare my soul to the internets)

I can't wait to see the Google searches that find this post. Hee.

I love that TV is back to normal and how great is it that Grey's and LOST are on the same night? Grey's is back to the amazing show it was at the beginning and I have a confession to make.

The kiss between the two soldiers was desperate and passionate and full of pain and fear. It felt very real, which is not the norm between actors, at least I don't think so. Also, it was HOT. Full on HAWT. ;) I bring this up, because it started me thinking about a "quirk" of my personality that can give me trouble in public, one that I often hide from others. (How many of these little quirks do I have, you ask? I'm only getting started.)


If you knew me in "real" life, you would probably know that I have a small problem watching movies with comedy based on the embarrassment of the characters. If you and I are close you would know that it goes much deeper than that. I have a hard time watching other people express emotion, whether it's in real life or on the magic box we call television. I can't watch others cry without crying. I get terribly angry at fictional injustice. But, I have the biggest problem with embarrassment. (my friend Sarah is reading this right now and nodding her head emphatically) This little quirk has grown to a full blown phobia in the last few years. What used to make me vaguely uncomfortable, now makes me almost physically ill. Yeah. am. FREAK.

I first realized that I had a problem when I would change the channel away from or fast forward through Friends when one of the characters was about to do something stupid (Joey) or feel really embarrassed because of something they had done (usually Ross). This was fine when I was alone but when I was watching with my boyfriend, it was all I could do not to snatch the remote right out of his hands. PLEASE! for the LOVE OF GAWD! Don't make me SEE this!!!! Then, one day he caught me fast forwarding and I had to confess.

I CAN'T WATCH THE EMBARRASSMENT!!! And I do mean CAN'T. Can not. Can't (getting the picture?) My heart starts to race, my face gets hot, I scrunch down in my seat and cover my face, cringing until it's over. I'd much rather fast forward or change the channel. Unfortunately, that is not really an option every time. So what do I do? I avoid. I won't see a movie in the theater that I think is full of humor brought on by embarrassment. (Dumb and Dumber, She's the Man, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) If enough people tell me how good a movie is, I'll rent it and watch BY MYSELF to save others from the crazy. I avoid sitcoms for the most part. (That's right, I've never seen The Office other than bits and pieces that made it obvious that this show is NOT FOR ME. Great for others, NOT FOR ME.)

The problem with my little "problem" is that it is so hard to explain WHY it is a problem at all. I don't KNOW why I can't watch others be embarrassed. I don't KNOW why it has gotten worse over time rather than better. I don't KNOW where it came from. I KNOW it's not logical. I KNOW it's funny to others. I UNDERSTAND why my friends make fun of me about it. It's annoying as HELL. But. It's me. That is all.

An Actual Conversation Between Friends

Sarah:"Did Nick Soandso friend you on facebook?" (name withheld to protect me)

Me:"I don't think so"

Sarah:"Ha! I'm cooler than you!"

Me:"Wait. Who is Nick Soandso?"

Sarah:(crickets)

Me:smacking myself in the head "Nick that I dated?"

Sarah:"Wow."

Me: "Shut up! We all know I'm a terrible person."

Sarah: "You said it, not me."

Naked Mondays # 10 My OCD Tendencies

Over the last 10 weeks, you've been privy to some of the weird things about my personality that make me...uh, me. Tonight is no exception.


The following is a photo of the products I use after a shower in the same order, in the same way, every. single. day.


So, what do we have here? (And are you bored yet?) First, hair product, Biosilk silk therapy, then lotion, using a a daily moisturizer with self tanner for a subtle glow, then eye cream for the dark under eye circles (a constant battle), then face moisturizer with spf, tweezers to tame the eyebrows, and the tiny bit of makeup I wear every day; concealer (again with the under eye circles), mary kate and ashley sparkling powder to brighten the eyes and lash discovery mascara with the tiny brush. After all that, Dove Antiperspirant/Deodorant which sits on my bedside table.

Why am I sharing this utterly boring part of my day as a Naked Monday? Because to truly understand the crazy mind of Bri, you need to understand my neuroses. I am easily distracted. I need strictly regimented routine to prevent this inner dialogue, "Wait, did I wash my hair? It's wet. Did I wash it or just condition?" I always, ALWAYS check my pits before leaving the house. I don't want to talk about the number of times I've forgotten deodorant. But, if I follow a routine and use the same number of products in the same order EVERY day, I start the day ok, and not as a frazzled mess. In many things, I have to be organized so that I don't lose my mind.

Scared yet? ;)
So, that's me...Naked....at least a small part of me.

Naked Mondays #9 You have HOW many pairs of shoes?!

39. Yes, that's a 3 and a 9. Together. This doesn't include the box of shoes for good will. Or the flip flops. Oh, the old navy flip flops, how I love you! It's sickness, I tell you!

Here are some of my favorites:

There are more, these are just the ones I found right away.

The background is my favorite chair that a friend gave me years ago when I helped her move. I LOVE that chair. Probably more than is healthy.

So, this is me, Naked.....well at least my closet...and under the bed...and on the back of the door...and in the floor...and the car...let's just say you've seen a lot of my life in one little entry. so. sad. ;)

So sorry, my computer has sprung a leak

I know I said I would have the Bossy entry up today (yesterday), but between a laptop that starts and stops randomly just to annoy me (turns out I had a virus, wheeeee!), and the most ridiculous hangover on the face of the planet, the only thing I've managed to finish is posting the photos on flickr, which now tells me I'm not a pro member(say what?).

Tomorrow there will be two posts, including a Naked Monday confessional, wait until you see how many pairs of shoes I own!

Until then, I will leave you with this little tidbit before firefox decides to freeze again...I watched The Boondock Saints tonight. Great movie if you enjoy the occasional gratuitous violence. I know a guy who has a quote from that movie tattooed on the back of his hand. All this time that I've known him, I thought I had seen that movie before. I knew of the movie, I knew what the case looked like, but after watching it tonight...not so sure that I've seen it before today. I find this really embarrassing. How did this happen? Maybe I "watched it" with friends, in that, it was on, but I wasn't really paying attention. I don't know, exactly. It's a mystery. A really boring mystery. ;)

Naked Mondays # 7

Yaaaay! It's Naked Monday!

Today, we are going to take a peek into my psyche. Prepare yourself, this could get messy.

Guess what I had for lunch? I went to Noodles & Company. Why does that give you a peek into my psyche? Excellent question.

I have serious issues with food. You may or may not remember my gag reflex problem, which I told you about here.
I am also an extremely picky eater. I go to great lengths to hide this from people because though I know many people are picky about food, it seems like such a childish thing and I hate admitting it. I will scan a restaurant menu for an item that needs the least amount of altering so as not to be difficult. (I've been a waitress. I know how much that sucks.) Now, it's been a long time since I ate nothing but peanut butter, but eating at a new restaurant is always nerve-wracking. What if I can't find anything to eat on the menu? What if I don't like what I ordered? I stress about this sort of thing. (You see how this is messy?)

So. I went to Noodles today so that I could try something on the menu and make sure I would be ok when MP and I meet there. I had the Wisconsin Mac and Cheese with Parmasean Crusted Chicken on top. Nummy! Noodles and me? We're good.

So, there you go. Me naked. Even if it's only my issues naked for all the world to see. ;)

For any of you disappointed in the lack of pictures needed for this Naked Monday, here's some photos I took today, that are my proof of spring......yaaaaay spring!

I had just picked up my lunch and was on my way home when I saw these trees. I just had to stop and take pictures. Pretty tree. Pretty, pretty tree, how happy I am to see you. Spring is here and I couldn't be more excited.

Losing my mind, that's all....

I was having a bad day Thursday and I went to the mall for a little pick-me-up (shaddup). I was wandering around a bookstore trying to find something, anything interesting when I remembered that some blogs that I read had mentioned this series of books that was seriously addictive. Since I am such a voracious reader, I am always looking for new authors to obsess over. Ok, problem. I could remember the general plotline of the first book. I could remember that it was known as a series and were referred to as the....something. Dammit. The author? Nope. The name of any of the books? Nope. The blogs who had mentioned reading and liking them? Not. a. clue. By today, I was seriously stressed out that I couldn't figure it out and was ready to make an ass out of myself by explaining here what I had remembered and BEGGING one of my readers to HELP ME! Thankfully, I used the truly scientific method of starting at the bottom of my reader and scanning each blog back a few weeks until I found what I was looking for.....violia!!! I found a mention of the series on OMSH's page here. And though I know at least one other blogger in the last few weeks has also mentioned it, I didn't feel like pressing my luck. I went to amazon.com armed with the title of the latest book and wrote down the entire list. And, since, the idea of making an ass out of myself doesn't faze me, I shared the whole ugly truth with the internet because I still have a question for you....what do you read? What authors make you grind your teeth and rend your clothing in agony because the waiting is just. too. hard? Help me out, people. Feed my habit.

Update: Kendra kindly pointed out in the comments that I didn't tell you the series I was talking about! Oops! It's the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.

Spring cleaning and an owie

So, I've been trying to get my apartment in order this past week, a little at a time and today was the day I carried things down the back stairs to the basement. It's about two and a half floors down to where my laundry and storage area resides. I made a multitude of trips up and down and up and down...talked to the girl who lives across the hall from me...pet her giant dog...and bashed the crap out of my knee. If you've seen my Naked Monday posts, you know that I regularly sport bruises on my legs, most of the time I couldn't even tell you what I did, but tonight I managed to hit my knee on a filing cabinet in such a way that pain shot up my leg and exploded in my brain. It still hurts like a son of a bitch and what should have turned my whole leg black and blue left one teeny tiny bruise on my kneecap. Bloody hell. We have progress, though. Soon my apartment will look like someone actually lives here, rather than someone is just storing stuff here. le sigh. As I finish, I'll try to post pictures...I found the pictures I took of my empty apartment the other day...we can do a little comparison...it'll be fun....or something. Gah, I'm going to bed.

Naked Mondays # 4

Knees...yes, they're mine. And, yes, those are bruises.

I. am. a. klutz. I run into things, bump into doors, trip over air, drop things, stub my toes hard enough to break them...a lot. Getting the picture? I'm pretty sure these current bruises are from the time I spent under my sink, trying desperately to remove my kitchen faucet so that I could replace it. It took me forever because I was determined to do it myself without any help from my dad or male friends who offered to help. I wanted the satisfaction of knowing that I could do it, and I did. I rawk!!! lol

Naked Mondays # 3

This photo was taken this past saturday....


I wasn't trying to be cool here (or fierce), I was trying not to fall out of my chair. ;) I had an entry planned about all the weight I've lost recently, but I can't find photos that make the changes really clear. I'm about 5'8" tall. Currently, I weigh only 10 more pounds than I did in high school. This is not a good thing. The winter blues have really knocked me on my ass this year and food hasn't held any interest for me lately, which makes me all weak and sickly feeling. Basically, I feel like crap and none of my pants fit. I am incredibly annoyed with it all. To top it all off, my boobs are smaller, dammit.

p.s. I am not sharing this in any way to brag. I have been happier with my body at 150 pounds than I ever was at 115. I am taller than average and need the padding or I have no curves AT ALL. My boobs! Are shrinking! Gah! I'm just sharing and letting it all hang out.

Updating....

It's been a crazy week for more reasons than I want to say here. Remember this entry? Yeah, more of that. No idea if it's a good thing, or just designed to make me crazy...your guess is as good as mine.

Here's to the good news:
I did get the Easter Bunny job, which starts tomorrow. It's only for three weeks, but it should help out.
I was approved for BlogHer ads which should be appearing soon, I'm switching the layout a bit so that there is plenty of room.

And the bad:
I know I've mentioned before that my friend Dan is in the Army. He is being deployed very soon and this weekend will be my last opportunity to see him for 15 months. Good thoughts, prayers, what have you, I would appreciate some sent his way. Thanks.

I am TRYING to finish the questions I was sent for the Great Interview Experiment, but for some reason it's taking me forever. Gah!

The makers of LOST are geniuses, but I find that I don't like writing about each episode. I may talk about it every once in a while, just not every week, so my only weekly entry will be Naked Mondays, which I'm really liking.

I'll let you know how the Easter Bunny thing goes and will post a real entry soon!

Updates and what's going on....

The book I referred to in the last post is "Silent in the Grave"by Deanna Raybourn. Really enjoyed it, couldn't put it down.

The LOST post is still coming, though it won't be as long as the last one.

I applied to have BlogHer network ads on my blog. Why? Because I am poor, and struggling, frankly. If they accept me and it brings in ANY income at all, it will be welcome. I figured if I'm going to spend so much of my spare time blogging and reading blogs I might as well TRY. I'm not sure that I get enought traffic for their ads, but it couldn't hurt to apply, so I did.

I may have mentioned before that I lost my job on campus due to scheduling. The ironic part is that scheduling was a problem because I was supposed to be student teaching this semester....which has not happened. Mostly my fault, but a bureaucratic nightmare. Soo, I am only taking 3 credit hours at this point which makes financial aid an adventure. le sigh. sucks. So, I'm pretty much out of money and have none coming in any time soon. Good thing I live for a challenge. That and my parents are AWESOME. Yep, I'll admit it. I'm 30 and still need the occasional financial help of my parents. That is so embarrassing. Please don't think less of me. ;) Ok, I think I got off topic a bit.

The funny that I wanted to share was this....in desperation, I combed the craigslist job ads and I will be applying on Tuesday for the position of Easter Bunny at a local mall. lol How awesome is that? I hope I get it, cuz I'm dying to put Easter Bunny on my resume. Ha!

Also, I'm going to look into substituting, because I need to get myself out there in the education community. So, at least the next couple of months won't be a complete loss. Still, crap.

There are some other ideas floating around in my head...as a single, it makes me crazy that many of my friends refuse to go to dinner or the movies alone....and what changes I've made recently to live a little healthier and cheaper.

finally, a note:
spell check is being difficult again, I tried to edit, but spelling isn't my thing, so there will probably be mistakes. sorry.

Untitled since I can't think of a title

I'm losing my brain. Seriously. You just go along, singing a song, a boring one at that and BAM!! Something happens and it just throws your whole world off its axis. And you're like "Wait a minute! Yeah, life sucked, but I understood the suckage in all its monotony and sludge. What you're doing here? It's confusing and I just don't have the time to figure you out right now. I've got my own stuff, and if your stuff isn't going to enhance, improve, make me happy in my pants, I don't really want to deal with it. Make it worth my while, my friend, I'm tired and cranky and yearning for spring. Seriously."
Is that clear? No?


* I'm hoping for happy in my pants, but I'm not gonna hold my breath.

I want, but I'll never get it and that's ok

I like purses and I like shoes......ok I REALLY like shoes. I would say it's genetic, but my mom is all about comfort with shoes and probably only owns 10 pairs and wears maybe 4 of them. I haven't counted in a while, but I probably own about 40-50 pairs, more if you count flip-flops.
But, today, this is about purses, which I like, and own quite a few of. I don't own any designer purses, and until today, I didn't see the attraction. I was perfectly happy with the Target knock-offs and had never spent more than $30 on a bag. While other women I knew were drooling over bags with a designer label, I was quietly gloating over my good sense and rolling my eyes at the idea of buying anything just for a name, but tonight I saw this......


I couldn't find it on the website, so I took a pic of the ad with my cellphone. It's by Prada, and it's quite possibly the coolest purse I've ever seen. How embarrassing. :)

Oh, and also....

I went to the laundrymat (laundromat?) to wash all my clothes, because semester end+holiday season+bad cold+lazy+procrastination= lack of socks and underwear and...pretty much anything else. I actually have a washer and dryer in the basement that I own, but the water pressure here sucks so it takes almost as long to wash a load of laundry as it does to dry it. (plus, I'm lazy and it's cold down there and mwah!) So I took all my dirty clothes, sorted them into like colors and such and hauled the whole mess to the laundrymat on South Grand that is open 24/7 and has free wifi. I would have taken advantage of the wifi, but I had a new book to read and all this knitting, so I didn't bring my laptop...another time perhaps.
I have a lot of clothes. Say it with me...I have a lot of clothes. I didn't bring towels or sheets or any of that nonsense, just clothes. But, uh, by the time I finished folding everything and putting it back in the laundry bags, it was a little embarrassing.

I noticed this guy watching me and he was frankly making me a little nervous, but when he finally came over to talk to me.......
Stranger: Are those all yours? (pointing at the MOUNDS of clothing)
Me: Yeah, I know, it's really sad.
Stranger: Wow, and I thought I had a lot.

Look at that! Random strangers are alarmed by how much clothing I own! (And I didn't tell him about the summer stuff I have packed away.) As soon as I get it all hung up, though, I won't need to do laundry again for at least a month, maybe two. That's gotta be worth something.