I got a break from meh daily schedule today. I decided to call Caitlin and do something, and we ended up going into New Hope for the day. It was quite fun. The weather was really nice; it was a cool autumn day--perfect for long sleeves and jeans. We went to The Main Squeeze, a vegetarian café and juice bar, and got a Baked Tofu Quesadilla, which was amazing, if not a bit pricey ($5.95 for a half-circle one). I got a festive pumpkin smoothie there too! And Caitlin got some pumpkin ice cream at the ice cream shop. We’re big pumpkin junkies, apparently.
Of course, being in New Hope, we also did a little shopping. We went to a bunch of cool places. There was this cool poster and print shop, Beyond the Walls. Caitlin got a print of Starry Night there. (Such a pretty painting!). Then we went to the various Indian clothing stores, and Caitlin, quite the shopper, got a cloth skirt thingamajig there. Then we went to Superkind, a neo-hippy store. I got some anti-Bush paraphernalia there. I also told the woman there that I was vegan, and she was shocked; apparently, people find the lifestyle to be extreme--I don't find it extreme at all, however. Went to Mystickal Tymes too, an incense/oil/book shop, and Caitlin and I both got some incense--Gingerbread, Fizzy Pop, Polo Crest, Peppermint, and Tibetan Orchard scents, to be exact =D. We also went to some medieval shop, and a bunch of other little curio places. Then we went walking along the bridge to Lambertville, and we browsed through a CD thrift store. It was much better than my average Monday. And now for the obligatory one-liner inside jokes that were created today:
“We’re such incense junkies.”
“That store made me a little happier.”
“We’re such pumpkin junkies.”
“Oxygen bar….right….”
“That middle-aged man was a little out there."
"I think he tried to rip me off.”
“If this were a date, it’d be the best one I ever went on.”
“Oh my…Christmas bells!”
Today I also stopped trying to give 50% of what I earn or have to others. It is an incredibly noble cause, but it’s just too hard for me right now. I’m way too materialistic. I feel guilty giving up though. I feel so greedy, because I know that I don’t need the money, and I feel like I’m just a money junkie like everyone else. I’m not going to be über-greedy; I am going to try to give something to others. Perhaps $35 instead of the $60 which would constitute the 50% I was originally seeking. But when I say that, I am like “No! I want the money!” and then alternatively, I also feel like I’ve betrayed my adopted cause of anti-materialism.
Well, I know I can’t make a change like that cold tofurkey, that’s for sure. I feel so poor when I do it :( I’ll need to wean myself off of object-centered living in order to achieve an anti-materialistic lifestyle, or a degree of it anyways. My life is too centered in the material world of the green. Obviously objects and shopping have a place in our world, but certainly it is not supposed to be such a prominent one as it is now. To quote Waking Life, we need to “demonstrate the contrast between what life presently is and what it could be,” and a less consumption-based lifestyle will most certainly follow.
Less shopping, more living. wo0ot.
Oh dear, I have to go back to school tomorrow. ::throws up::
Current Mood: shallow and hating it
