Humpty Dumpty

Italians are known for their obsession with fashion. So are the French. The Spanish are not.

When I returned to Madrid after Christmas, I decided to bring only clothes I'd want to leave here since I spend my days with kids and I'm pretty sure our washing machine is not as effective as it should be. When I made said decision, I didn't think of the 'long term' effects of wearing mostly things I've had forever. I also didn't bring enough shoes, and as a result, they have not matched my outfits for the past 5 months. This is starting to drive me nuts. I blame 'being bugged' by such unimportant things on living in California for the past 3 years.

Albuquerque is a place where no one cares if your clothes match (or where they come from), no one will suggest you whiten your teeth if they are their natural color, and most people don't get pedicures, manicures, facials, etc. with any kind of regularity. It's about as far from pretentious as you can get.

When I moved to San Jose, I was immediately slapped upside the head by the fact that I was perhaps not as into self-maintenance (or fashion/shopping) as I should be. I soon discovered the Bay Area is a vacuum for that kind of stuff, and once you start sliding, it's a slippery slope.

In Madrid, I've chosen to spend my extra money on travel and have kind of let the other 'things' like a good haircut, eyebrow waxing, pedicures, etc. go by the wayside. Now that I've only got two months left here, many of the things I'm most looking forward to (at home) are superficial i.e., I plan to get a good haircut as soon as I'm done eating fish tacos - from that delicious place on Bascom - and then I'm going to get a pedicure. Damn you, California.