Impulse

Sometimes being a grownup sucks -- at least in the sense that you have to spend your money on practical, not fun, things. Back "in the day," before I became a homeowner and took a pay cut and got into graduate school, I used to buy nice things for myself all the time. Bike gear, clothes, jewelry, expensive makeup, multiple gym memberships, and lots of fancy lunches and dinners out. Now...not so much. For a young couple, Brad and I are in decent financial shape, but paying mortgages and taxes and insurance and water bills and electric bills and tuition bills and going out to dinner once a week? Well, that's exactly where our "fun" money goes. We do travel occasionally, but because of plane ticket prices going up the way they have been, that will become much more the exception than the rule. I was trying to think the other day and I virtually can't remember the last time I bought something for myself that wasn't an overdue oil change for my Vibe.

This weekend I'm going camping with some friends on North Manitou Island (cheapest vacation ever), and I have to admit, I've never really been backpacking before. And by "never really" I actually mean...well, never. I'm borrowing the pack and most of the gear, and was planning on wearing running shoes to hike, but of course I'm worried about my knee, and everything I've read on the Web says that proper hiking boots are essential for lower-body joint support. (I ran/walked almost two miles today, BTW. But that's for another entry.)

So, OMG I WENT OUT AND BOUGHT A PAIR OF HIKING BOOTS. It was an impulse purchase...and a total throwback to my apartment-dwelling, pre-grad-school days of yore. I'm a novice backpacker who will probably never use them again. Stupid, right? I should have just stuck with running shoes and ankle braces.

But damn, are they ever comfortable. And pretty. And I'm going to hike the crap out of North Manitou.