Started my shopping

I have my car back, and all of my stuff is safe. Evidently, someone towed my car to the top of the exit ramp and left it there. The police never impounded the car, and so I didn't have to pay the fee. I guess they had to move it immediately since it was blocking the exit ramp, but towing the car away wasn't a priority because so many people were stuck in their cars at the time.

It took me a few days, but I finally drove the car around Hickville today, to go Christmas shopping with my sister. Other than a minor freak-out when the car slid about two feet on some ice, I was fine. Most of the roads are clean.

Christmas shopping always makes me feel deprived. I want so many things that I can't afford, and the mall reminds me of this. When I was a kid, my parents would say that I "need" new shoes, or I "need" new pants. Now, I have only one pair of jeans that fits, and a purse that is falling apart, no winter shoes, and not enough bras... and the mall has these items. But I don't have any money, so I have to pass them up while I go into credit card debt buying gifts for 15 relatives.

I know that my financial situation could be much, much worse. I'm just saying, when you're in grad school, the mall sucks.

I've been thinking about grad school, teaching, and things that I need to work on in 2010, but I don't have the energy to blog about it now... maybe soon... for now I am just trying to get through Christmas.