Temptation

I am a lousy consumer. Oh, I covet books and I wish I could buy a new laptop or send Little Guy to the fabulous robotics class, but years of extreme medical bills and generic belt-tightening have reduced my desires to pretty simple things. I would love, for example, to have a $200 a week food budget.

And then, every now and again, I find myself hit from behind by a desire so incredibly strong that it leaves me stunned. And it's usually something off-beat and ridiculous. Like this make papyrus at home kit. I mean, how cool is that? (I found it while searching for "make Egyptian boat", which is next on Little Guy's wish list.)

Ok, so I'm a bit on the nerdy side. As soon as I saw the word papyrus I remembered the hippo exhibit in the natural history museum (which has papyrus plants growing alongside a model Nile) and the gift shop at the art museum (which sells individual sheets of papyrus to color). I scratched my brain trying to recall whether or not there are live papyrus plants in the greenhouse at the botanical garden, but couldn't remember.

Yeah, this is the kind of heady stuff that fills my brain, along with the lyrics to the Gilligan's Island theme song. It's why I can't remember anyone's name any more. I know where to buy moccasin-making kits and reasonably priced replicas of Rev War clothing. I can find esoteric ingredients for recipes from any culture or time period. Just don't ask me to go shoe shopping or enter a department store. 

At any rate, I've already found one friend who's interested in splitting the cost of the papyrus-making kit. If you want to join in, let me know.