I Need Clothes!

I had a really weird dream last night. A dream that involved being back in college, except that college in this case was combined with Las Vegas, which was interesting to say the least. Oh, and at one point there was also a yacht of some sort, but maybe that was a different dream.
I felt odd in the dream, like I was an outsider and had no clue what was going on with everyone else. My actual college experience was nothing like that. In fact, I felt relatively popular and attractive and in-the-loop throughout most of college. So it was sort of unsettling to have a dream where suddenly I wasn't part of the crowd.
I do know exactly where this dream came from, though. Last night on a break from reading I was clicking around Facebook and I came across a couple of groups made by people from my old college department. And I realized that a) I only knew a couple of people in each of the groups and b) I had no idea what places they were talking about. It's amazing to think how much the department has changed within only two years. The only people that are still students there this year are people that were freshmen the year I graduated, and by the time I was a senior I was off campus student teaching and when I went out it was mostly to bars where the young ones couldn't go, so of course I never knew many of the freshmen. So I'm not really surprised that I don't recognize names and faces anymore. The thing that's stranger to try to grasp is that none of the places are the same, either. The campus itself has changed drastically since I left because they're doing all these crazy construction projects, but that's not really what I'm talking about. I'm talking about how there are already dozens of new bars that didn't exist in 2005, and how if I went back now and talked about the two houses we used to party at all the time, nobody would know what I was talking about. There probably isn't a single person there now who remembers who Travis is, much less remember the days when the party was always at Trav's house. I bet all of the traditions that were important to me and my friends (the Scandalous Christmas Party, the winter "formal", Monday night bowling, etc., etc.) don't exist anymore. It's just funny to me that I'm only two years and a few months removed from college and already it feels like there's a completely different generation there. I'm also suddenly realizing where older people get some of their animosity towards the younger generations, because I could feel myself scoffing as I read the Facebook pages last night: "Ha, you think your parties were awesome, you should have been there in MY day." "You think that's funny? Kid, you don't KNOW funny." And I know that's a silly reaction. If they think they're having awesome parties and being witty, they probably are. I think it's dangerous to let yourself fall into a place where you're looking back at the "good old days" and automatically assuming that your time in a particular place was the best it could ever be, so I'm trying not to let myself do that. It's hard not to get carried away by the nostalgia, though. I loved college. Even looking back and going, "Hmmm, in retrospect that wasn't the smartest thing I ever did", I realize that I still fundamentally liked the self I was in college (and even the stupid things, well, they taught me something). I'm in a different phase of my life now and I don't think I would go back to my college lifestyle if given the option. I'm fairly content with where I am right now. But at the same time it's a little bit sad to realize that I really can't go back, not just because I have changed but because the place itself has changed so much as well.

So yeah, the dream was kind of unsettling, but the upside to the dream was that for whatever reason everyone in the dream had really cool clothes, including me. Actually, I regularly wear much better clothes in my dreams than I manage to wear in real life. What's that all about? Is anyone else even aware of their dream outfits? Right at this moment I can still vividly remember three dresses from different dreams that I really wish existed in real life. Anyway, last night's dream had a lot of cool clothes and it got me thinking about all the things I need to update my wardrobe. I really want:
-Running shoes/sneakers of some sort (this is definitely an actual NEED as the last time I bought a pair of tennis shoes was January of 2006 and you all know I work out a lot)
-Brown boots
-On that note, warm boots that can actually be worn in snow because apparently it really is going to snow sometimes.
-A really warm coat. This is also a pretty big need because first of all, I don't currently have any jackets that are appropriate for truly cold weather, and second of all, the last time I got a new coat was five years ago (wow, I just now did the actual math on that, and that's a sad realization. One of the jackets I still wear most often in the winter is a--I'm not even kidding about this--present from my SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY. Obviously, coats weren't a real priority where I lived before). It would be extra nice to have something casual and something a little more dressy, but just one decently warm coat would be good enough for now.
-Tights/leggings of some sort to use under dresses through the fall and then under jeans for extra warmth when it starts getting cold
-A couple of suits. I'm not going to worry about this one quite yet, but eventually this will become a need, too.
-Another pair of black dress pants since the only pair I have is really form fitting and good for going out but not as good for teaching or business casual situations.
-More scarfs and gloves (I only have one scarf and one pair of gloves right now and it would be nice to have some variety)

I think that's it for now. It's kind of amazing to me that I have so many clothes and yet don't have some of the most important basics. Mostly I'm missing winter basics, obviously. I guess I'll just work through the list gradually. And I do have a birthday coming up pretty soon, so that might help me begin to make a dent in the list.

Alright, I have to go, I'm off to City A to treat my dog to an afternoon in the awesome dog park.