This morning I rediscovered that the word is "Polypro." With the aid of Wikipedia, I learned that "polypro" is short for "Polypropylene" and "has been used for the fabrication of cold-weather base layers, such as long-sleeve shirts or long underwear." Ah, this made more sense. Here's a fun fact about polypro: "Polypropylene undergarments are known for retaining body odors which are then difficult to remove. The current generation of polyester does not have this disadvantage." So am I to look for polypro or polyester? Although I am a fan of my own pheromones, I am sure that my guide would prefer that I keep my fragrance to myself.
Just to show how tomboy I am, I had to ask some friendly ladies about the items on my equipment list; for example, what is the difference between a parka and a poncho? What are "towelettes?" and "Do 'wool bottoms' even exist? They sound mighty uncomfortable." One of the ladies tried to sell me on a $300 NorthFace jacket; it was warm and comfortable, but I couldn't bring myself to pay that much for a jacket.
Before we headed to Dick's, my father wanted to know what temperatures I'll be facing on the mountain. Unfortunately, there's not really a good response to his question. Basically, I'm going to cover everything from the equator to the North Pole. One website stated that you can experience 100 degree temperatures during the day and below freezing at night; this calls for some intense layering action.
When I got to Dick's, I asked a saleslady about polypro clothing; she had no idea what I was talking about, so she asked another saleslady. That saleslady had no idea either, but she did spend approximately 5 minutes looking at tags to see if it listed "polypro" anywhere- I give her credit for that. Upon realizing that the employees were not going to be much of a help, I took off down the aisles myself. (My father, always a 'maximizer,' went grocery shopping while I perused the clothing racks).
In truth, I kept finding myself in the "Mens" clothing sections. I love men's clothes; in fact, I've worn one of my father's old flannels all day today. The clothing in the men's section also looked more "polypro-ish" in nature. The only thing which pushed me over to the woman's side was the thought that I might trip over or swim in layers of men's clothing.
The women's side included a variety of brands: Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, Reebok and Northface. The clothes came in a variety of colors: gray, white, black, green, and blue. As I've mentioned in a previous entry, there is a paradox of choice: too many choices is detrimental to one's mental health. Given that my father was coming back in 30 minutes, I grabbed a variety of clothes and headed toward the dressing room. I guess I wasn't quick enough as I heard my father's voice at one point: "Kate, are you almost done? If we're going to see your grandmother, we have to be out of here in 5 or 10 minutes." Fine, fine I'm coming. I threw the best fitting clothes in the cart and off I went.
As I spread my new purchases on my bed tonight, I made an observation: I appear to be drawn to gray-scale. Perhaps I belong in NYC. Nevertheless, I feel confidant about my purchases. I still have some items on my list, but I don't think I'll have trouble finding them. Then again, I need "glacier glasses." Where does one find "glacier glasses?"
Peace.
♣K
No comments:
Post a Comment