I've been naughty at work today...haven't done a thing besides shop for clothes. I've been on a hunt for some lightweight hiking pants with zip off legs and I finally found some at REI. Looks like I'll have to pay a hell of a lot more than I intended to spend. I wish I could find the pair that I bought two years ago. I have NO idea what the hell happened to them.

Prior to my REI discovery, I also found a swimsuit, boardshorts, hiking sandals, and trail runners. After bookmarking all of the pages for my future shopping frenzy, I poked around REI for a few hours. Damn do they have some nice adventure trips. I'm thinking that next year I definately have to go somewhere huge. By huge I mean Australia, Alaska, or Belize. Or Switzerland. Or British Columbia. Or Peru. Or Scotland. There are some amazing biking, kayaking, and hiking trips. I was practically drooling. After Hawaii I won't have enough vacation time to go anwhere huge this year, which simply means long weekends at places less than five hours away, so I still have a lot of options. I'm thinking of buying a touring kayak to take on Lake Erie (out by the islands) since my whitewater kayak wouldn't work too well. So yeah, kayaking, maybe some moutain biking excursions. My friend Jenn told me about some cool places to go in PA and WV, so we'll see.

Right now I'm just trying to endure the tundra that is Cleveland. In a mere 30 days I'll be basking in the sunshine. Of course, I don't plan to bask too long...unless I need to rest my paddling arms for a few minutes...or peek at the bottom or the ocean floor. Ellie's trying to convince me to dive with her, but I don't see it happending. Snorkeling? Fine. But Scuba...I can't even describe my issues with it. It just freaks me out. I won't do it.

Other than that...I have a crazy hankering. I can't explain it. See, I'm trying to behave myself before the trip. I usually won't don a swimsuit until at least a month into mtn biking season when I've had the opportunity to get rid of that layer of fat that develops during my hibernation-holiday-season-eating-and-drinking-cold-weather time of the year. Right now it's too damn cold to walk my dogs to the end of the street let alone run or bike. And I hate gyms. Or indoor exercise of any kind. I feel like a hamster in a wheel. It's boring. So, anyway, I've been eating like a saint. I haven't had any alcohol or pizza or fast food. And now, for some reason, I cannot stop thinking about hot dogs. I'm obsessed. I haven't even eaten a hot dog in like a year and a half, and today, they're all I can think about. Just a cheap, fire-grilled hot dog on a squishy white bun with ketchup. I want one right this second. I can practically smell it. What the hell kind of craving is this, anyway? It's about to drive me insane.