Oct 9 - Bee happy.

I purchased my clown costume last night, or I should say the beginnings of my clown costume. It definitely feels like a work in progress. I walked into Value Village and was immediately drawn to the costume rack they had out for Halloween. And what had caught my eye was a bee costume for a small child.

It was a thick, padded, tank-top like affair which sort of reminded me of a catcher's chest protector, with wide yellow and black stripes. The back had a longer shirt tail that hung down, and also a pair of floppy things that I believe are supposed to be wings. I thought, "Oh this is cool!" and then I thought I am not going to fit into it, because it is for a six year old. I reluctantly put it back on the rack and headed off to look for shoes.

I found some shoes that I thought would do. A pair of orange sneakers with a green (or is it purple) ribbon to tie them on. I found a couple of other things, that I thought might work, but nothing had grabbed me like the bee costume. I couldn't get it out of my mind. I went back to the bee costume, and threw it in my stack. Doesn't hurt to try it on.

I go off to the dressing room to try on my haul. First the bee costume. I go to slip it over my head and I realize there is a strap that bisects the bottom that goes between the legs. So I can't slip it over my head. I strip out of my jeans, because the odds of me getting this over my hips is slim (ha ha) as it is. I manage, after much shimmy-shimmy, to get the bee costume up to mid-torso when the strap jams into my crotch, and it will go up no more.

I figure I got it to go over the widest part of my body, so if I cut the strap then I should be able to get it up all the way. As it is now, it reaches just below my breasts, like a cupless bustierre. Bad, naughty clown. Not what I was going for. I try on a coat and a few pairs of pants I thought might go. The coat doesn't work, because it masks the glory of the bee-ness. I try on a pair of baggy blue pants. I am not totally impressed, but I put them in the keep pile as a backup. I try on a pair of black capris that work, but now I am look more like I am trying to be a bee, which I am not. Ah, to bee or not....

I am not really trying to be a bee, but for some reason this outfit is calling me. My walk is sort of panicky and back and forth, so maybe I can imagine that is like a bee going from one place to another. I don't know. Luckily we are allowed to change our minds. I will see what kind of feedback I get from class, and see what other people bring.

With basic top, pants and shoes chosen, I set out to find accessories. I find a purse that looks interesting, sort of reminds me of a old-fashioned doctor's bag, but with ugly gold buckles on it. I also find a lime green scarf that says "girl-power" and then later a dog-shaped backpack, complete with dog head whose mouth moves and sings. I don't know what I am going to use if for, but it was only 3 dollars.

What I found interesting about this whole process is how I went about choosing things. I didn't have any vision for my vaguely defined "character". I just went in and pulled things that grabbed my eye. Sort of a clothing Rorschach test. I don't if this is more me, or more my character. I suppose at this point there isn't much difference.