<img src="http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/dcecb6f6c2914308_landing" alt="" width="600" height="600" />

Source:  <a href="http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?imgurl=dcecb6f6c2914308&amp;q=Dresses%20source:life&amp;prev=/images%3Fq%3DDresses%2Bsource:life%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D36" target="_blank">Life Magazine.</a>

Dear reader,

If the world ended tomorrow in some <em>I am Legend </em>fashion, I would go down to Michigan Avenue and try on dresses.  I would probably grab a stack of books and go to the <a href="http://www.lyricopera.org/" target="_blank">Lyric Opera</a> where I would play opera music on the stage (or watch a telecast of one from the first row) OR I would go to the <a href="http://www.newberry.org/" target="_blank">Newberry Library</a>.  I would hope I knew I how to fly a plane or navigate a ship so I could still see the world.  I would love to do this with a little dog at my side or a big dog in front of me.  I would hope I would still have my family, friends, and the Boy with me but then this wouldn’t  be a “end of the world” scenario would it.  I would do all this whether anyone else would ever see me again.

This is not a style blog where I post pictures of my every day outfit.  I don’t have a diy spirit nor do I love hunting for “that vintage find” (I adore those who do), and my pleasure is often divided between collecting dresses and the experience of wearing them.  I don’t need a $5000 dress in my closet – but if I can borrow one from a friend and wear it out, I am happy collecting that experience and after I have the photo, I’m perfectly satisfied.   It’s the same way with books – I don’t turn them into a fetish object – having the time to sit, think, and read them is what I want.

I want to be maniacally obsessed about a few things because being a jack-of-all-trades and master-of-none has no appeal to me.   I remember babysitting for an adorable little Belgian girl once who while prattling to me in broken French, showed me each and everyone of her toys.  I loved her excitement and her attitude that it was a privilege that I see her stained stuffed dog or her favorite doll – her pleasure in her construction of her perfect toy box is similar to any <a href="http://seaofshoes.typepad.com/" target="_blank">collector’s</a> pleasure.

I don’t think one has to be focused in acquiring and processing information – information is just information.   You file it away and hopefully it will be useful, and if not useful, hopefully it will make you more interesting.  The bigger problem is in creating something – there you have to be obsessed.

I can't wait to share my passions with you.