Hat Frenzy

So recently, I've developed a new addiction, and it's taking over my life! Can't...stop...buying...hats!!! I never thought I was a 'hat' person. I usually would put one on in a store, look in the mirror, and go "Ick!!" But for some reason, this new addiction has recently begun. Maybe it's been engrained in me since childhood, and is just now surfacing?  After all, Grandma always wanted me dressed up really nicely...and would constantly say, even while I was in college, "Wear your hat!!" In the picture below, here I am in front of the fire place, dressed very warmly, (Grandma always wanted me to be warm, even if it wasn't cold outside!) So besides the coats, this was mainly through the use of...you got it...hats! 

Ok, so perhaps that's the best explanation for this recent hat explosion that has taken over my life. It recently began when I was in Queens this past fall. After giving lots of clothes away, I needed a new, warm hat. This one I found for seven dollars at a stand outside, only a couple blocks away from my apartment. It definitely kept me very warm (just as Grandma would have wanted), and as an added benefit, it was great for the windy weather at the top of the Empire State Building!

                               So once I got to Seattle, it started raining a lot. Yes, umbrellas are the best. But sometimes I forget to bring one with me. And what better way to avoid the outside mist, (when it's not really raining per se), then  to wear, A HAT?!

After this, I just started buying them for fun.  I found this at a gift expo for really cheap. Turns out, Grandma used to wear almost the exact same hat, and after she passed away, my mom had given it to one of her best friends. I happened to see this hat, in a sea of many others with different styles, shapes, and colors, not even knowing about this hat that Grandma had previously owned. Coincidental? She probably is still telling me to wear my hats, both for warmth and for style!!

Sometimes I didn't always get to choose my hats...like on the Yale ISM tour in Bosnia, when we had to wear these while going into the Mosque...

And there's always time to be festive. I mean, why not?!  Plus, this hat had flashing lights, Tacky and awesome. Dollar stores are the best! 

Ok I've run out of excuses. I just plain like hats, especially this one above. I think my collection will just keep on growing! Lord only knows how they will all fit in my room. I'll have to buy a hat rack next.

Here is my latest hat. I haven't worn it yet...but I'm possibly thinking...summer hat?!

And finally, I must end with Royce's interpretation of American women and their hat-wearing (or I should say non-hat-wearing habits) in society. A lot of people won't get this, but a few of my friends who have watched her videos with me will hopefully laugh and know the inside jokes of her crazy rantings...