7.21 pm

When I got dressed today, I put on one of the pairs of knee-high socks that Adam gave me, more because I missed him than anything else. Then I went outside to get some breakfast, and I was ridiculously glad I'd put those socks on after all. Cold, biting cold, with little drops of rain and wind that blew up, down, and sideways all at once. I'd planned on finding my way to work today, but I couldn't stand the thought of walking that far. I'll have to do it tomorrow though.

7.31 pm

Since leaving home, I have lost one stick of deodorant, two socks belonging to different pairs, and a right hand glove. Although I found the glove, so I'm not sure that it really counts as lost. I had taken it off this morning to eat my hand and cheese croissant. The lady at the bakery put it in the oven, and it was hot enough to keep my hand warm. Which is good, because trying to do anything with gloves on is ten times more difficult than it needs to be. So I had my left glove on, my right glove in my pocket, and my breakfast in my right hand.

I went into the same little home goods store as yesterday to pick up a towel and more bottled water (the internet says the tap water here is safe, but I know better than to trust the internet). Took my left glove off to pay, put that in my left pocket, bagged up my purchase, buttoned my coat, took my gloves back out, put the left glove back on, and did... something ...with the right glove. Because I still had half a croissant left, and I couldn't keep my glove on and eat, you see.

I then wandered across the street, to where a girl in the first store had told me there was a supermarket. Went down a flight of stairs to a level of shops below a street, threw out the empty croissant bag, and went into the grocery store. As I was getting ready to come out, I went through the button up the coat/put on my hat/pull my gloves out of my pockets to put them on ritual - except that the right glove was missing!

I checked my coat pockets - nothing. I checked my bags - nothing. I thought briefly about going home and writing an email to my mother, asking her to send several pairs of gloves, then figured it had to be at the first store. At this point, it had gotten decidedly colder and rainer, and my gloveless hand was getting quite cold. And I had another pair of gloves back at the apartment. Still, I figured it would be easy to check out the store, since it was on my way home, so I went in. After much pantomiming (point at hand with glove, point at hand without glove) the clerk figured out that I was missing a glove and they didn't have it.

My next thought was that I must have been holding onto it when I threw out the empty croissant bag and that it had gone into the trash. Yuck. Still, these gloves have seen worse than a little garbage, and I figured it would have to be near the top of the can, since it hadn't been that long. I went back to the grocery store and found the trashcan. I took a deep breath. And another. I'd never actually reached into a trashcan before. Then I stuck my arm in, gingerly, trying not to touch the sides of the can. It was one of the round ones, with a few cut outs near the top for garbage and a closed top, so I couldn't actually see inside. I felt the croissant bag and pulled it out. No glove. I felt around a little more - mostly paper trash - and pulled my hand back out, feeling totally gross.

At this point, I figured the glove was gone for good, and I had better go back home. I crossed the street, looking down to keep my face out of the wind and the rain, and there was my glove. Lying right on the street where I had walked by it twice already.

I'm thinking maybe I need some of those mitten clips that parents use to attach kids gloves to their jackets.