Archive for September, 2009

Lewd Loot (Subtitle: Strange Folk Part II)

September 28, 2009 at 6:07 pm · Filed under Crafting, Finds (all things consumeristic), Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Remember how I said I got fun stuff at Strange Folk?

Now first I’ve gotta say two things:

1)I was very, very, very good.  I could’ve literally bought something at every single booth there.  But I didn’t.  But I wanted to.  But I didn’t. (Self-restraint!)

2)Just days before the Event, my in-laws had graced me with a birthday gift, a check with “Yarn money” clearly written in the memo line.  And in the interest of pleasing the in-laws (self-sacrificing for the sake of family harmony!).  This enabled me to buy more than I normally would’ve been able to.  This made me happy.

So, what does my cute lil’ tote bag contain?

Roxie will be your tour guide!

Roxie halp.

Tote bag contains…

One Miss Havisham shawl, abandoned when the skies were sunny and the temps got close to 80*F:

(but I did receive many compliments for the hour or so I had it on).

1 small bag of kettle corn, half eaten:

One pile of tote bag freebies (including super-cute buttons, cards, and a local music magazine), jumbled:

One project bag, purchased months ago at Knitorious…

Containing one completed blueberry pie waffle sock and the start of another:

~~~

One tiny little silver-and-fabric pendant:

…no, really.  TINY:

Which came displayed in the most charming way possible:

That’s a tiny little card it’s on, and not only is it a fun print, it’s a …

PLAYING CARD!  OK I’m a sucker for fun packaging anyway, but that takes the cake.

That little piece of happiness was crafted by Pretty Fun, an apt name because it *is* pretty fun.  Lots of fun.  Almost unbearable amounts of fun.

…I hope they’re there next year, so I can have even MORE fun! (And buy one of her super cute project bags!)

I’m going to turn that over to Mom and see what she can do with it.  For me.

~~~

Next up was my most delicious purchase of the day:

Inside that unassuming little bag is the BEST SMELLING STUFF EVER:

A bar of goat milk soap, in the “luv spell” scent.  It’s truly lovely and no I haven’t actually tried to eat it, though I might.  Because YUM.

I chatted with the booth’s owner for a bit, and I’ve gotta say that I *love* the story behind this soap.  It’s made right there on their farm, with the milk of their own goats.  The soaps are all (I can attest – I smelled every one!) wonderful smelling, light and simple and clean (durrr….it *is* soap, Kate!).

Their website is here, and you can order online.  Luv Spell is amazing, and I also really liked Black Raspberry, Lilac and Cider.  I think this delicious stuff is about to become a staple in my home :-)

~~~

This next item was created by Picard Creative (Artfire shop is linked on her blog), and it’s another one where I had a *really* hard time choosing just one.  But when I saw this magnet:

…I knew it had to be mine.  That image is actually crafted on a tin can lid – brilliant!  I love upcycling :-)

It will live on my fridge forever, and I will smile every time I look at it. :-)

~~~

Next, I’ve gotta give a disclaimer.  It seems like every time I attend one of these events, no matter how hard I try I lose track of one item’s origin.  Such is the case with my beautiful little cuff here:

I love this thing.  The green fabric has such a lovely texture to it; I think it might be vintage.  And that little peep of magenta color is perfect.

Best of all, it serves as an ideal tattoo coverup, for situations that call for it ;-)

(Um, might’ve helped if I’d taken a photo of the underside of my wrist :-P )

So who made this lovely little piece?  I *think* It was Fair Ophelia designs.  I know I stood there and chatted with Angela for a while, and I remember admiring her bags and super-cute coaster sets, but I can’t remember for 100-percent-beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt-certain  that she’s who made my cuff.  If anyone who was at the festival and has a better memory than me can either confirm this for me, or set me straight, I’d really appreciate it.

~~~

Of course, no festival is complete for me without yarn, and since Rachel at Dyeabolical Yarns (that’s, what – the 10th time I’ve linked her in a blog post? You can tell I’m a fan! :-D ) was so kind in explaining this whole “Strange Folk” thing to me in the first place, I was more than happy to support her business as best I could (see? The self-sacrificing again!)

“Support” came in the form of this:

and this:

Both of which are skeins of her amazing Strong Arm sock yarn, and both of which are destined to be lovelysquishycozybeautiful fall socks.  (And also, both of which are showing up more brightly on-screen than they are in real life.  Think more “autumn”, less “day-glo”)

I’ve used her Strong Arm base twice now, for my Joker Socks and Glacial Socks.  It’s got all the properties I love – wool/nylon blend for strength, slightly thicker than your usual fingering weight, and firmly (but not too tightly) spun.  The yarn wears *incredibly* well, and is a joy to work with.  I can’t wait to knit both of these up :-)   (oh, and I miiiiiiiiiight have put in a special request for a skein of Themyscira in the same Strong Arm base.  Maybe.  Possibly.)

Oh, yes.  I had a good time at Strange Folk.

Not only did I enjoy the food, the music, the browsing, and the strange folk themselves, but I *really* enjoyed getting to do my small part to support local (and not-so-local!) artisans and crafters.  I’m always amazed by the different forms that creativity can take – from innovative and beautiful screenprinted apparel, to ceramics that are heart-stoppingly amazing, to stitching skills I can only dream of, to the really off-the-wall.  There’s no better feeling than being surrounded and inspired by others.  It’s really an amazing feeling, as if the best parts of Etsy all jumped out of the computer and landed on my doorstep (well, relatively speaking).   I’m so glad that I had the chance to go to Strange Folk this year, and I’m already saving my pennies for next year’s trip.

…assuming they straighten out the funnel cake issue, that is.

PS>Be proud of me! I didn’t even spend all my birthday money!  Nope, I saved that till *the next day*, when I promptly blew the remainder on alpaca and sock yarn at Knitty Couture.  I tried.

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Strange Folk (subtitle: At Last, Surrounded by My Kind)

September 26, 2009 at 4:16 pm · Filed under Crafting, Finds (all things consumeristic), Miscellany, life ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Jeff and I woke up bright and early this morning to go to Strange Folk, the super awesome outdoor indie arts and crafts fair in O’Fallon (IL).  Since we missed it last year, I was super psyched about finally attending!  I’d been told it was really awesome – great vendors, great food, great products, beautiful displays – and it didn’t disappoint.

The day started out cool and sunny, and everyone was in a good mood.  Yes, even Jeff – because he had a MAP! (and we all know how Jeff likes maps…)

It also probably helps that we left the dogger at home; one less thing to worry about.  She does a splendid job at these things, but, y’know.

There were *so many* booths at the festival, both in the pavilion and in surrounding tents.

It required a valiant effort and much dedication on my part, but I managed to visit every single one.

And yes, even some of them twice.

One thing I loved about this whole experience was how I was, for the first time in recent memory, surrounded by “my” people.  The place was crawling with other creative-types, hippies, and creative-type- and hippie-sympathizers.  Not exactly your usual State Fair crowd ;-)   It was a joy chatting with the other attendees and admiring the beautiful handknits that so many were wearing, and being surrounded by the sellers’ talent and creativity.  I came home so inspired!  I want to learn how to weave!  And spin!  And create batik!  And sew garments!  I want to do it all, and I want to do it all *now* :-D

Rachel had told me that it was a bit of a mad rush for the free tote bags at 10:00, but I managed to snag one.  I think the info booth ran out just a few minutes after 10, though.  Maybe not a mad rush, but definitely not a leisurely stroll either :-P

(See those stacks of pink and black tote bags?  I already had mine safe on-arm when I took this photo :-D

They were a really cute design, too!

But cute as the little Strange Folk gnomie is, there was something a *billion* times cuter at the festival.   Something from a farm.  BearKamp Farms, to be precise.   Know what it was?

ALPACAS!!!

I loved them.  Their big doe-y eyes…

Their funny fuzzy “haircuts”…

even their tiny tippytoes!

They were my buddies.

I wanted to sneak one out and take it home and have it live on the balcony, but Jeff wouldn’t let me.

Jeff is a big meanie.

But that’s not even the whole of it.  Not only would he *not* let me take an alpaca, he *also* wouldn’t let me have one of these:

Tiny kittens, not yet available for adoption, brought by Tenth Life.  I don’t know why they teased me so.  ‘Twas cruel.   ‘Twas also cruel that Jeff wouldn’t let me have one.  I’m pretty much surrounded by cruelty.

I think the shy little spotted one would’ve fit perfectly into our zoo, don’t you?

After 3 1/2 hours of shopping, eating, kitten-gazing, and greyhound petting (no pictures of that, but they were beautiful animals!  I wanted one of those, also.  But even I must admit that adding another dog to our household is even more impractical than a kitten or an alpaca)  the clouds had started looking rather ominous, so we decided to call it a day and head back to U City.

And not a moment too soon!

The skies opened up just after we left; I hope that the crafters and artisans were all able to get their goods under cover in time!

~~~

I’ve spent an hour and a half writing this post and watching Coming to America on Comedy Central, so I think it’s about time to wrap it up.

Tomorrow:  the loot!

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Good morning

September 24, 2009 at 9:18 am · Filed under life ·Tagged , ,

I feel like it’s been forever and a day since I’ve blogged  – I know that’s not the case, but it just doesn’t sit right with me.  When I’m away from the blog for too long my fingers get itchy and my brain fills up and without a place to put all that *stuff* I kind of start to go crazy and it’s not a pretty picture.

We won’t even go into my thought process of “If I don’t record this for posterity then how on earth will I remember what happened the weekend of September 19th, 2009?!”  That’s a whole ‘nuther issue.

However, a big component of blogging is, y’know, having things to talk about.  Pretty photos and stories of my adventures and things I’ve made and things I’ve done and am going to do.  Photos + blogging are like peanut butter and jelly.  You *can* have one without the other, but why would you want to?

Well, we’re going to have to muddle along somehow, today, because I have lots of fun stuff, but no photos.

  • I made a table runner out of Reynolds Lopi.  It’s very pretty and exciting and it has stripes and I like it.
  • Last night the in-laws came over for dinner.  I made lasagne and garlic bread and Cesar salad and we had a peach-blueberry-raspberry crisp for dessert.  It was delicious.
  • Roxie is cute.
  • I went to Old Navy on Tuesday night and bought a whole bunch of awesome new dresses and tops and skirts.  I wore one of them yesterday and it was cute.
  • I continue to make progress on the Blueberry Pie sock; I’m almost down to the toe now.  I love that sock.  I cannot wait to make the other.
  • On Saturday we’re going to the Strange Folk festival.  I think it will be fun.
  • All of my Firefox tabs just spontaneously disappeared.  I lost a lot of good recipe links and Etsy shops.  This makes me sad.
  • It is rainy today.  I like rainy days, but not when I have to be at work.  All rainy days should be spent curled up in bed.

Everything above is true.  And you know what?  Without pictures it’s boring as hell.

Damn.  Well, that proves the theory.

I must take pictures.  Otherwise I’m dull.

(Though the existence of pictures doesn’t necessary negate any dullness either, I suppose)

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What’s the opposite of lazy?

September 19, 2009 at 4:42 pm · Filed under Finds (all things consumeristic) ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

Oh, yeah.  Busy, I guess.

Anyway, today has been a decidedly un-lazy Saturday.  I started out bright and early, hitting up a few garage sales (not much luck in that department, just came away with a few kids’ books, a cute ceramic pitcher (perfect for all those times I…uh…use a pitcher?  Whatever I like it), and some linen napkins I haggled down to $0.25 from $2.00.  Jeff actually *volunteered* to join me in my weekend Goodwill run, and then after a few more errand-y stops we decided to have lunch at the Loop and partake in the big sales this weekend.

You’ve gotta give me credit, I was *very* restrained (I tried to keep in mind that Strange Folk is next weeked, and saved my pennies thusly).  I *only* bought yarn for a gift knit from Knitty Couture, and…one other thing.

Have you heard of Alyssa Ettinger?  I have!  I have!  I’ve seen her stuff on Ravelry and mentioned in a local St. Louis magazine before.  So I was thrilled when, in the Craft Alliance shop this afternoon, there was a teeny little clearance shelf with a few of her pieces on it, marked to 50% off.

The unattainable just became attainable, and there was much squee-ing.

But remember my forced frugality?  I did my absolute best, and only came away with one little bit of awesomeness, representative of the Knitware collection’s overall beauty:

Just one teensy weensy little bitty cup, perfect for, oh, I don’t know…

Yes, perfect.  A wonderful companion to one of my mom’s designs.

I love surrounding myself with handmade beauty :-)

Go check out Alyssa Ettinger’s shop to see more of her Knitware and Milk collections.  Truly beautiful and creative and amazing.  I’m glad I was able to buy just one tiny piece :-)

(Hey St. Louisians:  There were several pieces left as of Saturday afternoon!  Another small cup like mine, a couple taller vase-like pieces, and a wider, shallower bowl.  30-50% off regular price)

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One of the best things

September 17, 2009 at 8:59 am · Filed under Knitting ·Tagged , , , , , ,

I can’t lie – after over two years of knitting, some of the romance is gone.  The initial thrill has long since disappeared, and while I (almost) always enjoy the process and love the beautiful yarns, it’s become harder and harder to achieve that “wow I made this!” high.

Once in a while, though, a certain yarn will come along and it’ll marry itself to a lovely pattern and even though they were both fine on their own, there’s something about the combination – the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

Such was the case when this lovely “Knit me Now” sock yarn in the ‘blueberry pie’ colorway found its way into my hands at Yarn Harbor and wandered from Minnesota to Missouri.

I wound it Monday night on my way out the door to Stitch ‘n Pitch and started working a turned picot cuff then my favorite waffle-stitch pattern – one I can do with my eyes closed (or, um, while watching a baseball game).

Little did I know that this would turn out to be one of my favorite WIP’s ever.

The yarn is amazingly squishy and springy and wonderful, and it’s just a *titch* heavier than standard fingering weight.  Coupled with the super-cozy waffle pattern, this sock is a dream to work on.

It’s simultaneously a process knit *and* a product knit.  I can’t wait to have the finished socks on my feet, but in the meantime I absolutely adore every stitch I knit.

Maybe it’s a carryover from the good mood earlier this week, but with every.single.stitch of these socks, I get a little burst of happiness.  It’s really pretty ridiculous how much fun I’m having with this knit – the colors are wonderful, reds and whites and blues that combine in a decidedly patriotism-free way.  None of the reds are a “true” red (they’ve all got hints of pink, in various doses) and all of the blues remind me of ablueberry (hmm wonder why?).

Of course, things always go more quickly when you’re having fun.  This sock leg has fallen down the needles faster than I can believe; I’m clocking over 20 rows per day just from my train knitting.  Already, the photo above (from Tuesday night) is sorely outdated; I’ll probably be starting the heel flap tomorrow morning.

I’ll be sad to see these finished, but I can’t wait to have them on my feet.  I love this yarn, and I know I’ll love these socks.

What a wonderful feeling.

I love knitting.

Did I ever tell you that?

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The Good Things

September 15, 2009 at 7:30 pm · Filed under Family, Home, life ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Call it whatever you’d like – “something in the water”, benevolence from the Universe, coincidence, or perhaps just because yesterday was my birthday, but I’ve been in an uncharacteristically good mood since yesterday.

I think the cake and yarn (and cakes of yarn!) had something to do with it, actually.

Speaking of cake…

Happy birthday to meeeee!

Angel food (with sprinkles!!!) and raspberry glaze – yes, please!

Nom.  I had a big slice that night and one every night since, and as soon as I finish this post I’ll go polish it off.  Angel food cake is fat free and raspberries are healthy, so I’m safe :-D

The company in Kansas City was exceptional too, of course:

(I said “hehe picture of a dogbutt!” as Eliza walked away and took a picture and Mom started laughing and so now it’s a picture both of my mom looking like this and of a dogbutt.  Combination destined for success, if ya ask me.)

And look! Here’s my better half (Rly, I promise he is), sharing his “put the damn camera away Katie” face:

Charming, isn’t he?  I love him so much I can hardly stand it.

Anyway.  Want to know what else makes me happy?

Renfest.  But I don’t have any pictures from that.  I know, it surprised me too.  But hey, I’ve gotta keep y’all on your toes.

Want to know what else else makes me happy?

That even the punk teenagers in my parents’ neighborhood are awesome.

I’m not the only happy person around here lately, though.  Roxie’s happy too.

Because she loves her grandpa.  He’s her faaaaaavorite and she loves to go visit him.

So yes, the simple things – a delicious birthday cake, time with my loved ones, seeing my puppy have a good time – those all make me happy.

But I’m a material girl living in a material world.  I’m not gonna lie.

My new boots continue to make me exceedingly happy.  Happier than a pair of shoes *should* make a person (unless you’re a person who’s been walking barefoot through the Saharah. Then you’re probably pretty happy to get shoes.  Unless they’re Crocs; I’d probably rather be barefoot in the Saharah than wear Crocs.  But I digress.  (But really, Crocs are awful.  Stay off drugs, kids.))

As per tradition (she tells you, the reader, as if you were a foreigner…perhaps one from a small village in the Saharah…), where there’s a birthday there tend to be birthday presents.

And if you’re me, you’re especially excited about one birthday present in particular:

What a sweet little thing!  What on earth could it be?

It’s about the size of this…

…so it must be…

…a fancy little lens cap holder, of course!

Or a limoges box.  Take your pick :-D

I’ve wanted one of these since I first heard of them several months ago, and in fact I saw one of these blueberry tarts (similar or identical to the one I got!) in an antique shop along Cherokee Street last year with Mom.   Blueberries have a rather special significance for me, so I was thrilled to see two of my interests (small pretty boxes + blueberries) combined into one object!  I love it when that happens :-)

I wouldn’t call it a “collection” by any stretch of the imagination, but let’s just say that now that I’ve looked at several online, I’m quite fond of the limoges box idea and hope to acquire a few more – each with special significance, of course – in my lifetime.

The assortment of delightful birthday gifts also consisted of more Currier and Ives china for my set, and my mom’s jewelry (it’ll rank its own blog post, soon) from my adoring  fan club parents.  On top of all that, I received The Knitter’s Book of Yarn from Jeff, assorted well-wishes and voicemails from friends and family, and an evening at the ballpark (you bet it’ll get its own post too).  All in all, an excellent birthday – definitely one to remember.

Carrying on with the “material girl” theme:

That’s Yours Truly and Roxie, expertly modelling the Morris Chair from LLBean, a piece of furniture I’ve lusted after for quite a while (see how I use “amount of time I’ve wanted it” as justification for buying things?).  Love the arts-and-crafts styling, the strong lines and dark wood.  It’s exceedingly cozy and comfortable, and will fit perfectly into my overall vision for our home (the taupe recliner, however, does *not* fit into that vision.  Shall I share again how much I hate that chair and how eager I am for its departure?).   It arrived on Friday night right before we left town, and when we got back on Sunday Jeff and I put it together (only took about 45 minutes!).  I love it.

And I love that silly blonde dog in the photo, but you knew that.

I think my current state of happiness right now at this very instant *maaaayyyy* have been influenced by this, too:

THAT was the triple-layer chocolate mousse-filled cake which they brought into work for me.  I was nice enough to share with all my co-workers, even though I didn’t really want to.  (Just between me and you, I *might* have had more than my fair share of the dark chocolate curls)

And the last thing that makes me happy?

It’ll be the first thing I discuss tomorrow.  This post has gotten long enough :-)
Have a wonderful night, everyone!

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Tell ya what

September 11, 2009 at 10:35 am · Filed under Knitting, Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , ,

I’m incapable of making a decision.  You knew this.

Please help me again, ok?
I need a fun, lively new sock project to start this weekend.

Luckily, I have lots of sock yarns, and many patterns in my queue.

First, the yarns:

Artyarns Ultramerino 4

Bare Sheep Superwash fingering/sport

Yarn Lust Back to Basics sock

CTH supersock merino, “Moody Blues”

Patons Kroy Socks (hard to tell, but this is a heathery taupe.  Very rustic.)

Araucania Ranco Solid (really a semi-solid)

OK those are our contenders.  Top three are lovely variegateds in some way or another, bottom three are semisolid/solid.  (Notice something else about them?  They all, to the best of my stash-shopping confines, go against my recent trend.  Well, 3 of them do anyway)

I have about 40 bajillion sock patterns in my queue, but here are some I’ve been loving lately:

Shur’tugal

Chevrolace

Rhombus

Vinnland

Interlocking Leaves (gotta admit, I kind of want to wait on this ’till I find the perfect orangey brown yarn)

Zockni

Cornish Scallops

Obviously, not all patterns would lend themselves to all yarns.

Which yarn/pattern combo do you like? Which should I start tonight?

                          

I promise, whatever y’all choose is what I’ll do.

I solemnly swear.

Unless I change my mind :-P

(PS > Or feel free to suggest an entirely different pattern.  I thrive on new inspiration!)

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Denouement

September 10, 2009 at 8:06 am · Filed under Jeff, Knitting ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

You know what I love?  When I have a lovely new FO, one that I can’t wait to show off.  So I grab Jeff and we dash outside on an overcast day and take photos of me modeling said FO.  And then I put the pics on Ravelry and blog about it and just wait for the accolades to come pouring in.  It’s all the more rewarding when the project is one I’ve put a lot of effort into.

But that’s not what happened this time.  The project was Jeff’s sweater, and rather than excitement and a nice overcast day, our only opportunity offered a crabby model and a sunny day.

I’m so stinkin’ excited to have this sweater done, though, that I’m posting the resulting photos anyway.   Let me just promise you this:  Jeff is much really much cuter and less surly than he may appear in the following images, and the sweater is much nicer.  I promise.

The pattern is EZ’s seamless hybrid sweater; it was my first time working with one of her “recipes” (they’re not really patterns, y’know) and I found her – and it – absolutely charming.  I can understand the rabid fangirlism, I really can.  I couldn’t really visualize what was going to happen with the shoulders, even though I read through the directions several times.  As is often the case with these things, though, it all became clear once I dove in.

Jeff really likes it, too.  It’s very masculine but not completely boring, and he offered his input every step of the way – from choosing the yarn (Cascade 220 from Knitty Couture) to the shoulder type, to the neckline, cuffs, and bottom hem.

(Now this next picture is just *bad* all around, but it’s the only one that shows the bottom hem)

I’d originally worked a turned hem (I helped Jeff choose it by showing him 2 socks – 1 with a turned cuff and 1 with a ribbed – and asking him which he’d prefer for his sweater), decreasing 10% of the stitches after the turn per EZ’s directions.  But once Jeff got it on, he didn’t like the way the hem floated away at his back (hey it’s not my fault he’s so broad-shouldered and skinny!) so I frogged and reworked it in 1×1 rib on a smaller needle, this time without the 10% decrease.  He’s much happier with this result.

So even though it was navy blue stockinette, it wasn’t the worst thing ever.  I hope every time he wears it he remembers me knitting the sleeves on Lake Superior and the yoke on that 11-hour drive home, and how I *didn’t* let laziness win out (for once) and actually re-worked that bottom hem so it’d be just what he wanted.

And he’d *better* wear it, too.

Cause you know what? I told him if he doesn’t, I’ll kill him and bury him in it.
OK, I was just kidding.  Maybe.

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I DIDN’T WRITE THIS

September 5, 2009 at 6:44 am · Filed under internet ·Tagged , , ,

…and I have no idea who did.  It’s been moving around Facebook, I think, and I got there via a click-chain (friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend’s-blog’s-link-to-another-blog-ooh-what’s-this-funny-comment-let’s-click-here-too).

But damned if it isn’t worth passing on:

Random thoughts from people our age…

1. I wish Google Maps had an “Avoid Ghetto” routing option.
2. More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.
3. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.
4. I don’t understand the purpose of the line, “I don’t need to drink to have fun.” Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they’ve invented the lighter?
5. Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you’re going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you’re crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.
6. That’s enough, Nickelback.
7. I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.
8. Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the “people you may know” feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?
9. Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn’t work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ’s. We just figured it out. Today’s kids are soft.
10. There is a great need for sarcasm font.
11. Sometimes, I’ll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f was going on when I first saw it.
12. I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I’ll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone’s laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I’m still the only one who really, really gets it.
13. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
14. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
15. I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
16. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.
17. A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.
18. Was learning cursive really necessary?
19. Lol has gone from meaning, “laugh out loud” to “I have nothing else to say”.
20. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
21. Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.
22. My brother’s Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads. Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, “Cuz we beat you, and you hate us.” Classy, bro.
23. Whenever someone says “I’m not book smart, but I’m street smart”, all I hear is “I’m not real smart, but I’m imaginary smart”.
24. How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear what they said?
25. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!
26. Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using ‘as in’ examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss’s last name to an attorney and said “Yes that’s G as in…(10 second lapse)..ummm…Goonies”
27. What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?
28. While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it…thanks Mario Kart.
29. MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
30. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
31. I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.
32. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
33. I would like to officially coin the phrase ‘catching the swine flu’ to be used as a way to make fun of a friend for hooking up with an overweight woman. Example: “Dave caught the swine flu last night.”
34. I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.
35. Bad decisions make good stories
36. Whenever I’m Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don’t mind if I do!
37. Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?
38. If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.
39. Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I’m from, this shouldn’t be a problem….
40. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you’ve made up your mind that you just aren’t doing anything productive for the rest of the day.
41. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don’t want to have to restart my collection.
42. There’s no worse feeling than that millisecond you’re sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
43. I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
44. “Do not machine wash or tumble dry” means I will never wash this ever.
45. I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV.. There’s so much pressure. ‘I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren’t watching this. It’s only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?’
46. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What’d you do after I didn’t answer? Drop the phone and run away?
47. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
48. When I meet a new girl, I’m terrified of mentioning something she hasn’t already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.
49. I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it’s on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.
50. Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles…
51. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.
52. Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
53. It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.
54. I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
55. Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn’t know what do to with it.
56. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey – but I’d bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time…
57. My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day “Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?” How the hell do I respond to that?
58. It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.
59. I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.
60. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
61. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

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It’s about time

September 4, 2009 at 8:44 am · Filed under Finds (all things consumeristic), internet ·Tagged , , , , ,

Gather ’round, children, and let me tell you a story.

In March of 2008, I fell in love with a pair of cowboy boots (I bet you know where this is going…).  They were these:

ariat legend brown oiled rowdy

I thought they were the most beautiful boots I’d ever seen – the rich oiled leather, the intricate stitching.  I knew I must own them.

In August of 2008 I bought another pair of Ariats and fell in love with the comfortable footbed, style, and amazing quality.

In September of 2008, lest I be accused of being “fickle”, I reaffirmed my love for my pink Lucchese boots.  As someone who develops an unnatural affection for her footwear anyway, even I must admit that I hold these abnormally close to my heart.

In February of 2009 I resumed my search for the Perfect Boot and was once again led to my true love.  Nothing could beat them.

Many months passed, and my (for I had already begun to think of them as “mine”) boots remained unpurchased, but not forgotten.

In August of 2009, we visited the Mall of America and I got to see my lovelies for the first time in person, to try them on.  My lust became even more pronounced.

On September 2, 2009, all of my wildest dreams came true:

I ORDERED MY BOOTSIES FROM @ZAPPOS !!!!! THEY’LL BE HERE IN 4-5 BUSINESS DAYS OMG I CAN’T WAIT


Then, mere moments after that fateful Tweet, Zappos sweetened the deal:

@kateohkatie If you have an order # I would be more than happy to try and speed of the deliver process for you!

@kateohkatie You are so welcome! ~ You were also sent a special email. ;) Enjoy your new boots!

Just a second later, I had a special email in my inbox – *lifetime* free next-day shipping (purchases and returns!) and miscellaneous other goodies.  I’ve become a Zappos VIP.  (this is obviously a dangerous priviledge)

I expected delivery of my boots today – Friday – but as it turns out, approximately *20 hours* after I hit the [Order] button…

20 hours and 1 minute after I hit the [Order] button:

The fit is spectacular – a 6.5 (my usual size) was rather difficult to get on the first time, but they’ve loosened up a bit each subsequent time.  They’re tight across the instep and loose in the heel, just as cowboy boots should be.  They’re a bit larger than some 6.5’s I’ve worn, but not so large that I’d go down a size.  After breaking in, they’ll be perfect with thick handknitted socks :-)

And omg the footbed.  THE FOOTBED.  Read this, and imagine how comfortable that must be.  Then take your imagined comfort, and multiply it to the infinity power. Then double it.  That’s how amazing these shoes are.   I’ve had them on my feet for a grand total of 3 hours (last night and this morning) and I already feel like I could walk for miles in complete comfort.

I love these shoes.

The quality of the stitching is amazing, the colors are beautiful, the leather is soft and wonderfully uneven.  They’re beautiful and detailed but still subtle.

I’m so glad I’ve got them now, but my only regret is that I wasn’t able to buy them a year and a half ago – I could’ve been enjoying them that much longer!

My bank account is $170 lighter, and my heart is at least  three four times bigger.

All my wildest dreams have come true.

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