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(Trying not to think about the afore-mentioned grade….)
My knees are visible at work today. I’m wearing the floral capris that  hates. You can too, it’s OK. They make me happy. I’m wearing them with a coral polo, elbow brace (my tendinitis is bad this week), and, unfortunately, my Birks. I only say this because they’re a little more casual than I would have liked to wear (even though it’s Casual Friday), but I could not, for the life of me, find my brown sandals this morning. So it was either pink Birks, brown flip-flops (that are expressly forbidden in the dress code), or brown tennis shoes. And I’m not one to wear tennis shoes, or any shoes requiring socks, with capris. (Also – tennis shoes without socks? Gross! That is a terrible, awful, horrible feeling. Ish.)
That is all….
Would someone please tell me to stop wearing short-sleeved shirts in what could be considered the middle of a Minnesota winter? Seriously, I’m 3 for 3 days this week. And I’ve been cold. Of course. But I’m so ready for it to be spring and warm!
Sigh.
The high school kids that ride my bus home from downtown make me feel like an old curmudgeon. I seem to find it really easy when I’m around them to forget that I actually like teenagers. They do most of the same things that all other annoying passengers do (talk loudly, jostle your seat, use their cell phones, recline the seat in front of me), but they do it in groups of 5, instead of just as individual annoying adults. Last night there were at least a dozen on the bus instead of the usual 5, and they were entirely obnoxious (and, as is always the case with annoying people, completely oblivious to the fact that there were other people in the world). It made me grumpy.
First, the good thing: today’s XKCD is awesome, assuming you’ve ever been to church and grew up in the 80s.
Then, the bad thing: I seem to be unable to dress myself well these days. This has culminated in today’s outfit, where I am wearing white shoes with grey pants. I know, perhaps not the “OMG the world is going to be blasted into oblivion by aliens or that meteor or whatever,” but important to me nonetheless. The factors? I did not do laundry like I should have last night, so all my khakis are dirty. I can’t wear the closet full of skirts today, because my legs are really itchy, and itchy plus nylons is not good. Trust me. Plus, many of my pants are sitting in storage, because I got a bit chubby. Lastly, my feet have shrunk, resulting in my failure to own any black shoes that don’t cause me pain, sandal or otherwise.
If I didn’t itch right now (with some nice red bumps thrown in for good measure), to the point of having to use the anti-inflammatory cream my doctor gave me, I’d be OK for the rest of the week, because my skirt wardrobe is fine and fits and if it fails me, I have a few dresses I can wear to work. But, um, yeah, I do itch. Badly enough that I’m anxiously awaiting 9 a.m. when I can take my Zyrtec, which yesterday brought me such relief that I promised to kiss the feet of whoever created it. Such is life. Oh, and I have absolutely no idea what it is currently that I’m allergic to. I’d say that the new lotion is suspect, but I haven’t used it yet, because I’ve been using new soap. I’d say that was suspect, except that the itching started before I bought it. We haven’t changed laundry detergents and I’ve only been using baby oil (which brings some nice relief when I only itch a bit) on my skin. Maybe I should check the salt level in the water softener? I have no idea. The problem is that symptoms are so slow to appear that it could have been anything in the last few weeks that I’ve come into contact with.
What’s your Good Thing / Bad Thing for today?
I’m having a problem with my skin. Because I’m pressed for time at work today, I won’t go into details now, but suffice it to say I am often itchy. My legs, specifically. I’ve been using only products with the words “Johnson’s” and “Baby” on them since Thursday, when I was shocked and slightly frightened by large red marks at my waist. Well you know what, baby lotion is not actually all that moisturizing. So my skin hasn’t itched for the last four days because I’ve got an allergy to it, but simply because it’s dry.
I called Friday to schedule an appointment with a dermatologist (after trying to figure out what number to call my insurance company at to see if I could self-refer), and yes, they’re accepting new patients, how about May 8th, since that’s our first available appointment? What?! Of course I took it, because they’re the only place in Eagan and they’ve got at least a dozen doctors there and if they can’t get me in until May they must be good, right? Alas, this means I will be itchy for several more months to come.
I’ll spare you photos of the bright red angry marks at my waist. Suffice it to say I won’t be wearing a bikini any time soon, and not because I’m self-conscious about the extra 10 pounds I’m carrying right now.
Last week I bought myself some new shoes. I was looking for some peep-toe pumps, as the style really attracted me. Also, I needed some slightly dressier shoes to go with my brown pants (because as much as I love my Clarks, they are not the epitome of dressiness). So after work on Wednesday, I wandered into Famous Footwear. Not a store I normally shop in, but just about the only Eagan option for shoe shopping. And I was starving and unwilling to go out after dinner, so it had to be done in Eagan, and quickly.
 I fell in love with these by Life Stride  I also bought these, by Mudd, because as cute as the Life Stride ones were, I wasn't sure they would actually match all of the things I would want to wear with my brown pants. I wore them last Thursday and killed my feet. I am not used to wearing heels. There were many Band-Aids involved. And then I couldn’t wear the Life Stride ones on Friday because I wanted to be kind to my feet. I’m finally wearing them today, and they’re pretty comfortable. I knew they’d be more comfortable than the Mudd ones, but we’ll see how long it takes today until my feet hurt. I brought backup shoes today.
 Also, since it seems not many people are aware, it is possible to buy glue-on nails for your toes. Yes, toes. The first time I did it, I thought it was… unnatural. It felt wrong and a little icky. But I stuck with it, and bought a second set, which I am now wearing. Why would one go to such lengths for toes? Well, in the above-mentioned shoes, toes are visible, and mine were, well, less than pretty. I’ve never found my feet particularly cute anyways, seeing much too much of a resemblance to the feet of the men in my family. Also, I was tired of my yellowed nails from layers upon layers of dark-colored nail polish, and wanted my nails to look pretty for a while. With this second application, I am trying something new. I only put them on my first two toes. You know, the visible ones. Obviously this wouldn’t work in the summer during sandal season, but it works pretty well right now. I highly recommend it.Of course, I also recommend glue-on nails for everyday use. It takes some getting used to, but they’re really quite handy and easy to use. First-time wearers should go with ultra-short length ones, as they will interfere with your life least.
 I was wearing these last week, and every woman gave me huge compliments. People seem unwilling to believe that they were glued-on at home, so you can totally impress people and let them think you can afford to go get a fancy-schmancy manicure if you want. Right now I just have a basic French manicure set on, and they’re a little too long, but I was able to get the flat ones, since most of my fingers have very little arch to them.Lastly, the purse that I’d been lusting after for… two months…
 finally arrived in the mail on Friday. I was so afraid that it wasn’t going to be as cute in person. No fear, it looks exactly like the picture, and I love it.
This week I splurged and bought a new purse. Bag, technically. I wasn’t officially looking for one (though it was in the back of my mind that I needed a new one), but I ran across this brand while perusing the internet and just had to have one. I did a Google search and couldn’t find a bad word about them. So even though it was way more money than I probably should have spent on a bag, I went ahead and ordered it online. Then I was plagued with feelings of doubt – things online always look so much better than they do in person and inevitably I end up disappointed.
Well, it arrived yesterday in the mail and it’s wonderful! It’s ginormous! I knew it was “big” from the picures and dimensions given (it needed to be big enough to fit a binder and books for school – it’s just a bonus that it’s set up for knitting), but it’s even bigger than I thought, which is actually a good thing (assuming I don’t fill all the empty space with rocks – I don’t think my back would like lugging around that much weight).
Here’s a picture from the website (maybe I’ll be dorky and take a picture of my own this weekend, but right now it’s still sitting at home empty):
 New bag
I’m looking for a new winter coat. I have several requirements for this coat, all of which come from experience with previous coats (including my current one). We were shopping last week and asked me which requirement(s) I was willing to compromise on, if necessary. “None,” was my answer. I’ve determined that all details are important and there should be no compromising on this (truth be told, originally my requirement for color was “brown,” but since I wasn’t seeing any coats available in this color, I compromised to add grey, so that’s my one true compromise).
Unfortunately, my requirements apparently mean that it is impossible for my coat to exist. I’m sure it must be out there somewhere, because I have found several coats with all but one of the required elements, and that one missing element varies. So somewhere there must be a permutation of this coat with all the necessary ingredients, right?
- Wool (what is typically called a “peacoat”), ideally with an extra lining so that it’s a tad bit warmer or less scratchy, but mainly it’s important that it’s a wool coat with some sort of styling/detail (so it’s not just a big shapeless ugh)
- Brown or grey in color – can even be very dark grey (charcoal), just not black. My current wool coat is camel, which I feel is too casual for dressier occasions, and cream/white, while elegant, would just end up getting dirty, because I don’t envision a world where me keeping a white coat clean. Black is too… boring, too “done by everyone else.” Everyone has a black wool coat. Can’t I be just a tiny bit different? Grey and brown offer the same functionality while being slightly less standard.
- Knee length. My current coat is hip length, and that’s just too short for Minnesota winters.
- Button front. This grows out of the previous standard. I tried on one that zipped up, and trying to get a zipper done up when it starts at your knees is truly difficult and awkward. I realize a zipper would probably stop air and cold better, but the lack of functionality and additional frustration aren’t worth it.
- Hood. It’s rare that I would need a hood, but my current coat does not have one, and we have been having a particularly windy winter. As a result, there have been a few times that I’ve wished I had a hood. Hats don’t always do the trick, and aren’t particularly practical in the morning when my hair is still wet. A hood blocks the wind from one’s ears, something most hats can’t accomplish.
It doesn’t seem like this should be impossible, but it is. I’ve been to the Mall of America, shopped online, and still haven’t found anything. I have a working coat that will get me through this winter, so it’s not urgent (hence the lack of willingness to compromise on any details). But it is frustrating to not be able to find this. Anyone have any suggestions of where to look?
 Is this purse too cute for me to own?
 Maybe a smaller, wristlet-sized version?
I’m torn. Can it be stylish and chic, or is it just the gateway to owning a t-shirt that says “my cat is cuter than your honor roll student” ? Because I really don’t want to be that person.
It’s moments like this when I wish that I was a bit pudgier, I had a little more padding and… insulation, as it were. My office is freezing. I have on a cute (albeit thin) new sweater and dress slacks, which have been covered up by a fleece and a lap quilt. Why bother dressing up for work if I’m going to look like I wore sweats anyways? Of course, 30 feet away at the exterior of the building, those cubes simply bake in the heat. We have heating inconsistencies, to say the least. I just wish I worked in a warmer part of the building. Or had some extra fat to keep me warm.
I’ll have some pictures to share a bit later today….
I am getting really annoyed with all the spam comments on this blog. Really annoyed. Do other people have to deal with this? Why am I special?
We have a statewide staff meeting next week, Wednesday and Thursday, and seeing as how I work in the administrative office, things are quite hectic here right now. There are name tags and lunch tickets and folders and hotel reservations and on top of it all, because we’re a government office, we have Monday off, so there are really only two days left before the meeting. People are getting a little stressed out.
So the power steering pump on ‘s car died while we were in Illinois, and we just found out that it is going to take a truck full of money to fix it. Bummer. Guess we won’t be taking any spur of the moment trips to Atlantic City. Or, closer to reality, guess we just won’t have that credit card paid off as quickly as we hoped. What are you gonna do? He has to have a car. We live in the suburbs, you know. It’s just not practical or possible to live without one.
In unrelated news, I am getting all of my hairs cut tonight. I promised that it would still be below my shoulders and I would still be able to pull it into a ponytail (promised myself that, too, really). I need a change, but I still like my long hair. I searched the internet last night for styles since I couldn’t find the one I’d originally picked out (didn’t I blog about it though?). It’s really hard to search for curly hair styles, mostly because, well, they don’t exist. It’s not the internet’s fault. It’s the world’s fault. So I found several quasi-cute picture, also wigs like the original style, because they’re actually the easiest to search for. Unfortunately, there are about a bazillion ugly wigs in this world and two or three dozen cute ones. I feel sorry for people who need them, like  (I hear she has several, but I rarely see them because she doesn’t like to wear them unless she has to, so when she’s relaxing at home with family she just puts a hat on her bald head).
Anyways, they’re getting chopped today, and the only thing I’m really nervous about is that I’m going back to an old stylist that I haven’t been to in about three years, if not longer. She was a great stylist and I totally trusted her, and even got  (and I think  now too) going to her. But when I moved into my old neighborhood, she was inconveniently located and it just seemed easier to find a stylist closer to my house. So I did, and I have been moderately happy with her since, but in the last year the magic is gone, so to speak. I’ve been anxiously awaiting the chance to go back to my old stylist, especially now that I have a car and I no longer live within walking distance of my other stylist. I had to wait, of course, until after the wedding, and I had gotten a haircut about a week and a half before the wedding, so I just had to bide my time. Consider it a right of passage, though. Almost all brides (that I know of, at least) chop off their hair shortly after their wedding. Something about growing it long for the wedding…. Then I’ll go back to growing it long.
At any rate, I’m getting a few inches cut off tonight, and I’m mostly excited. Also, it’s date night, which is always exciting, if simply because it means that I don’t have to do homework or answer my phone. That whole part about actually spending time with my husband is good too. We’re going to go get a gym membership, because some of us have let ourselves go since the wedding and haven’t adapted well to living with a car.
Note: while composing this post, three spam comments were submitted. Boo. I think it’s time to set up a filter in GMail so that I no longer get notified. It will just require intentionally checking the “comments awaiting moderation” cue on a regular basis so that new comments that are valid get posted. Why do some people have to ruin it for the rest of us? I need some more caramel nut clusters from Walgreens.
I am sorely in need of a haircut. Thankfully, it is after 10am and I can call the salon to schedule an appointment shortly, while on break.
Also, I was in need of new brassieres last week, so we went to Gap Body, who forever has my love and devotion after I bought my wedding bra there that practically gives me cleavage (those who have seen me know what a feat this is, and those who haven’t, well, the last time I was measured, Vicky’s told me I was a 34AA, which they don’t really sell, because only gymnasts and preteen girls wear that size). Vicky’s hadn’t lost my love entirely when I went off on this search in August for a strapless bra that didn’t look horrible, though I was unable to find anything in their store that fit that bill. But when that search was added with the rest of their catalog full of less-than-pretty clothing, sleepwear, etc (which has been sorely disappointing for the entire length of time that I’ve been looking for cute or attractive sleepwear that would be seen by a boy), I no longer desire to shop there.
Back to my original story… we went to the Mall of America and I went to Gap Body while went to drool in the Apple Store. I grabbed several things to try on and went into the dressing room. And came out shortly thereafter without a thing in my hand. I walked up to the register, waited for a moment, and then asked if I could be measured because nothing was fitting. In the good way. (Well, I guess if you are a already-voluptuous woman, it would probably be the bad way, but for those of us whose curves are defined by the way our bones stick out, it was the good way.) And apparently I’m now somewhere between an A and a B, and I was told to go try on B’s. Will wonders never cease? Just to get this out of the way, no, I’m not pregnant, and that’s not why the girls are miraculously a size larger. Don’t ask questions, you might scare them back to normalcy. Maybe God finally heard all my prayers from junior high through college. Who knows. Maybe that four pounds I put on last week (my weight has fluctuated a whole heck of a lot now that I live in suburbia – I don’t think I’ve fully adjusted to the schedule, living with a car, etc) was all in my chest?
At any rate, I am wearing one of my new bras today with a rather tight sweater, and I feel as though my chest is just sticking out there in the middle of the room. Do people who actually have large chests feel this way often?
There’s no way for men to relate to this story at all, is there. Sorry, to my 1.5 male readers. I just discovered that I have some new readers, or at least that I’ve been listed on a few blogrolls, and that’s nice. Very exciting. And, for some reason, someone got to my site yesterday by doing a Google search for “three ways to trigger a tsunami” (for which I now see I’m the second result, quite humorously). I’m sure they were quite disappointed in what they found. Also, my ranking on Technorati has finally gone up. It was a 3 before I moved to the subdomain, and then it was a 2 for a long time, and now it’s a 6! (To give you a frame of reference, blogs in the top 100 have rankings in the 20-30 thousand range.) So happy day!
that made me laugh today…
 For the guys  For the neurotic pet owner
It has been a hard week. A long week. Last night and I looked at each other and said, “Who are you?” (I jest, but you get the point.) Married life is great. It’s been all the other stuff, primarily school. Thankfully, while this semester starts out busy, after looking at my syllabuses, things should get a lot easier in a few weeks. A lot less homework, that is, which would be nice. I haven’t picked up my stuff all week – it’s gradually accumulating on random surfaces. And as I just realized while looking on Etsy, I haven’t pursued any of my hobbies in white a while. No knitting since before the wedding – the tendinitis flare-up put the kabosh on that, so I didn’t even bring anything to occupy myself with on the honeymoon. I’d bought some new stuff to make jewelry with and have several ideas, but I haven’t had the time to put them into motion. Nor have I unpacked a single box that wasn’t a gift. Now, granted, last night we could have just lazed around the house reveling in the nothing-ness, but instead we chose to go shopping and get some much-needed work clothes for both of us.
 And I got cute new shoes. And then we got home and were exhausted, because the MOA will do that to ya.
All I’m sayin’ is, I’m tired, and I’m glad the weekend is here and I get to sleep in tomorrow and that I don’t have a ton of homework to do, so that I might feel vaguely productive in the rest of my life. All summer long things got set aside for the higher priority of moving and wedding, and now things are getting set aside for the higher priority of schoolwork. It’s exhausting, I tell ya. I’ll work on getting that fixed though.
So I was thinking about it while out for coffee, and and I have spent nearly every Friday and Saturday night together since we started dating, with the exception of the first month and some randomness. So when you do the math, that’s about 200 nights of temptation.
Wouldn’t that make a great book title? You’d read it, right?
200 Nights of Temptation
by that girl who never really wonders anything on her blog even though she pretends to
Additionally… I dreamt about shoes last night. Not sure why. Comfy leather mules, to be specific.
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thankful
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