wonderment » baywatch

Anyways….

kelly — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:50:46 +0000

(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….

Duh

kelly — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 01:37:47 +0000

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.

Grumbling

kelly — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 13:52:56 +0000

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.

Good Thing / Bad Thing

kelly — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:07:53 +0000

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?

Life is just so unfair sometimes

kelly — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:55:41 +0000

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.

Toes

kelly — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:04:47 +0000

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.

Little joys

kelly — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 20:22:05 +0000

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

Impossibility

kelly — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 14:49:25 +0000

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?

Hmm

kelly — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 14:34:09 +0000

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.

Brrrr!

kelly — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 13:40:35 +0000

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….