eveglass | Entries tagged with clothing

1. Country Relaxation: Marc and I went up to my dad's country house yesterday, for tasty lunch, tasty dinner, and some kayaking on the lake in between. It was my first time kayaking in about a year, and boy am I feeling it today. On the plus side, at least I didn't get sunburned. (I used sunscreen, but I was worried that all the water I was splashing on my arms would wash it off.)

2. Hat!: As a corollary to #1, I've decided I really, really need a good hat. Actually, I'd decided this quite some time ago but haven't had a chance to go buy one yet. I'm hoping for a Tilley hat, which is expensive but very spiffy. Marc promised he'd go hat shopping with me before Pennsic.

3. Pennsic: Speaking of Pennsic, I've done pretty much nothing this past week except a single shopping run with my mom. I'm finding that I just don't have the energy for much prep, not even going over my bardic material. I guess it's because I'm working full time. I've only ever been in this situation once before, back in 2009, and I find that I just don't want to start prepping stuff after a long day at the office.

4. Gaming: Slowing down. We're going to have one more Heavy Gear game before a month off (because the GM's going on vacation, and then I am), one 7th Sea game before Pennsic, and maybe one Game of Thrones game. D&D is still going strong, which is good, but I sort of feel empty looking at my calendar and realizing I've got only one or two games a week.

5. Work: Spent a day working from home last week. Actually got more done in that day (and worked more hours) than I would have if I'd been in the office. I like working from home and wish I could do it more often. Because not only do I get more work done, I also get more home-related stuff done, like baking or cleaning. Le sigh.

6. iPhone: Every time I discover the Next Great App, I fall in love with my phone all over again. Oh, smartphone, how did I ever survive without you?

7. Cooking: On the plus side, made aloo gobi (Indian cauliflower with potatoes) for the first time ever this weekend, and it came out pretty tasty. On the downside, I managed to screw up my spritz cookies recipe for the first time ever, which was annoying. Also on the downside, I accidentally set my toaster oven on fire this morning. It was fine; it burned itself out. But there was a moment there where my thought was, "Crackling? That's a sound my bagels don't usually make."

For almost two years now, I've been saying I need to replace my sneakers. I didn't mind when the cushioning became less cushiony. I stoically put up with the filling coming out from under the insole. I even tolerated the water coming in when it rained. (Barely.)

But today, part of the sole came off and I've got it held on with duct tape. Yes, my friends, tomorrow I will go out and buy new sneakers. The time has finally come.

(I may, while I'm at it, also buy winter boots, because the ones from last year eat my socks for breakfast and aren't particularly waterproof. Because if you're going to spend money, you might as well do it efficiently.)

I'd hoped to postpone shopping for new jeans until I got my weight back down to a comfortable size 6. (Right now, I'm a very uncomfortable size 6, closer to size 8. But all my other pants are size 6, and I'll be damned if I'm going to replace all of them too. Cheaper for me to lose weight than replace my wardrobe.)

Unfortunately, today I discovered a larger and unfortunately-placed hole in one of my two pairs of jeans. So, shopping it is. Oh, well.

You know how I mentioned a little while ago that my watch strap was on its last legs? Well, today it finally gave out.

I suppose I now need to find out whether it can be replaced, and if so whether it's worth it or whether I should just buy myself a new watch.

Decisions, decisions.

It seems that it's been nearly a week since my last "what I've been doing lately" update. So here's another one, for those who are interested.

( Just a short-ish update on my life for the last few days )

...it looks like it might be time for me to get a new watch.

My skin is very acidic and eats through both leather (relatively quickly) and metal (more slowly). Over the past 11 years, I've been slowly wearing away at the plating on the inside of the metal watch-band. As I looked at it just now, I realized I've worn through so much that some of the pins are showing between the links in the band and it's likely only a matter of weeks (I think) before the links start coming apart.

The way the band connects up to the watch is non-standard, and while I'm sure I could probably find another band that would fit, it might actually be time to move on in my life and replace the Tigger watch. Shocking, I know. Children of the world will mourn. But the stars might be in alignment. The time might be right. I think. No way to know without a timepiece that won't fall off my wrist.

Okay, here's the deal. As many of you know. I've bought quite a few new clothes over the past year. And while my choices in the past have tended to revolve around jeans and t-shirts, I've been branching out. The problem is that I'm not entirely certain how to combine a lot of my new clothes. The individual pieces look great, but I'm not sure what goes with what.

So I'm looking for a friend with fashion sense to come over to my place and play "Julie dress up." I want you to help me figure out what pieces go together, for what level of formality and occasion. I want you to take pictures of me wearing different outfits so I can put them in a digital album for reference. (I'll provide the camera.) I want help figuring out if I've got any gaps in my wardrobe or any areas of overabundance. Or any pieces that Just Don't Work with everything else.

In exchange, I shall treat you to lunch or coffee or something like that. And, of course, you get the satisfaction of knowing that you've helped me out immeasurably.

So... any takers?

A few nice things that happened to me today:

1. Marc took me out for tea at Camellia Sinensis and I got to spend a few hours just talking and laughing with him.

2. A few weeks ago, when I was out clothes shopping, I found a gorgeous red jacket that was unfortunately just too expensive. In recent weeks, we've found it at a price I was willing to pay, but not in my size. Today, through a series of serendipities, my mom found the jacket in exactly my size at an even lower price than last time. So she bought it for me. Thanks, Mom!

3. Finished working on a very interesting series at work. Can't say too much due to the non-disclosure agreement, but it was a very nice four-episode mini-series and I very much enjoyed working on it. (I worked on every single episode, which is rare.)

A few things that have happened to me in the last 24 hours or so:

1. Went with Marc to a Second Cup, only to find they'd changed their opening hours and were 7 minutes from closing. In recompense, we got a bag full of free baked goods.

2. Got home late last night and realized that I hadn't done my push-ups for my Hundred Push-Ups Challenge. So I did push-ups. At midnight. It wasn't actually as bad as it sounded.

3. In speaking with Sandy Shepard, author of fEmpowerment and a new friend of mine, negotiated my way into writing a guest post for her blog. You might see my name in lights in the near future.

4. Did a video testimonial for Motivation to Move. You might see my face in lights in the near future.

5. Went to Sears with Mom this morning after a thoroughly enjoyable breakfast, "just to look around and see what the sales are." Somehow wound up getting myself a beautiful moss-green jacket for $16.

Checked out the Salon des metiers d'art tonight. Some very, very cool stuff. Most of it far outside my budget, but cool and beautiful nonetheless.

Of all the things I saw, I think I'm most lusting after a bag from these guys (hand-woven, listed as "Sac bohème", about $50-60) and a silk "chale" from this guy. It's this really cool large piece of dyed silk that's shaped kind of like a butterfly and can be draped in many different ways, both casual and elegant. Of course, it's also $100, and thus out of my price range. But oh, so pretty.

Now, to bed.

Just a quick update on what I've been doing.

Yesterday was Sarah's birthday party at Hurley's, featuring music by the Squid Jiggers. Fun band, great music, featuring a mandolin that looked like a baby guitar. Had a great time, so thanks to Ian for letting me know about the shin-dig.

Today I went shopping with my mom. Bought myself an 8-gig USB key, 3/4 paid for by a gift certificate from work. Then mom bought me a pair of nice grey pants, because I realized that my entire pants collection consists of black work pants and jeans. Thanks, mom! Incidentally, it thrills me every single time I realize I'm still a size 6.

Thence, off to Eric's for a small amount of Civ playing, some conversation, and watching Eric create a character for Ian's Hollow Earth campaign.

Finally, got to see Marc for the first time in a few days, which was lovely. I miss my Marc. I'm hoping we get to do something for his birthday -- he's got three presentations that day. (Wednesday.)

Anyway, time for bed. It's a work night.

1. 30 days to success -- talks about how you can make potentially revolutionary changes to your life by implementing a "30 day trial period" on them. I like the list at the end of the post about potential undertakings.

2. Give 'em a break: Everyday love and assumptions -- The person who didn't hold the door for you might be a jerk, or he might be rushing to his wife's deathbed. A nice thought on giving the benefit of the doubt.

3. Custom jeans -- would I buy them? Probably not, but it's an interesting idea nonetheless. (Especially since my jeans never fit quite right.)

4. Hierarchy of the successfully self-employed -- "all freelancers are suckers," but gurus have got it going on. It's an old post, but I was thinking about it today and finally hunted it down.

5. The 6 levels of wealth -- I'd probably rank myself as "poor level 2," or at least that's where I'll be once I move out of my mom's basement... until I can find some way to make passive income.

6. 25 inspirational pumpkin carvings (pictures) -- from the annals of "people who have way too much time on their hands," I present pumpkins. The first one is a Death Star. That should give you some idea of the complexity here.

7. Creative dollar bill origami -- who says the dollar isn't good for anything anymore? It's good for... art!

1. Marc is MIA. Neither I nor his brothers know where he is. I haven't spoken to him today. This makes me sad.

2. Getting my hair cut tomorrow at 8:45. This means that even though I'm working the late shift, I'm leaving the house an hour earlier than usual. Early wake-ups make me sad. New haircuts make me happy. (Spending lots of money on new haircuts makes me sad.)

3. My aunt made me a scarf to go with the hat she made me last year. It's shorter than I'd like, but I can fasten it with my cloak clasp and it doesn't look half bad. Home-made accessories made just for me make me happy.

4. I realized yesterday that in an average week, four of my five weeknights are already at least partially booked. Lack of free time makes me sad.

5. I think I'm sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation makes me sad. And apparently silly.

G'night all.

Today I went shopping. Clothes shopping. For the third time in as many months, an unprecedented frequency for me. I went to Sears, because they were having an uber-mega-giganto sale. I wound up getting 13 items -- including two pairs of jeans -- for about $215 after taxes. The jeans were $20 each. Go, me.

I love all 11 tops I bought. They're lovely and work-appropriate, can be dressed up or down, and fit me really well. Alas, I still haven't braved warm-colour clothes (they're all blue, purple, or brown), but at least I've broken out of buying only black.

Now I've got to put them all on hangers and purge my closet of stuff I'm replacing or just plain don't wear.

No more clothes shopping for me for a while, I think. (Except for a pair of leggings because I don't have any and would like some.)

Edited to add: And, in the grand tradition of "what goes in, must come out"... As thirteen new items comes into my closet, thirteen will be leaving: mostly shirts I haven't worn in a long time (if ever), stuff that doesn't fit me well anymore, or stuff that's damaged after long years of wear and just doesn't look good anymore. Goodbye, oh my clothes. You will be missed, but your replacements shall serve me well.

Have you ever had one of those mornings where, no matter what you put on, it doesn't look right? I almost never get those, but today was one of them.

I've spent the last 25 minutes trying on outfit after outfit, and putting them back in my closet. Argh!

1. Minimalist fitness: how to get in lean shape with little or no equipment -- lots of ideas (and video links!) for putting together an exercise routine based almost entirely on body-weight exercises and maybe a chin-up bar.

2. The building blocks of a super healthy diet (with a sample meal plan) -- I really like the meal plan, which lists a bunch of options for each meal of the day and lets you mix and match.

3. Collecting Stories (TED talk video by Jonathan Harris) -- this talk just gets cooler and cooler as it goes on.

4. Twobirds -- a commercial link for bridesmaids dresses. Not usually my thing, I know. The twist: each dress can be worn up to 10 different ways. A very cool idea. Click on the link if only to check out the innovation.

5. Fun way to lose weight: turning diets into an RPG -- argues that weight waters is essentially the RPG of the diet world, and that's why it succeeds so well. Not sure I buy the argument, but it's an interesting thought.

6. Stereoscopic parking garage: I'm freaking out, dude -- check out these pictures. For anyone interested in perspective, art, or foreshadowing, this is just an example of "wow!"

7. How to carry groceries with a square of cloth (2-minute video) -- an interesting take on carrying groceries, showing a bunch of different furoshiki (Japanese wrapping) techniques. Very cool, indeed.

While I was away having a good time at Pennsic, my mom was home having a good time shopping for me. I only own one Little Black Dress, and after losing 25 pounds and 6 dress sizes in 2006, it's been looking kind of baggy. So mom bought me a new one. It actually looks really nice. In about 15 minutes, we'll be off to a tailor Mom knows to get it shortened and put a hook-and-eye (or something) in the neckline, which opens just a bit low for comfort.

Yay new clothes!

1. How to write and delivery a good best man speech -- obviously not one I'll need any time soon, but actually contains some very good tips.

2. Multiply your wardrobe with a Winkee -- as someone who's done a decent amount of shirt-shopping lately, I now desperately want a Winkee. It's a little triangle of fabric that hooks onto your bra to cover cleavage and make low-cut shirts more work-appropriate. I want one. Heck, I want several.

So, a somewhat odd request. At Pennsic 2004, I bought a beautiful bodice from The Likely Lotus. It's reversible: black cotton on one side, red velvet on the other. You can see its listing on the Likely Lotus website or a picture of me in it. I love this thing.

The problem? I was about 25 pounds heavier when I bought it and it doesn't fit me well anymore. I bought a size 32"-24" waist one, and now my waist is about 28".

So here's my offer: does anyone have a nice body that would fit a 28" waist, and if so, do you want to swap? Mine has been very lightly used and is still in great condition.

If you'll be at Pennsic or East Kingdom events, drop me a line and we'll talk.

Today I went shopping for shoes. Understand that I hate shopping for shoes because so few shoes actually fit me without hurting me feet. But given that my sneakers finally died of old age on Friday, I had little choice in the matter.

The good news is that I got new sneakers. Thank goodness the type that I wear (Nike Air) aren't discontinued yet. Yes, I know, Nike is evil and uses sweat shops and whatnot, but I swear, these are the only shoes that both fit me and look presentable enough that I can wear them to work. So... yay for new sneakers!

On the other hand, I tried on many, many pairs of sandals (since I don't currently own any) without success. I simply couldn't find a pair that fit both my feet and my criteria (no heel; nothing between the big toe and second toe; back-strap; supportive). But I tried, truly I did.

Anyway. Now it's time for lunch and then maybe a Village des Valeurs run. But first, lunch.

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Random Ramblings

A journal dedicated to nothing and everything

Entries tagged with clothing

Seven things from my life

Time to buy shoes

Bother

Well, that did it

Last one for today - just an update

After 11 years...

Needed: Friend with fashion sense for a special project

Sometimes things go right

Pushups at midnight (and other vignettes from the last 24 hours)

Pretty things!

An eventful weekend

Grab bag of links

State of the Julie

So many clothes, so little money

Argh.

Grab bag of links

Little black dress

Mini grab-bag of links

Bodice swap at Pennsic?

Shoe shopping: partially successful