In the most exciting Christmas news ever: I HAVE THE SHOES



In other fun Christmas news, I spent much of Christmas Eve with my friend Elaine. Oh yeah, and who sweatered? Elaine did!



First we went on a secret mission to the craft store to buy the supplies necessary to finish her husband's present. Since Pat (said husband) is an awesome cook, she got him a cooking class for Christmas. A month from now, he will become a master of baking muffins, scones, and quickbreads, and I'm hoping that around that time Elaine and I will become masters of eating muffins, scones, and quickbreads. (I think I'm already a master of eating scones. Holy crap, I love scones.)

Since you can't really fit a cooking class into anything but a four-dimensional box (epic science know-how!), we instead crafted a card from all of the scrapbooking stuff they had at the store. Please note: Elaine and I are not crafty girls. We're good at writing and at being efficient and left-brained. Scrapbooks are pretty much our least favorite things to make, so this was a challenge. Elaine totally rose to the occasion, though, and we ended up with this lovely card, complete with scalloped edges.




It also had a spatula tied to it later, but we didn't take a picture of that part...

We then wrapped presents for her husband, dogs, and cat and headed back downstairs to put them under the tree (the presents, not the husband, dogs, and cat). While down there, we dressed up her dogs.


Her other dog, Henry, looked even cuter in his little Santa outfit, but for some reason my phone won't let me upload the photos of him. Stupid phone. Anyway, normally I'm not into animal outfits, but I think pretty much anyone or anything looks cute with antlers.

After that I headed home, opened up the shoes, and watched some movies with Mom. We both enjoyed White Christmas, as always, but Mom wasn't as into my new favorite movie, Once. She couldn't figure out what the main characters were saying through their accents. Dinner included all of my favorite things: beef brisket (which I cooked very well, thank you), rice casserole, and artichoke hearts with my poor man's aioli sauce of mayo and garlic salt. Yum!

This morning I also opened up the rest of my presents, and found such exciting things as a GPS, a new blanket for my bed, a salad spinner, argyle socks, and some new measuring cups. Yay!

It's been a great Christmas, and next up? A red-eye flight to CT to visit Mike D. Hooray for that! I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday too!

Labels: holidays

Ho ho ho and sweater sweater sweater! Today two of my favorite things combine and I will be sweatering and Christmasing. Fun!

I'm extra excited about Christmas this year, because Santa is bringing me some Vibram FiveFingers shoes. I'm counting on these to inspire my training for Hood to Coast, so this will be super on many levels: 1) I will get in shape. 2) I will run like the ancients, who didn't get hip replacements. 3) I will leave yeti footprints wherever I go.

Also fun is that I'm currently stuffing my face with Chex Mix, which is referred to by my family as "Nuts and Bolts," and it's been a week full of visits with great friends. Christmas for the win!

In sadder news, I'm nowhere near my own computer and my USB cable is packed God knows where, so I won't be uploading a sweater photo. I think. But! Should you sweater and wish to be posted, please still send your sweater photo along to sweaterphotos AT gma1l D0T C0M.

And to tide you over? An image of the freaking awesome shoes that I'm about to own.



Merry Christmas, everyone!

Labels: holidays, sweaters

Let's get ready to suh-wet-errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

It's that time again, and wow was it damp and crappy here today, so what a perfect day to wear a sweater!

Today I brought back this lovely, bland little teal number from the Gap, circa 2005. Fun story: sometimes my eyes reflect the color I'm wearing, and one time I was wearing this as I walked out of Nordstrom Rack. A middle-aged guy stopped me and said, "Are you wearing crazy colored contacts?" I wasn't. "What the heck, your eyes are teal?" That day, they were. They don't do it much anymore. Apparently I used to be a freak of nature, and now I'm just tired all the time.


Next up is Capella, who has cut off both her own head and the creepy shrunken man in her living room. I assume it was a part of some sort of ritual that produced a really freaking great sweeater.


Last but not least is Mattie, swooping in with a super cute purple, double-breasted number. Yay! Welcome to Sweater Thursday, Mattie!


Conclusion? I need to go sweater shopping. I have not been bringing my A game.

Tune in next week for more Sweater Thursday! You can email your pics to sweaterphotos AT gMa1L D0T com.

Labels: sweaters

Yesterday I posted about my exciting weekend, and then right after I posted I watched maybe the best movie I've ever seen in my life.

Normally if I see a film that feels magical, the feeling wears off after a little exposure to the regular pieces of life: checking email, cleaning the cat box, being woken up by the water company thumping around outside while they shut off the water for the day a half hour before they're supposed to so that I can't shower...

But even after what should have been a frustrating morning, the world still feels twinkly and warm. Everyone should go watch "Once" right away and then buy the CD by "The Swell Season" so you can feel warm and twinkly too.

If you're going to watch it, don't listen to the music or watch the trailer ahead of time or anything, because this is one of those films that I think should materialize from nowhere for people.

I wish I could write and play and sing things like this instead of Bach Sonatas and flashy trashy French showpieces...

Labels: reviews

This weekend has been *great*! I'm supposed to be writing a final. Instead I have done the following, mostly accompanied by Naomi or Noodle:

• Gone to Rogue for beer tasting
• Picked out my Vibram FiveFingers at REI
• Baked healthy oatmeal prune cookies, which are yum
• Eaten cookies for breakfast
• Jogged in the cold
• Had my flute repaired
• Cleaned the apartment
• Purchased a Christmas tree
• Decorated the Christmas tree
• Elfed Myself
  
• Played with my cat
• Watched the Rudolph movie

None of those things is writing a final, but look at our pretty tree! It's Naomi's first tree as an adult, and we're very excited. Also, we coincidentally purchased said tree from the brother of one of my close high school friends. If anyone in Portland needs a tree, please hit up the lot on NE 21st between Broadway and Schuyler! Every single tree there looked perfect, and they're super nice people. Also, I didn't have another incident like last time...



I should have taken a picture of the cookies before they were decimated (by me). Here's the aftermath... It was three cookie sheets' worth last night...



I have a cat who wants to cuddle and a nice roommate on her way home with a pizza now. Chalk this up to a perfect weekend! Now if only I didn't have to write that pesky final...

Labels: days, holidays

Unless they had somehow come up with a graceful way for him to film this with his shirt off (and by "him," I don't mean the octopus...), I'm fairly certain that Sesame Street could not have made anything more perfect.

Labels: videos

Hi all! It's sweater time!

First, here I am in a turtleneck sweater from Banana Republic that used to fit well, and like most of my favorite clothes, I ended up damaging it in the wash. Yep, merino wool + hot water = bare midriff. I stretched it out before putting it on, so it was passable, but I won't ever be wearing it with low-waisted jeans again. Also, I really should paint my kitchen. Hideous.


Capella and her voodoo ways return, and she's armed with the holiday spirit. Actually, it's a sweater vest, so I supposed she's more accurately arm-less with the holiday spirit. Hay-oh! Way to rock the snowflakes, Caps!



Next up Grant stopped by my office. Yay Grant! This is way better than last week, when he sweatered and did not stop by my office. He was decked out in his sweater, vest, and very hip specs. Grant is way better at fashion than me.


Make that "everybody is way better at fashion than me."

My student Alex poked his head in just in time to model his sweater as well. And he had a vest. Was it also Vest Thursday? Did I miss a memo? Anyway, since Alex is my student I told him hell would freeze over before I gave him my blog address, but he said I could post this anyway.


Actually, hell may freeze over, because the Chicken Fountain did. Freakin' Oregon. What are you doing being so cold?




That's it for this Sweater Thursday! Join us again for sweaters next Thursday, when you may once again email pictures to sweaterphotos@hotmail.com for posting.

Labels: sweaters

I'm slow posting about it, but Sweater Thursday is BACK and it's green!

First up we have Capella, who sent in "je porte un chandail vert‏." She lives in Toronto and speaks Canadian. I don't know what it means for sure, but I think it has something to do with ports of green candles. Also, is that a little tiny man walking with a purple umbrella just left of her hand? Between the glamorous sweater and the shrunken man, I'm convinced Capella is hiding a secret life as a celebrity psychic and voodoo gypsy (and she's apparently not hiding it very well).



Next up is a two-fer, as Noodle and I pose together in our ghetto-turned-chic office. Her name is Natalie, but I decided it's really Noodley. She stepped it up a notch and got hip with her argyle. I stepped it down and wore one of my sweaters made of dead rabbits.


I'm not sure how we all ended up in the exact same shade of green, but I think maybe it was one of Capella's gypsy spells. She turned that guy little and then made darn sure we'd all look Irish together. Probably after that she made it rain gumdrops, because she's super fun like that and everyone knows all the cool stuff happens in Canada.

Some people sweatered and didn't send photos (GRANT!), but that's okay. I'll just make sarcastic comments about poor participation until they cave and do it next week.

If you'd like to submit your own sweater photo, email it to sweaterphotos@hotmail.com and I'll update the post. Fun!

Labels: sweaters