Wednesday's Child has moved back to it's permanent home at this location, please update your links and follow me on my own self hosted platform again with lots of new features (including a fully responsive mobile friendly design), thanks!
Blogger will no longer be updated and all of the original posts from this site have been moved to the new website.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Online Dating Sites, Oh the Humanity...
So why am I writing about this? Because in over a year of living in New Orleans, one of the most social cities in the country, I have have not met any (single) men I have ‘clicked’ with. I’ve met a lot of nice guys, but they always seem to be married. And I seem to have met most of the people in the local Goth scene. Who also seem to already be coupled or are in their 30’s, which is a little young for me. Part of my problem is most of my friends are married, or gay (I’ve met lots of great gay guys, my personal curse ;-) which also makes it harder to meet people. And I’m very picky. And very wary of strangers. I kind of have to be after the last few.
I’ve had two close friends who met their significant others on online dating sites. One is going very well (knock on wood) and the other started off much too good to be true and then exploded into drama. But I have a bad habit of thinking if you (men) have to pay a service to meet other people there’s either something wrong with you. Or you’re a player. Or both. And I believe that relationships just sort of happen if they’re supposed to. (Naive, yes I know) And though I’m going out and doing more socially than I’ve done since my early 20’s, I’m still single.
I’m not in any big hurry to actually get into a serious relationship with anyone, but I have no idea how to casually date. Before I was married (and between marriages) I only dated people I knew. People I worked with, friends. And I never dated more than one person at a time, I’m just weird that way. I’ve had exactly two dates with ‘strangers’ in my life and both were OK but non-eventful and awkward. And I’m not a flirt, I’m very direct and honest and it confuses me when people flirt and don’t really mean it.
I have never gone looking for a boyfriend in my life. Some were strays that I ‘felt sorry for’ and thought I could help (never do that, btw, it never ends well). One stalked me until I finally said yes to make him stop coming to my workplace. The last two were strangers I met in social situations. My ex-husband and I had so much in common all I could think was ‘What IS wrong with you?’. Unfortunately for me, it took me years to figure it out and then I still thought I could help him. 19 years later I gave up. I was ex-wife number three for him.
The last one was a complete train wreck who hid nothing, but had ‘potential’. I had been separated for a year and a half and was almost finished with the divorce paperwork, was feeling confident and figured why not? I was taking risks now and looking for some adventure, here it was. He seemed to be the polar opposite of my ex-husband (which proved untrue in many ways, but that also took time to discover). He seemed overly honest, and he was extremely intelligent. He had zero social skills. My ex-husband had been a liar, a scam artist and was Mr. Personality, but unfortunately not very smart. New guy was the most amazing alcoholic I had ever met (his skills far surpassed my first boyfriend, who I only thought had been a serious drinker). But he had been ‘someone’ before I met him, he had obviously had a serious work ethic at one time (my ex-husband didn’t work in the 19 years we were together). He had created a successful business, claimed he had a long term relationship (which I discovered to be untrue after we broke up), had owned several huge houses, several expensive cars, boats, his stories all seemed to jibe. And then he had lost it all, and lost his mind. Everyone has conspired against him (red flag!), stolen his business, his houses. But his stories started changing, ever so slightly at first, and eventually the facade crumbled. I did somehow manage to help him recover his health (enough to function and move away from Texas, where he claimed the humidity and mold was making him ill and overweight), and he told me repeatedly that I had ‘saved his life’, but he just went from depressed and sedentary to a manic exercise freak who blamed all of his problems on me. But that’s another story.
So after all that, I just wanted to be alone for awhile. And I have been. Just me and the cat and it’s been glorious. And quiet. But often lonely and boring. And I am curious to know, because over 20 years have passed since I was single, what sort of guy do I have to choose from now? Most men over 40 (and 50!) have been married, or in at least one long term relationship and have a lot of baggage. And usually children. And the ones who have never been married are even scarier. (What’s wrong with you??)
And in this part of the country, there is the redneck factor. I somehow ended up with a free trial of Eharmony last year, and just used it to look. I input a fake name to see what came up. And frankly, it was scary. Not one person in their ‘pool’ was anyone I could relate to. It was a sea of ‘hunting and fishing, camping and boating’ outdoorsy Christian guys, most overweight and balding. Many semi-illiterate. So I deleted the app in my iPad and went back to doing things by myself or with my (mostly female) friends.
I started doing things I really liked. I rode my bike on long (solo) journeys around the city. I started taking hooping classes (with all women). I got serious about my photography obsession again (very much a solo activity). I went to the gym (in the middle of the night). I went to clubs for Goth nights (with my female friends). I went to vaudeville and burlesque shows (with more female friends where the audiences were mostly couples and gay guys). I even went to karaoke nights at a few places (alone and scared to death). So you can see my problem. I’m not a very social person, I’ve always been kind of a loner. And I do things at weird hours when there aren’t a lot of people around.
I’ve gone to the local 80’s night a few times. I love to dance but I’m not a barfly, and it’s always awkward going to unfamiliar clubs alone, and I tend to get more defensive than friendly unless I know someone there. (Too many years of law enforcement and security) Because unfortunately, most guys think if you’re alone and agree to dance with them you’re agreeing to more. And dancing with other girls is only fun if you know them, otherwise it’s just kind of pathetic. And most of the bars in New Orleans allow smoking, it’s like flashing back to the 70’s, in a bad way :-(
Soooo.... I read this article and then the other night googled ‘online dating sites’ and came up with this list on Wikipedia.
Hmmm, Zoosk sounded interesting, but the target user is 25-25. And it’s tied in with facebook, which I’m guessing means my real name would be used and I don’t need any more stalkers.
True.com sounded interesting (background checks, cool!), but then I read the wiki on it, saw their slutty ad, read about the lawsuits, layoffs and financial problems and thought maybe not.
Already been to eHarmony, and it says it’s ‘designed specifically to match single men and women for long-term relationships’. I would feel like a fraud on that site, I don’t know if I ever want to get married again, though I would like to be with someone eventually. Just kind of gun shy still. And they got hacked last summer, oops. And they’re not gay friendly (I’m straight but not narrow, that’s uncool guys).
Lots of them are outside the US, no... they have one for extra-marital relationships? Eewww...
I’ve seen tv clips of the old SpeedDate (where people met in person), cool idea, but now it’s webcam stuff (I don’t even own one). Don’t think I want to know what Spray Date is...
Looking at the ‘200 niche sites’ at Passions Network, actually looks like several thousand now... Hmm, people who like TV (I bet that’s an exciting one, not). A site for divorced people, not sure it that’s a good thing or not. Cosplay and LARP, lol. Cougars... Ninjas?? Robot? Superhero. Hipsters (ha!). Stache (doesn’t that go with hipster?) Festivus!! Pirates (I know a lot of people who would appreciate that one) Smokers, more power to y’all (is there a non-smoker one? yes, there is). Frugal people, no thanks had one of those. Buddhists, Jewish, Catholics, Atheists, Wiccan, interracial, Punks, Socialists, vegetarians, single parent, no kids, there’s something for everyone. Overweight, tall, short (really). And of course, BDSM, tattoo, pierced, trannys. STD and HIV, somehow the word ‘passions’ doesn’t look right after those.
Promising but possibly scary, Goth, photography (could be good or bad, think about it...). Cycling. Dancing... (Why does the page for the Goth group have a big ad that says ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’?) Holy crap, the Goth group has 40 subgroups??? Including ‘vampires’ of course (I’ll bet it’s full of twilight fans, yep there’s a 20 year old Justin Bieber lookalike on page one). Funny, the sort age is 18-99, definitely for vampires, but it really should go to 200. Let’s do a quick search, only 3 males in the 35-51 yo range within 25 miles of New Orleans? That ain’t right. I’ll have to come back to this one.
So, since this is basically a lurking experiment and I don’t want to give my credit card out to anyone, I decided to sign up at a free site called Plenty of Fish to start. 40 million users registered (I bet). In the first three days with tons of filters on (no one married, no smokers, no drugs, no kids, no creeps, NOLA area, must have picture, 35-56 , have to change that), I got a dozen emails, and about 30 ‘would like to meet you’ pings. And all I’ve done is look at them, deleted a bunch, and then downloaded Mrs. Davis’ book because I have no idea what the hell how this all works and I don’t want to do anything stupid. And I honestly don’t want to even start a conversation with anyone because I can’t imagine meeting any of them in person. I’m very good at online conversations (in public, on facebook), I’ll banter with you all day. But privately? It just seems too personal.
No one looks ‘right’ to me. Lots of them (unfortunately a lot of photographer types with profile pictures of them holding their 300mm lenses like... you know) look downright creepy. One sent an email reading, verbatim (including the dot dot dot after) “Very pretty, maybe we should meet for coffee one day, become friends...”. (Imagines him twirling his mustache, and doing other things..._) *Delete*
Lots and lots of ‘hunting and camping and fishing and boating’ guys in gimme caps, many holding large trophy fish in their profile pictures. Everyone seems to be bald except for several with super long hair (who have strange, vague sounding jobs like ‘musician’ or ‘tour guide’. The only one that sounds halfway interesting, sent an interesting, personable email, is about to turn 57 and answered the ‘do you have a car’ question as N/A.
Ah well, going to bed, more later...
Monday, January 14, 2013
Advice for Online Dating from Elle
Hello again. I've been working on redesigning my site to accomodate and actual wordpress blog this fall and completely forgot I had this one out in internet limbo, oops. So Happy New Year's to everyone... Halloween was amazing, Christmas was beautiful but stressful for everyone but the seven year old, who scored beaucoup's of Monster High loot, and I got some great fireworks photos. To see the highlights until I get my internet world organized again, check my Flickr account. I'm trying to mesh several formats together that don't play well together - Wordpress (which I'm new to, I've used Movable Type most of my blogging life, Blogger is just a transitional state), and HTML (Adobe has discontinued my standby, GoLive, and replaced it with Muse and Dreamweaver, neither of which I've used before and I'm debating which one to start over with).
So moving on with the now. I read an article in Elle a few days ago about online dating. It mentioned several interesting advice books. Data, A Love Story by Amy Webb is online dating dissected by a computer geek. She tried it and got bad results, so she did everything backwards and figured out how to succeed. She created 10 male profiles of 'the perfect man' to gain info on what the popular women on the site looked like, how they presented themselves, which keywords they used, and the timing of their messages. I'm going to have to check that one out, that's how I figure things out also, unfortunately I often learn by error.
And the article includes a section with tips on online dating from Laurie Davis' book Love at First Click: The Ultimate Guide to Dating Online. I'm going to have to read this one, her advice sounds very logical and practical. And more than a little terrifying.
(Please note that I am paraphrasing and liberally quoting Mrs. Davis, this is not my advice, I have never dated online before.)
Here are her tips for success -
1. Play the Field - be in more than one community, join one mainstream site, one niche site, etc. Go back and forth so you're always 'the new girl'.
2. Ace Your Profile - pick an appealing user name, never use your real name or even your initials. Keep your about me section positive and fun, casual, under 500 words and detailed but not too specific (ex - I like HBO dramas, not I like Game of Thrones...). Use groups of threes, three interests, three words for your ideal match. Don't mention your job and don't be sarcastic.
3. Get Photo-Ready - Upload at least three photos, ideally seven, varying close ups, full length pics and action shots. For women, look into the camera. For men look slightly off camera. Have good lighting for your pics.
4. Choose Your Targets - She says 'it's impossible to message or date one person at a time... At that rate, you'll be dating online for years'. Make a list (offline) of what you're looking for - one so specific you'd probably be embarrassed if anyone actually read it. Her list included 72 specific qualities. Eliminate no brainers like 'honesty' and trustworthiness'.
5. Beware of Red Flags (love this one) - Such as online daters who used fewer first-person pronouns - presumably to avoid spelling out who they really are - were more likely to be lying. And when a man says "I hate drama" he means he has plenty already. 'Ready to move on' implies that he's not (and still involved with someone). "I'm not sure exactly how to describe myself" is code for low self-esteem. The words 'intimacy, massage and pleasurable all roughly translate to creep alert. And if a profile seems short - like a guy is hiding something - he probably is.
6. Make Contact - She suggests keeping messages brief - 98 words each ideally - and individualized to each recipient. Ask yourself 'what do I like about him?'. Choose three new people to email a day until you have a full roster of prospects and take it offline quickly, a date should be set up in six or fewer emails. 'Just hit reply", don't waste your time debating whether you should wait a day to write back.
Other books mentioned in the article include Love in the Time of Algorithms: What Technology Does to Meeting and Mating by Dan Slater.
And why am I discussing this now? Stay tuned...
So moving on with the now. I read an article in Elle a few days ago about online dating. It mentioned several interesting advice books. Data, A Love Story by Amy Webb is online dating dissected by a computer geek. She tried it and got bad results, so she did everything backwards and figured out how to succeed. She created 10 male profiles of 'the perfect man' to gain info on what the popular women on the site looked like, how they presented themselves, which keywords they used, and the timing of their messages. I'm going to have to check that one out, that's how I figure things out also, unfortunately I often learn by error.
And the article includes a section with tips on online dating from Laurie Davis' book Love at First Click: The Ultimate Guide to Dating Online. I'm going to have to read this one, her advice sounds very logical and practical. And more than a little terrifying.
(Please note that I am paraphrasing and liberally quoting Mrs. Davis, this is not my advice, I have never dated online before.)
Here are her tips for success -
1. Play the Field - be in more than one community, join one mainstream site, one niche site, etc. Go back and forth so you're always 'the new girl'.
2. Ace Your Profile - pick an appealing user name, never use your real name or even your initials. Keep your about me section positive and fun, casual, under 500 words and detailed but not too specific (ex - I like HBO dramas, not I like Game of Thrones...). Use groups of threes, three interests, three words for your ideal match. Don't mention your job and don't be sarcastic.
3. Get Photo-Ready - Upload at least three photos, ideally seven, varying close ups, full length pics and action shots. For women, look into the camera. For men look slightly off camera. Have good lighting for your pics.
4. Choose Your Targets - She says 'it's impossible to message or date one person at a time... At that rate, you'll be dating online for years'. Make a list (offline) of what you're looking for - one so specific you'd probably be embarrassed if anyone actually read it. Her list included 72 specific qualities. Eliminate no brainers like 'honesty' and trustworthiness'.
5. Beware of Red Flags (love this one) - Such as online daters who used fewer first-person pronouns - presumably to avoid spelling out who they really are - were more likely to be lying. And when a man says "I hate drama" he means he has plenty already. 'Ready to move on' implies that he's not (and still involved with someone). "I'm not sure exactly how to describe myself" is code for low self-esteem. The words 'intimacy, massage and pleasurable all roughly translate to creep alert. And if a profile seems short - like a guy is hiding something - he probably is.
6. Make Contact - She suggests keeping messages brief - 98 words each ideally - and individualized to each recipient. Ask yourself 'what do I like about him?'. Choose three new people to email a day until you have a full roster of prospects and take it offline quickly, a date should be set up in six or fewer emails. 'Just hit reply", don't waste your time debating whether you should wait a day to write back.
Other books mentioned in the article include Love in the Time of Algorithms: What Technology Does to Meeting and Mating by Dan Slater.
And why am I discussing this now? Stay tuned...
+++++++
UPDATE: This weblog has moved to a permanent home (and all Blogger posts have followed), please post all comments at the new location.
New home page at - http://wednesdays-child.com/
View this post and comment here - http://wednesdays-child.com/2013/01/14/advice-for-online-dating-from-elle/
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
On Stuff
We buy spend money on fancy containers to store our precious ‘stuff’. Fabulous closet systems, over the door racks. It’s insidious, there’s no end to it.
 |
| My stuffed to capacity storage unit in New Orleans. Almost $250 a month to store... what??? |
 |
| Here's all my furniture pushing Aaron's lovely leather sofa and love seat out of his living room |
So I put 95% of my belongings in a storage room for almost 9 months, with the intention of sorting it and getting rid of a bunch of it so we could fit into one home, but it was too overwhelming, too inaccessible... So we separated to sort out our things on our own, and I hauled my stuff to a different state and I am currently trying to make it fit into an even smaller apartment with two tiny turn of the last century closets. I have been forced to employee a lot of organizing tricks to maintain my sanity - built a custom, multi level clothing closet, added overhead storage, I’m using underbed storage, I bought a bigger dresser to replace my small childhood one. And I’m installing built in shelves in a wasted alcove for DVDs and paperbacks. I eventually want to transfer all my DVDs and CDs to my computer and make them truly portable, but that will take time.
 |
| My very organized but overstuffed (already) custom closet |
But that’s where I must stop. And then seriously began the journey of sorting through all of this ‘stuff’ and separating the things that I love, that really mean something to me, clothing I love and wear regularly, books I love, from all the extraneous crap that’s just overwhelming me. Tripping over things, having to step over things on the floor, makes me want to cry. I cannot be healthy in this environment, I am claustrophobic and the unopened boxes and the big piles of god knows what that have a habit of slowly sliding over give me panic attacks and make me feel sad and overwhelmed. And the expense of renting a storage unit, having to rent the largest Uhaul made for my last move... I’m just one little person with a cat. If I can’t manage my own mounds of life debris, how can I ever share a home with someone I love without driving them insane. It’s just all too much.
 |
| This was a few weeks ago, before the curtains. And before I freecycled all those damn storage boxes and shoe racks |
If something in your life makes you feel guilty because you are neglecting it, it reminds you of something negative, you don’t enjoy it, it only has some distant sentimental attachment, get rid of it. Find the things you own that make you happy, make you smile when you look at them, make you proud to own them, are useful to you, are good quality, you are passionate about and enjoy using. Find these things, some of them you probably have forgotten you even owned, may have not seen in years. That’s the real tragedy, neglecting what you love and spending all your time shuffling things from one place to another just to get through life and maintain your sanity.
If you haven’t worn something in a year and it’s not something of exceptional quality, that fits you well, and/or has a use (seasonal, special occasion clothing), get rid of it. If you have lost weight and are keeping fat clothes? Get rid of them, it’s an incentive to stay healthy and slim. They’re probably out of style anyway. Same thing for outdated, ‘I used to be a size 4’ clothes. Besides making you feel guilty that you can’t wear junior sized clothing anymore, again, they’re probably also out of style. If you’re losing weight, treat yourself by buying new, fashionable clothing as you lose weight. If you have something tiny and valuable, give it to a consignment shop, and use the profit to buy something that will make you feel good about yourself. Life in the present, stop living in the ‘back when I was XX age...’. I’ve been regularly donating clothing for the last few years and it makes me feel lighter and will hopefully make someone else happy and be useful to them.
I have a problem with books, magazines and knick knacks. The books are a lifelong problem, and my first job at a library cemented my fate. Bibliophiles say that ‘you can never have too many books’. Well, yes, you can. I am unearthing books I forgot I owned. I am coming to the realization that I will probably never reread the majority of my books. There are a lot that I will probably never give up, but one person does not need 11 bookcases. I had 22+ big plastic storage tubs of boxes in my last move, which is completely insane. I forgot what the estimated weight of my move was (5000-7000 pounds?) but most of it was books. Since then I’ve sold and donated three boxes of books, a box of LP’s, and four boxes of comic books (nothing valuable). I know I could have spent hundreds of hours selling them on ebay, but the relief at just getting rid of them made me much happier than the few dollars I would have netted.
 |
| I have almost an entire bookcase crammed with glass collectibles |
As for the knick knacks, I collect things like figurines of cats (I have OCD and worked at home selling on EBay full time for many years, so the temptation was in my face literally 24/7). They are dust catchers, I’m constantly worrying about breaking them, and the sheer volume of them makes me uneasy. A year or so ago, my shelves got full and I filled a plastic storage box with the lesser figurines and put it in the closet. I pulled it out a few weeks ago at a garage sale, and didn’t even remember I owned some of them. They didn’t sell well so I began giving them to children who seemed to show a genuine interest in them, remembering my passion for horses at a young age (yes, I know, don’t pass the problem on to the next generation ;-). But it made them happy to get a new treasure, and me happy because they were happy and I didn’t have to take them home. I have a lot of work to do. I may never finish. But the journey will lighten my soul and my life.
My entire life right now seems centered around sorting and purging and trying to recognize what my priorities in life are. It’s hard. My boyfriend has inspired me, he has pared his life down to just the truly important stuff, I’m very proud of him. He never could have done it with me crowding him out of his own house. My goal is to get down to the point where I know where every item I own is, I can find it in an instant if I need it and not waste time searching for it. And get out of the house and enjoy life, have more experiences than things ;-)
+++++++
UPDATE: This weblog has moved to a permanent home (and all Blogger posts have followed), please post all comments at the new location.
New home page at - http://wednesdays-child.com/
View this post and comment here -http://wednesdays-child.com/2012/05/08/on-stuff-decluttering/
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Saint Anne's Mardi Gras Day Parade photos
Here are Rendell Bird's pics, I haven't had a chance to upload mine yet to my blog. Nice photos!
+++++++
UPDATE: This weblog has moved to a permanent home (and all Blogger posts have followed), please post all comments at the new location.
New home page at - http://wednesdays-child.com/
View this post and comment here - http://wednesdays-child.com/2012/03/03/saint-annes-mardi-gras-day-parade-photos/
Friday, February 17, 2012
Babylon, Chaos and Muses
The three appropriately named parades we attended tonight at Mardi Gras. I have so many mixed emotions in my head right now. We spent almost six hours sitting on St. Charles Avenue tonight, at least half of which Mary's six year old daughter Ari spent crying and holding her ears. Her school sent them on a field trip to Mardi Gras World so she was excited but also on the road to worn out by the time the three back to back parades started. And once the parades start, there is no leaving, traffic is stopped for miles all around the parade route. She did fine last night with several hours of parades in the pouring rain, but tonight she was miserable. In the end she was given a Muses shoe, probably the hardest throw in the entire season to get so she went home happy. And I got another LED tambourine, courtesy of Mary. I had to buy one last year on Ebay (I collect tambourines), so that was the highlight of the evening for me. But I was acutely aware of poor Ari's misery all night. She eventually fell asleep thank goodness. And Mary couldn't understand how a child who got a Wii and a dozen Monster High dolls for Christmas could fail to be impressed by the cheap (but pretty) beads and the random stuffed toy, since she grew up in a time when catching one toy in a season was a miracle.
I dressed up in my tackiest, brightest parade clothes (and a jacket, it's a night parade, I'm not stupid). I can't find my wigs, they're buried somewhere in my storage room so I had to wear my own hair. And even though the weather was perfect, we had great seats, good parking, we lots of friends attending, and were watching one of the best parades in the city, I was numb by the end of the night also. I don't know why, or maybe I do, but I realized about halfway through that I was kind of ambivalent to the whole thing tonight. I've been off of Celexa for weeks, but it was kind of the same numb feeling you have on SSRI's, like your face is numb and you feel like everyone knows it. Maybe it's my MS, wish I knew... I've noticed after going to the parades for three years now I often feel a weird mixture of pissed off, annoyed and left out, wondering how I got here. Part of it is I'm hanging out with people who grew up going to the parades, who are bead magnets that can catch them with their eyes closed. There is also something akin to a religious frenzy, bordering on what feels like, but really rarely is, a dangerous mob mentality when the float stops moving because of a kink somewhere ahead and the crowd swarms the floats, screaming at the riders for shoes and stuffed animals, knocking each other out of the way to retrieve the items thrown from the floats before they hit the ground. Then there are the thousands of teen marching bands, dancers and natives strutting like they're on Soul Train, which can also make you feel older and whiter than you ever thought you could possibly be ;-) Though it's funny to see all the girls, in every shape and size you can imagine, in their skin tight sequined, spandex outfits marching along proudly as if they were all picture perfect. Which of course, they are with that amount of self confidence.
And while the child cried, another of our friends listened to her mp3 player, completely ignoring the parade, wishing she were elsewhere. I tried to get into the spirit, I brought two Dr. Pepper's mixed with Jager, but still didn't feel the rhythm of the music playing, even though I could feel the vibration in my bones. Mary and I observed after we got home how hard it is to actually get even a little bit drunk at real parades, even if you try, it's nearly impossible to even get a little buzz. Our theory is it's the mixture of the crowds, being outdoors, the constant movement and noise, and having to maintain the necessary hand/eye coordination to achieve the combination of catching things for fun and not getting physically injured at the same time for hours on end that keeps you sober. Oh well.
So I was quiet on the entire ride home while Mary chatted nonstop about the traffic. I heard everything but felt so detached it worried me. And not the least bit drunk. I kept having flashbacks to several weeks ago when I had an accident in the same area that had cost me the front end of my car. And I suddenly realized how much one of my back teeth was hurting, which I think I've lost a filling in and feels jagged and suddenly painful after several weeks of not attending to it after I first noticed the roughness with my tongue.
When we got home, I found a package on the porch for me. A gorgeous aqua negligee I had ordered a few weeks ago when Mary and I were shopping in the Galleria in Nordstrom's the day we left town, after a five day visit to Houston for a friend's wedding and to pick up a computer and a gun (a birthday present for me) at my late brother's apartment. We had ran into Aaron at Numbers unexpectedly that weekend after we had been broken up and been apart for several weeks after a miserable Christmas visit where everything seemed to progressively go wrong and it had been like old times. He was fit and happy, had noticeably lost weight and looked great, he had been exercising daily, he was sober and we talked and danced all night and had what was probably one of our best dates ever. I had spent the night with him that morning before we left and we parted on good terms, and Mary wanted to stop at the Galleria to shop for shoes before we left town, and she wanted to shop for lingerie, a 'requirement' for her husband to compensate for the trip, so we went to Nordstrom's and I decided to look around also. I found the same chemise in black and pink, but fell in love with the aqua, which was not in stock in my size so the salewoman ordered it for me.
But Aaron and I attempted another more extreme visit last weekend, a boot camp of sorts for me to join him in his daily workouts, including getting up at literally dawn, and everything went wrong again. So the arrival of the tiny bit of silky blue fabric in a box that could have held a dozen of them just made me sad.
I somehow took exactly 666 photos tonight, which is weird in several ways besides the numbers. It means that I obviously spent way too much time as an observer instead of a participant, which I know adds to the detachment I felt. I have it down to a boring science, step out on the street, take a photo of the beginning of the float (the artistry involved fascinates me and I feel neglectful if I fail to document even one of them), lower the camera as the float approaches while trying to alternately catch and dodge the throws, once I've ascertained whether I have a chance at catching anything interesting of not, then raising the camera and snapping some of the riders and crowd. Rinse and repeat. I do try and get some candid and artsy photos too, but my new camera is slow to focus at night and that adds to my frustration. Also the thought of downloading and editing through so many photos is both exhilarating and kind of depressing. I'm actually looking forward (as best someone with OCD and a photo fetish can) to a ball we're attending Sunday night where there are no photos allowed.
Then there's the apartment. It's so close to being competed it's driving me nuts, and the construction guys have loyally shown up almost every day, which is unheard of in this city during carnival. The only major thing left to do is lightly sand and revarnish the floors, which means all my furniture is still stuck in storage till after the parades have stopped. And Mary's cousin and her husband will be sleeping there before I get to (albeit on an air mattress), because I am living in the guest quarters they have permanently reserved for Mardi Gras. But ironically they're bringing their dogs (we're refinishing the floors because of the damage done by the previous tenants dogs), so that worked out well. I love them both and can't wait to see them again, but it's still feels weird. Last year I was sleeping on the air mattress, though, so yay me.
On the upside the washer and dryer have been installed and the water was turned back on today and I got to do my first load of laundry in the new dryer and semi-new washer, which are fabulous and much higher quality than my apartment or the ones I owned in my house.
I got my first real mail today, addressed to me and not 'current occupant', the new issue of Gothic Beauty.
And I got to decorate my porch in beads.
Goodnight ;-)
I dressed up in my tackiest, brightest parade clothes (and a jacket, it's a night parade, I'm not stupid). I can't find my wigs, they're buried somewhere in my storage room so I had to wear my own hair. And even though the weather was perfect, we had great seats, good parking, we lots of friends attending, and were watching one of the best parades in the city, I was numb by the end of the night also. I don't know why, or maybe I do, but I realized about halfway through that I was kind of ambivalent to the whole thing tonight. I've been off of Celexa for weeks, but it was kind of the same numb feeling you have on SSRI's, like your face is numb and you feel like everyone knows it. Maybe it's my MS, wish I knew... I've noticed after going to the parades for three years now I often feel a weird mixture of pissed off, annoyed and left out, wondering how I got here. Part of it is I'm hanging out with people who grew up going to the parades, who are bead magnets that can catch them with their eyes closed. There is also something akin to a religious frenzy, bordering on what feels like, but really rarely is, a dangerous mob mentality when the float stops moving because of a kink somewhere ahead and the crowd swarms the floats, screaming at the riders for shoes and stuffed animals, knocking each other out of the way to retrieve the items thrown from the floats before they hit the ground. Then there are the thousands of teen marching bands, dancers and natives strutting like they're on Soul Train, which can also make you feel older and whiter than you ever thought you could possibly be ;-) Though it's funny to see all the girls, in every shape and size you can imagine, in their skin tight sequined, spandex outfits marching along proudly as if they were all picture perfect. Which of course, they are with that amount of self confidence.
And while the child cried, another of our friends listened to her mp3 player, completely ignoring the parade, wishing she were elsewhere. I tried to get into the spirit, I brought two Dr. Pepper's mixed with Jager, but still didn't feel the rhythm of the music playing, even though I could feel the vibration in my bones. Mary and I observed after we got home how hard it is to actually get even a little bit drunk at real parades, even if you try, it's nearly impossible to even get a little buzz. Our theory is it's the mixture of the crowds, being outdoors, the constant movement and noise, and having to maintain the necessary hand/eye coordination to achieve the combination of catching things for fun and not getting physically injured at the same time for hours on end that keeps you sober. Oh well.
So I was quiet on the entire ride home while Mary chatted nonstop about the traffic. I heard everything but felt so detached it worried me. And not the least bit drunk. I kept having flashbacks to several weeks ago when I had an accident in the same area that had cost me the front end of my car. And I suddenly realized how much one of my back teeth was hurting, which I think I've lost a filling in and feels jagged and suddenly painful after several weeks of not attending to it after I first noticed the roughness with my tongue.
When we got home, I found a package on the porch for me. A gorgeous aqua negligee I had ordered a few weeks ago when Mary and I were shopping in the Galleria in Nordstrom's the day we left town, after a five day visit to Houston for a friend's wedding and to pick up a computer and a gun (a birthday present for me) at my late brother's apartment. We had ran into Aaron at Numbers unexpectedly that weekend after we had been broken up and been apart for several weeks after a miserable Christmas visit where everything seemed to progressively go wrong and it had been like old times. He was fit and happy, had noticeably lost weight and looked great, he had been exercising daily, he was sober and we talked and danced all night and had what was probably one of our best dates ever. I had spent the night with him that morning before we left and we parted on good terms, and Mary wanted to stop at the Galleria to shop for shoes before we left town, and she wanted to shop for lingerie, a 'requirement' for her husband to compensate for the trip, so we went to Nordstrom's and I decided to look around also. I found the same chemise in black and pink, but fell in love with the aqua, which was not in stock in my size so the salewoman ordered it for me.
But Aaron and I attempted another more extreme visit last weekend, a boot camp of sorts for me to join him in his daily workouts, including getting up at literally dawn, and everything went wrong again. So the arrival of the tiny bit of silky blue fabric in a box that could have held a dozen of them just made me sad.
I somehow took exactly 666 photos tonight, which is weird in several ways besides the numbers. It means that I obviously spent way too much time as an observer instead of a participant, which I know adds to the detachment I felt. I have it down to a boring science, step out on the street, take a photo of the beginning of the float (the artistry involved fascinates me and I feel neglectful if I fail to document even one of them), lower the camera as the float approaches while trying to alternately catch and dodge the throws, once I've ascertained whether I have a chance at catching anything interesting of not, then raising the camera and snapping some of the riders and crowd. Rinse and repeat. I do try and get some candid and artsy photos too, but my new camera is slow to focus at night and that adds to my frustration. Also the thought of downloading and editing through so many photos is both exhilarating and kind of depressing. I'm actually looking forward (as best someone with OCD and a photo fetish can) to a ball we're attending Sunday night where there are no photos allowed.
Then there's the apartment. It's so close to being competed it's driving me nuts, and the construction guys have loyally shown up almost every day, which is unheard of in this city during carnival. The only major thing left to do is lightly sand and revarnish the floors, which means all my furniture is still stuck in storage till after the parades have stopped. And Mary's cousin and her husband will be sleeping there before I get to (albeit on an air mattress), because I am living in the guest quarters they have permanently reserved for Mardi Gras. But ironically they're bringing their dogs (we're refinishing the floors because of the damage done by the previous tenants dogs), so that worked out well. I love them both and can't wait to see them again, but it's still feels weird. Last year I was sleeping on the air mattress, though, so yay me.
On the upside the washer and dryer have been installed and the water was turned back on today and I got to do my first load of laundry in the new dryer and semi-new washer, which are fabulous and much higher quality than my apartment or the ones I owned in my house.
I got my first real mail today, addressed to me and not 'current occupant', the new issue of Gothic Beauty.
And I got to decorate my porch in beads.
Goodnight ;-)
+++++++
UPDATE: This weblog has moved to a permanent home (and all Blogger posts have followed), please post all comments at the new location.
New home page at - http://wednesdays-child.com/
View this post and comment here - http://wednesdays-child.com/2012/02/17/babylon-chaos-and-muses/
Monday, January 23, 2012
Primer and cabinet day!
Goodnight all, was doing some last minute panic color swatching
because the workmen are coming this morning to do the primer, yay! I I
will be known as the crazy lady in the blue house ;-) (Lots of blue on
the walls, my dream)
All the red on the walls and the tub is history, just too damn dark and claustrophobic.
Going with blue and white and lighter blue (maybe with bead board at the bottom). Tub will be repainted a dark almost teal blue to tie in with the front den and office area (with is a lighter teal), top half of the bathroom will be a medium blue with a hint of green , the lower half of the bathroom (bead board) will be a lighter version of the medium blue, the ceiling above the picture rail will probably be the lightest shade of pale blue in that family. The vanity area will be a shade lighter than the top of the tub/toilet area, with light cabinet tops to counter balance the walls and dark floors. Cabinets will probably be some sort of ivory.
The bedroom will be in a medium slate blue grey, the dining room (or as I'm calling it my meditation and hooping room), will painted one shade darker blue grey, and will be embellished with stenciled antique gold stars randomly.
The kitchen is still a bit up in the air but for now, but the current fave is a light gold, with a dark countertop, and the cabinets and trip will probably be ivory. Still working on appliances...
To see some of the color swatching madness this week click here
Tired, pills kicking in, sleep now... Raining outside, Damn, where am I parked??
All the red on the walls and the tub is history, just too damn dark and claustrophobic.
0Going with blue and white and lighter blue (maybe with bead board at the bottom). Tub will be repainted a dark almost teal blue to tie in with the front den and office area (with is a lighter teal), top half of the bathroom will be a medium blue with a hint of green , the lower half of the bathroom (bead board) will be a lighter version of the medium blue, the ceiling above the picture rail will probably be the lightest shade of pale blue in that family. The vanity area will be a shade lighter than the top of the tub/toilet area, with light cabinet tops to counter balance the walls and dark floors. Cabinets will probably be some sort of ivory.
The bedroom will be in a medium slate blue grey, the dining room (or as I'm calling it my meditation and hooping room), will painted one shade darker blue grey, and will be embellished with stenciled antique gold stars randomly.
The kitchen is still a bit up in the air but for now, but the current fave is a light gold, with a dark countertop, and the cabinets and trip will probably be ivory. Still working on appliances...
To see some of the color swatching madness this week click here
Tired, pills kicking in, sleep now... Raining outside, Damn, where am I parked??
+++++++
UPDATE: This weblog has moved to a permanent home (and all Blogger posts have followed), please post all comments at the new location.
New home page at - http://wednesdays-child.com/
View this post and comment here - http://wednesdays-child.com/2012/01/23/primer-and-cabinet-day/
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Weigh In 1/18/12
Before I post today's info, here are the last recorded stats I had from March/April of 2011, when I was exercising regularly and feeling good. But still 15-20 pounds above my goal. Now I have twice as far to go.
Weight April 2011 - 136 pounds, 27.5% body fat, BMI unknown (scale didn't have that).
Measurements February 2011 - Bust 39.3, waist 32.5, hips 37.25, thigh 22, bicep 12.75
(drum roll please)
1/17/2012 - Weight 152.8, 39.8% body fat %, BMI 28.8. Bust 42.5, waist 35, hips 39, thigh 23.5, bicep 13.
Goodnight.
Weight April 2011 - 136 pounds, 27.5% body fat, BMI unknown (scale didn't have that).
Measurements February 2011 - Bust 39.3, waist 32.5, hips 37.25, thigh 22, bicep 12.75
(drum roll please)
1/17/2012 - Weight 152.8, 39.8% body fat %, BMI 28.8. Bust 42.5, waist 35, hips 39, thigh 23.5, bicep 13.
Goodnight.
+++++++
Update: This weblog has moved to a permanent home (and all Blogger posts have followed), please post all comments at the new location.
New home page at - http://wednesdays-child.com/
See this post at - http://wednesdays-child.com/2012/01/18/weigh-in-11812/
50 years = 50 x 3
More on the subject of overindulging. For the majority of 2011 (especially the last half) I have been really stressed out. Trying to work full time at a stressful job (as a 9-1-1 operator, working 10 pm -6 am), with an unstable relationship with my boyfriend (our sleep/wake schedules were total opposites and cost both of us a lot of sleep in our attempts to see each other, kept us both on edge, and completely screwed up our eating schedules), during our attempts to buy a house, and just not having any sort of stability in my life with constantly moving. And we both gained about the same amount of weight. I discovered tonight I have gained almost 17 pounds since the last time I documented my weight. And 2 1/2 inches in my waist. I cried tonight when I saw the numbers.
He's a foot taller than me, so that's pretty freaking scary. I am 5'1 and have what is (at my best) a compact muscular build. I don't want it, I want to be 18 and 97 pounds again, and about 5 inches taller (though even then I had wide shoulders, I was skinny and bony but never lithe and willowy like I always wanted to be).
I actually began lifting weights in the early 80's because I thought I was TOO skinny. My backbone and hipbones stuck out. I'm glad I did now because my bone density reading is perfect, but I am very short waisted and gain all my weight in my waist and boobs, so even a few pounds is immediately obvious. I'm straight waisted :-( And short. Not petite, just short.
Aaron and I joined 24 Hour Fitness a year ago today in Houston because we were both about 15-20 pounds overweight and in bad shape and we really tried. And we both did well at it for about 6 months. I actually enjoyed doing aerobic exercise for the first time. I liked the elliptical machine and the treadmill. We went bike riding, it was great. But then the house hunting started and just consumed both of us. And we both got bad about going to the gym regularly and gradually all our progress slipped away and we were back where we started and a little worse.
And I got down to about 135, was starting to look and feel good about myself.
My goal was (is) between 115-120 pounds. For years I honestly didn't think that was attainable for me because of all the health problems I've had and the hormonal crap that happened in my early 20's when I was pregnant for a few months (yes, that blew my hormones out of the water, I went from an A cup to a C cup dammit and began gaining weight immediately and steadily). But in fall of 2009 my weight dropped to below 120 pounds. And I'm still not sure why. I think it was a combination of stress from going through my divorce and the thyroid medicine I was taking. I actually got down to a size 6 in jeans, which for me is skinny. My anatomical smallest waist (even at 97 pounds) is about a 26-28 inches.
And it stayed off for about six months, then I gradually went back up towards around 135, which is where I was when I met Aaron in September, 2011. Too heavy, but not terrible. Not good, though.
The shiny slip and wide belt don't help, but in person this outfit was actually kind of cute.
But now I'm in New Orleans now and they don't have 24 Hour Fitness in Louisiana. So I joined the local gym a week or so ago here in New Orleans, Elmwood Fitness, which is gorgeous btw. They wanted me to come in and get weighed, measured and get my BMI and then they were going to write up a personal fitness routine for me and wanted me to keep notes on my progress. But this distressed me in several ways. First, I used to own a gym and don't like being told how to exercise (this has caused several arguments between Aaron and I also because he used to date an aerobics instructor, and I hate aerobics), I like strength training, and a little bit of aerobics. I became friends with the elliptical machine and the treadmill last year. He likes the stairmaster, maybe one day I'll like it too.
Second, the thought of a stranger, and a male at that (they only have one female that does this and she was booked for two weeks out), taking my weight and measurements terrified me. I know I've gained an uncomfortable amount of weight, my clothes don't fit well anymore, things are hurting that didn't used to, and I know I look like crap. And I was afraid to find out. My scale has been in storage since May in an unknown box and that was just fine with me.
And it's a huge, unfamiliar gym and I don't want to look like an idiot. But Aaron has lost 20 pounds since I moved to New Orleans (and I know he worked hard at it, but honestly, men can lose weight so much faster than women, it's not fair). And I really want to start working out again. And I knew I needed to.
So I told myself I was going to go and orient myself tonight when I finished painting. Which tool longer than I thought, so I snuck in an hour before they closed. Which was fine, no one was there and I could wander around unnoticed. I did 10 minutes on the elliptical, which wasn't hard because we've been walking so much, but my heart rate stayed around 150 the entire time. Bad sign.
Then I weighed myself in the locker room (with all my clothes on). And I actually gasped and scared a woman getting dressed. I was over 150 pounds. I haven't weighed that much in years. And this is equivalent to the highest I ever got, my very worst. It scared the crap out of me. I've been eating better this month (lots of fish, chicken and salads), cutting back on desserts and alcohol, so I may have been even worse a few weeks ago.
I was so freaked out I stopped at Walmart on the way home and bought a scale with body fat percentage and BMI readings. I was going to use it till I get my other scale out of storage (and return it) but this one is much nicer and a lot easier to read. Bought a rice cooker too, I miss Aaron's but in my rush I didn't realize it didn't have a steamer, so more research required on that one. It was the only small one they had, I don't need 20 cups of rice. Soon I will have a proper kitchen again and that will help also. I'll have all my cooking utensils and pots and pans back.
I can't imagine what my cholesterol is now. It was normal on my last physical (it's been 200+ most of my adult life).
So, it's exercise and eat right or die. Of discomfort and embarrassment. Of heart disease. Of arthritis from the extra weight that is making my feet hurt like hell and causing random stabbing pains in my back.
I'm going to document my progress on this blog. Starting a new post so my results will be short and sweet (not, at least not now). No excuses, ashamed and embarrassed but beginning again. No dieting, eating better, exercising, and sleeping at least 7-8 hours a day. Haven't done much of that this year because of our crazy schedules.
Starting tomorrow. Been freaked out all night about the weight, got caught in the thunderstorm earlier. OK, posting the results as soon as I publish this one, let's get everything out in the open at once. In my life, I've found putting things in writing makes it happen. And keeps me honest ;-)
He's a foot taller than me, so that's pretty freaking scary. I am 5'1 and have what is (at my best) a compact muscular build. I don't want it, I want to be 18 and 97 pounds again, and about 5 inches taller (though even then I had wide shoulders, I was skinny and bony but never lithe and willowy like I always wanted to be).
 |
| 1980 with my 79 Camaro |
I actually began lifting weights in the early 80's because I thought I was TOO skinny. My backbone and hipbones stuck out. I'm glad I did now because my bone density reading is perfect, but I am very short waisted and gain all my weight in my waist and boobs, so even a few pounds is immediately obvious. I'm straight waisted :-( And short. Not petite, just short.
Aaron and I joined 24 Hour Fitness a year ago today in Houston because we were both about 15-20 pounds overweight and in bad shape and we really tried. And we both did well at it for about 6 months. I actually enjoyed doing aerobic exercise for the first time. I liked the elliptical machine and the treadmill. We went bike riding, it was great. But then the house hunting started and just consumed both of us. And we both got bad about going to the gym regularly and gradually all our progress slipped away and we were back where we started and a little worse.
And I got down to about 135, was starting to look and feel good about myself.
 |
| April 2011, after about 4 months of working out, about 135 pounds |
My goal was (is) between 115-120 pounds. For years I honestly didn't think that was attainable for me because of all the health problems I've had and the hormonal crap that happened in my early 20's when I was pregnant for a few months (yes, that blew my hormones out of the water, I went from an A cup to a C cup dammit and began gaining weight immediately and steadily). But in fall of 2009 my weight dropped to below 120 pounds. And I'm still not sure why. I think it was a combination of stress from going through my divorce and the thyroid medicine I was taking. I actually got down to a size 6 in jeans, which for me is skinny. My anatomical smallest waist (even at 97 pounds) is about a 26-28 inches.
 |
| Halloween 2009 in New Orleans at one of the Anne Rice VL Fan Club events |
And it stayed off for about six months, then I gradually went back up towards around 135, which is where I was when I met Aaron in September, 2011. Too heavy, but not terrible. Not good, though.
 | |||||||
| September 3, 2011, the night we met |
The shiny slip and wide belt don't help, but in person this outfit was actually kind of cute.
But now I'm in New Orleans now and they don't have 24 Hour Fitness in Louisiana. So I joined the local gym a week or so ago here in New Orleans, Elmwood Fitness, which is gorgeous btw. They wanted me to come in and get weighed, measured and get my BMI and then they were going to write up a personal fitness routine for me and wanted me to keep notes on my progress. But this distressed me in several ways. First, I used to own a gym and don't like being told how to exercise (this has caused several arguments between Aaron and I also because he used to date an aerobics instructor, and I hate aerobics), I like strength training, and a little bit of aerobics. I became friends with the elliptical machine and the treadmill last year. He likes the stairmaster, maybe one day I'll like it too.
Second, the thought of a stranger, and a male at that (they only have one female that does this and she was booked for two weeks out), taking my weight and measurements terrified me. I know I've gained an uncomfortable amount of weight, my clothes don't fit well anymore, things are hurting that didn't used to, and I know I look like crap. And I was afraid to find out. My scale has been in storage since May in an unknown box and that was just fine with me.
And it's a huge, unfamiliar gym and I don't want to look like an idiot. But Aaron has lost 20 pounds since I moved to New Orleans (and I know he worked hard at it, but honestly, men can lose weight so much faster than women, it's not fair). And I really want to start working out again. And I knew I needed to.
So I told myself I was going to go and orient myself tonight when I finished painting. Which tool longer than I thought, so I snuck in an hour before they closed. Which was fine, no one was there and I could wander around unnoticed. I did 10 minutes on the elliptical, which wasn't hard because we've been walking so much, but my heart rate stayed around 150 the entire time. Bad sign.
Then I weighed myself in the locker room (with all my clothes on). And I actually gasped and scared a woman getting dressed. I was over 150 pounds. I haven't weighed that much in years. And this is equivalent to the highest I ever got, my very worst. It scared the crap out of me. I've been eating better this month (lots of fish, chicken and salads), cutting back on desserts and alcohol, so I may have been even worse a few weeks ago.
I was so freaked out I stopped at Walmart on the way home and bought a scale with body fat percentage and BMI readings. I was going to use it till I get my other scale out of storage (and return it) but this one is much nicer and a lot easier to read. Bought a rice cooker too, I miss Aaron's but in my rush I didn't realize it didn't have a steamer, so more research required on that one. It was the only small one they had, I don't need 20 cups of rice. Soon I will have a proper kitchen again and that will help also. I'll have all my cooking utensils and pots and pans back.
I can't imagine what my cholesterol is now. It was normal on my last physical (it's been 200+ most of my adult life).
So, it's exercise and eat right or die. Of discomfort and embarrassment. Of heart disease. Of arthritis from the extra weight that is making my feet hurt like hell and causing random stabbing pains in my back.
I'm going to document my progress on this blog. Starting a new post so my results will be short and sweet (not, at least not now). No excuses, ashamed and embarrassed but beginning again. No dieting, eating better, exercising, and sleeping at least 7-8 hours a day. Haven't done much of that this year because of our crazy schedules.
Starting tomorrow. Been freaked out all night about the weight, got caught in the thunderstorm earlier. OK, posting the results as soon as I publish this one, let's get everything out in the open at once. In my life, I've found putting things in writing makes it happen. And keeps me honest ;-)
+++++++
UPDATE: This weblog has moved to a permanent home (and all Blogger posts have followed), please post all comments at the new location.
New home page at - http://wednesdays-child.com/
View this post and comment here - http://wednesdays-child.com/2012/01/18/50-years-50-x-3/
Friday, January 13, 2012
Overindulging
Oh yeah. I remember now. When I’m depressed I shop. And don’t eat right and don’t exercise. But I did join a gym, my heart is in the right place, now I just have to get the rest of me there. I scared myself by finding out tonight I’ve gone up a size in pants and belts. The gym wants me to come in for my free consultation to get measured and calculate my body mass index. Honestly? I don’t want to know. I’ve been feeling worse and worse the last few months, so it’s not like I didn’t know. Maybe I just didn’t care. I’m glad my scale is in storage...
When I left my husband a few years ago, I actually lost too much weight. Just from stress, got down below 120 pounds and to a size 6. Wish I could figure out what I did then, I want to be able to wear my black Levi’s again, I still have all the ‘tiny’ clothes I bought in 2009.
I’m very good at shopping. I’m not going to discuss everything I’ve bought lately, because it’s kind of scary. I actually did get a few really good deals today. The cheapest (and goofiest) was a set of Betsey Johnson blue glitter vinyl containers. The one on the right is an iPad case :-) I wandered aimlessly into Macy’s this evening and literally ran into them on the clearance table. 40% off, my favorite color, on Ipad case left and in my favorite color combination (I want a 50’s dinette set in this material so badly). Not practical, the case is ill fitting and I love my normal case, but IT’S FREAKING BLUE GLITTER!!! And... IT'S AN IPAD CASE!!!
When I left my husband a few years ago, I actually lost too much weight. Just from stress, got down below 120 pounds and to a size 6. Wish I could figure out what I did then, I want to be able to wear my black Levi’s again, I still have all the ‘tiny’ clothes I bought in 2009.
I’m very good at shopping. I’m not going to discuss everything I’ve bought lately, because it’s kind of scary. I actually did get a few really good deals today. The cheapest (and goofiest) was a set of Betsey Johnson blue glitter vinyl containers. The one on the right is an iPad case :-) I wandered aimlessly into Macy’s this evening and literally ran into them on the clearance table. 40% off, my favorite color, on Ipad case left and in my favorite color combination (I want a 50’s dinette set in this material so badly). Not practical, the case is ill fitting and I love my normal case, but IT’S FREAKING BLUE GLITTER!!! And... IT'S AN IPAD CASE!!!
And I really like some of Betsey’s stuff, I’ve got a few of her fabulous skull jewels, and I know I’m secretly kicking myself for not buying the Punk Rock Skull Princess Hobo bag last year.
I had it in my hand at the Galleria, I almost bought it, I had the money, and I couldn’t justify it, now it’s gone everywhere and I regret it. Oh well.
Mary and I made one reasonable purchase today, we were appliance shopping for the apartment to replace some missing/damaged things (like the oven and vent) and we found a Samsung dryer and the connection kit so they can be stacked to replace the side by side mismatched set in the kitchen so I can actually have a bit of cabinet space. Her plumbers were kind enough to help us carry it inside, because it was clearance Lowe's wouldn't deliver it.
There is a dryer in the apartment, but it’s a tiny kitchen as you can see below. We’d been trying to figure out whether they actually could be stacked, and stumbled into the Samsung rep at Lowe’s who gave us all the info we needed and directed us to an older floor model in the back that was already marked half off and we talked them out of another $70, yay us!
Goodnight, another early morning (no sleep, yay me!), have to look at paint samples and for more appliance bargains, we're trying to get as much work completed before February so I don't have to map for another month of storage. And the Mardi Gras events begin in earnest at the beginning of February and finding handymen will be nearly impossible.
+++++++
UPDATE: This weblog has moved to a permanent home (and all Blogger posts have followed), please post all comments at the new location.
New home page at - http://wednesdays-child.com/
View this post and comment here - http://wednesdays-child.com/2012/01/13/overindulging/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)