So, hi...

No I'm not dead. I've not fallen prey to swine flu. I've not been shanghaied, or kidnapped for human trafficking (I should never have been allowed to see Taken). I've been sewing, working, getting my computer back (and it's actually fixed!!!!), shopping, and planning. I've been very busy, and while I wanted to blog about it all, I haven't.... So bad me, but it shan't happen again.

Jess and I went to go get lunch yesterday at a cafe in an antique store, and this sign was sitting there looking happy. It cracked me up so I took a picture.

Only photo I managed to take this whole week. This is in the vintage section of the antique store.

Stats:

Bag: Thrifted (buffalo exchange in Portland, Or.)

Dress: Thrifted(Goodwill)

Shoes: Thrifted (Salvation Army)

Good Glory this is a bad picture. but oh well. Today I am off to the beach with friends for surfing, and fish and chips, and maybe Upstart Crow coffee. Summer is definitely here. June Gloom is over and it's supposed to be in the 90's this weekend. I have had In-n-out twice this week, and slept with the fan on and window open. If I get a sunburn today, we'll really know summer's here....

I have lots to show, but I probably won't post those until Sunday.

But hey, I have my computer back!

Lovely Weekends and Sea Monsters

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!
My parents are off cavorting around Seattle right now for their anniversary. Last time they went away, it was a near disaster (though not because of me, but because certain sisters of mine could not control their hormones). This time has been the loveliest weekend ever. No one has fought, people have pretty much done what they are supposed to right away, and everyone has been pretty doggone co-operative. Let me tell you, this is an amazing feat for seven siblings to do.

Yesterday we barbecued burgers and hot dogs, had watermelon, veggies, and jello with homemade whipped cream, swam in the pool, watched Harper's Island with Jessica, Screamed more than normal at this episode, made some coffee, and went to bed. It was really wonderful.

I had another weird dream last night*. This time I was at some open football field singing with Chamber Singers (which I dropped out of last fall), and then the director (who doesn't like me, just my voice), came up to me and asked if he could help me, and I explained that I wanted to take voice lessons through the school instead of paying on my own (which I don't), and he said that over the summer in order to take voice lessons I had to learn how to fill out Bankruptcy Petitions, and I was all excited because I already know how to do that. Then my voice teacher showed up wearing shorts, flip-flops, and a t-shirt (he has never dressed like that on campus), and he asked me what was up, and I told him the deal I'd just made with the choir director, and he was all happy for me, then out of nowhere these two creatures came out of nowhere offering me some fish to eat. They kinda looked like a cross between Ursula from The Little Mermaid, Medusa, A sleestack from Land of the Lost, and Cindy Crawford. One was blue and one was green and they had originally been throwing out tentacles at each other fighting, then they saw me and gave me this fish and suddenly my voice teacher was there again shooting magical balls of flame (that was blue and green) at them and trying to get to me. I was on some acid-like trip from the fish and just laughed the whole time. Then he finally backed off the two fish ladies and grabbed me and pulled me out of the music building (where we had suddenly moved to during the discussion about Bankruptcy Petitions) muttering how I was now "much more involved than he had hoped." Then once I wasn't high anymore from the fish (which I now carried in my arms in a basket), Steve explained to me that I was a carrier of magical powers that the fish ladies wanted (they had names, but I don't remember them), and he was a protector of humans from the ocean peoples and had been instructed to keep watch over me. He surmised that it was the choir director, who told them where I was since he is actually one of them in disguise and why he was always so desperate to keep me around. He figured the reason they attacked now was because my magical powers would become more evident now, thus they could harness them for evil.

I've gotta lay off the coffee before bed. And why do all my dreams have to be these epic things?
However the above would explain a whole lot of stuff.

I'm off to be productive, and maybe do some of the mending I'm putting off. Hope everyone has had a lovely weekend so far!

*For new readers, I get weird dreams alot. I don't make any of this up, it happens and I can't change it. I don't know why I have them, I just do. They usually come in week long "episodes", and then everything is fine for a week or two. I do not take any drugs, legal or otherwise, nor do I smoke anything, legal or otherwise. It just happens. Then I share them with you for your amusement. Or mine, I'm not sure which.

Edit:

So I just saw this on yahoo's OMG thing that I find mysef oddly drawn to. This is handbag designer Lulu Guinness. The bag she's holding is her own. The yahoo people went on and on about it's horrificness. Frankly, I think it's brilliant. I hate the colour, but I am so going to wear a dress with eyes on it someday.

Over the Rainbow, and other tales.

I always find it funny how blogging reminds us all that the world is very small, and that really we're all very similar. Andrea* posted a post about being in a fashion block: times when you just aren't inspired by anything and you stare into the depths of your closet going "Uhhh what am I supposed to do with a skirt again?" This was me Monday morning. Sunday I randomly went into the Kohls near my house. I never go to Kohls, but in I went and out with a Wizard of Oz shirt I came. The Wizard of Oz is my favourite movie of all time. I love it (I mean come on a story that focuses on shoes!), and always will. I discovered this movie when I was two and apparently didn't stop watching it over and over for weeks. I still love it to this day. When I'm down I watch it, because it always makes me smile. Sure it's cheesy, and childish, but so am I. Every year for my birthday and Christmas I get at least one Wizard of Oz token. Key chains. magnets, figurines, I have a ton! It also helps that Poppies happen to be my favourite flower (and always have been). So Monday morning I got up looked around saw the shirt and had a brilliant idea. What if I dressed like Dorothy Gale? For a whole week, using only what I already have in my wardrobe. I've done inspiration from book characters before when I was uninspired, but never posted about it. So I thought it would be really fun and interesting to see what I came up with. So here's the result: (if you just look at the pictures, go to the bottom and read there. I have a quick question.)

Monday:
The day that started it all. I rummaged through my closet desperately. I hadn't done laundry and just didn't have any inkling as to what I should wear and thus I came up with this brilliant idea. I was just going to wear the shirt that inspired it all, but them I saw my Anthro shirt hanging up. So I wore an Emerald shirt in honor of the Emerald City, My red crinoline, red flats (cuz who would Dorothy be without her red shoes?), and my "basket" bag. The skirt is actually my favourite skirt ever. I bought it at a rummage sale and it's by Bitten By Sarah Jessica Parker, and began life as a trapeze dress. I cut off the ugly straps and thus it became my favourite high waisted circle skirt.

Stats:

Shirt: Anthro (on sale for $20!)

Skirt: Thrifted

Crinoline: Mission Galleria Antiques

Shoes: Pinupgirlclothing.com

Bag: Forever 21
Crinoline make me happy.

Tuesday:

So I went with the pinafore dress idea here, trying to make it all very little girly. Funnily enough someone got it on Tuesday. It was sadly the office douche, but whatever. At first he told me he was going to buy me a really big lollipop to carry around. Then he saw my feet and laughed. "so you've got some Silver Slippers on! Wanna click us all home?" I was quite surprised because yes I had intentionally worn my silver slippers instead of ruby slippers as an tribute to the books rather than the movie. Yes I own sliver slippers for this very reason.

Stats:

Headband: Target

Shirt: Target

Dress: Me

Socks: Target

Shoes: Target (seriously need to stop shopping there so much)

Bag: Forever 21

Wednesday:

So this one was the most obvious of all my outfits this week. People at work started to catch on, and every person who saw me at around four o'clock asked me if I could "click us all home". It was pretty stupid, but I smiled and took it. If you wear sparkly red shoes, you are just going to have to take all of the "there's no place like home" comments that come. And yes I did have these shoes in my closet already. Every girl needs a pair of sparkly red shoes in her life. My sister got these for me from some random shoe store in NYC. I always wanted those red sparkly "Dorothy Shoes" they make little girls, but my parents never got them for me (and yes I still have a grudge against them for that), so when Bri saw these while she was in New York one year she called me and practically squealed my ear off telling me about them. She got to the part about "red sparkly heels" and I was lost then in my own squeals. These are my favourite shoes ever.

Stats:

Hair clips: H&M

Top: NY & CO

Skirt: Thrifted (altered by me)

Shoes: Random shoe store in NY

Bag: Forever 21

Thursday:

So this was inspired by the yellow brick road, and the Wicked Witch, who I've always secretly liked. I never understood why everyone was always on her case, I mean if some punk killed my sister and took my sparkly red shoes, I'd probably chase her down too.

Stats:

Hat: Magpie Vintage (Portland Oregon)

Cardigan: Target

Dress: Target

Tights: Target

Shoes: Target (Oh my that's alot of target)

Bag: Forever 21

(Our stand in Toto was not co-operating as much as I'd have liked)

Friday (today):

I was home with Kiddos today and have had nothing to do, so I went for comfort and wore the shirt that inspired it all. Can't forget my red shoes!

Stats:

Shirt: Kohls(!)

Skirt: Old Navy

Shoes: Keds (also from Kohls but a very long time ago)
("Toto" actually co-operated this time)

So How'd I do? Was this super lame? I think it would be fun to do this once a month as a thing you can join in. On Sunday I'll post the inspiration, and Monday-Friday who ever wants to join me can. No one has to spend the whole week doing this, unless they want to, but I'll post my outfit everyday. I'd love for everyone to send me any links to their outfits! It'll be fun to see what everyone else comes up with even when we're inspired by the same thing. If enough people think this would also be cool/fun/not as lame as I'm pretty convinced it is, then I'll do it the third week of each month.

Sorry for the lengthy post.

*I meant to link to her earlier and forgot so there you go! I highly recommend her blog. Hers is one of my favourites to check each day and see what wonderful ensemble she presents.

Recipe for salvaging an "off" day:

Overcast, cold day

+

Three cups Peppermint Tea

+

Clair De Lune by Claude Debussy on endless loop

+

No lights in your office

+

Unplug/shut off all phones

Allow to soak for fifteen minutes preferably with eyes closed.

Bask and enjoy.

You can thank me later. Right now I'm making more tea.

Terrorists and Bankruptcies

So y'all know I work in a Law Office. My dad's Law Office specifically. He does Bankruptcy Law and is very good at it. It bores me to tears, but there are shoes to buy and I need cash. I spend most of my day waiting at the Bankruptcy Court, which is filled with many a strange characters. The security guards are my favourite. In order to enter the court house you need to show Federal ID (passport, DL), and take your shoes off (even sandals, which is stupid(I have a very funny bit I do about the time Jessica tried to argue with the guard about wearing flipflops)). But the guards are really nice old guys, who laugh at everything, and lately I have become their favourite thing to laugh at/about/with. I bring books to read while I wait and now as I put my shoes on and get my stuff from the X-ray machine, me and the guards discuss literature and one of them has now begun reading The Great Gatsby because I've been reading F. Scott Fitzgerald. One of the guards thinks my heart shaped sunglasses are the bee's knees and often wears them for all the other guards once they come out of the X-ray. It amuses me muchly.

But other than the guards it's a pretty boring place, full of mean, nasty old ladies, who seem to think I am charming. So today I went in as normal to file something that should have been filed yesterday, and I was standing in line minding my own bees wax, when in walked a very tall old man. He looked a little gruff, by also like he would probably be a nice guy. So when the head mean old lady came out to ask us what we needed to do, to make sure things were running efficiently. I told her I had some no-fees to file, she moved on to the old man behind me. He dropped a badge that read HOMELAND SECURITY. "I am from Homeland Security and we have a subject that we believe is affiliated with Al Qaeda, that has recently filed bankruptcy. I need a print off of the entire petition right now." The head biddy practically ran back to the office area and before my paperwork was done being stamped the old biddy was back with the petition and all that. So this is the thing, I don't know which of the details of this situation to discuss first; the fact that Terrorists are filing bankruptcy (couldn't Osama Bin Laden hawk some diamonds or something to give them money), or that there are terrorists in Riverside? What I wouldn't give to see their Creditor Matrix:

Creditor: Osama Bin Laden, Address: unknown, Amount: $100,000,000,000,000,000.00

But this totally made my day. I ran back to the office to tell everyone, I was so excited.

In other news I have been called "lollipop" all day. The reason I will reveal on Friday. I have a new segment here that I think is going to be very fun. If it goes well I may even include YOU.

In other, other news, I spent the rest of my day plunging toilets at the office. I shan't go into details, but there are three bathrooms here and only one had worked until today. So I put on a mask, and plunged, and drain-o-ed, complained to no end about how I shouldn't have to clean the toilets, or plunge them, when we have a cleaner, who doesn't do her job, because she thinks that the bathrooms are gross. I mean she's right, but, uh, she gets paid to clean them...

Fun day.

Monday Inpiration #13: Gypsy Child

I had a highly unconventional childhood. I was home schooled and basically allowed to run a-muck at will (not that I didn't actually do any school work, I did). My mom has always believed that education is more valued when it's something you're interested in, which led her towards a more unschooling aesthetic. If we were interested in something, we learned about it. Yes we had to learn the basics at some point, but mostly this was how my childhood went. All my siblings and I were allowed to cultivate our own personalities, and identities, as well as imaginations. We lived with my grandparents when I was little, who had a very large open field behind their house. In the summer it was always dry and hot out there with gross dying weeds, but in the winter there was tall grass and dandelions which you could hide in and watch the clouds float by. My grandfather is a pastor and we lived in the "parish". Up at the church there were tall stacks of rock formations (they were mostly fake rocks, but we didn't really know that), that we used as a jungle gym. There were three caves one of which was covered by a tree (which I later discovered a family of rattlesnakes in). These made perfect settings for a multitude of games, including my favourite from ages 6-9: Russian Maiden (I'm not even joking about that. I wore a bandanna on my head tied under my chin, a red dress, a white apron and my rainboots since I didn't have the appropriate granny boots. Everyday, for three years. I loved that game and it always ended with me falling in love with some wealthy and handsome prince. Yes I was quite impressionable as a child).
Some people have said my parents were strict (which they weren't and never have been and I've never understood that), but really they just had their own ideas about life and child rearing. They were just bohemians. And I am a Gypsy Child.
I always remember long summers in the field right before summer. It's not that I long for those same days again, just that I look back with fondness at how free and beautiful they were.

If I ever have children, you may expect that they too, will spend most of their days playing whatever nonsensical game in the yard, and enjoying their childhood the way it was meant to be enjoyed.

Every one's got finals this week, save me, so I'm covering everyone. I'll be in the office from 9-5 every day this week. My parents leave for Seattle on Thursday (my mom was told last night), so Bri, Chel and I are dividing up duties. Bri's got finals all the way up to Friday. Then Saturday we're having a "School is over, summer is here" Shindig at my house with some friends. I may not be around that much this next week, or I might be writing more than normal, either way accept my advanced apologies.

One year 18 days

I died...

I dyed my hair. I was very tired of the four inches of dark brown roots and the rest being this strange honey-red brown. My hair is naturally a shade lighter than this, but I figure it'll look better than whatever the heck was there before as it grows out.

Currently I am highly annoyed with certain people. I'd like it if they stopped "joking" about things that aren't true, and stopped making me the punchline to all their jokes. Believe me, I could make you into several punch lines, none of which you really want to hear. I suppose it is because I am far too polite, but the politeness can end now. Mess with me sweetheart, I dare you*.

Also, um, I'm an adult. Why don't you stop pretending I'm not, and you are. Cuz guess what honey, you haven't got it all figured out, nor do I need your advice. Stop being do damn pedantic or the favour will be returned.

I'm off to the garage where I will have an epic battle with a black widow, then find the fabric I need for the dress I'm going to make. By the way does anyone have any idea what to do with really awesomely cheesy unicorn fabric? I mean it's unicorn fabric so it's awesome, but it's also unicorn fabric so it's cheesy. It keeps staring at me from my stash, daring me to make it into something amazing. I think there's only one and a half yards. Be brilliant folks.

*Not intended to sound as nasty as it did. I actually wrote this whole thing very calmly. I'm not angry, just annoyed. Otherwise this has been a perfectly lovely weekend. It only got up to 73 today. The weather this weekend has been wonderful.