This weekend was shoe shopping madness, guys. I'm not a big shoe-shopper these days- since working from home doesn't require anything beyond slippers. But this weekend I bought two pairs of heels and a pair of boots.


Now I have to find clothes that go with all of those.
Except I'm also trying to save money for my possible return to San Fransisco. Where I'll be wearing all these shoes, if it kills me.

Weekend recap!

Saw Star Trek AGAIN! I know, number 4, yikes.


Fun macro by bzzinglikeneon

THEN Julie and I went to a bar to watch the Red Wings and I got super drunk even though I only had TWO DRINKS! It was crazytown. And the Wings won! Fuck yeah!
We were celebrating Julie's birthday but she ended up driving me home, because all the sudden it was the third period and I wasn't sober yet. Oops.

Went shopping! I bought a new frying pan even though I'm not supposed to buy more kitchen stuff but it was MY COLOR which is teal green & for a great price for such a nice pan. And some of our pans aren't sitting flat on the burners, so we need new ones anyway. I can't help it if I insist on quality cookwear! It's how I roll.
I also bought some sweet pants at Banana and a summer sweater-hoodie at the Columbia outlet. It's just like one I used to have that I wore to death, so I feel it's a good investment.

I desperately need to sort through the storage bins of clothes (currently in my room blocking the door) because some of this has to go to Goodwill. My closet is still full of sweaters which need to be stored and I need to hang up my summer clothes. Isn't it great when you can put the sweaters away and get out the warm-weather stuff? Plus, getting out last year's clothes is kind of like getting new stuff, because there's usually something cute I forgot I owned.

Today at work, a tech guy had to remote-in to my computer to install some software. He was like, "ooh, I forgot that was coming out Friday!" at which point I remembered he could see my Star Trek/Chris Pine desktop. I felt a little embarrassed- not about the Star Trek part- but about the Chris Pine part. It's the badass "Kirk II" pose, below, but he's so smokin hot I feel like it should have a little "Tiger Beat" logo in the bottom. Actually, both my computers AND the refrigerator are Chris Pine themed right now.


OK but I promise to stop talking about Star Trek!

In other news: Leonard Cohen will be in concert in Detroit this Saturday. They have cheap tickets on Stub Hub, but they're sold in pairs (!) and the ones sold single-ly are better seats/higher priced. I'm cool going or not going though. I love Leonard but I'm saving money for going to San Francisco.

Speaking of spending money I just bought these super cute earrings on etsy, but they were only $12.

Which of these do you like more?




or



My car came from another state and has a space in the front for a front-license plate (which my state does not require). Please comment and help me decide.

I have all this stuff I want to buy all at one time but I'm trying to be fiscally responsible. Here is the dress that I'm waiting for a sale to buy:


Here are some boots that are on sale at Amazon that I'm thinking about (not to wear with the dress):


Leonard Cohen will be performing in Detroit in May, and tickets are kind of pricey (after the Ticketmaster $billion surcharges). I haven't decided if I'll try to go or not. And there are a bunch of DVDs and CDs I want (Chris Isaak has a new one out!) that I've been too lazy to buy. But I'll also probably be shopping next weekend at the outlets and I've been known to find a lot of cute stuff at the Banana Republic outlet. Mostly next weekend I'm going to Frankenmuth and eating birthday-chicken. (This weekend I'm going to Windsor and eating waffles).

I think I'm getting this one:



It has the features I liked about the Blackberry without the ridiculous monthly charge.

On NPR this morning, they were talking about how Obama is an "occasional" smoker. I really really think he needs to quit because that's a terrible example for the country (and his own kids!). I talk to people every day who are pressured to quit because their health insurance premiums are higher for smokers. Now, there's good reason to raise premiums for smokers, but I know that a lot of those people are resentful that they're paying more for insurance while people who engage in other unhealthy behaviors don't pay extra. So until President Obama (I love typing that!!!) quits, he should have to pay like $50 more a month for health insurance. I know that's not a lot of money for someone like him, but it's the principle of the thing. American citizens are, after all, paying for his health care.

Thanksgiving was delicious! For dinner we had turkey, potatoes/gravy, squash, freshly made rolls (this year I modified the recipe to make them HONEY-wheat!), cranberries, and chocolate cream pie for dessert. I had to work the next day, so I've spent the last couple days vegging at home (as opposed to vegging at my mom's).

I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping and I'm also almost out of money, so that works out. I've decided to hold off on buying myself some stuff to see if I get it for Christmas, such as: popcorn popper, Bones on DVD, Penelope, More Information than you Require, classical music to listen to at work, and sweaters. And maybe this year I'll go crazy and get a different 2009 wall calendar- usually I get Dilbert. And I'm also eagerly awaiting 2009 to get myself a new cell phone.

In other news, Heather and I are going to see Jewel in Windsor in January- sure to be fun times! Windsor casinos don't allow smoking- so suck it, Detroit. Actually, Detroit, please stop sucking it. PLEASE SAVE YOURSELVES.

Thanksgiving always makes me want to marathon Mystery Science Theater 3000, so I've watched a couple episodes this weekend, including Fire Maidens of Outer Space, The Sinister Urge, and Teenage Cavemen. They've all been as awesome as they sound!

I've been studying for my microbiology final and let me just say, Bill Nye was wrong about science. It SUCKS. But I still love Bill Nye and his grass-covered car of science.

This weekend, Julie and I saw Madame Butterfly at the beautiful Detroit Opera House in downtown Detroit. We got kind of lost on the way, but eventually found our way after we happened to stop at a light behind someone with the license plate "D OPERA." How fortuitous! Also surprising since I ran most of the red lights we encountered. Madame Butterfly was very well done and the Opera House itself was divine!! (the isles were a little steep though- we actually saw a lady fall down them [she was fine]) To round out the experience, a guy down the isle from us kept shouting "BRAVO" at the curtain call.

Then on Sunday we went shopping in beautiful historic lackluster Windsor where I bought a super sweet wool trench coat and matching scarf at Smart Set. I have to stop buying coats now.

I have a $25 Kohls gift card that Kohls sent me as a "rebate" for buying my kitchen aid. So I went to Kohls and bought a top and a sifter and then I forgot to use the card. "That's okay," I said, "I still have to buy some running shoes," which I ordered online using my mom's 30% off coupon (and a free shipping code I found online). Well guess what? Yup, forgot to use the gift card. AGAIN. I guess this means more shopping. DARN.

Just when I decided to be super fiscally responsible (due to the recent large purchase of my elliptical): I bought a KitchenAid stand mixer. I love to bake, and a KitchenAid makes baking a lot easier, they're usually about $300 (but go on sale for $250.) Well due to a stellar convergence of sales, coupons, and rebates, I got mine for $150. Check it out:


It's Imperial Grey! Everybody hum the "Imperial Death March"! (and by "everybody" I mean the 2 of you who know what the Imperial Death March is.)

Speaking of death, my light fixture fell from the ceiling today, hit my bedpost, and shattered into 1000 little shards of glass. Thank God I wasn't here when it happened- that would have hurt. Last Thursday I slipped on the ice and almost smashed my face on the garage wall, so I've pretty much been almost-maimed twice within a week in this house. To which Heather replied "hmm. Do you want some Cadbury Cream Eggs?"

Which I did.

(I just wanted to add that this light fixture thing reminds me of a line in "Clue" the movie when Wadsworth explains why everyone seems a bit high strung: "It's the chandelier. Fell down. Almost killed us.")

My head hurts. I had the longest day ever and, due to the snow storm, a 1.5 hour drive home from work. :( I am ready for this asstastic Michigan weather to go back to the arctic hell from whence it came (Canada) (just jokes, CAN!) (but seriously, hate the weather.)

Another tragic event: I called to make an appointment with my hairstylist back home because I was thinking of staying back at my mom's the weekend of my birthday, in 3 weeks. But that is the one weekend this year my hairstylist is closed, since it's her anniversary. The weekends before and after that, I have to work. I was going to treat myself to color, since it's my birthday and all, so I'd like to have her do it since she's done it before where it turned out really nice.

In less whiney news, I bought an elliptical machine! Finally! I've wanted my own since 2004. It's the Precor below, which is the best brand as they've actually patented the elliptical motion. It gets delivered Thursday!

The place I work recently moved into a new building, and the staff parking lot isn't finished yet. It's dirt/gravel for now and will be paved in the summer. In the meantime, it's okay when it's frozen and a muddy mess the rest of the time. So, I invested in some rain boots!

We're supposed to have 4 inches of snow tonight and another 4 inches of snow and sleet tomorrow during the day. This means that I'll have a crappy commute to work and a crappier commute home from work, which is poo. I'm hoping it doesn't get as bad as they're predicting.

I also bought this fun clock today for our living room. Heather's cat was perched on the back of the couch examining it moments ago.

I live in a rural area which is generally very pretty. Our house is on a hill, and at the bottom of the hill, past some trees is a grassy area next to the road. Every once in a while people throw garbage (like McDonald's bags, pop cans) out their car windows that ends up there. So yesterday my mom saw a plastic grocery bag lying there and she went over to pick it up and throw it away. When she picked up the bag, she noticed it was kind of heavy, and inside of the bag was another bag- a brown lunch bag. In that bag was a dead squirrel!! We can not figure out why someone would put a dead squirrel in a bag and throw it on the side of the road. Did they hit it in the road and then put it in a bag? Did they kill the squirrel at home and drive down the road and throw it out of their car? There aren't any neighbors close enough that it would somehow be theirs (but even if it was... still creepy).

Then today one of our chickens came down with pneumonia. It's a really old chicken.

In news that doesn't make me sound like I live on "Hee Haw", I am thinking about buying these cute boots from Lands End. They're on sale, but still kind of expensive. I'm guessing they're really nice though. My other Lands End shoes are super comfortable. What do you think?