"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Pinky?"

Courtesy of an email exchange that took place between myself and Q yesterday. Some innocent things just make the day go by faster.

"Yes, Brain, but don't you think it will be difficult to convince the president that he needs hot air balloons instead of jets?"

"Yes, Brain, but how are we going to get 57,471 pink paperclips in an hour?"

"Yes, but how are all those elephants going to fit into the bottle?"

"Yes, Brain, but how where are we going to store all the donkeys while we're there?"

"Yes Brain, but this time, you wear the tutu."

"Yes, Brain, but wouldn't the chocolate get everywhere?"

"Yes Brain, but how would you get the gerbil OUT?"

"Yes, Brain, but I can't remember where I put the sushi."

"Yes Brain, but why does it vibrate like so?"

"Yes, Brain, but I thought you didn't like acupuncture."

"Yes, Brain, but how will we convince your daughter to eat all those kittens?"

Giants: 'We Almost Beat The Patriots Once, We Can Almost Beat Them Again'

Courtesy of The Onion: PLEASE read it. Especially if you intend to watch the Superbowl.

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/giants_we_almost_beat_the_patriots

"Commodity fetishism just makes me feel better."

I have finally sprung for a really expensive pair of spike heels. No Manolo Blahniks or anything, but I did buy a pair of Italian patent leather Mary Janes that look remarkably similar to those that Marilyn Monroe wore (which currently live at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, by the way... which may have inspired me to seek some out). Here is a picture:

A friend of mine asked me how they are practical. Well, for one thing, they're the most comfortable three inch spike heel I've ever put on. And keep in mind -- these are not for jogging or speedwalking; they're for sauntering around. And they're marvelous for that. And let's not forget the real point here: they make me look sexy. However, I sprung for the expensive ones because, no matter how sexy the shoes, I won't wear them unless they're comfortable for their purpose.

On the thriftier and more practical side, i was getting REALLY tired of using my Moody's Diner apron as my only kitchen apron. It's just utterly insufficient for cooking. It is shorter than any decent apron should be (it was designed only to hold pens and ordering pads) and doesn't have the side coverage. The result: I go to wipe my floury hands on my apron, and end up getting it all over my pants anyway because the apron is just too short. Ten years of that was enough.

Solution: vintage style aprons on ebay! This one particular seller, Sassy Aprons, has a broad selection of wonderful vintage patterned aprons. Here is a picture of the one I bought, for a mere twenty one bucks including shipping.

Incidentally, the quote from the title of the post -- that was me in college talking through my feeling philosophically inconsistent regarding my love of shoes with my college friend and roommate Patty. Being a Marxist and recognizing that the irrational love of shoes is a replacement for missing social relationships in a capitalist society of mass markets where the consumer has no ostensible connection with the means of production beyond the transaction of purchasing, I still meanwhile suffer (and enjoy!) an irrational love of shoes. I sighed. "Commodity fetishism just makes me feel better."

And there it is.

News Snippets

I have recently (just in the last few days) discovered (well, have been roped into, rather) Goodreads.com. I HIGHLY recommend it. I am having so much fun with it. Maybe it's because I typically enjoy recounting what I have read in the past and getting recommendations from others. Yeah, that's it. Anyway, goodreads.com -- it's grrrreat!

Reflectively: I have really enjoyed being able to work in various locations in Boston Proper and watch how it has changed dramatically over the last few years. It's wonderful getting to see the North End (read, Little Italy) be reconnected to the rest of the city after years of having been separated by I-93. Now that 93 is underground, the area that used to be complex road systems are now blossoming into parks and beautifully landscaped harborside wooden walkways that span the whole of the Boston waterfront from Charlestown to Southie. When I started working at Global Protection a little over 4 years ago, it was an up and coming area of town -- lots of construction, and it looked like a baron wasteland of parking lots. Now, it holds new hotels, gardens, a new Institute of Contemporary Art, little cafes, and the like. Still under construction? Yes. But as promised, it came up. It's been a lot of fun to witness.

2007 was a good year. i'm looking forward to 2008.

year in review: you've heard much of it already, but just to review, daN and i had planned on buying a condo, didn't end up doing it, and meanwhile have decided to move south of the river anyway to facilitate a better commute and possibly and upgrade in apartments. we can keep saving up for buying eventually, but more importantly, we leave ourselves in the financial position not to go completely broke when we each try going to grad school.

for me, '07 was a good year for learning more about what i want and having my hobbies come back to me. i have decided to start painting again,and thanks to daN, i now have the easel to do it! but at the very least i have started in again with pastels. i've managed a full year of financial stability, kept the same job and still plan to, stopped teaching yoga for the time being, and am hoping to take some french classes in the year to come. i've also come to the realization that i do, in fact, want to return to grad school and become a teacher of literature and cultural studies, just not on the same scale as i was thinking last time. i'll be applying for my master's degree in the next couple of years, after daN finishes his classes up (which he hasn't started).

now that time is flying by so quickly, i feel at liberty to make longer term plans because, frankly, 3 years doesn't sound so far away anymore. it certainly used to.

what else? did some light traveling. chicago in february, DC in april and june, denver in may, quebec city in august, and monhegan island in october. i think this year i would like to get off the continent. not exactly sure how that's going to happen yet, but i've got some ideas percolating. i'll tell you one thing though -- having only 2 weeks of vacation really cramps my style. and working in a place that is open between christmas and new year's. man, i'm looking forward to the day i get back into academia. more built in time off. phew! i work hard anyway. if i don't have more built in time off, it's not as though i stop working as hard. i'm a mainer!

what a scattered post!

i read some great books, too! john irving's "until i find you" and alice sebolt's "the lovely bones" are my chart-toppers for the year, but i had fun with tom robbins' "jitterbug perfume" and kim edwards' "the memory keeper's daughter." not to mention reading the seventh "harry potter" book with daN.

i knit a really huge pink scarf that is extremely warm and matches the hat that i knit (and lost and am remaking).

i also got really, really, good at making this one particular bread recipe, and have become much more creative with soups.

mulled wine.

karaoke!

have become more confident in certain arm balances in yoga. experimenting with forrest yoga has been good for me.

had a massage. i want more.

yeah, i think i can say it was a good year for me. thanks for all your help!