My Type of Bling

I love necklaces. Other than my wedding ring they are the only jewelry I'm willing to wear. We've bought a couple nice necklaces over the years but most of the ones I wear on a regular basis are thrift store buys or odd pieces that I've found in art stores. I love a single pendent with some character. So when Jeff took me over to a little bead store in Valley Junction called Fish Lips, I went a little crazy.

I only bought one chain but above are all the pendents that I bought. The ones on the chain are what I'm currently wearing. I switch them out every couple of days. I wore courageous journey to work on Wednesday but for the rest of the week it's been this three pendent combination. I'm excited to try out Find next. I know they aren't all that shiny or lovely but they really mean a lot to me. Of course now I have a new shop to avoid. Well...only if I want to have money at the end of the week.

New Books!!!

I walked away from the convention quite a bit poorer and a majority of that money was spent on...can you guess?...books. Shocked, aren't you? I have a bit of a book addiction. But there were tons of books that I wanted to buy and almost all of them were at a fantastic price. So I splurged. And came home with a couple new reads.

First up was a beautiful Art of Bone book done by Jeff Smith. If you don't remember, I mentioned my love for the comic series in this post. I read the Bone series nearly addictively, moving from book to book. I even made two library trips, the same day so that I could keep on reading. So this book was a great find and for a very decent price. I love art-of books.

The next title on the list was the second book of the Mouse Guard series. I'm not sure how I missed that it had come out already. I read Fall many years ago and have been eagerly awaiting Winter to see what happens. When I was walking through the convention hall on the last day I spotted a copy and promptly bought it. And then moved it to the top of my stack of books to read.

The Mouse Guard stall was doing a "buy one get one free" deal so I also got to pick up a second book. I looked through their interesting titles but decided on a Field Guide for a graphic novel series called Berona's War. The salesman described it to me as Spy Versus Spy meets Looney Tunes. With that kind of description, how could I possibly pass it up? After I finally get to read the field guide I'm sure I'll be tracking down the original series as well.

But my last and most exciting purchase was two books from the Looking for Group webcomic. I've been reading Looking for Group for a while now and love it (I posted on that one here). I also read the author and illustrator's other comic Least I Could Do. So when I found out that they would be having a booth at Gen Con I knew I had to stop by. Jeff went a little fanboy standing in front of Ryan Sohmer and Lar DeSouza and I have to admit that I was a bit excited. It was a bit of a thrill to meet the creators of not one but two of your favorite comics. We bought Books 1 and 3 (I already have 2) and also picked up a stuffed Richard and Bunny (yes he's supposed to be riding the bunny. If you read the comic you understand). It didn't hurt that the guys were incredibly nice. Both of the editions were signed and I walked away a very happy fan.

Shoes!!

I'm not much of a shoe shopper. In fact I hate shoe shopping. I buy enough shoes to get me by but I never ever buy shoes just for the fun of it. Jeff owns more shoes than I do. I think the last time I checked I owned 8 pairs. If I didn't work in an office I'd have even less.

Most of the time when I do shoe shop it's for cheap shoes at Payless or Shoe Carnival. I don't spend much on shoes and the ones I have normally only last me a year or so. I do have one exception to the cheap shoe rule though. My exercise shoes tend to be good. I've spent more on one pair of good running/walking shoes than I have on all the other pairs in my closet. I simply can't bring myself to skimp on them.

Jeff and I have started jogging recently. It's a great recovery plan for my ankle along with the added bonus of better cardiovascular conditioning. It's also something that I've wanted to do for a long time. But these past two weeks have been a bit painful. My shoes are old and have lost most of their cushioning. They are also well worn in the heel. I supinate heavily when I walk and the back outside heel wears away quickly (see below for info on supination). The more I walk on that worn down area, the less stable the shoe becomes. My current shoes were hurting both my knees and my back. So Jeff and I went out shoe shopping tonight.

I went to a speciality running store and found a pair of New Balance 883s. I've been loving New Balance shoes for a while now. I buy them the way I used to buy Rykas. But this time I had a professional running shoe fitting. The clerk watched the way I walked and watched the way I squatted and found me the perfect shoe. They weren't the cheapest shoes but they certainly weren't the most expensive. And I love them. I honestly wanted to wear them home and around the house. I'm really excited to get out jogging in them. And that's the best thing I can say about any shoes.

It's Not an Obsession...

It's more of a compulsion.

I have a confession to make. I'm Cat and I am a journal addict. I just keep buying them. Jeff rolls his eyes whenever we pass a stationary store. He knows we're going in and that it will cost us a bit more money. I have almost an entire bookshelf filled with blank journals. And I just can't stop buying them. Every time I pass a cute journal I feel a need to have it.

I have probably well over 50 blank journals. I honestly haven't counted. I think I'm afraid to know. I've been slowly filling them but it's nowhere near the pace I purchase them at. The image above is just a very small selection. I buy all different kinds: spiral bound, leather bound, composition books.... I tend towards journals with fun images on the covers but I've been known to buy a nice plain one too. The awesome Know Your Zombies journal was a birthday gift from my little sister. She wanted something beautiful and timeless. So I got this. It's awesome. She even inscribed her favorite quotes on some of the pages. It is one of my favorite gifts ever. I cried while looking through it. That's hard to say that with a Know Your Zombies journal but it was really one of the best things I've ever received. I'm thinking of using it for quotes. Thanks Sis! I love it!

The journal with the keys on it is the one I'm working in now. It's so short that I'll probably fill it within the month. And I'm sure I'll find one that I simply can't live without this month. I apparently need to write more. Or find some good blinders.

Twice Studios

A couple days ago I mentioned that my boss had an art photography/t-shirt store that he ran in his free time. What I didn’t mention in that post is that I’m going to very quickly go broke buying things from the store. Not because he’s my boss. Because the art photography has to be some of the most unique and beautiful I’ve seen in a while. And the t-shirts are easily the softest (and most interesting) I’ve ever worn. In fact I’m sitting here writing this in the t-shirt I bought from the store last week. I’ve had a couple people comment on it already. Comfort and a conversation starter, I’m in.

The store is Twice Studios; and it’s run by my boss, his sister-in-law (the photographer) and his brother-in-law (the medical illustrator). Now I know what you’re thinking, a photographer and a medical illustrator, what type of store is this? My favorite kind, of course. A bit eccentric, a bit odd, and just the right amount of beautiful. The photography is what originally interested me in checking the store out. My boss had mentioned it as a hobby of his but when I checked out the art images I was instantly infatuated. I’m already thinking of adding the image above (Mermaid) to my walls along with the Tea Party image below. Prints are so reasonable that I’m also thinking of adding this image (Truth) to the walls of my studio.

I walked into one of the local stores that sell Twice’s t-shirts last weekend and picked up this shirt. Heart has quickly become my favorite t-shirt. It’s interesting certainly. I get a lot of people commenting. But what really makes me want to wear it is the softness. This shirt is incredible, one of the softest I’ve ever worn. And you all know how much I like comfort. The other one I would love to purchase is the firefly shirt. There are a couple local places that carry the t-shirts but I’ll be picking up my art prints from the Etsy store. I love the idea of supporting local artists and particularly ones whose work is so interesting.

I’m thinking about buying the t-shirt below for my brother. For those of you not of a medical bent, this is a Sphenoid bone, a beautiful butterfly shaped bone found at the base of the skull. As a doctor I think he’d love it. Heck, knowing him he’d try to wear it to clinic to see patients. As a big fan of comfort, I think he’d wear it all the time.

Sight, Unseen

I promise that tonight I will post the rest of the information about the trip. I had planned to last night but as I was leaving work I called a friend that I hadn't talked to in way too long. He and I ended up on a wonderful two and a half hour conversation that ran me right until dinner. I made up a quick veggie wrap and some fruit and then right after I finished eating Jeff offered me the chance to get to the library. I've been trying to go all week so I couldn't pass it up.

So tonight I'll post about Skagway and Glacier Bay and we'll be finished with Alaska. I have a ton of amazing pictures from Glacier Bay. It will be tough to choose between them. But I also have other plans tonight as well. Over the weekend Jeff and I went out driving. We spent a lot of time on gravel roads just getting lost and seeing what we could see. We stopped in Winterset (Birthplace of John Wayne) and shopped their square. I found my favorite bakery of all time, The Madison County Dessert Factory, and one of the coolest shops I've ever been in, Le Collage. I bought a wonderful steampunk key necklace. I'll post pictures of that tonight. But mostly we just drove. And as we drove we looked for birds and wildlife.

Madison County Desssert Factory (Photo from KCCI)

Jeff is amazing at spotting hawks and other wildlife and I tend to be a little slow to finally see what he's pointing at (There goes that career as a wildlife photographer). But this weekend he put me to the test. Not only did I have problems seeing the birds but I had issues seeing the street signs as well. I couldn't read license plates that he could see easily. I couldn't make out billboards from a distance. And we both decided it was time to get my eyes checked.

I haven't had new glasses in almost a decade so I would not be surprised if my eyes have changed substantially. I bought these glasses shortly before our trip to Disneyworld in 2004. Six years is a long time in the world of glasses. I've noticed that I've had to squint far more to read things well. I've lost most of the leaves off the trees into just a mass of moving green. So tonight I'm heading in to have my eyes checked and to possibly get a new pair of glasses. I'm excited. Glasses are a treat, a once in a blue moon type of purchase. And I'm always shocked by how well I see after a new pair.

I still remember the first pair I put on. I had worn glasses for protection since I was six months (stupid bad eye) but right before my first year of high school, my parents realized that I needed glasses for sight. I found glasses I liked and I can still vividly remember the first time I walked out the door with them. I was shocked to see that the trees had individual leaves. That houses had individual shingles. I simply couldn't see them before. So here's hoping that is the case tonight. I'm excited about the new glasses but I'm really excited to be able to see clearly again. I'll let you know.

Still Not Back in Reality

I'm still on vacation today so I've been a little slow posting anything. The day has been wasted reading webcomics and playing with the cat. Mostly this is because the weekend was just so wonderful. I'm not yet in the mood to do anything productive. So instead I'm sitting out on the front patio, enjoying the gorgeous weather and a good cup of coffee and remembering.

I took Friday off and Jeff and decided that we would do some shopping on the way down to St. Louis. There was no hurry. So we packed that morning and headed out about noon. We stopped in Williamsburg at the outlet mall and did some serious shopping for work clothes. I got a ton of cute clothing and had an enjoyable day. I was working to finish my knitted shawl (which didn't get done) and the miles were flying by. About Hannibal (an hour and a half outside of St. Louis) Jeff realized that we had forgotten our dress clothes at home. My dress and his suit for the wedding were hanging on the bedroom door. There were many bad words said and then we both collapsed into giggles. It just seemed so much like us to forget.

So when we arrived in St. Louis, Jeff dropped me off at the mall and headed to Mens Warehouse. He found a really nice suit and then went to the mall. I'd been searching all over and couldn't find anything I like. He took me to one store and picked out a great black dress. I'm still impressed with his sense of fashion. I tried it on and we both agreed that it was perfect. So at 9 we finally arrived at the hotel to see two busloads of high schoolers heading in. Jeff and I just looked at each other and groaned. It was a high school band. Luckily for us their parents were there as well and we didn't hear them at night. That night we hung out with Jeff's brother and the soon to be bride (along with some of their friends) at the hotel bar playing cards. At midnight there was the required Steak n Shake run but then we all headed to bed.

The day of the wedding was a great mix of sunny and cloudy but cold. I had bought a back-up shawl in Williamsburg which worked out perfectly. I had abandoned my knitted one after realizing that I didn't even have the dress. The wedding took place in the afternoon outdoors in a pretty little park. It was a small service but very sweet. Jeff's brother got choked up on the vows and couldn't speak. My nephew (he's 2) spent the whole service running around the park and trying to get into every picture he could. The bride wore this beautiful strapless dress but ended up with a shawl. It was freezing in the shade. After the wedding service, we headed back to the bride and groom's house so they could change and then to the restaurant for dinner. After dinner (which was wonderful) we headed out to a bar to watch football and play more cards. We stayed for a little while but neither of us was used to the smoke and it started bothering both of us. We were home by 11 and I was asleep by 11:30.

The next morning I was up really early and sat down in the lobby writing and watching the high schoolers leave. I was impressed by how little I had heard them. At 10 we had breakfast with his parents and the bride and groom and then headed out. I drove most of the drive home since Jeff was so tired and the time just flew. I don't remember the last time a trip in total went that quick. We had a wonderful time. We spent tons of time with his brother and (now) wife. We met some very nice friends of theirs. We hung out with my in-laws and got to be part of a very sweet wedding. Next they get married in Mexico which I'm looking forward to. Warm weather, sandy beaches, wonderful people. That weekend will be even better than this last one. But I'm still pretty relaxed.

Raiding Woes

I woke up on Sunday at 8 with a desire to write. Not blog writing but the kind of writing I did through most of my high school and college days. Novel writing, poetry writing, story writing. I had breakfast plans with a friend at 10:30 so I figured I had plenty of time to get some good writing in and then have breakfast. But again the best laid plans...

My friend called early and we went out earlier for breakfast. And then we went shopping. Now I'm not a huge shopping fan. Particularly not for clothes. But we ended up out for about 5 and a half hours. I was dead tired. My feet hurt and I just wanted to lie on the couch and pretend that the world didn't exist. Again I had a great time out but by the time I got home I was exhausted. And here's the weird part. I didn't want to raid. Thursdays, Sundays, and sometimes Mondays are regular raid nights for my guild. I normally look forward to these chances to hang out with the guild. Last night, I just wanted to sleep.

And it seemed like everyone else was feeling the same way. Our MT had bronchitus and could barely talk. Most everyone was pretty quiet. There was only minimal chatter. We really weren't feeling it. And it showed. Normally we can sweep through two quarters easily in a night. Last night we struggled through one. We died a couple times on Maexxnia, a boss fight that we hadn't had an issue with in a while. We forgot to explain the Grand Widow fight to one of our newcomers and came close to wiping. By the time we finished Arachnid, at 10, everyone was done. We opted not to go on. I logged off immediately and was in bed and fast asleep by 11.

We had included a number of alts in the run last night and that may have contributed but it seemed like more. Everyone seemed tired and not really into it. By this time of night I had lost my desire to write and was only thinking about sleep. If I could have gone to bed at 8 last night I would have. And today my feet are still feeling bad from the walking. We have dinner plans this evening so no chance to relax tonight. I hope by Thursday I'm ready to raid. Until then I'll try to get some writing done.

One big fat weekend

So last night I did what most people consider the most embarrassing thing they can do. I split my pants. Yeah a huge rip that simply can't be fixed. Thank god I was at home when I did so. This morning I realized that I no longer have any jeans that fit me. (cry) So this morning, after a small but tasty breakfast, I went out, with my wonderful husband, to go shopping for jeans. 

Now next to swimsuits, there is nothing I dread shopping for more than jeans. Nothing ever fits right and it's hard finding a color and style that I enjoy. I used to like the stretch jeans. They offered a bit of nylon? elastic? woven into the fabric to make them more  form fitting and more...well...fitting. I won't buy those again. This is the third pair I've split of stretch jeans. Any non-stretch ones just wear out the knees. You think I would have learned by now. 

Well sad to say I've gained some weight (cough, cough) in the last three years. It was scary. I had to go to sizes that I don't even like to consider. I had to shop in sections I hoped to never walk into again. And I wondered what had gotten me to this point. Nearly daily trips to the vending machines? Quiet nights in front of the TV? My general lack of discipline when it comes to sweets? Any and all of the above seems to be the answer. 

So I dragged out my old notebooks, selected one, and am keeping a food journal again. It is the only thing that has ever worked for me. We'll see how it goes. But if I go up one more jeans size, I'm pretty sure I'm going to throw a tantrum that would make any two year old proud.