A cushion for my tushie

Tell me why I adore this chair.

I've been looking at furniture for the past few weeks. For Christmas, the BF said he'll buy me a chair, since I've been feening for one for forever. So I've been looking. But it's not as simple as it would seem.

My criteria is simple enough. I need it to be a cushiony, yet sleek chair, with cushioned arms and a seat big enough for me to curl up in. I'd prefer a funky color or print to liven up my living room as well.

Apparently, that's a tall order. And all the chairs I find that I really like -- are super expensive. Like the Madison Armchair at Pottery Barn. $1,199? Did somebody forget to tell PB that it's a recession?

I could also go for this Astrid chair at Anthropologie. That, my friends, is a chair. But at $749 ON SALE, that, my friends, is not the chair for me. That's more than I paid for my couch!

But a girl can fawn, can't she?

I'll be honest. This post hurts. I haven't looked at my goals since I wrote them in January. As a result, some of them kinda fell by the wayside. Okay, a lot of them did. Here's how I did on the goals I'd set for myself -- with some excuses, disclaimers and other flim flam to get me off the hook.

• Begin healthy habits -- better eating, exercise and sleep -- I've been eating semi-healthfully, but not nearly as good as I could be. Sleep and exercise? Ha! I'm going to start my Pilates and Yoga again to help out with some back pain I've been experiencing, though
• Save 3 to 6 months worth of salary -- So, I had a good chunk of change saved up. But some emergencies and tough times made me have to tap the reserves. I'm slowly rebuilding my nest egg. BUT, I have recently started a high-interest savings account so, hopefully, this will go quickly.
  
• Pay off credit card debt -- Alright, so it's not completely paid off, but I've made a SERIOUS dent in my credit card debt. I've been doing automatic contributions every month -- and more recently every other week -- to keep paying it down.
  
• Write a project story at work -- I did one, but it was rushed. So I'm not going to count it. Only quality work goes toward the marking off of the list!
• Win -- or write something that could -- a RI Press Award -- DONE! Okay, so technically, the work was done last year, but I got the awards this year. GET AT ME!
  
• Read my Bible and pray regularly
• Take a class at a university
• Keep my car clean
• Organize work and life better -- I think I did okay with this. I began using Outlook to organize my sources (I HIGHLY recommend it) and began using the calendar to help me keep dates in mind. I also still use my paper calendar, and I do a lot of things online to keep my personal finances and other dealings in order
• Call old friends more often and keep in touch
• Improve my Spanish
• Travel internationally -- plans are for it to happen this fall. Spain is on the agenda.
  
• Be more in control of my feelings and work on communicating effectively
• Do more cultural and unexpected things
• Build more friendships
• Buy more staples to round out my wardrobe -- and work on accent pieces -- I cleaned out my closet to give myself room to buy more good clothes. I've bought a few pieces, gotten a lot of great pairs of pants tailored, and scored an amazing pair of boots. But it's a recession; so I haven't had the opportunity to buy as much as I'd like. I did get some great cardigans from Old Navy and a fantastic corduroy blazer from H&M. I still need a good wool coat though...
  
• Read at least six good books this year -- Eh, I started a few. And I began reading a few anthologies. Toure. Best Crime Writing. I finished "When You are Engulfed In Flames" by David Sedaris.
  
• Read the news daily -- I'm getting better. Not every day, not every story, but I'm knowledgeable.
• Have fun writing and craft interesting stories -- I've been trying.
  
• Visit home more often
• Keep clips up and network; send update mailings four times a year -- I've sent out a few packets, and I networked it up in Chicago. I even got offered a job in Va., but it wasn't for me. Haven't been super diligent about sending mailings otherwise because I haven't written anything spectacular. Besides, ain't nobody hiring anyway.
  
• Do more multimedia work
• Apply and go on some workshops for work -- Indeed! I got to go to NABJ in Chicago for free through a scholarship, went to a workshop for new court reporters in Nevada, and I went to the Nieman Conference in March at Harvard. I think this one is a big, fat check.
• Keep house clean and presentable always -- Yeah. Right now, my house is a mess. I gotta clean it before the New Year though
• Cook more healthy, interesting, tasty food. -- Not always tasty, but I've been trying new foods from time to time. I'm still looking for someone to go for sushi with me (oh, sushi, how I miss thee!). I've also been cooking more healthful foods thanks to Patti LaBelle. Her Pork chop recipe is out of sight! I highly recommend it. Let me know and I'll e-mail you the recipe!
  

Whatchu tryin to say?

I settle into the chair and look up at the thread stylist. My sister has disappeared into the bathroom and her boo is in the waiting chair behind me. I smile at the stylist.

Me: I just want it to be cleaned up. I still want them to stay a little thick.
Her: No problem, you'll be fine.
Me: Okay.

Just before she puts the thread in her mouth, she says:

"Lip too or just eyebrows?"

My stomach flinches. Is it that bad?

Me: "Nah, just eyebrows."

Oh, Christmas Tree

I was going to put up a tree this year. I promise I was.

I went to Target and bought a thrifty artificial one -- that is still in the box on my living room floor.

I have ornaments, including the ones Jessie and I exchange each year.

But, with less than a week to go before Christmas, and me literally days away from traveling to NYC to visit my sister, I realized it wasn't worth it. Plus, all the presents I had so lovingly wrapped for friends and family were shipped off (at the cost of $50!) or otherwise delivered last week.

So again, what's the point?

Thankfully, the BF and his roommate, the Magic man, were decorating their tannenbaum and allowed me to join them. See the Christmas pin in full effect??

We decked Magic's 7 foot tree. His reasoning for getting such a large tree? "If you're taller than your tree, it's a Charlie Brown tree."

I disagree, obviously.

We strung the lights and hung the bulbs all while the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory played in the living room. (Aside, have you seen that movie? Gene Wilder, though not as disturbing as Johnny Depp in the remake, is pretty peculiar. And the oompa loompas? Absolutely fantastic.)

We had to make sure we broke out the tinsel and fake snow, Gigli was in the house.

We'd hung all the bulbs and admired our work. All that was left, was to hang the star. But being that Greg got the most ginormous tree he could find, there were some technical difficulties.

Four hands were able to finally get the star in it's rightful place. Just when we thought we were done...

The candy canes!

Greg and I hung the peppermint treats high enough to keep out of Deuce's hungry grasp.

Here's the final result:

Merry Christmas, indeed.

I *heart* Jessie Bonner

Jessie and I send each other Christmas presents every year.

It kinda started during our first Christmases as working adults. Jessie came to RI to spend the holiday and we had the Bestest Christmas ever.

That year, we started the tradition of sharing an ornament. Each year, we alternate sending an ornament to the other person, and keeping an identical one for ourselves.

Anyway, last year, Jessie decided to start a new tradition it seems (let's pray it's not though). She gets me Christmas pins.

Yes. Those tacky, red and green, light up, shiny, glittery, Christmas pins that pop up this time of year. Last year's pin was kinda classy.


I got my Christmas pin from her for this year, today.


Yes, that is a transgendered snowman/woman in a tulle skirt with heels, purse and a hat. You see it right.

As is custom, I put the pin on as soon as I ripped it from it's packaging. I'll be wearing it all day today, and probably at any Christmas themed function (such as decking G.Lee's tree) I attend. Oh, the pin will be in full effect.

So, Jessie's gift reminded me that presents are fun. Like, I always laugh when I get something from her. And I love that. She sent me this the weekend of her birthday. Yes, she gave me something on her birthday! And I love it.

You see the potatoes this man is packing? I heart him, too.

Anyway, I gotta get back to work, but I just wanted to post a quick ode to Jessie and her fantastic presents and how great she is. Because she's super fantastic. You should have a friend like Jessie in your life. Promise it'll make yours better.

Special on Aisle 9

So, apparently, people still read this thing.

I talked to a few people this week who said they checked my page during my *ahem* brief hiatus, looking for updated material. (shout out to Louise)

Seems as if they care what's going on in my life.

Well, dang, ya'll. That almost made me shed a tear.

So, without any further adieu, we'll get on with the randomness.

-------

There's something about Supermarkets that soothe me.

I'm not sure if it's the white linoleum, the perfectly lined shelves, or just the opportunity to wander, uninterrupted, for however long I choose to browse, but I love it.

Partially because I'm a lightweight foodie. I've always loved cooking and preparing things to make people happy. Food does that. Makes people happy. Plus, it's relaxing to mix spices, stir soups and fry chicken. Plus you get a great reward at the end.

I think I realized I liked grocery stores probably about a year ago. And that revelation actually came while I was getting the ingredients for some food dish. See, I cook when I'm stressed (or clean, or arrange things -- I like to keep busy). So I'd gone to my local Stop n Shop to pick up some things for an apple pie. After I'd picked through the apples, gotten the spices I needed, and picked up the sugar and flour for the homemade pie crust, I wandered down each aisle, picking up things, or looking for inspiration. By the end of the trip, I'd spent more than two hours in the store. And I didn't feel as if I'd wasted my time. I was relaxed and ready to go.

Funny thing is, my cell phone rarely rings when I'm grocery shopping. And other shoppers don't bother me. So for those hours, it's just me and my thoughts. And the Spaghetti-Os. Not so much that I go there to think, I go there to calm down. When I get stressed or am thinking about something important, sometimes I need to just shut down and think about nothing for a while before I can think clearly about the subject again. The grocery store lets me do that. And I always find something cool on those relaxation trips -- coconut milk, yellow rice, boneless pork chops, shallots, or Newmans Virgin Lemon aided Iced Tea. It's always so worth it.

At least until I get home and I have to unload all of my purchases into my tiny cupboards and my even smaller freezer.

Just thought I'd share.

A quick post

Because someone is getting antsy.

• I went home for Thanksgiving -- my first trip back to Michigan in nearly a year. It was great. I got to spend time with my family and friends and eat all of the foods I can't get in Rhode Island. I got Big John's Steak and Onion, Yaya's Chicken, and even managed to smuggle some Faygo pop and Everfresh fruit punch and Better Made chips in my luggage! Yes!


• While I was home, I got my hair pressed. I feel bad because my hairdresser had to fry my hair to get it straight (i also got a trim while I was home) but it was nice to have the curls back. However, I'm not sure if I want to subject my hair to that kind of treatment on a regular basis. Here's a pic to the right. And don't clown me. I'd just gotten in to Flint and then spent hours in the hairdresser while she tamed my hair. I was tired. And you can see it. *shrug* But my hair is LAID.
• While I was at home, my niece celebrated her 10th birthday (shoutout to Kiera). So the night before, she was playing with her sister, Kyla, who is 3. Here's the exchange:
  Kiera: Kyla, tomorrow is my birthday.
  Kyla: Tomorrow is you birthday?
  Kiera: Yeah
  Kyla: Can I get in the pool with you?
  *Sighs all around* Kyla's birthday is in August, so she thinks everyone can get in the pool on their birthday. Sorry, holmes. It was about 30 degrees on Kiera's birthday. Pool's gonna have to wait about 6 more months.
• I got someone to switch my Christmas night shift with me! That means I get to spend the holiday with my sister (you know, the antsy one?). I'm pretty excited. This will be the second Christmas that I've done without my family. One Christmas I spent with a friend's family and the first Christmas was, well, the Bestest Christmas Ever. This just might have to be the Bestest Christmas Ever: Redux. Because it's going to be serious.

Okay, that's enough for now. I've got to get back to work!