mipmup.

inspiration 'o the day.

saw this bumper sticker on our morning walk today: "be the person your dog thinks you are."

that bugs.

recent annoyances:

• kate hudson declaring in tabloid in touch weekly that "motherhood is so hard." try being a single mother, not a millionaire and not having three spare hours a day to work out and lose weight for your oh-so-important movie premiere. why do i read this magazine?

• i am still using windows 98 se on our stupid pc to run our accounting software. this week, i am upgrading the software and migrating it to my lovely.

• that i can't find the = key without looking.

• why can't my cat (indoor only) and the cat next door (outdoor/indoor) stop fighting through the screen door?

• the fact that it took under $50 to redo all the container plants in our backyard, making it look somewhat decent. this is something i had been putting off for a year. thanks for the inspiration, spinning jennie!

• it took my better half about 30 seconds to dig up the hibiscus that was planted totally askew in our front yard. this too was something i had been putting off for a year.

• when i transplanted said hibiscus, i watered and watered it in its new planter home which butts up against our garage. when i went into our garage later, i noticed that all the water just leaked through the wall and all over our storage boxes. cardboard storage boxes. guess what i'm doing this week?

• the owner of my manicure shop marks everything up so much that i have to go to a beauty supply store to save myself money. example: this great foot file by swedish clover was marked $16 at her shop. it was $9 down the street. it's also the kind of shop that has fake fendis for sale. blech. but i do like my manicurist.

• i'd been wanting to try this new vegan restaurant and finally convinced my mom to go with me. the dude that took our order was nonchalant and had 'tude. plus, he had on some kind of kangol cap that bugged me. but, the place was like a paradise! i could order anything i wanted! on the menu! no subs! so what did i get? a tempeh veggie burger (sauteed and grilled tempeh, lettuce, tomato, red onion, mushrooms and "mayo" on a whole wheat bun). i felt like i copped out. but that's what i was craving. and it was excellent.

• i didn't get to see fahrenheit 9/11 this weekend as planned. please, no spoilers.

• what the hell was up with the past two episodes of six feet under?

dog beach.

thanks to "auntie jen," we went to a dog beach this week. she was kind enough to send us these great photos she took, too!

highlights of haley's day included:

• eating seaweed.
• eating a bamboo stick.
• eating sand.
• drinking sea water.
• licking sand off her legs.
• running away from waves (aren't goldens supposed to be water dogs?).
• being allowed to go shopping. in the shops. all of us together!
• eating treats given by auntie jen.

there should really be a dog beach where we live. or we just need to move there. the end.

see more photos.

photo credit: jen.

friday favorites.

here are my friday favorites for this week:

• kiss my face fragrance free moisture shave. this is the best shave cream ever. affirmed by both my smooth legs and my better half's former stubble. it is creamy and lathers a lot, which i love. $6.

• fabriano medioevalis paper . a beautiful paper for correspondence and perfect for letterpress. according to dick blick, "papermaking at fabriano mills began in 1283." i suppose they know what they're doing. try the reply card size here. i've found making cards for people is rewarding and is appreciated by the recipient. $22.35 for 100 folded cards.

• wicked good slippers by ll bean. ok, so they're not sexy, but i cannot get my feet outta these things. super soft inside, durable and they mold to your footsies. i had my last pair for a couple of years and they wore quite well. my better half felt they needed to be retired when my little toe snuck through the side, but i was happy to get them repaired. i didn't get a chance to because a new pair arrived within two days. he's great, what can i say? $44.

• artemis pet food. not only do our dog and cats love it, it has really helped our dog's flaky coat. i top her food off with a tablespoon of olive oil at each feeding, which i think has made a big difference, too. and when my local pet store discontinued their product, i contacted them directly and have set-up an account so i can order one day and receive the next. good on the animal-testing front, too. bonus: superfriendly staff. holistic dry dog food, natural 6, $19.99 for 17 pounds. holistic cat food, $24.99 for 20 pounds.

• matelasse tissue holder from restoration hardware. i thought this was really cute. i love matelasse and think it would be a great way to update our bathroom accessories. it coordinates with this shower curtain. $15.
  

photo credits: kiss my face, fabriano, ll bean, artemis, restoration hardware.

yet another reason to boycott wal-mart.

judge approves class-action discrimination case against wal-mart. (although this doesn't address the merits of the case, it's still a great step forward for the plaintiffs.) a tidbit from the article:

"the suit alleges wal-mart created a system that frequently pays its female workers less than their male counterparts for comparable jobs and bypasses women for key promotions."

or if you're too lazy to read, listen. want more reasons?

source: "judge approves class-action discrimination case against wal-mart." kravets, david. san francisco chronicle 22 june 2004. 22 june 2004.

watch this trailer.

check out michael moore's fahrenheit 9/11 trailer then find out where you can see the film on june 25th.

"house hunters" is fake.

i love this show. the show that, according to hgtv, "...takes viewers behind the scenes as individuals, couples and families learn what to look for and decide whether or not a home is meant for them." the show prides itself on "focusing on the emotional experience of finding and purchasing a new home and [following] a prospective buyer and real estate agent through the home-buying process, from start to finish."

well, it's all a bunch of bs. even though technically, the show description is not wrong. the people are prospective buyers. just not of any of the homes they show. i have firsthand (ok, secondhand, but the firsthand was my husband) information from someone that was on the show.

the producers find buyers that are already in escrow and take them to homes that they're not even interested in, make them comment on certain features of the home and their rooms (so that's why all their dialogue sounds so robotic!) and take along a film crew to document it. two months or so later, they film them in their own home, making it sound like they made the right decision all along. the up-side for the "house hunter?" 500 bones. the up-side for the realtor? free advertising. to quite a nice demo.

i knew that everything wasn't real (the phone call saying they got the home, for one. clearly staged.), but i could suspend my disbelief for that. i just can't suspend it long enough to "emotionally invest" in this show any longer.

hgtv, the jig is up! no more catchy little "ding-dong-kachaaa-bzzz-click-click-click" intro song. no more monotone: "wow. i like that window." no more perky: "so, will our house hunters realize the home of their dreams?" no more expressionless fake phone calls: "hi sharon. we did? really? we got the house? honey! we got the house." these people sound like they're taking demoral or something.

well, hurrmph. i am now a "house hunters" fan detoxed.

friday favorites.

here are my friday favorites for this week:

• the thymes green tea liquid foaming bath. i received this as a gift. the scent is quite light, which i love, and while i haven't tried it as a bubble bath, i like it as a body wash right before i get out of the shower. the only drawback? glass bottle, so don't drop it! i keep it on our counter. safety first.

• emily post’s etiquette, 16th edition by peggy post. i am big on etiquette and this book serves as a solid guide. sure, it's written by the great granddaughter-in-law to emily post, but hey. someone's got to carry on the tradition. even if it's the in-laws. i would like to give this book to the last two brides and grooms who have not sent thank-you notes for the wedding gifts we gave them. last year.

• drinkwell fresh water fountain and reservoir. our cats love this fountain. it provides fresh, aerated water, so they drink more. the only flaw is the design. it's pretty ugly. but that's why it's hidden at our house.

• crystal stick. this may go in the category of "too much information," but i feel like we're old friends, so here goes. i am a b.o.-phobic (apparently, not alone). i am constantly in search of the best deodorant. one that will mask every ounce of scent. i sneak sniffs when i can just to be sure. i am also concerned about putting chemicals into my body (excluding vodka), so i began to search for an alternative that is natural and does not include animal ingredients. the crystal stick does work. it definitely eliminates odor. it's really weird, actually. to sniff and not to have any odor. and i am an expert. the only downside is that i do sweat. it's not an antiperspirant, but maybe that's good? the body is made to sweat, right? anyway. at only $4.99 at trader joe's, i'd recommend you give it a go. that all said, if it's a really hot day, i'll revert back to my old ways and slather on some degree. just in case. i'm not paranoid. i'm not paranoid. i'm not paranoid.

• tom's of maine natural toothpaste with fluoride, spearmint. i've been using this for years. love, love, love it. i am sort of allergic to artificial sweeteners and this does not have any of that. no animal ingredients either. good flavor. makes brushing fun.

• aura cacia organic sweet almond oil. a must-have for any household with scratchy skin. this is a healing emollient and works wonders for rough cuticles and yucky non-beach-ready footsies.

so what are your friday favorites?

photo credits (l to r): the thymes; emily post; petsmart.com; french transit, ltd.; aura cacia; tom's of maine.

kids' bento boxes.

thanks to jen for directing me to this link to these adorable bento box photos. bento boxes are japanese lunch boxes. sure beats our common, hollywood blockbuster cross-promoting, sodium- and fat-laden lunchables.

i'd love to know the ingredients if anyone can translate.

photo credit: personal.umich.edu/~msittig/bento.

what if i'm always there?

while walking today, i noticed the following on an actually-pretty nice truck parked in my neighborhood: "in memory of john. 1943-2003. you were always there."

um. what's up with that? personally, if i die, i barely want a headstone let alone someone dedicating a truck in my name. maybe it was the whole six feet under season opener this week, but it just got to me. was john a total prick? was he a redneck? family? friend? son? husband? uncle? the bottom line is: isn't it just plain wrong to put that on your damned truck?

which led me to ponder other things that don't really belong on a car/truck and especially (godhelpus) not on a minivan:

1. neon. enough said.
2. those obnoxious family decals showing mom, dad and two boys - all with baseball caps. where do these come from? (by the way, this set of charming stickers was sighted on the same street. remind me never, ever to attend a block party.)
3. sticker of calvin peeing on france and/or kneeling at a cross.
4. my kid beat up your honor roll student sticker.
5. fur. anywhere.
6. any free license plate frame, extra-especially when placed there by your auto mechanic (i'm guilty of this, but far too lazy to actually get out my screwdriver and undo it).
7. a bra. i don't care how fucking far you're driving.
8. plastic seat protectors and/or towels on the seat. yes, i can empathize with those that are laden with dirt-ridden, mannerless children. but! it's like putting plastic on your sofa or something.
9. stuffed and/or real animals in the rear window. i always worry about those in a rear-ender.
10. your tassel.

make your own decal here.

art credit: ultimatedecals.com

June 14, 2004 in annoying. | Permalink | Comments (2)