Ccccchhh Chhhhhh

the title of today's blog translates to the sound of me breathing through my mouth as my nasal passages are completely under construction, this ramp is closed. i hate being a mouth breather, it makes me feel gauche and uncouth and all those things that wasps call impolite. so ready to be unclogged. lame.

Cento

THIS IS POST ONE HUNDRED.

one hundred posts in under 4 months. i think that's a pretty awesome percentage. the only unawesome thing is i have nothing terribly exciting to report. i just vacuumed my apartment. and scrubbed my bathroom. um...i washed my sheets? tantalizing, i know. oh, and i did the dishes. and lit candles (baked apple pie and a fir candle, interesting but holiday-ish mix). worked, cleaned, ate chili, aaaand sat around sniffling.

happy one hundredth post to me!

Put Your Hood Up

i am currently enshrined in my large, amply hooded robe. this is my retreat when i feel like shiz, and when i really feel icky, the hood goes up. it doesn't make my dried-out sinuses feel so much better, but it helps the psyche. i guess it's just that time of year, but i think i'm going to have to take my humidifier back from my sister and create the jungle-like environment i was known to have in my dorm rooms in college. moisture, yummy yummy moisture. maybe i should just leave my shower going all night...would that be bad for the environment and all that? i don't pay for the water - i know it would be wrong but the idea appeals.

Be the Tree

once again, i'm fresh out of material. pretty much coasting through the week waiting for saturday to arrive. in the meantime, i have dredged up another embarassing photo of me, this one from senior year of college. we are lucky enough to have had a very enthusiastic, poetic, entrancing, and possibly slightly kooky dean at wellesley that often encouraged us to become one with nature, feel the wind in our hair, coo like the young doves we were that had all sorts of potential to take poetic flight on breaths of scented air, and the like. so i felt the moment one night after allegedly drinking more than i'm used to (i think i had a mike's and a daiquiri...woah i am OUT OF CONTROL), and i became a tree. i've had a rough time living this picture down, but whatever, i own it, i was a tree, i was a cool tree, and i was one with nature.

T-Minus

116 hours. i can't decide if that sounds like less than just under 5 days from now, or more. i plan on spending at least 35 of those hours asleep, so really just 81 hours! that's not that many, right?

also, it's amazing how much finally putting coffee tables in your living room and throwing up some holiday decor makes an apartment way more homey...we should leave the christmas tree up year-round.

Love of My Life

trickery: i'm not writing about the reverend. i went shopping with my mom today, and i met the new love of my life in the field of accessories (don't worry mr. anderson, you're still the number one human for me...). his name is kenneth cole, and his look is gorgeousness:i would take it in the red, too. i am hereby initiating the buy-katie-a-$400-bag-because-she-wants-and-deserves-it fund. if you are willing to contribute, please leave a comment and i will contact you as to where to send your sizable, $50 minimum donations. i haven't been able to focus on anything else for the rest of the day, so please help me refocus my life and buy me this bag. i will never buy another. um until i find another cute one...but this one will definitely last for a few years.

Self-Humiliation/Immolation

i have nothing to talk about tonight, so i decided to post an old and humiliating picture of me to spice things up. the above is the immediate aftermath to my wisdom teeth removal, courtesy of kderrick as instructed by my mother. i was awake for that surgery (my only surgery ever, as i'm far too cautious and wussy to have anything actually go wrong with me), so i remember the whole shebang. luckily/bizarrely, i had my ipod going in one ear to help me relax, so i had a soundtrack to the surgery, and remember being tripped out that i could watch the dentist's hand go up and down while he stitched me shut. i had all four teeth out and spent that evening in the health services office of wellesley college, run by goddesses that brought me lukewarm soup and cold ice packs and cups to spit blood in. lovely, i know. i'm a delicate flower. with big puffy cheeks.

I'm Taking Him to the Ballet Soon

this is how i feel right now: like a 5 month old little boy whose mom says that real men don't wear pink, but has been put in a cozy pink hoodie only to be in danger of it being imminently ripped off by his gender-constricting mother. mostly tired with a dash of indignant. also in need of coziness.

Happy Turkey Day Etc.

i just forgot to post yesterday. i had partially crafted a post in my head that went: "it is winter now. lame." that may have not been the most compelling post i would have ever written, so it's probably for everyone's benefit that it never made it up here.

i slept in today, luxury of luxuries, all the way til 9:45. after a shower and primping, i went and spent about an hour at starbucks with a chai latte and the book the devil's knot by mara leveritt. then a trip to walmart for some thanksgiving supplies (coloring book & crayons for my niece to keep her distracted, check.), then to my dad's house to pick him up for thanksgiving at my mom's. then nothing but a normal thanksgiving of lots of food, lazing around, and being full. the only new thing this year was having an infant around who likes to style and eat my hair.

after dinner and taking my dad home, i wanted another chai to round out my day, so my mom and my scrabble board and i headed out to starbucks. except: NO STARBUCKS WERE OPEN. anywhere. what the? i so wanted a chai latte. but apparently starbucks employees are allowed to have thanksgiving evening off, which is basically unacceptable. plus i was unable to break in my scrabble board...we'll probably be stranded together til the reverend gets here next week. sad.

Fiori

today was a hectic day. i kickstarted my week and day wonderfully with a call from my manager at 9:15, asking if i was ok - i was supposed to be at work at 9. tooootally forgot. so that was a nice adrenaline rush as i flew to work, and then i just hit the ground running...we had all expected holiday traffic to hit this friday, giving us today and tomorrow to gear up and prepare the store, but this was not so much the case. we were busy from the minute we opened, and stayed that way. i was running up and downstairs, around the store, going crazy trying to get product received in for our merchandiser today, when my coworker stops me to tell me that security said i have a delivery at the command center. my mind ran through all the vendors i have personally worked with lately, and who might've dropped something off in my name of all people. then, it clicked. and, of course, i rush over in the midst of this hectic day to find these:so i took a moment, smelled the roses, and once again felt spoiled and loved...and for some reason all the tension of the day eased off and i had a smile from then on out. good day today.

Carpe Diem

fall is pretty much over, as evidenced by the billion pounds of leaves the trees in our yard have unceremoniously dumped on the ground. i have to basically guess where our driveway is every time i leave home, somewhere in the field of yellow. but it is kind of pretty. and today was gorgeous out, low 70s and sunny, which i was incredibly excited to go out and enjoy until i looked at our weather prediction for this thanksgiving week:lame. snow?? lame.

so i went out and seized this, one of two last apparent days of nice weather before months of suck. went out to the legends as i said i would, and found a dress in the first store, first dress, first thing i tried on. we (shopping addicts) know how difficult and rare this is. and i'm excited. so excited that i called pete who could barely restrain his non-excitement. nonetheless, it is cuteness, fits well, and was ON SALE. we all know how i love things ON SALE. and this was a sale at an outlet store, is there anything better? anyway, here's the dress, ooh and ahh at your leisure:

Not Me

it is once again time to revert back to saying that it was not my fault for not posting last night. i was on the phone with pete and in the midst of a scrabulous tournament involving lots of silent stretches on the phone broken by "invalid word?! hairnob isn't an invalid word!" of course, i lost all games played last night, causing me to fall into a sleep coma til this morning. it also might have been all the shopping on top of the shopping i did yesterday, hoorah for christmas shopping! and now i have an official shopping project to guide today's day off: i need a dress for a new year's extravaganza. do i have dresses? yes. but none that are Just Right. malls around the greater metro area, beginning with the legends, here i come.

People Watching

during those slow times at work, those times where i'm leaning ninety percent of my body weight on our glowing glass counter to avoid collapsing into a tired puddle on our cushioned floor mats, i have ample time to consider each and every person that enters and exits the store. one thing i've been studying lately about these people is how they enter the store. some customers enter like they have rolled out of bed, thrown on something comfy, and are strolling into their kitchens for a cup of coffee. comfort, confidence, a certain degree of ownership. they know where they're going and what they're looking for, and they do that. even if their aim is to just browse.

some people edge in, testing the water with their tippy toes, a little nervous and possibly overwhelmed by all the stimuli of lights and colors and textures and sounds. they kind of skirt around all the islands of product, hesitantly drifting a finger over something or other, maybe even daring to pick something up to look at the price.

and then there are the bluffers, people who like to act like they own the joint but are really kind of nervous under it all. these are usually the college kids, clutching their sketch pads and raggedy sheets of questions from their professors, acting cocksure but really not feeling so comfortable in a store with $2000 items.

i guess these are three of several reactions people must have to museums in general, depending on how often they've been to one, how much they know about art, how much they get intimidated by large buildings, how wealthy they are, and how confident they are in themselves, among other things. it's all pretty interesting, and it's always fun to categorize people the minute they walk into the store. though i promise i am openminded...

Long Days

feeling better, but worked for over 11 hours today (which i volunteered for, admittedly - holla for overtime pay!). consequently am tired. and yet i have to gear up for a 10 hour shift tomorrow. so there's that. i DID, however, come home to YET ANOTHER gift: this time a more "practical" gift of a 1 GB flash drive. super handy, and super sweet of the continuously wonderful reverend. i know, i know, blechhh stop being all i <3 him he is the bestest, but apparently i can't help it. i think i've regressed to acting like a 16 year old. his fault.

Meh

i've kind of felt like junk today. felt progressively like i'm getting a cold as the day wore on - achy, tired, sore throat, tight chest, all the key signs. thank you to the many people that have come in to both work in the store and to shop in the store that have hacked all over everything before handing me things dripping in snot and viruses. ok maybe that's dramatic...but purel was invented for a reason, people. now i just feel like junky tiredness, so i'm off to bed. huzzah for boring posts.

Holy Scrabulous!

i have played 13 games on scrabulous (The Best application on facebook) against the reverend. his consistently superior vocabulary skills and ability to always hit the triple word score tiles have resulted in 12 straight losses for me. but then. but then:holy shiz & scrabulosity, i won!

Rotten

i am quite possibly the most spoiled girl on the planet. i get back from my little weekend jaunt to memphis, work for the day, get home, and find a little package. a package with a gorgeous, wonderful pearl necklace from this ridiculous guy who loves spoiling me. call me spoiled, call me lucky, but i love it.

Certifiable

i dropped off of the face of the planet there for a couple days, but for once i have a legitimate, albeit insane, excuse: i decided to hop over to memphis for my two days off. saturday i woke up at 8:30 am, worked a ten hour shift, went out with friends for a few hours, and then decided to leave kansas city at 12:30 am for memphis. as i said to pete upon arrival, i am really glad i did that, but for the love of god do not let me do that again...i had to stop eleven times on my 8.5 hour drive there - i had the shakes, the chills, felt like i was outside of my body, and various other entertaining results of no sleep. when i got to memphis i very romantically said hi i feel nauseous i need to sleep. but because i have an understanding and wonderful boyfriend, he was not offended and put me straight to bed.

after a refreshing nap and shower, he and i hit the town for lunch (crepes), caffeine (venti chai latte), and entertainment (the zoooooooooooooooo!). while at starbucks, i learned the downfall of having a gorgeous boyfriend with panty-dropping blue eyes (his description, not mine): the barista chatted with only him, refraining from even looking at me despite the fact that i was immediately next to him, failed to put a cardboard sleeve on my drink ("hi, can i get a sleeve for my drink?"..."oh yeah. here."), and also made a crappy chai latte. whatever, i kissed him thanks for my drink in front of her. bitch.

annnnyway, so we went to the zoo, had a blast as we tend to do, went home for more caffeination (i was still running on approximately one hour of sleep to thirty hours of awakeness), and then went to germantown for dinner with his parents and little sister. had a nice steak dinner with them, then back home again to watch curb your enthusiasm, and then bed where i passed out cold.

today was sleeping in for me, work for him, and then lunch together. i managed to not bawl my eyes out this time, and left memphis around one. just got back to kc at 9 pm, and am a tad tired. but happy. if i hadn't gone to get this little nibble of the reverend to tide me over, we would have gone six weeks without seeing each other, which is basically unexcusable. so that is my long, drawn out excuse for not posting for a couple days. i may be certifiable, but at least it's for someone and not just me full of crazy.

Mission Accomplished

yes i am that ahead of the game - christmas gifts are on their way to a few of my friends...working in retail does have its benefits, namely getting gifts done and done several months ahead. i feel so on top of my game.

Sure, No Problem! I Hate You!

retail at christmas: teaches you the true horrible-ness of human nature. people are demanding, rude, self-absorbed, and impatient. and they like to treat me like i am about 12 years old and quite possibly slightly mentally challenged. and yet i have to stay happy, encouraging, interested, and helpful at all times. no wonder i come home every night and collapse on to my bed, unable to move for the rest of the evening and often passing out for hour-long naps. it is mentally exhausting to be so chipper. but try me...i will always give the best customer service, with a smile, even if i then go to the back office and punch something. and cuss a blue streak.

Grand Opening!

because i have no creativity tonight whatsoever, i am going to basically do my own version of the rev's most recent post....

so yay! go support his store, chock full of awesome merchandise that i helped design in some small way. he's not making any money off of this, it's just a strictly for-fun enterprise, so he's basically a non-profit foundation now. and who doesn't support non-profits? i know i do. as one satisfied customer said: "Wow! I just got my Your Neighborhood Reverend hoodie in the mail and - oh boy does it keep me warm! And let me tell all you guys out there - I have never had a larger number of attractive ladies approach me for casual sex than when I first wore my Your Neighborhood Reverend hoodie! Get one for yourself and one for a friend!" also just go read him, since he's talented and interesting and also hot. not that i'm biased.

Um, Oops?

i just belatedly, blearily realized i did not blog last night. but here's the thing - the real housewives of orange county started their new season last night. and then i had to fulfill a chai tea latte craving at like 9 pm (and i did not get a nonfat, gasp!)...so as you can see i was pretty busy doing important things. i'll post something more interesting tonight.

Lazing

this whole having days without work thing is really not working for me. i waste half the day in bed and then "waking up slowly" (something i always viewed as a crap excuse by my parents but now completely enjoy doing), then i have to shower and do my hair, then i generally go out and spend money. this is not a good pattern. i suppose it's alright if i'm spending the money on other people, but it is inevitable that, as happened at the mall yesterday, spending money on others often turns into hey i like that i'll just get it while i'm here how convenient! who wants to offer me a job that doesn't require me much but keeps me out of the malls on my days off?

in rereading this post i realize that i come off pretty vapid. um, i have no real excuse for that as i love shopping, but tis the season and i have a valid excuse for living in stores. plus now that i work in retail it's fun to see what other stores carry our products. ok lame ass excuse i know, but that's all i can come up with...it's not like i'm out saving third world babies on my days off, i'm shopping. ok i'll look into doing something more beneficial to mankind instead. non ministrari sed ministrare and all that, ok ok ok.

On the Hunt

i realize that i missed a post in there somewhere. but maybe i didn't? maybe you just lost it. way to go.

i like this new tactic of just blaming my 3 readers for my not posting. makes me feel better, at least.

in my preliminary casing-the-joint hunt for christmas presents, i wound up at our local mall yesterday. and when i say local i mean it is way the hell down the highway from here - i don't really know where malls are down here and i like the comfort of a mall i can navigate with my eyes closed. i spent a good amount of time in stores i rarely enter, trying to dredge up ideas for what to get my family, my roommates, and my pete. i have a list from none of them. but as i said previously, i am a gifted gift giver (ooh alliteration) and i can surmount any gift giving challenge.

now ask me what i left the mall with. a new pair of pants for me and a nonfat chai tea latte. something fell through the cracks here.

The Giving Syndrome

for some reason i am addicted to giving gifts. i take much smaller notice of the cost of something if it is not for me, and i love getting pretty packaging for gifts, or greeting cards, or what have you. ask my boyfriend - he's been getting a gift or a card in the mail pretty much weekly from me, for no good reason. just because i see things out and about that i think he would enjoy, so i send them. i'm already done getting christmas/hanukkah gifts for my friends (all bought at the store where i work, which makes it much easier to spend money sometimes), and now i'm trying to drum up ideas for my family. i consider myself a pretty talented gift giver; i tend to find the gift that people don't know they want or need but LOVE when they get it. or the dumb gift that people just wouldn't spend the money on themselves, like the time i bought my friend ben the biggest possible box of his favorite kind of plain old bic pen - he was ecstatic. but i'm having some small amount of trouble coming up with gift ideas for my 4 and 5 month old nephews, who literally need for nothing. i'm leaning towards something educational, as i consider myself their cultural and educational advisor from now til forever, but i'm just not excited over much. what are your opinions on the following art cards for babies, made by a company called wee gallery that we carry in our store? i think they're pretty cool (frameable even, for the chic nursery), and a possible idea for the boys, though who knows if they'd ever get used...thoughts?

Curled

fall always feels like this time to me where i kind of curl in on myself. leaves curl up and die, people retreat indoors as the weather gets cooler, and everything just seems quieter. i get, if possible, even more introverted during the fall, just wanting to enter into a hibernatory phase to prepare for winter. fall is my quiet time. to compound this, i am happier now than i can ever remember being. everything is falling into place for me, and i just feel a warm glow all the time that i just try to bank and hold steady. i am finally truly celebrating my mantra of drishta dharma sukha viharin - dwelling happily in things as they are.

Blame Scrabulous

i will not be posting anything very extensive tonight as i am in a heated scrabble tournament that is about to wrap up but is nonetheless taking over my night. talk to you all latahz.