A Dream House

Day dreaming. There would be goats and I would learn to make goat cheese. And there would also be a walk-in closet.

Good Word: Tom's Shoes

I picked up a pair of Tom's shoes after seeing someone at my local coffee shop wearing a style with words printed on the canvas. It could have been gibberish on the print and I'd still like the style, but it turned out to be a Gandhi quote: "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." (Nice to know you can wear your heart on your foot instead of your sleeve.) The guy who launched the line of shoes (trivia: he's not named Tom) has pledged to donate one pair to a child in need for each pair he sells so there's a built-in feel-good factor—and there's an actual feel-good factor to the shoe itself, which is sorta like a slipper and sorta like an espadrille.

The song I'm singing in my head: "Words" by Missing Persons (watch the whole clip to also see them perform "Walking in LA"):

Miscellaneous Food Shopping Photos

The Roach Return

During a friend’s visit, I pulled out my memory box and found my collection of buttons (R.E.M.! U2! The Stranglers! The Pixies!). I am tempted to put them back into rotation on my denim jacket or on one of my canvas market bags, maybe one at a time instead of crowding them in a cluster like I once did. I also pulled out some hair clips (rainbow-striped and star-shaped!). What I didn’t find in the box: my lavender feather roach clip. I remember taking a trip to Florida to visit my grandparents and buying one at the mall. My grandmother had no idea what she was paying for and I was far too young and innocent to understand what a roach clip was used for—I simply liked the purple feathers and knew girls back home who were older than me and wore them clipped to their glamorous, permed locks. Soon I, too, would have a perm and I would clip the long, feather and leather piece to the back of my hair. This was a few years before I grew a "tail" of hair longer than the rest and braided the piece like Aimee Mann in the band ‘Til Tuesday. Yes, it was a time of taking risks with style. Now I have a notion to attach a roach clip to a handbag or a belt loop on my jeans, and while I would have loved to open my memory box to find the roach clip at the bottom, I am comforted by the fact that you can (almost) always replace what was once lost. What you can’t find on eBay, you can get on Etsy and here are two I might just have to buy.

Spam Report: Britney News

I'm compelled to check my spam folder for those "not spam" messages that should make it to my inbox—and to amuse myself. The subject lines of the barely readable spam messages above read: "Britney Spears is Actually a Piece of Broccoli" and "Britney did it again! Really funny." That's right.

Mid-Day Stretch: Banned Books

It's Banned Books Week! Makes me want to go back to high school and sneak one into physics class to read (Mr. Masters would occasionally bust me for reading poetry during physics—yep I was a real badass). Or maybe I should go to graduate school to become a librarian so I would be able to create a display to promote the books. Be a rebel: Read these! The American Library Association has links to lists of the most challenged and banned books. There are some literary heavyweights that have been banned but I will admit to being most happy to see "Forever" by Judy Blume on a list. Here's my copy, along with my "Are You There God? It's Me Margaret." I wish I could say the "Forever" copy was one I had when I was a kid but I had only the PG-rated Blumes in my childhood library and had to grab glimpses of the "dirty," dog-eared pages of "Forever" in the school cafeteria, holding the tattered paperback under the table so no adults would see. I picked up this copy at a yard sale a few years ago and gleefully read it cover to cover in one sitting.

eBay Find: Mermaid Cameo Ring

I love cameos and mermaids and was filled with delight when I searched for cameo rings on eBay this weekend and found one with a mermaid. I couldn't help but think of the old commercial for Reese's peanut butter cups, with the chocolate falling into the peanut butter for a magical pairing. I won the ring but the stress of waiting made me realize it's time to take WendyB's advice and snipe when bidding on items.

Here's one of the Reese's commercials: