USAY2K
Not being able to go back to the US for more than a year has made me realize just how much stuff I still get from there. Mostly it’s stuff that I can’t find up here (like my particular brand of deodorant or the ONLY lip balm that seems to work for me), but a good amount of it is stuff that is WAY cheaper in the States. Examples:
- Sunscreen
- Vitamins
- Razors
- Shampoo
- The pens I use when I lecture (though I guess I haven’t been using these since we’ve been online anway)
- Clothes (like even the basic stuff like socks and bras)
- Earrings
That’s just the stuff I can think of off the top of my head.
And it’s too terrifying to go into a Walmart or a Superstore right now, so everything has to be bought at Safeway, which is SUPER expensive.
Yay. I hate this freaking pandemic.
Bought Bits
So the year’s not quite over yet and I’m sure I’ll be making one or two more nonsense purchases before the end of next month because pandemic panic shopping is a thing and I hate that I’m that type of person though I’m trying to be better, BUT I think I can safely list my top three purchases of the year. They are as follows:
1. The treadmill
Definitely the most expensive thing I’ve bought in a while (apart from the new rocking chair), but totally worth it. It already made my life better on those days during the summer where I would have been walking in torrential downpours or on those days in the past few months where it’s been -15 with snow. I can still get my walk without having to dread horrible weather. This will also make me less dependent on Anytime Fitness once it opens back up, though I still might have to go there for early morning treadmilling if I ever need to do so. I suspect treadmilling at 4 AM would be too loud for my husband and the downstairs neighbors.
2. The Kindle
OH MY GOD this thing has made those 4-hour indoor treadmill walks so much more bearable. And it’s gotten me back into reading, which is fantastic. I’ve read around 17 books since I’ve gotten it, which is more than I’ve read in like the past five years (tragic). Also, like I mentioned in a previous blog, there are Kindle versions of a good amount of books on my list that I haven’t been able to find in libraries. So that’s a plus, too!
3. The Wacom tablet
This is definitely a work purchase rather than a personal purchase, but it has made online lecturing so much easier than it would have been if I had to do everything on my laptop. Yes, my laptop can fold over and act like a tablet to write on, but recording my 50-minute lectures for the winter semester made the laptop really hot; I can’t imagine how bad it would have gotten for the 2-hour lectures (back to back, so I guess four hours total) in the summer. Plus, it’s super smooth and snazzy and I could use him for digital art if I ever got into that sort of thing.
Woo!
LEG
WHAT UP DUDES
Want some funky socks/hosiery/rave clothes? Check out Leg Avenue!
I’ve gotten socks from them before, but never directly from their site (usually through Sock Dreams). But they’ve got a lot of other stuff too.
Favorites:
Coating
So like every other article of clothing that I use for walking, my winter coat is really falling apart. It still does its job, but the pockets have big holes in them, the armpits have big holes in them, it’s scuffed up a bit in the back from when I got hit by that van earlier this year, and the coloring is all messed up from tons and tons of sun exposure (winters in Calgary are, typically, nice and sunny, which helps a little bit with how FREAKING COLD they get).
Thus, I spent a bit of time today looking up winter coats.
And they are EXPENSIVE.
At least the super-cold-rated ones are.
I probably shouldn’t be surprised at this, but 1) I never even had a good winter coat before getting the orange one I have now, and 2) I found that one at a Goodwill in Spokane for like $5, so I had no real reference point for prices.
I like the Canada Goose coats because they have an actual rating scale for cold appropriateness.
I could probably get away with a TEI3, but I’d prefer to get a TEI4 because when it’s that cold, a four-hour walk out in, say, -13, really tanks my body temp. A TEI5 would, of course, be great for when it’s SUPER SUPER cold, but there aren’t too many of those days (luckily) and I do have my treadmill that I can use on such days instead of going outside to die in the snow.
Also, a coat rated for below -22 would likely be way too hot in like 0 degree weather, and I’d like a coat that can handle a good range of temps.
Also also, it’s really my hands that get super cold on those really cold walks, so what I really need to do is find some nice warm gloves (or mittens, in case I want to throw hand warmers into them).
MITTEN ONLINE SHOPPING COMMENCE!!!
Sorry, my ear is too cool to hear you
Dudes, check out this super cool ear piece:
I got it from Otis Jaxson Jewelry on Etsy. There are so many cool pieces on their page. If you like funky, unique earrings, ear pieces, necklaces, bracelets, and rings, check them out!
PANTS PANTS PANTS
SO.
I think I mentioned this website on here a while ago and said that I was hesitant to try a pair of these pants (despite all the color options and how soft they looked) because I knew they would be too long for me.
However, since that time, it looks like they’ve added more size options. Specifically, they’ve added “petite” and “short petite” lengths, which make these pants something that I figured I’d like to try.
So I did. And they’re great!
They’re super soft and comfortable and the “petite” is a good length for me. I got few in the boot cut style, ‘cause that’s as close to a bell bottom shape as I can get and I love that shape.
So if you want some comfy colorful pants, give these a try!
Oh shit I bought a treadmill
Oh shit oh shit oh shit
Most people’s response to possible stay-at-home orders: oh no, groceries/oh no, friends/oh no, malls
My response: THIS VIRUS SHALL NOT TAKE AWAY MY WALKING MILEAGE SO HELP ME GOD
So I bought this guy. Not sure exactly when he’ll get here, but hopefully before they shut everything completely down.
Yes, I mainly bought him in case we get quarantined. But he’ll also be useful for days where it’s pouring rain in the spring/summer/fall and days where it’s too cold to even make it the two miles to Anytime Fitness without getting frostbite.
So yeah.
SOCK IT TO ME (pretty sure I’ve used this title before)
So remember when I used to be all about the CRAZY AWESOME SOCKS???
I still am. Well, I don’t buy them anymore because I don’t wear them anymore. I live in my walking socks. Besides, I don’t even know if any of my old knee-high socks could fit over my MASSIVE CALVES now.
But anyway. I still love funky socks. And for the first time in years, I remembered the Sock Dreams website and decided to pay it a visit.
Favorites:
- Warrior
- Vertical rainbow!
- Pretty compression socks (I like the violet color)
- Constellations
- Rainbow puke
- Circuits!
- Pretty pattern
- These look super warm
- Funky
- The purple and gold is beautiful
- Rainbow fishnets
- Scales
- Hot
- Holy crap, these are coolio
Yay socks!
The Materialism Post: February 2020 Edition
Because, as always, it’s nice to have a list of the things I want to buy in case I ever decide to, you know, buy them.
Some of these are practical, some of them are not. I leave it to you, good reader, to figure out which are which!
A Klein bottle! I already have Klein bottle earrings from this site thanks to my mom, but a little bottle to put in my office would be cool, too!
All of these nail polishes. I love them. That deep blue is gorgeous.
Neon eyeshadow? Yes, please!
I used to have a whole bunch of Legos when I was a kid. Just a bunch of the bricks; I don’t know if any of the kits were out at that time. I miss all those Legos. I want twenty of these bins.
Ohmygodohmygodohmygod is this a whole book on the SI units?!?!??!??!?1?
There weren’t as many thingies as I thought there were. That’s unusual.
Product review: Phoozy
So I want to do a little product review for you all today. As I’m sure you’re aware, ever since I started making walking a “serious business” sort of thing, I’ve used the iTreadmill app on my iPod to track my steps/mileage/calories burned/etc. I started doing so on an old iPod touch.
But due to years of use and several winters during which he was exposed to very cold temperatures for very long walks, his battery eventually crapped out to the point where even during the summer, he couldn’t last a full 15-mile walk. So a few years ago I upgraded to the next gen iPod Touch.
I’ve tried to be more protective of his battery, especially in the winter. During winter walks, I’ve kept him in a plastic baggie in my pocket and did my best to cup my glove around him to protect him from the cold and wind (I think the wind really zaps the battery life).
Over Christmas break, I decided to go on Amazon and see if there were any products designed specifically for insulating cellphones (and/or iPods) against cold weather. Turns out that most products of this sort are mainly designed to protect cellphones from too much heat/sun, but are also supposed to work in the cold.
I searched around for a bit before I found a reasonably-priced product that had a few good reviews discussing its performance in cold weather, so I decided to buy it.
It’s called Phoozy and it looks like this (iPod for scale):
And it really makes a difference. It’s been cold as all hell up here ever since I got back from Moscow, but with this little insulator, my iPod can make it all the way through a 15-mile walk without needing a recharge (I used to have to stop in the one heated public bathroom I pass on my walks to give my iPod a few minutes of charge in order to get it through a winter walk).
So that’s pretty freaking awesome. It’s too bad I wasn’t doing this from the start, but hopefully this will help preserve the battery life I have left.
YAY!
The WORST Things for Sale?
Ahem, I think you mean the best things for sale.
I’d buy like half of this stuff. ‘Cause I’m classy like that.
Bubble poppin’ for DAYS (literally)
A…um…healing pyramid? Yeah, sure.
Why eat ovoid eggs when you can make ‘em square and thus 1000% cooler?
If anyone on this planet would have neon green toilet paper, it would be me.
(Ah shit, I just accidentally added this to my shopping cart. Preparing for onslaught of Amazon recommending me nothing but toilet paper for the next century.)
Accidentally ditch your SD card feeding a parking meter! GENIUS!!
Did some guy steal your SD-containing nickel? STAB ‘EM IN THE NECK WITH YOUR OTHER SPECIAL NICKEL!
Now I’m just imagining a pocket full of change where not a single coin is actually viable currency but one of these weird novelty coin-like…things.
Materialism: November 2019 Edition
HEYOOOOOO so it’s time for my monthly-ish “I want material things” blog, ‘cause why the hell not. It’s a good way to keep a list of things I like in case I ever do go on a little shopping spree.
Let’s go!
- This pretty shirt from Big Bud Press.
- I don’t know if I’d have the guts to wear this while exercising (‘cause I’d look terrible in it), but it’s freaking cute as hell.
- I’ve said in the past that I’m not really into ASMR stuff, but holy hell, this microphone. It sounds so good. Examples.
- I’ve mentioned this on here before, but the fact that there’s actual wrapping paper for each of the 17 wallpaper groups is the nerdiest fucking thing out there and I love it so much.
Is that all? Haha, I was thinking there was more.
Pretty Science
Cool science-related jewelry? I’m down for it.
Favorites:
- Big Dipper necklace
- Solar spectrum earrings
- Abacus necklace (SO FREAKING COOL)
- Mobius necklace
- Infinity bracelet
New Kinvaras!
NEW SHOES, YO!
I burn through Kinvaras so quickly (every month and a half) that all the employees at the Running Room know who I am, haha. I went in there to get these and one of the guys was like, “you’re back here already? Didn’t I sell you shoes like six weeks ago?”
Party time.
(Sorry, there’s not much going on and I’m stressed about getting through the rest of this semester.)
Today, I did something I’ve never done before:
I sized down in shoes.
Ya, I know. DAFUQ.
My current Kinvaras are worn down as hell (because, you know, it’s been a month and a half since I bought them) so I dragged Nate down to the Running Room on our walk to get a new pair.
They didn’t have my size 9 in the Kinvara 9’s and I was kind of scared to try the new Kinvara 10’s, but the lady brought me a size 8.5 in the Kinvara 9’s and they seemed to fit fine.
So I got ‘em.
I’m going to know every employee in that store by the end of the year, I’m sure.
Eye see a Shadow
YO, I keep forgetting to mention this because my brain is frozen from this damn weather, but my mom got me this for my birthday!
She wanted to get me the James Charles palette (‘cause COLORS), but this palette is really freaking pretty. The colors don’t look like all that much in the pans, but once you put them on, they’re really surprising and bright!
Thanks, mom!
THE SPONGES, THEY CALL
You guys, I bought these today ‘cause I thought they were cute.
Li’l spongies!
Do I have a problem?
Spec it Out!
I got new glasses. Check em’ out!
They don’t look too different from my old glasses, but they’re different enough that they warranted a blog post about them, so there ya go. They’re Valentino, hence the “V” in the middle.
(Awwww yeah, bathroom pics at school.)
WOO!
SPOKANE
WOOOOOOO SPOKANE TIME
Today my mom and I drove up to Spokane to go to that big mall up there (North Town? Something like that. I’m too lazy to look it up). We screwed around in there for several hours as always, bought too much stuff, then spent the evening watching nonsense on YouTube.
The Spokane visit is one of my favorite parts of my Moscow trips. Hanging out and going OMFG SHOPPING!!!1!!1 with my mom is always enjoyable.
Plus, there’s a comics/gaming store up there that sells individual Pokemon cards, and I don’t think I’ll be able to stop myself from trying to get a complete first gen collection next time we’re up there.
WOO!
AD ME, BABY
I clicked on this ad because there’s a poster in Market Mall with the same woman advertising the same fragrance. Turns out the video is much better than the print ad.
Love the dress. Love the dancing. Love the dancer. Too bad I can’t smell the perfume, haha.
Big Bud
ZOMG, this little store has the coolest, retro-est little colorful clothes. I should get a few snazzy shirts.
Sorry, that’s all I’ve got today.
Eigenblogger 