day three hundred hundred thirty-two.

Day Three Hundred Thirty-two Tuesday 7/27/10

Dress:  Blue and White Flowered Dress

Purchased From:  Circle Thrift

Year or Era Purchased: Spring 2010
Price: $5.00

Accessories:  black flats, white cardigan sometimes

Hair and Makeup:  Down, usual makeup

Comments/Compliments/Complaints: Michael said something about the dress but I can't remember

This dress is clearly homemade, based on the fact that it's tagless and I can see the at home construction when it's inside out.  It's the tiniest bit too tight in the armpit area and it's really not flattering due to its sack like construction.  Still, I kind of like something about it.  

I spent the day working, going to school, writing an on the spot suspension of disbelief piece that I hated and lamented on for hours, and then I came home and made dinner. We had mac and cheese again, this time with some smoked veggie sausages from Light Life, the smart dog people.  They're new, as clearly marked on their package.  In the take it or leave it contest of life I choose to leave them from here on out.  I also made a big salad and Michael, Orsy and I ate dinner.  Pictured above is the sail Michael's been working on.  He made it all from scratch with bamboo, twine and fabric.  I kind of love him.  A lot. 

day two hundred twenty-two.

Day Two Hundred Twenty-two 4/7/10 
Dress: Cat Print T-shirt Dress

Purchased From: Conway
Year or Era Purchased: Spring 2010
Price: $2.99
Accessories:  Blue t-shirt cardigan, grey sneaker flats
Hair and Makeup: Partial braids, partial down and curled, usual makeup with some Alice palette colors 
Comments/Compliments/Complaints: One of my clients said I looked cute, Michael said I looked like a crazy homeless person



Oh My God we got our tub!!! Finally! I got all ready to go and as soon as I was about to walk out the door bagel in hand, ding dong, the tub movers arrived.  With dread and glee I watched as they cracked open the crate.  I breathed a sigh of relief once I saw it was in perfect condition.  It's so glorious. I felt so bad for the three movers that had to lift the beast, bad enough to make them lemonade and then leave once it was headed to the third floor.   I spent the rest of the day working and going to the gym for the third day in a row. Go me.  I knew it wasn't going to happen Thursday or Friday as it's my birfday tomorrow so I'm having a birthday date night with Michael and I'm getting a lovely massage and going to dinner with a group of friends on Friday.  Score.  I'm feeling really good about my birthday this year. I also get all weird and sad like on my birthday for some reason but I'm just going to be zen for this one.  Yup.   I made soyrizo tacos for dinner and Michael and I watched four episodes of Parenthood.  Loving that show.  


So let's talk about this "dress".  It's really an oversized t-shirt that I turned into a strapless dress by shoving my head and arms through the neck hole and pinning the sleeves tight behind my back.  I also realized I could tuck the sleeves into the dress and sew them shut and make a pocketed dress.  That's next, I just didn't have time to sew it this morning.  It was super hot again today and I wanted to cover the mess of safety pins so I cut another t-shirt down the middle and voila, t-shirt cardigan.  I know it looked a hot mess but I didn't care.  I loved every stitch of it.  




Here's our tub and toilet, the tub will be moved over a bit but you get the idea.  The toilet box said white, it's kind of not so much white but it's too late now...

day one hundred ten.

Day One Hundred Ten 12/16/2009 
Dress: White and Red Strapless Dress
Purchased From:  Circle Thrift
Year or Era Purchased:  Fall 2009
Price: $5
Accessories: Black boots, black tights, red scarf, black longsleeve shirt, black cardigan, black snearky snow boots, blue fingerless anchor gloves and, black ear flap hat and later in the day my red knit hat
Hair and Makeup:  pigtails, usual makeup 
Comments/Compliments/Complaints:  Michael asked what the dress was made of because the fabric is so hard, later in the day when I switched to my red hat someone said I looked like Mrs. Claus.  
Day: 


Today was another busy day but not as fun. We woke up and I had coffee with MIchael's Dad and we chatted until I had to go work. It was a super dog walk filled day, figures since it was also super cold outside.  I worked a lot, stopped home for lunch and worked some more.  I managed to squeeze in a Trader Joe's visit and a trip to Target.  My main purpose at Target was to  retrieve the little plastic piece on the Mr. Coffee machine that releases water/coffee into the pot when the pot puts pressure on it. This tiny stupid little piece broke on our coffee maker last week and I couldn't find anywhere online that sold just that piece.  So I was a very bad person and I stole the little piece from the display and now voila, the coffee maker is fixed.  Forgive me, I have sinned.  I spend an insane amount of money at Target and feel like they can at least give me this one.  I'll be very happy not to have to french press the coffee tomorrow morning. Maybe I'll pretend I'm in a Jetsons episode when I press the brew button.  Fancy.  After dabbling in petty theft I dragged my sorry ass to the gym, the second day in a row in quite some time. I am taking it back.  There was a short period of time in my life where I started enjoying the gym and going four times a week without complaint.  I want that back.   


I came home and made a dinner of marinated and sauteed seitan, peppers, onions and mushrooms with tzatziki sauce, pita bread and a tomato feta salad.  I probably negated all of my hard work at the gym by consuming that dinner.  Oh well.  Our dishwasher randomly stopped working last night so Michael investigated by cursing at it a lot.  He eventually diagnosed the problem and we'll order the part we need and replace it. I have no idea how he does stuff like this, it's foreign to me.  I can't even fathom how to start doing something like that.  Not that I failed metal shop or anything, I mean please don't forget I did fix the coffee machine today.


I really really want to go take a shower and put my hair in curlers but that smacks of so much effort at the moment I might have to postpone the event.  


Today's dress is some weird handmade thing found at Circle Thrift.  The red color ran onto the white but that kind of thing doesn't really bother me and maybe I'll get up the energy to dye it at some point.  I wore it stains and all today but not before ripping off the ugly straps and turning into a strapless odd masterpiece.  It's really kind of weird and unflattering and even a little uncomfortable since the fabric is so stiff but I still really like it. Novelty is so not lost on me.   It was recold (instead of saying the word retarded, which I know is evil an mean, I will just put re in front of the word, hence one step closer to not using that word, or maybe not) today so I layered and bundled and this dress just happened to be one of the layers.   I am really into red lately.  I didn't realize how many red dresses I actually owned until I did this blog.  A new red scarf and hat are certainly fueling my red love.  I dug my snow boots from the back of the closet for added warmth.  I forgot how silly they are. They're like slightly platformy sneakers with snow boots attached to them.  They're from Target.  See, see how much I shop at Target.   I also wore a Strawberry Shortcake necklace I've had since I was a wee lad.   If this dress was softer I'd probably wear it a lot.  I love the weird woven red parts.  I wish I knew who made it.  


bed. or shower and rag curls and then bed. i don't know. 

day eighty.

Day Eighty 11/16/2009
Dress: Houndstooth Strapless altered dress
Purchased From: online swapmeet
Year or Era Purchased: 2008ish
Price: $3
Accessories: Green tights, a hood/sleeve portion of a sliced up sweater, some safety pins, some boots and
Hair and Makeup: pulled back into two pseudo-french braids, usual makeup with extra black eyeshadow and mauve lips 
Comments/Compliments/Complaints: Michael seemed enamored by the hood/sleeve/dress combo
Day: 


Ugh. Monday. It was a busy one too. At least it was a beautiful sunny day.   I almost got into a fight with/was so sick of myself for about half an hour when I kept forgetting things and tripping over things and being late, etc. etc. but it all worked out.  I really love this dress but I have never worn it because it's not super flattering when my gut is present (now) and I always feel more self conscious in tight clothing.  So you betcha, I pulled my tights up past my belly button and ate toast for breakfast instead of a giant bagel and cream cheese.  I also paired it with the top part of a sweater that had become too small (short) in its many visits to the dryer.  I still loved the hood part so I got the idea to cut off the top and pin it to the top/front only section of this strapless dress making it more flattering since my armpit fat wasn't so much hanging out anymore.  Aahhh it's so wonderful being a girl.  


I worked a lot today and then went to buy tickets for New Moon so Rica, Sue and I can go see the 4:30PM Friday showing and then go get some dinner and talk all about it.  I am sure it will be dreadful and I am also sure I will love every second of it.  Yippee!  I dragged myself to they gym kicking and screaming and then came home and made white bean and spinach veggie burgers from scratch.  They were quite tasty, especially since I added fake bacon, cheese, and sauteed mushrooms.  I am so going to eat another one tomorrow.  Yup.  Michael and I watched a tiny bit of television and then I showered and continued an internet argument (my first!) on Yelp.  Now I'll retire to bed and maybe read a little Into the Wild and then get up early for my lady doctor appointment tomorrow morning.  Boo.  

day sixty-four. The costume.

And here it is!!!

day sixty-four.

Day Sixty-four 10/31/2009
Dress: Handmade Halloween Costume
Purchased From: Jomar, AC Moore, and a few other sources
Year or Era Purchased: Fall 2009
Price: $15-20 (Just for the dress part)
Accessories: the rest of my costume
Hair and Makeup: Green eyeshadow and black eyeliner but that doesn't  have anything to do with my costume. Hair is pulled back and under a giant costume head.
Comments/Compliments/Complaints: To be determined.
Day: 


HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!


I spent my whole day working on my costume. It is done. Finally.  I will put it on a take a picture and post it right before I leave for my party. It will be via my phone so this entry is just the text for now.  Sorry.  Also I totally cheated and left the house not in a dress today because my costume is my dress. Today was the first time I've left the house sans dress.  I felt really guilty but I wasn't sure what to do since I was out for seriously 20 minutes.  Whatever. I think my costume will explain it all. Until then! 

day sixty-one.

Day Sixty-one 10/27/2009
Dress: Phillies T-shirt converted into Dress
Purchased From: Ross and then I altered it
Year or Era Purchased: Spring 2008
Price: $7.99
Accessories: black tights, boots and cardigan
Hair and Makeup: down and wavy minimal makeup as I was running late
Comments/Compliments/Complaints: a cashier at Conway, Michael
Day: 


We woke up early today and that sucked because I was dreaming lots and one of them was about birds flying all around me and giving me kisses.  Some were solid white and others were blue and white.  I took Michael to the El, came home and did dishes and made french press coffee and fed the squirrels.  Steven Andrew Orsborn came to the window today, a big step for him.  It was raining and his fur was all wet and crinkled, cute.  I played on Yelp for a bit before sewing up what was today's dress.  It was an oversized t-shirt that easily became a strapless dress, not a well constructed strapless dress mind you but hey, I'm new at this.  I cut up the middle of each sleeve and then sewed them together with a crappy stitch and embroidery thread.   I then pulled the two sleeves towards the back and tied them together. 


I spent the rest of the day working and then finally made my triumphant return to the gym after a whole month of not going.  Planet Fitness added 10 or more elliptical machines, 10 or 15 bikes and they have one of their televisions programmed for E! now.  Word.  I should go away more often. I also made a pit stop into Conway to retrieve an article of clothing for my friend Rica's Halloween costume which also allowed me to purchase a new dress.  I might even wear it tomorrow since I have to get up early and take my cat Easter for a  Upenn vet visit even though I hate them kind of a lot.  She has kidney disease, high blood pressure and hyper thyroid.  Youch.  She's also like four pounds but will eat almost anything.  She's eaten red peppers, mushrooms, spaghetti, any and all dairy products, seitan, morning star farm products, french fries, etc. etc.  She does not however like chicken.  Funny little lady. 


After the gym I picked up Michael from the El and came home and made tacos with veggie beef and soyrizo.  Yum.  I had to stop myself from eating too much. We watched Game One while I worked on several aspects of my costume that included lots more paper mache with paper towel and duct tape build ups, some pattern chalking and fabric cutting and pinning.  I don't know if this will ever end. I'm so close I can taste it, oh wait no that's the awful bits of fibers that flew all over when I cut one of my fabrics.  I had to cover my mouth and nose while I cut but my eyes are still full of little green fibers.  Blech. It was really nice to watch such an amazing baseball game while I worked.  Now I must retire to bed for early vet visit rising.  Go Phils.