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testing out a blogging app on my phone. I think this is dangerous!

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Plaidedness & Primal Grill

Hey-yo! When I got back from an impromptu slash informal interview I took these pics.  Nothing to snazzy or formal though. I wore what's below with the jacket on top.  The top was a thrifted and VERY tent like housecoat.  Originally, I was attempting to make it into a jumpsuit.  Yeah, I think jumpsuits are in sewing #102 cause I was having some technical difficulties. I have enough jumpsuits anyway and that sure woulda been a lot of plaid.  Anybody see any plaid jumpsuits out there though be sure to link them here so I can critique them and consider them for purchase.  I think my inner gaudiness is making me want to overdose on plaid.

 
  What it was originally.  It was bigger that it looks here.


Trying it on for the Interview minus the pants I was going to wear.




How it looked without the jacket


 
 Another day I tried it out with a belt to see how it looked untucked with some jeggin pant thingies.

 
 Absolutely love plaidedness on the jacket.




 
Booties worn under the slacks.  Nobody could tell I got funky style with it under my pants at the interview. I had fun wearing them.

Top: thrifted and reworkedJacket: Kenneth Cole
Jeans: Gap
Booties: Naughty Monkey
Earrings: Charlotte Russe


Was watching Primal Grill the other day. LOVE that show. I think he cooks mostly meat but focuses on dishes that are "culturally inspired?". I have to be honest, I like when he does those dishes the most cause they are either well seasoned or so well strategically smoked you dont need any seasoning.  All I know is he threw down on some lobster one week and he's been my friend in my head ever since. Haven't tried this recipe yet but I so want to:

MORTON BAY “BUGS” WITH GINGER-MINT BUTTER Source: The Barbecue Bible by Steven Raichlen (Workman Publishing, 2008) Method: Direct grilling Serves: 4 Advance Preparation: None 4 lobster tails (8 to 9 ounces each), thawed if frozen, or 4 live Maine lobsters (1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pounds) 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint or 1-1/2 teaspoons dried 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 1 clove garlic, minced 1 teaspoon grated lime zest 3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce or soy sauce 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste Preheat the grill to high. If using lobster tails, cut them in half lengthwise with kitchen scissors or a sharp, heavy knife; use a fork to remove the intestinal vein running the length of the tail. If using live lobsters, kill each by inserting a sharp knife in the back of the head between the eyes; this will dispatch them instantly. (Alternatively, bring 8 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot with a lid. Add the lobsters, cover the pot tightly, and boil for 2 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the lobsters to a platter and let cool. Then cut in half and grill as directed.) Cut the lobsters in half lengthwise and remove the vein and the papery gray sac from the head. Break off the claws and crack with a nutcracker. Set the lobsters or tails aside while you prepare the ginger-mint butter. Melt the butter in a small, heavy saucepan over low heat. Add the mint, ginger, garlic, and lime zest and increase the heat to medium. Cook until the mixture is fragrant, but not brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in the fish sauce and lime juice and bring to a boil; then remove from the heat. Brush the cut sides of the lobster tails or lobsters with the ginger-mint butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. When ready to cook, oil the grill grate. Arrange the lobster halves or tails and claws (if any) cut sides down on the hot grate and grill for 6 to 8 minutes. Turn, using tongs, and grill on the shell sides until the flesh is firm and white, 6 to 8 minutes more, brushing generously several times with the butter as the lobsters cook. Transfer the lobsters to serving plates or a platter and pour any remaining butter over them. Serve immediately. Recipe taken from: http://www.primalgrill.org/htdocs/shellfish.html#anchor1

Look what I did

My heavyhandedness has struck again. Yeah, Imma have to work on that.

This is my laptop:




This is my laptop the day before I smashed it. Don't I look happay:




I was repositioning the mirror when it fell.  Crazy part about it is that I didn't even noticed that it made contact. I thought I had a virus as I had just downloaded some stuff.  And what's even CRAZIER is that it still works, its just the screen that's busted.  I can still hook it up to a freestanding screen and access my info n thangs.  I do have access to a fully operable computer, its just not mine that I have access to so I'm kinda bummed about that. But hey........
In the meantime I've discovered the world of twitter and am overwhelmed.  In a good way..... I think.  I knew addictions to Twitter existed but I just didn't get the hype until I downloaded a twitapp to my phone. Now I believe and am trying to use it for good n shit.

sweats

This post will not be about how I missed 'The Good Wife' last night. Not cool. Nor will it be about how I discovered a new drink with Vodka in it called the "Lemon Drop" and how much I love Stolitch;wknaya (is that how ya spell it?). It will not be about how I need to have my face in a book right now and on a different website taking a practice test at this very moment.  Hey I figure if I'm blogging I'm practicing the art of English...right? I think that's procrastinator think. But this post WILL be about how the batteries keep falling out of the bottom of my camera. I would take a pic, but the batteries might fall out. *slaps knee* I love my camera buterum there is now postal tape holding batteries in right now.

Waittaminute. Can you hear THAT?



That's the sound of tape slowly curling off of the bottom of my camera and the dam batteries dropping on the floor! No camera will be bought anytime soon, this dang on camera is new. This is gonna work! And did I say I love my camera? Its just my speed and small.  What I will buy is some good strong sturdy construction grade tape though. The kind they make houses with. Drywall tape or somechit. Excuse my language I'm kind of grrrrrr.  *SCREWFACE*
 

  

 

 
Dorothy Perkins Jewel?

 

I did take pics of a fit though. I am so glad that SWEATS are in style. I know there are men around the world are PISSSED. That's pisssed with 3 S's.  I had a ex that liked his woman in sweats. I have to say he was kind of a weirdo though. ANYWAY.
This outfit.  If you look really close at my favorite sweats, you will be able to see the standard hole that will develop after years of wear and washing. YESH! The top here is a Frech Connect dress that I bought, umerahwellum, too small. They only had the size below my size and I just had to get it.  I was being a tad bit ambitious at the time thinking about all of the weight I was losing/lost/will lose in the future and ordered it anyway.  Well, it works as a top. As a dress it looks like my cookies might be for sale.......and not the kind you bake.  I dont mind looking like the cookie lady when it comes to shoes though, let me be clear  :)  Skankish shoes can almost always be turned into foot art or given a taste of meekness.

I was going to wear the top with the skirt that's balled up in the background, but it just wasn't doing me. And I was on straight chill mode that day.  Anyway, the wedges are my new favorites at the moment. They are com. feeeeeee. Two words. Dorothy Perkins.  All the Aldo wedges I have and none of them are as comfy as these. I don't know what to say. Oh, they have a canvas lining that goes so well  with the shoe. Now I'm in search of a canvas wedge or heel cause I liked the look so much. I'm rambling now so I will stop typing.  now.

H&M

I've been finding myself in H&M finding more stuff.  If I wasn't on a spending diet then I probably would have grabbed a lot more. Went there twice this week and each time I said I was going in just to "see what they had" and make sure I could hate on EVERYTHING so I could feel good about not buying anything.  <---In my mind that sentence makes sense.  Well that didn't happen but I don't feel guilty at all cause I kinda came up.








 This dress was originally $20 but had one of those red H&M discount tags attch'd making it $9.95. Thought I was at my favorite thrift store for a minute with that price. Fits great. The right length. Good price. And I'm happy.






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Got this jacket on an earlier visit in the week.  I could not leave this one at the store. It was a DOPE price and it has a corset fit and stitching around the waist with an asymmetrical cut.  Its also collarless and most importantly zippabl :)  I actually bought a couple a couple faux leather jackets a few months ago from H&M.  I ended up taking them back cause they just weren't my style...and i think I bought them just cause they were on sale.   When I tried this one on I was so happy with the fit in the arms!.......then I tried to zip it :(  So then I went up TWO sizes and was underwhelmed with the fit in the arms but was able to zip it...yay?  So after staring in the mirror for 15 minutes constantly trying on sizes 6 - 12 I decided on the one that zipped but had a little extra room in the arms.  When I got home I got the idea to layer it with the softest wool sweater I have ever known........and ta-da.

Nippy weather

Dolce Vita Cyprus-2

As long as this weather stays in the 50's and 60's, I think I'm going to dedicate my time to sandals. I love boots but they just don't do me like sandals do. And its crazy because I'll have on 2 sweaters and a poncho but then put on some sandals. I really feel as long as I'm traveling or walking towards a heated environment, then my feets will survive. The weather will snap soon though and I will cease and desist with this sandal business. These are my favorite and I try to wear them whenever possible. These are most def my default sandals. They go with everything and I'm all about sandals that go with everything......just like I'm all about shoes that don't go with everything. These pics were taken in the library parking lot. I have to admit that this was my first time visiting in a LONG time. I was observing EVERYTHING because I was wondering if the people working there noticed I hadn't been in a while. And let me say there were some CUTE guys WORKING there. They looked really out of place, i don't know. A couple of them had on those wick-away the sweat running shirts and I know a runner when I see it. But I guess library science is where its at these days. Also, there was a girl standing behind me in line that was trying to print out a school assignment. Unfortunately, they were closing in 20 minutes AND the printers weren't working?! Chicago Public Library is going to have to do better. Oh, and yesterday was gorgeous. The temperature was in the low 60's with a tinge of 40's in the wind. My feets loved it.

Shoe Review

 
I usually don't buy shoes for the full/list price online that I haven't touched, inspected, tried on and/or fallen in love with in person. But a year ago I was willing to make an exception for these:


Seychelles Orchestra
Nothin too snazzy but I was interested in keeping these boots for at least 5 snowy and slushy Chicago winters and looked forward to how they would look when they got a little seasoned.  Also, a lot of the reviews on this boot were saying that the shaft was too big for their legs.  This was great news for me because at the time I had big calves.  I've lost considerable calf weight since then resulting in the pics above. But yes I was stoked about their potential in my head.  When I got them I was still excited but was disappointed at how stiff the leather was and they were kind of roomy at the ankle. Not an ounce of butteriness but I was walkin it out at least 4 times a week with these on and happy because they were still cute and comfy.  Two months passed and the thin rubber sole starts coming undone and flapping every time I walked, the paint on the faux wooden stacked heel starts to peel, and I was getting heated EVERYTIME I looked at these puppies.  I couldn't believe that after a couple of months of walking, I couldn't wear them anymore.  I kept thinking that I have bought shoes that were 1/10 of the price but definitely 5xs the quality.  This just wasn't acceptable.  I bought them full price on Amazon and so much time had passed that I wasn't able to resolve my issues with them so I wrote Seychelles directly:

"Comments:  To whom it may concern,
 
I was a potential loyal customer of the Seychelles brand. On October
12th I bought the Orchestra boot via the amazon website. I had no
problem paying full price for the boot because of the original style.
Unfortunately, after 2 months the boot is falling apart.  Also, I bought
them in October from the mentioned website making them nonreturnable
which is not your problem but the fact that the boot is falling apart
is.
After a few wears the paint on the rubber around the toe is peeling off.
This is not an issue I should be having with $170 boots. Also, the
material that was used to resemble a wooden stacked heel is peeling away
like paper. After a month of wear(didn't start wearing them until
November) these boots are an embarrassment to me and should be to your
company also.
Here's a picture so you guys can see your craftsmanship: 
http://tinyurl.com/yb82vtw
It seems whatever glue you used to attach the rubber sole to the plastic
heel has disappeared. I was hoping to have these boots for at least the
season and the next but this is making me think that Seychelles are
overpriced for the quality that you provide. I have written a review
about this on the retailers website to reflect all of the problems I've
mentioned.
 
Thanks for listening,
Kristen Culp"

The next day an EXTREMELY nice young lady responded offering to replace my boots and I accepted.  I really wanted these boots to work and I was really happy that they were so swift with offering a solution. This was a year ago when I received the replacement pair.  Fast forward to yesterday and I am looking at the plastic that was covered by a design that was supposed to resemble a wooden stacked heel.........on my replacement boots. Ah well, you live and you learn.

 

I'll probably wear them for a couple of more months before I try to get the heel totally replaced if its not too expensive because they're still adorable.

I have one other pair of flat patent leather Seychelles that I haven't worn yet.  They aren't that comfy, but that's my momma's fault (I have wide feet).

 

 

I love the color on these and the shape of the toe. Imma wide footed gyal that loves pointy shoes. Jeesh.  I once had a flat pair that were POINTY and TOO comfy and they were too cute. I wore those to the ground. ANYWAY, focus.  These flats are nice but I was kinda miffed that the paint is coming off of the sole and I haven't even worn them out of the house yet. (still trying to stretch them a little bit.) Oh, also the patent leather around the heel is buckling.   I'm not having good luck with Seychelles, it seems but I can say for sure that who ever is conducting the aesthetic part of the shoe designing is doing a great job.  I definitely would have more Seychelles if I hadn't had my experience.

Boot Business

These are boots I'm either lusting after at the moment.  This post is dedicated to the United Nude Mobius boots that came out a winter or two back.  These boots would fail to take me much farther than the sun porch that is steps away from the walkway that is steps away from my car.  Not because they aren't comfortable or even a chore to walk in.......but you just don't walk long distances in art.  I just flipped my imaginary bangs outta my face when I typed that.  They remind me of retro furniture that you might find at an estate sale or Ikea.....whatever floats your boat.


United Nude Mobius


Maison Martin Margiela Line 22
These look toasty, buttery and cute. Sign me up.



All Saints Bonny  I'm still on the hunt for some cowboy shoes with a heel pretty similar to these yet slightly shorter and more angled. In the mean time in between time I wouldn't mind adding these puppies to the collection.  I have to say while I do love these boots, I don't know how I would feel after a while about the fringes at the ankle.  While I do like the fringes, I'm not always in a fringily mood.  Maybe If me and the fringes could work out a compromise with some Velcro tabs, then we would be in business.



We Who See Lace Up



Steven Buckled Wrap Bootie
Another pair of shbooties that are worn to perfection.



River Island Suede and Snake Wedge I thought I was tired of snake and animal print anything.  I think I may be still but these are interesting enough to be the exception.


Pink Studio Ankle Boot



Pied A Terre Pilsbury


 
Pied a Terre Peri



Miss KG Claudette


 
Max Studio Umberto-2



KG by Kurt Geiger Victor 3



Jeffrey Campbell Zipped  I think I'm in love with the texture of these boots because they're severely worn  in a way that remind me of boots that the antagonist from the Saw movies or Freddie Kreuger might wear if they ever felt like subtly coordinating an outfit.  And let me be clear......LOVE the boots. HATE scary movies.



Jeffrey Campbell Christie


 
Jeffrey Campbell Bjork



Elle Ryde Ankle Boot

Dune Pipers



Delia's Sofia



Daniblack Lilette



Boutique 9 Shanna



Blowfish Walsh



APC Madras



All Saints Sand? (maybe IN sand?)


Aldo Kreuziger



Aldo Brizzey