Category: To Occupy my Time

May the merchandising (and the hype) be with you.

I often make fun of Parade Magazine, but this picture was my favorite part of today’s paper.  The couple (Darth Vader and the Stormtrooper) met because of Star Wars, and three generations of the family will go together to see the new movie.  The couple’s plans were quite extensive, with viewings with various family members on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Let’s hope the movie isn’t a stinker.

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And this was my second favorite part of the newspaper, for different reasons.  Can you imagine how many of these are going to be bought by women of a certain age who have no idea what to get their sons of a certain age for Christmas?  I have no idea how Star Wars merchandising has escaped the backlash that accompanies other features. (coughDisneycough).

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My favorite parts of this ad:  “Strong demand expected!”  “Arrives with a FREE light bulb.”

I checked to see if my brother wanted one.  Surprisingly he declined.

This catalog makes me want to gnash my teeth.

I have no idea how I got on this mailing list, because we are not a match.  C.C. Filson Co. may have got their start outfitting miners, prospectors and lumbermen in Seattle, but they have strayed far from their roots.  $300 for a flannel shirt?  You know where the last few miners, prospectors and lumbermen buy their shirts? Walmart.  Because that’s what they can afford.  You know who buys $300 flannel shirts?  Software engineers who think they are the same ilk as miners, prospectors and lumbermen.  And they aren’t.  So don’t pretend they are.

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And every modern outdoorsman needs a bag for his tablet and computer.  Grrrr.

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(I liked quite a few of their tablet and computer bags, but again, not my price range.)

Requiem: skinny strap all-cotton tank

Back in the day (c.1998-1999) I worked for Bread and Circus Whole Food Market, which was the official name of the Whole Foods stores in the Boston area.  I worked in Prepared Foods, which meant I wore an apron and a chef’s jacket every day. We worked right in front of the ovens and though most of the case was refrigerated, there was also the hot case.  I was always moving, whether to restock or to get a customer just the right amount of Mexican Casserole.  I also (and still do) sweat a lot.

So I always wore tank tops to this job, even in the dead of winter.   (I had a sweater I would wear over the tank top during transit to and from.)    One day, I put on a shirt with sleeves, thinking it would be okay. It wasn’t and on my first break, I bought this tank top from the nutrition area so I could make it through the rest of the day.

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This is my last wardrobe item from my time at Bread and Circus.  I outgrew it years ago (I mean it fits, but really it just “fits”) but kept it because I liked the feel of the functional organic cotton, even if I was just brushing by it in my drawer.

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Farewell soft cotton tank top.  You are an end of an era.

Requiem: Two coats.

I found this red 50s swing cost many years ago and it’s been my go-to “theater” coat for years.  It’s got 3/4 sleeves, and it always makes me wish I had long gloves to go with it.  I love the button closure at the top and the material.  However, I have a good winter coat (that is actually warm) to wear to the “theater”, so I think it’s time for this coat to find a new owner.

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I’m terribly sorry that I only have a blurry picture of the Recess Coat.  I bought this years ago at the William Temple Thrift store, because it was reversible.  I’m a sucker for a reversible coat.  It was also obnxoious in it’s fake fur nature.  It kind of sat around for a few years until I got the job at The Emerson School which came with recess duty as one of its requirements.  This coat then migrated to school and was always ready to keep me warm.  I always accesorized it with those $1.00 stretchy gloves from Fred Meyer and some chapstick.  The white card was my laminated “bug and a wish”* reminder to use with the kindergartners. With it, I wore a wool hat (which I am not getting rid of) that I bought at the Council Crest Thrift Store. This coat kept me warm during many a cold and rainy recess.  When the weather would warm, I would joke that I’d look like a crazy person, because I would still wear the heavy coat.  Because standing outside in shade for 45 minutes is still chilly, even on a sixty degree day.

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As I do not have recess duty any longer, it’s time for this most excellent coat to find a new home.  Note that it took me almost two months to part with this coat.  We’ve had a good partnership.

*It really BUGS me when you [follow me around].  I WISH you would [stop following me around])

The sad tale of the beets

They were planted in the spring and managed to grow through a drier-than-normal summer even without supplemental water.  I harvested them today, carefully cleaned them and sliced them to roast so I could eat them with goat cheese on a pizza.

Sadly, I forgot they were still roasting when I kicked the oven up to 550 degrees to heat the pizza stone and they became little bits of beet flavored charcoal.

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Sorry beets.  I wish I would have given you a better ending.

A study in contrasts

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From Time Magazine, an article about top teenagers.  What struck me first was the difference between the two young women.  Kylie Jenner, looking just like the fashion icon she is, contrasted with Olivia Hallisey who looks like a very nice girl, one who I want to whisper to her to stand up straight.  And which young woman do you want your daughter to be?  The one who developed a better way to test for Ebola, or the one with cosmetically enhanced lips who has 60 million social media followers?  I’d love to see more coverage of young women with flat hair and no makeup who need to throw back their shoulders.  And maybe less of young women who are models and reality TV stars.