To Ramona: January 2010

Oh dear.

This teeny turquoise bejeweled backpack is AWESOME x ∞.

'Fabric is 100% cotton canvas.

Bells are 100% bell material.'

Do you come in adult sizes?

This Shaker style woven cat basket is really something I can get behind. In the animal or human variety.

Hello. My name is Lindsay, and my hobby is denim.

And, boy oh boy, this denim onesie is the cream of the crop. If ever I spy something this awesome at the VDO, god help the fool in my path of destruction.

Speaking of jumpsuits, something really good happened in a class of mine last week. During a lesson, the objective of which I won't delve too deeply into here, I asked my students to peruse an ESL picture-based dictionary to find a word that was new to them. Mind you, this is a picture dictionary, wherein every vocabulary item is matched with a corresponding cartoon, drawing, or what-have-you-visual-illustration. My students were then asked to write a sentence using this newly acquired word to share with their classmates. After a bit of research, much to-do, and with great hesitation, one of my pairs chose the word 'jumpsuit.' This immediately caused me to snort laugh and, then, attempt to cover it with a cough-sneeze-yawn (A. because jumpsuits are inherently hilarious and B. because the group was a giggly pair of teenagers, one big haired and rosy from Mexico and the other hijab-ed and modest from Yemen). When encouraged to write a sentence with the word in it, the two looked quizzically at me and asked me to give them a few examples. Since an ESL class gets by on the stereotypes of modern America, I offered them, 'A mechanic wears a jumpsuit to fix cars' & 'My brother is a painter. He uses a jumpsuit when he paints.' After I was satisfied that they had gotten the concept of a jumpsuit, I left the pair to it and circulated around the rest of the class. After about 15 minutes of deep concentration, however, they were still sentence-less. It seemed that, in the end, the very notion of a jumpsuit was just too foreign, too confusing, too difficult to contextualize. They were totally stumped. So, they decided to write a sentence using the word 'bio-hazard,' as that is, obviously, more straightforward.

All of this, of course, left me extremely bummed. WHY DON'T I OWN ANY JUMPSUITS?!? WHAT GOOD AM I AS A TEACHER IF I CAN'T WEAR CRAZY SHIT TO WORK AND TEACH MY STUDENTS ABOUT IT?!?

The moral of my story: Jumpsuits are mind-blowing.

I can't quit you, Tote Bag.

Crafts Bag.

Circles Tote.

Knit Carryall.

Try as I may, I can't NOT shop for tote bags. Baaaah. Achilles tendon!

This is the best thing that could have possibly happened to me yesterday:

Gaaah. This is the sort of shit that'll make me cry and cry and cry.

I sort of think I need a pair of saddle sneakers.

Yes. Obviously, I do.

The next questions become: Will my students learn more or less English if I wear these to school? Will I be more or less agile whilst teaching? Will they, as a result, think all Americans are more or less awesome?

Marais Canvas Saddle Shoes: The perfect sneaker for a 20-something ESL teacher

This is what I aspire to. Sigh.

Maya Villiger, via Jak & Jil

WEIRD ATTACK

Rachel has just alerted me to the fact that one of our yoga teachers has a book based on her blog.

Weird weird weird weird weird weird.

Hello, Mr. Stone Fox

Backyard Bill's got a new set of photos up, and they ain't half bad.

Dogsitting is the Sucks.

I am currently animal sitting for this alien-dog:

and his dollfaced sis, Maria:

(Somebody ought to give me an award for animal photography, EH?)

As a reward for dealing with aforementioned irritating-dog, I have bought myself this:

It's amazing how a simple ruffled, cowgirl shirt can make me feel so much better. Especially because it reminds me of this.

I think my heart just momentarily stopped beating.

OMFG. THIS IS DARLING.

A. That child is sassy sassy sassy.

B. I have the EXACT SAME, adult-version Jordache jumper in denim.

C. I wear mine with a black leotard underneath TOO.

I'm half tempted to snap it for the sole purpose of hanging it on a teensy hanger from some empty wall in my bedroom. You know, just because it's so damn cute.

I have a ginormous crush on this chick's arms.

Specifically, her RAD tattoos. Specifically specifically, the text at the elbow crease of her left arm. Specifically specifically specifically, have I mentioned that I'm planning that EXACT tattoo with my cats' names, all ghetto-like, on my right arm?

AND, those get-ups ain't half bad either.

Thanks, Kate, for leading me to this bedazzling ink.

More Mister Mort

In the ever-appropriate words of Mister Mort, these people are KILLING it.

I L.O.V.E. the belted, pleated trousers and the smattering of Hudson Bay.

Cat Party Time!!!

I submit that, from here on out, all street style blogs should swap human heads for that of the feline variety.

Via THE GREATEST BLOG OF ALL TIME

Linzo's Daily Wisdom

Don't forget to wear a shirt to your New Year's Eve celebration!

(Alternate: Handmade, knit bows are extremely versatile and can even be worn effortlessly strewn atop one's head.)

Banger, thank you for the beautiful, beautiful bow. Jennifer, thank you for the beautiful, beautiful (naked) picture.

Jens, I forgot that I loved you.

On Saturday night, Dave and I went & saw Jens Lekman at the Empty Bottle. I had quite forgotten how goofy and gaggly and cutepantsy Jens is. It was super lovely to bop along in my Sorels, guzzle a few PBRs, and forget about the cold cold cold cold.

At 2 am, my Dad came in his pick-up and got us from the bar. Dave posited that we were probably the only two jerks in the whole place getting picked up by a parent after the show; it was a pretty awesome night.

(Watch the second video, if only for the goofball horn section from Indiana. The were the highlight of my evening.)

Mr. Cat sits in a banana box.

I am well aware that, by posting yet another shot of Dudley lounging in a heinously awesome way, I am probably making a grand request to the Universe just asking to grow up to become an old spinster in a tiny apartment full of animals. However, WHAT are those tiny pink paw-pads poking through the bottom hole?!? Gaaaaah.

And! Banger, Juan, Rachel: I'm looking in your direction right now. Said banana box is stuffed full of vintage, beautiful, grade-A, tanned leather leather leather. Do I smell tote bags?

The internet is exhausting.

I spent the better part of my afternoon adding items of clothing to my Etsy operation. I am now up to a (measly) GRAND TOTAL of 10. Dudley found the whole endeavor quite grueling, as well.

(Please pay no attention to the atrocious condition of my couches; cats are assholes.)

I WON! I WON! I WON!

Yesssss! I just won the Mociun batik tie-front dress!

I. LOVE. THIS. PRINT.

Awesomeness on Etsy: 2010 Edition

I'm currently knee deep in an I-am-going-to-open-an-Etsy-shop-in-an-attempt-to-clear-out-some-of-the-shit-I-have-managed-to-stockpile-over-the-last-few-years operation. However, in typical fashion, it appears that I am better at buying than selling. Oopsie.

Here are some of the goods that I think are rad: