shopping

I think today I had what some people would call “Saturday.” I slept in (until 10:15 OMG) and then made myself some breakfast, a pot of coffee, and hung out (lost at least 30 minutes in Facebook, damn you Reece). I showered at 2pm. I cleaned the house a bit…vacuumed, did dishes, contemplated laundry for at least half a minute. Then after a random meeting with our landlord, Bryan and I went and ran errands. Hit up Target, went to the bank, got coffee for him and Jamba Juice for me, then bought a few house essentials at Crate & Barrel. (We’re still spending there on our wedding gift cards.) Today’s haul was a new dish rack, a colander, salad spinner, and a cast iron skillet.

Apparently this is what people do when they have weekends. People who are not my parents, because they are in Reno for the weekend. They travel. I stay home and do little things. Tomorrow I might get to go on a bike ride with my friends. Monday my friend Jess and her new man arrive for a week’s visit.

Thanks, new!job. I appreciate this “Saturday” thing.

(Every time Brandy says that, I about die.)

While Bryan and I were in New York my headphones broke. It was tragic. They still technically worked, but there was a piece that had come loose inside. The result was a horrible rattling noise every time I moved my head. Kinda defeats the purpose of wearing headphones. The death of these headphones was possibly even more mentally catastrophic than the soon-to-be death of my iPod. I’d purchased the rattling headphones in Japan on a day when I probably listened to thirty different pair of headphones while trying to purchase a pair for myself and for Bryan.

I ended up with some Japan-only Sony folding headphones. I’m that person who can’t use earbuds. Can’t at all get them to stay in my ear because my ear shape is the opposite shape of whatever earbud model is out there. They just plop right out of my ears. (When I wear my bluetooth headset I look extra dumb because it sticks out at a weird angle and only stays up because of the behind-ear wire thing it came with.) I loved those damn Sony headphones. Though I only spent $30-ish on them, I agonized over their purchase, trying to balance good sound with excellent portability. By the time they’d died, I’d had them for over five years.

In my search for new headphones, I stumbled upon Turntable Lab, which was a short ride away from our NYC hotel. Sadly, I discovered them about two hours after they’d closed with us leaving the next morning. I was initally excited because they sold Audio-Technica headphones, which I’d purchased for Bryan many moons ago. I’d loved them, but once back in the States, wasn’t able to find them anywhere I could go listen to them again. I didn’t get any ATs (I’d want to listen to them and pick a bad ass pair which I still may do), but I did go for mid-price blingtasticness in the WESC Aoki Signature Premium headphones in yellow. My pal CP asked the other day if I was having fun living in the 80s when I rolled up to Kristen’s grad wearing them and rocking out. I was enjoying all the decades, thankyouverymuch.

All this writing because I love them. I use them when I commute on CalTrain and tonight I rocked out to a new playlist on the new iPod while doing dishes and taking out trash and recycling. Oh, and I love the new Madonna/Justin Timberlake song, “4 Minutes.” I do. Mock if you like, but I’m also going to see New Kids On The Block in concert in October. FUCK YEAH.

Pants. But really, these are good.

I’m always on the lookout for stuff I can wear for both bike commuting and which will then transition well to my casual workplace. I have a pair of Patagonia capris I like (they’re called the Sender Capri, I think) and I really love my REI Slickrock 3/4 pant. However that really means that I’m just wearing two pairs of pants pretty much every day? Boring and impractical.

Thanks to my enjoyment of Fixed Gear Gallery, I happened to click on some of their ad sponsors in the right column of their page. There I stumbled upon Chicago Wig. Their knickers were awesome looking, the correct inseam length for my lack of height, and definitely the right price. (I’m not sure why most cycling knickers hover in the $130 range, but they do.) I read their positive review and decided to pull the trigger.

On Monday I placed my order while on a break at work. I ordered a pair in green and a pair in black. On Monday night they emailed me and told me that they were out of black in my size and would I mind grey? I didn’t respond until almost midnight on Monday. Thursday afternoon I opened my mailbox to find that they’d already arrived! Thank you for your awesome service, Chicago Wig!

They’re the perfect length, durable, and with awesome pockets. You’ll also find a sweet “WIG” logo patch on the leg. I’ve gotten compliments on them from many people and have sent them to the site to check them out. I’m in-between sizes, I now realize. The smalls are kind of small, but the medium would be huge and they make my ass kind of disappear. Despite reinforcing my position in the world as the assless wonder, I love these things.