Busted! (and some cute shoes)

Who do I do stuff for? I blog for comments, I work the polls b/c it's a fun way to get paid to help folks vote, I don't clean my apartment thoroughly until I have a party. (Some major dusting, coming right up.)

So today's WOH devo got me right where it hurts. Two passages, Colossians 3:12-17 and Colossians 3:23-24 express that we should be doing things with all our heart for the Lord. Food for thought, in a big way, as I go forth, remembering that God has put me in my life, where I am a librarian, a car shopper, an early riser, a chiropractic patient. May I do everything today and every day to glorify Him, and in a manner that is a fragrance from life to life. (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)

(And in that manner, I will NOT be car shopping tonight but will be taking the evening off, as today I will be in recovery of yesterday. I have secured flex-time from work on Thursday and Friday, so if you are a praying sort, please pray for THE car to be there and for me to go through the hoops of having someone look at it, financing, and all that jazz.)

But I maintain that part of my "mission" as it were at this blog is to make you, dear reader, smile. And doggone if I get the most comments (and I believe smiles) when I post pictures of shoes.

Sheila even asked me if these socks came as a pair. No, but I knew I could wear them together because the green stripe in the striped sock matched the green of the solid sock. I was the talk of our polling station, such a trendsetter.

That Sarah Louise...

Some shoe quotes

I did not have three thousand pairs of shoes. I had one thousand and sixty --Imelda Marcos

I'm not home, but my shoes are. Leave them a message. --Carrie Bradshaw's answering machine on Sex and the City

It's easier to put on slippers than to carpet the whole world. --Al Franken.

I still have my feet on the ground, I just wear better shoes. --Oprah

You want to fall in love with a shoe, go ahead. A shoe can't love you back, but, on the other hand, a shoe can't hurt you too deeply either. And there are so many nice looking shoes. --Allan Sherman

I heart Dolly Parton (and Lorrie Morgan)

On the bus ride home, a song was spinning on the jukebox in my mind,
"Except for Monday, which was never good anyways,
Tuesday, I get a little sideways,
Wednesday, I feel better, just for spite,
Thursday and Friday take too long,
Before I know it, Saturday's gone,
But it's Sunday now
And you can bet that I'm alright."

Okay, so it sounded like Dolly Parton to me! It's Lorrie Morgan.

On the drive home tonight from child watchin' for Sally (East End Sally, not North Hills Sally) I was thinking how Day Two is code that almost all women understand. (Thank you, Badger!!) As I got up from the sofa where I'd been watching shows on CBS (my house don't get CBS), she said, sofa feel good? And I said, "It's Day Two. I took a bath before I left Virginia, and I took another one before I came over here to watch your kids." Even my mother (who never got a cramp in her life!) understood when I said, "It's Day Two." But I got me the heating pad and since I can't take Ibuprofin or its cousins, and I am home for the night, I have me a Corona, and no one's the wiser.

So I took a lot of pictures this weekend...on the Greyhound. No, we didn't even see the eclipse, it was too cloudy. No, no pictures of the bunny, or my sister, or my mom's new birdfeeders. Me, playing with the digi camera, on the bus. Yes, this is what I look like, bored on the bus. Pictures are from Thursday's trip down and today (Monday's) trip back up.

Along with the Corona (Light) and bite me! It's a half decent import, and cheap!I'm eating the entire box of Samoas. A girl has got to have her chocolate on Day Two.
My day old manicure clutching my newest book form of crack: Sisterchicks books by Robin Gunn Something.
My new manicure examining the stitches on my Liz Claiborne purse.
The seats on the bus. Look, they have little blue dogs on them!
My bracelet. My nerves (Day Two) were too shot for me to wear the bracelet, so it lived in my pocket, except for this beauty shot...
The open road, with snow. Can you say GRAY???

Can you spot the Spanish in this picture? The USA Today? The pink sweater? The cross of the purse straps?
Yes, I've seen the movie. I am now reading the book (though not ON the bus) and listening to the movie's soundtrack. Which is quite lovely. (Which I did listen to on the bus, three times!)
My wallet...
So, do you like my funky tights?? I have them in black too.

My store is closing this week. I own a store. Did I ever tell you that? Probably not. It's a lovely store --

(Meg Ryan as Kathleen Kelly, in You've Got Mail)

My Fox books closed today. I was there when it happened. This is where I would tell you how it was my first bookstore job, how I ended up working for the company for seven years, in three different stores.

But right now I don't feel like writing that post.

What happens when the going gets tough? The tough go shopping. So, I needed shoes and so I went next door to Burlington Coat Factory. I also got a new purse and a hat, which I sort of needed.

And I have dinner in the microwave.

Well, more on that later. I promise. Cause this is the stuff blogs are made of: talking about books and bookstores, and SHOES!

Oh, but here's the good news: Mike, Vince, and Bob all have jobs! They'll be going to Waterworks, Monroeville, and Squirrel Hill, respectively.

It's 10:50, do you know where your brains are?

Okay, you know I RARELY if ever mention Britney on this blog, but this headline had me cackling: Britney's First Husband Calls Kevin an Idiot. First husband? Y'mean the one she was married to for 2 days?

Oh, and at the grocery store...Did Katie Couric get fired? And aren't the Witherspoon-Phillips getting mudslingy? The cover of one magazine: Reese, my story. The cover of some other magazine: Ryan, my story. Egads. Can we go back to worrying about Tom Cruise's baby and whether or not Jen and Vince are engaged, PLEASE????

In order so's to not have to TOUCH the poster until Monday, I stayed at work until the library closed at nine. (I had dinner at Taco Bell around 6:45, continuing to read Little Earthquakes, which I quite like.) I still wanted to clock certain people on sight, but I was able to control these impulses and drive safely to Walgreens in East Lib to purchase contact solution and lots of pop for ze part-ay!

Oh, also at Walgreens, I bought quart size bags (dude--you gotta have them if you're going to fly!) and orange nail polish that I'm pretty sure matches these lovely shoes....





Fun, no? I can't wait for summer (and you almost never hear ME say that!)

NaBloPoMo...all the coolest bloggers are doin' it!

So what is NaBlo...

It's this cool thing that's getting me visitors from all over, that's what! Basically, instead of writing a novel in November (that's NaWriMo) we are all saying we will either post every day or de-lurk every day. How's that de-lurking workin for you? Well, I have had three new folks this week, so I can't really complain (but I'd love to, because I'm in a choice mood...)

Since I already have 401 posts for 2006 and there are only 365 days in the year, it's pretty obvious that I didn't need this to keep me blogging. But I do feel a little more responsible, esp. since this has been the BUSIEST week ever!!

I'll try to post the NaBloPoMo participant thing-y later, when I'm at home. Yes, I'm blogging on library time, but I'm watching the desk at the moment and the most strenuous question I had so far was, "Can you confirm that this is the #4 Harry Potter book?" which I did.

Procrastinating? You betcha!

Let's see, do I want to procrastinate searching for reviews for CD-ROMs or do I want to procrastinate prepping for the poster session at PALA (Pennsylvania Library Association Conference) on Tuesday? Neither. I just want to be. For one minute, if that is possible.

I woke up in time to have a lovely walk, I ran into a woman that I haven't seen in person for at least a year, but who has networked me to find my writing coach for when I prep for the Carlow M.F.A application. Belinda is a great gal who has a business helping businesses with their writing and she used to go to Bellefield. Her daughter is now 12! Which is amazing, since I remember knowing her before she had a child!!

But then I got stuck in the foyer cleaning up the mess of mail and then it was 9 when my lovely Mary Kay consultant was due to bring my stuff. So I ran upstairs, changed my shirt and shoes, and proceeded to wash my face and yes, apply foundation and powder! Jordan showed up at 9:20 because she had forgotten which block I lived on and I gave her a hug and showed her the rejected photos. But in the chaos of her being late, I forgot to pack my pills and give her the box of Rena Tarbet tapes (VHS and audio). Which means I'll
a) have to drive home for lunch (30 min each way, yum) and
b) contact Jordan to get the box of tapes to her. I do NOT want to take the box back to the basement, as my landlord suggested yesterday when he said the foyer is getting junky again.

(lalalala, I can't hear you!!!)

Last night instead of taking a half hour lunch (linner, since it was 5:30 pm) I took about an hour or more because I detoured--I dropped off stuff at Goodwill and then went in. I know. It's counterintuitive but I was so stressed I NEEDED some retail therapy. I got the best orange sandals which I'll photograph and show you later, lovely internets. They are SO CUTE!

I mean, I am like Oscar Junior--I want to bite EVERYONE's head off. I feel like I'm in this vice and I can't get out. Yuk. Maybe actually starting some work instead of procrastinating will help. One hopes.

Later, dudes and dudettes (I know, so five years ago!)

I'm not home, but my shoes are. Leave them a message.

(Sarah Jessica Parker, as Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City)

As requested, here is my latest acquisition in the shoe department:




This is a significant moment in the building of my wardrobe: my first pair of high heels. I've always figured I was tall enough, I didn't need high heels. But I think I must have watched Carrie Bradshaw run in her heels on too many episodes of Sex and The City, and these were less than 3 bucks at Red White and Blue!!

I've worn them once, so far--to Terzo's baptism. And since I've been ice skating, my ankles are stronger, so I did pretty well for someone who has never owned a pair of heels until now!

Sarah Louise spends Sunday on the South Side (can you say that 5 times fast?)

The South Side Works is the newest "mall" in Pittsburgh. It's a shopping area, there's not any inside stores like a mall, but it's not a shopping center. They have a Cheesecake Factory. I had a lovely lunch there. They had other signs like this one, that said "work" or "create."
Proof that just about anywhere in Pittsburgh you can see the Cathedral of Learning. And how apropos, it was graduation day! (The Cathedral is a classroom for the University of Pittsburgh.)
Cool fountains! (At a moment when there weren't any children playing in it--temps here are in the 70s.) (that's Fahrenheit.)
Why thank you! There were signs like this one all over too, with quotes from movies, like "I want some more, please" (actually did they make Oliver! into a movie? It's from the play, anyways.) and other cool stuff. (and things) (Because I'm feeling so articulate...)

Anyways, I forgot to take pics of my new shoes. Next time!

It's not easy being green... (Kermit the Frog)

This is my Easter dress. I think my future as a self-portrait photographer needs a lot of work...

I picked this out of focus picture over the other out of focus pictures (well, I had five, but there were two that I liked) because it didn't show my dirty dishes. Yes, I am photo-crop challenged. I used to be able to crop a photo and now I cannot figure it out to save my life.

I am hungry, because I have put off breakfast--I told Babelbabe I'd call her if I couldn't figure it out (never having done the full length mirror deal before).

A little more text: the church I attend meets Sunday evenings. Everyone wears jeans. I am a girl. I like dressing up, at least once in a blue moon. I saw this as my CHANCE. I took it. I flew with it. You might say, I passed with flying colors...

So:

Dress, Liz Claiborne, made in Honduras, found at Goodwill, 15 minutes before I was supposed to be at prayer meeting: $13.99
Tights, found at Kaufmann's at the end of the season, Hue: $2.99
Shoes, "got them at Payless": $3.00

Getting tons of compliments Easter morning: Priceless.

******

Thursday Show-and-Tell, courtesy of Blackbird.

Sarah Louise visits Burlington Coat Factory and experiences the circle of life

It was the most bizarre shopping trip I'd taken in awhile. (a while?) It was a Wednesday evening, which is MY evening. I get to choose. I wanted to go to Tuesday Morning, this amazing store I'd discovered on Monday.

I'd been to a Tuesday Morning in Virginia--I went with my friend PJ before the movie "Brokedown Palace." It's kind of a cross between Pier One, Marshall's and TJ Maxx, but not so much on the clothes. Read: cheap fun stuff, that you never see in regular stores. I had spied a set of 4 glass square canisters for 14 bucks on Monday and when I realized today that I had a little more in the bank than I'd anticipated, I decided to splurge. (It's rare that a librarian gets overtime pay--so rare that when she saw the extra $40 she had to ask the accounts payable clerk, who said, you worked overtime?) So I went in, today, only to discover that they close at 7pm! I mean, the library is open until 9--who closes at 7pm? Clearly, they do. So...I went to Kuhn's (which months ago was Shop and Save) to let them know they didn't give me the sale price for the bottle of Dove Shampoo I purchased Monday. Score, I got back 2 bucks and change! Sweet.

But I was not ready to go home. So, I thought, I could window shop at Burlington Coat Factory, a store where I can always find something to purchase. When I worked dahntahn (Downtown Pittsburgh), there was a BCF right next door. I still have some items I purchased there, over eight years ago. Well, at least one skirt.

As I cross over to the door, a couple is sitting outside, waiting for a ride, I think, since there's not a bus stop sign nearby. The man has a tiny Petco box that has airholes (it sort of looks like the boxes they used to use for Dunkin Donuts Munchkins) so I'm assuming they just purchased a small pet. I take a few more paces through the automatic doors and I am in Mother's Day Central. Spa sets, bath salts, hat boxes, hats, stationery, socks, books about mothers, books about daughters, books about friends...if it's pink and it says Mother's Day in black and white or by its mere existence, it is there. I try on some straw hats, as my sister's college graduation (woo hoo!!) will be outside, weather permitting. None really suits except for the black one, which seems an odd color for someone who's not wearing the robe and mortarboard hat.

I then wander into the household art section. Sculptures, candle holders, lamps...nothing really catches my eye. I spend a few minutes in the ladies department, but find nothing that really catches my eye there either. I am now into "Luxury Linens," one of BCF stores within the store. Towels, sheets, pillows. I find a green pillow with pink flowers, and add it to the socks I found earlier (3 for $6). I continue past all the shower curtains, toothbrush holders, soap dispensers.

I have crossed the threshold. I am now in "Baby Depot," and all around me are pacifiers (binkies), bottles, baby hats, diaper bags, baby furniture, toys...I wander through, not merely to torture myself, but with the thought in mind that I received two emails this week announcing births to two acquaintances. I didn't see anything that I could really imagine giving as a gift to either child or set of parents. Maybe it's the acquaintance thing.

Soon, I am in the men's department, which is flanked by the shoe department for men, women and children. Nothing there fit that caught my eye. (Read: many caught my eye, none fit.) (Alas...) Somewhere after the shoe department, I round the register area, with last minute Mother's Day impulse buys. I have come full circle from being a daughter, a friend, a tooth brush owner, a friend to babies, a shoe lover, and again, a daughter. (I guess in the men's department I was again a daughter and also a sister.) I made my purchases, including an impulse gag gift for the graduate (I'll reveal later...) and when I left the store, about 45 minutes after I'd entered, the same couple was still sitting outside the store, and I wondered who it was they were waiting for. I wondered, too, what was inside that munchkins box.

I drove home, listening to Thomas Friedman tell me about the flattening of the world, and up to my hot hot third floor walk up. Gag. I need more ice in my rum and Coke...

Reading: Julie and Romeo get lucky by Jeanne Ray (who also wrote Eat Cake, who is also mom to Ann Patchett, author of Bell Canto, which no, I still have not yet read. But I read Taft, and that *was* good.)

Must. read. book. (oh, and check laundry. That would make sense...)

Ta!