I've even raped and killed a mountain panda in the hills of Shaanxi.

I got this hoodie in black and it is so, so great. 21 micron merino wool, thumb loops, omg. Everyone is jealous, oh yes. It's almost worth eating cereal for dinner all week.

I bought Reg stereolabrat's book, Happy Birthday or Whatever, and devoured it a couple days ago. It's not as fantastic as her LJ was in '05 or whatever, but that schtick, although it took a while, got old. This book is pretty much about her Korean family, so there's a lot more warmth and a lot less talk about dicks. Which is fine by me. Still a lot of laugh-out-loud moments, with a warm chewy center to it all. I once tried to write a funny story about my dad, but parodying him made him too inhuman. This book nails it.

I watched Gervais' The Invention of Lying the other night. It was funny enough, a delightful diversion, but I can't say I'd ever want to watch it again. The only man in the world who can lie, ends up inventing religion. Yeah ok, if I were the only man in the world who could lie, I sure as hell wouldn't go for Jennifer Garner and her square jaw. Yeah, that's right, you heard me.

Reg bought about 20 Alistair Maclean mysteries at Half Price Books in Cap Hill. Total price, $20.

UI: I forgot about the waiting period. TWO WEEKS WITH NO INCOME, BOO YA!

In other news, Reg and I spent the weekend with his friend Mars (whose LJ name I don't currently know), one of his oldest LJ friends whom he's never met in person before. We picked her up from the Clipper around 8:30 and went to the Edgewater for drinks and dinner, and wow, that place has barely changed at all since 2002. Which is kind of awesome really. I am sort of anti-hipster in all ways except currently having no money, so I like white sheens and ambient/downtempo DJs and $7 custom cocktails and Kobe sliders. I blame hotcrab for introducing me to the yuppie lifestyle at just the time I could afford it.

But anyway it was fun, although I felt kind of bad later due to mixing booze with other things, and kind of passed out when we got home. Sunday was a full day of shopping. I wanted to get a daypack with my REI dividend, and then we went to Pike Place Market where there was shopping to be had and done and I don't think I've ever seen so much money spent there ever before. Well, ok, I guess Reg always spends $50 at any comic book store, and likewise at head shops, but usually not the same day. We also bought "art", which I think that my artist friends could easily surpass but maybe they have loftier ambitions than sitting in a stall at the Market. Oh, and Asian pears are $1 each. Got two!

Anyway we then walked to Westlake and I saw more money spent at Lush, which just makes my new resolve to really go into DIY beauty all the firmer. (I started doing this already.) Then we went upstairs to the ultimate food court, had lunch, and I suggested that before returning to Ballard, we should indulge in some Dilettante choco-goodness. We got a slice of this flourless mocha-choco-cake dealie, which went perfectly with a latte. Om nom nom.

So then we made it home and relaxed a while then walked around Ballard a bit. Our original intention was to get a neck gaiter like mine for Mars, since she has dreads and could use it as an open-top hat, BUT Second Ascent sold them all. Boo. But I bought some lemon oil at Dandelion Botanicals, and Reg got MORE CANDLES, so our place smelled nice when we returned.

We made plans to meet up with ashlin519 for dinner, since we missed the party Saturday, and went to Belltown Pizza at 7:30 or so. I always forget how damn good their pizza is. It was good to see her, we caught up on stuff, and then brought her up to Cap Hill and came home and tried to get my hookah to work. FINALLY did it with judicious applications of lighter fluid. Apple tobacco is nice. Anyway I pretty much blew my social wad so I then read and passed out.

So I bought the New Balances and when I got home, Reg had just gotten out of the shower. Then Ashley and Danny stopped over and we went to King's Hardware for lunch (or so), and they went to get her tattoo worked on while we headed home. A quick detour at Blackbird and Reg bought these totally sexy low-cut black jeans that make his butt look really good. And then I loaded up my iRiver with upbeat music and attempted to run.

I used to run, way back in the day. But I stopped when it got cold and used the ellipticals till I met Reg (not because of him, just that timing), so it's been more or less three years since I really worked out. I'd sometimes stairclimb at work but whatever. Mexico in two weeks, I need to shape up. And yes I realize that I won't improve a hell of a lot in 2 weeks but I will build up endurance. I'll take the shoes to Mexico and run early and read in the quiet.

Price paid for region-free DVD player in 2000: $350
Price paid for region-free DVD player in 2006: less than a third with shipping

When I was a kid I was obsessed with office supply stores. Going to them, reading the catalogs... you know that scene in Fight Club in the bathroom? Yeah, about that bad. I'm pretty much over it, if only because the Staples and Office Depots of America are nowhere near as charming as the local outlet stores of my youth were.

I do have a slight IKEA obsession, but it's far enough away that it's hardly a danger. My real problem is Williams Sonoma. Before this I was basically the kind of person who bought all her kitchen gear at Target, but from the first time I stepped into a W&S it was - well, I don't believe in love at first sight with people, but I believe in it for stores. I've had it happen a few more times since - including IKEA - but I still get chills every time I go to Williams Sonoma. Because, well, there are almost no local small kitchen supply shops. I've been to others since but it's just not the same kind of situation. You can find a furniture store anywhere in America that isn't a chain, not so with kitchen supply stores.

A few months ago jette linked to her citrus press, and I've been meaning to get one ever since. Because it's really difficult to make lemon drops or daiquiris just using your hands. Unless you buy nearly-rotten fruit, that is. So I walk in, and kind of linger. I mean you don't want to just go WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA'AM, and I don't even mean just to be polite. I mean that I can in no way walk into this store and just pick up what I want. But eventually I found it, asked the help to get one for me, and that was that.

Except that they have these cocktail mixers in a bottle. And I'm only human. How can I resist the call of Key Lime Mojito?

And that, my friends, is why I'm kicking it with a mojito in hand and you are not.

If we go skiing this weekend, I'm gonna get these.

so ok. Friday night was calm, as Reg was still a bit sick, we just stayed out and watched Sin City extras. asabass came by, as did das_prompt. Went to bed around 2am, and met skipbreakfast for breakfast. And then I started running around because I had PLANS. none of these plans went through, alas. I looked at Goodwill, a new consigment shop on 24th, Buffalo Exchange and Red Light, but there was no white dress to be had. Red Light at least had a couple, but they didn't fit. Misery misery. I wanted a big dress so I could hide a garter+flask under it. I got the garter, got the flask, but no big white dress. I have a big black dress but the zipper stuck trying to get it on, and I had to cut it to get it off again. Sigh.

Fortunately, I picked up boots that fit at Goodwill, and just wore my LBD with them. And we got dressed and went to Paul's and so on and so forth. I mean, I don't remember any significant events, except spilling my Shirley Temple all over the bar at some point, so that's really all that needs to be said about that.

Sunday I surfed web like there was no tomorrow, then re-read some Pratchett and Middlesex and took some Xanax. Monday was much the same except nothing but Pagliacci's and breakfast sausage entered my belly. Oh, and we watched the Deadwood where Alma is preggers. Also finished Season 2 of Coupling.

Just came back from Dandelion Botanical. What a cute little shop. Just hundreds of oils, candles and soaps and other smellish things. And also homemade "bath bombs" at $4 a ball.

I forced Reg to go to the new Bellevue store, and he got this fresh-made soap that looks like lemon cheesecake and smells like lemon cheesecake, but boy, it don't taste like it. It's actually facial soap, i just washed with it after eating pizza and my skin is soft and clean, but not dry.

He also got demon soap. For Halloween, I guess. And now he's IMing me links of more soaps he wants.