Wanty Want Want WAAAAAANT

I really do need new boots this winter, since the boots I bought last year were secondhand, and have already begun allowing water to seep through the soles.

The $165 price tag is pretty far outside of my comfort zone, but I understand that it's actually a reasonable market price for well-heeled (ha) footwear. Unfortunately, my hemming and hawing about the price means that I missed the Labor Day sale (20% off), which would have saved me $33. Guess I'll wait and see if another sale comes along later this fall...

I'll definitely wait until after my wedding anniversary. (Ahem.)

Be patient, my dearies. Mama's gonna try and get you shipped home real soon.

What do you think?

Downtown today, I saw a family crossing the street in front of me, the dad leading a towheaded 3-year-old girl by the hand. I heard a horn honking, and saw a car coming toward them. The car slowed down and yelled something out the window at the family, and they yelled back, incensed that this jerk had nearly run them over.

The thing is, this family had crossed the street on a solidly red light. The car completely had the right of way, and that family seemd to have completely ignored the light.

On the one hand, I thought the guy in the car may have been a little over the top to yell and honk... but he had a point. I thought it was irresponsible to go leading a small child out into traffic. In fact, when we have the kids with us, we have a habit of waiting for the "walk" light to cross, even when there's no cross traffic in sight.

Whose side would you take in the argument?

Random Campus Observations

Today as I was walking across the UI campus, I fell in step behind a pair of college girls, and managed to overhear one of them saying "Ohmigod, I feel so *old*!" I wanted to spit my gum into her pretty blonde hair. (I did no such thing.)

Also... I stopped in to get a University ID card (to which I am entitled as a UI Foundation staffer) so that I can get the software discount at the UI bookstore to buy the software that really should have come with my computer, which came loaded with MS Office but didn’t didn't come with Word BECAUSE MICROSOFT IS A STEAMING PILE OF GREEDY BASTARDS DIPPED IN MELTED BASTARDS WITH CRUNCHY BASTARD COATING.

ANYway. This little college girl was talking on the phone while she is gesturing with her hands to guide me through the picture-taking sequence, and I was totally looking at her instead of the camera when she snapped the photo.

Derrrr.

I don’t know how well you can see this, but the photo is actually sort of horrifying. I look like one of the Manson Family gals, freshly brainwashed and ready to KILL. Because I love Charlie, and he is Jesus.

P.S. I don't hate college girls. They just weren't my favorite among God's creatures today.

Leftovers never had it so good.

Night before last, we dined on B.S.T. (bacon, sprouts, tomato) sandwiches, just like they used to have on the Deli menu at New Pioneer Co-op. The other wonderful twist besides substituting sunflower sprouts for the lettuce? A slice of feta cheese on top to up the flavor ante.

Might I suggest--if you should ever try this clever and delicious take on the humble (but wonderful) B.L.T., go ahead and fry up a whole pound of bacon, because you're gonna want to try this salad for your desktop lunch later in the week:

I chopped up a couple of slices of the leftover cooked bacon, crumbled some of the leftover feta, and chopped a few leftover tomato slices, then tossed all of these and a handful (okay, two hands full) of leftover sunflower sprouts on top of a bed of baby romaine lettuce, and drizzled with Annie's Goddess dressing, and voila!

Lunch is served.

two birds with one blog post

Just so you know, I have been incredibly productive this summer--churning out reams of elegant prose (at work), installing new exterior lights on my house, planting and marveling at a king's crop of Jack-Be-Little pumpkins, waiting for the weather to get hot enough to make my tomatoes turn red, spending all kinds of quality time with the kids (and with Facebook), getting Arlo ready for Kindergarten, and planning a dreamy trip to Vermont (Mara and I leave one week from tomorrow).

In the mean time, certain things have not been getting much attention, one of which is the blog and one of which is my knitting. With this post today, I hereby officially throw my hat back into the ring--both as a blogger and as a knitter.

Behold:

Judge Not, Lest Ye Be Judged...

I think I know now why I sometimes see people grocery shopping with their two-year-olds at 11:00 at night. Perhaps some of them have children like mine, who engages in a 45-minute screamathon at bedtime every night. And maybe, some nights, they'd just rather have the kid fall asleep in the car on the way home. Yeah, I get that now.

Hungry children, apparently

This is what happens to a cantaloupe wedge in our house, if you leave it laying around after supper.