foot and grate

foot and grate
Originally uploaded by Julep67

A shiny new dollar store opened up near our house recently. Last night I had to get some greeting cards so we stopped in there on our way home. It's so nice and new. The shelves are packed with awesome bargains and it's very handy to our house. so nice!

Potentially not so nice is the markings I noticed on our way home. It appeared that someone from the city (or a bored kid) spray-painted white squares around the sewer grates on our street. Not sure if that means they are going to build them up (they are all pretty sunken gross pot holes) or if they are just pointing out that they're there. I think that folks in the automotive suspension business in Kingston are doing well these days.

Our city can muse about building new track and field facilities and 50m swimming pools until the cows come home. What Kingston needs, more than anything, is new roads, infrastructure baby. Of course, what's practical and what happens are never usually the same thing so I bitch in vain. At least it temporarily makes me feel better I suppose.

a little friday fun

So far, I'm having a great day. The heat is on, the sun is shining and I'm really accomplishing a lot. It feels really great. And it's Friday! Technically, it's now Friday afternoon so that means that I only have to wait a few more hours before I'll be home with my dogs (and Mark) for the whole weekend.

For over a year now, there has been a major construction project underway just north of our house. It's going to be one of those giant box malls which I'm not a massive fan of but, there is a really nice grocery store going into it. It's our favourite flavour of grocery store and it'll be way closer to our house than any other grocery store in town. They are opening up today so we're going to head over after work and do our weekly shop. Some folks in town are upset about the store opening because the owners are closing another store when this one opens. The old store is in a low income neighbourhood and most of the current customers can walk there. This new store is not easy to get to by walking and it's not easily accessible by public transit (such as it is right now). Hopefully, there will be a shuttle service, or the city buses will change their route to make it easier for folks to get to the store. I'm just really looking forward to shopping in the new store and not having to trek out to the west end of town for groceries anymore.

In honour of FoTC returning to TV on Sunday (I cannot wait!!), here's a little clip to make you smile:

eye time

white chocolate, chocolate cookies
Originally uploaded by Julep67

Today was one of the brightest days I've seen in a long time. It was just gorgeous outside, sparkly, clean, beautiful. The day was also cold but not booger freezing in your nose cold so it was tolerable if you were dressed for it.

This morning I had an appointment with my eye doctor. I see her every two years and this year, I knew I'd need new glasses. I've ordered some but because the doctor's office is closing for the holidays, I won't get them until after I'm back to work in January. I can't wait to get them. This time, I've noticed a big change in my vision, mostly for distances, and will be really happy to be able to see better!

Last night, we had call from other driver on Mark's cab. The cab had died (fortunately enough) right near the cab office. There is a garage there so it was towed in for the guys to look at this morning. Mark called them when they opened but unfortunately, the car wasn't ready until after 3 p.m. This left Mark with an unplanned day off. It worked out really well though. He was able to drive me to my appointment and when he picked me up, we did some errands.

Shopping, this close to Christmas, when you aren't in a hurry or a crush to finish up anything is really interesting. Watching folks in a panic, rushing, seeming a little stressed, I felt a little bad for them. I do realize though that for some folks, this is all part of the holiday experience. Odd thing to want to experience but then some folks are odd. We had four or five stops to make, had lunch along the way (nothing fancy, just hot dogs at Costco) and were home by early afternoon.

I did a little bit more baking this afternoon but tomorrow I'll do my "bake-a-thon." I have everything I need right here and I have no plans or any need to go anywhere tomorrow so I'll just putter away at it all day long. The dogs are getting used to me being in the kitchen. They spend their days in the kitchen so it is sort of like I'm invading their domain, I understand. They've both been really good the past few days. Right now, they are both sleep in the doorway to my office. They are snuggled up against each other and it's just the cutest thing.

open 12 am

open 12 am
Originally uploaded by Julep67

Happy Canada Day weekend folks.

I know that Canada Day is still two whole days away, and I know that a lot of folks have to work tomorrow but still, it's the weekend and it's almost Canada Day so, yeah.

We've had a really quiet weekend around our house. When we got home from work on Friday evening, Sam had had a couple of accidents. This is not ordinary for him so we knew that he must be sick. I could tell (I know that this is gross) that he'd been chewing on the deck carpet (last year, we put in some indoor/outdoor carpet on our deck) and I figured that was what upset his stomach. We cleaned up the house, cleaned him up and tried to get him to drink some water.

Friday night, I don't think that any of us slept well. Mark and I kept waking up to check on the dog. Sam kept roaming around the kitchen. When I got up to let him out on Saturday morning, I realized that he'd had a couple of little accidents in the kitchen overnight. Eventually though, I was able to get him to eat some ice and after that, drink some water. We gave him some boiled potatoes for breakfast and he gobbled that down. By dinner time, his appetite had returned and he seemed to be back to normal. He had some more potato, this time with some boiled chicken in it and was drinking a lot of water (which made me really happy, I was afraid that he'd become dehydrated).

This morning, he's been scootching around the house on his butt. I think he's got some sort of blockage so we're just trying to keep him comfortable today and tomorrow we'll get over to the vet. Neither Mark nor I have a clue about "expressing canine anal glands" so we figure we can leave that to the professionals. Once he finds a comfy spot to sit in, he seems okay. If he were to become listless, I'd rush him to the hospital but I don't think it's that bad at this point.

In other news, that big new tv we got last weekend was crappy. Technically, it was a 50" monitor. The unit did not have a tuner in it. This wasn't an issue for us because we don't use the tuner in our tv, we use a cable box. What we didn't realize though, is that for us and the channels we watch, the signal quality isn't what it should be (yet) so the larger screen doesn't necessarily look better.

Yesterday, we went back to Costco and picked out another 42" Plasma tv and right now, Mark and Andy are taking back the 50" and getting the new 42". The model we're getting is by LG and they just happened to have a 50" next to it while we were trying to choose. We both thought that the smaller tv had a better picture so that's what we're getting. After what happened last weekend, we're a little gun shy about another samsung tv but this LG one seems to be okay.

So that's been our weekend so far, dog poop and plasma tvs. I can hardly wait to see what the rest of it holds in store for us.

at the canine centre

at the canine centre
Originally uploaded by Julep67

This morning when I woke up, I was feeling kind of shitty. Fortunately, on Thursday and Friday evenings, I'd done my weekend chores. Yesterday, we'd done some errands so today, I really didn't have to go too far so, me and my feeling shitty, parked it on the sofa.

I love CBS Sunday morning so I had DVR'd it. I was about a third of the way into the show when I heard a loud click and the picture on our tv disappeared. No matter what we did, we couldn't get the television to turn back on.

In a way, I wasn't too worried about it, we've had it less than 6 months. I called Samsung for advice. The girl I spoke with gave me the number for a service depot here in town. The number was not correct so I called Costco (where we bought it). On their message, they said that they would take returns with the original packaging and a receipt. Fortunately, we had both so we packed it up and, with help from our friend Andy, took it back to the store.

We actually had no problem returning it, despite the fact that they normally don't take tv's back after 90 days (who knew?). They gave us our money back and we went back into the store and bought a new tv, plus a new hdmi dvd player for the same price. They had the same tv we had before, still on sale (a 42" samsung). For $200 less than what we paid in December, we got a 50" tv and it seems okay so far. It's a second tier brand of television but it seems to be working very well.

When I woke this morning, I had no intention of leaving the house, much less buying a new television but it just goes to show you that you never ever can tell where the day may lead you.

purple petunia

purple petunia
Originally uploaded by Julep67

The heat is here! It was muggy as all get out again today so I guess we're officially through with our cold snap for a while anyway.

I forgot how oppressive that hot heavy air can be. Mark and I went out and did some errands in the late part of the morning and by the time we were done, I couldn't wait to get home.

We set up Sam's little swimming pool in the back yard this afternoon. We gave our larger pool away to a friend who has 3 young children. As much as we enjoyed the pool, it did take a up a lot of room in our yard and since we put the gazebo in, well it didn't really fit. Also, we want Sam to have room to run around and that larger pool didn't really accommodate that. His pool is a decent size. I stood in it and tried to get him into it. He'd stand in it if I lifted him in (and he really liked it's "world's largest water bowl" properties) but he wouldn't stay in it. Maybe it was too cold for him.

Either way, I'm sure he'll get used to it and will enjoy it over the weekend. I will say this, as much I may complain about the humidity, I'll not complain about the hot temperatures because goodness only knows, it's been a very long time coming!!

week end yay

I'm very glad to be home. The week was really really busy for me. Good busy, got lots done busy. Many things are off the to-do list busy. Time flew by like an I don't know what busy. Next couple of weeks will be that busy too. It's good though, still in love with the new job which helps.

Yesterday, I went back to the old job to give some training to two folks. It was really weird being back in my old office. I don't think I realized how small the room was, or how crammed in like sardines folks are until I went away and came back. It's hot and noisy and overcrowded and there are many competing perfumes and a giant colour copier. No wonder I had headaches all the time. I really miss the ladies I worked with but I'm not missing the environment. I love having my own office. It's bright and airy and the windows open and it's my space. I mean, I share it with the copier / printer but still, I'm in there working alone.

Before the training session, I had lunch with two friends who still work there. Well, I say lunch but we didn't eat. We sat on a bench outside and gabbed. I got the weirdest sunburn on 1/2 of my face and on part of my neck. Bizarre looking sunburn, really. It's warm and a little sore today. I kept putting lotion on it last night though so it shouldn't peel. It was weird though, I had no idea that the sun was that strong but I guess I should have known.

Anyway, I think that I need to go play with Sam a little bit. Before I go though, I have this question to ask: How come I never ever see folks with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths trying to cram stuff that is in large flat-pack boxes in the parking lot at Costco but I almost always see this same demonstration of stinky-smoky stupidity in the parking lot at Walmart?

watch out!

I saw this over on Sweetney's page:

24

She scored 19, I got 24. I wonder what a high score is?

It's sort of silly, kind of like those questions on "Moment of Truth" where they say, "if you knew you wouldn't get caught, would you rob a bank?" Of course, many folks would say yes because there is no consequence. Oh, except you probably would get caught (did all of those years of watching Lennie Briscoe teach us nothing!?) and you'd feel bad about it.

When we were in the grocery store last night, I could kicked a few 5 year olds, well not really them but their mothers, definitely. We stopped off on the way home for some bread and veggies and managed to get stuck in an icy rut outside the store. Fortunately, we were blocking the entire street so a whole bunch of people helped us out. It was really bananas because it just looked slushy and it was this huge frozen chunk of the road. Mark grabbed a cardboard box and shoved the cardboard under the wheels and I tried to back it up while all of these lovely men pushed on the van.

Once we got out of the rut (literally), we found a parking spot and ran into the store. It was full to the brim with women and large groups of children. Unfortunately, in the post-work clammer, most working folks, even those with children of their own don't want to witness this:

Mom: You can pick any juice you like.

Child: hands mum a 2 litre container of some juice

Mom: Oh, you aren't allowed to drink that one. Pick another.

Now, this scene was repeated 3 times until finally the kid got frustrated and the mom got the juice she wanted and put it into the cart. At one point, in the bread aisle, I was standing by myself, waiting for Mark. This mum with two really badly behaving little boys, was letting them go into the back room at the store (I'm guessing the restroom must be back there). Anyway, she looked at me and apologized (I guess she thought that their opening the door was holding me up - which it would have if I was going anywhere). When I didn't say anything, she gave me a dirty look and called me some name I couldn't quiet make out. Charming. Did I mention that she was also wearing some rancid perfume which just made my head pound (because I was feeling lousy already). Well, yeah, she was. So yeah, I could have kicked the asses of some kids last night but I think it would have felt way better to have kicked the asses of their parents.

stupid is as stupid does

christmas night
Originally uploaded by Julep67

I think that the cold weather has created a frozen brain phenomenon.

Earlier today, we went out to do a couple of errands and it seemed like everywhere we went, folks were moving in slow motion. I know that I wasn't moving super fast (which may have made it seem like folks were moving more slowly than they actually were), some folks seemed to be moving backward they were wandering around so slowly.

Going out earlier in the day, I figured that it wouldn't have been as busy as it would be during the post-work-day time slot. I don't call it a rush hour around here because Kingston doesn't really experience anything close to what rush hour looks like in a bigger city.

It actually was a little comical after a while. It seemed like many customers at costco were having trouble driving their buggies around. We witnessed many near-miss incidents in the produce section.

Outside in the parking lot was more frightening because of the snow. When we were walking around the parking lot, I noticed that a lot of drivers (primarily women - sorry girls) seemed frightened to be driving. They had this weird look of fear in their eyes and were gripping the steering wheels like they would fly out of the vehicle if they let go. Personally, I think if driving makes you so nervous that it shows in your face and your body language, it's probably not a good idea for you to be out in traffic. I say this all of the time, I know, and I know that I complain about the stupid a lot but seriously, when you are out in public, wake up!

The temperature is suppose to start to rise tonight. Hopefully if things thaw out a little bit, folks will perk up a smidgen.

even the police shop at costco

even the police shop at costco
Originally uploaded by Julep67

We were up sort of late (for us) last night but I couldn't sleep in this morning. Two weeks into my three week vacation and I'm still not sleeping in. Not necessarily a bad thing I suppose.

It was actually good that we were up early because we got out and did some errands before it got busy this morning. I was pretty surprised at how early it was when it started to get busy. It felt pretty good to be ahead of the crush though.

I really like shopping when the stores first open because I generally dislike crowded stores. I dislike them because (and I find that this is particularly bad at costco) folks seem to lose their ever-loving minds when they shop. In costco, people mob around the free piece of sausage lady like this is going to be their last meal on earth. First thing in the a.m., the free sausage / piece of cookie / corner of a rice crispie square people aren't even set up yet.

A down side to early morning shopping is that ladies who douse themselves in smelly perfumes are freshly so. At No Frills, a lady was returning her buggy and Mark offered that we would give her our quarter rather than get it from the cluster. She was lovely and friendly and we set off to do our shopping. I realized when I was cashing out that she had been doused (it wasn't obvious earlier because we were near the door). My hands totally reeked of some old lady perfume. I don't know what it is but it's very popular amongst ladies of a certain vintage. It reminds me of Avon's "Bird of Paradise" but it's not that. It has that same base scent though, I don't know how else to describe it except "blue." It smells blue to me. This is probably because when I was a kid, my mum sold Avon and the Bird of Paradise bottles were blue. I know that blue doesn't smell (well, blue cheese does) but that's what's in my head.

Thank goodness for anti-bacterial gel. I was able to get rid of the perfume smell. I'm really looking forward to the day when I don't have to walk through clouds of smoke when I enter and exit public building and when all public places are designated scent-free. In the meantime, I'll just have to put up with smelly hands, a choking cough and watery eyes.

candy cane cookies

candy cane cookies
Originally uploaded by Julep67

Having a cold and not having to to work when you have a cold can get your scheduled turned around.

Last night, I woke up in the middle of the night, wide awake, and couldn't get back to sleep for an hour or so. By the time I did get to sleep, the alarm was going off and I got up with Mark. After he left for work, I felt really groggy. Even though I was having coffee, I couldn't get warm and couldn't wake up.

The smart thing to do, I thought, was to go back to bed. I did and I slept for a couple of hours and felt much better for it. Mark ran into some trouble with the cab and ended up being off this afternoon while it was in the shop. He took me out for lunch and it was the first time I'd been further than the end of our driveway since Christmas Day.

We wandered around a few stores to people watch and see what the bargains were. After a couple of hours, I could barely keep up with the crowds so we went home. I think I'm going to be another day or so before I'm back to normal. It was nice to get out earlier but right now, I'm really ready for my bed again.

spongebob on the tree

spongebob on the tree
Originally uploaded by Julep67

when Mark got home from work this afternoon, we decided to take a quick spin out for our last grocery shop before Christmas.

I had planned to go out tomorrow morning, early, and do the shop but I liked his suggestion of us doing it together so out we went. It's funny, traffic was a little heavy, the stores were kind of busy (not nuts, just full of really dopey-acting people) but it was amusing and fun.

When you have your shopping all done and wrapped and you're well underway to being ready for the holidays, your perspective changes. We sat at Costco and had a soda after we shopped and watched folks checking out. Some people seemed like us, relaxed and happy, amused. Other folks seemed foul tempered, angry, confused, generally freaked. Not good.

I don't ever want to find myself in that position - desperate looking. Many people seemed to be wandering around without a clue of what they were doing, desperate to buy something. How that can be fun I ask?

I'm so glad that we don't have to go near the shoppes this weekend. I'm happy to stick close to home, finishing up my baking and hanging out with friends. Hope you get to do some of that too.

redirected traffic

redirected traffic
Originally uploaded by Julep67

If you are in the "storm zone" I'm sure you faced a lot of delays today. This morning I was happy to not have to rush out to work.

Mark stayed home until the sun was up and we'd had a chance to finish cleaning up the driveway and the steps. Neither of us felt great about him being out on the roads if they weren't safe to travel, at least not in the dark. Fortunately for us, our driveway was pretty good when we went outside this morning. Our neighbour had cleaned a chunk of it up last night so we just had 4 or 5 inches to do. The snow was light and fluffy this morning so I was glad to get it done early.

About mid-morning, our neighbour came back and widened the driveway and cleaned up the top of the drive (around where the van was - between our house and the neighbours). It looks great now. This is the time I love winter. When the weather is really cold and sunny and the ground is covered with snow but everything is accessible - that's a perfect wintery day for me. Technically I know it's not yet winter but it sure looks pretty out there.

Mark packed work in early this afternoon (at my urging) and we went out and finished our shopping for the holidays. We even got the last bits and pieces of what we need for our baking. The worst lineup I saw was at the post office (I had two parcels to send) and that didn't take longer than 20 minutes so I'm not complaining. There is something nice about being done with the mad rush stuff a whole week early.

We'll probably make a couple of grocery runs between now and the end of the year but at least we don't have any more holiday shopping to do - I don't anyway - not sure about Mark.

Traffic wasn't too bad but there were a lot of stupid folks out there. They seemed to be just not paying attention. We saw a lot of transport trucks in town too. The 401 is closed so traffic was being re-routed through town. At one point, looking west along highway 2, all I could see what transports, bumper to bumper. It was pretty funny actually. A sense of humour is easy to retain when you're not in a hurry!

At the moment, I'm happy to be home. I can take my time and putter away and get what I need to, done, at any old pace I choose. happy holidays indeed!

no more mother hubbard

Our cupboards were practically empty. The fridge too. Working all of these weekends recently has not left us with much time for shopping. I mean, we've dashed in and out of the store grabbing just enough stuff to throw something together for dinner but we hadn't done a real shop in ages.

Tonight after work, we came home and fed the critters and then went back out in the dark to do some shopping. The traffic was pretty nuts. They are calling for some snow here tomorrow and I think it's thrown folks into a bit of a panic. If we'd had any choice at all about going out tonight, we probably would have stayed home (afterall, how much do you like shopping in the rain?).

It's done now though, we both got pretty much soaked and were frozen by the time we got everything inside. The temperature is really starting to drop. Right now though, we're home, it's toasty warm in our house. I have a dog sitting at my feet and I'm listening to yet another gorgeous version of The Zutons' "Valerie" being sung by Ms Winehouse.

Life is good and right now, it's very hard to care about cold and wet.

Queen's Bands

Queen's Bands
Originally uploaded by Julep67

yesterday was a very long day.

I was working out of town last night. We left town at midday and stopped off at IKEA in Nepean en route to our venue. It was mutually decided that we'd shop for an hour. After 38 minutes, we got in the line up. We spent 25 minutes in the line up. It was totally crazy. I guess because it's a long weekend in Ottawa this weekend (I think that most stuff is closed tomorrow because of Remembrance Day) everyone was out getting stuff for weekend projects.

Mostly, we were buying candles and household stuff. We did walk out with a kitchen sink though. One of my coworkers picked up a sink for a song. It was pretty funny actually, we heard "oh yeah, everything and the kitchen sink!" a lot yesterday.

We got back into town at around 1 a.m. Mark and I didn't get to sleep until around 3 a.m. (he came out to pick me up at the office) because I was a little wired. This morning I slept in a bit, we went out for lunch and I did a little laundry this afternoon but not much else.

At the moment, I'm feeling pretty bagged and I think I'll be heading to bed very soon. Oh, Mark's feeling much better. His toe is healing nicely and the bug seems to be disappearing so hopefully he'll be all back to normal in another day or so.

it's about time!

I'm not at all surprised to read this (although I was amused). I don't feel bad at all about how little I spend on my bags (and I do love a nice purse!!) on ebay and Canal Street and elsewhere, I actually feel pretty good about it.

Is This It for the It Bag?
By ERIC WILSON

EVERYONE’S talking about the bubble, and when it will burst.

There is too much inventory. Prices are absurdly high. And analysts are predicting a slowdown in a market that may have already passed its peak of irrational growth, in 2004. Even as prices have increased exponentially over the last three years, with buyers trying to get in on the ground floor of premier properties — the Paddington, the Muse, the Giant City — so, too, have reports of dwindling consumer confidence and a looming credit crisis that could potentially wipe out the value of Uptowns and Downtowns alike.

Some people are concerned that a combination of volatile interest rates and the weakened dollar will ultimately cripple the market.

Status handbags, you see, are a lot like housing. After the rise of the $1,000 purse, fashion’s equivalent of the $1 million studio, there inevitably comes talk of a backlash. Are we now living in a handbag bubble?

“The new condo market today is comparable to the It bag,” said Stephanie Phair, the vice president for merchandising for Portero, an online auction house that specializes in the resale of luxury goods. “Every bag has a name. At least in New York, you see the same thing with all those condo buildings going up with valets, pools, dog parks and fancy names. At some point, people are going to decide that, in fact, what they’d like is to go back to the tried and tested, the classic prewar or the apartment on lower Fifth Avenue.”

“The appeal of the It bag,” Mr. Phair said, “has started to wane.”

Yet this is a moment when every bag seems to have, in addition to a price tag that could be confused with a ZIP code, a name that conjures up images of a wealthy enclave or a cast member of “Gossip Girl.” Heloise, Mathilde and Beata are bags by Chloé; Mariah, Camila and Elsa come from Marc Jacobs; the Uptown, the Downtown and the Muse are designs from Yves Saint Laurent, not buildings by André Balazs.

An entire genre of slouchy handbags, described as “hobos,” may even strike some readers as unintentionally funny, if not slightly offensive, with their earnest descriptions and indiscreet prices — the Dolce & Gabbana Miss Perfect hobo, $795; the Celine Bittersweet hobo, $1,700; the Prada nappa gauffre Antic hobo, $1,750 (a crazy gopher hobo?) — for bags meant to look as if they once belonged to tramps.

“Designers are just testing the laws of economics by pricing handbags higher and higher until people stop buying them,” said Lauren Goodman, the fashion director of Domino magazine. “They are so expensive, and drive you to buy a new one every season, which is kind of a horrifying thought.”

Ms. Goodman is aware of the hot bags of the moment: the Prada leather styles that repeat the ombré patterns of the fall collection; the Marc Jacobs oversize clutch, carried by several editors during the spring collections; the YSL Downtown bag, which is shaped like a Chinese takeout container with a handle. “Some people still carry the Muse,” she said of another YSL style. “They think the Muse is hot, because they’re kind of behind.”

But how does one afford to stay ahead?

At the rate that designers are introducing new styles, that no longer seems possible, which has led to a shift in perceptions about status bags.

“That whole phenomenon has changed,” said Julie Gilhart, the fashion director of Barneys New York. “Our customers seem to be looking for something more interesting. They don’t want to spend money on something everyone else has.”

They don’t want a one-season bag.

At the least, there is anecdotal evidence that the fastest-growing segment of the fashion industry, also considered its most lucrative because of its high profit margins, may not be immune to market exhaustion.

Coach, the leading American handbag company, reported last month that its profit growth may slow this holiday season, setting off jitters among investors who view the brand as the entry-level threshold for luxury goods and an indicator for the broader health of the market. One could not avoid the sense of dread reflected in a Women’s Wear Daily headline this week: “A Chilly Wind Blows: Retailers Are on Edge About Holiday Season.”

Handbag sales in the $7 billion United States market are expected to increase by 15 percent this year, according to the stock research firm Telsey Advisory Group. This is considered a disappointment, because the growth is about half as strong as the category’s 28 percent gain in 2004.

“That $5,000 Marc Jacobs bag is so yesterday’s news,” said Elizabeth Kiester, the chief creative director of LeSportsac, which is developing a line of bags with Stella McCartney that will sell for under $350, beginning in February. “The luxury market is so over the top now that it is demented. I call them limo bags. I don’t have a limo.”

It is probably a stretch to equate the slowing growth of handbag sales to It bag fatigue, but the statistics cited in Dana Thomas’s book, “Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster,” indicate that the American population is currently over-accessorized. Ms. Thomas cites a survey that showed by 2004, the average American woman was buying more than four handbags a year.

Ms. Phair, of Portero, said there is not a strong resale market for fashion bags of the moment. “It’s not that we wouldn’t touch a Vuitton Murakami, but now it would be purchased by someone with a collector’s perspective, who loves Louis Vuitton and wants to own pieces from every season,” she said.

In some circles, status bags have already become a punch line. A label called Slow and Steady Wins the Race recently produced a series of $100 handbags that recreated the shapes of iconic designs using inexpensive canvas — “a visual hyperbolic expression about contemporary fashion’s attention and obsession with designer handbags,” says its Web site.

The latest versions are hybrids: the Hermesbirkin-Dior (a saddlebag with Birkin-style handles), the Balenciaga-Chanel (where hardware meets quilting) and the Chanel-Asfour-Gucci (a circular quilted bag with a red-and-green stripe).

One is tempted, then, to declare an end to the It bag, but, then again, there were a lot of bags at the spring collections that seem destined for stardom: the Richard Prince bags at Vuitton, the Duffy at Marc Jacobs, the cute wavy-striped bags at Prada. Ken Downing, the fashion director at Neiman Marcus, is amused that there is even a question of a handbag bubble.

“We certainly believe our customer is a fashion enthusiast, and our customers love handbags,” he said.

At Neiman, the average bag sells for about $1,200, but Mr. Downing said there is no price resistance for a pièce de résistance. A special edition of 25 Chanel bags, made in crocodile for the retailer’s 100th anniversary last month, sold out in a snap. The price of each bag was $25,000.

Ebay strikes again!

Ebay strikes again!
Originally uploaded by Julep67

I got another new purse in the mail today.

It's lovely and quite compact (but in a cute way that still leaves me room to get all of my stuff into it) and black and shiny. This particular purse, a "Sam" by Kate Spade, retails for $190. $190!! US Dollars. For a purse people!! This one is very gently used and I paid $22.11 for it. Seriously, designer gear on Ebay is the way to go if you like stuff like this. I bought a knock-off Kate Spade bag on Canal Street in NYC two years ago and paid $16 for it. For $5 more I got the real deal!!

I was happy to have a good mail day today because the boys are still hammering the shit out of our street. They are totally focused on the area directly in front of our house right now so it's particularly distressing. We are hopeful though, that the mess will move on down the road by the beginning of next week. It's all been painfully slow moving although, in some weird construction universe, I'm sure this seems to be fast.

shakin' all over

just like a star
Originally uploaded by Julep67

Our house is shaking a little right now. Vibrating more really.

I cannot believe the size of the machines they are using on our street right now. They are huge and smelly.

Really smelly, like diesel fuel and exhaust and cigarette smoke. It's not a healthy combination, it's driving my allergies a little nuts actually.

They should be gone in 10 minutes or so. I'm so glad that I was on vacation last week and not this week. They started hammering into the pavement at 7 a.m. today. 7 a.m.! If I was home trying to sleep in or, heaven forbid, was sick, I'd be annoyed.

In other news, I know I seem all-consumed by the noise outside, my red Coach purse arrived today. It's so much more beautiful than I expected and it's larger. I thought it would be a little tiny thing but it's not. It's a great size and I already love it. As much as a person can love an object anyway.

I won two more auctions and I'm still waiting for those to arrive, another Coach bag, this one in black, and a Kate Spade Sam bag, also in black. I can't believe what deals I got on them too. Sometimes, Ebay rocks.

put me in coach!

impatiens
Originally uploaded by Julep67

So, as you have probably noticed, I've been doing some "sponsored" blogging for the past few months. When I started doing it, I didn't really think that I'd make a tonne of money but I thought it would be cool to see how much I did make.

Well, since the end of April (when I started), I've made a few bucks and until today had only purchased 2 things with my extra change (the money goes into my paypal account). Today, I splurged a little (not a lot, I spent less than $60) and bought myself a "previously owned" red leather Coach bag. I've never owned a real Coach bag before. The only ones I've ever seen up close have been purchased on Canal Street in New York.

It's beyond cute. I got it on ebay and I cannot wait for it to arrive. So, even though some of the sponsored posts are better than others, it's all worth it when I can buy myself a present like that. Must scoot now, ebay's a-callin' ...there's a black Kate Spade bag hollerin' my name!!

spooky sunrise

spooky sunrise
Originally uploaded by Julep67

I feel like I have spent the entire week this week, counting down the minutes until the weekend begins.

Pathetic isn't it?

Well, the weekend is finally here (yay)!

Tonight, after work, we had to get groceries. The two stores we visited were insanely busy and, what's more, I am pretty sure that someone was distributing qualudes to everyone. Mark and I could not see the little booth where the qualudes were being handed out but I'm pretty sure that's what was happening.

I'm blaming it on the rain. I think that everyone stayed home all week, thinking that the weather would get nicer and they could go out and do errands. By Friday afternoon though, they all just said, "to hell with that" and went out.

It was gross. The mass of humanity actually made me feel physically ill. I'm glad that we're home and that we have a fridge full of fresh fruit and veg and we don't have to be out amongst the humanity tonight.

it's good to be at home!

hosed

hosed
Originally uploaded by Julep67

is it hot hot hot in your neck of the woods?

it's still hot hot hot here but not hot hot hot hot hot like it was yesterday. today we have a breeze and it is good. it's still humid and all but at least the air is moving.

we just got home from costco. I would like to move in to their walk-in produce cooler. it's nice and cold and you can see your breath in front of you as you select your mushrooms and what not.

I'm glad to be home, very very glad. it was very hot in our office today and I had a hard time concentrating by the mid-afternoon. Part of me would like to go get into our pool and the other part wants to hide in the house, in the air conditioning and eat chicken salad in front of the television.

If I wanted to, I suppose I could eat chicken salad in the pool but that doesn't sound quite so appealing.

seriously, the heat has fried my brain today but then, I'm sure you can tell that already without me pointing it out.

odd pods

odd pods
Originally uploaded by Julep67.

we had our first barbecue of the season tonight. It was really nice to fire it up again but we realized that it's not going to survive another season.

Mark has done an excellent job of nursing it along for the past year or so but it's really had the biscuit. We bought it in the spring of 2001 and it's almost completely pooched. It was not an expensive one but it was practical. He's had to replace the burner on it at least once and the brick things a couple of times. Since we had natural gas brought to the house (shortly after we moved in back in 2005) we have talked about either getting a new barbecue which can work with natural gas, or purchasing a conversion kit for our old one. Given how decrepit this old one is, we're probably going to get a new one this weekend.

We use it a lot so it'll be nice to have it on the natural gas line and not have to bother with propane. I just hope that the weather is nice this weekend so we can assemble it and get using it. It would suck, big time, to buy a new one and be rained out!