Category: Shopping

It's time I invested in a decent device for uncorking wine. Despite my otherwise gadget-packed kitchen, I have never managed to obtain a corkscrew that doesn't have some kind of major flaw. That flaw is usually poor quality, as I've broken more pot-metal corkcrews over the years than I would like to admit.

I do have one of those nifty wine openers that blasts CO2 through a hollow needle to force the cork out. It works great for real corks, but it's hit-or-miss for the synthetic ones. Because my favorite cheap wine comes with a synthetic cork, I really need a more reliable uncorking method.

So I'm going to throw this out to all of you. Tell me what brand of wine opener you use, include a link if you can, and tell me why it's so great. Keep in mind that I'm a cheapskate at heart, but would be willing to invest a reasonable amount for something that I can expect to last and function perfectly for many years. Also, I'd prefer to stay away from any device that's so complicated that I can't figure it out just by looking at it, but I'll take your word for it if you can convince me otherwise.

Thanks!

Photo credit: Gisela Giardino

This post was going to be about my husband’s birthday party, but there really isn’t much to say. Eleven people (counting us), tons of Costco-y deliciousness, beer, wine, pineapple upside down cake, etc. A good time was had by all.

So I was killing time this morning and I decided to start searching online for some new stage attire for when our band starts playing out. It turns out that the rock clothing industry is pretty marginal and it was a lot harder than I expected to find what I had in mind. In the process, though, I found something awesome: Corporate Goth: Fashion.

It’s all about ways to let your goth flag fly in a subtle manner while you’re working in a corporate environment. As the writer says, "As much as I like learning how the new hires fear me and avoid my office, in the workplace, that is not always the best thing."

So the members of the community go on to share their tips for what gets by and what doesn’t. Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

• My corsets either stay at home or are worn underneath things.
• "Ryan, I just can’t let you
  wear that pentagram at a Catholic school…We have a
  reputation to uphold."
• Leave the animal bones at home.

I want to emphasize that I’m certainly not one to mock others for non-traditional appearance at work. After all, my hair is black with dark blue streaks and a large percentage of my t-shirts have skulls on them. Fortunately, I work at an advertising agency, so nobody bats an eye (as far as I know).

From now on, though, I’m going to be on the lookout for secret goths in the corporate world. You will know them by their pasty skin, black clothing and carefully concealed fishnet stockings…

Based on my post last week asking other bloggers about their entrepreneurial leanings, I’ve worked out a list of shopping opportunities.

Jewelry

• Jewelry by Des
• Willow Bends
• Superhero Designs

Toys

• KangarooBoo

Calendars

• The Daily Coyote
• Chuckles the Former Congressman

T-Shirts

• Interwoven Threads
• Fussy
• Pointy’s Outpost
• Diesel Sweeties

Consider supporting other bloggers as you finish up your shopping. If you have something you’d like me to add to the list, let me know!

(Read to the end of the post about today’s GIVEAWAY! In the meantime…)

I don’t know about you, but my skin gets so dry at this time of year that I look almost mummified. Fortunately, I’ve received some lovely samples of skincare products from different companies lately. I’ve had enough of a chance to use them that I’m ready to give you the rundown.

• Skin MD Natural – I took this company up on their offer of a sample bottle, hoping it would do something about my horrible, cracked fingers and the crepe-y skin on the backs of my hands. I’ve been using it for about a week and it really seems to be helping. My hands are still somewhat dry, but they feel softer, the cracks have healed, and the rawness has disappeared. I’m giving it a (no longer cracked) thumbs up. Best of all, it’s not greasy, so I can put it on right before yoga class and not have to worry about my hands sliding off my mat. (If you’re a blogger and you’d like to receive a sample bottle, e-mail me and I’ll give you their contact information.)
• Skin Free – I’m trying out four of this company’s products: the After Shower Moisture Spritz, Niaouli Butter Stick, Extra Moisturizing Soap & Shampoo Bar, and Super Moisture Body Balm. The Body Balm sample I received was kind of gritty and separated, so I can’t really weigh in there. However, I’ve been using the Niaouli Butter Stick on my horribly dry feet and it seems to be doing a great job on my cracked heels. The After Shower Moisture Spritz is very convenient and I’m looking forward to trying it in conjunction with the soap bar. I like that all of their stuff is made from natural ingredients. The name is a little creepy (overtones of Body Worlds), but I suppose that’s neither here nor there.
• Then there’s Pacific Shaving Oil, which I read about on Mocha Momma’s blog. It is teh awesome, just as she said. I bet it’ll be even better once I change razor blades (heh). Hint for bloggers: if you express an interest in the shaving oil in the comments, I wouldn’t be surprised if Holly hooks you up with some.

My big box o’ samples also included a razor made of recycled plastic from Recycline, some Sweet Spot products, and various Nail Aid nail treatments.

Here’s where the GIVEAWAY comes in! I have three different bottles of Nail Aid products that I’ll never use because I keep my fingernails cut tomboy-short. I’ll list them here and the first person to request each one gets it (one per commenter, please). Simple as that. Just make sure you include an e-mail address with your comment so I can write to you to get your mailing address.

• Grow Tougher – growth + hardener + ridge filler
• Clear Liquid Bandage – broken nail repair
• Brush On Wrap – thickener + hardener

Have a great Thursday. One more NaBloPoMo day to go!

There’s a simple little meme going around with the theme, "When did you lose your Amazon virginity?" I ran across it on verbatim by way of 50 Books.

My current Amazon account says that my first order was a DVD of Office Space on September 15, 1999.

I have another Amazon account associated with an old e-mail address that I apparently opened in 2000. My first order on that account was "The Remains of Tom Lehrer" box set of CDs on May 24, 2000. From those two orders, you’d think I never order books from Amazon, but I really do.

Interestingly enough, when I did a search for my name on Amazon (not in the right place to find my old account, but just in the regular search bar), I found a vanity published book I co-wrote with a concert photographer back in 1994. It showed up listed as a "rare oversized soft cover" book which sold for $85.

I still have two copies of it in my portfolio, so it’s nice to know that I own something I could sell for $85 if I ever get short of ready cash.

So when was your first Amazon order and what did you buy?

I got all my tax refund money by last Friday and I got paid, too, so for once I had the wherewithal to pay all my bills at the same time.  Whee!  It was lovely to get caught up on my utility bills (I had already received the brightly-colored cable bill that means you’re on their bad list), pay the remaining medical bills from all of my acid reflux drama, and even renew a magazine subscription that was about to lapse.

I had enough money left over to do a bit of shopping.  First on the list:  two new Littermaid self-scooping cat boxes.  My old ones had finally quit working a couple of months ago and I’d switched back to regular cat boxes.  BIG mistake!  No matter how often I changed the litter, our house smelled like the big cat exhibit at the zoo.  I’d forgotten what a huge difference the Littermaid boxes make.

I also did a little blog-influenced buying.  Thanks to Pesky’Apostrophe, I found some awesome jewelry made from inactive birth control pills, designed to "make a statement about supporting access to birth control."  I ordered two pendants and they arrived yesterday.

Of course, I couldn’t resist Fussy’s new t-shirts.  I pre-ordered one of the "BLOG" shirts (I think it will complement my blue eyes nicely) and one of the "Blogging well is the best revenge" shirts. I still wear the "Writing well…" shirt I bought last year at BlogHer and always get compliments on it from the other copywriters at work.

My final expense of the weekend was going to be some flowers for my front yard, but I ended up taking a long nap on Sunday afternoon when I’d meant to buy and plant them.  Thus, the gardening will have to wait until this weekend.

As nice as it was to have the extra money, it’s obvious that I’ve been paying too much in taxes.  My final financial goal for the week is to adjust my deductions so everything will even out a little more next year.  Frankly, I’d rather have more money per paycheck and keep up with my bills than have to catch up with them later.

Because I have little to no client contact at work these days, I quickly adopted the style of dress of the other "creatives" on my floor:  t-shirts and jeans.  I had a pretty good t-shirt collection when I started, but lately I’ve been surfing quite a bit for fun, new tees.

Here are some of my favorite stores:

• Glarkware – I’m waiting for their "Good Grammar Costs Nothing" shirt to come back in stock in my size.
• Threadless – Limited edition prints by a variety of designers.  I have the shirt that shows an octopus with a teddy bear in its tentacles and I get compliments every time I wear it.  Plus, I love their tagline:  "Nude no more."
• White Frog has some nice designs.  I’m planning on getting one of the "Robot Anatomy" shirts.
• Elsewares also has some cool designs, but they’re a little pricey.
• Then, of course, there’s my own Average Jane boutique.  I’ll probably get another of my own shirts before I go to BlogHer in July, just to make myself more recognizable.  For everyday wear, though, I think it’s a little cheesy to wear my own blog’s shirt.  I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong.

For the all-important long-sleeved layer for winter, my sister recommended the thin, long-sleeved tees that Target sells in the sleepwear department.  They give you sleeves without adding bulk.  I have about five different colors, so that takes care of me for a week at a time.

Do you know of a great online t-shirt source that I’ve overlooked?  I’m especially interested in shirts by artists and designers.

Update:  Another store I liked but had forgotten to bookmark was Johnny Cupcakes.  Now I see, via BoingBoing, that Urban Outfitters has ripped off their distinctive cupcake motif for a shirt design.  Not cool!