bright spots stockpile, part 2.

Last week I went on a shopping trip with my girlfriends.  An observant professor cancelled class for Passover, and suggested we spend the day at the library... or celebrating the Passover.  We chose to go to the mall instead.  Retail therapy is a good thing.

I'm a believer the fact that getting out of a slump starts with getting dressed and slapping on some makeup.  Today I decided to get ready for tonight's seder way early (see, we are observing Passover!) with some of the things I bought on our excursion.  Wearing a gold dress with gold eyeliner has me feeling like there's sunshine in my soul in spite of everything.

randoseru: the perfect cute backpack for bicycle commuting.

I'm here today to tell you about my Mom.

She's pretty special. She lives in Japan and knows just what I like.

Such as very early birthday presents.

She saw the little kids in Japan wearing these backpacks- randoseru- and knew that it would be just the thing for bike commuting.

She scoured and scoured ebay until she found the perfect one.

It's made out of a horse.

Horse leather, that is.

It's red because the girls in Japan get the red ones. I like the red- it's very high vis.

As you can see, it's very finely crafted. The randoseru are made for the children to wear as a part of their uniforms through six  primary school years.  

The clasp closes magnetically and can also be locked with that little swivel.  The straps swivel as well.  I love the metal construction- it is industrial.

The back is cushy, as are the straps.  They are also adjustable.

The randoseru has a see-through pocket for your homework, forms for your parents to sign, or if you're a history grad student, your "haircuts of the U.S. presidents" print-out.

I have the hardest time remembering who the Gilded Age presidents were.

The front pocket zips closed and is perfect for pens and wallets and lipgloss and such.  The front has a see-through space your ID. But not your id. 

This randoseru has really adorable white piping. 

It has a deep storage compartment that would fit three or four history monographs and some composition books.

It sits up really high on your back for proper ergonomics.

My mom would probably suggest that I move that towel before taking pictures to post on the internet. At least she taught me how to apply mascara.

Water rolls right off the back when it's raining- I made it through a storm yesterday and all my stuff stayed perfectly dry.

Isn't my mom the coolest?

(these pictures brought to you by photo booth, since my camera was never recovered)

escalating equipment demands.

This afternoon I find myself staring out the window, wondering if I'm really willing to bike it to my evening social commitment this evening.  I have great rain gear, but it is raining so hard.  Like tons-of-standing-water-on-the-road-hard, drivers-hitting-huge-puddles-that-would-leave-me-soaked-to-the-bone hard, I-can't-really-see-myself-journeying-into-unfamiliar-territory hard.  It's not that I'm unwilling to ride in the rain, I tell myself.  It's just that I need a poncho.


A poncho? Really?  What have I become?


It hit me that my experience as a car-free adventurer has been marked by the steady acquisition of increasingly sophisticated equipment.  Arriving in Philadelphia, I owned the Old Dutch Treat, a basket, and a seldom used Blinkee light.  Then I bought the Dahon so I didn't break myself doing the stairs with the ODT every day.  Then I realized doing so many miles probably mandated a helmet, so I bought the Nutcase.  Then I got rain gear because I realized it was going to be a long wet winter.  Then I found I needed a better headlight for all the night riding I wanted to do on the Dahon. After the bike-deprived onslaughts of blizzardy, I found myself plotting how I might build up a snow bike for next year (I don't know that I ever blogged that fantasy, but I sure felt it) (ha... back in Utah I thought I was so cool for riding in the snow).  And the good lord knows that I would always like a road bike.  


I often find myself thinking that the only thing keeping people of their bikes is having a bike, or the only thing that it takes for me to ride successfully in the rain is a little bit of waterproof mascara.  It irks me a little to realize the reality of my lifestyle-- and the roadblocks that it might present to others wanting to make the change-- is that it is marked by consumerism.  I'm ok with that for myself-- I have no qualms about spending some of the proceeds from my car's sale on bike paraphernalia or, to cast it in even holier terms-- supporting bike related companies that I think are doing good things for the world.  I have no problem sleeping at night because I have a good raincoat or a folding bike.  But when I think about making cycling accessible and appealing to everyone, how to mediate the goods issue is quite the quandary.  I'm glad there are programs in Philly like Neighborhood Bike Works that help to improve bicycle access, but I'm curious as to what other solutions to that issue might look like.  Sure, you can bicycle commute on a bike-shaped-object, but it probably sucks not to have fenders or to be invisible to motorists without lights.


Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to meditating on how I might acquire a poncho without getting soaked.

nutcase helmet review.

So the helmet is here and has been operational since yesterday. The first time I wore it was not the first trip I made out by bike that day; I admit, it was the most glorious of sunny fall mornings and I just couldn't conceive putting it on once I got outside and realized that I forgot to grab it. However, I made two other trips yesterday and another trip out today, and I've worn the helmet ALL THREE TIMES.

Can I just get a round of applause, please? Because this is really hard for me. The first time I went out (to the store for baking materials, so I could bake to dull the pain of making a huge concession) I felt patently uncool. No wind in my hair? No tossing my hair around to enhance the awesomeness of the image of the wind in my hair? It was torture. My cycle chic felt totally stifled.

After baking a batch of amazing cookies (nothing fancy, just some Toll House recipe Chocolate Chip cookies) I headed for class in Center City. I was a little more on board with wearing the helmet as I headed downtown, being as it was the one week anniversary of my crash. The second ride was much different than the first.

I wore my sunglasses.

It changed everything. Suddenly I was not dorky helmet girl- I became a bike pilot! Kind of like Amelia Earhart!

Channeling the ultimate crasher of them all made the ride much easier, and really, coming home in the chilly darkness a few hours later, I didn't even notice it. So it took a lot of convincing, but I'm now rolling with a covered noggin. Here's how it looks:

don't judge my mess, ok? I spend all my time commuting by bike.

The helmet itself? It fit perfectly right out of the box (I got an M/L). It comes with a ton of extra pads. The matte finish and muted design works well for me. It's extremely solid and well made, and no damage was sustained when I chucked it at our hardwood floors last night when I was cranky. I think I made a good purchase.

One unexpected bonus- it's a good way to take bicycling advocacy inside. I had a nice chat with some non-bikers in the elevator about the merits of cycling in our fair city and another chat with a peer about bike registry on campus.

decisions, decisions.

Well, the last time I posed a question to my blog, things worked out alright, so it's worth a shot.

I mentioned recently in my post about safety that I've considered getting a helmet. For the past few weeks I've been turning the corner on the issue. Winter is coming. Sometimes the cars get a little close. My hair gets wet when it rains. The wind can get a little blowy around here. The groceries sometimes put my bike a bit off balance. On occasion I get a little cheery with my friends at the bar- not too cheery to ride, but cheery enough to wear a helmet. And so on.

I'm getting a helmet.

But here's the thing- I'm picky. I take my credentials as a plainclothes cyclist very seriously, and I don't want a helmet that it too sporty for my rides. That rules out most available helmets right there. I've been looking at Nutcase Helmets because they look thoughtfully designed, meet safety standards, and won't compromise the unsportyness of my ride situation. So I'll probably go with one of those.

The quandry: I have a pink bike and a red bike. Nutcase is all sold out of black and gray helmets, which is fine I suppose because they offer so many neat designs. It makes choosing so much harder though.

The candidates:

Pixie Stix- If I just had the Old Dutch, I'd like go with this one because it's subtle and sufficiently matchy. As I tend to ride the Old Dutch for helmet mandating occasions- bad weather and high traffic- this is still a good candidate.

Star Bright- Does it really go with either of my bikes? No. But it is definitely my favorite design, appealing to my Atomic Ranch sensibilities. This helmet raises the question of whether it has to match.

Flower Power- the dark horse candidate for no clear reason.

Which helmet to get? Pick one in the poll on the right or leave a suggestion in the comments.

the best fifty-nine cents i spent this summer.

Some people have backseats and trunks. I have the Ikea tarp bag. I got it on my first shopping trip in the city and have used it again and again. I can get on the bus with loads of stuff (like pillows) and it looks (and indeed is) completely controlled and deliberate. Why use five bags when you only need one? This bag kicks the ass of every other bag I own.

consumerist spring.

Because part 1 of my cross-country mega move is coming up quick, I've become focused on throwing stuff out of the wagon instead of adding stuff to it. However, Spring took its sweet-ass time coming to Utah, and I can't deny that I got a little excited about my liberation from socks. Fortunately there are easy ways to buy without taking up much space AND spice up my uniform of old Gap Jeans and crew neck American Apparel t-shirts without actually having to wear something else (I have plenty of shirts, but when I run out of the solid AA ones getting dressed becomes so much harder. I really love being boring.).

Anyways, here was my simple solution:

Sandals by Dolce Vita. So what if they are flat- they took about a day to break in and are a fun way to bring in metallics without being too ostentatious. Mine are this pinky bronze color that I can't find a picture of. I had to size down to an 8, which has never happened to me before with sandals.
Fuchsia Power nail polish by Sally Hansen. Only 2 dollars at Wal-Mart and it wears very well- a necessity when biking in sandals.

click on the link and ask yourself if you can really handle this kind of shit before 10am.

The Barack Obama Action figure, with interchangeable heads and hands.

Really.

the perils of being a housestudent.

Well, it happened. After four years of dutiful service, my slippers finally bit the dust. From their humble beginnings in a German Pennymarkt to Washington to Utah, these 70% Wolle / 30% Synthetik little guys have been my friends year round. Tonight my toe finally punched through the repairs I made last winter and, feeling like I hobo, I conceeded that it was time to move on. Some new boiled wool slippers are on the way, but I can't help but feel like this is the end of an era.

And by that I mean I wonder if I can write the new slippers off on my taxes as a work-required uniform.
I kid. I'll miss you, deutsche snowflake slippers.

i need it for my trip.

When I was fourteen, my cousin and I went to Europe. In anticipation of her travels, she and her mom did a lot of shopping with the justification "I need it for my trip." Well, I LOVE justifications so I have been distracting myself with cute but uncostly accoutrements for my upcoming European soujourn.

Etsy has been a great resource for really neat stuff. I gave a bag from bayanhippo as a Christmas gift. It got rave reviews for quality craftsmanship. She uses durable materials to make high capacity bags at a very reasonable cost, and is a pleasure to work with if you want a certain color. This woman is prolific-- she has new bags up everyday.


I look at the bag and think about the adventures we are going to have together. Isn't the orange fun? For some reason I've really learned to love bold colors during my time in Utah.

I also got a cute little passport cover. Toile print meets Little Cabin in the Big Woods? Sign me up.


I'm still on the prowl for a watch, which is the only thing I can think of that I actually need for my trip (being sans cell phone and all)... but am totally sucked in by cute things that can be purchased for trips. Look at me, doing my part for the recession. Praise deity that George W. Bush equated captalism with patriotism... that's almost as good as "I need it for my trip."

it's not easy being a grad student.

Welcome to February, or as I like to call it, a month of finals week. Times are hard and rather than turn to diety (he said he's been swamped by calls this week and he could not shake his cold) or liquor (who wants to associate booze with misery?) for comfort, I have found solice in online shopping. It's amazing what you realize you need when confronted with a paper that won't write itself, a computer that works most but not all of the time, and an entire armada of rapidly multiplying file folders that have somehow managed to take over the entire room.

But really, online shopping is great for times like this. When your whole life is spent in front of a Word document that will not quit and your phone never rings, it's nice to have something to look forward to. Getting an Ugly Doll in the mail made my day.

He smiles at me as I track the rest of my packages.

and that's why you don't use a one-armed person to scare someone.

Ever since I woke up this morning the term "gonna teach you a lesson" has been stuck in my head. Immortalized by my favorite episode of Arrested Development, it is an apt description of the major theme of a rally for higher education funding at the Capitol-- "I'm gonna teach those legislators a lesson!" Well we did teach those legislators a lesson, although when we peacefully invaded us their session they tought us a lesson about the fire code because, who knew it, the balconies of the Utah legislature weren't exactly designed to hold 400 bundled up students!* But surely all the kids there learned a lesson about political action and when the budget comes out, we'll see if we actually taught those legislators a lesson. At least they've stopped talking about twenty percent budget cuts, those crazy fuckers.

The real lesson learned today was this:

Don't schedule an interview at the Starbucks at the mall.

Why? Because then you're at the mall, and that section of your budget labeled "shopping" that read "0.00" now doesn't read "0.00" anymore! Gah! The barrage of spring colors at the Gap! Noooooo! I am so weeeak when confronted with pastels!!!!


Pathetic. But my lanta, it is the cutest scarf ever, and the fit of the V-neck cardigans? Don't even get me started.

And while you're not getting me started, don't even get me started on the sublesson of the experience,

Don't go into the Apple Store if you even remotely dislike your PC, let alone hate it.**

You're destined for heartache. I promise.

*But it sure did feel like The Man was keeping us down!

**Didn't buy a Mac yet... but I nearly peed my pants when I saw the Mac Pro HOOKED UP TO 3 FOOT LONG FLATSCREENS. My lanta. WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT MY FUTURE IS SO I CAN BUY OR NOT BUY A NEW COMPUTER?!?!?

more **asses.

I wrote this post a couple of days ago.

Today was a very special day. Some time ago, under the influence of a particular recently popular substance, I thought it would be a good idea to complete my set of glasses because I realized how much I adored the cute little vessel holding my drink. And I've found it a little embarrassing to serve my guests gin and tonics in juice glasses. Anyways, today my glasses arrived and I had to share with you the aesthetic pleasures of recieving a package from Crate & Barrel.

Alas, the box. Isn't it lovely?:


Behold, the joy of discovering space age packing materials! Exciting!:
Intact! These people sure know how to ship glasses... It's a whole glasses party! So pretty!: The carnage:

I put it all neatly back into the box. One must always consider that the next move is imminent! and packing materials must be hoarded in the storage room accordingly.