Monday, October 31, 2011

The morning after

Last year while still living in Chicago I needed something or other
from the grocery store the morning after Halloween. I'll tell ya what,
that is the best absolute BEST day to see "walk of shams" stumble out
of the lakeview apartments. For one, they only have their costume to
wear home. Secondly, they still have their weird make-up on. And
thirdly, most likely part of their costume is missing or destroyed
so it takes a minute for passerby's to really understand what they
were supposed to be dressed up as. Free entertainment.

Merriweather

Original

In fifth grade we were required to make our own valentine's day box
and I was so stoked, as was my mother. We brainstormed for days and
finally came to the conclusion that since I loved basketball (yes,
little ole me LOVED basketball when I was young) we would make a
box where you flung the valentine across the box into a hoop. It was so
cool! Red and pink with ribbon and lace and the inside was a
basketball court. Everyone had a blast trying to fling their card into
the hoop which probably didn't work all that well, however it was
still neat for a bunch of 11 year olds. At the end of the day we had an award
ceremony with all sorts of different awards for the construction of
our boxes. I was never really a competitive kid so I wasn't really
expecting anything but sometimes its nice to be acknowledged. 


They get to the "originality award" and say my name with great
enthusiasm! I walked to the front of the room and accepted my award
quite possibly with a frown on my face. When I got home and was crabby
as all hell my mother asked what was up. I began to tell her about all
the cool awards that people won and I finally got to my "originality
award" and gave her my whole schpeal about how unhappy I was. Here I am, 
an eleven year old girl thinking that "originality" meant normal,
boring like "original potato chips". I seriously could not picture
anything but the yellow lays potato chips being original flavor and them not
tasting as good as the cheddar or sour cream and onion ones. So my
mother of course laughs at me, well not at me but tells me I am
completely wrong and that my award meant my box was super awesome
cool and had never been thought of before as in it is the "original"
creation. What What? Man did I shine after that but it sure did take a
bit of convincing on my mother's side.


Merriweather

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Waiting Rooms

While sitting in the waiting room at the dentist the other day dreading the fact that they were going to rip into my mouth and that every thirty seconds or so I would forget to breathe and panic for a second a lady started to chat me up. I believe she was in her early sixties and she was there for her six month check up and sitting pretty because she didn't mind the dentist at all which kind of put me at ease. We only talked for ten minutes but it's these conversations that always stick with me because chances are I am never going to see this person again in my entire life and they sometimes leave a big impression. Like most conversations ours turned to wondering if I was in college or if I worked or what have you. So I explained my job and how it is pretty much the polar opposite of what I went to school for. And this lady is sort of giggling while I am explaining my whole schpeel to her and when I am finished she sucks in a big sigh and tells me that everyone she knows does not do what they studied in college and she herself does not know what she wants to be when she "grows up". I keep finding this happening wherever I go. All I can think of lately is "Oh! The Places You'll Go" and how is perfect it is for everyone.

Merriweather

Friday, October 28, 2011

Bras

Alright so here's the thing; I hate bras with an utter passion. They are uncomfortable and annoying however I would love love love to design lingerie. And I love the history of undergarments.  I would like to think I could make it support, comfortable and sexy all in the same garment but that is somewhere down the road. So anywho back to actual bras. Recently I have discovered the racer back bra, well I didn't discover it myself nor had I never not heard of it until now BUT I have thought it about it logically and it makes the most sense. Bra straps fall down and slid around because they go across our shoulder blades which move quite frequently so this here racer back which originated for sports players because it keeps your "girls" in place, is quite extraordinary. But also this bra is much more comfortable because it comes to a v in the middle of your back avoiding the shoulder blades plus it is the most support and it lifts them up and makes they look kind of lovely. But all of this is of course just from personal observation; well and one of my bestest completely agrees. AND! Your bra straps are most likely hidden. If there were a myth about the worth of this bra I would have proved its importance.

Merriweather

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

"You Wear It Well"

I have heard Rod Stewart's "You Wear It Well" four times today, on the radio, in my jeep, on the same station.
Merriweather

Spoiled Brats

I may or may not have told this story before but I have thinking about it lately because I have been doing a little baking. 

So its winter break and my brother and I are home alone and we think "Hmm, let's make some cookies!" So we get out all of the ingredients, grab one of the mixing bowls, find some measuring cups and we begin. We pour in the flour, sugar, brown sugar, yadda yadda yadda. So we've got everything in the bowl and I turn to lock it into the kitchen aid mixer and its not there. I look at my brother and I look back at the counter and I look at my brother again in confusion and we say together "What do we do now?" We stare at the counter together and my brother says "stir it by hand?" HAHAHAHA, must we? Is it even worth it? Should we just not make the cookies? We end up stirring it by hand and probably complaining the whole time because we are big babies and so used to having that damn mixer do all the work for us. Needless to say I did not have a kitchen aid mixer in Chicago but my aunt did buy me a hand mixer so I could continue to make sweets. 

Merriweather

Naughty Teeth

Yesterday I called the dentist because I was way overdue for a cleaning and I felt as though a cavity was a-coming. Let's just say this is not my first rodeo and I knew the amount of candy I had been consuming was doing me no good.They had several openings and could fit me in immediately so of course I agreed because why not? This did not leave me anytime to worry and wallow and brush my teeth a million times a day, instead I ran around the office in search of a toothbrush and paste.

So my speculations were right; I had a cavity, but not just any cavity I had a cavity UNDERNEATH a filling. Lovely, fabulous, grand. So after a half hour of the dental hygienist telling me that I have been doing a terrible job taking care of my already terrible teeth ( I come from a long line of bad teeth on my father's side) I am booking another appointment for the next day. (FUCK) So they rip out the filling that is supposed to cure the already angry tooth and refill it. And this all goes down an hour before I regularly eat lunch. So I think I can go get some soup or yogurt or maybe some cottage cheese, but noooooooo it has to be fucking LASAGNA day at Byerly's and let me tell you it is some kind of wonderful. So I get it, and struggle my way through eating half of it. So word to your mother: do not book a dental appointment within three or four hours of a feeding time and maybe take a shot of whiskey before hand so it won't be so awful.

Merriweather

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Today

I wore this awesome vintage dress I got for half price yesterday:

Another reason why I need grey heels
Merriweather

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Oatmeal Creme Pies

              In high school I was in marching band. Yes I am nerdy, yes I was in band but without this I would not have met a good friend that I still have to this day. This said friend and I always sat next to each other and brought snacks to share with one another as to keep us from starving on the long bus rides. 

             One of the trips my friend brought a box of oatmeal creme pies.  I was stoked, overjoyed, ecstatic but we realized that this was a fairly large box of cookies and that if everyone were to see this box they would want one too. So of course the only logical answer was to shove it up my shirt, and that is just what I did. We get on the bus, slyly sneaking it past rows and rows of kids and we sit down. I wait a few minutes so that everyone can settle in and get situated for our long journey. After about ten minutes pass I figure we are golden so I slowly pull the box out of my shirt, facing my friend who is sitting next to the window and I have done it, I have safely gotten a full box of oatmeal creme pies onto a bus full of band nerds. I was just beaming. I grinned at my friend and she grinned back. 


            We started to open the box and all of a sudden one of the mother's yells at me "HEY RHODES, WHATCHA GOT?!?!" and my big mouth opened and I screamed:

                                   "OATMEAL CREME PIES" 

            "Awwwwwww shit" I think. And I look back at my friend who is no longer grinning all the while fifteen kids are asking if they can have a damn oatmeal creme pie. And being the nice folks that we were we gave them away and had to split one between the both of us. And that my friends is just one instance of me getting in trouble because I cannot keep my damn mouth shut.

Merriweather

TO DO

Pattern
Cut
Pin
Serge
Sew
Steam
Send

Merriweather

Monday, October 3, 2011

Hot Damn

Paul Newman was such a foxy fella.
That is all.
Goodnight.

Merriweather.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Balloon Glow




Each year, the night before the Great Forest Park Balloon Race, there is an event called the balloon glow.  I finally got to attend this magical event.  Here are some photos...








Medusa