goblinbox

In which I shop online… for clothing. Oops. But it’s not like I don’t need clothes.

Etsy is crack. Do you know this? OMG a zillion things I could totally wear right now!

It turns out that since the mall in this town is half torn down, I doubt Macy’s is going to carry anything I want, and clothes-shopping at Walmart is foul and depressing, I’ve been buying many of my clothes online since I moved here.

Behold my local mall:

Last week I somehow got distracted from bike shopping and ordered a fleece wrap and some bloomers to wear under skirts. Fall’s coming, you know, and a fleece wrap is totally gonna save my life. Yesterday I ordered a dress (because I live in the tube dresses I already have) and a long-sleeved cardigan/layering thing. And today? Today I ordered pants and a groovy top.

I already have a little remorse about the bloomers, because they’re not made out of knit fabric (and y’all know about my all-knit-all-the-time clothing obsession, right?) but I’ll probably end up wearing the hell out of them. At the very least, they’ll make lovely custom pyjama bottoms.

These items are a wee bit spendy, yes. But a few unique, hand-made pieces in one’s wardrobe go a looooong way (I wear the holy living hell out of the Etsy items I already have) and now I can buy staples like t-shirts and undies at Walmart and not feel like a fucking dork.

But! Since this is all Etsy stuff and therefore handmade I’ll have to wait awhile before I actually receive any of these goodies! Aaaiieee! (*taps toe*)

I’ll get a bike next month. Swear.

In which I publicly admit to stealing resources* from my employer.

I’ve been running a little eBay side business from my desk this week. In between calls I’ve watched my auctions, printed shipping labels (with the work printer, on the work paper*), and packed Priority Mail cartons with old electronics (and taped them shut with work tape*).

I made $282.11 from four auctions. This amount is over half what I paid for the items originally, but that little bit of awesomeness isn’t even the point. The point is that if you write a good item description on eBay, you can sell ANYTHING. Even if it’s old and crappy!

The eBook sold for $101.11, which is about $15 less than a brand new one costs. (I under-quoted shipping, though, so I ended up having to spend an extra $4.55 to get the thing mailed off, making my net $96.56, which is still more than I expected to get.) One of the Pocket PCs, the e400, sold for $36 to a company that sells refurbished devices and I’m wondering if they’ll part it out or resell it on their website. The final Pocket PC sold for $99 to what sounds like a company name rather than an individual so it may find itself re-refurbished or parted out, too.

The best part of all this is that the money I got (plus $130 in Xmas money) has allowed me to order this:

[You are now hearing a very loud, angelic "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!," btw.]

Innit ADORABLE?!?!!? It’ll be here next Wednesday.

It’s an ASUS Eee 900HA 8.9″ notebook with a 160GB hard drive, a 1.6Ghz ATOM processor, and pre-installed XP Home. (I was going to order another gig of RAM too, but they were out, so that will have to wait until I can find it elsewhere.)

I also bought an external USB CD+DVD-RW drive because my new, tiny, adorable little ASUS laptopette doesn’t have a built-in drive. I don’t want to have to share a drive over my network just to watch a movie or burn a CD.

The moral of this story is that you can totally sell old junk on eBay, and use the proceeds to buy shiny new things!

Now, can somebody make it next week already so that I can start playing with my new notebook, plz? Kthxbai.

—
*I probably owe BMI about 6 minutes of unpaid work after all that rampant thievery.
**This public admission of unlawfulness is all part of my attempt to join my brother in his county jail weight loss regime.

In which I never got anything this cool from an employer before.

Today during our weekly company meeting, admin announced that we wouldn’t really be having a proper Christmas party this year – only a luncheon – but then they got all giggly and ran into the back and then came out and proceeded to pass out “early Christmas presents.”

We all sat in the meeting an ripped into our little brightly-wrapped boxes.

They contained custom-engraved 8Gb iPod Touches. For EVERYONE.

And then they turned on the wireless, so we could all spend the afternoon installing cute applications on our new toys. It was so hella fun!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Apple has got the cute form factor market cornered. OMG. From the Newton to the iPod to the Wii to the iPod Touch – they’re geniuses.

In which I am TOTALLY not worthy!

Kaje and I had Big Plans for last night. We were going to make epic tostadas with all the fixings! and watch two (or even three!) entire episodes of Doctor Who. But someone – either Netflix or the post office – screwed up royally, and the disc I was expecting to find in my mail box was received back by Netflix instead.

In a fit of disappointment, we went to Kelly’s in Milton-Freewater and consoled ourselves with cocktails and a big ol’ pile of fried food. (And some green beans!)

When I got home after our excursion, I found a box on the stairs to my room. I carried it up, tossed it on my bed, and got out of my coat and scarf. Then I sat on my bed to examine this unanticipated package.

It was from NLW… and… you’re totally not gonna believe this…

IT HAD A CUNNING JAYNE HAT^* IN IT!!!

The card says, “Happy belated birthday! I still don’t think it’s fun to give the presents when people expect them.” Naturally, even though it was midnight at her house, I texted her AND sent her a picture immediately. Because, I mean, hell: she sent me a Jayne Hat and I totally *heart* her.

—
^* Fans of Joss Whedon’s Firefly are rabid, and there are lots of freaks out there running around in Jayne hats.
And here’s Baldwin singing the Hero song.

In which you’d never believe I could be quite this enamoured with something that you’d normally think is not my style, but I love it so, so very much!

Over a year ago, Baby Girl turned me on to bidz.com. Last week, I freaked out and bought a couple of rings from them… no reason whatsoever, total impulse buy.

When I got home last night, there was a package on the stairs. I carried it up to my room and ripped into it with glee.

Behold my new ring! It’s a 29.5 carat CZ set in sterling silver! It’s big, it’s gaudy, it’s tacky, it’s VERY sparkly, and I adore it. It makes rainbows in the sunshine, even! (The other ring paled in comparison, so I gave it to my awesome co-worker and she liked it enough to give it a home.)

If for some reason you can’t actually see my new GINORMOUS RING over the Internet, you may view a close-up of it here. That picture is totally LIFE-SIZED.

In other news, I got my teeth cleaned this morning. I love clean teeth!

In which there are fun times, my babies, fun times!

Saturday was Sibling Errand Day! My bro and I went to Chevron together and then to Taco Loco for GIHUGENT BURRITOES!!! Later we went to Walmart, where he bought a DVD player and blank media, and I bought some much-needed clothes (a long-sleeved t-shirt, three pairs of socks, and a pair of jeans).

When I got the jeans home I tried them on again and decided that they sucked – they were low rise so they basically won’t stay on my hipless body when I sit down – so I didn’t take the tags off of them. The other things I tossed into my dresser. I did a load of laundry and knitted on the Big Brown Sweater while watching a rip of War, Inc. with my bro on the new DVD player.

All in all, a highly wunnerful Saturday. Burritos, clothes, laundry, knitting, and a movie! I felt like teh winnar! W00t!

Saturday night I played with Barefoot, Cookie, and the Professor at Sapolil Cellars’ tasting room. My boyfriend and my brother came down to listen and drink wine. I got wine-drunk like I always do, and after the gig we went to Shari’s and pigged out on junk food.

I was pretty miserable after all that, so I ended up passing out on the couch over at Kaje’s place. I slept a lovely twelve hours and felt much refreshed.

Sunday I got a personalized tour of World of Warcrack. Kaje was playing when I woke up, so I went and sat on the counter behind him and drank my coffee and he showed me all around the place. One word: DORK. (Yes, I’ll probably start playing too; everyone else I know does.)

We went back to Walmart (yes, I went there twice this weekend. I know it’s disgusting; shoot me) and I exchanged the jeans for some knit tees and some other pants; KJ got socks. Then we went to Shopko so he could buy a crock pot. (I bought some Halloweeny Lindor truffles.) Sunday night we watched Destiny of the Daleks, which was KJ’s first exposure ever to the fifth doctor. He loved it.

Bindu and I enjoyed a morning walk to work today that looked like this:

This morning, my brother deposited a belated b-day present on my desk. It’s a Zippo lighter! With the Serenity logo on it! I love it because it’s mine and because it’s awesome.

In which I accumulate.

Yesterday, my tax refund was deposited into my account. (I put basically all of it into savings ’cause I’ll need it to see Amma in Seattle at the end of next month.) Yay!

Today my PO box contained my new MOO cards! I love MOO cards. So cute. You should get some. And trade with me!

I’ve been starving for a week, just hungry all the time. This morning I took an Emergen-C with my breakfast and am not dying of hunger. Lack of B vitamins, perhaps? I bought myself two boxes and will continue supplementing for awhile longer.

In other news, I’m freakin’ stuck at Free Rice again. (Thanks, KJ. Sheesh. You had to bring it up, did you?)

In which I’m still boring and you shouldn’t even be reading this.

My new 120Gb hard drive arrived yesterday. I got it so cheap I can hardly stand myself! It came in an envelope instead of a box… I’d forgotten how tiny laptop drives are. It’s still sitting in its anti-static container, waiting to be installed tomorrow.

I bought an AC adapter for this little hard drive enclosure I rescued from the trash back in Iowa. Maybe it’ll work, maybe I’ll end up with a six-dollar adapter that I have no need for. Who knows. It would be cool though if I could put my old hard drive in it and have it work, because it’s small and has a cute little carrying case.

Today I bought an ebook for my 1150. I love that thing. (The reader, not the book. (Well, I’ll probably love the book too since it’s second of a series and I loved the first one, but I was talking about the reader.))

Hmm. What else? Well, I’m freakin’ tired. I’ve been complaining about having to work full-time, so just to kick my ass the universe suddenly causes me to find myself working overtime. Not only that, but instead of getting up at ten like I normally do, I set my alarm for 7:30 and then Bindu woke me up at six because she needed to go outside. She’s a good dog and I’d rather have her wake me than make a mess, but suddenly getting up four hours early hurts my head.

I’m supposed to go out tonight and see the Coyote Kings play, but I might just blow it off and stay home. I could probably manage to be social for a couple of hours, but I just don’t think I can stay awake until two or three when I could get a ride home from one of the musicians.

I need my own damn car so I don’t have to depend on others for rides.

In which I complete an unpremeditated transaction.

I woke up this morning to the sound of my cell phone trilling. I had a text message. The message informed me that my paycheck had been direct-deposited into my account. Money! Yay!

During my lunch break this afternoon, I dutifully went to the post office and bought two money orders: one for mom, one for the lab that doesn’t take plastic. Later, I dutifully called and paid the surgeon and the anesthesiologist their payments.

And just now? I went to eBay and bought one of these, with a 128Mb storage card, for no good reason.

I had no intention of buying a dedicated ebook reader; it just happened. I’ve been thinking about getting one for awhile now, because while I used to love the multipurpose functionality of my Pocket PC, I no longer use it for anything but ebook reading (I use my cell phone for everything) and the form factor’s not as ideal for that as it could be.

Not only is the 1150 much less expensive than the Kindle or the Sony Reader, but it boasts instant page-turns (without the Kindle’s momentary blackscreen), a back-light, free online storage, a built-in dictionary, built-in dial-up modem, a USB port, and a gray-scale display equal to the other more expensive devices.

It seems like the 1150 is best option available, particularly considering the Kindle’s page-turn bug would drive me utterly bat shit within moments and that neither of the other devices have built-in freakin’ backlight, AND with the bundled expansion card it holds 200 books – more than either of the others. (How in the hell is someone supposed to be able to read in the dark with a device that isn’t fucking back lit? Gah!)

Anyway. I have yet to see the thing, so I don’t know if it’s really all that or not. But I think I’m gonna love it and hold it and pat it and squeeze it and call it George, and that’s the coolest thing that’s happened all day!

In which I get a second belated b-day present!

From Chelsea, who is superior in all ways.

In which there’s a box in my box!

Yesterday on my lunch break I went to the post office to check my post office box, and there was a ticket that said, ‘Parcel too large for box.’

Yay!

I stood in line and the hawt red-headed postal guy took the ticket and in return gave me a box from Amazon.com. I came back to the office and busted into the package, and it was this:

Diamond Dogs! Bowie! From Southern Expressions, who is SUPERIOR IN ALL WAYS! (Well, except for the way in which he lives somewhere warm so there’s no need for me to knit him a hat. I’ve been trying to think of something to knit him for a couple of years, but knit things and warm climates don’t really go together.)

Thank you, Brad! *smooch*

In which it’s probably true that McDonald’s isn’t so good for you. On more than one level.

There’s a story about a monk who suddenly and inexplicably becomes obsessed with the news. It turns out that the servant who prepares his food does so while reading the paper, and the subtle vibes in the food have affected the monk.

Similarly, today I had breakfast from McDonald’s and ever since I’ve been thinking about things I want, things I would buy if only I could.

I tend to avoid magazines and malls and catalogs because they cause me to want stuff I can’t have anyway and which is generally overpriced and no more functional than the things I already do have. Seeing the things I use, after looking at the nicer things available generally, makes me feel like a style-less bumpkin and so I make some effort to avoid the whole thing by shielding myself from advertising.

I’ve had New Agers tell me I don’t have tons of nice stuff because I have issues with abundance, that I need to realign myself and clear out feelings of guilt in order to experience proper flow. But that’s all crap, and I know it. If stuff was truly important to my path, I’d have figured out how to get it by now, hey what? That I haven’t – that I’ve given up all of my stuff repeatedly – informs me that this life I’m living is not particularly about the stuff. If I want beauty I can go outside and watch a sunset: I don’t have to own beautiful furniture and appliances in order to recognize myself as a lover of beauty, an appreciator of functional art, a Libra.

So, yeah, there’s a lot of nice stuff out there I’ll never own. And I’m okay with that. After all, it’s just stuff. Other than the occasional playful foray into the world of shopping, I tend to ignore the whole thing altogether.

Usually. But not today! Here’s a list of crap I want:

• This kick-ass knitting needle set
• a Flickr upgrade, since my older pictures keep sliding off and that makes me sad
• a new pair of mocs
• Back To The Bars – I wanna hear this album so bad I could puke (I used to have it but Bread lost it)
• a dedicated ebook reading device
• the yarn and pattern to make this sweater in the long-sleeved version
• any of this stuff
• this t-shirt
• and this couch because omgwtfbbq is it not gorgeous?!?
• …and some chocolate. Or coffee. Or both!

When I rejoin the ‘real’ world in the near future, I will probably have a fairly rocky readjustment period. In Iowa, one can get by without nice things for looooong periods of time. One can simply not think of nice things, if one is judicious, and be quite happy with what one has.

But in the ‘real’ world I’ll need normal clothes, at the very least. I have the feeling I’m going to be longing for things I can’t afford much more than usual for the next year or so, or until I can reconcile myself with the new local laws of nature. I’ll probably bitch at first, and then it’ll all go down hill from there. You should probably stop reading me now.

Well, after you buy me a birthday present, that is.