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i am the only sane person i know
I've had a surprisingly good day, despite the fact that it's been pretty cold and wet.
The fact that I had a day off is always a good start to the week, and for once I didn't over cook my toast in my getting-to-be-very-dodgy toaster. I got a great parking spot when I went for coffee and then I trekked over to this op shop near where C used to live and which I'd been wanting to visit for ages. I was a bit worried that they'd be closed, but not only were they open, they also had a huge bag of fairly recent and all unused Vogue dressmaking patterns for me to rummage through. And while I was rummaging I also came across a couple of vintage gems the like of which is very hard to find in most thrift shops these days.
When I first started collecting patterns when I was in high school, most op shops had patterns from the 30's, 40's and 50's by the pile. Grandma would clean out her cupboards or she'd pass away and the kids would give what they didn't want to the local charity shop, and you could walk out of the shop with anything up to fifty patterns. Then the garage sale phenomenon started up (up until the late 80's, garage sales were pretty rare in Australia) so people would start selling off their excess crap and only later would they give what they couldn't sell to the op shop. Then the whole 'Vintage' thing happened, and of course eBay, and suddenly it was cool to snap up those unusual old patterns to make a dress for a school formal, or to charge exorbitant prices for a few scraps of paper to people who called themselves 'collectors'. So these days finding something like the 30's day dress and the 50's skirt and jacket ensemble that I grabbed today is rare and treasured. I also found some 40's knitting patterns, including one book that gives instructions for whole dresses knitted out of three ply. OMG, can you imagine trying to knit a dress? Out of three ply?
Anyhoo, after that I faffed around Sydney Road for a while. Went to a couple of shoe factory outlets, but they had nothing but a lot of cheap looking shoes that deserved to be in an outlet shop. Yes, I am a shoe snob. But my feet love me for it. Then I ran home and scoffed a quick lunch before I went to the dentist.
OMG! I got there and this little boy was waiting to go in before me. He seemed okay and was waiting quite nicely with his mother. Then his turn came up and with in five minutes the whole surgery was echoing with his sobs of anguish. Poor kid, I'd never heard anything quite like it. And of course I was sitting there alternately trying not to be nervous about what Dr M. was going to say when he finally got to me, and feeling sorry for this little kid who was obviously going through his first filling or what have you. He was still bawling and had a big piece of bloody cotton wool jammed in his mouth when he finally emerged. After that I was in no mood for anything more complicated than a check-up and Dr M., who was looking rather pale and washed out, agreed with me. Turns out the kid had to have his tooth out because it started to crumble when Dr M, tried to fill it, and a slight twinge of pain had set him off for the duration.
So my own visit with the dentist was short and sweet. He took some x-rays and had a poke around, but he said that my teeth are looking pretty good at the moment and all I really need is a clean, which he is going to do in a couple of weeks, and that'll be $110 please. Yep, it cost me that much for him to poke at my teeth with his pointy thing for a few minutes and take a couple of snaps. Thank god for health insurance, I say.
After that I went to gym where I got another ridiculously good parking spot just around the corner, and worked very hard, thank you. I've bumped up my weights slightly, and I even had a go at the stepper for the first time in about two years. I got all blinded by the lovely new elliptical trainers that they installed a while back, and I'd forgotten just how hard the stepper made you work. My legs were doing s fine imitation of rubber bands by the time I'd finished, but I'll be on it again Wednesday night, you mark my words.
On the way home I dropped in on A&O to retrieve the cake container that I'd left there after their house warming party, and they gave me cake! Which, yes, I have eaten. Shut up! I'm getting my tax done tomorrow and I've got the late shift at the law library. But I have mire pie for dinner, and I even made mashed potatoes to go with it.
Am already seeing some old familiar Sorkin touches in Studio 60; strong male friendships, women in positions of power in a traditionally male industry, substance abuse problems, love-hate relationships, fabulous dialogue that you want to use in everyday life, pedeconferencing, and a soap box ready to jump upon. I love it!</lj-cut
The fact that I had a day off is always a good start to the week, and for once I didn't over cook my toast in my getting-to-be-very-dodgy toaster. I got a great parking spot when I went for coffee and then I trekked over to this op shop near where C used to live and which I'd been wanting to visit for ages. I was a bit worried that they'd be closed, but not only were they open, they also had a huge bag of fairly recent and all unused Vogue dressmaking patterns for me to rummage through. And while I was rummaging I also came across a couple of vintage gems the like of which is very hard to find in most thrift shops these days.
When I first started collecting patterns when I was in high school, most op shops had patterns from the 30's, 40's and 50's by the pile. Grandma would clean out her cupboards or she'd pass away and the kids would give what they didn't want to the local charity shop, and you could walk out of the shop with anything up to fifty patterns. Then the garage sale phenomenon started up (up until the late 80's, garage sales were pretty rare in Australia) so people would start selling off their excess crap and only later would they give what they couldn't sell to the op shop. Then the whole 'Vintage' thing happened, and of course eBay, and suddenly it was cool to snap up those unusual old patterns to make a dress for a school formal, or to charge exorbitant prices for a few scraps of paper to people who called themselves 'collectors'. So these days finding something like the 30's day dress and the 50's skirt and jacket ensemble that I grabbed today is rare and treasured. I also found some 40's knitting patterns, including one book that gives instructions for whole dresses knitted out of three ply. OMG, can you imagine trying to knit a dress? Out of three ply?
Anyhoo, after that I faffed around Sydney Road for a while. Went to a couple of shoe factory outlets, but they had nothing but a lot of cheap looking shoes that deserved to be in an outlet shop. Yes, I am a shoe snob. But my feet love me for it. Then I ran home and scoffed a quick lunch before I went to the dentist.
OMG! I got there and this little boy was waiting to go in before me. He seemed okay and was waiting quite nicely with his mother. Then his turn came up and with in five minutes the whole surgery was echoing with his sobs of anguish. Poor kid, I'd never heard anything quite like it. And of course I was sitting there alternately trying not to be nervous about what Dr M. was going to say when he finally got to me, and feeling sorry for this little kid who was obviously going through his first filling or what have you. He was still bawling and had a big piece of bloody cotton wool jammed in his mouth when he finally emerged. After that I was in no mood for anything more complicated than a check-up and Dr M., who was looking rather pale and washed out, agreed with me. Turns out the kid had to have his tooth out because it started to crumble when Dr M, tried to fill it, and a slight twinge of pain had set him off for the duration.
So my own visit with the dentist was short and sweet. He took some x-rays and had a poke around, but he said that my teeth are looking pretty good at the moment and all I really need is a clean, which he is going to do in a couple of weeks, and that'll be $110 please. Yep, it cost me that much for him to poke at my teeth with his pointy thing for a few minutes and take a couple of snaps. Thank god for health insurance, I say.
After that I went to gym where I got another ridiculously good parking spot just around the corner, and worked very hard, thank you. I've bumped up my weights slightly, and I even had a go at the stepper for the first time in about two years. I got all blinded by the lovely new elliptical trainers that they installed a while back, and I'd forgotten just how hard the stepper made you work. My legs were doing s fine imitation of rubber bands by the time I'd finished, but I'll be on it again Wednesday night, you mark my words.
On the way home I dropped in on A&O to retrieve the cake container that I'd left there after their house warming party, and they gave me cake! Which, yes, I have eaten. Shut up! I'm getting my tax done tomorrow and I've got the late shift at the law library. But I have mire pie for dinner, and I even made mashed potatoes to go with it.
Am already seeing some old familiar Sorkin touches in Studio 60; strong male friendships, women in positions of power in a traditionally male industry, substance abuse problems, love-hate relationships, fabulous dialogue that you want to use in everyday life, pedeconferencing, and a soap box ready to jump upon. I love it!</lj-cut