Oh Dear

I decided to relearn how to crochet on the weekend. I watched some YouTube tutorials and figured I had it all figured out. Alright, how is it that my scarf is turning into a triangle? I realize I'm decreasing the stitches, or whatever they're called in Crochetland. I'm going to need a little roadside assistance. I hope to fix this problem and be wearning my funky scarf by next week.

Can she do it?

Stay tuned:)

Two Tiered System

This post is brought to you by the truly eye-popping, digitally remastered, director's cut, etc. version of Simple Mind's "Up on the Catwalk." I always liked this band - especially their early dancier stuff. Click play and enjoy as you look at what I found at - you guessed it - Value Village today.

The fact that I don't know what this is called speaks to what a bottom feeder I am in the world of domestic goddesses. Anyway, I've always wanted a double decker serving dish. I never thought I'd find one so old timey and Gun Smoke. I want to say it's not vintage, but repro, but there's absolutely no manufacturers' mark on it. The wood and brass don't seem like a modern touch, so who knows? I'm always loath to spend more than $5.00 at VV, but this was $9.99 and I knew I'd kick myself if I didn't buy it.
The bottom plate is essentially a larger version of the top, but includes a few extra details, such as a broom. How charming. I feel this uncontrollable urge to make little sandwiches with the crusts cut off. I also found what I thought was one plastic Made in Hong Kong Christmas chip bowl. I loved the vivid colours. The world's most miserable cashier was there again to ring me up. Despite her hang-dog customer service, I stayed chipper and thanked her. When we got home, I saw that she charged me .49 for the bowl. Duncan quickly discovered that it was stacked on an identical bowl. How two adults missed this and a five-year-old figured it out is so typical. Well, I'm slowly recouping all the money I've spent on over-priced goods at VV, forty-nine cents at a time. At least someone's smiling. Cheeeeeese!

Finally, Pyrex and the Quaids

If you want to see a nicer picture of my latest Pyrex bowl and read a story about it that rivals the finest literature of Balzac and Tolstoy, you can read about it at The Pyrex Collective.

In my last post about people who got into heaps of trouble or were very annoying in 2010, I forgot to mention Randy and Evi Quaid. I highly recommend that you buy the latest edition of Vanity Fair. First off, just look at who's on the cover!

The cover price is worth it just to have this fine portrait of Johnny Depp. There's also a huge story on Jackie O's life as a book editor. But the real guilty pleasure is the feature on Randy and Evi Quaid. Talk about a car crash of a couple. The interviewer met up with Randy and Evi, who were on the lam, hiding out in Vancouver last month. The Quaids are clearly pathological liars who don't know how to manage the money Randy gets in royalties probably because he's smitten with his control freak wife who spends every last penny on designer clothes and shoes. Somehow, they've concocted this whole crazy story about how there are people in Hollywood who are trying to "whack" them. Truth is, they don't make their mortgage payments on time like us hard working folks have to. Their theory about being targeted makes no sense whatsoever. They seem way too "Life on the D-list" to even warrant a celebrity whack. Do read this piece.

Erin

People Who Got Into Heaps of Trouble or Were Annoying

When I was a kid, there was a show called "The Most Important Person." I don't remember the show at all - only the Me Generation theme: "The most important person in the whole wide world is you and you hardly even know it..."

Hey look - it's on YouTube, just like everything in the universe.

Check out the first 27 seconds. You totally won't regret it. I remember the girl wearing the eye glasses who is ham-fistedly painting something.

Back to the end of 2010. This is the time of year for "year in review" lists. I thought that I'd round of a list of people who got in trouble this year - or were just plain annoying. The purpose is to make you feel glad about being you when you realize that you're not them.

Enjoy and feel free to add anyone I missed.

• Julian Assange. He's all over the news these days. I'm mildly fascinated by him. Just when I think "Rah, rah. Stick it to the man!" I read something unsavoury about him and I'm not sure if I should be ordering a Free Julian t-shirt just yet. Regardless, I'm glad I'm not him because he had to spend a few days in a dank English slammer in isolation all because of his wedding tackle - OR WAS IT?

Assange works the Mary Tyler Moore hairdo. Someone buy this man a beret to toss. Nobody will know it's him. Shhh...

• Next up is Adam Giambrone. I know, I know. For those not living in Toronto or Southern Ontario, you must be thinking, "Who's he?" To save my typing fingers, I've copied and pasted his Wikipedia blurb. It's my "Wiki leak" of another no good man with plumbing control issues. I don't even want to repeat what he did that destroyed his career in politics. I'll just say that I hope the sofa at City Hall was Scotch Guarded. Read these few paragraphs and you'll wonder how unintelligent someone as smart as Giambrone could be.

Adam Giambrone (born March 8, 1977) is a Canadian politician who was a Toronto City Councillor, representing the southern of two Davenport wards. Elected at 26, he remained the youngest member of Toronto council after re-election. He is also a former president of the federal New Democratic Party. He is the 2008 recipient of NOW Magazine's "Best City Politician" award.^[1]

An archaeologist by training, Giambrone has participated in excavations in Sudan, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, and Guatemala.^[2] He speaks English, French, and Arabic fluently.^[3] He is of Italian-American ancestry, and his father moved to Canada to avoid the Vietnam War.^[2]

As Chair of the Toronto Transit Commission, Giambrone has led the largest-ever expansion of bus service in Toronto, and seen record transit ridership. Giambrone secured over $8 billion in new funding to build light rail into areas of the city currently not served by rapid transit.^[4] An expansion of two subway lines also forms part of an overall $18 billion long-term expansion plan driven by Giambrone.^[3]

On February 1, 2010 Giambrone announced his candidacy to succeed David Miller as Mayor of Toronto in the 2010 election,^[5] as the leading progressive candidate, showing second place in early polls.^[6][7] Giambrone exited the mayoral race on February 10, 2010 amidst a sex scandal and he did not run for re-election for his council seat.^[8][9]

• I guess the next group would be the stars of pointless reality shows, famous for being tacky or over-breeding. I can't even bring myself to watch these shows, but these "everyday" folk are so overexposed that you can't even make it through the checkout line at Shopper's Drug Mart without having them stare you in the face from the cover of tabloids. So be gone Snooki & company, teen mothers, Kate and 8, and that family with 18 or 19 kids.

Please take your bronzer and find a nice, secluded log cabin far from the TV cameras.

• Miley Ray Cyrus, Lindsay Lohan, and Taylor Swift. Alright, the last one stayed out of trouble, but is it possible for celebrities to date people who aren't celebrities? As for Lindsay Lohan and Miley Ray, why don't they take up a craft instead of drugs? Think of the beautiful sweaters they could make if they put the bongs away. Miley Ray must be in so much trouble with her parents right now. Just be glad you're not her. Totally grounded.

Kind of makes you long for the good old days of Debbie Gibson and Tiffany.

• Lady Gaga has become really boring due to overexposure. When she gets into trouble, it seems more like old-style Madonna manufactured controversy, rather than loose cannon stuff. If you watch her in interview, she comes across as utterly humourless and she has a major diva complex. Go away for awhile and make a new record.

Yes, we get it. You're edgy.

Well, I'll stop there. I may add more as the spirit moves me. I'm already thinking about the Italian Prime Minister.

Thanks for reading and go to sleep confident that you're a good person and not annoying.

Value Village?

I should make it my New Year's resolution not to complain about the pricing at Value Village, but I have a better chance of becoming a tidier person in 2011. Sigh. Let's start off with the good side of Value Village and then I'll get out my cat 'o nine tails.

I trudged down the road in Arctic-like weather after dinner last night to my local Value Village (Woodbine and Danforth if you're keeping score). My goal was to find a fish bowl for one of the class Beta fish I brought home for the holidays. Of course, I had to have a poke around and I was charmed to find this movie clapboard or whatever it's called for .99. I'm sure it will get used in skits, etc. in my classroom.
I also found this cardinal cross stitch kit, still in the package. You can see the price. I think it was fair enough. Birds are one of my many loves in life.
Now I just have to have someone teach me how to cross stitch. Ha ha!
I also bought a $3.99 vintage Hot Wheels car garage (by vintage, I mean late-eighties) for Duncan. He'll get it with his Christmas gifts. It occurred to me that he won't care if it was thrifted or not. Why not give thrifted gifts at Christmas? I also bought three books, including the classic seen above, The Little Red Hen. Most children's books are .99 each or buy 4 and get the fifth free. That's a good deal.

Alright, now hear me roar. I found a medium sized fish bowl that was priced at $1.99. It had a little rust stain on the bottom that I knew I could scour off easily. When I took it to the checkout, I saw that it had a significant crack along the side. I was using my 30% off card, that I've earned through purchases at the store. I didn't know that they had to deduct the discount per piece, so when I presented the card at the end, the woman told me that she had to void everything and start again. Maybe they should have a sign at the cash telling customers to present the card at the beginning.

So while she was voiding the order, I went to the back to find another fish bowl. I discovered a much smaller bowl that also cost $1.99. I thought it was odd that the store would charge the same price for two bowls that were totally different sizes. I politely asked about it and whether or not I could have it for .99 or something like that. I wasn't trying to be cheap. It just didn't seem right. A tired looking man who appeared to be the store manager was counting up money at another desk. My cashier explained the situation to him, but he stood his ground. "The larger one costs the same because it has a stain and a crack in it." I was told. I cleared my throat. "Why would somebody willingly buy a fish bowl with a crack in it?" I was told that someone might use it for something else. Alright, I guess you could put a terrarium in it, or perhaps it could be a very large swear jar for Gordon Ramsey. How silly of me to not to consider the myriad possibilities in this cracked fish bowl gathering dust on a back shelf of a thrift store. I'll try to be more open minded in the future.

Anyway, I was given a new 30% off card with a few extra stamps on it. I sense the cashier knew I was right and felt a bit bad that they were so hardline about cheaping out on loyal customers.

I know I'll be back and I'll try not to complain. Promise.

Erin

A Frame-a-Rama

A few months ago, I mentioned how badly I wanted the Fisher-Price A Frame of my childhood. Would I ever have it in my possession again? As a child I had a ton of Play Family buildings, Little People, and accessories and none of it was saved. I've been piecing together as much as I can now that my son's at the age where it's loved and used. Well, Tami (who lives outside of Toronto) read my sad sack remarks and told me that she had one in her garage that was gathering dust. Long story short, I met her at Yorkdale Shopping Mall today and I bought it from her. Huzzah! Here it is.

I was so excited to share it on the blog, that I took horrible flash-soaked pictures of it on the sofa. It includes a fireplace and kitchen.
Duncan stuck the mailman in it to test it out. Dig the braided rug.
Here's the side. It features "glass" sliding doors, patio and Alpine-style balcony.
The sliding door actually slides. I'm moving in.

Thanks, Tami! It was weirdly emotional being reunited with an object that I loved so much as a child.

Here's the real thing...

And a song to celebrate the occasion. Yee haw!