Monthly Archives: September 2008

New shoes and wine

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I'm a total wine convert. Or at least on the road to being one.

Until this month, the last time I bought wine it was through someone older than me, had a twistcap, and featured kiwi as a main flavor. But, for a party that Ing and I were invited to, I was told to "bring wine" and when I asked "err, like what?" the answer was "something red, under 10 bucks." I didn't ask further, just twittered it and asked Jeanne, and ended up going with Jeanne's advice. When we got to the party, I had a glass, and was like OH WAIT YUM. Dave and I went to another dinner party at their house last night, and we each had a glass, and Dave actually wants to start drinking wine "for his heart" (the whole red wine thing) so I picked up a bottle of what I'd taken to J&J's a few weeks ago. Tonight, Dave is actually working a football game, but Ing is in bed, and the dishes are done and I, my friends, am kicking back with a grown-ass glass o' wine. (Smoking Loon Merlot. Jeanne's rec. Honestly, I can't remember if it was merlot or cabernet sauvignon that I took to the party, but the merlot is good, too.

Winter is coming, first with this little mini-hurricane (that Dave is out working in, for which he will be receiving blueberry muffins tomorrow) and we're angst about oil, and the economy and EVERYTHING. And every time we go to spend any money, in the backs of our minds is "this could be another window, or the thermal blinds, or or or" and it sucks. SUCKS. Today I went to the LLB outlet and found some fleece PJs for Ingrid (12 bucks!) and a shirt for Dave, to replace one he ripped this week (an exact duplicate) and I tried on the LLB Dansko knockoffs, but they just aren't the same, and I was like, you know what? I've had these Danskos since before Dave and I got ENGAGED. I was still in my undergraduate program when I bought these. The heels are worn (I walk a bit duckfooted, so they wear on the outer edge) and they are scuffed and beatup and the leather is starting to pit, and after 6 years of basically everyday wear, dammit, I needed new ones. And I didn't have Ingrid with me, so I went to the Dansko shoe store, and I bought a pair of Marcelles, in black, which are a maryjane style, because also in my renaissance to bellydancing wine drinker, I've decided that I need cooler socks. Dave's thing is novelty boxers, he wears some themed boxer everyday, and I want funky socks. I bought several pair at Target, and the best way to show off funky socks is maryjane danskos. (RIght now, I've driven Jeanne to drink. She's anti-Dansko. I went to add myself to an I Heart Danskos! group on FB, just to drive her nuts, and hahahaha, it was started by a UMainer, so it felt a little too close to home, and I didn't.

Dave was a little horrified at the price, until I reminded him that I never buy shoes, and danskos work out to like less than 20 bucks a year. He then pointed to my shoe pile, and I was like "right, my gym shoes I got when we lived in Levant, the crocs are 2 years old, and the Born sandals I bought this year ((on super super sale at the outlet, $40!)) and my Danskos I've been wearing longer than my engagement ring. So, yeah, I spent one window's worth of cellular blinds on new damn shoes, but that's okay. Right?

Our 5th anniversary is fast approaching, and it sucks because Dave has to work a game that night, and while we knew that Halloween meant that we'd have to share the day with future children, and were cool with that, we're both bummed that he has to miss the big day this year. I don't know what we'll do for/with Ingrid, I've looked for costumes and am just so Meh on them, because it would just be daycare and me seeing them on that day, anyway, even though I think she'd kind of 'get' trick or treating this year and be excited by that, but I don't want Dave to have to miss that. Suckage. And for our anniversary last year, we got windows, but this year I'm thinking I want to get Dave an iPod (the last gen Nanos are on sale at apple.com for about 100 bucks) and I'm kind of hoping he'll get me a Roku. (Jerry was really trying to convince him at dinner; Jerry actually has one because I showed it to Jamie, who I work with, and she bought it as his father's day gift… tech that I was swooning over, and yet still don't HAVE! Anyway, I think Jerry may have sold him on it…)

As it is, Christmas is going to be scaled back — I got a $10 off $50 purchase coupon for TRU, and am probably going to use that to get Ingrid some easel supplies (I've still not given her the IKEA easel I got a year ago, because she hasn't needed it, but I think 2.5 will be a good age!) and some puzzles and playdoh, and that will be Christmas for her. Dave and I aren't doing anything, except replacing our upstairs TV with an LCD one in time for digital conversion — we use an OTA antenna and would rather get a new tv than invest 40 bucks in bringing a 20 year old Emerson 13" up to date — nothing fancy or huge, but will still be around $300 or so, and stockings. Probably mostly just stockings for my folks, his mom will get a $100 giftcard, as she always loves those, and we'll do something for my sister, since she doesn't have a boyfriend or family of her own yet. I'm hoping to convince my ILs to lower the spending amount for the giftswap there (it was $50 the last few years) to $25 or so, because, damn, winter is going to be expensive this year.

It sucks, hard, that at the time that we start making a return on the investment of my education, etc, that the cost of living has totally outpaced our incomes. Oil is almost 4x more expensive than it was when we moved in here. We have daycare costs, of course, that we expected, but gas is almost $4 a gallon, food costs more, everything does. And our incomes aren't keeping up. And yet, we are the lucky ones that we have jobs, that I can throw caution to the wind and decide to buy $100 shoes instead of a cellular shade and we'll be okay.  It just fucking SUCKS that it feels like we aren't getting ahead, at a time when we should be. You know? Argh.

New shoes and wine. That'll do for tonight. Tomorrow is another day — maybe the price of crude will freefall and we'll be warm and flush this winter. Sigh.

bellydancing

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Tonight, I had my first bellydancing class. Middle Eastern Dance, specifically, but it's marketed as bellydance, who knows, maybe because of the terrorists? Anyway.

A year of Group Power, confronting the Fear of the Elliptical (and other fitness equipment) and I'm stronger, I'm pretty sure, but still, well, fat. And so, I'm adding to the repertoire, and what better way than to confront my weird freaking issues than by challenging myself with something like BELLYDANCING. When I was teaching in public school, we had a culture day, and a bellydance teacher was there, and I did the little 45 minute class with my kids and was pretty intrigued. I looked at it again, last year, when looking to do SOME type of group physical activity, but chose the Y instead. But now, the Y offers bellydancing. I worked it into my schedule.

It was okay. The first day and all, and just three students, but it brought up again how really disconnected I am from my body. Old drum, but I'll beat it again: I feel like a floating head 99% of the time, and am just not aware of my body. I saw pics of myself from the river cruise this weekend, and was like "oh my god, I'm such a fucking FATASS!" but then the same person that posted the pics started grad school this week, and taking three classes and working full time, and told *ME* how I was amazing for doing all that while pregnant, even! Because, you know, I'm The Smart One. Not the dancer, or weightlifter, or athlete, or Y member.

But the bellydancing class was right after a Group Groove class (a part of the whole Group X stuff that BTS does, with dance, for cardio) and my two GP instructors were in that — one was teaching, one was taking it, and two of the GG members were in GP, too, and there was this whole conversation of The Regulars & Their Instructors and I was part of it. That is so fucked up and bizarre to me! I Go To The Y.

(I mean, I've only been once in the last two weeks on account of the vertigo, and then there were no classes last week, but I've gone enough that I am a regular now… which is weird.)

I also am thinking about setting some goal of doing "the loop" (it's a mile to walk the perimeter of our neighborhood) with Ingrid every day, rain or shine. Our stroller(s) came with rain covers, and I have a footmuff, so it's not entirely undoable, and especially with a sturdy 2.5 year old this winter, I wouldn't be as skitchy about the cold weather. Oh, and I could leave the stroller permanently weatherized in the garage, since I have a volo for the car now…) That, and that I'd like to do charity walks, too. I think I'm going to start with Race for the Cure, this month, again with Ing in the stroller, just to Start and Do It. I love the idea of C25K, but I'm really, really apprehensive about running, and all the…. jiggling. And not just of my boobs, but of my belly as well. I don't know, it's always ticking away in the back of my mind, so maybe someday…

Basically, I want to be Stronger and I wouldn't mind being Less Fat. Hopefully I can get it all put together soon. But seriously, BELLYDANCING! ME! So weird.