Stir Fried Chicken with Basil and Chilies

I originally got the recipe from Men's Health but ended up doing some major tweaking- mostly due to the unavailability of some stuff.

Instead of peanut oil, I used canola oil. I didn't see the point in going out and spending money on a bottle of oil I'll rarely used. For the same reason, I used oyster sauce instead of fish sauce. I almost didn't, since fish sauce tastes nothing like oyster sauce but, for some reason, I had already had a jar of oyster sauce and I knew I wasn't going to be using it for anything else...

Oh, and ginger, so not worth it. Don't get me wrong, I love ginger, but have you ever tried to peel and mince ginger? Not fun. I don't know, maybe there's an easier way but I always found the task annoying. So, instead, I used soy ginger broth instead of chicken stock or wine. It was cheaper than a bottle of wine (which I didn't have) and Trader Joe didn't have chicken stock in stock (ha ha ha).

I cut back the amount of chicken and added bell peppers. Oh, and as always, I doubled the amount of garlic it called for. Speaking of which, I found out that Michael doesn't like garlic. Seriously? Who doesn't like garlic.

WARNING!!!!!
Wear some gloves when handling the jalapeno peppers!!!
I always thought jalapenos were like the weak sissy peppers of the pepper world, barely a notch above the bell peppers, you know? I wasn't scared! Whatever!
Oh.
My.
Goodness!!!
As I was slicing, I guess I sliced open some seeds or something. The capsaicin irritated the crap out of my hands and it burned. I didn't feel it at first but it started about an hour after cooking and slowly started to get hotter and hotter and hotter. A couple of hours later it was pretty freaking painful. Needless to say, washing my hands a bajillion times didn't do anything.

Oh, but speaking of peppers... if you like your stir fry a bit on the spicey side, throw in some of the jalapeno seeds. It's the seeds that packs the heat, not the actual veggy part.

I've Got Mail?!

I LOVE mail!!!

Always have, always will. I love getting them, writing them, sending them... for some reason, I really love addressing envelopes. Stickers, stickers, stickers- even the stamps are stickers! Oooh, and the stationaries... eep! So cute! Seriously, who doesn't enjoy finding a cute envelope with bears and puppies and Hello Kitty amongst all their bills? Thankfully, I have friends who also enjoy sending and receiving mails, otherwise my personal letters would be limited to Christmas time, and the occasional Happy Birthday post card from my eye doctor.

Writing a letter is kind of like writing a journal- only more practical. I'm not knocking journal-ing, I know a lot of people are into it, I used to do it myself (and blogging is kind of the same thing...), but, after you fill it out you're left with all these journals. Then what? I guess the more sentimental person would go back and read it every once in awhile but honestly, I'd rather stab my eyes than read the drively crap that I wrote down in middle school/high school. Not saying that I hate Younger Jin, just saying... yeah, no.

If you write it down on a cute little stationary and send it off to a friend, you get the same therapeutic results and your friend gets their daily dose of Blue Bear in the mail.

International mail are super cool. They come with these weird stamps and usually in a super thin air mail stationary. I used to correspond with my cousins in Korea when I was little but as years went by, I started to forget the language. They told me that they're learning English but it would just too weird to write to them in English. I also had 2 pen pals, one was from Australia, the other Austria. We never bonded beyond two or three letters.

I always thought it would be really cool to learn about other culture. Not the big stuff that's covered in Wikipedia but the little, mundane stuff. For instance, no where on Australia's Wiki page does it say that Australian women prefer non-applicator tampons. Actually, it might, I don't know, I didn't really read the Wiki page, I'm assuming it doesn't, however.

I figured internet killed the whole pen pal system. Email, IM, Skype, etc. allows you to communicate to anyone, anywhere in the world, for free. Plus, if you want to know about the mundane lives of say... a Croatian, all you have to do is find a blog. Hell, Google will even translate it for you.

That's why I was pretty excited to find out about Postcrossing!
"The main idea is that: if you send a postcard, you'll receive at least one back, from a random Postcrosser from somewhere in the world. "
It's not really a pen pal system, but close. This could be fun!

Of course, it's been awhile since I sent out any letters to Daria or Jamie so it kind of feels like I'm cheating on them... I think I'll write some personal letters before mailing out any postcards to strangers.

Brilliant!

I love jewelry, and I have a lot of them.

I like big, in your face, weird, statement pieces so, needless to say, most of my stuff is fake- which is actually preferable since I'm not at all careful about where I leave stuff after taking them off so if I lose a pair of $5 earrings, it not a big deal.

Well, actually, I once lost this pair of skull earrings and that was a big deal 'cause they were pretty rad. But, for the most part, it's no big.

Most of my jewelry are housed in a small jewelry box so I had problems with the necklaces getting all tangled with each other. It was annoying, but I couldn't really justify getting a nice set up just to house $10 necklaces, you know?

One day, an idea came to me... zip lock bags!


I had a whole box of these ridiculously small "snack sized" zip lock bags that I'd bought by accident. Now I don't have to spend 5 minutes trying to untangle anything.

I should write about this to Heloise.

Book Mark Clean Out!!!

I wore my wool cardigan today 'cause I kind of assumed it would be cold today... it was 80 degrees... and humid. Blech.

Anyhoo... Book Mark Clean Out!!

Eating Our Way to Death- Eating meat is bad on many levels. However, I take issue with an article that claims turning veg doesn't require "meticulously planning every meal". It kind of implies that all you have to do is just stop. eating. flesh. Even in the "Tips for Transition" the author doesn't mention how to get all the proteins you need. The way Daria explains it, meat is the only complete source of protein (I think there's 7 different kids of protein...). Lots of plants come close, but none has all. There for, if you stop eating meat, you have to eat a very diverse selection of protein to make sure you get all 7. Ask any vegetarians that went about it half ass. I guarantee they'll all have stories of the time they crashed.


Found via My Twenty Something Cents.

Should You Spend Your Money While You Can?- My brother is quite the gloomy bear. He's pretty much banking on the fact that saving for retirement is no guarantee that you'll have money to retire. Stock markets can crash (again), Social Security will be gone, and the government can tax us up the butt. He still saves, diligently, 'cause what else can he do? Whenever I coveted something someone else had, I used to take some comfort in the fact that I'm doing the smart and responsible thing and saving for the future... until he pointed out that the money I have stocked away might not be there when I needed and the "idiot" who spent it on the coveted item at least got to enjoy her money, where as I didn't.


It reminds me of Silent Hill. Creepy~

Drugs in Drinking Water- Well, some us did want universal health care... Free prescription drugs for all!

Pot de Creme- Coffee and chocolate?! Yum!

Fighting Food Budget Killers- Mine is good, aged, real parm cheese and truffle oil.


Eight Tactics for Handling Greeting Card Occasions- At first, I was a bit thrown off by this article. I mean, really, are people getting so frugal that even greeting cards are too much of a financial burden? But, then, I started to think... Well, I suppose most people don't get a crap load of free cards from various charities soliciting for money, and if you have lots of friends and family... it could get expensive. So, it started to make sense... until I read "Use a $5 bill instead of a card". Well there's his problem right there! Geez... what kind of a card is he using? Even the fancy glittery Hallmark kind is less than $5!

Catholic Dogs Go to Heaven- Funny!

This is the Worst Economy I've Ever Seen- Not sure why, but Greenspan has always been my favorite Federal Reserve Chair (sorry Bernake). He says that housing prices should stabilize by next year. Hmmm... hopefully, I'll be buying a house next year.

PA Trip- Epilogue

So, for the most part, I had a lot of fun in Pennsylvania. However, there were some crappy bits.

Towards the beginning of my vacation, I got a phone call from my mom informing me that my grandmother (paternal) had passed away. I didn't know my grandmother that well at all, haven't seen her, or spoken to her, in 10 years (she lived in Korea) so I wasn't that upset by the news. Still, I couldn't hep but feel like a horribly insensitive person for not bawling my eyes out. Maybe she wasn't someone who made a day to day impact on my life but she was someone who was very special to my dad- who is very special to me- so shouldn't I be upset?

Then, driving home from the trip, I accidentally rear ended a car in front of my while being stuck in bumper to bumper traffic.


As you can see, the other car's damage isn't that bad. Still, being involved in an accident always really gets me down. I'm so stupid!! Why wasn't I more careful? AUUGGGHH!!!!

After I got home, I'm unpacking, throwing all the clothes into the hamper when I noticed... wait a minute... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! I had left my very favorite pair of jeans behind at the hotel! It's my dark blue skinny jeans, the ones that are super comfy. Poo.

So, the vacation didn't end very well but it was still fun. Pennsylvania is a cool state. Sure their water tastes like a pharmaceutical dump and their turning lanes are incredibly narrow and practically non-existent... but, the people are friendly, they don't have sales tax on clothes, and, did I mention... pygmy goats on sale for $75 to $100!

Plus, that state is now the proud location of the most bad ass pair of skinny jeans ever.

Hamsters ARE Cute

Ploomy has an article titled, 15 Things that Guys Do that Drives Women Nuts. GAG! This is suppose to help men? My problem with the article is not that it's wrong but that it's very general and, for the most part, not gender specific. Really, women don't like sloppiness? Bad gifts? Being ignored? Interruption during favorite shows? What, and men are okay with all that?

That's like saying, "15 Things Women Don't Like"
1) Global warming
2) Murder
3) Stupidity
4) Racism
etc.

So, here's my short list of "Things that Guys Do that Drives Me Nuts". Mind you, it's my list, I don't claim to speak on behalf of all women.

Bathroom noise- I understand that whatever you need to do in the bathroom is part of nature and everyone does it. However, that does not mean that I have to hear it. If someone is within hearing distance, you should turn the fan on... or run the faucet... or both.

PDA (Public Display of Adjustment)- Stuff moves, I get it. I just don't want to have to see you put anything back in its rightful spot.

Not being chivalrous- I'm a modern women. I'm self sufficient. I don't need you to squish spiders, take out the garbage, carry my stuff, pump my gas, or open doors. I can do all that myself, thank you. However, just because I don't need you to do something, it doesn't mean that I don't want you to do it. One of the perks of being a girl is that I get to be a ball busting feminazi and a delicate little princess. Guys get to pee standing up. It evens out.

Extreme Homophobia- I get that you're straight. I don't doubt it for a second. However, there is nothing gay about admitting that something, or someone, is cute.
"Is he cute?"
"I don't know, I'm a guy!"
I'm straight but I can tell when another girl is attractive.

Just man up and say it, hamsters are damn cute!

Eye makeup =/= hot- An ugly girl with long hair, pushed up boobs, and a pound of eye makeup is still an ugly girl with long hair, pushed up boobs, and a pound of eye makeup. She is not hot. She is not sexy.

BS "Man" knowledge- Just because you're a guy, it doesn't mean that I expect you to know how to fix the CD drive on my laptop or know why my car's making that weird eerm-eerm noise. I'm going to ask you anyway, but it's totally cool if you don't know. Don't waste my time asking for clarifications and spouting pseudo knowledge.

Lame impressions/stealing jokes- There are some guys who are gifted at impressions, most guys aren't. Please don't try, it just makes me feel uncomfortable 'cause I have to do a polite fake laugh and pretend I know who you are mimicking. Oh, and I watch the same shows you do, I know that you didn't think up that joke.

Tucking in t-shirts- If it doesn't have a shirt tail, you're not suppose to tuck it in. When is the last time you saw a t-shirt with a shirt tail? Exactly.

And, number one most offensive...

Pleated pants- Flat front, it changes lives. TRUST me on this. You will never look back.

Brown Sued Via Spiga Mary Janes

:cue angles singing:

This is probably my most favorite pair of shoes. Mmm... maybe my second favorite, I do love my Converse high tops... no no no... this is my most favorite pair of shoes.

I got them for $2!!! I was at a Rugged Warehouse a few years back and I saw them on clearance for $2! Via Spigas for just $2... and they have my size?! Is this some alternate universe where everything is 99% off, just for me?!

Sigh~
I love you shoes.

PA Trip, Part 7!

We started our last day in PA by heading off to Amish Country!!!

By the way, Amish Country is not in Lancaster, PA like everyone thinks. It turns out that Lancaster is actually a pretty modern suburb/city with outlet malls and Starbucks and whatnot. The Amish Country is in an area called, and I kid you not, Intercourse, PA.


We stopped off at the Farmer's Market in Intercourse, PA, which was rad, as are all farmer's market. There were several gift shops selling merchandise that capitalized on their city's name. There was one shirt that read, "Intercourse Pennsylvania Taxidermy: Stuffing Beavers for Over 30 Years!" Classy. There was an old woman at the check out who was looking for a magnet that read, "I (heart) Intercourse". The cashier asked another employee to show her where those magnets were. As the employee walked the old lady away, the old lady kept screaming "I love intercourse! That's the one I want. I love intercourse! Not the one that says Pennsylvania, Intercourse!" Either she is totally oblivious to the double entredre or she's one crass lady.


Afterward we stopped by an antique store! It's the red building on top. All the buildings in that area backs up into these gorgeous farm lands! So nice! The antique shop was an antique shop- everything's exciting but not enough to buy, you know?

Next on the agenda was procuring some apple pie. I wasn't about to leave the Pennsylvania Dutch Country without getting some Dutch Apple Pie! We followed a sign to a bakery named "Bird-in-Hand Bake Shop" or something like that. This place is the middle of nowhere! The signs had us driving through farm lands and then BLAM!! There it is!! Surrounded by farms!

The place was pretty cute. There was a playground outside- fun. And a small petting zoo with some chickens and goats.


Are you interested in some pygmy goats? They're only $75-100 at this place!


Mmmmm~ Pie!!!


Jamie said her book recommended this place called People's Restaurant so we drove around farm country until we found it.


Oh my goodness, walking inside was like going back in time! I wish I could've taken a better picture but we were like the only person there at that point and I felt kind of sheepish. Floor to ceiling wood paneling everywhere it was pretty rad. I felt like I was in Freaky Friday- the Jodi Foster version, not the Lindsay Lohan one. The food was kind of... meh, but the atmosphere was a lot of fun and the service was great.

Actually, everyone in PA seemed pretty cool. I think NoVa is just full of pretentious 'tard faces.

Crispy Yogurt Chicken

Okay, I admit, it's not the most appetizing picture, I think it needs more color- maybe those green things that some places put on your meat.

I got the recipe from The Pioneer Women. Don't let the pictures fool you, you only need 1 lemon.

Unfortunately, I was not able to prevent the breading on the bottom of the chicken from being soft and goopy. Next time, I think I'll bake it over it over a cooling rack (over a sheet pan) and flip half way through (putting another pat of butter on top).

Or, I might just flatten the chicken and fry it up on a cast iron- donkatsu style.

Goopy bottom aside, it was good. The yogurt herb mixture provided enough taste to prevent the need of any sauce. Of course, that didn't prevent some people from slathering some ketchup on top. Now, I'm all for ketchup and fried chicken (even if some people find it odd) but really... if you're going to just drown it in ketchup, I could've just served you plain baked chicken. As a chef, I was offended.

PA Trip, Part 6!

We actually didn't stay in Hershey, we stayed in Hummelstown, which was about a short 5 minute drive to Hershey. The town is seriously cute.


You know those Christmas display sets that Hallmark sells around Christmas time? The one of the quaint, all American town with the snow capped town hall, post office, deli, etc. This town is so like that- minus the snow. The houses are so tiny and cute and with yards leading right to main street and everyone's sitting outside, waving. Adorable. I felt like I went back in time.


After coming back from the ginormous Walmart, we stopped at downtown Hummelstown to grab dinner. As I was driving through the town, I was thinking about how spiffy it would be to live in a town this cute (it was voted 61th Best Town in America). Then I thought, no, no... I wouldn't want to live here. I can't parallel park to save my life and it looked like it was pretty much a required skill to live there. Plus, quiant, small towns that's predominantly white is only fun for white folks. I deal with enough ignorance in Northern Va. I remember being one of the few Asians in school- people are rude and retarded. Even if people aren't being assholes, you somehow become the poster child for All Things Asian.

Fun Fact: According to Wikipedia, the Sprint Guy lives in Hummelstown! Damn, I wish I had known that when I was there- I could've been on the lookout! It would've been so cool to see him.

We grabbed a pepperoni pizza from JoJo's (which was decent...) and some onion rings from Sheetz.

Have you had Sheetz onion rings yet? OMG, amazing! Seriously, better than any onion rings you get from restuarunts!

When we got back to the hotel, the zombie ducks were out and about. Thankfully, they were all surrounding this dude who was forced to stand on the bed of his pick up truck to get away from the ducks. We kind of wondered if we should help him but he didn't seem distressed. Maybe he was preaching to the duck choir.

Book Mark Clean Out!!!

I found out yesterday that my cousin, someone who is just 2 years out of college, is paying like $700 a month on car payments!

!!!

Crazy.

So there's all this talk of an economic meltdown. Well, all I know is that my store is looking at double digit increase over plan for the month so... either the this meltdown hasn't hit this area (yet) or I am damn good at my job. I think the people around here are just in denial.

So, on to Wednesday's Book Mark Clean Out!!!

Best South Park License Plate Ever- It is, it really is.

PedEgg Works- It's nice to know that not all infomercials are scams!

51 Uses for Coca-Cola- Should I really be drinking something that can clean my car battery and tile grout?

BLT- Avocado in a BLT? Brilliant!

Ascot Love- Eric, noticing my ever growing collection of tie neck blouses, jokingly suggested I start wearing ascots. My response: Dude, I would totally sport an ascot if I could find it! I once read somewhere (Jezebel I think...) that tie necks are called "pussy bows". I always wondered if this was true but I've been too scared to google it. Your mind doesn't have have to be that filthy to imagine what kind of search results "pussy bow" might bring up, right, right? :Deep breath: Okay, I'm going to do it!

Pussy Bow

Oh! It's totally legit! No porn (on the first page at least). Okay, let's try google image.

Pussy Bow

Again, no porn! Well, no nekkid people porn but, if you like tie neck blouses like I like tie neck blouses... it kind of is like porn.

The 30 Porniest American Apparel Ads- Speaking of porn...

Do Our Jobs Define Us?- I totally agree with this article and was kind of surprised at the overwhelming negative comments.


5 Real World Criminals Who Were Certified Super-Villains- My question on Cpt. Killdozer- so no on caught on to what he was building? Really?

LAST DAY!!!- Sign up for free credit monitoring service while you can!!!

Tombstone Pizza Vending Machine- You know, other countries have totally bad ass vending machines, why not us? I'm not saying that Tombstone Pizza vending machines are the way to go but still... more interesting than just a regular coke dispensing one, right?

Bed, Bath & Beyond Will Not Let You Use The Phone to Call 911- Idiots

Funeral Associations Scaring People Away from Green Burials?- When I die, I want to be cremated. Not because it's greener (I think I read somewhere that it's worse for the enviornment...) but 'cause I don't really care what happens to my body. I don't see the point in my body taking up space in this world once I'm dead. They can flush my ashes down the toilet if they want. Who cares, I'm dead. Mmmm... actually, I guess I do care. The thought of my ashes getting flushed down the toilet doesn't bother me but the thought of some med students practicing their face lifting skills on my decapitated head does. I don't think I could donate my body to science.

The Sunk-Cost Fallacy- Studying economics is a lot like studying philosophy- only with lots and lots of painful, painful math. The theory of economics, however, is a lot of fun and can change the way you think about life. Sunk cost is one of the first thing I learned in micro and it definitly changed the way I make decisions.

Look! Small Space Living... In a Garbage Truck- I looked at the pictures and thought, "Wow, not bad... I could maybe, kind of live in a place like that... Then, I saw the last 2 and was all, "WTF!" How did all that fit in there?! Next time a garbage truck wakes me up in the morning, I'm going to take a good look and imagine living inside one.

Whopper of a Week- I almost died. How can anything be that beautiful? Oh my...

PA Trip, Part 5!

After eating in Hershey, we decided to go miniature golfing at The Challenge Family Fun Center! It was the first time I've been miniature golfing (outside) so that was fun but it didn't have any windmills and loopty-loops like they show on TV. The "Fun Center" also had an arcade and miniature bowling. It was fun- especially since we were the only ones inside playing. I was surprisingly good at skee ball!

After that we went driving on the major highway (33 was it?) just to see what was around. We ended up at the Harrisburg Mall. It was kind of crappy for a mall that's in the capital of Pennsylvania. Wait, Harrisburg is the capital, right? Yup! The mall was dead. Granted, it was a Wednesday night but... my mall never looks that dead- ever. I think our mall has more mall walkers at 8am in the morning than that mall had customers at 6pm in the evening.

I was pretty excited to see they had a Boscovs since I've never been to one. I was even more excited to see that they were having a liquidation sale. Alas, they were in their mid liqudation stage so the prices still weren't that great.

They had a movie theater attached to the mall so we saw Tropic Thunder, which was hilarious! The theater was nice, clean, futuristic, and, best of all, we were the only ones in the theater! No annoying laughter, cell phones, talking, etc.

Driving back to our hotel, we stopped over at what had to have been the biggest Walmart in the Northern East coast. Not only was it the size of a small country, but it was clean, and well organized, and the line was short, and the people were actually pretty nice! I bought a cardigan there (which I like a lot). Damn it! I should've picked up the latest copy of All You Magazine!

Meat Thermometer

Koreans have one way of cooking meat: well done. We will cook it until the inside is the same color as outside and we'll cook it for a few minutes longer- just in case.

It's not that Koreans are gauche, it's just a difference in culture. In Korean cuisines, all meats are sliced really thin or pulled. Traditionally, Koreans don't eat big chunks of meat. When you're cooking up really thin strips of marinated beef, you're not going to be able to cook it medium rare. So, since cooked through and through is what Koreans are familiar with, when we try to cook Western foods like steak- disaster!

I'm not kidding when I say that it wasn't until well into my high school year I realized that steak was suppose to be pink in the middle- we just always ate them well done. So, my unfamiliarity, coupled with fear of food born pathogens (thanks to Mrs. Baker, my 8th grade Home Ec. teacher), always caused me to over cook my meat.

I hated cooking chicken because they always turned out overcooked and dry. I would cut it and poke it every few minutes, checking the inside to see if was done- causing the juice to leak out. Even when I thought it was done I would cook it for a few minutes longer, just in case. I once got food poisoning from an undercooked chicken. Oh my goodness... it sucked.

A couple of years ago, (thanks to Alton Brown) I finally wised up and got a digital meat thermometer!


This little gadget is so cool. You just stick it in the plumpiest part of your meat, set the temperature (about 5 degrees below your target temp) and go about your business. When the meat is done it will beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!!! Take the meat off heat, loosely cover it with foil and let it rest for about 5-10 minutes (the residual heat will cook the inside temperature to the correct safe temp).

PA Trip, Part 4!

So, after the outlet mall, we went to down town Hershey.


It's such a cute little town... kind of like going back in time!

We had lunch at the Chocolate Avenue Grill. At first, I was bummed to see that all they served were sandwiches, salads, and wraps (not a fan) for lunch but, I decided to to look on the bright side- it's been a long time since I had a juicy burger. I settled on the Southwest burger:


Yum! Not bad for $7.99! Avocados on burgers! Brialliant!


Did you notice? All the street lights look like Hershey kisses!


They alternate between wrapped and unwrapped!

Oh and no, unfortunately, the rumor is not true- the town of Hershey does not smell like chocolate. Poo. I drove into town with the windows open, ready to get a big whiff of chocolate but no, no sweet sweet scent of chocolate...

Kosher Salt

I know, I know, I was skeptical at first as well. When Alton Brown preached the magic of kosher salt, I was hesitant. I mean, it's salt, how different can salt be?

This salt will change your life.

My flavor palates are about as refined as... something that's not very refined... but I can tell the difference. It's a more even flavor and not quite so salty. Salt isn't suppose to make things salty, it's suppose to make things taste more like itself. Kosher salt does a much better job of enhancing flavors than iodized salt. I don't think it costs any more than iodized (regular) salt and even if it does, it's only a few cents difference.

With it's big crystals, it can be a bit intimidating. When I first used it, my knee jerk reaction was to use less and it took me a few tries to figure it out but yes... use it! It will change your life!

PA Trip, Part 3!

The first touristy thing we did was go to the heart of Hershey PA.


All the Hershey attractions are kind of in one central location so I'm not sure what you would call it... Hershey Park? No, that's the amusement park... oh well, what ever. Hershey Park was closed (not that I would've wanted to go anyway- I hate roller coasters) and I didn't want to pay to go to some flowers at Hershey Garden so we went to Hershey's Chocolate World!


The place is basically a one large gift shop- which would've been awesome if they had sold something interesting. It seemed like everyone was walking around with a gift shop shopping bag and I wanted to be like, "Seriously?! You can buy this at your grocery store for less!".

We went and saw the 3D movie, which was awesome! Okay, maybe it wasn't awesome but I still enjoyed it a lot. I think it's the first 3D interactive movie I saw so the novelty factor was very high for me. We also rode the Great American Chocolate Tour- twice. That's how bad ass that ride was. I really dug the singing cows:


After some meandering and site seeing we decided to check out the local area and ended up at their outlet mall. As far as outlet malls go, it wasn't very impressive but they did have a Starbucks!!!

!!!

Dude, you don't understand, I need coffee in the morning. The hotel coffee served during the continental breakfast was bad. The coffee I got at Panera was bad. I so just wanted a cup of good coffee.

Normally, I'm not a coffee snob- I grew up on freeze dried Folgers and 711 coffees. And, even though I like my coffee brewed the "correct way" I believe that taste is a matter of personal preference so who's to say what's the right way and what's the wrong way, you know? Still, I'm not a fan of weak coffees- I like sugar and cream in my coffee so if a coffee is even a little weak, it just ends up tasting like hot sugary water. For instance, everyone raves about Dunkin Donut's coffee but I think it's too weak. In my opinion, Nordstrom Cafe brews the best cup. Weak or not, if it's free, I'll drink it without complaint- as long as it's relatively fresh. What I absolutely can't stand is weak coffee that's been sitting out for like over an hour. Blech!!! They develop the most acrid, nasty aftertaste that just coats your tongue and won't go away!

So yes! Finally! A decent cup of coffee!!! It was so exciting.

Loser!

I love reading blogs of stupid people!
Maybe it's wrong or weird of pyscho of me to be so into the lives of people I dislike but... I think it's normal.

This is from the dude who blindsighted me into having brunch with him one morning and who continued to call me every. freaking. day, leaving a message, just not getting the hint. His final message was something along the lines of, "Hey, I got a raise so I make $xx,xxx a year now. Give me a call back." So insulting! What, like I wasn't calling him back 'cause I thought he was too poor? The bastard's calling me a gold digger! And what does that say about him?

So yeah, here's his latest blog. I have no problem with bad words but I thought I'd keep it clean, just in case. I copied and pasted so all spelling and grammatical errors are his.

doctors order

I am prescribed to bang (censored) every other night.

[name of the girl that agreed to marry him for a Green Card] got acupunture in her belly and legs to stimulate the movement of the egg during ovulation.

she has to take herbs and dress in Victoria secrets with high heels.

i have to bang and pound that (censored) real good.

i love doctors orders.

So, like all smart Green Card Whores I guess she's trying to get knocked up ASAP. Even if you marry a citizen, you can't apply for a Green Card for at least 2 years- unless you have a kid. Anyone born on American soil is automatically granted citizenship and the government allows the mom to stay and care for the child- during which the mom can apply for a Green Card. I hope he's making more than what he told me a couple of years back since, until his wife gets a Green Card, his wife isn't leagally allowed to work. Granted, my knowledge of this is pieced together from experiences of people I know and Law and Order (like most of my law knowledge).

And maybe it's wrong for me to call his financee a Green Card Whore but he once blogged that he wouldn't marry her until she got braces and a boob job- and she did... get both.

Clouds are Going to Clear Up!

Today, I woke up and felt like poop. It didn't help that I woke up to a phone call from my claims adjuster (I'll save that story for another post). Afterward I went downstairs with my lap top to sip some coffee while going through my usual sites and blogs- bad idea.

The sky is falling!
The sky is falling!!
The sky is falling!!!
THE SKY IS FALLING!!!!

Augh, seriously depressing. I know a lot of people, including myself, who's livelihood depends on disposable income. Hearing all the news about bail outs, Chapter 11s- Greenspan, Bernake, and Ben Stein all blah blah blah-ing about how it's never been this bad since the Great Depression... oh my goodness...

I was seriously bummed.

For some reason, when I get bummed, I feel like cooking so I looked up a recipe, went shopping, came back and whipped out my trusty bowl.


Ain't she a beut! My good old stainless steal mixing bowl!

What did I make? That's a topic for another post. I will say, however, when dealing with hot peppers, wear latex gloves! Oh my goodness, my hands feel like they're on fire!

PA Trip, Part 2!

So, after we checked into our room, we decided to venture out in search of some local cuisine. We both agreed to avoid any chain restaurants since one of the best parts of traveling is eating out at cool places. We, well, I, decided on this place, which I think was called the Soda Jerk Diner.


The inside was all chrome, vinyl, and diner-esq. The food was about what you would expect from a place like this. Not great but not gross. Their desserts, however, were awesome.

Coffee ice cream with chocolate syrup and whipped cream, topped with sprinkles- beautiful.

PA Trip, Part 1

Well, I'm back!
Good times were had... unfortunately, bad times were had as well- but mostly good.
I'm still kind of decompressing. Even though I've only been gone for 3 days and 2 nights, I just need to decompress. Details will follow after I've had a chance to settle back into my normal life. I'm such a creature of habit, it's nice to be back home!

I will say, however, that there are few things scarier than driving up a small slope in the middle of the night and seeing a platoon of ducks just chilling there, looking at you. We parked, got out, and then... DUN DUN DUN!!!! They come after us!!! Ducks, mean looking hungry ducks, waddling their way towards us. I swear, it was like a scene from the Night of the Living Dead or something.


We grabbed the only edible thing in the car (a styrofoam bowl of cup ramen) hurled it at the ducks (the noodles, not the Styrofoam bowl) and made a run for it before they could peck our ankles off.

Welcome Back Converse!

Yey! Brand spanking new Converse High Tops!! Quite the stark difference between my old ones.


I really think they are my favorite shoes. I bought these like a year ago when they were on sale. Even though they died back in like April, I've just taken them out of the box 'cause I've never had time to before. You know, 'cause it takes soooooo long to lace them up...

I thought they'd hurt my feet for a few days but no! They felt broken in from the get go! Super!

Less Interesting than Socks

More often than you think, I get asked one of those dumb ice breaker questions along the line of "Tell me something interesting about yourself!" I hate those questions 'cause really, I'm not being humble when I say that I'm not interesting. Or well, I am interesting, to the people who like me and are interested in me. A complete stranger, however, will most likely find me unremarkable.

My answer:
"I only wear socks with cats on them..."
This usually leads to a not so interesting explanation involving my theory on the lameness of new year resolutions. Actually, the statement is a lie. If I'm wearing ballet slippers or any other shoes that exposes the top of my feet, I wear solid colored socks- usually brown or black.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

I finally finished reading Something Wicked This Way Comes By Ray Bradbury. Reading this book felt like I was back in high school only, had it been required reading, I think I would have enjoyed it more since we would be discussing it as we went along. It's one of those very well written books that smart people enjoy reading. Back in high school I was smart so I would've enjoyed a thinking person's book. Now, I'm more into plot driven books and, as I was reading, I kept thinking, "Come on! Get on with it! Is there a Reader's Digest version of this book?"

I would tell you what it's about but I can't top Wikipedia. But yes, it's a very beautifully written, interesting book that smart, cultured people would enjoy. I, personally, would much rather read books about a telepathic bar maid getting beaten up by vampires.

Clock Tower Thrift Shop

The Salvation Army of Manassass is what got me hooked on thrifting but it's the Clock Tower Thrift Shop that keeps me addicted. They used to have a location in Sterling, right by the Fairfax County border, but that one closed shop a few years back and now they just have that one location in Centreville.

The Clock Tower and I go waaaaaaaay back. It's where I got my vintage 100% cashemere coat for $30 and my vintage 100% wool coat for $8. Recently, it's where I got my Marge Simpson cardigan, my Mrs. Roper Dress, my brooch, my leaf print tank, along with some other stuff.

Pros: Well, first off, their selection of clothes are pretty good and, best of all, it's organized by size! The prices are comparable to Goodwill but they have a very awesome clearance racks where prices range from $1 to $2. It's located in a very easy to get to plaza, in a safe part of town where you can feel confident that your car will still be out there, untouched, when you come out. The staff are pretty friendly.

Cons: It's a bit dark and their selection of everything else (besides clothes) kind of sucks.

Clothes: They have a pretty good mix of vintage (mostly 90's with some random older pieces) and modern clothing. The brands are mostly mall brands but you'll see the occassional high end brand. I've seen a Moschino button down, Tahari suits, Burberry polo (that I strongly suspect is fake) etc. I just really like that they just have a very good selection of some very interesting pieces.


Going through racks and racks of rayon floral dresses reminded me of helping my parents out at their cleaners in the late 90's. Oh those fun, fun, fun times (note sarcasm). I'm not sure why but I thought this dress was pretty rad. I know you can't really see it but it ties in the front and it poofs and pleats out a bit on the side, kind of making me look like a shovel or a spade. It looks a lot better than it sounds.

This top I wasn't too thrilled with but it's a 100% silk blouse for just $1. I figured it'll make a nice layering piece come fall/winter.


The label says "Chanel" but I'm skeptical that it's real. The first time I saw it, I passed it up, but a week later I saw it on sale for $2. Who cares if it's real, $2 for a silk blouse is pretty good. I thought it would look pretty sweet with a grey boyfriend cardigan but now I'm thinking that might look a bit to androgynous. Hmm, I don't know...


This is a sheer, silk, blouse. I actually paid the full price of $4.25 'cause I really liked the print.

You might have noticed that in every single picture I have taken of my thrift store finds, I am wearing the exact same thing. It's my thrifting uniform- white wife beater tank and navy skinny jeans. It allows me to try things on out in the open. I try to avoid thrift store dressing rooms since there's usually a line (and it's usually gross).

Shoes: Don't even bother looking, it's pretty sad.

Bags: Even worse than the shoes selectiong- mostly GWP crap.

Bookmark Clean Out!!!

I had the Cheese Thing for dinner. Mmmmmm~ I also had it for dessert... onto Friday's Edition of Bookmark Clean Out!


I didn't even know there was a video for this song. I am such a horrid fan. A good argument could be made that they should go back to their Misfit-worshiping, low budget ways.

I don't think I've ever had Red Velvet Cupcake. Maybe I'll make it this weekend and find out what the big deal is all about.

I know that my credit card will cover rental cars. However, reading stories like this makes me wonder if rental car insurance is worth the extra what ever. I just don't like hassle, calling people up, finding stuff out, etc. It's the main reason I got a new camera instead of dealing with the warranty on my old one. It's why my laptop still has a broken CD drive. I need to get over it soon and grow up.

The 7 Most Retarded Ways Celebrities Have Tried to Go Green- it's just... sad.

Happy happy Joy Joy!

Happy happy Joy Joy!

My car isn't the top 10 Cheapest Car to Drive? Hmm, the Fit is pretty cool.


Stomp and clap along with the song, it'll make you feel better.

Bartering Sex for Services- It reminds me of the chick selling her virginity to pay for her masters. Correction- it reminds me of the chick claiming to be selling her virginity to pay for her masters. One does not need a million dollar to pay for a masters program. She just wants money and fame and is using the whole masters BS in hopes to legitimize her whoring.

Ever wonder what happened to the cast members of Saved By the Bell? Zach was totally hot in Dead Man on Campus, Screech turned out to be a total douche on some Celebrity Fitness Club, and Slater got dumped by the Doritos girls for being a huge man-slut. Oh, and it looks like Mr. Balding turned out to be a totally creepy pervy old man.

What's hotter than Dr. House? Why, Dr. House with a British accent of course!


You know, I'm watching House right now and his voice seems higher with an American accent. Hmmm...


The site, Unclutter has a feature every Wednesday called Unitasker Wednesday where they highlight crap. This one, oh, this one is a good one... GoateeSaver! Go to their site directly and watch the video, hi-larious!


When ever I wear heels, this song comes to my mind.

I've been hearing a lot of talk on line about how the recommended "Fill To" line is a big conspiracy by the soap company to make us spend more. I remember reading somewhere that it's the friction of the clothes against each other that really cleans the clothes and that there isn't a big difference in cleanliness between a load with soap and a load without. I wouldn't go as far as to run a wash without soap but I am planning on using less soap from now on. I don't really care about the cost saving (I only do like 2 loads a week) but the thought of walking around with soap residue filled clothes is kind of... not pleasant.

I have decided to really consider selling my crap on ebay. I just don't know if it'll be worth it. I mean, the things that I'm looking to get rid of are things that I don't think ppl would be willing to pay money for. Hmm... Oh well, what can it hurt, right? Worst case scenario, I waste a few bucks on fees.

Believe it or not, Cracked is where I first heard of the Large Hadron Collider. As far as I know, no black holes have been created under Switzerland (or where ever).

People ask me why I think I don't want kids. Why? Why? 'Cause I don't think I'm ready to handle situations like this.

Dumbest Packaging Ever? Yes, it's pretty dumb. You know, all these convinience packaging makes me wonder... what are we saving time for? I mean, if we don't have time to wash some blueberries and put them in ziplock bags, an act that will take, what, 2 minutes? 3? What do we have time for? For sitting in traffic for almost 2 hours 'cause the local jobs don't pay us enough to buy nice things like pre-washed, pre-packaged blueberries?

RIP: Dream Angels- Heavenly

In high school, there was this girl in the class above me that was considered the resident fashionista of her class. She was known for driving her hoopty poop brown car to school when she lived just 2-3 blocks away, and never repeating her outfit. Personally, I don't know why or how she got the fashionista reputation. She liked fashion, she talked about fashion, but her outfits were never that great or even remotely interesting. I mean, the designated fashionista of my class could out dress her blindfolded. I guess it just goes to show that if you insist you are someone or something, others will start to believe you.

Anyhoo, I bring her up 'cause I was in advanced comp with her and I would hear her drawl (she never talked, always drawled, like she's lounging in silk pajamas on a chaise lounge, eating bon bons and ordering her house boy around) about how she must stop by Vicki's after school. It took me awhile to figure out that "Vicki's" was Victoria's Secret. Seriously, who calls it that!

Walter's joke: "Victoria's Secret is that she's a slut." After hearing that "joke" like way too many times I went off on him, "Have you ever even been inside one? What's so slutty about cotton undies, nude colored bras, and flannel pajama bottoms?!?!"

This little perfume is Heavenly from Victoria's Secret's Dream Angel line. I'm not sure where I got it or even how old it is but it is gone. It wasn't a bad scent, just a very, very unoriginal, generic "perfume" scent. I don't even remember how it smells. Hmmm...

Oh, one more randomness- One day, I forget why, but I was super pissed at my mom. Not only that, it was one of those rare moments where my mom felt I was had legit reasons to be super pissed at her 'cause she was acting and feeling really guilty and, had I stayed angry and pissed and upset long enough, I probably could have guilted her into letting me get a cat or something big like that. So, I'm pissed, my mom's trying to butter me up, and I sulk my away and decide to check my email. BAD IDEA. Jamie had sent me an email about how, in one of the letters I sent her, I had used a Crayon Shin-Chan sticker, and, true to Korean quality, one of the words were misspelled. Instead of "secret" it said "secrete". So, I'm reading Jamie's musing about the misspelling and tyring so hard not to laugh 'cause the computer was in the family room- connected to the kitchen where my mom was making dinner. I coudn't help it though, it was too funny. My mom saw me laughing, stopped feeling guilty since I was no longer miserable, and she was no longer under my power.

Oh, I lied, another bit of randomness. Crayon Shin-Chan is actually a funny, crude but funny, manga- in Asia. Comedy Central took it over and changed it to all kinds of horrible horrible poopiness. I saw it one night and it was bad, so very very bad. It's kind of like how NBC took Coupling, a very funny British sitcom, Americanized it, casted it with really bad actors, and had it flop here in the US.

Salvation Army of Manassass

So my thrifting obsession pretty much started once I discovered the Salvation Army of Manassass, my pit stop after the one in Herndon.

No offense to anyone who lives in Manassass, but it really is the armpit of NoVa. It's named Man-ass-ass for a reason. That extra "ass" is in there for a reason. The area is about as ghetto as this area is going to get- which works in my favor. This Salvation Army is located next to a cash checking joint, a title loan joint, and I think there's a pawn shop near by.

Pros: You cand find some real gems here, from clothes to shoes to bags to furinture to... bags! Oh, and don't forget... 25% off everything on Wed! Even without the sale the prices are pretty decent.
Cons: Parking is a bitch- a ferocious, mean spirited, evil bitch. Oh, and they too sort by color, not by size. And... did I mention that it's located in the ghettos of Manassass?

Clothes: I haven't really given the clothes much attention since it's sorted by size. I did, however, get a very cool Chinese top. I think a Chinese top would be over doing the whole Asian thing, but it was made of silk and beautifully embroidered (and it was only like $3!). I also got the vintage Levis floral button down.

Shoes: I've yet to buy any shoes from here but only 'cause they never have my size. Out of all the local thrift stores (that I know of) this place has the best selection and quality.

Bags: Bags! Oh the bags! They have an excellent selection of vintage bags. It takes a lot for me to not buy more than I need. Well, I still buy more than what I need but you get what I'm saying. It's where I found my Mariella Burani bag, my glomesh, my Longchamp, and my brown kisslock. The last time I was there, I picked up two more.


The label inside simply reads "Sample, not for resale" and "leather". It's not pristine but clean enough for a white bag. I'm kind of into the whole '80's longer strap bags. It's kind of nice having it right at hand level and not underneath my arm pit. It's a lot roomier than it looks and was my go-to bag for about a week. The only down side is that the magetic closure is kind of hard to snap shut with just one hand.


This is a vintage black leather, accordian bottom bag from Saks Fith Avenue. It's too small for me but I liked the uniqueness of the hardware. You swing the bar down to open the flap and back up to lock it.

Oh, speaking of locks... There was this cute vintage bag and I really liked how, inside, there was an old, type written, invitation from Peter Rabbit for Sunday tea. I closed the clasp and it locked. Eeps! I was unable to open it- shame, I would've bought it if, you know, it wasn't locked.

Inside this bag, it reads that the bag was made in France. There was another, newer looking one that read that the bag was made in Turkey. Hmm... I wonder where they're made now. The first time I came here I found an old beat up looking Coach bag that was made in the US. The oldest Coach bag I have was made in Turkey. All my newer ones are made in China. I wonder where our expensive bags will be produced next.

Natural Hair Care?

According to Snopes, a little sodium lauryl sulfate won't do anything bad to me, or my hair. Well, that's good to know, but I decided to start using sodium lauryl sulfate free shampoo regardless. Thanks to Trader Joe, I can get sodium lauryl sulfate free shampoo for less than a bottle of Herbal Essense (or about the same- depends on if Target's holding a sale on the Herbal Essenses). It's not anywhere near as foamy as traditonal drug store brand shampooo, but that's the point. Hair isn't suppose to get squeaky clean and I need to break my suds addiction.

Speaking of hair, Life Hackery had a post, 11 Good Reasons Why Coffee Grounds Are Worth Keeping where it suggest you wash your hair with coffee grounds. I tried it.

The Good: It was a very good scalp exfoliant, made my scalp feel a bit tingly- in a good way. It also made my hair feel thick and not dry, which is good, but for me, it was weird. The rest of the day, I was a bit uncomfortable, like maybe my hair was too oily, but I'd feel it and it just felt kind of soft. No, you know what it felt like, like I had used a itty bit too much of the Fekai glossing cream. I don't know, I don't normally use products so I'm just not used to my hair feeling like it's coated it stuff. Keep in mind, coffee grounds contain coffee oils which, of course, is going to end up on your hair. I don't think coffee gounds will clean your hair but it'll definitley condition it.

The Bad: Coffee grounds everywhere!!! To be fair, I think that was due to my poor planning and sloppy execution. Oh, and your hair will smell like coffee- though, on the plus side, your shower will smell like sweet delicious coffee as well.

Salvation Army of Herndon

After stopping by the Goodwill of Sterling, I get on R28 and head down to the Salvation Army of Herndon.

This thrift store has been around for a really long time. The place is dark, it's kind of dingy, but not overly sketch. Weirdly enough, I don't think I've bought anything from the there since high school. Wait, have I? No, I don't think I did...

Pros: It's big, the prices are pretty decent, and there are definitely some gems hidden in there. Oh, oh, oh! Wednesday's Customer Appreciation Day!!! Everything in the store is 25% off!!!
Cons: It's a bitch to pull out of the parking lot and that left turn you have to make to get out the shopping plaza- brutal. It's also another place that organizes by color, not by size.

Clothes: I haven't really looked through the racks so I can't really say. It did look like they carried a lot of 80's stuff.

Shoes: They actually have a good selection of shoes ranging from modern to vintage. Most of their shoes are well constructed, leather, and clean (enough). The brands vary from Escada to Steve Madden, to Payless. If I had bigger feet, I totally would have scored.

Handbags: Meh, you see the occasional Coach Willis bag knock offs but overall, the selection isn't that good. It's not as bad as GSA but worse than the Sterling Goodwill.

I noticed a sign on the door that said they don't accept donation, that drop offs are only accepted at the Arlington and Manassass location. Hmmm... maybe that's why their selection is kind of lacking?

Bookmark Clean Out!!!

I've been craving avocado for awhile. Today, I finally had a Cobb salad. Mmmm~ bacon and avocado...

Unto the clean out!


Yes, you too can fake being rich by sexy-ing up your travel mug. No, I'm not making it up.

Juice may render your pills useless. I'm not sure if I believe it...

Who knew that Elvis' "Hound Dog" was a cover, or Natalie Imbrugalia's "Torn". Well, others may have but I sure as heck didn't. This is Mental Floss' 7 Original Recordings that Blow the Remakes Away. And yes, after hearing it, I like Ednaswap's version better than Imbrugalia's. Then again, I never did like her after she stole Daniel Johns away from me (even though he now looks like the love child of Mr. Slave and Chris Martin).

I offer proof that I too have what it takes to be a pop star!

Another great list from Mental Floss- Cartoon's That'll Scare the Kids. I really like Mental Floss, I just wish they weren't like $5 an issue (or something expensive like that).


Kudos to Hallmark for supporting gay marriage!

"Basically, there's only a few cents worth of corn in a box of corn flakes, so food prices are much slower to react to the downside than energy prices." Really, so my $3 box of cereal only has like a quarter worth of corn? Maybe less?

This is an interesting article on fast fashion.

This Wisebread article mentions the cost saving benefits of losing weight but fails to mention how it'll save you money on gas. I don't know why but I just really want to see as a cost saving tip somewhere.

Yes, sometimes, the price on the shelf isn't reflected at the register so it's a good idea to pay attention when the register monkey is ringing you up. Back when I worked at JCP, there was no way for customers to see my POS screen so I would always say the price out loud. It happens for many reasons, however, despite what some of the commenters think, it is not intentionally done to pad sales. Anyone who's worked retail at a major chain will agree on the ridiculousness of that claim.



I used to think those cheese muffins at Red Loster was really good. Now I just think they're too salty. The thought of cheese muffins still gets me excited so maybe I'll try and make my own from scratch.

Speaking of the Pioneer Women... apparently, it's mostly a facade. I guess it's easy to give up a glamorous LA life of sushi and Starbucks if you're marrying into a family worth $20 mil. I can see how that might rub some people raw- what with her whole "Keepin' it real" mantra, however, who cares?! Besides, one look at her bigger-than-most-people's-condo sized kitchen and you can tell that she's not exactly living the Little House on the Prarie life.

This person's extreme measure to pay off her debt sounds too extreme to be true...

"The phrase ‘The Customer is Always Right’ is the single worst philosophy that has ever been adopted by American culture. It gave an entire generation of people the green light to be as impolite, unreasonable, and demanding as their little hearts desired because they were always going to be considered right. It destroyed the entire concept of courtesy and rendered manners obsolete. People began to treat their peers in the service industry like incompetent morons, lacking in feelings or human dignity, who deserved to be browbeaten and abused for no other reason than they had the audacity to run out of a particular brand of coffee. Furthermore, instead of suffering negative repercussions for their appallingly disrespectful behavior, they are awarded with free coupons and plenty of ass kissing. In reality, they should be shunned and humiliated for behaving like such self absorbed little children."- From Violent Acres. True, so true. Although, to be fair, some retail monkies are spoiled brainless duds who think they're too good to the job that they are being paid for.

How to seduce based on people's astrological signs- the body paintings are more interesting that the article itself (might be mildly NSFW). I do like staying home- by myself... but that's not really suduction, is it? Leaving me alone by myself?

Goodwill of Sterling

So, after checking out the GSA thrift store, I head on over to the Goodwill Store of Sterling. That goodwill opened about a year or two ago and is located in the heart of the Sterling "ghetto".

Pros: It's close to where I live and work. It's a new building so the place is clean and bright- it has a better atmosphere than the local Walmart.
Cons: The prices are kind of high. They do have the occasional "half off items with this color tag" sale but do not pull the clearance tag colors off to a separate rack like other thrift stores so you still have to go through every single article of clothing. Oh, speaking of which, it's organized by color, blech! It's also very close to a high school and it's a well known thrift store in the area. So, given it's high profile and the fact that it's clean, bright, and non-smelly, it's kind of picked clean by wannabe hipsters, vinyl junkies, and suburbanites patting themselves on the back for buying used. Plus, the DC Goodwill has their own ebay store where they sell all their gems so your chances of scoring an awesome deal is pretty nil.

Clothes: It's sorted by color so I never really gave it much attention. Upon a quick run through, it looks like mostly low end mall brands and lots of Targets and Walmart stuff. I did find 2 fantastic dresses- and by fantastic I, of course, mean polyester fug pieces from the 70's that were so outrageous they were fantastic- but they didn't fit... and it was too over the top.

Shoes: A decent selection bordering on no so good. Lots of Nine Wests, BCBG girls, Etienne Aigners, Clarks, and Payless brands.

Handbags: It's mostly fake leather JCPenney/Khol brands with lots of XOXOs, Guess, etc. Every once in awhile, you can find some cute 80's vintage finds. It's where I got my eelskin bag and my Perry Ellis wingtip bag.

It's right by Route 28, which is the road I have to take to get to my next thrift destination. If it weren't for it's location, I wouldn't bother. Sometimes, after work, if I'm bored I'll swing by to see if I can find any cute bags. If they were to close shop tomorrow, I wouldn't be sad.

Purple Draven Polka Dot Mini Wedge Ballet Slipper

This was advertised as being "Vegan Friendly". I actually have a top that matches these shoes perfectly- and yes, I have worn them together- not really a good look. I also have a cardigan that's opposite of these shoes, white with purple polka dots. Once I wore the shoes with the matching top under the contrasting cardigan. That was too much polka dots, even for me.

Daria doesn't like polka dots. I don't really understand how someone can not like polka dots.

Black Xhileration Flat Knee High Boots

Again, I would like to apologize for the boring-ness of my shoes.

A few years ago, I bought a pair of black, leather knee high boots from Nordstrom Rack for like $15! Quite the deal, no? And then, I swear to all that is good, a year later, it just disappeared. Poof! I looked everywhere and asked everyone and sadly, it could not be found. I was sad, very very sad.

A year or two later, I found these fake leather version at Target for, coincidentally enough, $15. It kind of has that fake leather sheen that I'm not thrilled about but it gets the job done.

Erich might criticize me for being a Debbie Downer but, I still have hope that one day, when I least expect it, I'll find the original pair in like the most random place. When I do, these pair will go away.