Good things

After a week in the doldrums, Friday is taking a good turn--

• I hauled a stack of kids magazines, two bags of videos, and a bag of kids' software and some music CDs to the American library and donated them.
• I got the latest issue of Rolling Stone with Bruce Springsteen on the cover. The only thing better than Bruce's music is the intriguing contents of his mind. Getting inside his head and his creative process was singularly satisfying. Great interview. And as a bit of trivia, I discovered he's Italian on his mother's side and Irish on his father's--just like me.
• Sometimes when one feels as gray as the sky, the only way to get some color in your life is to unleash some grrrl power. That explains why I, the woman who normally wears boring Hanes for Her cotton underwear, spent an inordinate amount of time choosing three pairs of very sexy panties off a rack yesterday.  Finally, I've graduated from the underwear that is sold in plastic packages next to the socks to the good stuff that's hung on hangers in the lingerie department. Oooh la la. I'm feeling very French.
• I bought an issue of Allure magazine and vowed to be more beautiful...
• And today I zipped on my wicked little black boots with the pointy toes and sharp little heels to run errands with the kids. I left my boring square-toed middle-aged soccer mom loafers at home--and that felt mighty fine. 
• There was a new barber in the barber shop, the place where my son has gotten many a crappy haircut. This guy took A's extraordinarily thick, hard-to-cut hair and gave him a haircut that was absolutely perfect. And he did it all with scissors and various cutting techniques and not the evil military hairclippers of doom. It was nothing short of amazing. Of course, I had sensed the barber had awesome talent when I noticed his kickass black cowboy boots with the silver buckles. I told him in French how much I loved them...
• After the perfect haircut, we went to a consignment shop where E-Grrrl of the hard-to-fit feet found an almost new pair of Clark's Artisan clogs in her size for only $3. They're beyond cute, with lots of hippie chic decorative stitching, and being Clarks, they're well padded and comfortable. Lucky her. Lucky me. Buying her shoes normally means I spend at least $60 because inexpensive shoes never fit her right--and then she outgrows the expensive ones in a matter of months.  Finding these clogs made my day. It also means she won't be borrowing my Ugg clogs anymore.

So what made your day? What's looking good for the weekend? Do tell. Let's share the good stuff, y'all.

November 2, 2007

Comments

[AP in UK]

I found an earring this morning that had been hiding for a couple of weeks, and in today's mail was the latest issue of my favorite foody magazine -- with lots of dishes I'm eager to try. Woo hoo! And you've inspired me to march upstairs and change out of my middle-aged soccer mom loafers and into my own cute boots. Good day, good day!

[Di]

Photographing a multi cultural sports day here in the city tomorrow, followed by more photographs at a meeting on 'Woman as Policymakers' - you've inspired me to wear my new boots and stride out into the day.

Proficiaat on finding your way through, specially on a grey old, clouds-touching-the-ground kind of day.

[wendy]

Any post with Bruce..is a good post. But I hate to burst your bubble.. but,He sings to me. You get Elvis Costello. He's hot too?? in an odd sort of way??

Good things..hum..The geese are starting their migration south, and I get to watch.

3 new movies fron Netflix.

Told the truth, when I could have lied.

Words, and writing, and friends I'l never meet....

Just off the top of my sleepy head..


Cowboy boots..always yummy.

[furiousBall]

I live in NJ and we love all things Bruce.

I haven't heard his new album yet, but I loved The Rising.

[RD]

I've got a pair of pointy-toed stilettos that I bought a couple of years ago and still haven't worn for fear I'd break my neck (and my kids wouldn't recognize their mother). But I look at them yearningly every so often. There's NO WAY I'm giving up my beat-up red Clarks clogs. (I think I look pretty sexy in them-- even if I no longer get whistles on the street!) As far as the weekend goes, I'm so behind on some writing that I keep putting off, that I'm afraid that's what I'm facing yet again this weekend. Writer's Block at its worst. So glad you're making you way out from under those doldrums!

[Shirley]

Love how all those wonderful things have happened/worked out for you!

The cable guy came to check my internet connection and on the way out he commented on our cichlids. We've had too many in the tank for a while due to two batches of babies being born several months ago. They've grown to middle-size now and are crowding the tank. I asked him if he wanted some and 15 minutes later I had scooped out 10 of them and he was on his way. I had planned to post on Freecycle, but just hadn't gotten to it. I told him about Freecycle and he was very interested.

Yesterday, I got all new scuba gear for my son through Freecycle. He was certified two summers ago and when we have gone on vacation to places where he can dive, he's rented gear. This gear had only been used maybe once or twice. The guy is now a working parent with no time for diving. I love giving away stuff through Freecycle and I equally love occasionally finding just the right thing :-) .

My son is home unexpectedly from college as his class today got cancelled. The house always feels so different when he's "home" ... a very good different... even if he's sleeping for hours and hours (truly) or out with his buddies.

I am listening to Eat Pray Love on audio in my car since finishing reading it a month or so. It's read by the author and it's done superbly. This book resonates with me on so many levels that I am almost looking for reasons to spend time in the car. I am picking up so much more the second time around. I could listen to it in the house, but somehow I am more focused and enjoying it more in the car.

It's a spectacular fall day here. Crisp, but sunny. Today is my third Friday off since I have transitioned to a new job working M-Th, 32 hours a week.
Even better, I love the new job so when Friday comes I am not worn out or stressed out from working. Win/Win!

Happy weekend to all!

[wf]

My spouse buys my sexy lingerie, and I reciprocate. At least once a year.

Shoes don't have to have pointy toes and sharp heels to be sexy...unless of course you believe what you read in Allure.

[Flubberwinkle]

Today was an exceptionally good day. I'll be out of the office for a week starting today, using vacation days my work owes me.

Hoping to lay back and catch up on things at home and in my mind. Me time.

Ending a great day by reading my favorite blogs.
:-)

[Peter]

Got the results of my second MRI: I'm not getting worse! It truly was the best gift I could hope for.

But what really made my day was yet another credit card that dropped in my mailbox: if I max them all out I can easily afford a brand new Porsche.

And let me share a secret V: your wicked little black boots one day will inspire one of my blogposts ;-)

[V-Grrrl]

Oooh Peter. I can't wait to read THAT post.

[Lynn]

I decided at the last minute to go visit my sister and her family - they moved about 4 hours away at the beginning of Sep and I still haven't been up there, so the kids and I are getting up really early to go for a quick visit!! I can't wait!

Also, it's the end of the grading period and lots of my students who were complaining about their grades and who were wanting to drop haven't mentioned it lately and many were pleasantly surprised at their averages!! So, I'm glad for that!

[Debbie]

Perfect weather today! Lunch with a best girlfriend and a high school football game tonight with my family! Almost as good a day as yours....

[Nance]

So lovely to see all the nice things in your life!

[impy]

After searching for 2 years for the perfect job, I finally found it a month ago. At work today, my cell phone buzzed quietly in my desk drawer and I answered it, only to be offered the OTHER job I dearly wanted, and applied for 2 months ago. My cup runneth over after 2 years of searching. Never did I imagine I would be saying "I'm sorry I've already found employment, I can't take the position". Right after which my husband made my phone buzz yet again with a text message saying "I love you my wife". For no reason other than what it said. First thing in the morning before all of that, my son who has special needs, earned us a celebratory conference with all of his teachers and therapists and earned as well straight A's and B's, in regular 3rd grade subjects. This from a child we were never sure was going to speak to us at all. So,,,,,,let us take stock here,,,,,Marriage, great, Job situation, super, Children? fantastic,,,,,a wonderful woman who writes a blog, who reminds us to be thankful for all that we have? Check! My cup really has runneth over. Thanks for reminding me. I'm so glad to know you.

[impy]

as I sit here thinking more about all this, I keep hearing "You've come a long way baby" in my mind. V, I've been fairly open here on your blog, so you can probably suspect how far the journey has been. I wanted to thank you for your posts about considering relationships and marriages. Some might consider what is worth holding on to, and I learned how very happy I am to be holding on. Examination is a great thing, and what you find could utterly surprise you.

[V-Grrrl]

Impy,

I am SO HAPPY to share your happiness, deep down in my bones happy.

I still remember when you left a comment saying how you had stopped telling people how you truly felt because you sensed they didn't really care or want to know, so you just put your interactions on autopilot. Sigh. I really felt your isolation and loneliness then but when I tried to send you an e-mail, it bounced.

And then you shared your amazing staying-married story here, and I was struck once again by how much I learn about life from you and other commenters who dare to post their thoughts and share experiences here. I never feel I'm alone, even when life gets messy. You're not alone either.

Hope your weekend is WONDERFUL.

[mamatulip]

We went out for our anniversary and had a really good time last night. I drank two glasses of wine and that felt mighty fine. ;)

[Claudia]

" I got the latest issue of Rolling Stone with Bruce Springsteen on the cover. The only thing better than Bruce's music is the intriguing contents of his mind."

AMEN sistah.

And don't forget his butt. That TOO is very, very intriguing. Especially in tight jeans. Hey, you KNOW you were thinking it too. Don't deny it.

O,
Claudia

(GODS I love that O!!!)