Currently Obsessed Tandem Cards Poketo Capsule Babycakes Portable Record Player Sporto Quimby'sTechnically, I should have titled this “Tricia’s Currently-As-In-The-Past-Two-Months Obsessed.”  But I didn’t.  Uniformity, I guess.

1. Have you ever had a dream about riding tandem with a special friend?  These adorable note cards will remind you that you’re alone and can’t actualize this dream.  I keed. valentine letterpress bike notecard set from Lark Press, $14

2. THE SMELL OF DECAYING LEAVES.  Can this count as a currently obsessed?  Since I make the rules, YES.

3. Seemingly eons ago (actually a year ago), I explored the appeal of bitty things.  These capsule messages are no exception, and I absolutely cannot suppress the “aww”s and shoulder shrugs.  Deftly sneak a love note to the object of your affection, and pray that they don’t swallow out the pill out of curiosity prior to reading your note.  10x better than a message in a bottle.  And you won’t get that Police song stuck in your head while thinking about messages in compartments.  Capsule Letters from Poketo, $3.25

4. If you’re ever in the lower east side of Manhattan (or LA…soon!), go to babycakes.  The Agave/Gluten-Free cupcakes and brownies are delightful, and perhaps you’ll run into Zooey Deschanel or Jason Schwartzman on your visit.  Too far?  I highly recommend that you obtain the babycakes cookbook, an easy-to-follow guide to recreating Erin McKenna’s creations.  Tracking down ingredients might be a slightly challenge (turns out Safeway carries Spelt, NOT Trader Joe’s), but the rewards of your effort exceed the pain of finding stuff like spelt.  BabyCakes: Vegan, (Mostly) Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York’s Most Talked-About Bakery cookbook from Amazon, $12.96

5. Yesterday at work, my boss saw me wearing these rain shoes, she exclaimed that she had not seen them since college, and proceeded to document my feet on her phone.  I asked her if she intended to send this picture to her college friends.  Nope, she wanted to post it on her Facebook.  My Target rain boots from my Ithaca days finally perished, which led to vexing wet sock days.  I got new rain footwear.  The end.  Sporto Aroostic Weatherproof Duck Shoe from DSW, $54.95

6. For some silly reason, I had never been to Quimby’s until about a month ago.  Now it is the recipient of a noticeable portion of my paycheck, and I will publicly declare it (bold) my favorite bookstore in Chicago.  Quimby’s has an incredible collection of literary/music/art zines, graphic novels, trinkets, etc.  On a recent visit, I obtained Little Otsu cards, my own copy of PS Comics (no more borrowing roommate’s!), and Hot Damn and Hell Yeah: The Dirty South (Vegan) Cookbook.  It’s as if someone fished in my head, and created a bookstore JUST FOR ME.  Arharharhar I amuse myself so easily.  If you’re too far from Quimby’s in the real world, Quimby’s has an excellent online bookstore.

7.  This purchase is relatively old now, but I bought this toy as an early birthday present to myself.  Very early.  It’s a portable record player!!!  Oh and for all you scowlers with your noses in the air….it plays wonderfully!  The old record player was broken, and whispered to me that it wanted to be replaced.  And I made it happen.   Since my future residence is cloudy, I wanted something that was non-committal.  Also, my dear friend Angelica has a portable record player, and we took it to the gorge one summer, and it was a fantastic time.  Copying is  form of flattery?  Note: I have the most pathetic arm musculature, and I am holding the record player with one arm.  This should give you a good portrait of how transportable it is.  And hey, Amazon claims it is 9lbs, so we’ll trust them.  That’s lighter than my laptop.

Crosley CR40 Mini-Turntable

Above is an image of my little player in action.  At the time of the picture, I was listening to Madeline stories.  I’m a winner.  Crosley CR40 Mini-Turntable (Red) from Amazon, $65.32

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