I love mail. Especially, you know, those days when YOUR-OFFICE-COFFEE-MUG-THAT-YOU-HAD-TO-USE-SINCE-YOU-FORGOT-TO-WASH-YOUR-TIGHT-MUG-TIPS-OVER-IN-YOUR-BAG-AND-RUINS-YOUR-RECENTLY (5 MINUTES PRIOR)-OBTAINED-NEW-YORKER-RESULTING-IN-A-PUCKERED-MESS. Those days.
Then, you receive a wondrous package full of marvelous treasures. Which leads to a (non) ostentatious yelp: “SCORE! I’M LOVED!” As a result, everything seems right in the world again. At least for the next five minutes, before the euphoria wears off.
1. Sneakers! I’m grateful to be in a situation where I am both debt free, and have no major expenses (babies, mortgage). This is how I rationalize owning four (now five) pairs of sneakers. I have always wanted metallic shoes; The origins of this desire are dubious. I do, however, like shiny things. I wanted metallic shoes so badly, that I even considered purchasing my first pair of Converse. Only the metallic silver. Ultimately I vetoed that idea, because I refuse to spend $70 on Converse.
I first found out about TOMS a couple of years ago, and since then, I toyed with the idea of getting a pair. After all, for every pair of TOMS purchased, a needy child gets a pair of TOMS. This is documented on YouTube HERE. FURTHERMORE, I wear Vans because I am lazy, and TOMS are also shoelace-less. THEN, I found out that TOMS come in GLITTER. After consulting with a few people, I ended up choosing the gold. And I got them on sale. Obviously, it was destiny to get gold glitter TOMS. When I received them, I was surprised because they have a PLUSH, LEATHER SOLES. On an “arch-support” scale, TOMS falls in between PUMAs (extra support) and Vans (no support). Perfect! I am very obsessed with my luminous feet, and whenever I wear them, I find myself compulsively looking down. I guess I’m afraid that one day I’ll look down, all the glitter will have fallen off, and I will be overcome with clouds and lightning bolts. So far, my feet are still as lustrous as San Diego. (PS- If you decide to get TOMS, don’t believe reviewers on Zappos and Amazon, etc. Like the TOMS website notes, the sneakers fit true to size. Misled, I thought they would run small (one of the reasons why I chose the gold over the silver). On the contrary, they are quite roomy and stretch-out. Yes, the pictures above are of my actual TOMS (and my feet).
2. Recently, I’ve been listening to the Smiths. A lot. Morrissey’s voice is as soothing as those baby stuff animals that play waterfall sound bites. Simile with Morrissey? I just made one.
3. I made diet coke cupcakes for the first time (in a LONG time). Almost a year? I’m not sure. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, you mix a can of diet coke with a box of cake mix. Pour the batter into cupcake sleeves, and bake according to instructions. Voila! Potentially less calories. Except, I put a lot of icing on my cupcakes. And sprinkles. When I used to bake these, I would share them with everyone. Now I have no one to share them with, so I’ll probably end up eating 20+ cupcakes. Womp womp.
(CLOSE-UP!)
4. OH MY GOODNESS. A couple weeks ago, JetPens sent me a yellow orange body, blue ink Zebra Airfit Jell Gel Ink Pen. Since then, I’ve been testing it- doodles and such. As illustrated above, I even *chronicled* every time I used this pen from 10/28-11/6.
It is the best 0.5mm pen that I have ever used, and it is the third best pen that I’ve ever owned.
I usually find 0.5mm to be too thick, but this pen is exceptional. The tip is incredibly precise- no chunky gel blobs at all. Crisp lines all the time. I even subjected the pen to a smiley test (pass), squiggle test (pass), and water-boarding test (SURPRISINGLY, PASS. The ink did not even bleed, despite all the water droplets that I flung at the paper. I included a scan of my water-droplet test results below. The paper was kind of wrinkly, but the ink didn’t even quiver a little. ALSO OF NOTE: I accidentally spilled coffee on my test sheet today, and the ink still held up. What a trooper.)
In additional to performing well, the Zebra Airfit is impeccably designed. Did the name sound suspicious to you? Well, the pen grip contains AIR POCKETS, so your fingers never get sweaty. I even drew a cross-sectional view of the grip! This is the pen’s official description on JetPens:
The Zebra Airfit can be found all over Asia, but it is strangely hard to find in the US. It is one of the more popular pens because of its comfortable rubber grip, binder style clip that allows it to be attached to thicker objects, and ergonomic body shape. This new fine tip 0.5 mm gel Airfit pen gives you smooth writing satisfaction. Like the pilot AirBlanc, the grip also has a layer of air between the rubber grip and the body of the pen to allow heat conduction from your fingers. Perhaps it’s because of the hot weather in Asia, but cool hands seem to be an important factor in Japanese pen design! Yes, we guess this can make a great companion during first time job interviews.
I may not be interviewing for any jobs right now, but sometimes crosswords can be stressful. “___Thurman, ___Thurman, Crap! How come I can’t remember her first name?!” This whole scenario is highly ficitious (GATTACA *is* one of my favorite movies, and I’d never forget Uma), but at the moment I can’t think of any other crossword clue examples. My only complaint in regards to the grip, is that like other rubber grips, it easily attracts dust. Finally, the clip mentioned in the description? It is honestly HUGE. Basically a clothes pin tacked on to a pen. Delightful! JetPens (Available in blue/white/light blue/pink/yellow barrels with blue/black/blue-black/red ink refills, $4.50)
5. Approximately two months ago, S&D interviewed The Bubble Process- A tight poster printing duo that is composed of two males of outstanding moral fiber. Just last week, The Bubble Process released a dazzling new Girl Talk poster. One of the best shows I ever attended was a Girl Talk show the week of Halloween 2xx6, in a shitty/shifty Ithaca bar. If you have never seen him before, I highly recommend that you find tickets (They’re hard to find these days! He is in high demand!). To fully enjoy Girl Talk, you must let yourself get swallowed by the undulating body slamming, and embrace the lovely diaphoresis. It makes the post-Girl Talk extra large pop more satiating. I am infatuated with this poster, because it embodies Girl Talk. I love the juxtaposed gumball machine and crystal ball, and the turban’d man overprinted on the wild purple-people. So visually engaging! I’m enraptured! The Bubble Process, $20
