Halloween '08

Our pumpkin has evolved from last year.

We got our Christmas tree from this nomadic-ish guy at California and Diversey last winter, so I was excited that the same guy was selling pumpkins. I like to support his overpriced but seemingly authentic business.

Mordecai built in some nostrils and one fang with his manly power tools. Notice how the nostrils and fang are like mine--two dots, sharp.

It is on display in our window for people entering our building to see. It is not nearly as elaborate or conceptual as Jenni's though. Everyone should check that out!

Happy Halloween!

Heart Blister

I burned my finger on the oven rack, and the blister took a shape of a heart. Aww?

Most Recent Wanty Acquisition

Wanty Acquisitions

Some wanty items that were acquired not long after creating the original Wanty List include the black vesty thingie from Forever 21, a ridiculous American Apparel bodysuit, a Target school uniform skirt, and Jonathan Saunders for Target skirt.

I'm still not entirely sure how to wear this thing. It could probably pass as a dress, though precautionary measures would be taken. Anyway, I love it.

This is another strange purchase. American Apparel's oxford shirt did not meet Mordecai's increasingly high standards for shirts, so the in-store credit went to me, because really, what is Mordecai going to get at American Apparel? I was intrigued by the bodysuit and its exposed zipper, and figured I should go all out and get the pop colors instead of being modest and monochromatic. Obviously, this is layer-nation territory.

All I have to say is that this girls skirt 1) fit and 2) was $3.24. My birthday is March 24, so whenever I see 324 like that, I get pretty excited. I must figure out how to roll over the waistline like bad Japanese high school girls do, or look like a good Japanese high school girl and keep it knee-high.

I am a big fan of this whole gradation business. It might go by the name of "ombre," though I'm not sure if that was just a Target and Shopbop.com thing or if that's a more general descriptive name. Anyway, this is one of those quasi-famous designers designing weird things for Target. I never posted the Richard Chai for Target skirt I got in the summer, but I remember feeling compelled to buy it because it was one letter away from "Richard Choi for Target."

Flamin' Hot Cheeto Puffs Thighs

A few weekends ago, I wore red tights I got in Japan this past summer. With knee-high boots, the resulting look is Flamin' Hot Cheetos Puffs thighs.

Actually I thought the Flamin Hots were going to look a little more transparent, but the red garlic-hot-pepper powder is so egregiously red. I love how Puffs get stuck in your teeth, like the molars. I almost typed "morals." Haha.

Many updates are in order: Flamin' Hot Cheetos Puffs thighs; the acquisition of wanty items; this year's pumpkin; the anticlimactic Guitar Hero World Tour; future ultra-simple DIY projects.

Natto Toast

Can you smell it from the photos? Fermented soybeans on toasted bread. Not bad.

Wanty Exercise

On a related note, the Republican party spent a lot of money on Sarah Palin since being the VP pick. This doesn't sound like small-town spending, but that doesn't interest me so much as figuring out what I would do with $150K to spend unreasonably in one month (i.e. as Phoebe says, you can't save or buy property or do smart things with it). Wanty exercise of the week!

-Honda Civics are too reasonable, so I'd get a CR-V ($30,000)
-Chanel bag, prince increase and all ($3420--what's another $570?)
-PS3, Rock Band, Rock Band accessories ($1000)
-Various Apple products: Macbook Air, iPhone ($2000?)
-This hat, which Jade showed me just yesterday ($48)

The rest I'd spend on random trips to Japan. As Jermain Dupri once put it, "You know this man takes trips to Japan/Tell them I don't want the runway wet when I land" (on Mariah Carey's "Makin' It Last All Night"). It's sort of scary that if Japan enters the equation, even without all these other wanty items acquired, the money would disappear instantaneously.

Chanel Mobile Art in NYC

One interesting thing about the Chanel Mobile Art exhibit that I hadn't really thought about is that since it's mobile, the reception will differ not just from person to person but from city to city. It's up in Central Park of New York now, and the NYTimes gave their verdict on the structure and its contents. Mr. Nicolai Ouroussoff seemed to be quite disappointed.

I just have to say, I don't know why you'd expect social responsibility from Chanel or Karl Lagerfeld. I was just thankful I didn't pay to see this building or go into it (I did have to wait in line, but "time is money" didn't apply last summer). I mean, this is coming from a brand that just raised their bag prices by 20%, and from a man who does stuff like this. Perhaps Mr. Ouroussoff enjoyed the last piece on the tour, which was Yoko Ono's wishing tree. You are asked to write your wish on a slip of paper and tie it to one of the tree branches. If one smells bullshit, this is the place to start breathing through your mouth. But I waved the stench away and wrote, "A Chanel 2.55 flapbag!!!" Which was what all of this was about, not "idealistic causes." Maybe I just had a different perspective of the exhibit in Japan, where consumerism is embraced, not shunned?

Sarpino's

Rock Band evenings usually entail ordering food. By process of elimination, it seems that Sarpino's has won our hearts. I think it was just their regular pizzas that got us all first, then the creamy garlic sauce for some, then the cheesy bread for...me.

Sarpino's cheesy breadsticks. Flash photo inspired by Joe's food photos.

This is the 10 inch cheesy breadsticks from a few nights ago when I didn't feel like making or waiting for food to be made. It's really just a light-cheese pizza with the sauce on the side. The cheese is a little singed; the bread is perfectly crispy; you can determine the amount of sauce. Heaven!

Nestle Lion!

I totally forgot about the existence of Nestle Lion bars until last weekend when I came across them in the foreign food aisle of Meijer's. I used to eat them all the time when I was abroad in Paris. I should've taken a cross-section picture of the candy bar, but I ate it. Sorry. Just believe that it's the best chewy-cripsy-chocolate-y-ness you'll experience in the West.

Downtown

I've been spending more time downtown than usual this semester. That means I try to get work done at Argo or the Harold Washington Library, and then I reward myself with window-shopping on State Street or Garrett's popcorn.

Pine Nuts for President

Whole Foods used to really offend me: from the moment I walk in, my olfactory glands are attacked by various weird smells; the prices induce cringes and gasps; the fruit tarts look inferior to my own; I am invited to sample "cheese snacks" but upon closer inspection, they turn out to be bullshit "healthy" alternatives to Cheetos. The phrase "alternative to Cheetos" makes me angry.

But lately I've been looking forward to grocery opportunities so I can suggest going to Whole Foods. I really can't pinpoint any reason why Whole Foods, especially since all of the above complaints have not subsided and I'm certain Trader Joe's would suffice. One explanation could be that I want to recreate my parent's salads, which I am sure include two things I have never been inclined to buy until this newfound desire: arugula and pine nuts. Phoebe has been busy promoting the former on her blog, so I will volunteer to pick up the latter's campaign over here.

Pine nuts are EXPENSIVE. At Whole Foods, you can scoop your own amount for $16.99/lb. They are kind of like the saffron of nuts. They sit next to the macadamia nuts; perhaps they are just as oily and fatty, and that's what makes the price go up?

I think you can buy them roasted. Even if they are pre-roasted, my mom re-roasts them again. I believe these were raw, so I roasted; maybe one side roasted too much.

Perhaps they soften the blow of vegetables. Until about five or six years ago, I wouldn't eat my parent's salads because they contained so much of what I sincerely thought was garbage. I think nearly all vegetables require getting used to, and maybe the softness and mild flavor of pine nuts soothes you while you wonder why you're eating all this crunchy crap when you could be having Cheetos as an alternative.