Olympus Pen Mini E-PM2

I acquired a micro four-thirds camera while in Japan this past spring. One of the main justifications included being cheaper in Japan even with the then-atrocious exchange rate. Another is that it's much more compact than the Canon Rebel DSLR. A relatively minor but still important one is that it's cute, and so is the girl who advertises for it. 

Requisite shoe/foot "selfie" with fallen sakura petals. I had never seen Japan during the cherry blossom season, and my timing was perfect. I arrived as they started to bloom and left as they fell. So I got to enjoy quite the spectacle. Also, these Liberty x Nike Sky High Dunks are the greatest things ever. There's a hidden wedge, so you get a little boost in height and leg length, if they are exposed. It might be good, if this sort of thing can ever be good, to "practice" for wearing higher heels at all. I think Nike knows that these are too popular not to make any more, so I'm waiting for the right print to appear to grab another pair.  

I planted radishes in late April. This past weekend, about a third of them were ready to be consumed with slices of buttered baguette and a sprinkle of salt.  According to Ina Garten, this is how French schoolboys snack. 

While basketball and hockey linger, baseball begins and its headlines are routinely ignored for Miami Heat news. Here, we went to a Tampa Bay vs. White Sox game in late April. Of course, it was freezing. We went a month later, just this past weekend. Of course, it was freezing. At least we got to see fireworks both times. This Olympus has a lot of settings, including a "fireworks" one, so I got this semi-decent shot. Semi because the fireworks look fancy, but the rest of the stadium makes you feel like you might be a little tipsy. There are other "art" settings, or modes, you can use to take pictures. I don't know the details, but I think it's like using a filter (yes, like Instagram filters, what other filters would I be talking about) without saving a raw, unfiltered form of the image. It's kind of unnecessary but fun to have on hand. 

On chilly days, I wrap her up in her tiger blanket. I'm not sure she cares. I think she at least appreciates the pillows, particularly the blue one with the now-old school Doraemon print. As usual, Mitsu is a happy camper!

My most recent obsession right now is the historical drama series "Yae no Sakura." So, I'm also interested in the collapse of the Tokugawa regime. It makes me think about Japanese identity in a way than I've ever considered before...but I think about it like, ALL THE TIME. I have had to read the chapter on the fall of the Tokugawa bakufu in a book I used in a modern Japanese history class back at Grinnell with Professor Hshieh. I'm even re-reading some sections because so much drama went down in Tokyo and Kyoto during this time, and it's hard to keep track of all the details. It's funny, I used to care more about World War II, but I realize now how terribly ignorant I was of Japan's modernity and how it came to be. And all I had to do was get sucked into at least ONE historical drama. Best believe I'll be studying up on Kuroda Kanbei for the 2014 series. It'll star my favorite Johnny's actor, Okada Junichi. I knew his time would come! Or does being in an NHK series mean you're done? Anyway, there are homework materials to gather in the next six months!

And in two weeks, we will be taking a trip to Japan where I serve as the main guide and translator for Mordecai's family. But all I can hear in my mind is olde [sic] style Japanese language used in higher courts among lords, nobles, and their advisors, and in either a western or northeastern dialect, on top of it all. None of these forms of Japanese are useful for me in present-day Japan! Anyhoo, I live, the blog lives; expect some more posts on Japan or Japanese things, the only thing I will spend extra time to blog about!  

Dusty sage

On the one hand, certain small but important accomplishments are occurring in my life, signifying responsibility. Most of my wanty-ness is directed towards the house (read: expensive!), so I am striving to eat in more, meaning I have to prepare food more often. Tonight's menu: "cream stew."

On the other hand, the old wanty in me still lives.

I saw a woman at the Fullerton train stop wearing a sparkling gold version of these. I initially wanted those until I came across them in "dusty sage" at J. Crew. What a name. This is a variation of the color I've been obsessed with for the past year, so they were a must. Thankfully, they don't make my legs look like daikon, like Keds did. Wow, that was horrific!

Little League Lotto

For the first time in...ever? at Target, I grabbed Archer's Farm milk instead of Horizon, and Target-brand apricot scrub instead of St. Ives. Ordinarily, this would be a sign that you should keep a helmet nearby you at all times (is another Chicago earthquake on its way?), but there isn't much to fear. Not only do I still want things...I want expensive things! And so, I welcome a little bit of Illinois Lotto into my life.

Canon Rebel XSi

Givenchy platform clogs

Various haircare & makeup goods
Moroccan hair oil, Nars nailpolish in Orgasm, Givenchy Le Prisme eyeshadow in Modish Brown, Moroccan hydrating hair mask, Nars Orgasm Illuminator, Nars duo eyeshadow in Cordura (is it better to have two or four gradating eyeshadow shades?)

Economicus Stimulus Cipangu

I'm pretty much clueless when it comes to lotto, so I'm going to need some help from Joe. If I win, depending on the amount, I'll thank him for his help in the form of baseball card packs/boxes/cases. All I know is that there will be many more days of going to school with coffee instead of getting it at school. Even though he is unemployed, Conan O'Brien will be getting more action this semester in the form of my "Late Night with Conan" coffee container that I got from the NBC store in Manhattan when I first visited.

Happy #Glee Day!

Wednesdays are my "day off." I have nowhere to be except in front of reading material and a computer, presumably typing away at something. But today...the weather was so nice, and the forecast predicts plunging temperature later this week, and my mom called me to play. Outdoor suburban mall, OLD ORCHARD, IT IS!

As usual, I made my Zara rounds, found things I liked and decided not to buy them. Astute. I wanted to see if there were any G.H. Bass penny loafers at Nordstrom, originally a shoe store. I have been eyeing penny loafers for about a year now, but was worried about what to wear with them. I have no such problems now with the spirit of Rachel Berry and Emma Pillsbury following me everywhere I go, whether it is my own closet or Forever 21 or J. Crew. The problem with the Zappos and the G.H. Bass website is that the black patent leather ones are "coming soon." Well, how soon? Today's high was 70F, but we are facing the impending doom that is late fall and early winter weather. All of a sudden, we will find ourselves in a snowstorm like the Patriots did last weekend against the Terrible Tennessee Titans, but we will not be victorious like Tom Brady & Co. (59-0? FIVE TOUCHDOWNS IN ONE QUARTER? Really?)

Instead of classic Bass loafers, I came across these black patent loafers by Cole Haan, featuring some of that comfy Nike Air, ON SALE! Like, almost 50% off! My mom egged me on to get these. And so, penny loafers and I are reunited for the first time since about 1991. I used to put pennies IN the shoe, not in that little slit at the tongue. Now I can dress like Rachel Berry as a 25.5 year old! HAPPY GLEE DAY!

(If you can't tell, I wrote this soon after episode 9 of Glee aired.)

On Our Way, Continued

• Re-cap of the Detroit Tigers portion of our honeymoon here.
• The photo above is from the resort portion of our honeymoon. There is much to blog about, mostly regarding events, clothes, and...Carleton Popperstein. TBC.
  
• I got these shoes at Payless today. They are apparently only available at certain Payless locations (in Chicago: Lincolnwood, Woodfield, Old Orchard, State Street, Michigan Avenue). I thought they'd be a part of the timeless Halford Collection, but Mordecai informs me that they're a part of the not-so-classic Cenobite Collection.
  
• Summer is coming to an end. It's all downhill from here! Quick, paint your nails a coral orangish color now while it's still acceptable, before people think you're a Halloween nut.
  

Birthday Party Highlights

I am technically no longer on Spring Break, but my mind is still in break mode. Here are some highlights of two weekends ago, one of the best but least remembered weekends of all time. Thank goodness for cameras.

Thug mugs abound. Somehow mine got inflated a little.

Jeffrey Campbell MEL in action! Excuse the toes, they're kinda squished. But really, who has sexy toes?

Nar looks nonchalant about the wetness of parts of his pants and the state of his seat. I think the expression on Mordecai's face best captures his condition throughout the evening: despite being unable to see/recall anything, he's still extremely cheerful.

No one remembers this. Somehow, Joe ended up on passed out on the floor, I ended up sitting and sprawling on him while brushing my teeth, and at some point, I got my own camera to take photos of Nik climbing up our hallway walls. I like how Amit is framing the picture on the right, his hands exclaiming "WHY?" How does he have the capacity to attempt making sense of insanity as it's happeing? This must have been Amit, pre-UV Lemonade chugging.

There was only one other female present at this party, and she was designated driver. All others had to decline the offer to join us. Why do girls gotta be ambitious and hardworking? Or not in Chicago? What does that say about me? Thus, we end up with slapping matches and wrestling rumbles. Notice Joe injured on the sidelines.

I think Amit is yelling at Joe about "cheating" in Fantasy sports, though really, it's just meticulous stat tracking that no one else cares or knows enough about to do. As far as I understand the people in this picture, I think it depicts everyone and their personalities quite accurately. Shirtless but pleased; seemingly angry but really, just destroyed; disgruntled; chill. Mordecai is passed out at this point, and notice that Shaun is also MIA.

The night/early morning ended in vomit, lettuce, snow, and Meijer. The next day I was greeted at the door with a gas bill and the lease renewal.

Some other important cameos and events to note: Jamie sprinkled the kitchen counter with candy for me and I think there's a Blue Raspberry Mad Dog 20/20 for Joe in the fridge as well; his roommate Toru sat in the corner reading "Nana," absorbed as anyone ought to be if they got caught up in that story; and Sean graced us not only with his presence, but with an EXTREMELY CHOCOLATEY cake and goggles from the future. They deflect bullets futuristically, but not hangovers and post-Spring Break blues! Damn, summer where are you?

Jeffrey Campbell MEL

I pretty much calculated my day around the arrival of this package. It came from Oregon, stopped at Kentucky, and then arrived at my door this afternoon.

As I read more about clothes, shoes, and bags online by anyone and everyone, I am finding that a lot of what comes into style really does trickle down from the runways. I go into stores now and can roughly identify the origins or the inspirations behind clothes, shoes and bags at mass-friendly stores, from H&M to Bebe to Club Monaco.

So I had been reading about Aldo's SMEAL (MOLAVI is similar, possibly less insane heel/platform combo) here and there, and Mordecai being a supporter of all things Judas Priest-inspired offered to acquire a pair for me for my birthday. Apparently, these are more or less knock-offs of or heavily inspired by Balmain's studded crystal sandals. I visited a couple of Aldos dowtown and scoped them out in person. But then while flipping through the latest Teen Vogue (April 2009), I noticed a similar pair, the MEL, by Jeffrey Campbell for $50 more. Zara had a pair out as well apparently, but 1) I hate the Zara at Old Orchard and 2) they probably wouldn't have them due to either the store employees being blah or legal issues. I thought the Jeffrey Campbells looked more like the Balmains and generally looked more sparkly and fun, so I hunted these suckers down. Akira's and Lori's didn't carry them, and I diligently checked Solestruck.com everyday. They were finally up on the site yesterday! So I ordered them to be delivered overnight, and they were on my feet almost exactly 24 hours after I placed the order.

The shoes are surprisingly comfortable; I think it has to do with the platform up front so that the feet aren't angled so steeply. The rhinestone anklet is mad shiny and indeed sparkly fun! The heels feel stable and I think are thicker than the Aldo or Zara or Balmain versions, so I am very content with that. BTW, my birthday has passed and I am healthy and unbroken **KNOCK ON WOOD** Let's hope nothing happens this weekend with these shoes.

I thought I'd share some other birthday spoils.

My mom and I have been out and about since I'm on Spring Break (it's a proper noun folks, must pay homage to the blissful week of rest!) and we stopped by the Levi's store in Wicker Park. It was love at first sight with this jacket, even though I look like a child (I had a Land's End jacket in this color growing up) or like I'm going to visit the Niagara Falls. My mom bought it for me, saying "Why not? It's the day after your birthday." Here I am posing in the way a Japanese baseball player stretched when he was on deck, waiting for his turn to bring Japan victory. (Can't remember who it was.)

Today I went to H&M in the early evening and began doing damage to the H&M gift card generously given to me by Mordecai's parents. Again, under the influence of fashion show-and-tell blogging, I went straight for this jacket. It's weird how tastes suddenly change or evolve; I've never been a big fan of light-wash denim, but I'm all for it this spring. Maybe I am overly eager to celebrate spring's arrival.

Baseball card updates (they are related to the celebration of my birth) will go in another post--those are harder to write about because I'd like to scan them but that entails scanning them. I have a good cover for my Fantasy League baseball card collection too, so look out for that in the next episode.