How I feel about the Registry - China

By the time Christmas rolled around, it was pretty well known that Matt was going to be proposing sometime super soon. Wedding planning was already my way to kill time during the long christmas break, and the subject of registries came up over Christmas dinner as we ate from my aunt's (gorgeous) china set and drank from her fine crystal wine glasses.

Here's the skinny: I'm not registering for china. My parents didn't do it - heck, my mom's been married four times and not once has she registered for the super-breakable stuff. Matt and I want to be citizens of the world (State Department job, please?) which involves moving locales every two or three years, hopefully. That means packing up everything you own and shipping it somewhere else, maybe the middle of nowhere (not Novosibirsk or any other Russian city, I beg you) and risking all the beautiful china and crystal becoming shards in padded packing crates.

No, I'd prefer stoneware and some big, cheap plastic bowls for cereal. Glass tumblers suit me fine, and I prefer the look of stemless stemware anyway. I won't be the host of all the formal family meals - no one is traveling that far out of the way - on my side of the family. I'm pretty sure my cousin Katherine has that in the bag. I don't think Matt's family will rely on me to do the big thanksgiving and christmas to-do; I don't cook anyway.

So here is what I think about china's usefulness.
Passive Aggressive Anger Release Machine by Yarisal & Kublitz

"All you have to do is insert a coin, and a piece of China will Slowly move forwards and fall into the bottom of the machine, breaking, and leaving you happy and relieved of anger."

Look! Tchotchkes too!
There. Doesn't that make you feel better?

Link to blog post about the project from the Freakonomics Blog which led to more pictures at another blog.

After Mid-Terms

One week past Spring Break and I'm already feeling the pinch of the semester ending. Somehow that brief reprieve from schooling is my milestone for the spring semester that tells me when I need to get my ass in gear for the semester, but this year I ignored it and kept on coasting. *sigh*

Now I have a week and a half until Easter break, and a massive paper due next Wednesday. I know where my weekend is going - the library. Working paper title: The Moroccan Youth: Economic, Social, and Political Prospects. Eh, not that sexy but descriptive in the extreme.

Later this afternoon, after my two classes and Arabic study session, Matt and I are running to the nearest grocery store to get money orders (to the tune of $60) for our meeting with CampusFrance tonight so we can apply for our student visas. This is really happening and I couldn't be happier. We have another long meeting about studying abroad on Friday afternoon as well.

Tomorrow Matt has his first round of physical therapy on his knees. Apparently he has some type of degeneration of the ligaments around his kneecap that isn't curable. He just didn't notice it until college because he was always ridiculously in shape from Soccer throughout intermediate and high school. Now he sees his new need to return to peak physical condition as a sign that I should start working out. Not going to happen.

The rest of this week is pretty ho-hum, with the typical mix of work and school and emotional breakdowns that are my mainstay. Okay not really, but I will be in full on panic mode by this time next week about my paper. Til then, M. Erudite

Shoes?

I figure the best way to do this is to begin with what I have and what works for me, and go from there.

The inner circle are the shoes I wear more often, and the outer circle are my "specialty" shoes.

Starting with the Maroon Converses:

• Maroon Low-Top Converses with Inserts
  
• Black leather Franco Sarto pumps, with arch support sticky things inside
• Black Low-Top Converses, same 20z miracle inserts as the Maroon
• Moroccan Babouches - not a lot of padding for the foot, but still fun as hell to wear
• Sofft Wedges - bought on sale at DSW and fantastic heels that don't kill my feet much
• Gold Ballet flats from Payless, with a Dr. Scholl's Arch Support insole; my favorite work shoes
• Born sandals - unstylish but comfy as hell and the BEST travel shoes

Outer Circle:

• Red Aldo Moccasins - rarely worn because the leather insole is falling out
• Black Oxford pumps from payless - not terribly comfy but cute & good for wet or cold weather
• Ivory Hot Cakes heels - cute, comfy, and I own a pair in white. the heel is too low and they look too casual for a wedding
• Black strappy "The Touch of NINA" shoes I bought for formal night on the 2007 cruise; they don't kill my feet, per se
• Payless' American Eagle brand chocolate T-straps. If these came in black, I would never need another pair of shoes, ever.
• Black T-strap Oxford style heels by Nine West. Great, but not as comfy as the aforementioned shoes
• Jewel tone gladiator sandals from Plato's Closet, cute as hell but awful to wear all day
• Strappy champagne Daisy Fuentes heels that I bought for prom. I only wore them for three hours or so, and I don't remember them as being terrible. Probably backup shoes in case I can't find good bridals
• Black Old Navy flip flops - necessary, cheap, and comfy
• Brown faux-suede pumps with floral detail from Payless' Highlights brand, bought for Senior year homecoming
• Black slouchy faux-suede boots from Payless, bought to wear to the Renaissance fair, require inserts as well.

So, a breakdown of what works for me:

1. Insoles - I buy them and I use them everyday. My arches are high, my heel bones perpeutally hurt, and if I don't wear them then my knees hurt too. I'm also prone to blisters.
2. Payless - I've bought tons of shoes there over the years, although I am trying to do more DSW, but the prices can't be beat!
3. I like to buy cute shoes - but I wear my unstylish, comfy ones more

So what are my options for cute shoes with heels, that I can strut down the aisle and then rock out all night in without wanting to cry from my heel/arch pain?

Options are forthcoming in post #2