Author: elemonated

Bee and Puppycat Sweater from WeLoveFine

Posted on by elemonated

I guess we’re going to call this a review because I’m going to be talking about one product that I purchased that I have opinions on.

So I bought this sweater:

a few months ago as a sort of final exam treat/Christmas present to myself. It’s adorable. The design is from the web cartoon Bee and Puppycat which I supported in a Kickstarter and wrote about back in September. It fits decently, a little baggy, but that’s what happens when your shoulders are randomly thick for your body. I paid like, $52.50 for that purchase, which I guess is within my willingness to pay, but I kind of wish I didn’t now. The sweater itself is pretty crap quality. It stretches with wear, and I’m sure if I snagged it on something, it would tear immediately. It’s not very warm either. I’ll still wear it, because the design is still adorable, but I’m feeling a little price gouged. I’ve only worn it three to four times since I’ve gotten it, and I’m always wary of sharp corners. I’ve purchased other thing from nerd-gear suppliers and I’ve always found that the stuff is always so hit-or-miss, and the quality inconsistent.

I’m still relatively happy with my purchase, but now that I’m about to graduate, I’m feeling a little more serious about my personal finance. I can’t partake in the support of some of my favorite nerd things if this continues to be an issue.

I’m having a pretty good day

Posted on by elemonated

I started my new job today. And the hectic craziness that is going to be my life until at least May. And if I have it my way, the rest of my non-retired life will be fairly similar.

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Sleepy train station picture! One transfer, about an hour (more like 40 minutes), all-in-all a decent commute. I don’t start too early, so there isn’t that much of a fight for sitting room which is nice.

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P.F. Chang’s is being sued over its gluten-free menu

Posted on by elemonated

https://www.yahoo.com/health/why-p-f-changs-is-being-sued-over-its-109996603802.html

This is a departure from what I normally write about, but I just wanted to write that this is a stupid issue. Having an allergy is not a disability. No one’s holding a gun to your head when you choose to visit an establishment. If you’re struggling to save money because of your out-of-house food choices, you should probably reassess the value of those choices. If you can’t afford the restaurant’s having to buy and house completely separate (and more expensive! I’ve cooked gluten-free before, it seems like a really expensive allergy to have just in general) ingredients and equipment to prepare food you can eat, then you should probably stay home.

Cooking’s fun, and cooking teachers are ubiquitous. Maybe Ms. Phillips should watch some more Youtube videos.

Anne can help!

hopefully i have a fever

Posted on by elemonated

icing sugar on fragile crumb and soft snow on the ground and the scatter of dandelion seeds and buttercup petals do not touch where

there is dust on a shriveled rose

in the frowning houses, none of the cold, quiet places

no one goes;

where dust sits like cinder on a comfortable chair

no glint of a spark

in the air and

dust moves like a cloud

swallowing the sun

as the windows gape open

moaning loud.

Updates!

Posted on by elemonated

A lot of things happened in a fairly short period of time, so let’s get to it:

  • I’m starting my job with Kelly Weiner on Wednesday!
  • I interviewed for a few smaller, unpaid gigs and so far have gotten one positive response back; if I get a second positive response, that means I’m doing 6 classes, and what basically amounts to two and a half jobs this semester. If everything goes well, I’ll be Update: I AM working with Kelly Weiner, Lynxsy, and Fuse Marketing! Yay! I want this. I’ve got this. I wish I was getting paid more, haha. I want responses from bigger companies offering paid gigs and I’m trying to keep my head up.
  • I’m trying to organize my next Surrender to Chance pack into coherent reviews, and I might include a few scents I found along the way! Still trying to find the time and energy to go to the city for another perfume day. Soon!
  • I’m starting to dance again with a new/old group of friends. This makes me really freaking happy, because I feel like I haven’t danced in a while, and new friends is exactly what I needed. I have to up my focus though; I didn’t continue dancing almost solely as a result of my inability to focus, and the embarrassment that comes with not knowing what I was doing. Changing geographical locations isn’t a real excuse; I could always find another studio or another class when I moved around. I want to actually practice this time around.
  • Perhaps I’ll even lose a little weight in the process. I ordered some new earbuds and am going to make a concentrated effort to actually hit the gym. In the meantime, I’ll just continue dancing, stretching, and doing some push-ups or something in my room.
  • To that end, I’m also trying to eat cleaner. I’m trying not to go out as much (also because I want to move), and when I do, to choose things like fish and clear soups and salads. There’s no soda, or even juice in my dorm room, and that’s for the best right now. Cutting down on the sugar I’d be chugging.
  • I’m taking a little time for myself. I just want to have fun right now. I very, very recently got out of a relationship and I’m trying to be strong in areas I wasn’t before.

Academic freedom

Posted on by elemonated

My law professor is so bad at enforcing academic freedom. As defined by Stanley Fish during that seminar that I attended for him and a bunch of presidents/deans, and presumably in his book that I never bought (though I’m tempted to), academic freedom is the ability for academia to traverse all routes of truth with their students with the condition of refraining from affecting where those students go with their thoughts. And seriously, we can’t get through a class without him stating his views under guise of showing us where he’s coming from. It’s just unnecessary all of the time, and this is coming from someone who agrees with him.

Then again, we are studying law which is inherently political, unlike English, which is and was Professor Fish’s realm. My professor seems to think confirming his views over and over is necessary for some reason. It skirts dangerously close to making the classroom a sound board though, and I think all of the men sitting in that seminar would agree. They have, and would, all take a more way conservative take on teaching, even if it seems like the majority of them identify as perhaps middle-left, or middle-right. They would be authoritarian and respectable where my vegan, leftist professor is very conversational, even a little bumbling in a charming way. (He literally just said he was vegan.) I can’t imagine him being okay with the constraints Fish sets for academic tutors and for their pursuit of academia. It’s hilarious thinking about Mr. Fish trying to convince him that his teaching methods aren’t respectable, but I guess that’s why he teachers at my school and not at NYU or Yeshiva.

Malin + Goetz

Posted on by elemonated

Incorporating the sales of a skincare/fragrance line is something I didn’t really expect out of a restaurant, and I certainly don’t go and eat out for the perfumery discoveries I might find in the bathroom. It is, however, always nice to stumble upon some stuff you’ve never tried before, and to find out they’re not only e-commerce, they’re also rather close by.

I visited Osteria/Talde with my boyfriend riding on the buzz of the foodie crowd that extended from conversations in the depths of Isakaya MEW in Midtown, to the patrons around Dale Talde’s original restaurant in Park Slope to, of course, the artists of the Jersey City neighborhood it’s in the process of opening up in as I write this. I’ll write more about the food when the other half opens up, and I decide to write that big post about Jersey City hipsterification (said with love. They serve a freaking kale salad and their other salads have grains in them. Not hating, it was delicious.)

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This was our table. And then they moved us because it was too small for the food we picked out. And then I stopped taking pictures because I was hungry.

The place is also proceeded by Carrino Provisions which is a little gourmet market that sells meat, cheese, and…bath products. It’s rather interestingly placed in the store; it’s in a bad place if you’re coming in, since it’s on a shelf facing inward against a wall next to the entrance, but it’s in a great place if you’re leaving. The soap in the bathroom is also their rum hand + body wash, which is interesting and lovely smelling, with the main draw being the rum, and when a patron leaves, they face the shelf with Malin + Goetz on it on the way out. They also sell their lime body lotion, alongside the rum soap and body lotion. I tried. I liked. I’m penciling in Malin + Goetz for a visit.

Puig buys Pengalion’s and L’Artisan

Posted on by elemonated

http://www.basenotes.net/perfumenews/3014-puig-buy-penhaligons-and-lartisan

I wonder what this will do to the brands’ quality. I know on the consumer side that there have been complaints about the delayed shipping of L’Artisan’s Tea for Two recently, likely due to the shifting organizational and department changes actions like this cause. On the other hand, Paco Rabanne and the Gaultier fragrances have been rather popular, and I don’t think Prada, Valentino, or Comme des Garçons have suffered.

From the Puig website (that keeps thinking I’m on a tablet when I’m not):

“Puig is committed to continue expanding its presence in the prestige perfumery category. This acquisition firmly positions Puig in the growing exclusive, high-end fragrance category.”

This explains the strategic moves behind the acquisition, but it doesn’t say what Puig is planning on doing with the two brands. I haven’t gotten to try Penhaligon’s yet, but I love L’Artisan and I hope the quality will stay consistent throughout this whole process.