Gilt may have jumped the shark.

$300 axes. Yes, I'd say it has.

A List

Of things from which I am currently deriving satisfaction. Because in my world, people are solid and good, but things are problematic. There are too many of them or too few of them (both of these apply to jordan almonds), they break, they're too expensive, they get lost. So when a Thing comes along that is solid and good like its human counterparts, I derive satisfaction.

• My new bathrobe. It was expensive, but since I am so much colder than the average person (37% more cold, to be exact), it was worth it. Also I had a discount code.
• This delicious-smelling body wash. Mike got it as a freebie from work, and I have almost used up the tube in a little over two weeks. I have started showering in the mornings rather than at night just because the citrus smell makes the beginning of my day so much better.
• In a similar vein, Dr. Bronner's peppermint bar soap is badass. I came upon it when we were visiting Mike's brother and sister in law, and I loved how strong it is. It will wake your shit UP.
• Cover Girl's Outlast all day whatever whatever lip stuff stays on for real. I put it on before a 30 mile bike ride on Saturday (yes, yes I did) and it stayed on through wind, through lunch, and through some epic snot. 
• Our wall-mounted towel dryer, which is something like this one except ours wasn't $150. I say "dryer" instead of "warmer" because in our ground-floor no-sun apartment, towels never dry on their own, which means using a damp towel for the week until it gets laundered. Unacceptable. This device has changed my life.

I realize all these things have to do with warmth and vanity. So be it. I would rather be warm and vain than cold and...still vain.

Maybe one day soon I will make a list of things that I have managed to drop and spill and lose recently. Except that would make me sad, and I would use up all my free citrus body wash trying to make myself feel better.

Recommendation

Happiness:

1. Take your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.
2. Make it with super fancy butter that you bought at the farmer's market before you realized how expensive it was but after you had already told the butter churner or whoever they were how excited you were about their butter.
3. Instead of chocolate chips, use Heath bar toffee bits, which you can buy in a big bag at magical stores like Target.

Seriously, do it. You will not be even a little bit sorry.

I think I have the beginnings of carpal tunnel. How weenie is that? Very weenie. But it is also what I get for working for two weeks from Texas couches and armchairs in positions that would make an ergonomist faint. I also haven't used a mouse since I got my Mac three months ago, putting stress on my poor right thumb.

As a result, this past weekend was a very welcome break from typing (and work in general), and we made the most of it - if by "made the most" I mean - "engaged in a variety of healthy and unhealthy pursuits that brought us pleasure". We exercised, we ate, we got things done around the house, we drank beer. Thanksgiving was as lovely as always, we got out into the natures on our bikes and our feets, and we did a lot of cuddling on the couch with our cats, watching what I now know to be the Avengers series - Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man 2. The cat cuddling was the highlight though.

Um.

From SFist: Couple states Star Wars engagement photo shoot.

I am just so happy these two found each other. 

Google glamour. With a "u".

Wow. Wow. Wow. Refinery 29, a fashion blog that I have seen people link to but have not actual read myself, posted an article on Google ladies who dress up for work. I know these chicks! They not only dress up, they dress far out. As in 6 inch wooden heels, tiny shorts, and matching outfits for their dogs. They came in with the Like.com acquisition (which became Boutiques.com, which is now part of Product Search), and while I think they usually look heinous, I appreciate their dedication to getting up early to put some thought into their appearance. They are definitely the only ones on campus who do.

My favorite part is where one of the ladies says, "I'm on the hunt for an emerald green velvet holiday dress that is super pretty and accidentally sexy." Maybe I am just Jerry Sandusky-d out, but the idea of being accidentally sexy strikes me as deeply creepy.

In short, I highly recommend you take a look at that article.

The juice life

Mike is home, I'm settled back in from my travels, and life is good. I'm having to put on the space heaters when I get home at night, and drink lots of tea, but that's fine by me. I'm not saying that I love it when it gets dark at 5 p.m., but there is something nice about it when you live in a place without clearly defined seasons. It doesn't ever smell like Fall in San Francisco. It does get nippy in the mornings, but that's not really any different than a foggy summer morning. So the early dark is the clearest sign we've got that time is moving along.

The other sign that time is moving: I bought a juicer, because I have apparently embraced my late-20s yuppiehood with a vengeance. It is a beautiful piece of machinery, capable of pulverizing fruits and vegetables with a single snarl. It is immensely satisfying to use. So far I have been chucking in grapefruit, apple, kiwi, lemon, carrot, celery, kale, and fennel. It's delicious, and makes for a beautiful orangey juice.

Part of the reason the juicer felt necessary was that I was in a pretty gross state when I got back from Texas. A week and a half of eating and drinking too much and sleeping too little had piled up, and I wasn't happy to be heading back to Real Life while Mike stayed in Austin. So retail therapy + the promise of a healthier life resulted in a trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond with a coupon in hand.

I am not supposed to go to Bed, Bath & Beyond alone because I buy too many things. Way too many things! But those things are always so useful. Like a towel for your hair that you can lash into place on top of your head, or a pot lid organizer for the pantry, or, say, a JUICER. I also bought a box of jordan almonds that I ate in one sitting, but we can talk about my jordan almond problem another time.

Aside from dedicating my credit card bill to B, B & B, I cooked my butt off on the nights that I was home alone and Mike was in North Carolina (embarrassing Bank of America at their headquarters). I made a curry split pea soup, a warm salad of eggplant with arugula, basil and feta, and roasted the heck out of pumpkin seeds with brown sugar and cayenne.

I also took the week off from alcohol (that's a bottle of sparkling water you see there) to detox from our Texas celebrations. And to prep for a party with an open bar, which I'll post about later...

Treeeeehouse!

Between work and travel, things have been very busy over the last two weeks. I have managed to carve out time, however, to discover that there is a treehouse that you can rent just south of San Francisco. All future visitors will be encouraged to stay there, just so I can see it in real life.