• Shared today on Facebook

    is recovering from a long run.



  • Running Skirt Review

    A month or so ago I read about running skirts in one of the groups over at Ravelry and decided I’d give ’em a try. I ended up ordering a GymGirl from SkirtSports.com (mostly because they were on clearance and they’d ship to Australia). The skirt came on Friday, so I wore it out for my “long” run today. While I’m definitely sold on the idea of a running skirt, I’d only rate this particular one a 7 out of 10.

    First, the pros: The fabric was really great at wicking away sweat, and I felt like I was much cooler than I usually am (in normal gym shorts). There was no bunching between my legs – which rules – and definitely no chafing. My bum looked very cute, if I do say so myself.

    Now, the negatives: I pretty much hated the waistband. It’s wide and flat, which is fine if you’ve got a nice flat stomach. Me, my belly sticks out a bit. It looks great when you’re standing in front of the mirror, but as soon as you actually start to move, the waistband promptly rolls up and heads towards your hips like a cheap pair of pantyhose. (And I HATE pantyhose.) I kept trying to either hike it up over my belly (in which case the shorts and skirt didn’t offer a lot of, ahem, coverage) or trying to get it to sit below my belly (in which case I felt like it was going to roll even farther and expose my bumcrack). The waistband issue also meant that the skirt rode up in front, so I was tugging on it fairly frequently throughout the run. The only other problem I had was the single pocket, which I carried my iPod in. Somehow part of the stitching on the side came undone and I now have a hole in my pocket. I’ll have to re-stitch it once I’ve washed it.

    So overall, I’ve decided that while I definitely like the idea of a running skirt, this particular one isn’t a perfect match for me. (Luckily I bought it on clearance so I don’t feel too bad about it.)


  • My Dream Red Trench!

    I went over to Tar-zhay yesterday to pick up some button-down shirts for my new job. While I was there, I spotted my DREAM COAT. Folks, I have been looking for a trench coat for years now. Esprit had a beautiful red one a few years back, but when I tried it on my stylist (Amy) advised that it wasn’t a good cut for me. (It was too short, basically.) And remember the whole Stella McCartney trench debacle last year? I’d just about given up. Yet there it was yesterday, staring at cheerfully from across the store: a bright red, long, perfect-fitting trench coat. (They call it an anorak on the website. Click on the bottom “frame” to see a closeup.) I snapped a surreptitious mirror photo of myself wearing it and sent it to Fiona for her opinion. It was perfect. And what’s more – with their 20% off Sale, it ended up being about SIXTY BUCKS. I bought it.

    And then I came home and saw this. I swear I’m not, like, becoming her clone or something.


  • Ravelry stuff

    For those of you who are on Ravelry, check this out. (For those of you who aren’t: Somebody notified me this morning that I was listed on a “Copyright Hall of Shame” website, complete with my home and email address. Why? Because I wondered about the legality of fabric license agreements, and the person who maintains the page – and is against such licenses – felt that I was “spreading misinformation.” I don’t know how a request for clarification can be “spreading misinformation,” but there you go. Anyway, it turns out the person is on Ravelry so I made a big post calling them out for it. I appreciate that this person has a vested interest in clearing up copyright issues as it pertains to craft, but I don’t think starting a witch hunt for people who disagree with her and then posting my contact details for others to harass me is the best way to make her case. Especially as I don’t actually disagree with her in the first place. You’d think she might have emailed me to clarify before pronouncing judgement, huh?


  • Vintage Pillowcase Lunchbox

    Vintage Pillowcase Lunchbox Tutorial. Oh, those are so sweeeet! I’m now consumed by the impulse to throw a Pillowcase Lunchbox Construction Party and have everybody over to my house so Bex can talk us through the sewing… (Link courtesy of Danielle.)


  • The Westing Game

    I changed schools in 7th grade, and I can remember going to “Reading” class (in retrospect, how weird that we had a “reading” class!) on the first day. The teacher explained that the class was in the middle of a big project in which they had to read a book and then do all sorts of activities on it. Then she gave me the two choices: The Westing Game (which she’d described as “challenging”), and a novelization of Charles in Charge. I’M NOT EVEN KIDDING. I picked The Westing Game without knowing anything about it. (Later I discovered to my horror that I couldn’t see a single other person in the class reading it. And that will tell you a lot about the Lakeland school system.) Anyway, I LOVED the book. I thought Turtle was so cool, and I wanted to be just like her. I also developed a secret lasting desire to learn shorthand, because I was sure it would come in SUPER HANDY someday. I didn’t figure the mystery out ahead of time though, but then again I never do. I really need to re-read it one of these days…


  • Me and the Deal Sisters

    Who’s that? Oh, it’s me and friggin’ Kim and Kelly Deal, that’s who!

    Me and Kim and Kelly

    So I was in the knitting shop, and this American-sounding chick came in looking for wool. So I helped her pick out some stuff, and she was soon joined by another chick… who looked just like her. “Are you guys–?” I asked. “Yep, twins,” they said. They were here for more than an hour – in fact, they’re still here – and I chatted to them off-and-on, completely oblivious. “Where are you guys from? Oh, Ohio? Yeah, I’m a Hoosier. I hope you’re not Ohio State fans.” “Go Buckeyes!” they said. After a while, I headed in to the office to call our warehouse guy. As I was on the phone with him, Lissa came in with a wild look in her eyes. She grabbed a pen and proceeded to write “KIM DEAL” in front of me. “NO F**KING WAY.” I can’t believe I missed it. I went back out and proceeded to be the lamest fangirl ever, and they kindly submitted to this ultra-crappy mobile phone picture for me. (Why I didn’t take the megapixel shop camera on my desk, I have no idea.) They’re making OSU signs, in case you’re wondering. So yeah, today I got to meet my 16-year-old alternateen heroes. What a day, huh?

    For the clueless, the Deal sisters were in two of the seminal alternative rock bands of the late 80’s and early 90’s: the Pixies and the Breeders. The Pixies have reformed and are currently touring, and apparently they’re doing a show in Sydney tomorrow night. I was more of a Breeders fan, ever since I caught the video for “Cannonball” on an episode of 120 Minutes. “Last Splash” was on constant rotation in my car from the day I got it. I have a prized-but-ratty Breeders T-shirt at home that I bought at Tower Records when I was 16 and have worn ever since. How cool is that?


  • Not a Winner

    Hey, it looks like the Easter Show winners have been posted! And I didn’t win anything. Judging by my level of disappointment, apparently I secretly cared a lot more than I told everyone I did. 🙁

    Update: Holy crap! Veronica got a first place! Way to go, Veronica! At least somebody I know won something.


  • Fixed!

    It appears that our washing machine has been fixed. Phew! I was really dreading having to carry a backpack of dirty clothes home, like some lazyass college student.



ABOUT

My name is Kris. I’ve been blogging since the 90’s. I live in Sydney, Australia, and I spent most of my career in the tech industry.

No AI used in writing this blog, ever. 100% human-generated.


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