the Dalaverse

Blargh. I have a gross summer cold. Plus I woke up at 5 am, for no discernable reason other than to contemplate how pleasant it would be to breathe through my nose.

Yesterday's shopping expedition could be described as either very successful or a complete disaster. My dad and I should just not shop together, as we enable each other. "Look, it's on sale!" "Okay!" "Look, it's green!" "Excellent!" But in our defense, everything we bought was on sale - outlets are so good for that - and most of my stuff I actually needed. I didn't find my coat, which is a bummer, but I was also looking for good shoes to kick about campus in bad weather, so I got some water-resistant sneaker-things from Bass. They're very comfortable.

I also bought two sweaters from Eddie Bauer, one brown and hooded, one blue cable-knit. They are for fall/winter, because ordinarily I tend to go into hibernation and live in gigantic lumpy sweatshirts; I mean to dress a bit neater, starting this year. But I'm very picky about sweaters, because I have a low threshold for itch; it's rare for me to actually find ones I can wear at all, much less that are in my price range (the brown sweater was 70% off. ROCK). And I will admit that the store earned my goodwill largely because I was able to wear a medium instead of an extra-large. (I have to stop shopping with my tiny tiny friends, it does unkind things to my self-image.)

And okay, strictly speaking, I did not need a pair of adorable Nine West flats. But for serious, I could not resist - there they were sitting in the window, one pair red plaid and the other grey and sweater-covered. I agonized over the two before I finally picked the grey ones, because aside from matching more stuff - sweater-covered shoes! With a wee grey leather bow! I attempted to justify this purchase with the fact that I cannot wear heels (I get my bad feet from my mother and I don't care how well-made or sexy a pair of shoes is, nothing is worth hours of limping and tears of pain), and so I must milk the flats trend for as long as it lasts. The guessing game that comes with buying dress shoes always amuses me. I wear an 8.5 in regular shoes, sometimes a 9 in snug-fitting sneakers, but my feet are also freakishly narrow and I can't keep them in dress shoes any smaller than a 7.5. Katherine and I are always talking about how if you averaged my narrow 8.5 with her wide 5, you'd have the perfect lady's foot. I very nearly bought these in a 7, but my toes were a little bit squished.

Finally we wandered back to our own crappy mall to admire my coat, which I am in no particular hurry to buy since they had eight thousand of them. I am now on the lookout for ankle/mid-calf-high stockings so I can wear my pretty shoes with pants without them a. slipping off or b. giving me blisters. I've no idea if those actually exist, but I intend to hunt something suitable down.

I've also recently seen movies. "Superbad" was hysterically funny, and the rare high school setting that actually rings true. Also, I am still in love with George Michael Bluth. "Stardust" was a very good adaptation, I thought. Charlie Cox is freaking adorable and perfectly cast, I have always liked Claire Danes, and Michelle Pfeiffer seemed to be having the time of her life. I'm starting to lose patience with Ricky Gervais, though; as much as I like him on "Extras," he plays the exact same part the exact same way in everything. I was a bit confused by the Captain Shakespeare character, apart from that being extrapolated from about five pages in the book. While I appreciated the underlying message of acceptance, De Niro played it so incredibly camp that the audience was uncomfortable. I don't know. The whole storyline was sort of bizarre and out of place. And this weekend I finally saw "Hairspray," which was a BLAST. This was my first exposure to the show, and I had no idea the music was so fantastic. I was bouncing in my seat the entire time. Loved the cast, too - under all that foam padding and makeup, I feel that's the most actual acting John Travolta has done in decades. Amanda Bynes got all the best lines. And James Marsden...singing...mmmmmmm. Meg is right, he and Hugh Jackman need to do a musical together. THE X-MEN SING!

On the grad news front, I sent my visa application off Friday, it should be there this morning, and now I just have to twiddle my thumbs again. I'm still not sure I shouldn't have gone in for an appointment. It should only take about ten days, and I know it's unlikely they'll decline it, but...::frets::

I think that'll about do it. Gah. I need some orange juice.

ETA: Bye bye, Alberto Gonzales! Please do let the chamber doors hit your lying ass on the way out.

ETA2: I forgot to mention that I almost fell in love with a coat at Nautica. It was absolutely beautiful, heavy brushed wool with a tan-and-cream plaid and toggle buttons and a hood...I put it on and I just wanted to live in it forever. It was completely impractical in terms of what I was looking for, though, and three times as much as I was willing to pay. My mother says I have expensive tastes, and she's not wrong. I can't help it, I love to touch and try on rich fabrics and precise cuts and perfect stitching. If I could afford it, I'd have an entire wardrobe from Nautica, Benetton, and Banana Republic. It's a style thing, too - I like clean, simple, classic designs, far better than the skimpy, trendy crap I try and fail to fit into and/or find appealing at department stores. (/extreme, slightly embarrassing snobbery) One final thought on fashion, such as it is: when in hell did it become fashionable for women my age to swathe themselves in brightly colored, shapeless sacks? It is flattering on NO body type! I swear it's like somebody flipped through the maternity section of a 1970s Sears catalogue.