Project Argyle, Figaro's Friday Blog, & the Shoe Invasion

Haven't had much time to blog this week because we've received two months of shoe samples which naturally must go onto the website in a week. Generally, I process, photograph, edit, and put up between 30-40 pairs a week, but I think it was closer to 80 this week at a rate of about 15 new pairs a day. Talk about overload. Lest you doubt, this is what my office has looked like for most of the week.

Due to the time constraints this week, I also haven't managed to add more than a few rows to the Project Argyle scarf, but here's the progress so far.

And finally, the weekly cat blog without any further chitchat. I'm hoping to post something more substantial next week.

Figgie displays some cute pink toes as he grooms. Don't you wish you were that flexible?

Iran is planning to nuke us!

After they wipe Israel off the map, according to our Chimp in Chief and his Israeli counterpart, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Okay, maybe so, but my only real thought on reading this news story was "Iraqi weapons of mass destruction... now, why would I or the American public believe you a second time?" Well, I wouldn't without some hard evidence, but I've long held that the American public is generally composed of dumb f*ckers. Afterall, look how many people believe the tabloids and can't tell the difference between the actor and the character they play.

Norman's (Cuban?) restaurant on Sunset

Famous for their Friday night Caja China Roast Pork and Paella special. My housemate set up reservations for us at Norman's this weekend because the restaurant is permanently closing its doors. Of course we both had the pork and paella special which was...mediocre at best. The pork was excellent for the first 3-5 bites until the fat and richness overcame everything, the plantain/potato mash was gluey and underwhelming, and the paella was just okay. The seafood didn't taste particularly fresh, but the rice was excellent. Portions were perfectly sized, however, service was impeccable, and the "Dark and Stormy" rum cocktail was really quite good with its balance of lime juice, ginger beer, and rum. A very clean refreshing drink which offset the richness of the meal to a small degreen. The meal was also lukewarm when it came.

All in all, I think we might have been happier eating at Mel's Drive-In across the street. For Cuban, we'll stick to the tiny local spot Havana Mania with their Tuesday night pork special. By the way, Norman's isn't closing due to poor food quality or lack of business. The scoop according to the floor manager is that the building has been sold and the new owners aren't interested in having restaurant partners for the property. What a shame. I would have like to have tried something else on their menu for comparison.

Caught in the act

Funny thing about this basket. When I purchased it, it was intended as a cat bed and furnished with a pillow and soft cat blanket but, he refused to even look at it for a year. Now that I've reclaimed it as a yarn basket for my latest knitting project, Figaro suddenly wants to sleep in it. Why is it that cats never want something until you want or need it?

Convenient Caffeination or Why I go to Starbucks

Starbucks. We all know the name and unless you've been living under a rock or in the boondocks for the past ten years or so, you've probably been to a S'bucks location and paid $3+ for one of their coffee drinks. Plus three dollars for something that cost maybe $1.50 to make. Why do we do it? Well, according to the founder of the company, we pay $3.50 (for a tall) blended coffee drink so that every employee, even the part timers, can have health benefits, a 401k, and good working conditions. While true and extremely admirable in a time where the fight to get a living wage is still a grassroots campaign, this can't be the whole of the story.

Starbucks has probably pulled one of the best marketing magic tricks a company could imagine. They've made hundreds of millions of coffee afficionados think that their mediocre coffee blends are something really fantastic and special, hence the price tag. Perhaps I'm exaggerating a bit. In general, I find their straight brewed coffees to be less than great when taken straight with sugar and occasionally some cream. A good number of the blends are much too acidic while others are victim to the muddy, indistinct flavor usually reserved for overbrewed, oft-reheated diner/fast food coffee. Whether this is a fault of the baristas during the brewing process or the beans and blends themselves, I don't know. Once in awhile, I find a blend that is nice or tolerable and I do appreciate their attempt to introduce lesser known coffees to the public with the weekly selection and black apron coffees. However, as an occasional coffee drinker, this usually doesn't benefit me. When I go for coffee, I want a consistently good straight coffee with clear, bright flavor notes and the right balance of acid and earthiness or I go for one of those seasonal blended drinks like the Pumpkin Latte or Maple Macchiato.

Where S'bucks really shines is in the blended Frappoccino drinks. These babies are high fat, high sugar, and high calories. A tall frapp with whip will usually run you about 500 calories. Fat and sugar will make nearly anything taste good, but in a society where obesity is the number one killer, is it really a good idea to indulge in these oversweet, caloric bombs? Starbucks is the Burger King of the beverage world though. It's the only place you can go and have it made "your way" for about the same price as a Whopper combo meal. All in all, if you want really good coffee, it's better to buy a french press and some of the really fantastic blends from Boca Java to DIY.

White Trash Divorce...Finally!

I think anyone with half a brain saw this one coming, but news outlets reported yesterday that white-trash-with-money singer Britney Spears is divorcing Kevin Federline, her overly fertile, redneck, back-up dancing, rapper wannabe husband. Rumour has it that the "aspiring" musician will receive half the value of their $7 mil home and 30,000 a month for a year in the settlement. Now, if Mr. Federline was smart, he'd shut up and take this very generous offer of almost 4 mil, but he won't because he's an idiot and for someone like him, four million simply isn't enough to keep him in a comfortable lifestyle. I can guarantee he'd run through the settlement in under 2 years and end up broke and unemployed. Afterall, he did go around bragging that he partied and spent his wife's money. If you have a meal ticket..for the divine's sake, don't brag about it. Thankfully, it seems that someone in Mrs. Redneck's family had the smarts to force them into a prenuptial agreement, otherwise, I suspect that she would have ended with giving up her assets as easily as she gave her various other things with him; her figure, her career (such as it was), and what little natural dignity that she possessed.

Ahh, these are the days of the lives of no-class white trash with money. I wonder if they know just how ridiculous they are?

--Sionnach, an occasionally gossip-mongering fox

Those who know me know that I'm an avid knitter/crocheter/spinner. Out of all my myriad interests and hobbies, fiber art is the one that I've done consistently. My mom taught me to crochet, but I taught myself to knit from a book. My latest project is an argyle scarf (I'm teaching myself intarsia) using the pattern from Knit.1, but using better yarn. Knit.1 (published by Lion Brand Yarn and Vogue) calls for Wool-Ease.. I upgraded to use 100% Misti Alpaca in a worsted weight. This yarn knits like a dream, creating a cloud-soft fabric. Once the major sections are done, I'm planning to fold create a duplicate stitch pattern in mustard yellow, fold the scarf in half and seam it. Fringe, of course, will be added. Here are some pics of the argyle WIP.

A little beauty

You can never really have too much beauty, so enjoy. Happy Friday Eve!

All Hallow's Cat Blog

plus bonus cat blog

He may look cute and sweet, but I spent several days and about a dozen pictures just to get these two shots. Figgie loathes having his picture taken and most often it's necessary to sneak up on him before he turns his back to the camera.