I was thinking about buying an Ikea chair to match the couch and sit by the window. I knew it would fit, but I didn’t know if it would look good or feel comfortable. Instead of buying the chair and finding out it was bad, I moved my comfy chair from my office into the spot.

Ironically, it DOES feel uncomfortable, but not for the reasons I imagined. Because the chair is facing the china cabinet, I can see a constant reflection of myself in its glass. Rather than enjoying the view, I find my gaze drawn to the vision of myself staring back. I think I’ll move the chair back and give up on the idea of sitting next to the window.

• OMG! A blizzard in March! UTAH! I've had enough of you! http://twitpic.com/1cf9m3 #
• Tried Chili's but they had a 30 min wait. These guys got us right in. Yeah! (@ Fortune Cookie) http://4sq.com/d0dWOs #

Powered by Twitter Tools

I was cleaning off the kitchen table, gathering dishes from this morning’s breakfast. My hand hit the back of a chair and I dropped a glass. This is not a new occurence. I drop a glass every couple of days or so, but they usually bounce on the carpeted floor and the worst I can complain about is the liquid that threatens to stain the carpet.

Today, however, the glass shattered.

I realized, as I picked up the shards, that it was a McCullough’s glass. I had won these glasses from McCullough’s one night, but I can’t remember what I did to win them. A sick panic washed over me as I picked up the sharp pieces of my past. Did I still have the other one or had I broken it as well?

I rushed to the cabinet and pushed aside the cups and glasses until I found it: my last remaining vestige of McCullough’s.

After The Ritz closed, we mourned. It reopened as McCullough’s Private Club. It was there that Mike and I first fell in love with darts. It wasn’t quite like The Ritz, but it was good enough. We went there with my sister Stacey many times before it finally closed as well.

The only thing I have reminding me of those days is this lone McCullough’s glass, in mourning over the loss of its partner.

• Getting a rack for Mike's bike. (@ Sport Chalet) http://4sq.com/5Vqx9X #

Powered by Twitter Tools

Just a quick note to wish you all a Happy Easter! I found this old postcard in a used bookstore last year, so I scanned it in for everyone to enjoy!

The postcard was addressed to a Miss Gladys Kleine in Ashville, New York and sent on April 9, 1909. It feels so weird to have a hundred year old document in my hands.

Here is the back of the postcard:

The postcard reads:

Tuck’s Post Card
Raphael Tuck & Sons “Easter Post Cards” Series No. 112
Art publishers to their majesties the king & queen
Printed in Saxony

The letter to Miss Gladys Kleine reads:

Best wishes
From Miss Seekins

The two of them must have seen each other regularly because the card is so simple. Miss Seekins didn’t feel necessary to fill the postcard with updates about her life, so I suspect that she and Miss Gladys lived nearby.

The postcard is embossed with the image, so the chick and even the letters to the words, “TO WISH YOU A HAPPY EASTER,” are raised and I can feel them with my fingertips. You can actually see the embossing on the letter side of the postcard if you look hard enough.

If you like reading old postcards, you can find more at my travel website here:

• Starling Travel » Postcards

Have a happy Easter!

When Meredith submitted her childhood Easter Bunny photo to Awkward Family Photos, she probably never realized that she would be haunting the world with its creepiness.

That bunny won’t leave you chocolatey treats, he wants to eat your brains…

Run, Meredith, RUN!!!

I’ve been making plastic canvas furniture for the Barbie Country Living Home I found at ThriftTown back in February.

• Pick Me! » Barbie Country Living Home

The kitchen is finally finished. I tried to make furniture that matched the original that came with it. You can see the original furniture here:

• Barbie Country Living Home Original Furniture

I kind of had to make a pattern myself to match the original furniture. Plus, the kitchen needed some storage, so I made a hutch for it as well. Here’s a photo.

I was browsing the dollhouse section at Hobby Lobby and I noticed that most of the accessories are sized for Barbie, not the traditional dollhouse scale (which is smaller). I absolutely LOVE the little forks, knives and spoons. I remember seeing little cutlery like that on Sesame Street when I was a kid and wished I could have something like that for my Barbies. Why did it take me so long to find them?

This is my first real Barbie. I had a Skipper before this doll, but this was my first Barbie. I used to think that she was a Malibu Barbie, but her face doesn’t look right. I am so sad that her hair is thinning. I brushed it a lot and stuffed it into so many ponytails that it’s kind of ruined forever. On the plus side, the new Barbie clothes fit her better than her counterparts from the Eighties.

• http://twitpic.com/1dfxrw Anyone ever seen this Barbie VW Camper? I found it in the 1975 Sears Catalog. SO AWESOME!!! #

Powered by Twitter Tools

When we moved into the house on White Cherry Way, the previous family left behind a lot of things in the crawl space. One of them were the broken remains of the Barbie Olympic Ski Village. I never knew its name until I found it in the 1975 Sears Catalog:

You can see it in its full glory here:

The toy we inherited from the previous homeowners wasn’t complete. We only had one of the panels to the ski jump, but it wasn’t long enough to even reach the floor in a vertical drop. Stacey and I used to prop it up on the huge dictionaries from Mom’s bookcase. There was no Olympic Gold Medal to award Barbie, either. The “swirling snow saucer” was missing as well.

Thirty years later, all that remains of the Barbie Olympic Ski Village are a pair of skis.

You would think that living in Salt Lake City, Utah, I would have been a mad for skiing kid and loved this toy, but I didn’t. Skiing was something rich people did. They invaded our town and wasted their time strapping boards to their feet and falling down hills. This toy kind of sat in disrepair, virtually unplayed with until it was finally thrown away. It makes me kind of sad for it.

Maybe it ended up on the Island of Misfit Toys and found a place where it could be happy.

• Weekly Weight Watchers meeting. I had a good week: down 1.4 lbs. (@ Weight Watchers) http://4sq.com/4p8uhw #

Powered by Twitter Tools

Although her hair is a matted mess of unbrushable fluff, my Tuesday Taylor doll is still awesome.

This is Suntan Tuesday Taylor, meaning that she could actually get a TAN in the SUN! My friends were amazed at her. Here’s a commercial showing off her suntanning glory.

After seeing this commercial, I decided to let Tuesday go out for a tan, even though it’s so very bad for her health. She borrowed Golden Dream Barbie’s swimming suit.

I even put a jewel sticker on her leg to see if there was a difference after a bit in the sun.

After about thirty minutes in the sun, there is a slight difference in skin tone, but you can only see it if you’re looking closely.

What was more surprising are the tan lines on her shoulders. They were far more obvious.

I was impressed how well that worked. I fully expected no effect. When I saw the tan lines on her shoulders, I felt just as awed and happy as I was when I was a child. This toy is thirty years old and she still works just as well as she did when she was new. It’s nice to know that Tuesday Taylor is still awesome.

For more information about Tuesday Taylor: Crissy and Beth: Tuesday Taylor

Sometimes I’m shocked at how intact my toys are. I found this Babysitting Barbie set in the 1977 Sears Christmas Catalog on Flickr.

I was able to find almost all of the pieces to the set (and a couple of spoons to feed the baby that must have come from some other set).

I’m surprised how good the baby still looks today. After thirty years, you’d think she would show a little wear.

My nieces came over to play at my house a couple of weeks ago. I let them play with my Barbies and they absolutely LOVED the baby Barbie and her accessories. I remember feeling like that. The baby Barbies and even Skipper were dolls that were rare compared to the vast quantities of Barbies available, so they were cool. They were like Barbies, but the wrong size.

Watching my nieces playing with my old Barbies made me so happy. Isn’t funny to know that even though a toy is thirty years old, it can still be fun for kids.

• Too busy to get a tour. We'll have to come back Monday. At least we can shop in the gift shop. :) (@ Winchester Mystery House) #
• Yummy treats at the hotel bar. (@ Tanq w/ 2 others) http://4sq.com/8THx05 #
• Tanq Treats http://twitpic.com/1eol2c #
• Espresso Martini at Tanq. Beautiful, but a little too strong for my UT drinking abilities. #

Powered by Twitter Tools

• I live Panera, so I eat here whenever I go out of town. (@ Panera Bread) http://4sq.com/axXeEj #
• Hey, #juggalos – anything is a miracle if you're too stupid to understand how it works. /via @choochoobear #
• I must make a pilgrimage to every Fry's in the city. (@ Fry's Electronics – Brokaw) http://4sq.com/2u3gBY #
• This Fry's has a Mayan theme. http://twitpic.com/1ew9y4 #
• A few more additions to the Colour Codes Collection. Love them! (@ Swatch) http://4sq.com/dsd0ON #
• Here are the Swatches for you to see. http://twitpic.com/1ez89j #

Powered by Twitter Tools

Here is the commercial for the Colour Code Swatches:

Every year for my birthday, I think of this song from Mickey Mouse’s Splashdance album. I bought the album for my sister for her birthday in 1983, but it was truly a gift for both of us.

I was in junior high by then, so an album with Mickey Mouse on the jacket was too juvenile for me… or at least that’s what I would have said back then. I didn’t want to admit how much I loved that album. Stacey and I played it so many times that I can still sing all the songs by heart.

Back in December, I found Splashdance on Amazon’s MP3 downloads and you would think that I had found pure gold. I was so happy to be able to listen to that album again!

• Checking out the Tech museum. Walk down memory lane. (@ Tech Museum of Innovation) http://4sq.com/3bpTcQ #
• I kind of expected the Tech museum to be a museum of technology (old computers and stuff). http://twitpic.com/1f5sv8 #
• I didn't expect a cheap ripoff of The Exploratorium. Disappointed. #
• RT @SeagullFountain Um, who in their right mind would choose a McD cupcake over a Bavarian pastry? http://tinyurl.com/ybnczca #
• Apparently, I should have gone to the Computer History Museum in Palo Alto. I guess I'll try that on Wed. since they're not open today. #
• I'm at San Jose Museum of Art (110 S Market St, at San Fernando St, San Jose). http://4sq.com/4Jlml0 #
• I'm out of luck today. Back to the hotel to kill zombies. http://twitpic.com/1f609c #
• I'm out of luck today. I guess I'll go back to the hotel and kill some zombies. http://twitpic.com/1f62qt #
• Video of the friendliest rodent in San Jose. I can't believe how unafraid he was! http://tinyurl.com/y36n2yb #
• Thwarted in art and science, I resort to alcohol. It's always waiting for me. (@ Tanq) http://4sq.com/8THx05 #

Powered by Twitter Tools

• Second Apple Store today. Forgot to check in at the Company Store. (@ Apple Store – Palo Alto) http://4sq.com/8RL217 #

Powered by Twitter Tools

• I weigh in EVERY week, even of I'm out of town. (@ Weight Watchers Willow Glen) http://4sq.com/aNf8oa #
• One more visit to the mothership… (@ Apple – The Company Store) http://4sq.com/6RFHoC #
• Early lunch or maybe it's a late breakfast. Either way, it's delicious. (@ Pho Minh) http://4sq.com/7VzVat #
• Walk down memory lane. (@ Computer History Museum) http://4sq.com/60yYsF #

Powered by Twitter Tools

• Library of Congress to archive Twitter tweets http://bit.ly/ddncO9 via @cnn – Now I have to be literary in 140 characters?! The pressure! #
• Most beautiful steampunk shoes EVAR!! http://twitpic.com/1frifc http://www.myspace.com/joanasilvashoes #

Powered by Twitter Tools

• Best pedicure in SLC. I drive all the way from South Jordan to come here. (@ Sky Nails) http://4sq.com/cFSokF #

Powered by Twitter Tools

• Here for the SLC 5K. It should start in ten minutes. (@ Gateway Center) http://4sq.com/7eRXqO #
• At the SLC 5K. Running behind the Sorenson Media people. http://twitpic.com/1g9j92 #
• Done with my race. Walking back to my car. Think I'll nap when I get home. Bathroom facilities were a joke. #
• At the Daybreak Wine Club. Nice group of people. I'm definitely coming next time! http://twitpic.com/1gg03q #

Powered by Twitter Tools

• Still basking in the glow of the Daybreak Wine Club party last night. I'm SO GLAD I moved here! #
• Mom bought me a chair for my birthday. (@ Ikea) http://4sq.com/7bpOli #

Powered by Twitter Tools

• I'm on a bus to my favorite pho restaurant. The Prius is at the dealer's getting its recall notices out of the way. #
• Just found out that San Gelato has free wi-fi. Next month, the Geek Dinner is gonna be here! (@ San Gelato) http://4sq.com/4Bd59U #

Powered by Twitter Tools

I’m sitting in my blue comfy chair. I have Elvis on the left arm, looking out the window, following every movement of birds and debris. I have Maggie to my right, sitting on the footstool and Sid on the floor.

I always imagine an alien group observing us. They can tell where all the life forms are in the house and notice that we all congregate in one room, no matter the size of the house. In fact, we are all congregated in one corner of that one room.

I imagine that they would find this behavior strange. Why would they all hover in one tiny corner of that large dwelling? Are they scared? They aren’t close enough to be getting any warmth from each other. They each seem to be moving of their own free will. Why do they congregate when they could spread out? They must get some benefit from the close proximity, despite their differences in genetic make up. What is it?

• Here for the UT Geek Dinner! (@ Neil's Halibut Broiler w/ @thomallen) http://4sq.com/aarVJM #

Powered by Twitter Tools

• Just got into West Yellowstone and couldn't wait to eat at my fav bistro! (@ Sydney's Mountain Bistro) http://4sq.com/dwXOOx #

Powered by Twitter Tools