Anywho, I digress …

Loosely based on what might have happened. Or not.

Archive for the ‘Thought’ Category

The business of handbags

Posted by episode81 on October 23, 2009

Who needs a tourniquet when you have the Kate Spade Owl?

Who needs a tourniquet when you have the Kate Spade Owl?

Over the last few months, there have been quite a few articles in business magazines about handbag companies.  I have mentioned before, my love of handbags, and I also find the business of handbags fascinating.  The different marketing approaches are particularly interesting as I am their customer.

My most recent handbag purchase was the Kate Spade owl bag.  I happened to be in the Kate Spade store at Stanford and just fell in love with it – it even has little feet! I moved in to it right away and took it with me on a trip to Santa Rosa.  That’s when I noticed a problem with the bag.  Even with minimal contents, the bag is a little heavy. That combined with the sharp edges on the handle, resulted in a lack of blood in the fingers of the carrying hand.  Not good, so I tried it on my arm.  That cut the blood off to my entire hand and left an unpleasant tingle.  Not good at all.

So, I did something that I have never done before.  I took it back.  The staff were astonished.  It has sold out and is now a collectors item, selling at a premium on Ebay.  So what? That’s not my bag baby.

Understand that I really have never taken anything back to a store before.  When I buy, I am committed to the purchase!  I got a refund.  Awesome!  Then I took a ring back to Bloomies that turned my finger green.  Then some workout clothes that didn’t really fit.  I was on a roll!  But it doen’t sit well with me.  I am now taking a month off from shopping … unless I see a fab handbag … and it is on sale …

Anywho, I digress …

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Posted in Handbags, News, Thought | 1 Comment »

Happy to be ordinary, for a change

Posted by episode81 on October 16, 2009

Like many people, I’m anticipating the flu season.  I’ve had the seasonal shot and am waiting to “qualify” for the H1N1 shot.  In the mean time, I am stocking up on decent pocket tissues.

A few years back, a fellow expat of mine pointed out the difference between UK Kleenex pocket tissues and those sold in the US.  Same brand, same packaging but very different quality, or so he said.  I confess, I thought he was “having a moment”.  There is a very big difference between Kleenex and store brands, but the same brand purchased in a different country?

I took the nose test … and he was right.  The UK version is soft, strong and absorbent, the US version, not so much.  More of a spreader than wiper.

I always have a pack of tissues in my (fabulous!) handbag, attractively packaged in a handy tissue holder.  Imagine my dismay on a recent trip to the UK, when I stocked up on pocket Kleenex, only to discover that the UK Kleenex have morphed into the US Kleenex!  The horror!!

I have been test driving (nosing?) all the brands I can find.  They are all spreaders, not wipers.  Do let me know if you discover a good one.

Anywho, I digress …

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Posted in Thought, UK, USA | Leave a Comment »

That’s a good question

Posted by episode81 on October 13, 2009

What a guy!

I had a pedicure last week.  Nothing remarkable about that, but I did get asked a question that I didn’t have a ready answer for.  This is unusual because I always have an opinion.

Last week, I went to listen to Richard Dawkins speak at Kepler’s about his new book.  He also has opinions and he is not afraid to share them.  I listened, riveted to my seat, for over an hour.  He is unapologetic but clear and it was exciting to hear him articulate his views so crisply.  He does stray into fundamentalist territory now and again, which is disappointing.  However, he avoids most of the typical crowd pleasers and sticks to facts.

Anywho, I digress …

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It’s not me

Posted by episode81 on October 10, 2009

We are not amused

We are not amused

I have lived in the same neighborhood for 13 years.  I like it.  I can walk into town for a coffee or dinner or shopping.  It’s a great spot and I love to walk.

Yesterday, I needed to return a book to a friend at Stanford.  I walked.  It was 2.6 miles and took me about 35 minutes.  I like to walk fast.  Sadly, I get quite warm when I am walking so I usually arrive dripping with sweat.  I have a good deodorant 😉

Anywho, I digress …

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Aliens

Posted by episode81 on October 7, 2009

Lisa in a parallel universe

Lisa in a parallel universe

I like aliens.  Bulbous heads, big eyes, green/grey/orange skin.  What’s not to love?  I am a Resident Alien, so I have an affinity for my people 😉

I have an orange alien on my credit card.  My bank allows you to upload a picture, so why not an alien?  It was rejected initially – no sense of humor at the bank apparently.  I just kept reapplying until they gave in.  A small victory for the alien population … with bank accounts.

Anywho, I digress … Read the rest of this entry »

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Why am I here?

Posted by episode81 on September 29, 2009

There's no place like home. There's no place like home ...

Once people are done with telling me about their vacations in the UK and how cute my accent is, the inevitable next question is:

“Why did you move here?”.

My automatic answer is:

“Money, the weather and opportunity”.

Sometimes I vary the order depending on the preceding conversation, but in reality, there is no order.  All three are of equal value.

Personally, I think the actual act of moving to the USA is the more interesting question.  Six weeks after a trip to the US from the UK for interviews, the house was sold, I had a green card, the four cats were crated and in the hold of the plane and we were on the way.  I am very decisive.  And it was 1996, so things were much easier then.

Anywho, I digress …

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Posted in Thought, UK, USA | 3 Comments »

Blowing Bubbles

Posted by episode81 on September 22, 2009

Don't look away - when it bursts, you'll miss it!

Don't look away - when it bursts, you'll miss it!

Last week, I had a disappointment and an exciting moment.  I visited the de Young in San Francisco to see the King Tut Exhibit. I had lunch in the cafe.

Lunch was awesome.  The food was good and the service friendly.  We sat outside in the plastic tent.  It had rained heavily the night before, and it was threatening again, but it was warm and there was a good view of the sculpture garden.

Then I noticed the roof.  There were huge puddles of water on the roof.  As the roof was plastic, the puddles dangled overhead looking fit to burst at any moment!  While I sat there eating my lunch I fantasized about constructing a large poking stick to pierce the largest bubble, so that I could pop it without getting soaked.  It reminded me of the Friends episode about the Ugly Naked Guy and the giant poking device.  That was a great episode – check out the script.  One of the best 🙂

Joey: All right now remember, something this big and long is going to
      be difficult to maneuver, fortunately I have a lot of experience 
      in that area.

Ross: Can we please focus here, a naked man’s life hangs in the
      balance!

Phoebe: I’m telling you he’s dead. What we are about to have here
        is a dead fat guy on a stick.

Joey: All right, ladies and gentlemen, let’s poke. (they start to
      advance the giant poking device) Steady. Steady. Okay, a little
      higher. Careful of the angle. Okay, okay, we’re approaching the
      window (as he says this the camera cuts to their view of Ugly 
      Naked Guy, so that we actually see him!) Thread the needle. 
      Thread the needle. 

(They thread the needle and start poking him, he then stirs.)

Phoebe: He’s alive! He’s a-live!!!

Monica: And yet, we’re still poking him.

Joey: Okay, retract the device, retract the device.

Ross: He does not look happy.

Rachel: Hey-hey, now he’s showing us his poking device.

Joey: Hey, that’s never gonna make it all the way over here, buddy!

Anywho, I digress …

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Posted in Thought | 1 Comment »

Accidental Haiku

Posted by episode81 on September 17, 2009

Are Haikus Poetry?

Is Haiku Poetry?

Like many teenagers, I wrote bad poetry.  I came across my old poetry book the other day.  What was I thinking?  It was all doom and gloom – dead people, uncontrollable emotions and pop song cliches.  Good grief, I was a miserable teenager.  Be very grateful that there was no internet back then. Self published prose.  Yikes!

Anywho, I digress …

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Posted in Thought, Wordy Knickers | 1 Comment »

Another obsession of mine

Posted by episode81 on September 13, 2009

Note the hidden fingernails

Note the hidden fingernails

I stopped biting my nails in January 2008, after biting them for as long as I can remember.  Why did I give up?  How did I give up?  I don’t know.  I just did, and now I love, love, love my fab fingernails 🙂

Diana, Princess of Wales gave up biting her nails when she got engaged – try and find a picture of her showing off her new sparkler without her fist clenched.  Let me save you some time – you won’t.  By the time she got married, her fingernails were fab, but she still hid them.  Nail biting is habit forming.

Anywho, I digress …

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Posted in Thought, TV | Leave a Comment »

Being British

Posted by episode81 on September 11, 2009

Maurice on the London Eye

Maurice on the London Eye

I get asked about my accent all the time.  When people discover that I am British and not Australian, Irish or  Russian (yes, really), I then get a potted history of their trips to the UK and questions about their next trip.

Everyone has the same questions that largely revolve around places to visit in London.  I try to be polite, but inside, I am screaming “Buy a guidebook!”.  Sheesh – I haven’t lived there since 1996!  The world has moved on since I was there – new phrases have popped up that I have to ask my UK-based friends to translate. That’s pants, that is and fair play to name but two.

Anywho, I digress …

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Posted in Maurice, Thought, UK | 2 Comments »

 
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