No gym for me this morning.  I woke up on time, rolled over and that's when the pain started.  Arms, legs, sides, abs, butt.  Everything hurts.  I had another 6:30 am workout with my trainer yesterday, followed by a lonnnnnng, kinda stressful day.  The kind where I sat in front of a computer all damn day.  Those are the days I get the urge to hit up the gym a second time for a quickie run on the treadmill.  20 minutes and I'm out the door.  So I went for it.  And last night, I slept like a baby.

Today, though, I'm feeling it everywhere.  I can't even laugh because I feel it deep in my sides and abs.  I had to come down the bedroom stair one step at a time, like an old person.  Step, pause.  Step, pause.  Step, pause.  Bah!  I'm calling a time out.  I hate having to do it, but I'll save my trip to the gym for after work.  I would go spend an entire hour relaxing my muscles in the sauna, but there are two issues that make me want to stay at home with my coffee instead:  1) I'm in between waxes and have Sasquatch legs, and 2) plastic bag girl at the gym.

( Clickety click! )

Despite that last post about trying not to buy new stuff, we ended up getting a flat screen TV over the weekend. It's basically a late wedding present from Bradley's family, so I don't feel bad about it.

We didn't register anywhere when we got married because a) we have everything we need, and b) what kind of asshole elopes and then asks for gifts? We didn't want anything and we weren't expecting anything, but Bradley's family totally ignored our requests. They sent us cold hard cash. We weren't sure what to do with it, so we just sort of put it away.

We wanted a new TV but we didn't need it. We got rid of my old TV, the one I got for $50 when I first moved to Minneapolis, and we used Bradley's little 15" for all our DVD viewing. Until its built-in DVD player crapped out on us. So finally, FINALLY, this weekend, we gave in and got it: a 32" HD flat screen Sony Bravia. A thing of beauty.

Whoo!

But that's not all. I've been on the hunt for a really specific pair of pumps:
- Italian leather
- rounded-pointy toe
- really classic looking so it won't ever go out of style
- something I can wear both for work and for a night out
- comfortable enough to wear for 10 hours a day
- works well with jeans, pants and skirts
- sturdy but not chunky heel, between 2.5" and 3.25" tall
- has at least a 4.5 star rating on Zappos AND Amazon.com

I've been searching for this shoe for months now, and I'd almost given up hope. And then I found it. Meet the BCBGirls Stela:



It normally retails for $95-110 in store and on the usual websites. I found it for *drumroll, please* $29. So I got it in black and brown. And, um, I might also get them in grey and red later.

Mission accomplished. Now if only I could find the absolute perfect ballet flat, I'd be set for years.

Dear China,

This is the last straw. As if your labor standards and human rights violations and dog food incident and Tibet weren't bad enough. It's over. I'm moving on. Go fuck yourself.

Love,
Leena

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Over the course of the past few years, I've been working on being greener. I'm not a hippie and anyone who calls me one gets a punch in the nose, Rocio.

I've kicked the plastic bag habit by always bringing canvas bags to the grocery store or asking for paper bags. I am the recycle nazi in our house and my husband is constantly getting his ass beaten to a bloody pulp for trying to put his beer bottles in the trash. I've made a huge effort to buy local as much as possible so that I'm supporting small businesses and so my food isn't using ridiculous amounts of gas to make its way to my tummy.

Now I'm working on limiting my consumption of Made In China products.

I realize that it's not going to make much of a difference to China if I stop buying their cheap crap, but it will at least help me avoid that pang of guilt when I see Made In China on a laundry label and wonder whether the person on the other side of the world got a fair deal for her part of the process (the answer almost always seems no).

I need to buy less overall anyway — do I really need another handbag? — and I'm finally at the age where I'm able to spend a little more on quality items instead of buying a bunch of throw-away stuff that will last a year maximum. Plus, lets face it, I'm getting way too old to step foot in a Forever 21.

I've been reading up a lot about people who boycott Chinese products, and I'm seeing some issues crop up already. Namely clothes and shoes. Especially shoes. You could take one look at my closet and fully understand the extent of my shoe obsession. I've slowed down a lot since Bradley instituted the buy-one-throw-one rule (if I buy a new pair of shoes, an old pair has to go), but still, shoes are my crack.

The problem is that most shoes, even the fancy schmancy designer ones, are made in China. A lot of boycotters buy used shoes or they'll pay top dollar for Italian shoes. I'm trying to find a happy medium because I'm too poor for Italian and too germophobic for used. I've found at least a couple of Brazilian, Ecuadorian and African brands that don't cost two arms and two legs, so it's doable. I'm still reading up on it.

The one thing that really hurts, though: no more Chuck Taylors.

Anyway, it's not a full-on boycott on my part. I'm OK with buying used Chinese products, and I wouldn't turn down a gift that's made in China. I'm just trying to be more conscious in who gets my hard earned cash and I'm trying to limiting my overall consumption. Wish me luck!