Took this photo yesterday while wandering around at lunch

So kimono reincarnate got tagged and invited readers to do the tag them selves, so here goes:

7 random facts about me:

1) I'm afraid of heights - even in pictures, on TV, video games and movies. My feet tingle like they are going to sleep when I see a sequence that is too long in a film or video game or on TV.

2) I hate real bees and love cartoon bees. I completely freak out if a bee is flying near me, but cartoon bees are the cutest.

3) the traditional domestic arts are not my forte - cooking, cleaning, etc. I kinda suck at all of them. Crafts, no problem, but ask me to make a cake and you are risking your digestive system

4) I have big feet

5) I have more than one favorite color

6) The women on my father's side of the family all look very similar, tall, brown hair, green or brown eyes. My grandmother, her twin, her twin's daughter and I look so similar that the only way you can tell us apart in photos is mine and my cousin's are in color and I'm wearing 70's styles as opposed to 60's like my cousin.

7) My dad is the one who taught me how to sew when I was in high school. My mom is visually impaired and cannot see well enough at that scale to sew. My dad actually learned to sew for his drama degree so showed me how to use the machine an follow patterns.

I'm not good about doing chain letter type stuff, so if you read this and want to join the fun, feel free.

And I leave you with a photo - a shot of an alley way stair case on the way from the Ebisu Tokyo metro station to Arco tower:

We were planning on going again in February to meet a friend of ours for his birthday.... But after seeing a steady slow decline in the exchange rate ($1 US to 89 Yen) we are canceling our trip.

I'm so sad.

I really had hoped to see Tokyo in the winter.

here's a funny little secret to make it all better....

I love modern Japanese toilets. No, really, I do.

They make noise so you don't have to hear your neighbors in a public bathroom, the seats warm up, and flush very quietly.

Too much information? It's ok - between my friend Becky and I - we had our whole office convinced they wanted to go to Japan just to try the bathrooms. My VP asked, when I came back from my first work trip, why Becky and I had so many pictures of toilets. I blame Becky. ;) Her brother (or some other relative) had wanted to sell them in the US and was really excited to see one in anything other than a catalog.

Here's the one in Ebisu Westin:

I have been really sick this week.

I started the week just fine, but by Wednesday afternoon I was sniffly and achy. Thursday I woke up and couldn't breathe out of my nose. Strange colors were leaking from said nose.

I had a sinus infection - AGAIN!!

I called in sick to work two days in a row, missed Disney Land with the HerShe Group, and missed out on being point on a web campaign that I really wanted to work on. I never call in sick - but I got too bad, too fast. Them's the breaks, I guess.

Pictures and pretty stuff coming soon, I promise. If I make it through the work day tomorrow with out dying and coming home early, I will be posting again.

I'm grumbling again....

I have a love hate relationship with my apartment.

I love:

- easy access to everything I want to see or visit within a 5 mile radius
- urban, it's in the heart of Hollywood
- no pet deposit when we moved in
- great neighbors
- great neighborhood

I hate:

- the maintenance guy
- that my electricity is flaky
- that my AC is flaky
- repairs in general

Let me explain... It's always our fault something isn't working. We have had long running issues with our air conditioning unit. There is a freon leak somewhere in the system. The cooling unit is on our roof and the blower and intake are actually in our apartment. Our AC has to be re-charged with Freon every year and the management doesn't want to disassemble the building to fix the leak, so they just keep recharging it and telling us all the dog hair in our apartment is clogging the system up.

The electricity in our apartment is freaky and has been for the past year - we keep blowing circuits on breakers that have had the SAME exact electronics plugged in for years. For example - our refrigerator and microwave are on the same circuit and have been for about 4 years. A few months ago, all of the sudden and on random occasions, turning on the microwave while the compressor for the refrigerator was on started tripping the circuit breaker. And of course, it's our fault for having too much stuff plugged in. Come ON, really???!!! same electronics, same circuits, four years, no problems. Not my fault!!! Your power sucks - replace our circuit box with heavier duty circuits already. But no.

Our garbage disposal got clogged up, this time my fault (I stupidly put artichoke leaves in the disposal as well as rice). no problem. the maintenance guy comes out cleans it out and we're back in business, but the sink doesn't drain very well. Eh - I live with it. Fast forward to Monday morning..... husband juices a few oranges and sticks the rind in the disposal. The sink backs up and the disposal refuses go. ARGGHH!!!!

Instead of calling maintenance, Husband replaced it. very manly manly of my techno nerdie husband ;) we bought a much nicer unit that will be replaced with a crappy (but nicer than the one had) unit when we move out. He even snaked the drain pipe!! As it turns out my clog had backed up further in the pipe than the maintenance guy thought and it was mostly plugged up anyway.

We will be doing all the maintenance ourselves from now on.

Getting an AC guy and electrician in are next on the list...

So in the wanderings on Saturday (that's a whole 'nother story), husband and I discovered a new little shopping center near Sunset and Cahuenga in Hollywood. It's called Space15twenty - and it's is PERFECT! I love it.

I spent WAY too much money....

First at Hennessey + Ingalls, and art and architecture book store. Husband bought a book on concrete modern buildings and I bought a textile reference book. I almost didn't get the book but I have a long running issues with saying "oh I'll think about it and get it later." EVERY single time I've done it here in LA - I've never been able to find said item again. ever.

Second at We the Free, I splurged on a few shirts. We the Free is a newish label from Free People that I am in love with.

I bought this sweater:


This shirt:


and this shirt:


I will be posting pics later of the space...

Scoutie Girl is doing a give away - the major bonus with this one is that for every comment you enter - she'll donate 5 cents to the charity of the winner's choice. go enter away!!!

Sew Mama Sew has put together a huge blog give away collaboration with a ton of other blogs. Check out the list here.

there are lots of really great blogs in the list and super cute stuff up for a give away.

found via the craftzine blog

This interesting artist and curator, Kirsty Hall, has a bunch of really interesting art on her site most of it craft driven. take a peek.

Today, I finished my mass production project. My fingers hurt and I need a nap, but it's noon now and I started the final stages at around 8 this morning. Woo Hoo!!

Here are all the pins finished up:


You can see the tags I started in the back ground.

I'm hoping the girls from the HerShe Group's program like them. I also rounded up a couple of shirts, notebooks, pins, etc. from all the teams at my office's swag closets. AND Lollychops is pitching in too!! You might be able to sneak a peek over on her site.

And on a side note.....

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!!!!!!!!