Veggies, Xenocryst, Free Boston Parking and Uggs...

I had been really overwhelmed there for a while. I've been spending some quiet time at home this week trying to reel it in, and I'm feeling a) more organized, and b) better. When I spend a lot of time running around it gums up the works at home; laundry doesn't get done, bills get paid twice, I don't get enough sleep and I start to lose things (no, not my mind). I was planning to get these for the fall:
http://www.zappos.com/product/7630814/color/37761 I had a $100 gift card to Zappos, and they were there the last time I checked online - which was about three weeks ago. I know not everyone would wear that color - Ugg Ultramarine - but it is one of my favorites and I have tons of stuff that would match them perfectly. So I went online to get them today, and they only have size 6. Shit. I'm not size 6. Back to the drawing board. I ran through the similar styles but there's no Ultramarine. So, this is as close as I can get:
http://www.zappos.com/product/7555745/color/195487 Instead of the Classic Short, I had to go with the Bailey Button, but it appears to be the same height (I won't wear them rolled down). And, even though the Ugg Deep Cobalt isn't exactly the shade I wanted, it seems pretty close I guess. Zappos - free shipping. Gotta like that.

How about those eggs? Over half a billion (that's billion with a B) have been recalled thus far. What a disaster. I wonder what my neighbors would think if I got a couple hens. Hmm. I like being able to grow my own veggies, so maybe raising my own protein is the next logical step. My garden has been a big success this year - after duking it out with the slugs last year, anything would be an improvement - and I'm thinking I may go bigger next year. Here are the primary components of last nights dinner: swiss chard and cherry tomatoes. Fresh, pretty, and free of salmonella - wouldn't it be great if all our food was safe?

It is starting to get cool at night, so fall is not far off. It's kind of chilly now, and it looks like it's either raining or might rain. I need to run to the bank. I use only small banks, so it's not quite as convenient as having a superbank on every corner. One of my banks is Harvard Employees Credit Union, and it is a complete pain if I have to do any banking. On my way down from Rowley this morning, I was trying to think of the easiest way to get to Harvard Square, and then I remembered that the ATM at the Mass General main campus would be way more convenient. I didn't want to park in the garage, so I had to think about where I could park for free...thinking...thinking...got it. Whole Foods on Charles Street. All I would have to do is buy something at WF, get my parking ticket stamped, and it wouldn't cost me anything. That's what I did.

I parked the car and headed down the block to MGH. If you look at the left half of the photo, you can see the Building for the Third Century, which is under construction. http://www2.massgeneral.org/b3c/
Boston is the only city with two US News Honor Roll Hospitals: Mass General and Brigham and Womens. I don't mention work too much, but I'm very proud to work for Partners Healthcare - both of these hospitals are ours. Anyway, I made my way to the ATM, pulled out the cash I have to move to the other bank, and made my way back to Whole Foods. This is where my money saving plan falls apart. http://www.artisanalcheese.com/prodinfo.asp?number=10404 My favorite cheese is Piave, and the only place I know that sells it is WF. So I go in for a piece of cheese, and get sidetracked by the produce, the fancy chocolate and finally, the beignets. (For a review of my last experience with beignets, check out my eating tour of Chicago
http://hollypots.blogspot.com/2010/03/i-made-it-home-from-chicago.html) I would've been far better off to just park at the hospital, but I've got some lovely fruit and cheese to snack on. Mmm...$9 cherries.
I don't know what happened to my font. My font-control button disappeared, so I can't fix it. Y'all are just going to have to put up with Arial instead of Trebuchet for another paragraph, and we'll be back to normal next time. (Trebuchet is my second-favorite word, which is why I picked that font, by the way. It means catapult.)

So my hat is mostly done. I'm about to start the crown shaping. I had it on my head earlier, but I couldn't get a decent picture of it. Maybe D will take a shot of me tomorrow. We're going to IKEA in the morning. She needs a part for her closet, and I need some knackebrod and lingonberry jam. http://www.squidoo.com/knackebrod And speaking of Swedish, God Kvall. (Have a good one.)