Jeans, Barbecue, & Poetry

Despite the travel trauma of getting there, we really enjoyed Nashville.  On our first full day in town, I made sure we headed to Imogene + Willie - I was going to plunk down some serious cash for a serious pair of jeans.

Imogene + Willie (in the photo)

It should be clear to anyone who has read this blog more than once that I not only think a lot about clothes but value the handmade and the local as well.  It's really important for me to be aware of where my clothes come from (and other things for that matter) and to be conscious of their production and quality.  Imogene + Willie is one of a small group of independent producers who make and source jeans as locally as possible.  The denim comes from North Carolina, they make the jeans regionally, and all design, fit development, pattern making, and finishing touches are done at their shop in Nashville, TN.  The jeans aren't cheap, but they're going to last (they'll take care of any repairs should I need them).  I bought the Imogene Rigid jeans - I can't wash them for six months but must wear them during that time to break them in.   I have them on right now!  I can finally button them without assistance, lying on the bed, or jumping up and down (you buy them a size down).

I'm in love.

Welcome to My Nightmare

File under "Misery Loves Company" - my flight to Nashville was scheduled to leave at 8:55am this morning but because of the ground crew strike, I'm still sitting here at Pearson Airport.  I believe in the right to strike although I haven't really investigated the causes of this one; it's actually Air Canada's response that was problematic.  They definitely did not have their shit together today.  Not only did information and instructions change ("Oh, you checked a bag?  They let you check a bag? Well, you have to go back out and get it, and then go through customs and security again."  Fast forward an hour and suddenly that wasn't necessary - "Fill out a form at the Air Canada counter when you land and they'll courier your bag to you." Great, just great.), but when they supposedly booked us on other flights, they didn't really book us; in fact, now we're scheduled on two different flights (both with connections, of course), and I could end up landing in Nashville after 9pm tonight.  If the ladyfriend hadn't said something to me after she'd checked in (on her second go-around through security & customs), I might not have a flight at all.  And all you can do is give me a couple of lousy food vouchers for $10?!  You can imagine that all of this, combined with a 5:45am alarm, does not make for a charming Claudia.

Not Really What I Had in Mind...

...when I said I needed a stay-cation.  Instead, I've been somewhat leveled by a virus/flu/allergy juggernaut - oh yeah.  So instead of filling my days crafting, writing, and just enjoying my house, I'm coughing, napping, and grading.

It's hard for me to be at home but unable to do all the things I need or want to do because of my flagging energy levels.  I'm prone to overdoing it or being too ambitious, thereby delaying my return to health.  I'm working very hard on getting better because we fly to Nashville on Friday morning (hoorah!), and it would suck to be sick there. I'm encouraging the lady friend to take as many preventive measures as possible to avoid taking up the mantle of "sick girl." 

I myself am mixing homeopathic/folk remedies with good old Tylenol and Nyquil - yum!  Tonight's soup should also do me good.

Three Fridays and a Marble

Remember that marble thing I mentioned at the beginning of the year - only five marbles to spend on activities outside of writing and work?  Here's how I recently "spent" one of my marbles.

Early bunny embroidery

Starting my love affair with French knots

Bunny embroidery complete!

I recently took a beginning embroidery class at the workroom with my friend Celine, and I have to say I loved it even more than I thought I would.  Quite honestly, I was such a happy little stitcher who often cracked herself up by stopping to simply sigh at her progress. (Look! Five more French knots!)  I have to say - this embroidery is a side of my personality that many people don't see.  I happen to love bunnies.  I love stitching.  It's all rather sweet, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Shoe of the Week: Spring Ahead

Robert Clergerie

Minty fresh!

Seems Like I'm Not Alone

In a combination of avoidance of other work (I mean, how much work can I really do?) and a sudden tenderness toward both my and others' blogs, I found this post on Joy the Baker.  My eating habits have been terrible recently, but these biscuits sound...well, dreamy.

Where's Claudia?

 Sometimes the blog is a little like that running program you were really jazzed about and started earnestly.  But then you slowly kept finding yourself on the couch at 11pm with nary a shoe laced to run  because you got sucked up into whatever variation of a daily grind you participate in.  You find yourself thinking up blog posts (or dreaming about runs) that somehow never get written, and there's both hope and guilt in that.  For me, it's kind of like writing letters - I generally feel like the recipient knows the contents of my letter just because I've written it (which is problematic if I refer to the contents of a letter that's still sitting on my desk).  When I think of blog posts, sometimes I feel like they've already been communicated.  My mistake.

It isn't a lack of interest - not in the least.  It's just a lack of renewable energy.  I'm pretty pooped right now.  Yes, the fact that we've spent the past two days moving our studio (thankfully only across the hall in the same building), were up celebrating a friend's birthday til 5:10am (daylight savings time) last night, and then played a hockey game this afternoon (in which we unsurprisingly sucked) has definitely played a role in this.  But what has made it even harder to do more than just above minimum is the crazy amount of travel that has taken place over the last month and continues into this one.

Excuse or reason?  It doesn't really make any difference.  I'm just informing, but in February I was away for 10 days, and in March I will be away for a total of 11 days.  I'm not talking about April just yet.

The next few days will be "Retro Days" where I will actually post some of the blog posts I made up in my mind.  Let's just hope they still make sense.