the fun factor

how, exactly, do you quantifiably measure “FUN?”

something that i find to be an absolute hoot may leave you scratching your head in bewilderment. then, you may be laughing uncontrollably on the floor while i will be looking at you like you just landed from another planet. i have no answer to this FUN question – all i know is that i had a lot of FUN in march.

you’ll remember from here that my theme o’ the month was to make march as FUN as possible. how’d that go? well, i’m going to give this goal a rating of A-. here’s the reasoning…

first, off the top of my head, are five occasions that were a lot of FUN:

1. taking off for toronto on a friday aft to spend time with little e and cutie c.

2. massively beating my knitting deadline for the blanket donation to mcc.

you will see the blanket again in MAY when it's auction preview night!

3. seeing “the vow” with nicole and “salmon fishing in the yemen” with andrea. *sigh.* i really love movies.

4. shopping with mom (and dad) at conestoga mall and getting aviator sunglasses!

LOVE!!!

5. drinking a free coffee the size of my head at tim hortons.

next: how FUN was the store? mega! three reasons to note:

1. the arrival of new apparel! merchandising spring/summer clothing is even more fun than unpacking the winter gear. this year, the colours for both shoes and tops/bottoms are very bright. the displays positively pop! it’s been fun to gradually switch over from cold weather wear to the summer selections.

2. completing markdown reports – ok, i may be in the minority, here. most of my colleagues intensely dislike the process of going around and pricing stickers onto items that are now on sale. but, i genuinely like this task! (type a, much??). i look at it as a chance to play treasure hunt, and also i like taking the opportunity to organize and straighten while i’m at it (obsessive/compulsive, much??). it’s very satisfying to cross off each selection with a fresh, black sharpie marker (and it’s FUN to use the sticker gun – haha!).

3. social connections: i love my tuesday eve and sunday morning shifts when i see clinic members and run club participants, respectively. over the years, some of these regulars have truly become friends, and it’s so nice to have these weekly opportunities to chat. and convince them to buy things. i really like meeting new customers, too, and finding out what brings them to the store – everyone has a different story. conversing is such an enjoyable element of my job!

blogging was very FUN this month. by switching to posting with no fixed schedule, no expectations, no pressure, i can genuinely say that each and every blog entry was a delight to compose. and that’s the way it should be!

our march weather was certainly FUN! when you can wear shorts, go jacketless, and see flowers blooming practically in front of your eyes, that is a good, good third month of the calendar year.

one last observation – i really had many moments of personal happiness this month. i chalk that up to being mindful of living in the present, and really making an effort to consciously note “hey, i feel really happy right now.” [not being overly-jacked up on s'bux via pacs contributed to a calmer brain, i have to say!].

i could go on and on, but i’ll leave a few highlights to share when i do my 12 days of kiki monthly review on april 9th.

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let’s talk links and linkbacks (that is when you can click on a word in a blog post and it will take you to a link – a previous blog post, a reference on a website, a news story, etc). today is a very linkback-heavy blog post!

do links/linkbacks bug you? some bloggers get all ragey over multiple linkbacks in a blog post. personally, they don’t bother me at all.

do you ever click on the links/linkbacks? on other blogs, i confess that i never click on a linkback. i do like to include them when i write because they help to flesh out that day’s story. the reader has the choice to click or to keep on reading, so i don’t think they’re that big a deal. (for bloggers who make money off page clicks, i do see the business angle behind the linkback practice. more page veiws = more income, for them. that is not my case!).

coffee and….just sitting

yesterday, i finally checked off a longstanding item (over a month!) on my to do list [i started work at 4 pm, so had the day to fritter away]. unfortunately, completing said task did not include plugging in the vacuum cleaner nor picking up the windex. fortunately, the outing was way more FUN than tackling cleaning chores! [dust will always be there, right?!].

i took myself to my nearest tim horton’s…

a perfect day for aviators! (please note that it took approx seventeen poses before i could capture some signage in the background)

…and finally cashed in my roll-up-the-rim free coffee that i won back on family day when at TH with sarah. now, normally, i would take a beverage like this home with me to enjoy with knitting and blog reading. however, my ‘hood’s timmies is just far enough away that sloshing six blocks up the sidewalk with a hot coffee in hand is not that appealing an idea. so, i decided to just sit in the coffee shop and drink my coffee at a relaxed pace.

[tangent story: i have to interrupt my word flow to share this anecdote. so i get up to the cash register, camera in hand, because i HAD to take a photo - you will see it in a moment. the girl at the cash says to me, "can i ask why you're taking a picture?" to which i gave my honest reply: "because i think it's very funny that the chocolate chip muffins are all sold out and the low-fat cranberry muffins are overflowing the basket." then the girl says, " you're not supposed to take photos of our product." and i said, "oh, i'm sorry." and proceeded to snap this shot:

don't you find that funny, too, that the choco chip are all gone and the *healthy* muffins are all sitting there??!

ok! now i know that tim horton’s does not allow photos! bizarre. end of tangent].

we’ve got a little cold spell going on right now, so hot coffee was appropriate. last week, it was just too hot to desire a mid-day hot beverage!

as luck would have it, someone left the march 2012 copy of oxygen in our condo lending library yesterday morning! so i took the magazine along with me:

note the coffee cup size...

[that will teach me to be greedy: i could not even finish that extra-large. hey, it was a free coffee - i wanted to get the most out of my win. but i practically floated home. good thing it was decaf or i would have been overly zing'd, for sure!].

i used to subscribe to oxygen, but have not really read it for a good 7-8 years now. it was fun to look through! the magazine has a different air to it than when i got it regularly. can’t say i am left feeling compelled to sign up for home delivery again, but it was a fun way to pass some time.

note the twitter and facebook icons - interactive, online references were not a part of paper magazines a few years ago

before leaving, i just sat at the table for a few minutes and looked out the window, thinking deep thoughts letting my mind wander:

not the most exciting view. at least the sun was out!

i can’t say i solved any of the world’s major issues (will we ever see cheap gas prices again??) but it was a peaceful and enjoyable few minutes of thoughtful contemplation and general happiness.

sadly, i did not win another free something...

on my way home, i stopped and looked in the window of the newest coffee shop in uptown:

DVLB stand for "death valley's little brother," the name of the coffee bar; due to the sun, i could not get a pic of the front window without extreme glare!

from the looks, it’s got a very indy, hip vibe. [if any local wants to meet up at dvlb to try out their coffee, lmk!].

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i’m so proud of mom and dad!

on monday, they went out and replaced their cell phone with the newest blackberry bold. i think it’s really cool when people of an older established generation remain hip with the times, signing up for these newfangled communication devices. i’m reminded of my dear grandpa c – way back when home computers were becoming something that “everyone had,” grandpa decided to get one, too. and he took a course so that he would know how to use it. gramps was at least into his 70s, at this time, and even back then, i remember being impressed with his positive attitude and eagerness to learn something new. i agree wholeheartedly with the philosophy of being a life-long learner. so, thumbs up, mom and dad!

when’s the last time you just sat? i’ll tell you that i find it very challenging to just sit. i much prefer to be knitting while watching tv, or being the one driving the vehicle when on the road.

what’s something new you would like to learn? i would like to learn to zumba! it sounds so FUN! at this time, i have no desire to learn another language, learn to cook, or pick up a musical instrument. i would like to advance my technological abilities. it won’t be too long into the future when i am sure little e will be helping aunti learn a thing or two about electronic devices!

salmon swimming

last evening, andrea and i met up at the princess twin to see this movie:

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here‘s the synopsis from the princess website!

here’s andrea and me!

ok, a bit of a miss on sandwiching the film title between us! oh well!

when i first had seen the movie poster outside the cinema building, my interest was captured by the fact that emily blunt and kristin scott thomas were main actors. i’ve admired kristin scott thomas since i first saw her in four weddings and a funeral [how can that film be from 1994, already?!], and i’ve been a fan of emily blunt since the devil wears prada.

andrea and i both loved this charming and delightful movie. it has all the ingredients of a winning film: breath-taking scenery; intrigue and drama; passion and sorrow; gentle humour and laugh-out-loud moments; questionable politics; take-home life lessons; skilled acting, and highly likeable characters. emily blunt (so pretty!), kristin scott thomas (so funny!) and ewan mcgregor (so endearing! – and, first movie i have seen him in) are each just wonderful in their respective roles. i can highly recommend this little gem! it earns a solid *** out of a possible **** stars in the kiki movie-rating system!

**eta: andrea and i were laughing because neither of us could remember the name of this movie, all week long…for today’s blog post title, i honestly thought i was giving you the first two words of the movie’s real title – i obviously thought wrong!

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i got me my aviators!!!

just in time - it was a sunny sunday!

i lucked out at smart set at conestoga mall yesterday, during my outing with mom (and thanks, mom, for the treat!). i wore them all around the rest of sunday (well, not in the movie). i think they will be my signature look for summer 2012!

next up: the peacock feather earrings!

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what actors draw you into seeing a movie? i also would see practically anything (except a war movie) featuring helen mirren, meryl streep, or julia roberts. i’ll leave men out of the equation, today – esp since it’s such (yawn) old news that i ♥ george clooney and tom cruise!

has there been a phase in your life where you have felt like a salmon swimming upstream? i’d say i more relate to feeling like a fish out of water – and that would date back to grades 7-11, roughly. i clearly remember feeling like a misfit, at times, and of being unsure how to act in a social group with my peers – just the typical teenage angst! can’t say i miss that life phase! i’ve never been one to aggressively buck the trend, so to speak, so that metaphor of swimming upstream doesn’t resonate with me all that much.

congratulations all you around the bay-ers!!

dream a little fashion dream

curses. i have searched high and low over the past week for my orange birkenstocks, and i cannot find them anywhere. i always kept them in the front hall closet, and they are definitely not there. nor are they mixed in with the multitude of flipflops that are begging to come out of storage (they will have to wait to see the light of day until my good friday cleaning frenzy).

anyway, i can only conclude that in a fit of ruthless purging, i gave my orange birkenstocks away. this is really, really bad!!! i want to wear them! now i am going to have to go to zellers or walmart and get a cheap knock-off pair (and they won’t be orange). because there are a few looks that i am dying to sport this spring/summer season, and one involves birkenstock sandals.

this afternoon, mom and i are going shopping! i can’t wait. because i am feeling all fired up about fashion, here are the looks i would love to wear this spring/summer season. the following ideas are straight from my heart, and you have to promise not to laugh and not hold them against me.

1. the look: mirrored aviator sunglasses

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inspired by: sandy, who i chitchat with at the store. sandy totally rocks her aviators, and i sooo want to wear this style of sunglasses. this makes absolutely no sense because i hate having anything on my face. now, while i would look nowhere near as awesome as sandy, i would feel oh-so-cool if i was wearing aviators. i saw a pair at the vintage shop beside the princess twin cinema last week, for $10. i am debating going back for them.

2. knee socks + birkenstocks (with a twist)

inspired by: university girls on st patty’s day. right up front: i have an inner snooki side when it comes to fashion, and this sock ‘n’ birkie combo idea is flat out snooki-ness.

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i openly admit this, so that makes it ok. NOW. instead of wearing white, cotton knee high sport socks, i would get the hot pink CEP running compression socks we sell at the store and wear those…

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with my orange birkenstocks…

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if i could find them which is why i am so mad at myself for donating (?) them. i know you are raising your eyebrows at this idea, and yes it is more than questionable in taste to find style inspiration from drunk tipsy female students more than half my age…but i don’t care! it’d be a FUN look!!

3. feather earrings

the earrings at earthwinds

inspired by: harmony by earthwinds, the store across the street from the store. the earrings are $12.95. i am hoping i can find the same thing at h & m for half the price this aft.

4. beaded bracelets and leather bracelets

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inspired by: a customer at the store. this girl was wearing about ten thin bracelets, some composed of tiny beads while others were thin strips of leather. the look was very earthy and summery.

5. bellbottom jeans

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inspired by: i have no idea. i have always detested flared jeans, but along with an inner snooki, i have an inner hippie side, and i can only guess that the desire for faded, worn, vintage, low-rise 70′s style jeans comes from that. *big shrug of shoulders.*

to end, i am going to make a FASHION PROCLAMATION. i hereby announce that i am never going to give clothes or footwear away again. the birkenstock loss is but one example from, oh, the past six months of something i have had a craving to wear…but, i have given it away in a fit of cleansing and organizing. no more! with the cyclical nature of fashion, i will eventually want to wear something i think i don’t want to wear.

in conclusion, it would appear that my summer mantra’s be a bohemian.

what’s your look going to be this summer? luckily, there are a few vintage shops in my ‘hood and in TO that i can frequent. i also *need* a pair of cutoff jean shorts!

HAPPY RACING to all around the bay runners, this morning!

janetha saves the day

so, what do you do when the urge to blog strikes, but you have nothing even remotely interesting exceptional to say? why, you turn to a survey, of course! and luckily, janetha composed an a-z style questionnaire not too long ago. it’s funny because i had been thinking, “it sure would be fun to do a q & a session again,” then bingo, janetha posted her quiz. this techie/crafty girl even produced a template that you can access here should you, too, wish to play along on your blog!

a is for age shall we do the oil of olay “how old do you THINK i am??”

file photo from the december teeth whitening experiment; whiter teeth = a younger look, right?!

actually, since the name of my blog gives away my age, this question is not all that revealing. as of today, i am 42 years, two months and 12 days old.

b is for breakfast today the usual: oatmeal dolloped with peanut butter, apple spread with peanut butter. [it's getting too warm for hot oats and i am losing the love...].

c is for currently craving to SPRING CLEAN THE CONDO CASA. my fingers are positively ITCHING to get going on this! the overall feeling of dust and grime is driving me batty.

d is for dinner tonight a hugh jass salad including: tinned salmon; avocado; almonds; nutritional yeast; pickles; fresh veg; lite catalina. [sidenote: when i was little, i abhorred the bones in tinned salmon and would freak right out if my sandwich had stray "white crunchy bits" in it. now i LOVE the taste and texture of the salmon bones!]. and cereal before bed, bien sûr!

e is for favourite type of exercise do i have to pick only one?? no can choose between stairmaster and running. back in the day, i would have said aerobics!

f is for an irrational fear i am scared of cats, specifically the look in their eyes. they seem to look right into my interior, and i imagine they are going to bare fangs and pounce on my head. (apologies to all my cat-loving readers). remember, this is an IRRATIONAL fear!

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g is for gross food onions of any type, ham, rice pudding.

h is for hometown i was born in kitchener and now live about 10 km away in waterloo.

i is for something important living life with an attitude of optimism and positivity.

j is for current favourite jam as in fruit spread or music?! lately, i really light up when i hear i like how it feels by enrique iglesias.

k is for kids my nieces are the best!!

i love our annual gingerbread house decorating day!!

l is for current location well, it depends on when you are reading this! today i work at theOTHERstore til 5:15 p.m., and am going to friday night knitting club this evening.

m is for the most recent way you spent money groceries at food basics [followed by the dance of joy and chortles of delight because of all the money i saved!].

n is for something you need to win the lottery?? haha! the tanktop with eyeballs?? a facial??…let’s go back to that spring cleaning issue…

o is for occupation i am a proud retail sales professional (assistant manager at the store and theOTHERstore).

p is for pet peeve people who walk slowly, drive slowly, talk slowly, open doors slowly…

q is for a quote: “don’t ask what the world needs. ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ~ howard thurman [this is the quote that is on the bottom of emails i send out from my gmail account].

r is for a random fact about you i have not used an alarm clock to wake me up in the morning for at least the past 3-5 years. i just tell myself when i want to wake up, and it works!

s is for favourite healthy snack a protein bar and it must have chocolate in it.

t is for favourite treat any baked squares or cake or crisp with apples in it. the very best apple square can be found at tango palace in toronto.

u is for something that makes you unique i can squish more into a day than you would think possible. “pulling an erv day” is an inherited skill from dad!

v is for favourite vegetable broccoli is great! i would not have said that as a child!

w is for today’s workout today is a srd (scheduled rest day) and i will take a walk after work.

x is for xrays you’ve had teeth (never had a cavity) and lower extremities to rule out stress fractures (a couple of times when i was in my 20s).

y is for yesterday’s highlight a tie: 1) my friends from the store, lee and jeannie, popped in with darling, 10 DAY old baby e [a different "e" than my little e!]. and i got to hold her! chatting with lee and jeannie and snuggling the little newborn was the best. 2) i visited with bff debbie over at her house, last eve. there really is nothing as relaxing and FUN as getting together with a friend, in person. plus, we watched an home tour chez ♥george clooney♥ that debbie had pvr’d. much sighing ensued.

z is for your time zone eastern!

it’s your turn – share away! the key to answering questions like these is not to think too much – i like to shout out type the first responses that pop into my head!

fun facts – janetha also blogs entirely in lower case, is very close with her family, and ♥loves♥ cereal!

you know it’s going to be a good day when…

…bleary-eyed, you shuffle your way downstairs, recycling bins in hand, as you complete your early-morning ritual of emptying your tins and newspapers into your building’s main receptacles. as you fling open the door to the garbage room, you cast your eyes up at the lending library shelves [yes, the book exchange shelves share space with the refuse area...not sure what this says about the value placed on reading by the residents of this condo...].

suddenly, your eyes pop open and your heart skips a beat. what do we have here?? do the eyes deceive? but, no, thank goodness it is not a mirage!

what a find!

tommy is now comfortably esconced in the condo casa. however, mind you, mr cruise, there is no jumping on couches in this household.

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my goal this past weekend was to go out on that beautifully gorgeously sunny sunday afternoon and shoot artistically pleasing photos for the blog. ok, my camera skills + the point n shoot canon fall a little short. here’s all i got:

the patio is open and ready for business at SOLE!

experimenting with a "down low" angle...the flowers will be blooming before we know it!

an invasion at waterloo park - families, students...shouts of laughter and conversation abounded

1,2,3,4...i'll take one of each, please!

anything that got your day off to a karmically excellent start? hearing a cardinal sing is also a very good sign.

it’s supposed to hit 28 degrees celsius, here. that can only mean one thing:

gtl, you are back in active rotation!

DONE!!!

here it is!…

completed just in time to photograph in natural daylight!

wow. when i imagined that i could attempt to complete this knitting project before friday march 23rd, the goal seemed lofty and unattainable. life lesson learned: don’t sell yourself short!

as artsy as my photography gets

dear dad has kindly agreed to transport the blanket over to the mcc office for me on thursday or friday (i am working) so that both blanket + information sheet are submitted in time (the final step is spritzing the blanket down with water, then letting it dry naturally, so that it can “settle” a bit…so, it needs a few days before i can fold it up). i think i will owe dad a coffee outing for playing courier service!

"the two storey view"

it was thrilling (yes, knitting can be exciting!) to work hard to meet beat my time goal…but, now it is time to give my wrists a break, and go back to knitting as relaxation – i feel on the cusp of knitting burn out! it’s time to rebalance – short term goals include:

• cleaning the condo casa (it has been sorely neglected the last couple of weeks; i’ll do a regular cleaning then “reward” my knitting efforts by indulging in a full spring cleaning fling on good friday)
• reviewing finances (taxes are done, yippee!)
• reading (i’m well into emily giffin’s “something borrowed,” and loving it)
• shopping?? (i have a yearning to check out cute, spring fashions)
  
• enjoying random FUN moments before march says good-bye!

tomorrow SPRING ARRIVES! what will you do to celebrate?? i am off until 4 pm. maybe i should go up to the rooftop garden and tan read…i’ve never done that so early in the year, before!

‘sitting in the city

as you know, one of the things i love about my job is the flexible schedule and the fact that no two weeks ever seem to be the same. usually, on a friday, i work 9-6 at theOTHERstore. however, i front-loaded my week this week with more hours than normal, which made my friday a short 9-2 shift.

i had a grand and very FUN idea, early in the week! let’s see: i am done work early on friday; it is march break, thus no aunti wednesday is planned as the little ones have a different schedule; i am fifteen minutes closer to toronto if i leave from theOTHERstore; hopefully TO traffic will be reduced, thanks to march break…

a-ha! the timing was perfect to complete part one of number two in the 12 days of kiki! luckily, the brother and sil ana were open to me shooing them out of the house for a date night! the plan was set! [yes, i realize i could have spent these hours knitting on THE BLANKET. however, family trumps knitting, regardless of impending deadlines].

i got onto the 401 east asap after unpacking the awesome spring clothing collection from adidas. what a beautiful day to end a spectacular weather week, in our region! [florida is the #1 choice for a traditional march break vacation, but anyone *stuck* at home this week sure lucked out...it was practically tshirt temps the whole week].

whee!!!! off we go! don't worry, this photo was staged, i wasn't really driving.

ok, for this next one i was driving. you should not do that. do as i say and not as i do.

look at that haze, thanks to the heat! (car thermometer hit 24 degrees, at one point!). can you make out the cn tower??!

traffic was much heavier on the 401 than i anticipated – bumper-to-bumper from cambridge to the dixie cut-off! that’s ok, who could possibly complain on such a fine and FUN day.

oh, this was a good babysitting time! life is just more fun when…

you wear wings...

...or a sun visor, don't you agree?

we settled in…

blackberry pictures and colouring!

[dinner (and bedtime) are undocumented; all hands needed on deck!]

we played…

waiting for the school bus...

you need your ticket! customized with your favourite colour! one for each family member!

we watched two videos on aunti’s computer…

"harry and his bucket full of dinosaurs" - this was a new one for me!

such a fun evening together. i love hearing the thoughts and stories that come out of a five year old and a two point five year old’s mouths. aunti is looking forward to extended babysitting date part two, already! [silly me, why did i not reverse my time slots, and offer to babysit eleven times and skip diet coke for two months?! now i think of these things...]

favourite van halen tune?? they are playing in toronto, tonight! the brother is going! jump is just epic; i’d rank it among my top ten favourite songs of all-time.

happy st patrick’s day!

three things thursday

this is going to be the quickest blog post on the face of the universe. i may not even proofread! the only reason i am blogging is because i miss you. all of my focus is on THE BLANKET, this week (see, i am watching the clock so intently that i will not even link back to the most recent talk about THE BLANKET). the good news is that the time and effort is paying off. dare i say i am ahead of schedule? no, i musn’t. that would be a surefire jinx.

three things thursday (and five for friday, two-sday, etc) are popular blogging titles. to the best of my knowledge, i have never done three things thursday! however, i am not about to go back through the blog chronicles and verify that fact – we’ll just take my word for it.

alrighty!

#1 – i love peanut butter with all my heart and mind. my tiptop favourite is this one (nothing new, you’ve seen this brand before, here):

uh oh, this is the last one in my pb stash...and yes, the pb is stored beside the instant coffee - that's my cupboard organization!

in doing some reading, i have learned that ALMOND BUTTER is even better for you than pb because it is not so acidic (if i understand right). i’ve purchased almond butter in the past, but am just not crazy about it. however, for variety, i bought this almond butter – there was a $1 off coupon at valumart to sweeten the deal!

a never-tried-before brand, to me

i will eat it, but it’s just not as yummy as pb.

#2 – i would give my right arm eyeball for this tank top:

it CAUGHT MY EYE (punny!) immediately!!

it’s hanging in the window of the store ‘denim’ in uptown. [again, no linkage due to time! google if you must!]. unfortunately, it bears a price tag of $74. ouch. put this top into the “want” and not the “need” category of fashion desires. it’s totally me, though! and i already have a peach berserk top with eyeballs all over it, and i have that dress that i wore to duncan and jillian’s wedding by the same design team (desigual). anyway, i do stare at it and blow it a kiss every time i walk by.

#3 – what is it about food basics giving me opportunities for a r.a.o.k.?? on monday, i was in line to pay, and the woman ahead of me asked the checkout woman if she could have two $10 bills for a twenty. the cashier said no. she said she needed her small bills in her til for customers. well, the thought flashed through my mind that i could help out by providing two tens. sadly, i only had one in my wallet. but i would have assisted if i could have! haha, how funny would it be if 7/8 of my r.a.o.k.s all took place in food basics!?!

it is going to get to 22 degrees today!

tomorrow is the middle of the month!

this blogging break was good for my wrists!

question for if you are in a rush: peanut butter: crunchy or smooth? me = crunchy!! here’s my other favourite!

maybe i should try THEIR almond butter???

question for if you have a moment to chat: tell me the first three items of news that pop into your head starting NOW! me = i still have the urge to spring clean; i am not going drinking for st patty’s day (surprise, surprise); vfbf joanne and i are coffee cultur-ing after work – might i knit ‘n’ chat IN coffee culture?!!

 

i love it when i’m right

please pardon the more-than-slightly obnoxious title for today’s post. but it’s an entirely true and accurate statement for today’s main story!

remember back here when i gave an enthusiastic thumbs up to the new redesign of the runner’s world shoe finder? i loved how the new yes/no q & a chart suggests a wider range of running shoe options:

(you can now find that flowchart online here, at the runner’s world website; at the time of my initial mention, the chart was not available online).

back in february i posed the question of whether the store would follow suit and revamp our colour-coded shoe wall:

an example of our old shoe tags - yellow tags defined our neutral/cushioned shoe category (blue was for stability shoes and red tags indicated motion control shoes)

honestly, i had an inkling [which i expressed to manager paul - i have a witness!] that at some point in the near future, we would be seeing a shoe wall overhaul.

on friday, i was proven RIGHT!! we received brand new tags for our shoe wall…

all tags are now BLACK!

i absolutely am 100% thrilled with this shoe wall redesign! the all-black tags make the wall look clean and more professional:

the view from afar!

here’s a close-up of a new tag:

we'll put the spotlight on the women's mizuno wave inspire 8!

under the old system, this shoe would have had a blue (stability) tag. if you take a peak at the right hand side, above the price (U.S. friends, i am betting this shoe costs a lot less for you) you will see three blurry words:

• cushioning
• stability
• weight

each shoe receives a rating of 1-5 for each of those categories:

for cushioning, a 1 would be a shoe with very little cushioning (like track spikes or vibrams) while a 5 would be the ultimate in softness and comfort (like an asics nimbus or a nike vomero).

for stability, a neutral (yellow tag) shoe is a 1 or 2, while a 3 or 4 indicates a stability (blue tag) shoe, and a 5 designates a motion control (red tag) shoe.

for weight, our resident experts weighed a men’s size 9 shoe; if the shoe was over 11 ounces, it’s got a ranking of 5, 10-11 ounces is a ranking of 4, 9-10 ounces equals a 3, 7-9 ounces is a 2, and less than 7 ounces is a 1.[glad they figured that out for us!].

let's look at the saucony triumph 9 - the upper-end neutral shoe from saucony

in this example, you can see that the triumph 9 gets a rating of FIVE for cushioning (as a more expensive shoe, you are getting more cushioning, better quality cushioning, so the five rating makes total sense), ONE for stability (it is a neutral shoe so there is no reinforcement through the arch, at all). and FOUR for weight (saucony shoes are not known for their lightness).

compare the triumph 9 to the nike free!…

ah, the nike free run 2...can you believe i still do not own you, beautiful shoe that you are with those fantastically awesome colours!!!

look how much less cushioned (only a TWO rating) and LIGHT it is! that’s a minimalist shoe for you!

so, like i said, i am totally pumped to work with this new system. and i am thumping my chest that i saw it coming!

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here’s another thing i was right about: the impactful effect of starbucks coffee on my system. it’s now been ten days since my last cup of starbucks via coffee, and i have had not one moment of where the WHEEEEEEE!!! feeling of a coffee jolt has turned into more of an EEEEEKK over-the-top case of the jitters and/or anxiety. taster’s choice instant, i am sticking with you. starbucks, i will enjoy you in-store – as a decaf! – but via pacs, you are not coming home with me any more!

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remember when i went to carrie’s book launch for the juliet stories? the toronto globe and mail reviewed her novel-in-stories (here is that review) in this past saturday’s newspaper. national exposure like this is a major achievement! way to go, carrie! (acclaim for a neighbourhood + mennonite author – we like that).

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how did you choose your current pair of running shoes? of course, i am hoping you will say you shopped at a specialty running store…and i will grin even more widely if it was a certain running store!

canadians: have you won a coffee yet at tim horton’s for roll up the rim? i am 1/1 but i have yet to cash in my free coffee – timmie’s is not as convenient as s’bux for me to get to!

did you remember to turn your clocks ahead? yes – i sprung ahead early saturday eve (i am always paranoid i will forget). so, i went to bed an hour earlier than usual…and could not fall asleep. so i lost an hour sleep, anyway!