Maybe next time I’ll add “Eat at every restaurant in my work neighborhood” to the list. Oh, and I defined my neighborhood as 1/2 mile from my place using the Yelp map. (photo by yoppy)

1. vitamin d -  how amazing is our early spring in Portland? Pretty frickin’ amazing. This 60 degree (sorry non-Americans) weather in February is stellar — skirt and flip flop weather — inconceivable! free the sun photo by notsogoodphotography

2. opi over the taupe nail polish – I prefer to call this color Kalamata Olive, as taupe is such a boring color. I’m not a big nail polish fan, as documented by #84: take care of my nails, but I really like the mix of purple/dark. And who knew painting your nails was so easy? For some reason I remember it being extremely difficult to stay in the lines… I may have missed my calling. ;) $7 opi

3. blue birdie lariat necklace – I finally spent my Groupon coupon for Relish — well most of it anyway (I’m waiting for all the new spring items to finish my shopping). Anyway, Relish is such a lovely shop and they stock Marimekko fabric, that was begging me to start a sewing project, but I really don’t need anything at the moment. Regardless… <3  $52 relish

4. my kitteh – My cat is taking over my blog! She should have her own category, yes? So 2 weeks in, I’m well on my way to becoming one of those cat ladies. I’ve also been cleaning my apartment like a hypochondriac because the thought of having a “cat smell” apartment scares me. Thankfully, Mr Essa Selleck is quite the tidy cat. $85 oregon humane society

5. ristretto roasters – I’ve started a bad habit of going here for an afternoon or lunchtime wander. Superb coffee (ok, ok and an occasional ridiculously cheap donut) $1 ristretto roasters

6. tulips – my favorite flower of all time. I bought a tulip plant at the grocery store for $3, (cheaper than flowers!) and then it promptly died a week later, but it was still worth it. $3 safeway photo by smpte101

7. chalkdots – these are so cool! I got a set of three chalkboard paint wall stickers last month. Apparently they’re for children or some such nonsense. I’m using one as a menu board in my kitchen… now what to do with the other two… $15 gilt groupe (invitation)

8. mini flat iron – whoa, nail polish and a flat iron all in the same list? I’m on the road to high-maintenance… but my excuse for the straightener was that it was on sale at Rue La La & it wouldn’t hurt to add it to my travel packing list… and I do what I want. $25 linea pro

9. the guinea pig diaries: my life as an experiment – AJ Jacobs’ third book did not disappoint. And I apologize for being that person giggling on the bus all week. $10.20 amazon

10. zipcar – I still kind of want a car again, but Zipcar is pretty cool… except for when I misplaced it the other night at the gym… that never happened when I had my own car. :P $6.30+ zipcar

What’s on your list?

Kitteh update: I’ve been calling my cat “Essa” (for Essaouira, Morocco) more often than Selleck, so I suppose that’s her name now, and thanks for all the votes :) I also decided that pet supplies are insanely over-priced. I was looking for a cat food and water dish and finally decided on mini Le Creuset dishes from Home Goods — way cheaper and cuter than regular pet supplies. Julia Child would totally approve of Essa the gourmet cooking cat. Although, maybe I should have gotten her mini tagines instead.

not bad, but not fun
my budget doesn’t thank me
swimsuit season, please?

On that note, for Portland waxing salons, Urban Waxx is seriously awesome — great staff, wine for a little liquid courage :P and 15% off your first visit/referral.

It’s a girl cat, but I think she looks like a boy, so I may just refer to her as a he? Is that bad? Anyway, now she he needs a name! She he has a mustache, which is quite hilarious so I was thinking of naming her after a dictator — Stalin, Lenin, Franco? Twitter pals suggested Selleck, Burt Reynolds, and Mario. I was also thinking of places that I’ve traveled… like Sofia (Bulgaria), Essaouira (Morocco, and then I could call her Essa), or Zooey (Salinger book, Franny & Zooey)… So dear Internets, help me name my kitteh!

And now I must go to IKEA, for my cat requests cat-sized Swedish furniture and dinnerware. :)

I’m starting with 2 for 10 this year, but seriously why are there ten Best Picture nominations? Usually there are only five. I need more time! At least the plan is logistically possible this year, but there are two movies on the list that I don’t think I can bring myself to watch (how are Sandra Bullock and Mariah Carey in Oscar nominated movies anyway?).

2010 Best Picture Nominations:

1. Avatar (James Cameron and Jon Landau) – in theaters
2. The Blind Side – in theaters
3. District 9 (Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham – DVD
4. An Education (Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey) – in theaters (DVD in March)
5. The Hurt Locker – DVD
6. Inglourious Basterds (Lawrence Bender) – DVD
7. Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire (Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness) – in theaters (DVD in March)
8. A Serious Man (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen) DVD on February 9
9. Up (Jonas Rivera) – DVD
10. Up in the Air (Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman) – in theaters

What movie gets your vote?

• I have a block of tofu, now what? Best question, evah! I like this recipe for Tofu Stir Fry
• How to make the restaurant guest happy Priceless.
• Has anyone traveled with there kids to Vietnam Where? Oh, there! No, but I’m sure some have traveled with their kids to Vietnam.
• Hello Kitty toilet Unfortunately, I have not seen a Hello Kitty toilet, but I’m sure you can find one in Japan — they even have Hello Kitty condoms.
• Hispanic countries that eat rice and beans Is this a trick question?
• How to make Germans happy #1. Be on time. #2. Make lists. #3. Don’t make stupid jokes about making Germans happy.
• How to convince someone to go scuba diving Tell them it’s fun. If fun doesn’t appeal to them, just tell them it will be an adventure. If amazing adventures don’t appeal to them, just tell them to save their money and go snorkeling instead.
• How to run a crepe business Mmm crepes… I would have hundreds of questions for this one, but I do have mighty fine Nutella & Banana Crepes to share.
• How to travel to another continent #1 Get a passport. #2 Go by boat or plane.
• Phoning it in at the gym – I’m glad to see that Jillian Michaels is annoying other people with her overuse of this saying.
• public transport ikea sunrise Yes, yes, and yes. All things that make me smile.
• Salvia trellis from IKEA where to buy? I don’t think you need my help with this one. Hint: start with the place after “from” in your search.
• Should I contribute to my 401k from my bonus? Decidedly so, it lowers your effective tax rate… just do it.
• things that come from cows I feel like 1st graders are reading my blog.
• what is the going price for a 48′ long finished shipping container I don’t know, but I’m intrigued!
• what to eat after 30 day shred workout? lots of food
• “a canadian” “mark h” spain You’re so vain — Mark H from Canada who was traveling in Spain… you probably think this blog is about you. For the record, I didn’t meet a Mark H from Canada when I was in Spain, probably because he was too busy Googling himself.
• Expedit bookcase fit taxi singapore Hmmm… if I remember correctly, most of their taxis were Corollas, so I would say yes, but only if they let you fold the seats down. :P
• A new machine that can shred your own food under 45 or 30 seconds I’m filing a patent for this new blender/shredder machine as I type this.
• couldn’t finish day 1 level 1 of 30 day shred Sorry, but there’s no excuse for that — try harder!
• How will i look after 30 day shred Well that depends on a lot of things… what you look like now, what you eat, your body type, how hard you try etc
  
• how to pronounce chefchaouen Chef (”a cook”) sh ow (as in “cow”) in.
• McMenamins ruby’s spa coupons Wait, what? I want! If you find one, do share!
• Obama having a beer with lunch “before work” Hello there, Republicans. Dad, is that you? I’m loving the quotes around “work”
• oregan reading progams – Hmm… sounds like we need to start some Oregon spelling programs. (photo by: laurakgibbs)

Any questions?

1. groupon – how cool is Groupon? OK, this week’s deals have completely sucked, but maybe that’s a good thing, as I’ve bought way too many deals lately — really, you can never have too many home goods and massages though. Plus, it’s awesome getting a $10 credit when a friend buys something. groupon

2. striped knee socks – Japan officially has the coolest sock selection. I bought a pair of striped knee socks when I was in Tokyo, and they’re my absolute favorite socks — perfect for winter and they make me smile. American Apparel sells some similar [almost as cool] ones, but not sure on the fit as they’re unisex, so they might be gigantic in the ankles. $10 american apparel

3. green – I love green. Yep, I’m oddly drawn to green. I often find myself thinking “ooh I really like something about this…” and then I’m all “oh, it’s because that entire wall is painted green.” Perhaps that’s what prompted me to buy a green handbag a few months ago. <3

4. learning to make a perfect omelette – I checked out Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking at the library last fall and as luck would have it, got to keep it for several months. I had lots of time to practice making the perfect omelette — as you may have guessed it’s all about the butter. $18.50 amazon

5. cuff bracelets – Although I’ve never been much of a jewelry fan, I love cuff bracelets. I bought a silver one in Essaouira, Morocco and it’s one of my favorite travel ’souvenirs’.

6. dahlias – I love dahlias because they’re almost obnoxiously colorful and every single one is completely different… and they remind me of summer.

7. love it or leave it coat rack – a daily reminder to live at 100%, instead of just surviving. Life. is. short. $24 urban outfitters

8. burt’s bees chapstick – every day’s a jolly holiday with you Burt! $3 everywhere

9. better off ted – This show is incredibly funny. Add it to your Hulu queue stat! free hulu

10. grey suede pumps – I have joint custody originally found/borrow often a pair of Franco Sartos. They make me smile. nordstrom rack

What’s on your list?

Now I get to complain about mattress manufacturers and retailers… #1. Having several names for the same product for different retailers is UNCOOL — I don’t want to play games, just give me the facts! #2. If you refuse to quote me a price when I walk in your store, I will leave and not return (*cough* BedMart *cough*). /rant

I wish IKEA would bring back the Hopen bed frame in a lighter color. I love the design of the HOPEN, it looks like a park bench… hmmm not sure what that says about me, but… loves it!

“Always buy good shoes and a good bed as if you aren’t in one you are in the other.” –some random quote I heard once

In other news, I considered painting one wall in my bedroom last weekend, and then promptly drove to Home Depot. For making disturbingly quick decisions, I was conservative and bought a sample paint for $1.50 (awesome deal, yeah? I was chatting to an employee and they said Home Depot is closing out all of their Ralph Lauren paints and switching to Martha Stewart, so deals galore!). Anyway, Mediterranean blue is officially awesome and I can’t wait to finish my paint project next weekend. :)

I’ve also been considering putting Blik artwork on the blue wall or leaving part of it a white outline of some kind. Unfortunately, I found a Blik “headboard” and it’s called the Olivia. Dammit, don’t they know I have issues with wanting to buy things that say my name? ugggh. I don’t really like it, but the narcissism is totally calling my name. ;)  I really like this one though. Thoughts?

Which ones should I get? The bird, the key or the daisy? They all match the wrought-iron look of the curtain rod, but I’m leaning toward the key…

Dilemma #2 (*giggle*): I want to hang a pendent lamp in the corner (between the TV and the window). I still love the IKEA KNAPPA hanging pendant lamp (yes, the one that’s pictured in about 200 home tours on Apartment Therapy), but I also like the West Elm Capiz hanging pendant knock-off that World Market has (for $70 vs $259). So dear Internetz, which pendant lamp would look better in my living room?