I Opened Another Etsy Shop

Now I have three. I'm going to take over the world with my etsy shops! I didn't really like the look of having my collage mixed in with my jewelry and have been thinking about opening a dedicated collage shop for a while, and yesterday finally went for it. So now I have geelizziecollage on etsy. Selling, you guessed it-collage! All collage all the time!
Here are a few that I'm listing in the shop.
I'm hoping that my collages will get a little more attention in a shop all to themselves.

I never check to see who has favorited (hearted in etsy speak) my other shops since it's all so old hat now, but I did check to see if anyone had hearted the new shop, and out of 8 hearts, two are from shops that sell banners-the logo things that you can put at the top of your shop page. I was going to get a banner for the new shop but after looking at my home page I decided I like the look of my shop without a banner so I took them out of the other two shops also. What bugs me about the banner shops hearting my shop is that they are only doing it in the hopes that I'll buy a banner from them.
NOT!!!
I wish there was a way I could remove their heart from my shop. Favoriting another shop to promote your own just seems extra extra tacky to me.

Sewing

I'm actually using my sewing machine for the first time today in I don't know how long. I'm making some super simple pillows for the window bench in my studio. These are actually going to be for the cats to sit and shed on. No, they are not spoiled or anything.

I used to love love love to sew. I learned how in 7th grade home economics class. Young people today do not know what a home economics class is, but back in the late 60's every girl took home economics in jr high school-middle school as it is known today-and every boy took shop class. Mandatory.
We learned simple sewing and cooking-I still remember making cinnamon toast in the oven and my group forgot to turn it over half way so it was toasty on one side and soft mushy on the other. You had to eat what you cooked, too.
After learning the basics of sewing and ripping out a lot of seams, I figured out that mom would let me sew my clothes so I saw it as a good way to get more clothes-clothes and style being all important when you are in jr high school. We couldn't wear pants to school until i was in 9th grade, so I made lots of dresses. I remember one in particular, it was a tent dress, which was in style back then-really it was! A tent dress looks exactly like it sounds, a dress that starts out normal sized at the top and then just gets bigger and bigger towards the bottom, kind of like you are wearing a big letter A.
From this early start, I sewed clothes for years and years, saving all the scraps of course. You had to save the scraps after you cut out whatever you were making. You never knew when you might need a piece of olive green polyester fabric! I ended up with a lot of scraps!
Speaking of polyester, does anyone remember stretch and sew? Stretchy fabrics were kind of new back then so stretch and sew was the revolutionary way to make your own tee shirts and stretchy elastic waist polyester pants. Not that I would have worn stretchy elastic waist polyester pants!
I made lots of little dresses for Jennifer when she was young, Joseph wasn't quite as much fun to sew for, pants and shirts are kind of boring, but he had his fair share of home sewn clothes. He got to where he hated going to the fabric store, we were there at least once a week if not more. I do remember him finding some very brightly colored tropical fish fabric and specifically asking me to make him a shirt out of it. Back then it really was cheaper to sew your own clothes, not so anymore with fabric upwards of 9.00 a yard.
When I first started making things to sell they were all produced on my 1930's singer that I bought at a junk shop for 25.00 when I was 17, complete with a very retro wood sewing cabinet, all for 25.00. I sewed on that very very heavy black metal machine for years and nothing compares with the good old singers. I made very elaborate cloth dolls and sold them at a local gift shop until I got tired of dolls and the gift shop, and started making holiday things to sell at an annual holiday boutique each year. I'm amazed at some of the things I used to make and how much time they took and how little I charged for them!
Then, I got into handbags a few years back when handmade bags started becoming popular, and sold lots and lots of those.
I just kind of lost interest one day in sewing and would rather do other things these days, but I still love fabric-the prints, the colors, the smell, everything about fabric. I just don't like to play with it anymore.

You Know You're Really Getting Old When

You find that you are enjoying the quiet music that they play at Coco's restaurant.

We eat there a lot, it's just around the corner from the house and we've never had a bad meal or service there. My favorite is the fried chicken salad with honey mustard dressing. They bring hot bread for starters and if you order a regular dinner, even the vegetables are good. For breakfast you can get one of their muffins instead of toast, and the honey bran is so good, they warm it up and put butter on it that melts down inside. It looks kind of like a little bundt cake with that center hole and the butter gets down inside that center hole and it's just so delicious, plus it's bran so it helps you go poo.

I'm hungry. No, we are not going to Coco's tonight, darn it, I'm actually going to cook some chicken.

Hot Chocolate Explosion

This weekend, way unlike last weekend, was chilly and drizzly and grey. I went down to Ventura on Sunday for a belated birthday lunch with Jennifer and to visit a little with my mom, so Keith was home alone on Sunday. I was thinking how he is never home by himself while I have the house to myself all week while he's at work. I guess I shouldn't leave him by himself because he gets into trouble.
He was supposed to be working on the carpet and baseboards in the studio, some of which he did get done, and decided to make a mug of hot chocolate since it was chilly, drizzly, and grey. He was carrying his mug of hot chocolate into the bedroom to get something off of his nightstand, stepped on one of the cats, dropped his mug of hot chocolate, which spewed all over the floor, bookshelf, bedskirt, and himself. Kind of like a hot chocolate bomb.
The house smelled funny when I got home because he was burning incense to try and cover up the chocolate smell in the bedroom. He tried his best to get all the chocolate up out of the carpet with rags and spray carpet cleaner but just kind of ground the hot chocolate deeper into our already nasty carpet. He had taken the bedskirt off and washed it and cleaned all the things that were on the bookshelf, spending probably a few hours doing all that.
So, yesterday we got out the mean green steam machine and 'steam cleaned'-haha, it's just hot water-the carpet in the bedroom. It's still kind of crunchy when you walk over the chocolate part. So, maybe next summer will be carpet time for our bedroom, it was already looking pretty bad, now it is crunchy too.

Kitty pictures for the day.
He looks like he is just totally kicking back and should have a beer or something next to him.
Watching the birds outside.

Rain!

It has not rained here in central California since January. We had rain yesterday! For about 15 minutes.
Look, the streets are wet!
If you look real close you can see water in the gutters!
And an actual puddle!

This was definitely an event! When it rains in California it's a big news day, the news will start out with "Storm Watch!!!" and the weather will be the top story. Reporters will be out in their rain gear at flooded intersections reporting on the rain like it's the second coming or something. Silly, yeah, I know, but it's California where silly got started.

I really enjoy rain, my favorite smell is when the rain first starts and you smell the wet pavement and grass. The greens all look greener and the air smells fresher. I had the front window open yesterday when the rain started and all six cats were freaked-they went running around the house, then back to the window, then running around the house again. What's happening?!? Is it the end of our world as we know it!?!?

When I was a little girl I remember all of us going somewhere in the car in the rain and feeling snug and safe inside the car with the pouring rain on the windows.

The Little Stinker Bit Me!

Buddy was being all lovey-dovey this morning-always while I'm trying to work on the computer, of course, walking around on the desk and purring away. I was trying to cuddle him when he just bit me right on my arm and hard, too! There would have been blood if I hadn't still had my thick bathrobe on-yeah, it takes me a while to get dressed in the morning. I know-or at least think-it was just a little love bite, but that kitty doesn't know his own strength.

Here he is just hanging out in the kitty condo.
Hiding. And waiting for you to walk by so he can grab you.

Just hanging.

Taunting Lucy with his mouse. You want this, you really want this? You can't have it! It's mine, all mine!!!

It is like having triplets in the house sometimes. Especially considering the amount of poo these three manage to produce.

It's My Etsyversary

Two years on etsy! Well, actually my opening my shop etsyversary isn't until June 21st or something, but two years ago was when I first found etsy, signed up, and made my first purchase. I often wonder where I'd be if I hadn't gone down the etsy road. Probably still working at Wal-mart and totally miserable. So, here's to etsy, hopefully there will be many more years together!

Look at this goofy cat. Sound asleep all stretched out on the top shelf in the kitchen. Sometimes I think he gets up there and pretends he's the ferocious jungle cat waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting big game hunter below. He does like to jump on your back when you least expect it! I can't believe how long Buddy is all stretched out, that shelf is 3 feet long!
I was afraid he might wake up and fall off! I have to move the glassware that's on these shelves before I hear glass breaking!

Best lolcat ever! I had to send this to my sister Heather since like me, crocs are all she wears!

Muwahahaha!! I Won!

Yesterday I put in a bid on a bunch of vintage childrens books on ebay and then kind of forgot about it. I just happened to check my email a few minutes ago and had been outbid with 13 seconds to go on the auction. So, I bid again with 9 seconds to spare and won! This is the first time I've been in a 'bidding war' on ebay and I went in with both barrels blasting!
This is what I got, for 30.00 and some change: 25 vintage childrens books to cut up and collage with.
Can't wait to get these, I just love all the cute little illustrations in these old books, today's kids books just don't have that same cuteness quality. I especially like the ones where the little animals are all dressed up in little clothes.

The Scrabble Tile Pendant Wars

Wow, just wow. Out of curiosity I just did a search on etsy for 'scrabble tile pendant' and came up with 148 pages filled with 3094 scrabble tile pendants. The queen of the scrabble tile pendants has over 8000 sales in her shop, so everyone seems to have jumped on the 'if you make it they will buy it' train. When I first started on etsy, they were selling for around 8.00 and the price slowly went up as the original Littleputbooks sold more and more of them. You really didn't see any others on etsy until people started seeing the potential and started making their own. It seems as if in just the last few months, a new scrabble tile shop opens up at least once a week in the hopes of becoming the next top seller. Well, I think the market is pretty well saturated with scrabble tile pendants, and a bit of a price war seems to be happening here. A couple of new shops opened up selling them at 5.50-just the pendant, no chain-and now today I've found a shop that is pricing them at 4.99. I'll wait a few more months and we'll see a shop that will be paying you to buy them!
This is what they look like for those who are blissfully unaware of the scrabble tile pendant phenomenon.
Yes, they're really cute, but I'm a little baffled as to why these are so popular-no offense to any of you scrabble tile pendant makers, guess it's just like any other etsy trend. Octopuses, deer, trumpet flower earrings, all kinds of things that start selling well seem to cause this 'me too' effect.

I don't do a whole lot of browsing on etsy lately, just check the newly listed every once in a while, but today I saw the cutest baby tee ever. Now, I just need to find a baby to buy this for.
This is from littlebitsys shop on etsy: http://littlebitsys.etsy.com
Isn't that the cutest thing ever??

Monday Monday

I used to dread Mondays. You tried to cram as much possible into your weekend only to have to wake up to reality on Monday morning and go back to the drudgery at the office. My office job wasn't all bad, I did make pretty good money and had some good benefits including a turkey dinner at Thanksgiving and a nice Christmas bonus. But day after day of data entry and billing just wears a person down. And then to give up the good paying job to move to Bakersfield and end up working at Wal-mart because there are no good paying office jobs here was just the icing on the cake.
So, to be able to work for myself and not have to get up on Monday mornings, or get up on Monday afternoons and go to an overnight job at Wal-mart is just so very nice.
I feel kind of guilty that Keith still has to get up on Mondays-and at 4:45 am no less-to go to his drudgery in the rail yard especially since it's supposed to get up to 102 degrees today and he works outside, but not enough to go back to a 'real' job.
Being self employed means setting your own hours, but since it's all up to you those hours tend to be pretty much every waking hour. If you're not packing, shipping, listing, photographing, or creating some new things you're thinking about packing, shipping, listing, photographing, or creating some new things. I actually sort of tried taking yesterday off but ended up doing some soldering and then of course checking on my shops and listing a few things.

Keith did take the weekend off. He had found some books at the antique show and spent most of the weekend reading when he wasn't napping. I did make him clean up the kitchen last night since I cooked and he napped. But, he deserved a break, he works really hard all week and then sort of works really hard around the house on the weekends. And I didn't feel like nagging him all weekend to work on The Amazing Unfinished House, so I let him get some well deserved rest.

Old Time Peddler's Fair

Today we went to the Old Time Peddlers Fair that is held at the Kern County outdoor museum each year. We used to sell crafts at this show, never made much money but it was kind of a fun show to do. I'm SO GLAD we decided to not do this (or any other) show anymore. This weekend we are having the first heat wave of the summer with temps getting up into the 100's. It would be miserable to have to sit out there all weekend. We went early in an effort to beat the heat, which really didn't work cause it was already getting HOT out there. The museum is made up of all kinds of old buildings from the early days here in Bakersfield all laid out on little dirt paths with lots of trees, kind of like an actual little town. They just moved an old house from our end of town out there to fix up. The houses and buildings are done like dioramas where you can look in the windows and see what it might have looked like way back when.
This is the first house you see as you come into the museum. The vendors at the show set up in front of all the buildings.
Obviously this is the General Store.
The five star hotel.
And the courthouse with the jail conveniently located underneath.

We didn't buy a whole lot, I was mainly looking for old books to cut up for pendants and collages, and scored with a few good ones. I found a 1932 childrens music book with some cute illustrations in it for $1.00.
We almost bought a drive in theatre speaker stand, complete with two speakers, but thought $75.00 was a bit much for something that really wouldn't go with our house and we really wouldn't have any place to put.

This is new since we were last here. An old gas station complete with pumps and an old market sign
And this used to be on an old Chinese restaurant downtown. We had noticed that the sign had been taken down and were so glad to see it at the museum.

Now I'm tired from the heat and Keith is taking one of the many naps that I'm sure he'll indulge in this weekend. So, the rest of the day will be a lazy one, I'm not even going to clean the kitchen. Not that I clean it that often anyway.

It's Effing HOT!

What the heck? It's 102 degrees today! It's only May!

Must be that global warming thing.

All Fixed!

The last one got her spay yesterday, so all six kitties are now spayed, neutered, and ready to go. Poor little Mimi was really groggy when I brought her home yesterday, stumbling around and crashing into things with her radar dish. She just can't figure out why she has to stay in the bedroom, and what the heck is this thing around my neck anyway? This morning she woke me up at 5 am, walking across me and nipping at me. Wake up! Feed me! She ate a lot this morning, she's a finicky eater and is really skinny, but she ate a whole can of food! She was hungry!
Awwww....
It's driving Buddy nuts that he can't come in the bedroom, every time I go in or out, he's right there-what's in there, what are you hiding? When he saw Lucy after her spay he hissed at her because the collar scared him, so I don't want him sneaking in and getting all freaked out again. Ten more days of separation and having to wear a weird thing around her neck!

The Amazing Unfinished House Tour-Part Two

And now, part two of The Amazing Unfinished House Tour-The Studio.

Please remember that this is a working studio and is very very messy.
Looks pretty good, new cabinets for all my junk, er, supplies, and freshly painted walls.
But, no carpet and no baseboards. The carpet is still in boxes in the corner, and the baseboards-hmm, probably out in the garage somewhere.

Wow, All Sold Out!

On our last trip downtown to antique shop I found a united states puzzle and made these:
American Beauty Puzzle Brooches.

And too many more to show you all of them-after all, there are 50 states!
Anyway, I started listing them and sold a few and then all were gone!! So, I have about 10 more to list and went on ebay to find some more puzzles to make more. It's about time I found something that might be a top seller!

The Fur is Flying on Etsy Today

An unhappy buyer started a thread requesting that fur be banned from etsy, as they are a vegan and find fur disgusting. Well, good for them. Why do vegans and vegetarians always have to preface every statement with the fact that they are vegan or vegetarian? I don't start my posts by saying 'as a carnivore, I find the lack of meat products on etsy disgusting and I think all vegan products should be banned!'

I remember when I was a kid my mother had some kind of animal stole-maybe a fox?-that still had the feet and head attached. The head had like a spring clip in it so you could put the stole around your shoulders and clip the head to the tail of the animal. Creepy? Yes, but I used to have so much fun playing with that little animal mouth, opening and closing the clip to make the mouth open and close. I think the stole originally belonged to one of my grandmothers who were always properly dressed with their fur stoles, hats, and gloves.

Here they are, along with my grandfather, but this picture was taken at my mom's June wedding, so no furs! Too hot for summer.
You don't see people dressed as elegantly today, do you?

Happy Mother's Day!

Let's see. Fed the kids, cleaned up poop and vomit, toys all over the place, and heard something break this morning. My fur kids are just like real kids on Mother's Day. Poop, puke, toys underfoot, and broken things-just like human babies!
Little Bit likes to sit in drawers.

The kids looking longingly out the window wanting to go outside and catch that fat dove out there.
Lucy napping. Her belly fur is just starting to grow back in from her spay, that's why it looks so funny.

The best Mother's Day present is Keith volunteering to go do the grocery shopping by himself! As we all know, I hate grocery shopping, so it's nice not to have to go today. Of course, he'll bring home all kinds of crap we don't need, but that's a small price to pay for not having to go to the store today!

Happy Birthday Jennifer!!

Thirty three years ago on Saturday May 10, my daughter Jennifer Anne was born. I can't believe I have a kid who is SO OLD!!!

She was born by c-section after a long day of labor and I didn't see her until the next day because I was out cold during the operation. Back in those days if the baby had any hair at all the nurses would comb it into a little curl at the top of her head. I thought that she came that way.
It's so different now with pregnancies, we could eat whatever we wanted, take an aspirin if we had a headache, and drinking alcohol while pregnant was not considered child abuse the way it is nowadays. There were no ultrasounds so you had no idea what your baby looked like until it was born, and you certainly couldn't plan ahead for a girl or boy. You were just glad that whatever it was came out healthy and with all their body parts.
And back then 'we' weren't pregnant, 'I' was pregnant. Actually, the correct term was 'expecting'.
New moms got to stay at the hospital a few days, five if you had a c-section. None of this going home ten minutes after the baby is born. And no 'rooming in'-all the babies were whisked away to the nice sterile nursery, and were only brought out at feeding time, all nice and clean and bundled up for you. And when it was time to go home, the nurses wheeled you out to the car, helped you get in, and then just handed the baby to you. You drove home with that baby in your arms. No car seats, no facing backwards, we didn't even have seatbelts in our car, much less a carseat. The only carseats that they had back then were the ones that hung on the back of the front seat with the little steering wheel on them. Your baby had to be big enough to sit up to use one of those.
Bottle feeding was perfectly acceptable, too, no mommy wars about how what a bad mom you are for not breast feeding, and not every baby had a pacifier stuffed in their mouths all the time either, we just let them cry. I can't remember if pacifiers were frowned upon or what, but you hardly ever saw a baby with one, just a bottle. Sometimes there was even juice in that bottle.
Real food was started much earlier then, too, I think around 6 weeks you started with some cereal, and then added something new each week.
And you know what? Even though we risked our babies lives from the moment we drove home with them in our arms in the car, they survived and grew up!
So, even though I did everything wrong, you turned out okay, Jennifer! Happy Birthday!

A Little Spring Cleaning and The Amazing Unfinished House Tour Part One

It is spring. My house does need cleaning. I actually cleaned the bedroom today, including moving the furniture to clean behind it-well, all except for the dressers because they're too heavy. Lots and lots of dust, and lots and lots of Bear hair under the bed because that is where she likes to hide. Wads of Bear hair.

Okay, it's time for part one of The Amazing Unfinished House Tour. Now, keep in mind that our house is very small, only 999 square feet with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. So, part one will be very short.
Please keep your hands and arms inside the bus, no flash photography, and please keep your voices down so as not to disturb the natives. And please don't feed the animals.

The Hallway:
We have paint, we have carpet, but we can't paint or carpet until the ceiling is fixed:

Almost two-yes two-years ago our air conditioner in the attic caught on fire and had to be replaced. In the middle of summer during a heat wave. This is Bakersfield, and in the summer it is usually at least 95 degrees out which makes the inside of your house at least 95 degrees if your air conditioner is not working. It was not a fun week waiting for the new air conditoner. I get very cranky when I get overheated.
The new air conditioner would not fit through the vent hole. A bigger hole had to be cut into the ceiling, and is still waiting to be replastered.
And this is the hallway floor, waiting for the carpet, which can't be installed until the walls are painted, which can't be painted until the ceiling is fixed. Sigh...

Okay Something Happier

Yay! I just hit 4000 sales in my supply shop!!

We did go out to dinner Monday night to celebrate the 2000 sales in the jewelry shop. We went to The Roadhouse which we like for the peanuts. I had salad, which they make with lots of tomatoes, bacon, and cheese on top, and the tri tip with some kind of bourbon sauce, and the baked sweet potato with cinnamon and brown sugar and lots of butter on top.
It was good. And the leftovers for lunch the next day were good, too. And they serve hot homemade rolls with honey butter. MMMM!
Okay, now I'm hungry!

Blahness

I has it.
Not real bad, just that general blah don't feel like doing anything except maybe eating some chocolate kind of feeling. Maybe it's the air here in Bakersfield, this is a kind of depressing place to live.
Lucy helped a little while ago. She is the only kitty that will come up to you and put her little paws on your leg letting you know she needs some petting time and actually let you hold her for a while. All the rest of them love to be petted but hate to be held. Mimi only wants to get up on your shoulder-my back is covered with little scratches from her doing that. So, Lucy let me hold her and pet her soft fur for a few minutes before she'd had enough and wanted to get down.

I was reading the saddest blog today. A man lost his wife the day after their baby was born due to a pulmonary embolism. She had been on bed rest for weeks and they finally had to do a c-section, the baby was premature and very tiny, and the wife was going to go see the baby for the first time since the birth and felt kind of dizzy and then just died. The blog is about how he is coping as a widower with a tiny tiny baby. Here is the site if you would like to read it but be warned that you will sit there and cry the entire time, it's just so sad.
http://www.mattlogelin.com/

Tomorrow I will try to have a happier post.

I Just HAD To Buy These!

I just couldn't resist. It's been awhile since I bought something totally frivolous and unnecessary, so look what came in the mail yesterday!
Squatting and grunting gnome.
Mooning gnome.
I'm not going to put them in the yard because I'm sure either the homeowner's association will send us a letter about our rudeness or someone will steal them!
These are from perpetualkid.com-they've got all kinds of weirdness there!

Kids Won't Help Out Around The House?

Here's the solution:
Dateline May 4 2008 direct from the crime reports in the Bakersfield newspaper:

Woman Stabs Daughter For Not Helping Find House Keys

A 49 year old Delano woman stabbed her 24 year old daughter in the thigh on Wednesday because her daughter wouldn't help her find her house keys, deputies said. The mother and her daughter began arguing as the mother was leaving their house and couldn't find her keys. The daughter said she wouldn't help the mother look for the keys, they argued, and the mother grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed her daughter, deputies said. The daughter was treated at Delano Regional Medical Center and released.
The mother has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

Buddy Boy

If Buddy were a real child instead of a fur kid he would be a stocky freckle faced five year old boy who is stubborn, playful, likes jokes, takes karate lessons, and loves riding his skateboard. He would have a huge appetite and would eat just about anything and would always be hungry. The ice cream man would be his best friend. He wouldn't like going to school or doing his homework and would hate to have to pick up his toys or be told it's time for bed.

I Just Hit 2000 Sales!!!

In my jewelry shop: http://geelizzie.etsy.com. Just now. Like three minutes ago. Earlier today the sales count was at 1995, then up to 1997, then about 1/2 hour ago, up to 1999, told Keith only one to go, then yay! 2000 sales!
I feel like I've arrived and can quit stressing every day that it will all be over with and I'll never sell anything again.
Funny, though, I think the first 100 sales was the most exciting. Actually the first ever online sale was pretty unbelievable to me.
And I'm working on 4000 for my supply shop!!

Kind of Boring Sunday

It's another kind of blah Sunday around here. Neither of us really feels like doing much, we went and got some breakfast and made a stop at Trader Joes for a few things, but haven't gotten much else done today. Keith did get his nap in already though.
I'm just listing some new supplies and am going to take a few pictures of necklaces later. The bathroom needs cleaning like usual but I just can't seem to get up the energy to clean it-maybe tomorrow. The cats are all napping, which looks really tempting.
Here are some kitty pictures. Buddy was on the breakfast bar this morning and I could see that he was thinking about jumping up onto the shelf of the room divider, then of course the girls saw him up there and Lucy took the jump up to the forbidden zone, too. Mimi thinks she will wait until she's just a little bigger before making the attempt.
As you can see, the shelf that is going to go along the top of the wall is still not finished. I'm going to start a blog series on the amazing unfinished house, so stay tuned!

I'm Wearing the Pants in This House

I'm wearing Keith's pants today. He bought some 'relaxed fit' pants that he says make him feel like he is wearing old man pants with the saggy butt and the pants pulled up under his armpits. He was going to toss them but rather than throw them away I said maybe I can wear them. They are very relaxed, i.e. really baggy, everywhere except around the waist, where the snap is currently digging into my belly. Of course if my belly weren't so round, they probably wouldn't be digging into it.
So, since we are both rather rotund these days I have suggested that we start walking or biking in the evenings, which he isn't too enthusiastic about but will maybe go with me. We need to get some walking shoes, though, crocs are great for comfort but they're just not made for a workout. Excuses, excuses.
Of course, it's probably healthier to sit in a dark bar and smoke a pack of cigarettes than to walk around in this city, not only are we in the top five for pollution-see previous post-but you've got a better chance of surviving a bar fight than trying to cross the street here with the way people drive.

We're In The Top Five!!

This just in! I heard on the radio that Bakersfield is in the top five in the nation...for cities with the worst air pollution!!
Now, isn't that an accomplishment? I'm so glad we decided to move from a nice coastal town with nice fresh ocean breezes to a city that's in the top five for air pollution. Makes me proud to be an American! Cough, cough.