Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Things I've Bought That I Love

Sigg Water Bottle

(This is, in fact, my exact bottle - got to support my people with the Swiss logo!)

I'm pro-environment. I try to save, reuse, reduce, and recycle as much as possible. I have a reusable, insulated lunch bag. I drive a small, fuel-efficient car. I recycle everything I can. I carry my own bags back to the grocery store and always bring my thermos to Starbucks in the morning for my coffee (or, better yet, make my own coffee at home). I think if every person in the U.S. had to go to a landfill or go clean plastic McDonald's straw up off a beach just once in their life, the amount of waste Americans produced would be cut in half. I'm not saying this in a, "Oh, I'm so much better than you" kind of way, just in a, "this is what's important to me, so here's what I do" kind of way. Which is why I think this water bottle is so awesome.

Anyway, I had been using a Nalgene 1-L bottle for the past few years, which I liked because it was light and I could put it in the dishwaher, but after reading a bunch about the various plasticides leaching into beverages from plastic bottles and being concerned about the fact that the Nalgene bottle isn't recyclable, I decided to switch to the more expensive, but infinitely better, Sigg aluminum water bottle.

It's extremely light, yet still holds 1 liter of water. You can attach the lid to a carabiner when you go hiking (or just carry it in your hand, like me, if you never exercise ever). Plus, since it's aluminum, it has the added benefit of being recyclable when you finally wear that bitch out. Sadly, you can't put it into the dishwasher, so you need to clean it with boiling water and soap, or a bottle brush, but I think it's worth it.

They were sold out of the bottles at the Sigg website last time I checked, but they definitely have them at other outdoors-y stores, like EMS, or probably even at Amazon. Cost: $20-$25.


Puma Flip Flops at a Toronto Foot Locker:

(This is kind of a crappy picture, but the flip flops have fabric top strap-thingys, not the plastic kind that gives you horrible blisters when you wear them for more than an hour).

So, I went to Boston to visit a friend of mine about four years ago and, during the course of my visit, we clearly went shopping. And, in a small, ghetto store somewhere in Cambridge, I found the love of my life, a pair of comfy, red, Puma flip flops. I loved those flip flops. Like an Ed Helms-like kind of love. But, you know, after like one summer most flip flops are pretty much done, so the following summer I tried to find another pair. No where to be found. Not online, not in any store, not anywhere in the world. Even one of my friends who WORKS at Puma, DESIGNING shoes couldn't get a pair. So, I figured it was a lost cause. Then, on my recent trip to Toronto, I happened into a Foot Locker (in fact, the very same Foot Locker in which I had purchased my awesome adidas overnight bag

(which is actually bright yellow) five years earlier) and it was as if God himself had showed me the way! Oh, the marvelous flip flops were there, smiling at me, saying, "Iko, please buy me! I've waited my whole life, since I was made in a sweatshop in Thailand for you to come buy me!" So I did. And I will wear them everyday until it becomes to cold in ghetto Jersey to wear them outside. Then I will wear them inside until the sweet, happy days of spring return to the east coast. Cost: $20.

Lucky Brand Zoe jeans

So, I have a thing for jeans. Much like Ed Helms and my Puma flip flops, I heart them. I work at a university, so jeans are practically the dress code. However, until recently, I had a problem finding jeans that actually fit well and looked good. See, I'm a skinny girl. But, beyond that, I have the shape of a 14 year-old boy (i.e. no hips and general scrawny-ness). So, the only place I could actually buy jeans that were reasonably priced and didn't gap at my hips and waist was Delia's. Which I heart. But, let's be fair, all their jeans are cut so low that your ass-crack hangs out whenever you sit, bend over, stand, crouch...basically any movement and you're showing the world your coin slot. Not super appropriate, to be almost 30 and expose your ass crack...let alone being almost 30 and having to buy all of your clothes at Delia's.

Then, I discovered the Zoe jean, which I believe is actually a new style, which is probably why I didn't discover them until now. Yeah, I'm not going to lie to you, the pants are not cheap. But, when compared to True Religion, Paper Denim, etc., they're down-right reasonable. And, honestly, if you find a pair of pants that fits you really well, wouldn't you spend the money on them? I think it's worth it. Basically, the jeans are made of awesome. They're cut straight through the hip (good for my boyish figure) and have a slight bootcut, not so much that the bottom of your pants covers your feet, but not like the super-skinny jeans (although I have been quite enamored of them in the recent weeks - a blog for another time). They come in great washes, many lengths, and, best of all, do not ride down low over your ass, so I will not be exposing myself to the undergraduates I teach. Win-win. Win. Cost: $110 - $130.

IASiP Season 3


My love for this show has been fairly well-documented. And, when the new season starts this Thursday at 10 pm on FX, it will be even more well-documented. Simply put, season 3 was hysterical, including such brilliant episodes as "The Gang Finds a Dumpster Baby" and "Mac is a Serial Killer." The commentaries by the three male stars (which I am proud to say I watched at work), are awesome, although I wish they had actually done more commentaries, I love to hear the behind-the-scenes info. The blooper reel is also great, although, again, it could have been longer (TWSS). I absolutely cannot wait for new episodes to start again and this is a great way to help stave off the hunger until Thursday. Perhaps I will post my thoughts solely about the show at some near point in the future. Cost: $25.99 at amazon.com.

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