keeping track

Meet my MortarBoard. Sold by the MortarBoard league, association, whatever, on campus to raise money for scholarships, it has been my sanity for the past four years (and whenever I actually have a life). Sold in two sizes, this is the larger and is something like 8.5" x 11", while the smaller one that I easily outgrew after freshman year is something like 5" x 6" . . . I don't remember. At any rate, whether I have chosen to mentally accept the fact that I have graduated or not, I am still left without my beloved yearly agenda book. It has a week divider and a large full length column for each day of the week, with smaller rows/columns for the weekends. my only problem is finding a large agenda such as this. While I have several people who have offered to buy me one and ship it once school starts (since they're on a school calendar), I am trying to find something a bit more refined and more practical than trying to find someone to send me one every year. I've looked into several Coach and Cross designs, but none have really struck my fancy. And of course, I've scoured Target for one as well (although, I like the idea of getting a Coach or large luxe brand agenda because I'm quite sure I can get new pages anywhere at anytime). So here is my plea: help me find a large, full size agenda. Suggestions, anything - is appreciated.

And while we're on the subject, I'm kind of looking into a new wallet, since mine is showing the two years of college abuse I've given it. I was thinking a nice small billfold, change purse style . . . any ideas there?

monies and currency

I found a lovely little gem in my mail the other day. A notice informing me that I'll be receiving my stimulus check in the mail soon. Which is fantastic, just I never expected to get one. Being a dependent and all I thought I wasn't included in the government's very odd plan to mail us all money to try and get the economy going (my feelings on the economy hearken back to my study of Japan after the housing bubble - but that's for another time). At any rate it's a lovely $300 I wasn't expecting to have. And a unfortunately the same day my work e-mailed and confirmed my reservation at the Ramada for training . . . so that's where my stimulus check will go. To Canada. The irony. Because in reality I really wanted to buy another pair of shoes (like Ralph Lauren's Lauren wedges). I never thought shoes would become the bane of my existence but here they are. So sad.

In other related news I went to a bank bank since my credit union here at home doesn't offer the same as PEFCU back at school (another reason why I miss it so). But I wound up asking if I could buy some currency for Japan (especially since I'll get there Saturday night and banks won't open to cash traveler's checks until Monday). And unfortunately the lady ordering it for me couldn't figure out the website, and who am I to try and figure out why the bank's online stuff won't work. So I have been left with little to show from my trip to the bank, except my mother buying me a shirt from SimplyVera at Khol's.

The thing that gets me is, why can't a credit union do things like, cash bonds, order foreign currency, etc. Is it not in the set up? Credit unions are practically taking over banks as the main form of savings and checking, at least for most young people. Or perhaps that's just a Purdue phenomena. Purdue offers a credit union to its students and alumni as well as employees. But Purdue is also a large institution that probably employs hundreds of thousands of people and services over thirty-five thousand students on a yearly basis. My sister doesn't use a credit union through her school, but UVA is a much smaller school. Perhaps they lack the infrastructure to support such a system. At any rate, the annoyance of having to use my mother to do things at her bank and yet keep savings in a credit union else where is becoming tiring and overly annoying. Ah well, welcome to being a grown up I suppose.

shoeboxes and other randoms

Clearly decorating an apartment is hard work. Especially when you've never seen it, have no idea what you're getting in it, and have no idea what size it is except 'small.' This of course has not stopped me from trying to get an idea of what I want my apartment to be. I spend countless hours scouring Ikea's Japanese website to try and find good and pretty storage solutions. Or search through the endless hoards of wall decals on Etsy. But I have come to the conclusion that I will not spend sixty-eight dollars on a wall decal that I'm not exactly sure will fit my space or design without even thinking about the color of the decal. So I'm resolving to wait until I get over to Japan and to my apartment to try and find decent decals and just have them shipped all the way there. (And using Alchemy to commission some fun seashell shaped decals.)

On the same line of the apartment, goes the job - since it is the reason for the apartment. And the job has quite strict dress code requirements. So I have spent even more hours online looking for things I won't be able to easily find in Japan, like size 8.5 or 9 shoes. (I am especially in love with Ralph Lauren's Lauren wedges but can bring myself to spend $100 on a pair of shoes without any more income than birthday and graduation money.) Close toed, closed heel, high heeled shoes are hard to find in the cute variety. And unless you're in love with high heeled loafers, most are on the pricier side. So TJ Maxx and outlet stores for places for deals - twenty bucks for a pair of brown heels from Nine West, not bad hm? I also find myself constantly on the look out for quirky tops and straight black skirts.

However, I have a feeling the main benefactor of my money spending will be Target. I have a long list of necessities that range from a million pairs of nude stockings to several tubes of toothpaste, I'm afraid I'll look like a very strange version of a end-of-the-world-stockpiler. I apologize if you're in line behind me.

Recommended Websites: Etsy and Ikea WorldWide.