when the english language escapes me

today i seated two men at table 7. one of them ordered coffee. i asked, "would you like... uh, oh.. i forget the word... CREAM!!!" they laughed good naturedly but that was my cue that i was beat. so glad it's friday. nap time for me!

quotable quotes from the lips of miss prue: "my favorite thing about janis joplin is that she is not minnie ripperton." ~ at luna park, we all jump when "mercedes benz" starts playing on our jukebox since it sounds like an old woman yelling at us. the only thing that we hate more than her wailing is that song "loving you"by the late ms. ripperton, also a popular selection on our 1958 seeburg.

1970s "donald brooks boutique" polka dot maxi dress:

antique mall for $10 (valued at around $200! i love a bargain)

orange hair flower: jonelle lind

imitation marc jacobs apple necklace: forever 21

burgundy frye boots: urban outfitters

red checkered apron: belonged to my grammie b.

blue thursday

linus refused to kiss me but he happily stuck his tongue into my nose 10 minutes later.

i adore square dancing dresses. everytime i wear one, i feel like twirling from place to place instead of walking. today i wore my blue jeri bee dress. it was one of my etsy scores from marionkc. autumn told me that i looked like alice in wonderland. isn't that sweet?

barry made fried rice for us at work. it was soooooooo good, like the kind they had at chinese food restaurants when i was a kid. we were laughing about how safeway serves "fried" rice that's just white rice rice with peas and carrots mixed in. what a joke!

more layoffs were announced for seattle. weyerhauser, starbucks, boeing and microsoft are all eliminating a signifigant amount of jobs. more and more of our customers are losing their jobs, too. a lot of our regulars have disappeared. i wish i knew how they are doing. it seems silly to care that much about people who come into a cafe but they feel like extended family to me. if any of you luna park regulars read this blog, be sure to let me know where you're at! i really do care!



vintage blue jeri bee square dancing dress: marionkc.etsy.com

sparkly blue hair flower: jonelle lind

silver cameo necklace: nordstrom decades ago (like when i was a teen!)

blue tights: target

burgundy boots: frye

i got tagged!

darlene tagged me and can i tell you how excited i am? i live for this kinda stuff.

Susie, Tag! You're it! Here are the rules:* Mention the rules on your blog.* Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about yourself. *Tag six other* Go to each person’s blog and leave a comment that lets them know they are tagged.Can't wait to read the results!"

1. i am addicted to computer games. truly addicted. i will spend hours playing "nancy drew"or "mystery case files" and log onto reader boards for tips when i get stuck. today i discovered "dangerous high school girls" which is set in the 20s. you choose a queen and build your own "girl gang" to discover the secret behind accidents that have been happening at your school. i chose louise, the cigarette smoking wise-cracking rebel brunette. you gotta check this game out! be a nerd like me.

2. i can't keep plants alive. i've even killed bamboo and cactus plants! i wish i knew what my problem was. i'd love to have some greenery around. *sigh*

3. i used to create elaborate schemes with friends, scary things like how we'd rob a bank or kill someone. we would actually discuss and write everything down, like we were really going to do it even though we really had no intentions at all. we'd do this in bars or restaurants, wanting to be overheard. sadly, september 11th made this game too dangerous to continue. i honestly believe some woman overheard me and my friend in dot's cafe once and called the fbi. they never came for me but i just have the feeling that chick was freaked out enough to have done it.

4. i can't stand the sound or feel of ragged fingernails on paper bags. it makes me nauseated.

5. i cheer when i see drivers get pulled over by the police. i have no sympathy for them and it isn't just because of that asshole mowing me down in the crosswalk. everyone laughs at the way i drive, calling me "old lady" and stuff. i will not get behind the wheel if i've been drinking at all. i wish everyone else could be cautious "old lady" drivers, too. so there.

6. i secretly love my lisp. i complain about it whenever someone notices it but in actuality, it's kinda cool. having the name "susie" gives me plenty of opportunity to show it off.

ok, i'm off to tag six more people. look out, i may be coming for you!

the $14 haircut

the inspirational haircut photo

i've needed a haircut for months. the last one was in september - that's way too long for someone who prefers clean and sculpted short hair. my normal hair salon runs from $40 - 80 a cut and while they are well worth the money, i just haven't had any to spare. today i decided to suck it up and pay a visit to "budget cuts" home of the $14 haircut.

i grabbed my copy of lulu forever and chose the "pandora's box" louise brooks length hair cut. i marked each page of this film's hair so the stylist could see it from all different angles. not taking any chances here! my stomach was in knots when i got there, though. i had visions of being given either a heinous bowl cut or some horrible katie holmes razor do.

luck was on my side - my stylist was from vietnam so she is a pro with straight hair. she took her time getting the angles right and meticulously checked it against the photos to make sure it was right. even with her careful measurings and book glances, she really did finish me fast. and the results? judge for yourself but i can't tell you how happy i am. yay! a new me!!!! i tipped her $10 (she deserved more) and all the stylists there thanked me profusely. i guess they really don't get huge tips on these low price hair cuts, but they really should.

needless to say, i will be going back there. for $14 i can afford to keep my hair neat and trim. how cool is that?

my room has the craziest pink glow today. it's amazing and i had to snap a photo of it. did you know that the color pink vibrates with the same frequency as pure love? just a tiny piece of useless trivia for you.

vintage poly "wards" dress with roses and ruffles: greendragonlady.etsy.com (she is another one of those stellar sellers with great stuff and prices you can't beat)

burgundy harness belt: target

decadence and decay necklace: mmefortuna.etsy.com

black tights with teeny white stripes: marshalls

black boots: palladium

shielding my eyes

it was snowing when i woke up. everything was so pretty sprinkled with that light dusting of powdered sugar snow. it only lasted a few hours, which i have mixed feelings about. see, i don't want another dumping of that god awful deep snow that ruined the holidays this year but i can't help but love the occasional snow day. it's just the little girl in me, i guess.

ugh. linus keeps trying to lick my face. his tongue hurts and his breath smells like fish.

i wore my time traveler hat today and it kept pulling itself down over my eyes. i think it may be the weight of the pocket watch that causes it to droop. it was a plain beige hat and i added house numbers, millinery flowers, a skeleton key and that great antique pocket watch. our customers loved it. someone even told me i reminded them of the film "enchanted april."

the morning was quiet and slow at luna. barry made fangs out of orange peels and then stuffed his cheeks with napkins to do "godfather" brando impersonations. jaime made us these incredible authentic tacos with the best salsa i've ever tasted in my life. i defrosted the ice cream freezer and cleaned all the menus. we didn't really have any business until lunch. my blue eyed horror movie friend came in and we discussed the merits of "phantasm." they are some great gun safety tips in that film as well. "don't fire a warning shot. that's bullshit." yeah, ok. and if a midget in a brown robe is hanging onto your neck, hold your gun as high over your head as possible and shoot while struggling. of COURSE it'll work out in your favor!

my amazon package came today! only on amazon can you order perrier, vegan cookies, mini candy bars and a coffee table book. i'm so excited to read century girl:100 years in the life of doris eaton travis, last living star of the ziegfeld follies. when i first looked it up, the price was$100! amazon had a seller listing a new copy for $9.99 so i snatched it up. so glad it did - it is an incredible book and this copy is pristine. i was worried when i saw the price but decided what the heck? total score for me. yay!

poly chiffon vintage style dress with belt: h&m 2006

time traveler hat: gift from alyson customized with random etsy items

pocket watch necklace: so old

brown tights: target

brown ruffled knee highs: anthropologie

brown boots: biviel

i resolve to write every day.

or at least every day that has something worth writing about! let's get caught up.

saturday was truly restful. after i finished sorting feathers and moving jewelry into my new jewelry armoire that i scored at target, i took the rest of the day "off" from crafts and work. i gathered up my fabric and such, packing it into one of my cardboard ikea organizer boxes. little did i know that lucy had climbed inside for a nap and burrowed into the lace tablecloths! once i had the lid on, the box started shaking and she exploded from it like a jack-in-the-box on high speed littering doilies and table linens in a blurred trail out the door of my room. i didn't see her again for about an hour. linus was ok with that. we snuggled up and watched "phantasm" and he didn't even mind me laughing as the two brothers fought the evil denim jacket, wrestling it into the garbage disposal. i love that stupid movie!

i woke up around 6a on sunday and started sewing. i have a lot of stuff i'll be listing on etsy in february that is gonna blow everyone away. i considered posting each piece as it was completed but decided i want to list everything at once, showing the complete collection. want a sneak preview? i wore the prototype flapper/lolita/showgirl headwrap today as sort of a test run. i got tons of compliments and it stayed in place perfectly! with my straight hair, if it stays on my head, it'll stay on anyone's. let me know what you all think of it.

barry, one of my coworkers, gave me the coolest buttons today. they're from the late 60s and i adore them so much, i put them on immediately. the "victory in viet nam" button has special signifigance as it is the title of my uncle merle's book. you can see it here: http://www.amazon.com/Victory-Vietnam-Official-History-Peoples/dp/0700611754/ref=dp_return_1?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books

the second is "repeal blue law" and it reminds me of my grammie. she grew up as a seventh day adventist and they considered themselves to be among the first activists against the blue laws. in actuality they just considered saturday to be the sabbath and my grammie and her friend got busted in the theater watching "frankenstein" on a saturday and her friend got so scared when her mom grabbed her arm that she peed her pants. long story but i'm sure you get the gist. saturday = no movies

i went out with victor again last night. we hit a german pub that just opened up. we drank banana clove beer (that wasn't the name but it is what it tasted like), ate bavarian pretzels and watched some poor drunk hippie girl fall off her barstool. multiple times. i felt bad the first time since she whacked her head but by the third time, i wanted to knock her off the stool myself! vic gave me "lips" which is a karaoke video game for xbox. we played a few rounds and even though it has hardly any songs (you can buy more, of course), i had soooooo much fun! i got 2.5 million points singing "take on me" by a-ha. i also scored a perfect pitch token-ish thing, among others. yep, i'm a rock star! vic and i sang as co-singers and against each other. he's great!

well, back to the grind. i worked all morning but i got a lot of sewing to do if i'm gonna have all that stuff ready to post on etsy by next week. i hope everyone is having a lovely winter! check out the lovely view i had for my drive home.

vintage cream poly victorian dress: thedustydog.etsy.com

i so adore this dress! doesn't it have a silent film star quality to it? tara's store rocks my socks!

moving on necklace with antique pearls and antique compass: mmefortuna.etsy.com

feathery flapper wrapper headwrap: by me! collection appearing soon on susieprue.etsy.com

brown boots: biviel

pink tights and knee highs for the frigd 20 degree seattle mornings: target

i just feel lazy

that's all. i don't wanna do anything. i want to take a true day off - no plans, no responsibility, no work of any kind. just a lot of leg elevation and movies and video games. i think i'm gonna go for it.

i am actually sitting in a big pile of feathers, sorting out the polka dotted ones for a project. linus is freaking out and talking to them. i keep having to throw him across the room to keep him outta them! don't worry, no cats were harmed in the making of these items.

i had a really really strange dream. i somehow ended up in this parallel world and was trying desperately to find clues on how to get back to the real world (i am kicking myself for that). i had to pantomime motions and marionettes would act them out, like baking bread, squishing berries into jam and unlocking doors. at one point i got a magic book. on one page was a heart made out of birthday candles. i'd write something that i wanted to have happen and a candle would ignite on the page. when it was lit, my declaration would come true. i also dreamt that kalilah and i found a swimming pool (olympic size and concrete, mind you) and dragged it over to her house where we set it up and practiced diving. that was kinda fun, too. and i also remember finding a bedroom with chocolate eclairs and jelly doughnuts. yum! i really have odd dreams.

i had my first creepy flickr experience yesterday. some guy added a bunch of my photos as favorites so i clicked onto his profile to see who he was. the first thing i see is a photo of his uncircumcised self getting a pair of vintage cowboy boots all sticky and gross. i was so disgusted! i shoulda known something was amiss when i read his screen name, SEX-IN-BOOTS. i think i hate him. it really bothers me since i wear boots to hide my bad leg and feel he has no right to get off on my disability. jerk.

here is yesterday's outfit:

vintage poly victorianesque dress: goodwill

flowered hat: greendragonlady.etsy.com

soiled doves necklace: mmefortuna.etsy.com

black pants: forever 21

black boots: palladium, zappos.com

johann from tony's coffee told me that i'm gonna be that wonderful eccentric old lady in my neighborhood someday. that rocks!

cleaning day

i had to run to target to get kitty litter and razor blades. this is truly a story of doom as i never get out of target without some tremendously important impulse purchase of something i didn't know i couldn't live without until i saw it sitting there staring me in the face. today it was a jewelry armoire.

truth be told, i really did need one. i had thought about getting for quite a while. and heck, 90% off? how could i pass it up?

so i get home and not only do i have to put it together, i have to completely re-organize and clean my entire house. moving furniture? why not? and then i find the missing socks (hooray) and that means laundry. i start the laundry and decide while grabbing the towels that the bathroom needs a little sprucing up.

five hours later i am worn to the bone. so that's why i didn't post until now. i'm gonna wind down, snuggle with the kitties (who HATE my new cyclonic vacuum cleaner from my mom) and watch dario argento flicks. nighty night!

vintage square dancing skirt and top: antique mall for $5

purple tights and stripey socks: target

apron: anthro clearance sale 3 years ago

mabel stark necklace: mmefortuna.etsy.com

hair flower: jonelle lind

frye boots

wednesdays always seem long

on wednesdays, i start my shift three hours later than usual. it's so cory and i can still have our suesday nights. i swear these shifts drag, even though i'm actually working fewer hours total. why is that?

today was hot guy day at work. i swear that 50% of the men who walked in today were beautiful. that is a much higher average than usual. one guy had the most crystalline blue eyes ever and, of course, he sat at the counter. i kept getting nervous while i was making shakes. he was too pretty! he almost made me want to break my "never date a guy who is prettier than i am" rule. almost, but not quite. besides, i don't pick up guys at work. it's just bad news.

vintage black poly "miss crabtree" dress: pantastic.etsy.com

doily worn on shoulder: goodwill (i attached it with fashion tape and an antique brooch of my great grandmother's. it just seemed like i needed that extra something today.)

black tights: dkny

shoes: old clunkers i've had forever. ancient hot topic score

let the vino flow!

chez gaudy. capital hill.

l-r annelise, damon, sophie, cory, christine

this was after cory and i watched dr horrible ("the status is NOT quo") and played video bowling at wingmasters. fun! finally i have someone who understands my dr horrible quotes. i am going to create my evil league of evil application video. my villian will be called "vamp" and i will possess the power of silent film. i will theda bara my foes into submission then hold up a dialogue card. when they stop to read it, i'll kick them in the balls. i will so rock!

inaugurawfulness!

ok, answer me this - why is it ok for democrats to openly bash and belittle republicans? in my entire life i have never heard republicans say such mean, spiteful and disgusting things about democrats. everyone has reasons for believing in the things they do. part of being open-minded and tolerant means that people who like to call themselves open-minded and tolerant should be open-minded and tolerant towards those who have a difference of opinion. the new president would be disgusted if he knew how so many of his supporters treated those on the opposite side of party lines today. c'mon people, grow up! at least my cats are nice to me.

sorry - had to get that out of my system.

sharon brought in a tv today so luna park could air the inauguration. i almost cried when george w and laura flew off in their helicopter. god bless texas! i think i now adore michelle obama for choosing to wear an isabel toledo design today. isabel is one of my favorite designers and one of the sweetest and most enchanting people i've ever met. (she and her husband ruben are like the gomez and morticia of the fashion world. they are so in love they never go anywhere without each other. ruben is a fashion illustrator who does a great deal of art for nordstrom so they were in our store a lot. they are these adorable tiny little cubans with sparkling eyes. i so love them!)

i didn't get the memo about wearing red white and blue today. go figure. i don't care - i always gotta be different anyways. here's to new days, a nice new president, and new discourse.

vintage purple poly dress: goodwill

hair flowers: jonelle lind

bonnie parker's revenge necklace: victorianbustle.etsy.com

oui and non rings: pickypicky.etsy.com

pink apron: vintage

pink socks: target

burgundy frye boots: urban outfitters

how i spent my weekend

everytime i talk to my nephew xander, he asks me when we're going to have a sleepover again. see, i used to visit him every week but i have been seriously neglecting my auntie duties this past year. this weekend had been planned since just after christmas and we got to do all of our favorite things.

i wish i had snapped some pictures of our wicked witch tap dancing routine. we were both decked out in capes and hats (i was wearing my blue gunne sax dress with a candy corn printed witch hat!) and were doing some very complicated steps. the goal of tap dancing is to get your shoes to make as much noise as possible, you know. i did get to teach him "step-ball-change" this time, which makes some great clicking noises. he wanted to trade tap shoes with me but gave it up when he saw that his would only fit on my hands!

we put together a bunch of puzzles. he is so fast at them! the "wizard of oz" one was definitely my favorite. it was tough!

xander's nintendo wii is so much fun to play, when we can get my dad off of it. i got xander "deblob" for christmas and my father is addicted to it. xander and i played that one for a bit before we did the cow racing game. you have to ride on cows racing each other while trying to knock down scarecrows! after that we played the bowling game, which i kinda kick ass at. i tried not to be so good! xander kept trying to use my mii so i helped him customize his so it was cooler.

i love drawing with xander. he is so good! we drew an entire book about accessorizing your witch outfits. you need certain things, like boots with buckles, black cats, a roof top, a pink cauldron, etc. we're going to work on it more the next time i get over there.

thrifting is always in order when i get to port orchard. i found a long leather jacket almost exactly like mine for such a great deal i had to buy it to post in my store. xander loves raggedy ann and andy and found this sweet handmade andy that his loving and spoiling aunt just had to buy for him! i got a ton of doilies and two great 60s dresses. i also found an old nancy drew book, a kids betty crocker party book from 1960, and a great london fog trech coat in perfect condition. xander got scared at the antique mall since i told him the giant trunk had a dead lady's bones in it. it's ok - he loves ghost stories!

we fell asleep watching buffy dvds. he brought out his thomas the tank engine sleeping bags and mats for us so it would be a real sleepover, but we are wimps so we slept in the bed. good thing, too. i can't imagine my back if i'd slept on the floor!

the next day we ate guacamole and chips and flew around on his nimbus 2000. he has the coolest gloves with long green fingernails attached! i have never seen a kid with more dress up stuff - he could be anyone in history! he has cowboy costumes, an army suit, the headless horseman ensemble, a complete captain hook style pirate costume, and at leats 50 witch hats. i admit i did buy many of these for him but my mom is also guilty of adding to the collection. he's just like auntie susie!

i had to run and catch my ferry back and xander begged me not to leave. i swore i'd come back next weekend and we could work more on our witch book and dress up in my corpse bride costume for our tap dance "show." i may have to bring the webcam for that. so much fun!

i went out. finally.

i'm worn as heck today so i'll let the pictures tell the story.

the ballard bridge was up so i had to wait.

elvis was drinking coke. this guy's name is mark. he just felt like dressing up as elvis. that's super cool.

jack's girlfriend is named diane. yeah, they know.

jack rapped. like a gangsta. pretty hilarious since it was a country show.

i tried to get cory to darken the moustache he drew on my finger but he refused. that's why it looks like i'm smelling my finger.

he made his dark enough. then again, he drew a hitler style moustache.

yay for the souvenirs!

i even danced at one point with this super cute 23 year-old guy from indiana. it was fun. i was wearing the dancing shoes i bought from darlene at victorianbustle.etsy.com . i also decided to wear a collar instead of a necklace. i think it's gonna be my new thing. cory said that with my leather jacket and the collar i reminded him of austin powers. don't worry, i'll get him back for that comment.

i felt like a school mistress

there was something about todays dress that made me feel like an 80s secretary (shoulderpads!) a flapper (the stripes) and a school mistress (the tie) all at the same time. i think i love it!




when i returned home from work, the cats weren't waiting right inside the door for me like they usually are. as frustrating as it is to simultaneously unlock and force our archaic door open with my shoulder while using my purse and bad leg to block sneaky kitties from bolting out, i was a little hurt that they weren't hovering. i think they were asleep because when i got upstairs, my bed was very warm in one big spot. glad they were cuddling!



i have the weekend off so i'm going out tonight. i'm meeting up with cory at our suesday spot for some video bowling and then we're off to "the little red hen" to see the souvenirs. one of the musicians in the souvenirs is a sweet friend i used to have a crush on. i haven't seen him in almost two years and he called to tell me about the show. i gotta be there!



tomorrow i'm having a sleepover with xander, my five year-old nephew. we're going to tell ghost stories, make magic potions and watch all the halloween episodes of "buffy the vampire slayer." he's also a great thrifting buddy so maybe i'll pick up some goodies. hooray for a real weekend!




vintage poly blue striped dress with tie: burien goodwill



pocketwatch necklace: old old old


blue tights: target (but they were low rise so i felt like my tush was creeping out of them all day long. what sadist invented low rise tights? must've been a man.)


burgundy frye boots: urban outfitters

yay!!!!!!

my unemployment has been extended! i can start to breathe again.

today has been busy. i've been sewing like mad, i visited my sister and my nephew (smiles and snuggles), and i got a filling. strangely enough, i actually enjoy the mary jo buttafuco mouth that results from the local anesthetic. is that scary?

lucy the cat dress: reincarnatedthreads.etsy.com

stripy top: the limited

wide leg jeans: anthropologie

black boots: palladium

skully hair scarf: claire's

three hours...

... sending out resumes and applying for online jobs. that was my evening. THREE HOURS!!! that's a long long time. head throbbing. needing a rest. sleep now. short nap. that's all.

vintage lavendar gingham maxi dress: thetreetrunk.etsy.com

member necklace: mmefortuna.etsy.com

swallow necklace: pickypicky.etsy.com

burgundy frye boots: urban outfitters

lavendar tulle scraps as hair bows

tired eyes: hours of job searching on craigslist