Beautiful pictures!

Hello there  I keep on forgetting to ask you about these "inside out baked potatoes" you mentioned a while ago........

How do you prepare them? 

This is an updated version of the shopping method analysis post


Observations about shopping style.
The way I've shopped for the past several years is largely dependent on my decisionmaking style. Most people do not have a protocol for shopping, nor do they set boundaries for themselves while shopping. Personally I think having a plan is the best way to get what you want while saving your wallet.

This method involves three processes:
(0) pre-shopping
(1) "thin-slicing", or getting first-impressions of things
(2) rational decisionmaking.

(0) Pre-shopping is the step that most people skip.

Have an idea of how much you want to spend! Have designated allotments for each item you need to buy.

I find that it really helps to have an idea of the characteristics or specifications of what I want to buy, because that decreases my chance of a compulsive purchase. ("My ideal teapot should be thick, between $10-15, solid color, and not gaudy") (Likewise with grocery shopping - do it when you are not hungry, and do it with a list) When I have a standard idea to follow, I can compare each item to what I actually want and not to other similar items that are on the market. When the initial ideal is lost, shoppers tend to compromise their purchases based on what actually exists. "If you don't like any of them, don't buy the least-bad item"

(1) The "thin-slicing" process takes the longest time for me. I "thin-slice" items by looking at them for only a few seconds each. It's like shopping by gut instinct. If you don't like the thing now, then you won't like it long-term. (Then again, it's rare but things can "grow on you") Then I move on to more decisionmaking processes after an item makes a good first impression. I shop very quickly, spending no more than 10 seconds looking at any particular object and no more than 5 minutes in any particular store (unless something really catches my taste and I spend more time with it). This is where my best friend Warrior and I differ. She spends oodles of time looking at individual things, and about an hour (like pulling teeth to me!) in only one store. I love Warrior and I love shopping but shopping with Warrior is a little difficult : )  

(2) After thin-slicing: If a thing catches my eye, I put it to other tests. Is this a thing I've been meaning to buy? Is this a timeless classic that I can easily use in casual settings? Can it be dressed up to become a formal thing? (*a plus)

feels comfortable, user-friendly, or is easy to handle (for clothes, I often pass clean lips over it because that's such a sensitive body part)  

accentuates positive physical aspects of the user, if applicable

have some bold colors I love

would have to match other things owned

it has to be something I would actually wear or use often

sturdily constructed with a breathable fabric if a garment

moderate-to-difficult to break or damage

practical for the climate in my area or practical for my everyday work or home environment

Easy to clean. If a discounted everyday-wear garment is dry-clean-only, I would think twice about the purchase for the sake of cleaning cost. (the opposite if it were a nice coat, a corset, decorative ottoman, or piece of artwork for example)

I have to be able to fix minor errors if anything bad happens

Finally, it has to be in my pre-planned budget. This is where I think most people go wrong - they factor in the price before they consider other aspects of the garment. It's difficult to make an objective decision after you know the price of a garment (why many people buy poorly constructed garments for a higher price than they should)

All of the above is subject to change depending on whether the item is going to be a collectible, an investment, or a replacement for an heirloom.

(*) For things I actually NEED, I spend months shopping for the perfect one.  

Obvious model or design comparisons: know the various models offered and their specifications.

comparing qualities, pros and cons, best by keeping a chart or list comparing prices at different vendors, payment methods, and factor in shipping costs

considering vendors that have more than one thing I would need to purchase, to save on shipping costs

comparing the legitimacy of various vendors and their customer service* online vendors. I send around emails to vendors and ask about products, and if they give a timely, friendly, professional response, then they get kudos.

updated crossposting

TMI ALERT

Ohhh how I love Villainess soap so much.
[Yesterday] it totally dawned on me how dependent I am on Brooke's soap. I use it to clean my Mooncup, hands and nails, underwear (on occasion. Most of the time I just wash my undergarments with warm-hot water because of the rashes) and x toys. I get labial rash when coming into contact with other kinds of detergents. This goes to show the incredible gentleness of  Brooke's Villainess Soaps... "Mudslide" and "Ginger Snapped" are in the soap dish right now. Ginger Snapped smells just like my holiday soap from Lush (the one that smells like white musk). A few months ago I made the mistake of using Lush before going to bed. Totally WRONG time of day for me to use non-Villainess...  Lesson learned. Villainess is queen.

There's been no sacrifice of cleaning power or moisturization. And natural does not mean a sacrifice of incredible mind-boggling scent. All my not-yet-unwrapped soaps are scenting my dresser drawer of shirts. Now nobody knows I am unable to do laundry because the dryer is broken. *evillle* because my clotheses smellses so goodness. *sigh*

One of my NYresolutions was to learn the swirly bun. Unfortunately it doesn't look right. Fortunately it's comfortable. I think it's Leia's Swirly Bun but I'm not entirely sure. It looks like a Danish pastry

Thanks Juri

Showered and washed my hair last night, (I was determined to look good) with the usual CCC-C, sock curled

Today I got my rare out-of-print book back, from aforementioned cheating former guyfriend K. He drove up, I opened the passenger door, and we handed eachother our books back. There wasn't much speech involved.

I learned a lot today. I learned that I am much stronger than I ever believed. Despite everything that happened, I'm spiritually complete enough that it makes me relatively unchanged and unjaded about what happened after a 4 year bestfriendship and a very long and strange relationship (One day in October he just stopped calling. I told him today, "You should have told me you were going to see someone else, so that I could move on and not think about you anymore". Awkward silence followed.)

We each lost our best friend today. Thankfully I am still nice to strangers, I still say hi to people on the street, I still love the people I love, and I still think the world is a wonderful beautiful place where, through meditation and what I call "spiritual training", human beings have the potential and opportunity to realize their own greatness. One man couldn't change my worldview, even though he was afraid that it would happen if he let me down.

All he wanted was a family and I couldn't give him that, because of where I am in my life. Other than that, we were in perfect agreement that we were meant for each other. When New-Girlfriend and New-Girlfriend's-Son went and lived with him for a few days, he discovered what it was like to have some sort of pseudo-family of his own. And I found out today that she's moved in permanently since then. I think he's really going to settle down and finally be at peace.

I'm not going to tell him this, but I can forgive him now.


a special something from Madiba in spirit, Table Mountain in Cape Town

Hi Anais

I second on what Pan said, and i'm glad everything is settled now, and it's a very good feeling to know that you can forgive.

Oh, and very beautiful pic, and i love the bun

I agree with what Panpeus, Beesan, and Khrome said. I'm really happy that you were able to have closure and can move on.