i simply cannot sing the sweet praises of second-hand shopping enough on this blog.
i found this lanz dress in the recesses of deseret industries i was really thrilled with myself for this find, partially because it is a dress with pockets (heaven bless the dress with pockets!) and partially because my mother raised me to love lanz be it a dress or an overgrown nightgown.
i also like that little perched collar and the green piping.
on the other hand . . .
the blue shoes are steve madden and i paid full price for them at nordstrom.
two weeks later my friend azucar found the same pair for half the price at t.j. max.
you win some, you lose some.
here is another look: (man i love this dress.)
On my other blogs today:
c jane's Guide to Provo: from heaven to hell
c jane enjoy it today: tips for the new baby and mother by my sister Steph (Nie Nie)
I am c jane and I proudly shop at thrift stores. contact me: dearcjane@gmail.com
did you know that april is autism awareness month? did you also know that 1 in 166 children in the united states has autism spectrum disorder? today on all three of my blogs we are talking about autism.
i love this video by jammin' jen a certified music therapist in watchung, new jersey who specializes in teaching music to children with autism and special needs.
i found this video educational and endearing, i hope you will too.
Truth: when my dear, pregnant bride mentioned the idea of me posting a week of my favorite things, my knife was the first thing that came to mind. Then my watch. Then my flashlights. And then a bunch of other stuff. Awesome guy stuff.
Problem was, I hadn't seen my knife for about two weeks.
And now you're asking yourself: "How favorite can this alleged knife be if you...lost it?"
Shut up - I didn't lose it. I knew it would find me. It always does. Especially when I need it.
And yesterday, as I was packing for a residual business trip to LA, in marches cjane, pleased as punch, with my knife in her hand.
"Look what I found." she beamed. "In the toy box."
Part of CRKT's EDC (every day carry) Series, there are obviously more glamorous knives out there. CRKT actually builds raced-out versions of this knife with aluminum or titanium frames and exotic steels for the blade. Nice, but I need a tool. A sharp, unbreakable tool.
Utility, right? I'm not afraid of beating on it, or getting it wet, or getting it dirty. I don't care about pocket lint or finger-prints or a little rust. I rarely sharpen it with my Lansky diamond stones. A little Tri-flow and a few passes with the generic scissor sharpener and I'm good for a few days. I'm not impressing friends by shaving with it, I'm cutting cardboard, or annoying bubble-packed stuff from Costco. Or drywall. If I was carrying a Spyderco or a Benchmade, I'd probably make an extra trip to the silverware drawer to get an old steak knife for the "dirty work."
Here's the lists:
Pros - Price - Solid construction; Zytel (unbreakable plastic) handles - AUS 4 high-carbon stainless steel blade. More than you ever wanted to know about blade steel here. Basically: good steel that gives up some high-end qualities in favor of daily utility. - Carson Flipper. One handed flip open-ability. - Internal "AutoLAWKS" locking mechanism. Locks open when you flip it open, but can be closed with one hand. - Pocket clip. - I have the spear point, combination edge. This means; 2/3 is regular edge, 1/3 is serrated. Love it. Had a tanto (angled) style point before this one. We didn't get along. Too hard to sharpen.
Cons - Tears up your pants pockets over time. I think most folders do. - Distinct lack of bling-diggity. Maybe this belongs in the pro list. - The knurling on the block-studs and the pivot screw are a little sharp. Tough on knuckles and denim. Took a file to the block studs and found a replacement phillips-head screw for the pivot. Done.
I got lucky on eBay 4 years ago and payed $20 when retail was $80. Amazon has 'em now for under $30. Knife snobs scoff at the low price. Pffft. I'd buy 3 friends one of my favorite things in the world.
From CRKT's site: "We want an affordable work knife that we can give hard use without feeling guilty, and one that won't break us up if we leave it on a job site or drop it in the river."
Bingo.
I am c jane, and this knife has made my life easier. contact me: dearcjane@gmail.com
I had it all worked out: a comprehensive list of answers to several stereotypical male v. female questions. Cars, movies, clothes, hobbies, dating…bah, blah, blah. Decided to just answer the real questions and say thanks for the comments.
Damaris said...
my husband is a surfer and I've been wanting to get him a watch that shows tides and is water proof. I have no idea where to even start researching. any suggestions?
April 11, 2010 10:35 PM
CK – Casio’s Pathfinder watches are pretty sweet. I think you can find one with solar charging, atomic syncing AND tide graphing.http://pathfinder.casio.com/watches/
At our house we believe that if you are going to have a Casio it must be the CA53W-1 model (that is, THE CALCULATOR WATCH). That is because my husband is a nerd. Also you can spell BOOBS on it. Who doesn't love that?
P.S. I will forever remember to put Tabasco on my pepperoni pizza thanks to you.
April 12, 2010 12:10 AM
CK - Two of my favorite things in one comment? What? Watches and Pizza. What?
Like the schedule--am particularly excited about flashlights and photography. On the photo front: we just got our first SLR and a flip video camera (baby no. 1 to arrive any day--today please...) and my husband has been experimenting with all the features. Any tips/ideas for accessories and/or how to store/organize the multitude of photos I am certain we'll soon amass with our newborn muse?
April 12, 2010 6:55 AM
CK – You a Mac or PC? I do plain old folders. There are some pretty sweet solutions for both platforms out there.
This was awesome - but I confess I can't wait for Friday and the photo post! I've been itching to know what equipment you use and whether you are really going to make the move to Canon like cjane hinted at (COME ON IN CHUP! THE CANON WATER IS JUST FINE!)
April 12, 2010 8:48 AM
CK – Nikon guy. Have a D90 presently, but not nearly as in love with it as my old D70. Who knows. Can a Chevy guy ever drive a Ford?
love it! a perfect blend of all elements. and now my husband will get a watch for father's day... :)
my question for wednesday...what is your favorite bit about pregnancy?
April 12, 2010 9:02 AM
CK – There are several things that I like love about pregnancy. (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) For the purposes of our discussion, however, I’ll say this: every time a concern or anxiety has come up – two kids under two?! how can I love another one as much as I do this one?! etc., etc., Someone –usually in a comment on one of my wife’s posts- offers an insight or anecdote that...helps. The answers or advice are cool, but the knowledge that people, lots of people, have gone through all of this before (and come out fine…’rents AND kids) is confidence inspiring. I can do it. We can do it. Everybody does it. I dig it.
I love that you made a list. Now, for the questions: how do I get my husband to be more like you? (kidding...maybe...). And what do you use to organize your digital photography? iPhoto? Picasa? Just lame-o folders? You must have thousands of pictures, and you seem like a guy who would have a systems for his precious images. I'd love to know!
April 12, 2010 1:00 PM
CK – Lame-o folders. I am pretty compulsive about their organization though. Year/Month/Day/Event. My brother loves iPhoto. Picasa seems cool. I’ve experimented a little with their face/color/shape recognition, and they’re awesome. Just haven’t switched. You?
can you give us a rating scale? where would you place maglites in your flashlight heirarchy?
April 12, 2010 11:18 PM
CK – I’ll always love Maglites. I have several. Great construction and waterproofing. Indestructible. Bummer that they fell so far behind when LED tech took off. Seems like they just kept selling what they had for years. Just now starting to do some new, interesting stuff.
My husband got an AF issue one (maybe a sure fire, is that a flashlight?) while he was deployed that was the size of a mini mag. While on a camping trip he showed it off to me. He shined it from our campsite and lit up the forest which was quite far away. I'm bad with distances, but it was enough to get me, who usually glazes over myself while he displays his toys, to pause and think it was indeed a very cool flashlight. I never knew they were collectors items, though. Fun to see what other people (men) get excited about.
April 13, 2010 3:50 AM
CK – Sometimes I have this dream that I own everything in the Surefire catalog. When Military, Law Enforcement, and Film Makers use them, you know they’re solid.
I'm sending this to my Hoss. He sells flashlights, you know. You and Hoss could be friends...he's tall-you're tall, he's bald-you're bald...the flashlight thing--a match made in heaven.
April 13, 2010 8:56 AM
CK – Who you calling tall? Does he need a product tester?
Anonymous said...
So totally out there since I know this was mostly a review post...but where are your headlamps? You have a very impressive collection of flashlights and so I'm puzzled by the lack of the one kind of flashlight we have in the house: 4 headlamps.
Do you keep your flashlight on you at all times the same way my husband keep his Gerber with him? If so, which one you keep on you?
Sarah
April 13, 2010 9:02 AM
CK- Have three headlamps. But they’re old enough that I “need’ new one(s). And yes, the Microstream is my EDC (every day carry.)
But you won't be a true flashlight geek until you mod them out! Our friend is always looking for new ways to get more candlepower or whatever it is and he's got THE brightest lights I've ever seen. Don't settle for what you can buy--aim high and CREATE!
April 13, 2010 12:18 PM
CK – 5 of the 10 Mags on the left are modded. Some have drop-in aftermarket emitters or switches. There’s a pretty sweet mod for the 3 cell Mag with a $2 bulb from Radio Shack and a few inches of PVC pipe.
I have a son who saved his hard-earned money for a Surefire flashlight when he was 15--then four years later when he was packing for his mission, it was the first thing in the bag. I pointed out that it wasn't on the list and he said "I'm going with the prompting I'm getting to take it." How could I argue with inspiration?
April 13, 2010 2:16 PM
CK – My type of guy. Do you know which Surefire it is/was?
Now I want nothing more than to start collecting flashlights! I had no idea what I was missing out on - my husband is going to be thrilled! Thanks for this post - it might be life-changing.
April 13, 2010 4:43 PM
CK – Slippery, expensive-y slope. Have fun!
I am c jane, my husband is sexy and I want the whole world to know it. contact me: dearcjane@gmail.com
All flashlights are not created equal? Understatement, yes, but I don't want to lose anyone early on.
Thing is, flashlights -like anything else- have their own little corner of the world. Highly specialized research and development, a mature design and marketing hierarchy, fads, fashions, loathe factor, lust factor and their very own metalanguage. It follows, therefore, that a select group of people would totally geek-out over them.
For some people, a flashlight is a pink, yellow, or orange plastic thing that sits in the junk drawer and makes "C" batteries go dead.
Gag.
For me, the perfect flashlight (you're abso-freeking-lutely right, it's a quest) is a test bed nonpareil for the elusive fusion of form and function. Exceptional industrial design, bleeding-edge technology and confident utility, thanks very much.
Last time I was at my parents house in Idaho, my dad (fellow flashlight geek) got an excited look on his face and disappeared into his office. As he hurried back out, he tossed this tiny thing to me and said "look what I found." We immediately set to, hushed tones and grunts of excitement:
"Emitter?"
"Only 1/2 watt, but check it out!"
"Sweet! Triple 'A'...What kind of switch?"
"Forward clicky...momentary."
"SWEET. It's so small...and...it feels like it's hard coated..."
"Yeah, H-II."
"SWEET!"
My brother rolled his eyes. Not the first time.
"I just don't get the flashlight thing."
My little brother, 6 years my younger and High School Valedictorian, had his M.D. before I had my first "real" job. He's the nicest guy I know and he's my best friend in the world. But sometimes he doesn't have a brain. And his taste is in his mouth.
I am nothing, however, if not patient.
"You have to admit, even if you don't like flashlights, that this one is cool." I said.
"I'm a Doctor, I don't have to admit anything." **
I dragged him into the bathroom (dark, no windows) to show him.
"Look at how freeking bright this thing is."
He seems genuinely surprised at how much light comes out of such a tiny package.
"Scratch it with your fingernail...feel that? That's hard-anodizing. Super tough. Military grade, dude."
Marginally more impressed.
"Best part is, the LEDs they're making these days are crazy. The 1/2 watt LED in this is easily 10 times more efficient than the 1/2 watt I bought last year."
His eyes start to glaze over...
"Ok. It's so efficient that even on a small battery like a 'AAA' it'll run FOR-EV-ER, seriously, like weeks. AND it'll NEVER burn out."
"Seriously?" Pause. "This little thing? Ok. That's pretty cool."
And that's all I got. But it's all I needed. Baby steps, right?
**he may or may not have actually said this.
When I tried to give it back to my dad, he said "it's yours." He's cool like that. He said he paid $20 for it on Amazon. A quick google tonight says as cheap as $13. Streamlight also makes a longer, two-battery version, The Stylus Pro. A little brighter, a little longer run-time. Sweet.
I had prepared a full-length deal on incandescent bulbs vs. LED, plastics, aluminum, coatings, optics, driver circuitry, and battery technology, but I figure that's what Wikipedia and Candlepower are for, right? Knock yourself out.
Simply put, this is a very cool little light. It's small, super bright, a single battery will last forever, and it's not super expensive.
Check on the sleeping kids. Plumb the depths of your purse. Help your pregnant wife down the theater steps after a movie. Is that a raccoon or a wookalar in the back yard?
A perfect gift if ever there was one. Careful, though...you may start something.
-ck
I am c jane, this blog promotes good stuff. contact me: dearcjane@gmail.com
Chup here. In this space during this week, I’ll get to offer my .02. Since “Dear cjane” started as a place for my dear wife to answer questions about, give suggestions for, or just gush about the stuffs she fancies –I’ll do some of the same. But ‘cept guy stuff. I’m hoping to spread the word about stuff I dig, offer suggestions for birthdays, anniversaries and the like, and maybe answer some questions. Gadgets and guy stuff? Sure. Relationship advice? ABSOLUTELY.
Good? Sweet. Here’s what I’m thinking for a schedule:
Monday - My Watch
Tuesday – My Flashlight(s)
Wednesday – Questions
Thursday – My Pocket Knife
Friday – Photography
Lemme know if you’d like your time spent otherwise. Otherwise, that’s the plan.
This, is my watch. It is a Casio G-shock MTG-900. It’s almost perfect. Hyperbole? Read on.
Like a lot of guys, I’m a gear-head. I like stuff. I like to research, discuss, try, return, adjust or trade to try to obtain…the best stuff. Love good design, LOVE function, ratta-tat-tat.
This watch kills it.
Here’s my lists:
Pro
- Solar powered – fuhgeddaboudit. I’ve never wound it, set it, or replaced the battery. 5 minutes of light a day keeps it charged. Yeah.
- Atomic synced – ditto. Syncronizes with the Atomic clock in Denver every night. Who’s a “who’s watch is most accurate” snob? ME!
- G-shock – Tough!
- Mineral Crystal face - Tough!
- Stainless steel – Wear it to the beach. Then to church. Tough! Mines silver, but they also make it in black. Sessy.
- Sweet tilt-sensor night light. Just rotate your wrist and voila! the night light comes on. AWESOME for impressing/annoying people in movie theaters. More on this in a sec. Both a pro and a con.
- World time – VERY easy (two buttons, up or down) to set your watch for different time zones. Brilliant for travel.
Con
- Sweet tilt sensor night light. This does kill your “charge” It’ll take a week or so to do it, and without regular exposure to light, my watch died. If you run the battery down completely, it takes an hour of direct sunlight to function properly. You CAN turn this feature off, and then the night light is just a regular button-press away. HOWEVER, I seem to have done irreparable damage to either the battery or the light itself, because my light is dead. No tilty, no button pressy. No nothin’. BUGS. It’s been this way for 4 years, and I’m used to it now. I’ve asked at several watch/jewelry shops, and none of them have been able to replace the battery. Apparently a send-it-back-to-the-factory type of deal. Deal killer for me? No. Other than the light the watch performs exactly as it did when new. Bummer? Yeah.
- Plastic – There are several plastic pieces integrated into the stainless steel design of the watch. The dark plastic is bomber. The lighter plastic that joins the band and the watch body is…less so. It’s painted or coated to simulate the stainless of the band, and the coating lasts about a week. I’m hard on stuff, but c’mon. Also, perhaps because of my acidic perspiration, the plastic has started to crack on the inside of the band. Your mom can't see it, and it’s still structurally sound but…c’mon.
- It has alarms and a stopwatch, fine. Also has this funky time recorder mode that I never use. Lets you record the starts and stops of…events. Whoopittydoo.
I could go on.
And…I will. My dad gave me this watch. Ah, the sentiment. Bought himself one of the same when he gave it to me. 5 Christmases ago, I think. I like watches, I have a bunch, and while I sometimes yearn for a 44mm Panerai, this is the one that stays on my wrist. Brilliantly dependable and accurate, respectably stylish. Everyman's. Love it. It’s one of my stuffs that I would not want to do without, and I recommend it to anyone who’ll listen.
Here’s a link for more technical details, variants on the model, color, other reviews etc. As usual, a little digging will yield better prices. Retail seems to be around $100 at Target, Walmart etc., but I think they can be had for around $75.
2.) the baby shower isn't quite over! there are two more giveaways going on over there: and covered up (covered up link might not work until monday morning so check back, or go straight to family volley for updates).
thanks julian & co and covered up!
3.) our randomly-selected mother lode of march winner is: jessica who is married to an accountant (as far as i can tell) and may need a little stimulus package as tax season draws to a close.
recently i finished another book from the same publisher called no going back.
it is a story about two mormon teenagers one straight and the other gay. the story winds around their choices, the reaction of their community, and church.
it is a hopeful, insightful and faithful story and addresses homosexuality in the lds church.
along with carol lynn pearson's novel goodbye, i love you --a story about carol lynn's experience with her gay husband and their mormon faith-- no going back taught me more about the complications of faith and feelings when directly impacted by homosexuality.
i think one thing this book illustrates well is a successful relationship between a bishop and a young man and how together they navigate the young man's choices, his options and future.
i appreciate langford's willingness to write about this subject with hope and respect.
and guess what? i'll even throw in there your own ginormous bag of hershey-dipped synder's of hanover pretzels.
what a cheerful package this is!
who wants it?
you have until thursday (4/8) midnight MDT one entry per person enter a comment in the comments section (feel free to give nice-spirited suggestions about this blog) to be officially considered.
sadly, today is our last day for the baby shower, but happily there are more giveaways then ever before . . .
heather of family volley is throwing me a week long baby shower and i want to invite you, but instead of you giving me a gift heather and generous companies want to give me AND you one.
isn't that your kind of baby shower?
these are the giveaways going on today click on each image to enter or go to family volley to see them all:
my sincerest thanks to heather, sister in law megan, my family and the generous companies for this fun week! it's been full of joy for me.
and thanks readers for participating. you are the best!
heather of family volley is throwing me a week long baby shower and i want to invite you, but instead of you giving me a gift heather and generous companies want to give me AND you one.
isn't that your kind of baby shower?
these are the giveaways going on today click on each image to enter or go to family volley to see them all:
p.s. I am so excited about this custom print from lollie designs (it is late and i am at my computer crying) thanks lollie!
I am C. Jane Kendrick, thanks for coming to my blog! You can read more about this blog here. Or see links to my favorite places here. And should you want to contact me for advertising rates, writing opportunities or general good will you can email me at
cjanemail @ gmail.com.
