12/31/2005 01:56:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Well, apparently I've taken a vacation from everything this week... :) Here's a very, very quick catch-up post. This Christmas was very good for my media collection. I got some great books that I wanted that will be a big help to me in the classroom. I also got some of my favorite TV shows on DVD (Lost, The West Wing, Scrubs...) and a few movies. Oooh...and a big bag of chocolate covered ginger! Mmmm... Tall Mocha was rejected by Woman's World. So there's something about it they just don't like. Which is a bummer, because there really isn't another market for it, and I really, really like it. Maybe there's an online market somewhere... I've got another idea in the works, that I just scribbled down on a piece of paper, but I'm optimistic about it. Last night, Jen and I went to the last (for a while, anyway) Lowest of the Low concert. In a bizarre twist of fate, we ended up standing right next to our friends from Thursday at the Square. I mean, what are the odds? There is an acoustic revue show in Toronto soon, but I read in the Buffalo Current that the revue will also be in Buffalo in February (at the Karpeles Document Museum. No date or ticket info yet). And that's me. Rand and I are going to a party at his friend's house tonight. Hope you all have a happy, happy New Year. See you in 2006!|W|P|113605601110775083|W|P|Vacation, all I ever wanted|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com1/03/2006 12:02:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Unknown|W|P|I'm sorry about your story being turned down. :-(1/03/2006 03:34:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Erinna|W|P|Yeah, me too...ah well. Try, try again, right? :)12/26/2005 05:54:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Hope you all had (and are continuing to have) a lovely holiday. I meant to get this posted either before Christmas or on Christmas day, but alas...I forgot. Anyway, this is a link to Dave Huth's video blog. Dave is a friend of Rand's, who happens to be very cool and very talented. We Are Waiting|W|P|113563787825525821|W|P|Fantastic stuff|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com12/26/2005 06:21:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Dave H.|W|P|Hey Erin! Thanks for the linkage! And for the record, you are SUPER-cool and SUPER-talented. Happy Christmas and etc.!12/23/2005 10:53:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Rand and I are off to spend Christmas with my family, and so I don't know if I'll be doing any posting between now and when I get back to town. Wishing you all a happy holiday, whatever holiday you celebrate. :)|W|P|113535329245874377|W|P|Happy Xmas|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com12/23/2005 08:27:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Stephanie|W|P|That's BiG!

Have a great Christmas...they're letting Grammy out of the hospital tomorrow, so that's good news for us, too.12/23/2005 10:21:00 PM|W|P|Blogger LC Scotty|W|P|Merry Christmas, you bloggin cutie!12/24/2005 03:23:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Andrew Ironwood|W|P|Happy Holey-Days!!!...12/24/2005 06:38:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Politically Homeless|W|P|Merry Christmas to you Erin12/22/2005 11:44:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|And hoping this starts a lively discussion. I was listening to an NPR report about prostitution (the particulars aren't vital to this conversation), and was struck again by a thought I've had for a long time. What's the difference between a porn actor or actress and a prostitute? More specifically, why do people go to jail for one, and the other is a perfectly acceptable form of entertainment? From a strictly intellectual perspective, I don't see a great amount of difference. The differences, I think, are ones that society has created. We've given porn a certain amount of legitimization. There are contracts, the people involved are protected from the seedier elements of the world of prostitution. Why is that?|W|P|113527021583727668|W|P|Something to think about|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com12/22/2005 12:51:00 PM|W|P|Blogger jalaire|W|P|I think it's because we think that porn stars only sleep with each other...where prostitutes sleep with our husbands/boyfriends.12/22/2005 02:00:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Theryn|W|P|The technical argument is probably that the porn actors are being paid for their "acting," (ha) not for the sex per se. Also, they're generally paid by a third party who is not partaking in the sex, i.e. one actor is not paying the other for sex. Which, yeah, is splitting hairs, but that's what the law is about ;-)12/22/2005 04:34:00 PM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|Will you go to the prom with me in San Dimas? We will have a most excellent time.12/24/2005 12:46:00 AM|W|P|Blogger Jack Steiner|W|P|I never really thought about it, but I do agree that prostitution should be legalized.12/26/2005 02:55:00 AM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|Just read an article about a teen in california who made a couple hundred GRAND selling pornographic material of himself made with his webcam. Child porn is illegal, of course, but it might be hard to explain to a family that can't make ends meet exactly "why" this is wrong. Wonder how many families are using their kids this way. The teen's online "friends" helped him set up a Paypal account etc.1/02/2006 12:02:00 AM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|Just read an article about a teen in california who made a couple hundred GRAND selling pornographic material of himself made with his webcam. Child porn is illegal, of course, but it might be hard to explain to a family that can't make ends meet exactly "why" this is wrong. Wonder how many families are using their kids this way. The teen's online "friends" helped him set up a Paypal account etc.

Porn in the number one industry onthe internet.12/20/2005 08:21:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Tomorrow night (Wednesday, Dec. 21) Greg Klyma will be playing at the Sportsmen's Tavern. Show starts at 9, Greg expects to go on around 10:30-ish. I don't know yet if I'm going to make it, but if you're free, you should! Also, any and all Clevelanders, Greg is opening for Todd Snider at Beachland Ballroom on the 29th. (Stephanie, both of these guys are on the CD we made you!) Show starts at 8.|W|P|113512845284322315|W|P|Folk music goodness|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com12/20/2005 10:40:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Unknown|W|P|Will Tom Bianchi be playing with Greg? :-)12/21/2005 12:21:00 PM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|Off topic! I got your Christmas card this week! Thank you!12/19/2005 08:01:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Nah, actually I was going to get to this anyway. :) The name of the band we saw Saturday night was No Boundaries. They're a cover band, playing stuff ranging from adult contemporary to classic rock to 80s hair metal. Musically, very well put together, and Scott is an awesome drummer! Since I'm talking more about the show, I have to talk about the dancing woman. You know how there are some people that you have to respect, even though they can't dance very well, because they know it and they just don't care? Well, she wasn't one of them. She thought she was God's Gift to Dancing. She was probably mid-fortyish, wearing tight (but high-waisted) black jeans, high-heeled black boots, and a snug white sweater. The second song I saw her dancing to was "Born to be Wild." Best part--she actually mimed "lookin' for adventure." The rest of the time, she sort of shook her booty all around the floor daring the world to experience her sexiness. "Do you think it's possible she's doing Elaine Benes?" Rand asked. "Nope," I said. "She *means* it." I have no doubt about this. A bit later in the set, she (and her friend) were joined by a young-ish couple unable to resist the siren call of the Black Crowes. ("Hey, it's Doogie Howser," Rand remarked. He did kind of look like Doogie. Hee!) They got all sexy and grindy. Remember, this was Hilton. And even later, after a short dance break, the band went into Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle." Our dancing friend literally pranced onto the dance floor, flailing her arms in the air, her hands sort of mimicking the motion of her feet. I wish I had adequate words to describe this. She then did something sort of resembling the twist, followed by something sort of resembling the swim. You really need the visual. If she ever makes it into my fiction, it'll have to be in screenplay form. Because this must be seen to be believed...|W|P|113504480426865187|W|P|Because Celia asked...|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com12/20/2005 03:34:00 PM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|LOL, I wish you had pictures because I would have loved to seen it!12/20/2005 03:43:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Celia|W|P|Thanks for the review!12/22/2005 08:52:00 AM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|Save her for a character in a short story or novel. And save your great description!12/19/2005 05:07:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|I have in my possession a copy of Calling in 'the One' that is in need of a good home. I know, the title sounds sort of hokey, but I credit this book with helping me work through all of my icky breakup issues, not just from the last relationship, but from all of them. And hey, the relationship that I "called in" is still going strong. ;) If you're interested, send me an email or leave me a comment!|W|P|113503035922187671|W|P|Up for grabs|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com12/19/2005 06:14:00 PM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|Well, if it works...! Is there a money-back guarantee if, in 7 weeks, you still haven't found The One?12/19/2005 08:00:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Erinna|W|P|All yours, girlfriend. E-mail me your address. Maybe you and Hil can share... :)12/18/2005 10:23:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|So yesterday, I got to meet another of Rand's friends. A while ago, we made plans to go out to Rochester and spend some time with Scott and his wife and kids. I knew two things about Scott: he lives near Rochester, and he's in a band. We made plans to come out when he had a gig, so we could see him play. As we were driving, I was thinking about how it was kind of strange that I hadn't really been to Rochester since X and I broke up. Once we got off the Thruway, we were in territory I wasn't completely familiar with, other than recognizing the names of some of the towns. We drove through Spencerport (Spencerport, I thought...that's near Brockport. I used to drive through Brockport on my way to X's.) So we're driving, driving, driving, and Rand's not exactly sure where the house is. Knowing that we're just a few doors past the house, Rand pulls into the gas station on the corner to call Scott. Gee, I think...something about this seems...hey...I know this corner. Directly across from us is a now-closed garage where X used to have work done on his car. We're like 5 minutes away from X's parents' house. No. Freaking. Way. So, where was the band playing, you ask? At the bowling alley in Hilton, X's hometown. I'd never been in the bowling alley before, but it's attached to a pizza place that has the best mozzarella sticks in the entire world. How do I know this? Because we used to get food there all the time. "I have to admit, I feel a little weird about being here," I told Rand. It wasn't sad or upsetting in any way, it was just...strange. Surreal. Dream-like, if you will. "Do you want to go say hi?" he asked. I just laughed. "Nah. That's okay."|W|P|113496358990351561|W|P|It's a small world, after all|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com12/19/2005 12:05:00 AM|W|P|Blogger Stephanie|W|P|I actually know that area!

My Cedarville buddy Vicki, and her brother Nate, live around there.

Can't say I've had the pleasure of the best mozzarella sticks in the entire world, though.

More's the pity.12/19/2005 02:21:00 PM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|For some reason the small worldness of Buffalo & Rochester can never be escaped.

I just met a new staff member from the the office of research, with whom I'll be working with, and she used to live not to far from my brother & his wife when they lived in Chili...12/19/2005 05:02:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Celia|W|P|What was the band? And how were they?12/20/2005 12:38:00 AM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|It'll be really freaky if the "Scott" in question is Scott Edersheim ... who went to my high school. We never knew each other back then (though I was friends with his sister) -- then met up years and years later on the Ookla the Mok guestbook.

It's a world of hope and a world of fears. :-)12/17/2005 12:24:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|John Spencer (aka West Wing's Leo McGarry) died last night.|W|P|113484044993831699|W|P|I am so depressed|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com12/17/2005 10:10:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Unknown|W|P|I liked him in "LA Law."12/14/2005 05:18:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Well, today was the first truly difficult day I've had at my favorite school. I had two kids go AWOL during one of my classes. I'm pretty sure I let one of them go to the bathroom, and he just never came back. The other one? Not exactly sure. I got a call from the attendance office asking if they were there. I checked. Nope. I got another call from someone in the office who had apparently caught them in the parking lot. They told her Mrs. B (their regular teacher) had given them permission to go out to their cars and get their homework. (Gee, did they think no one would figure out that Mrs. B wasn't in school?) I assured her that they did not have my permission to be outside. This same person came to find me in the faculty room during my lunch period, just to make sure these two boys came to class and then left, and had not skipped out earlier. She wanted to be sure of the situation before writing them up. Sigh. Also, I met another English sub who is coming in to fill in for a maternity leave. I hate meeting other English subs. Other English subs are my competition. And knowing that he's doing the maternity leave sort of ruined my day. Because if someone retires, wouldn't they be more likely to hire the guy who's worked there in a long-term position? But on the other hand, today I was leaning VERY heavily toward wanting to teach college full time. I vacillate on this daily. And I don't know how likely I am to be able to do this without a doctorate, and I absolutely, positively cannot go back to school right now. I can't. I need to pay my loans BACK, not take out more. I already feel like a huge loser when I think about my loans. Speaking of jobs...I did hear from the principal at that Catholic school. They hired someone else. Like I said, I wasn't sure if it was what I wanted...but it sure would be nice to be the one doing the rejecting...|W|P|113459936681892196|W|P|Help me.|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com12/14/2005 05:49:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Stephanie|W|P|Well you could look at the doctorate this way: Hawk spent years in school getting his degree, came out and worked three years of residency and is now making a great salary. Of course he's still paying back loans and "loan repayment" is part of his salary (he has to pay taxes on the money but it's kind of a nice bonus."

It's kind of an investment. You just have to weigh the reward. Student loan interest rates are much lower than, say, a credit card. It's a good debt to have IMO.

Not saying you need more debt or another degree but that's the flip side of taking out more loans. Just my $.02.12/14/2005 09:12:00 PM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|That's a bummer all around. But you never know what will happen next...could be that the maternity leave guy (that sounds funny) won't work out, or perhaps he has another gig lined up after this one, or who knows. As for teaching college vs. high school -- only you can figure out what will make you feel happy and fulfilled. Once you make that decision, the rest will flow. Good luck!

[Utter strangness - my word-verification word has a "u" with an umlaut. And since I don't know how to type an umlaut, it wouldnt' verify me and gave me a new word instead. What's up with that?]12/12/2005 09:40:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|As a result of being a substitute teacher in several different districts and teaching part-time at a local college, I've discovered a unique occupational hazard. I leave crap in refrigerators all over Western New York. Yogurts. Sandwiches. Drinks. The occasional Rubbermaid container with leftovers. My leftover pork and garlic mashed potatoes from Fat Bob's. (WAH!) Sigh. One of the schools where I sub has these great pizza-filled soft pretzels available for lunch, and I cannot stop eating them. Yum. :) Other current food item I am addicted to...orange cream yogurt from Wegmans (Wegmans brand). Mmmmmm. Jen and I went to Home Depot and purchased our Christmas tree yesterday. Oh, how I wish I had a digital camera. It has an...interesting...shape. So far, neither of us has summoned enough energy to string the lights. And so, our oddly-shaped tree is naked. How sad. ;) I will probably be posting little in the next week or so. I have loads of grading to do. Thank goodness for substitute teaching! OH! And I almost forgot. Loved the Narnia movie. LOVED it. Anyone else see it?|W|P|113444221387492544|W|P|Occupational hazard|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com12/13/2005 03:03:00 PM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|I've seen the Narnia movie- I liked it a lot! I thought the four kids were really good and I was happy with how true it was to the book.12/13/2005 04:01:00 PM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|I'll bet you've lost a lot of nice tupperware that way, leaving your trail all over western New York. ;)

I WANT to see the Narnia movie, but haven't done so yet. I'm re-reading the book. Will probably see the movie this weekend.12/14/2005 11:16:00 PM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|I have one word for you: Gladware.12/09/2005 04:24:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Well, the morning commute was simply dreadful today. Slippery roads, low visibility, and oh...yeah...people driving like morons in the snow even though they LIVE IN BUFFALO. Seriously, people. One of my biggest pet peeves on the road is this: people who ride the right lane from 198 onto the 33 on-ramp even though they know G-d damn well that that lane ENDS. Not only does it not get you there any faster, it MAKES TRAFFIC WORSE. What do I hate more than this? Someone who does it when the roads are slippery. Even more? When said someone is: a) driving a Mercedes, and b) talking on her cell phone. I could barely contain my rage this morning. I had to call the school where I was working and let them know I was not going to make it in on time. Not such a big deal, as I was subbing for the librarian. (When subbing in the library, your main duty is crowd control.) When I arrived, I found that the buses had only beat me in by 5-10 minutes. Good thing about subbing in the library today: aside from aforementioned crowd control, I had precious little to do. I spent most of the day getting addicted to Sudoku. Bad thing about subbing in the library today: I got NO grading done. That's my day. Looks like I'm going to be seeing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe today. YAY!! I saw the trailer last week when we went to see Harry Potter, and it looks very cool. I also re-read the book earlier in the week in anticipation of this event. :)|W|P|113416404246370850|W|P|Winter Wonderland|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com12/10/2005 09:56:00 AM|W|P|Blogger Unknown|W|P|"right lane from 198 onto the 33 on-ramp even though they know G-d damn well that that lane ENDS."

You're talking about the 33 going towards the airport, right? Yeah, that sucks.12/08/2005 03:25:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|(thanks, Mac) Because they print inane crapfests like this: 100 things you need to know about women Ladies, check out the list and let me know what you think. Guys, how many of you actually believe this crap? Look, it's not like I'm defending women's mags. Cosmo and Glamour are equally full of shit. Some favorites:
89. A girl would prefer to get a $100 gift from Tiffany & Co. than a $500 gift from Fortunoff. Why? Because her friends will ask where she got it.
I am fully aware that there are women like this out there. I'm not one. I'm not friends with any of them, and I have no idea why you would want to date one.
88. �If I give you my number on Friday, Tuesday and Wednesday are your best bets to score a date. Monday is too desperate, Thursday is too late.��Claire, 27
"Claire" is full of crap. If I like you, I'll go out with you. Period.
62. A British study claims a woman�s chances of getting married drop by 40 percent for every 16-point rise in her IQ. The same increase in IQ for a man boosted his chances of getting married by 35 percent.
I guess I can't really blame the good people at Maxim for this one, but feh. Whatever.
52. Despite always complimenting another woman�s short haircut, she secretly celebrates having one less competitor, since men prefer long hair.
Do I even have to say it?
29. On a first date, women never order what they really want to eat.
Again, feh.
22. If you want more sex, tell your girl an attractive woman hit on you that day. Sixty percent of the time, it works every time.
Oh, for crying out loud...if you need to trick someone into having more sex with you, you've got bigger problems.
1. You'll probably never know how many guys she's slept with. The standard lie is five. Which really means about 12.
Again, maybe true for some people, I've never felt the need to lie about this. I'm dying to hear responses on this one...|W|P|113407414388933607|W|P|Why I hate Maxim, reason #27|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com12/08/2005 04:33:00 PM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|I don't know but 30 of them sounded plausible based on my experiences. For whatever that is worth. Of course, the other 70 came from some writer's booze influenced imagination.12/08/2005 04:33:00 PM|W|P|Blogger All Things Jennifer|W|P|Oh God not that short hair comment again.

MEN? if you do prefer long hair, do NOT mention it to Erin!

;)12/08/2005 04:37:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Erinna|W|P|That's not really true. Only if you're dating me. And if you're making sexist overgeneralizations.

;)12/08/2005 05:34:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Curtis|W|P|Some of the things, if assumed to be true, are equally applicable to guys. For instance, "Girls enjoy always having something kind of wrong, like a headache or cramping or something." Well, so do guys: my car is broke, I have this bad twisted ankle from flag football, or any other problem. Also, the single friend thing works with guys too. Guys get jealous when their bestfriend's attention is taken away.

Some seem to be true: like the leg shaving, not attracted if you can't perform, socks and underwear does look silly, and the fighting bridesmaids in half the weddings.

A few make me think, who cares? See this, "Women ingest about half the lipstick they apply, which means they eat approximately one to three sticks per year." Eh, so what?

And then there are many that seem like gross generalizations if not completely wrong. "The more piercings she has, the more places she�ll let you put it." I've never known this to be true, "Don't take a woman to a concert you really want to see�she'll just want to leave early."

Finally, Sarah McLachlan is in no way rock.12/08/2005 08:55:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Unknown|W|P|For one, if men prefer long hair, then why is Rand with Erin? Rand is a man, and Erin does not have long hair. There goes that theory!

Also:

"26. Put down the Drakkar and grab a box of Good & Plenty. Women are turned on by the scent of black licorice."

Sez who?? Ew.12/08/2005 09:25:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Erinna|W|P|I agree. I think black licorice is nauseating. :-P12/08/2005 11:39:00 PM|W|P|Blogger All Things Jennifer|W|P|Men. Not man. Last time I checked, Rand is singular. Unless he is into some kind of cloning project...

As I said to Erin earlier I think that it is one of those 9/10 men agree type deals.

No different then 9/10 men prefer a size 6 woman over a size 16. However, somehow I have a man who likes me.

Generalizations are true to an extent...I think the point of this post is, God forbid, even the chezzy terrible huh? ones to women like *us* are generalizations to at least the readers/writers of the Maxim variety. Sad as that may be to the rest of us.12/09/2005 12:37:00 AM|W|P|Blogger Stephanie|W|P|I'll be commenting on this very soon!12/09/2005 10:34:00 AM|W|P|Blogger Stephanie|W|P|I think it's a joke. I got as far as "The average woman kisses 79 men before getting married" and quit reading.12/09/2005 06:24:00 PM|W|P|Blogger LC Scotty|W|P|I never learned to read, so I don't know this Maxim of which you speak.12/07/2005 04:11:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Last week, I was subbing in an English class. I'm not sure what it is that they're reading, but it had something to do with the Holocaust. (and it wasn't the Diary of Anne Frank) So in her absence, the teacher left a video for them to watch. As expected, it was horrifying and sad (I cried several times), and as I always do when I watch or read these things, I have to ask myself, "how?" As in how did this happen? No, not in my lifetime, but not so long ago. During a war that my grandfather fought in. How can people, ordinary human beings, commit such horrible, atrocious acts of violence? How can people do such unspeakable things to each other? This, I think, is what hell really is...not some fiery pit on some other plane of existence. It's right here, right in front of us. And I guess that makes us (the collective 'us', humanity) the devil. It would be easy to give up on us, if we weren't also capable of such remarkable goodness.|W|P|113399093581933014|W|P|On evil|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com12/07/2005 06:29:00 PM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|Was it Night by Elie Wiesel?

And related to what you said, I find it very scary that the Holocaust survivors are now dying off--in a few years, they won't be around to tell their stories in person. Kids will have to read about them in books and watch them in videos...it's just not the same.12/07/2005 07:29:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Erinna|W|P|No, it wasn't any of the "typical" books...

And you're so right. As it was, most of the survivors interviewed in this documentary were children when it happened.12/07/2005 09:18:00 PM|W|P|Blogger BlogShy|W|P|Someone pointed me to

http://www.thirdreich.net/Thought_They_Were_Free.html> this essay
, which is one person's attempt to get at the How.
(You may have to reduce the font to read the end--they've got some sort of fitting problem.)

Gives one a lot of food for thought.12/07/2005 09:20:00 PM|W|P|Blogger BlogShy|W|P|Hmm. not sure why the link ended up that way. Here it is again:

http://www.thirdreich.net/Thought_They_Were_Free.html12/05/2005 04:42:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Why do church organists always have THAT VOICE? You know the one. Why do teenage girls think flip-flops are appropriate footwear in December? Why do those large inflatable snow globes for your lawn exist? Hrm. A pleasant (if lazy) weekend. I got to see Harry Potter on Saturday night. YAY! I loved it. I thought it was very well done. Of course, there was a lot that had to be left out (and precious little Snape), but still...I think the kids are fantastic, and it's nice to see them growing up so well. :) I taught 7th graders all day today, and my head is killing me...so I think any of the more serious writing I wanted to do is going to have to wait...|W|P|113381925008734354|W|P|Tell me why?|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com12/06/2005 07:54:00 PM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|I wear flipflops in December. Then again, I live in LA and it was 71 degrees here today. Haha.12/01/2005 12:50:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|I pretty much finished grading tonight's papers, so as promised, here's some more blathering from your humble narrator. Today's topic: pantyhose. One day, noticing me throwing away yet another pair of $3 hose, Rand asked me why I wear them. The answer is, I don't...whenever possible. I tried to explain that it's fall/winter, and therefore I *need* to wear them. And as I was explaining, I imagined how silly that must sound. After all, a translucent layer of stretchy nylon doesn't really offer any protection from the elements. So I came to the conclusion that it's an aesthetic thing. Because wool skirts and dress shoes that aren't sandals look silly with bare legs. Basically, I need my legs to appear covered. Because otherwise, I look dumb. My favorite brand is L'eggs silken mist, because I like the way they look/feel on my legs. But it is frustrating to keep throwing money away...sometimes I get a few wearings out of a pair of hose, but frequently a large runner/hole/snag prevents this. Does anybody have a suggestion of a brand that holds up better? (I tried buying more expensive ones before, in the hopes that they wouldn't run the moment my skin touched them, but it didn't seem to make a difference.) Ladies, I'd love for you to weigh in on this one! :)|W|P|113346003475730016|W|P|Honey, there's a runner in my pantyhose...|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com12/01/2005 01:29:00 PM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|I am not much of a nylons person, for the very reasons you suggest. So, I have been wearing tights versus nylons for many a year now and can say it's been some time since I've thrown a pair out.
Granted, tights aren't sheer, but that doesn't bother me, as I think they look just as snazzy with my clothes (I work in a place that demands business dress), and, because they are slighty thicker than nylons, I do feel somewhat protected from the elements.
Favorite brand is DKNY --- They are a bit more expensive, but they make up for the cost in durability. I have several of the pairs I still wear today for more than 3 years. They wash nicely, too.12/01/2005 02:59:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Unknown|W|P|I wear black tights. I buy the Lane Bryant ones, but you're too little for those, Erin.12/01/2005 05:16:00 PM|W|P|Blogger All Things Jennifer|W|P|Tights.12/01/2005 09:09:00 PM|W|P|Blogger LC Scotty|W|P|A runner? Is he doing laps or is it more of a marathon kinda thing?12/02/2005 10:00:00 AM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|In England they call it a "ladder." (Not sure why) You'll just have to start thinking of nylons as "disposable" and then feel gratified when you get more than one use out of them. It doesn't improve the situation, but it brightens your outlook!12/02/2005 11:08:00 AM|W|P|Blogger Stephanie|W|P|Shellibean is right. When I worked in retail, I used to buy DKNY All the time. They are pricey but they feel SO good and they do last. I also used to use that hosiery wash they sell at dept stores.

On a style/etiquette note, you should wear nylons unless you are wearing a summer dress or open-toed shoes. With tweed or wool skirts, tights might be a durable option that offers a little more warmth.

I also agree w/ Lady Turp: I wear Lane Bryant hosiery but I wear stocking/garter sets. I can't recommend garters more (ask Jen). One good thing is that if you get a run in one leg, toss it and then replace it. Also they're far more comfortable than pantyhose, esp at the top of the thigh. Plus they're damn sexy. If Rand finds out you're wearing a garter belt under that tweedy schoolteachery skirt, it might make his head explode.12/02/2005 10:36:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Theryn|W|P|Tights, definitely. They last for years and are much warmer--if you get the thick cable-knit kind they function kind of like longjohns.

Yup, Eden's talking garter belts; I'm talking longjohns. That sounds about right ;-)12/01/2005 07:38:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Yeah, I still have all that stuff to do...but I got to the school where I'm subbing today to find that I have first AND second periods free. (Really, you could have told me this. I could have stayed in bed.) And I'm giving tests all day, so I have loads of time to do things like grade papers. Please do not say anything to me about Lost. I did not watch it yet. I went to bed at 9:30. (and I'm still tired...go figure.) A quick scan of the class lists for the day tells me I have Dayna's sister this afternoon! I was going to write more, but I'm pretty brain dead right now. Later, perhaps.|W|P|113344319158354072|W|P|Blah, blah, blah|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com12/01/2005 10:50:00 AM|W|P|Blogger Dayna|W|P|hmm...which sister I wonder...
are you on the island or in the city??12/01/2005 11:03:00 AM|W|P|Blogger Erinna|W|P|on the island. (gee, if only that were as pleasant and tropical as it sounds. heehee...)