Stuff I Like This Week 8/22/09

While sitting here at work on a rainy Saturday, I decided to start sharing a list of things I like this week. I am a big fan of the following items, and I think you should be too!

1. Dick Blick Art Materials. I giggle at the name every single time without fail, but this retailer is well-loved by all art students. While it can be a pain to pay for shipping sometimes, Dick Blick is the most comprehensive online art supply retailer that I know. When I set off this week to find enamel paint, Dick Blick came through for me with a large selection of colors and styles despite the obscurity of the item. Additionally, they were able to take 15% off the list price... just because they are awesome. So next time you are looking for some art supplies and can wait a few days to receive them, try Dick Blick... you won't be sorry!

2. Arnold Select Multi-Grain Sandwich Thins. Like most people these days, I pack my lunch before I go to work so that I can save a few pennies. After about two days of that, I got sick of sandwiches. Not anymore! These delicious sandwich thins are multi-grain, but not completely saturated in whole oats. They are also the perfect sandwich size. Since getting them, I have tried them in numerous roles-- including just as bread for a good ol' classic turkey sandwich. They are also great to toast and cut up for dipping in hummus or with a black bean cake. Basically, for 100 calories a pair (as opposed to 120 calories per piece of yucky bland overly processed white bread), these sandwich thins are the bomb diggity. Yup, I said it.

3. Sharpie Pens. Really, I promise: they do not bleed through paper. I am addicted to Sharpies (call Betty Ford!), but fortunately not in that I like to sniff them. At any given time, you can ask and I most likely have a Sharpie on my person. I don't know what it is... something about the combination of felt tip construction, permanence, and the challenge of not getting a little bulb at the end of every line gets me every time. However, I hate having to waste paper when it bleeds through on the next page. So, ta-da! Sharpie pens that do not bleed through paper. Perfect for someone starting school in a few days.

4. Julia Child. I feel like she is everyone's favorite person right now following the release of Julie and Julia, and I'll admit that the movie motivated me to read the book. After slugging through My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell (remind me that blogs are blogs for a reason and not to try to publish the drivel I post here), I found myself wanting to know more about Julia Child (Julie Powell was OK too, I guess, but she wouldn't be anything without Julia). I turned to her memoir, My Life in France, and found a charming recollection of life abroad as lived by two amazing individuals lucky enough to be madly yet comfortably in love. While the time line was a bit confusing at times, the book itself was adorable, inspiring, and a new favorite. Julia had an amazing life that she lived by following her own beat and even if you are not a chef, you can learn something from the story of her life. Off to debone a duck now...

5. The Kentucky State Fair. For ten days in August, the Kentucky Fair and Expo Center is taken over and people flock to Louisville from all over the state to experience the Kentucky State Fair... a marvelous experience in culinary wonders (mmm fried Snickers bars!), agricultural phenomena, and sketchy-looking carnival rides. Yes please! OK so actually, the fair is not my favorite thing, but the flea market at the fair? BINGO! Admittedly, a lot of the stuff there is junk, but you never know what you might find that is super cheap and ready to be transformed into something wonderful for your home. I know that not everyone lives in Kentucky, but your state fair is probably coming up soon, so make sure to check it out!

So there's the first installment of "Stuff I Like This Week." Hopefully, I'll like enough stuff to keep this going past today...

1 comments:

Rachel said...

I like the sandwich thins too. I keep some at the office and at home!