Thursday, July 30, 2009

Threadless.com

What do we want? Graphic tees! When do we want 'em? NOW!

Seriously, who doesn't love a graphic Tshirt? Most of us have at least three in our wardrobe, if not more if we're of the Indie/Emo persuasion.

So there's this website called Threadless that all the cool kids I work with really like. It's a "community-based tee shirt company," as it notes on the homepage, where as a designer you can submit your design for vote by the general public. If your design wins one of their ongoing competitions, your Tshirt is sold on the site -- Threadless gets a cut of sales and you get a flat fee. Neato, right?

I dare you not to lose hours on this site searching for your favorite funny/ironical shirt. And while you're at it, vote for my colleagues' idea>

It's  A Mystery... - Threadless T-shirts, Nude No More

You get it, right?

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Monkey as Muse

Monkey my dog has inspired some of the most genius, creative people to write a song and put a slideshow to said song. I don't really know what to say except that this is the best thing ever.



Song by Casey Kundert
Photos by Ryan Cockrell and Elizabeth Lloyd
Produced by Ryan Cockrell

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

How We Got Punk'd by Chase Mortgage Lending

Recently our mortgage payments went up slightly based on some deal with the PMI. When we - my husband and I - attempted to log into our online account in order to alter the automatic deposit, all hell broke loose. In a nutshell, we are now waiting for Chase to fix its website so that we can pay them. EJ has been on the phone with Chase at least three times now and was informed that the issue affects at least 150,000 people but (a) Chase doesn't know when the glitch will be fixed and (b) it can't notify us when the issue does indeed get fixed. Of course EJ's natural response was, "don't you want my money?"

Well no, the answer is that Chase would rather charge us a late fee for something that is their responsibility to fix. You'd think, with so much drama surrounding the mortgage crisis in general, Chase would be more organized about this website-payment glitch, but I guess 150K customers is a drop in the bucket?

Being a first-time home owner (and house-dweller, btw), I'm not sure really what my next move could be. As consumers, we're pretty much locked into Chase because of the rate - to switch now would mean we'd have to alter rates, right?

Mortgages, health care -- bla! Shelter and good health are fundamental and they've got us by the throats on both fronts.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Palmetto Candy Company


GeoTagged, [N34.00034, E81.01668]

When you need a snack or a drink during the work day and you work in the Vista, Palmetto Candy Company is the place to go. I got these 2 snacks for a total of $0.80! The animal crackers have high frutose corn syrup, which is bad, but I'm sure the trail mix will balance out the health factor.

Palmetto is also well known for its bulk candy, cartons of smokes and containers of pickled eggs/pigs feet. It's the last remaining corner store in the Vista so go give them some love!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Calvin Klein Underwear

I could blog about tubing down the Saluda on the 4th of July -- a day which ultimately culminated in our neighbor bitching us out for setting off fireworks -- or I could tell you about the fun-filled weekend I just had in Myrtle (Surfside, really), but instead I have the most important matter to discuss: Calvin Klein underwear.

So there's a type of underwear, underpants really, that Calvin Klein used to make that it seems is no longer in production. They're basic bikini with an elastic that's strong, but not too strong (meaning tight). Apparently what's making them so appealing is that they're not cotton, but 95% modal, which I'm hoping means "as safe and as good for you as cotton."

Could it be that Calvin Klein found modal to be too expensive? Did they get into a fight over cost with the primary supplier of the fabric? I am hoping it is something as innocuous as these issues rather than a discovery that modal is poisonous.

When you find your favorite underwear, or panties (!yucko word!), it is not AT ALL the kind of product you want the company to stop making. Even shampoo which is so particular to the way I look is something I can ultimately replace. I have been looking for new underwear for about a year now and thus far, to no avail.

I ask you, dear reader, any recos? Please share your comments!