The Day of the Eve of Giftmas

[cleolinda]

Pleasantly busy day, it looks like. Howling winds outside, actually, but sunnyish, so that's fine.

Have to wrap presents later. I hate wrapping presents. I mean, I do an okay job of it in the end, and I like presents to be wrapped, but it usually involves me wrestling with a large, fragile sheet of shiny paper for about fifteen minutes.

Still have to take certain pictures. TLB went missing earlier this morning, but was eventually located. I would rather not discuss how the tableshelf ended up covered in maple syrup.

Lizzie's McAfee trial ran out, so I was like, the hell with this, I'm putting AVG on. So now I'm having to do all the scans and setups and whatever, but I hear it's better anyway.

(I am really glad it has a rootkit scan, because isn't that what Sony put on its CDs for a while there?)

For those of you keeping track on the Aromaleigh front, Wish is really pretty with Damask. It's a similar look to Chloe/Amelie, but more pink and less peach.

My feet are killing me, which suggests to me that I need new/better shoes, or some kind of comfort-inducing insert (although those "I'm Gellin'!" commercials make me want to slap someone). I actually want to go buy me some Chucks with my next round of book money, although I doubt those will have any kind of support. Hm. I just want some of those because I rarely get more formal than sneakers, but Chucks are an ever-so-slightly more sophisticated aesthetic than scuffed tennis shoes, you know? And you can customize them! I kind of want to make a purple plaid. I do not see any way to order a foot massage, however.

Comments

[akathorne.livejournal.com]

Chucks are awesome, but yeah, absolutely no support. Flat flat flat. I wear them all the time at work, and I have to put insoles in them. I need arch support!

[rennaise.livejournal.com]

Happy giftmas to you, Cleo :)
Can't wait to hear about the maple syrup. . . and I hope your feet feel better soon.
Good luck with that wrapping.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I would rather wear flats than heels as far as the outside of the shoe goes. If I know upfront that I'll need insoles, well, I'll just go get them.

(It'd be funny if they just went ahead and sold them on the site.)

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

I refuse to wrap anything because I'm all thumbs.

It's time for my traditional "holy crap I forgot to get stuff for so and so" run into the city. It wouldn't be Christmas Eve without it.

[bella-stella78.livejournal.com]

I love my Chucks. I recommend getting low tops because I find they're more comfortable than the high tops. At least, that's been my experience.

Question re: Aromaleigh ... how is the staying power for this brand? My biggest gripe about eyeshadow is how fast it fades on me. But I am *so* tempted by the shades "aloe" and "loden."

[bexone.livejournal.com]

chucks don't even really make a faint stab at pretending they've got arch support, tbh. but that actually means they work really well with insertable insoles, since you can just get the insole that's actually the right height for your feet, rather than trying to figure out how much of a lift the built-in "arch support" involves and therefore how much thinner your insertables need to be. i've had really good luck with various versions of the 3/4 insole arch support -- my feet are very narrow at the heel for how wide they are at the ball, so those help to stabilize my heel in the shoe without interfering with the fit at the ball.

[lots42.livejournal.com]

For non-formal, buy crocs. Those things are awesome. The bottom of your feet will thank you.

[chorusgirl.livejournal.com]

Leopard Cache Cleaner is a really great product for mac. . . It has an option for ClamAV which is a virus scanner. I love it, and thought you might not know about it.

Also, Crocs are *fucking ugly* but really comfy.

[akathorne.livejournal.com]

I wish they did! I wear Chucks all the time (I'm apparently a 4 year old boy at heart) and I've always had to get insoles for them. I have gone through several sets of insoles, for only one pair of Chucks, though! Not bad for canvas shoes.

[corinnethewise.livejournal.com]

Merrell actually makes some okay looking women's shoes. My shoes are the Spire Stretch http://www.merrell.com/US/en-US/ViewProduct.mvc.aspx/10445W/0/Womens/Spire-Stretch?galleryId=W-F

They are a bit pricy, but I have worn them every day for a year and they are still holding strong with a bit of black shoe polish for the scuffs. Great arch support, I can walk for hours in them at a conference or across campus and stand all day in them teaching. They are leather so they stretch, I got a half size bigger than I would have liked if I had known that.

Sorry to sound like a shoe salesperson, these were just the first comfortable shoes that looked like grown up shoes that I've found and they have made my life a lot easier.

[crazypotatoe.livejournal.com]

Just wanted to say a lurker's hello, merry Christmas, and yes Sony is done with the rootkits, as they were fined rather handsomely (http://news.cnet.com/Sony-settles-rootkit-class-action-lawsuit/2100-1002_3-6012173.html)... however they're probably not the only company to try them. In terms of protection I rely on ZoneAlarm, you can get a simpler version for free that lets you manually decide which programs can access the internet or your computer.

[kinkydork.livejournal.com]

primer is your best friend for keeping eyeshadow on. i don't know how i ever went without it!

[bella-stella78.livejournal.com]

Do you have a primer that you recommend? I normally apply concealer to my eyelids.

[bexone.livejournal.com]

i wonder if sony had any idea, when they did that, that not only would people get seriously pissed off about it at the time, the meme "avoid sony cds, they install rootkits" would still be pretty common currency on the internet four years later? the internet seriously never forgets.

[falchiar.livejournal.com]

AVG is awesome.

Happy Non-Denominational Holiday Season, Cleo!

[silverember.livejournal.com]

I have yet to meet anyone who LOVES WRAPPING PRESENTS. I'm doing all gift-bags this year... because they're reusable (at least that's my excuse.)

And I totally LOLed at "I'm Gellin'!" (yes those commercials are goddamn obnoxious) but gel inserts are kind of win. I caved and got a pair (for my chucks, oddly enough. I swear I'm not trying to be creepy here, we just share shoe taste I guess XD) a few weeks ago because I'm on my feet ALL DAY chasing after kindergarteners and wow. What a difference. So, even if you do get yourself a pair of fancy chucks, maybe still consider the gel inserts. Just sayin'.

[kinkydork.livejournal.com]

urban decay primer potion is one of the best. i've also used benefit creaseless cream eyeshadow as a primer occasionally (and it rocks on its own, too). both have served me well on many a night out!

Re: Happy Non-Denominational Holiday Season, Cleo!

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

I actually like wrapping presents.

I was always the one in the family who was willing to wrap everyone else's presents. After college I hit on the idea of using fabric scraps (I'm a costumer) since I had LOTS of them, and I save bits of ribbon and trim, buttons and bits, then use low-temp hot glue to assemble.

This year I'm broke and unemployed so everyone got homemade caramel and fudge in pretty tins, so there was no wrapping. It feels weird.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I've heard that Urban Decay's primer (a creamy concealer-texture) and Too Faced's (a clear liquid sealant you put on underneath) are among the best.

And yeah, the Aromaleigh shadows have fairly decent staying power on me, but I also started out putting them on a bit heavy, knowing they'd soak in over time. Primer will help that, because basically it's putting a layer between the shadow and your skin, which means your skin can't absorb it and the color will stay on top.

[rorqual.livejournal.com]

I wear Chucks all the time as my informal, kicking-around shoe, and I haven't needed insoles (though I agree they are flat; if I wore them all day at work I'd likely feel different). And though I agree on the annoying gellin' commercials, I do wear heels a lot at work and the gel insoles are the *best thing ever omg*. If you're on your feet a lot, and/or tend towards achy feet, the gel insoles are well worth the money.

And now I feel like I'm fifty. Awesome. My arthur-itis is also fine, thanks....:)

[emmy-scarlet.livejournal.com]

I second the Merrell's. My mom will wear no other brand of shoes now, they're so comfortable. I have a pair of one of their sub-brands (I'm too lazy to go see what they're called, I forget) for my running shoes, and I've worn those things all day around Disneyland and not had sore feet. Plus, they're this awesome orangey-red color with velcro straps that have little flowers on them. Yeah, they're pricey, but if you can find an outlet mall you'll probably find Merrell's there for a reasonable price. And they last forever.

[phorie.livejournal.com]

I'll wrap your presents for you =) I'm sad that I've run out presents cos I'd love to do more.


As for Chucks I LOVE THEM but I've found that some pairs are really comfortable, and some pairs just aren't so much (yeah I have about... 4 pairs which is nothing compared to mum. I think she's a chucks junkie.) so try on a couple of different ones...
actually sod that, the shoes over there are probably made somewhere totally different.
Merry Christmas Cleo <3

[colleenpowell.livejournal.com]

I picked up a pair of white Chucks because I figured they were too good of a basic to pass up and they totally are.

[cosmob.livejournal.com]

On the shoe front, I've got some Converse (without the toe cap part), and they're kind of great. I have horribly flat feet, but I don't have any support things, I think, for two reasons. One, my theory is that, since I'm home most of the time and therefore barefoot, the shoes aren't all that different from being barefoot and consequently "normal" for me. Two, I've taken to wearing my handknit socks with them, so there's not as much extra room in the shoes as there might otherwise be.

But, yeah, Chucks are good. They are ever-so-slightly more sophisticated, plus they give you a nice bit of geek coolness.

[tabbyclaw.livejournal.com]

I am not cool enough to wear Chucks, being neither an accidental superspy or a time lord.

Icon love.

[tabbyclaw.livejournal.com]

There is nothing in this world better than handknit socks. At least, there won't be once I figure out which heel/toe combination actually fits me properly.

Re: Icon love.

[cosmob.livejournal.com]

I love my handknit socks! And, I've sort of converted my mom to the idea of them, too. Which means more knitting fun time for me, which also means more TV-watching fun time for me, minus the being-unproductive-and-lazy guilt sometimes associated with TV-watching fun time.

I think I may be overjustifying myself to... myself.

Have you seen the hat heel (http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall09/PATThatheel.php)? I haven't tried it, mostly because my feet are fairly well suited for the heel flap and/or short-row heel, but the construction looks kind of awesome.

Re: Icon love.

[tabbyclaw.livejournal.com]

Hatheel does look crazy awesome, but I am crap at picking up stitches.

[mercat.livejournal.com]

I have horrible arches and yet somehow, after I break them in, Chucks are awesome. Just don't wear them lasertagging, I learned that the hard way.

[elbales]

Pedag insoles. Oh baby. I'm telling you, those things are boss.

Also, I have pretty much switched over to SAS shoes for casual warm-weather shoes and European brands for everything else, because ohmygod my feet are narrow and most American shoes fit like ass. I mean, those brands that even make narrow shoes, because that is a club that keeps getting smaller every year, apparently.

I don't know what use that might be to you. Pardon the spewage.

[tavella.livejournal.com]

AVG blew the hell up on me (http://tavella.livejournal.com/150590.html) with the latest update, and made my computer unusable it was so slow. Ended up switching to MS's inhouse product.

[shiegra.livejournal.com]

Having similar difficulties on the wrapping front--I am so terrible at figuring out what needs to be cut--I've recently taken to swathing my presents in tissue paper wrappers. Comes in all sort of pretty colours, makes nice rustling sounds, imperfections seem to be less noticeable when its a bit crinkly. Also I have an excuse to swaddle it in layers to conceal sloppy measurements; got to keep it completely opaque!

[hopeandmemory.livejournal.com]

chucks are my go-to sneakers. i don't really like the way athletic-looking shoes look on me (they make my feet look/feel awkward), so i've worn chucks since i think 9th grade, so that would be... six years or so. i recently bought a frickin' sweet pair of purple ones (to replace my black high-tops, which i had to throw out because I tore a six-inch hole in the canvas, le sigh). i could really use some gel insoles for my other flats, though, because standing up at work for 4-8 hours a day is just hell on my feet (and my kneecaps and my back, come to think of it).

i use AVG on the windows partition of my mac and i haven't had any problems with it.

i really need to try out my aromaleigh shadows! i have like nine samples sitting on my nightstand and i never have anywhere to go except work so i don't want to waste them.

[silver-miko.livejournal.com]

I just got my samples and did quick hand-swatchery. A lot of them look similiar at first glance so I'll see which ones work best on my lids but OH! the color and shimmer is really pretty! Though Velvet Goldmine is more orange than I expected so that'll be an adventure.
I went a little crazies and ordered 25 samples. ^^;

[snapdragon76.livejournal.com]

I'm a Chucks girl myself and I have two pairs (both low tops) that I wear all the time. I've never really had too much of an issue with support unless I'm walking around in them ALL DAY, which I usually don't do.

And I love the gift bags. Much less of a hassle than wrapping and totes reusable as well!

OMG!Shoes

[munin-and-hugin.livejournal.com]

For the inserts, try a running/jogging store. I got mine for my converse and they are sooo comfortable to stand/walk in now. Converse really have no support, you're right. But I wandered about Comicon for 4 whole days this summer with no foot problems with the supports in.

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

Shoe recommendation! I love, love LOVE my Tsubo sneakers, which are cute and definitely more "trendy" than, like, workout cross-trainers. They have good arch support and decent cushioning for a walking-around shoe. Tsubo also makes fantastic-looking high heels that are supposed to be built for comfort. I don't have any yet but I SOOOO want some.

http://www.tsubo.com/

They look really pricey online, but if you go to DSW or the Off-Broadway or whatever, they might have some cheap. I got mine for $40.

[octotoes.livejournal.com]

I actually find Chucks to be comfy/supportive. I have freakishly narrow feet and I like that the chucks can hug my feet tightly.

Narrow feet? I feel your pain.

[aim-of-destiny.livejournal.com]

You too, huh?
I mean, I'm actually *in* Europe, but narrow feet with high arches will make shoe shopping a living nightmare even here, especially if you're low on funds. It's very nearly impossible to find shoes that a)fit my feet b)look decentand c)are in my price range.

Gel insoles are incredible, though. I have these very high open-toed stilettos, see, and they'd be a lot less comfortable if I hadn't put in some gel inlays for the balls of my feet. :)

Yeah, and *ridiculously* narrow heels.

[elbales]

I have largely given up on b). Add to that the fact that I'm a teacher and have to be on my feet for hours at a stretch, and I really need support, fit, and comfort as well as shoes not costing hundreds of dollars.

[sailorsilver.livejournal.com]

For an antivirus program try: avast!
For a more supportive shoe try: Foot Smart catalog or website
For a foot massage on a monthly basis: Find a Massage Envy near you.

Hope this helps!

[diddakoi.livejournal.com]

What is a rootkit scan, and should I do it?

Also: Ballet as a child = ginormously high arches.

[aim-of-destiny.livejournal.com]

Aw, that's sad. Everybody should have pretty things. ;)

I get the need for support etc., though. Especially since I'm studying to be a teacher, heh.