Shana tova (AM)

Oh you guys I'm so hungover. I mean it's new year, right?! What do you expect?

Jewish new year. But still. And by hungover, I mean fat. Like I ate way too much food last night and have all the shame and regrets and struggle with my body that a night of binge eating brings, which is similar to those that binge drinking brings. 

So you know it's pretty much just like any New Year's Day of yesteryear, my head is useless and I'm full of self-loathing and resolutions. Which I'm hoping to act out. You know because it's spring!

So happy 5776 everyone! Let's hope it's a great year!

In praise of plans (AM)

I used to work with a woman who would always complain about her conservative parents; she thought of herself as very open minded and liberal. She wore red chinoiserie to her wedding. But she used to complain about junkies and youths and other people unlike her in a way that very much reminded me of someone's conservative parents. 

Another of her qualities that could indeed make her seem like an uptight, housewife type was her tendency to plan her weekly meals. She'd cook seafood two nights a week, meat two nights and vegetarian two nights, then she'd plan what she was making and do a weekly shop that she would supplement with biweekly market visits. Although this makes her sound uptight, it is one of the qualities in her I most admired. That and the fact she introduced me to Strawberrynet, a website that used to offer great discounts on beauty products before the Internet realised it could make lots of money in Australia by charging more for things that are expensive here and it became cheaper to buy beauty products from actual shops.

My old pod buddy's meal plans was always inspiring to me, far from creating shackles I think that the meal plan could be very liberating. Rather than pondering daily what to make for dinner and falling back on oft-revisited dinners, the meal plan and subsequent shop would provide a map to deliciousness and newness. I'd be freed from the shackles of pasta and Aussie meals that I fall back on so frequently.

Usually I go to the market on Sunday and that means I buy some fish, LB buys some sausages and that answers a couple of nights' problems, but imagine looking through cookbooks on the weekend, deciding to make things from there, buying the necessary foodstuffs, thereby forcing yourself to make those meals you'd dreamed of. I'm imagining that right now, and I don't know if it's just the energised fervor of the new year, but by god, I'm going to plan my meals next week! And, if I can maintain this new year's fervor, the week after that, and the week after that, and the week after that...

New year, new pants (PM)

If there were ever two ladies you'd think would be open to the message "new year, new pants" it'd be the Misses Soft Crab. Such is our love of clothes we'd probably respond to calls of "new day, new pants" with a huzzah and trip to the shops with a spring in our step. But seriously, Country Road, a call to arms (or pants) needs more than a catchy slogan, it needs some depth you can get behind, and a few pairs of black slacks are not gonna get me in your pants.

Country Road are very aggressive email marketers and frankly I think this has led them to not only lose there way in clothes but also in marketing. Barely a day goes by when I'm not being told to "get comfy for autumn in sports luxe" or "add a twist to your summer wardrobe." But none of this matters because they lost me years ago with the email subject line "Must-have jeggings!" At which point I knew the emails I was receiving must be little more than the demented ramblings of a mad man. If the subject line of a County Road email does not include the words "spend" and "save" I am sure it has nothing to offer me. 

They should in fact take a leaf out of Obus's book. Obus brought us those starry denim pants K was contemplating and to be honest I've wondered about them myself. Obus don't market so aggressively. Leave a little mystery, Country Road, don't be so desperate. It's not just that the marketing at Obus leaves you wondering, the clothes do to. Are those pants great or fug, who knows but you probably want them so you can figure it out. New year, new pants. Put stars on them, that's how it's done!

New year, new pants (AM)

The Miss Soft Crab summer hiatus is a much loved time of year, but like other seasonal delights (Fig season, Cadbury Creme Egg season etc.), must come to an end at some point. It's hard to know when to end the hiatus, what with the Misses Soft Crab being adults now, and not getting to spend all summer lazing around in my backyard pool until it's time to go back to school. Those days are over, and in their place days where summer holidays neither properly begin nor properly end. It can leave a girl confused. But, when Country Road sends a girl an email with the subject lime "New Year, New Pants", a girl is no longer  confused. A girl knows it's time to return to the crab desk. 

New year, new pants. Honestly. Country Road jumped the shark long ago in my opinion. They used to be the tasteful staple store. They gave good sale, and were liberal with their spend and save vouchers. But the fabrics started to get a little fruity. The styles started to go a little rogue. They seemed to want to be both the stylish staple store and the on trend store. No store is that store. They started to disappoint me more than please me. 

And when you add ridiculous web marketing copy to the mix, well. I'm afraid I have no time for such nonsense. 

You know what the stupidest part of the New year, new pants message was? It was the pants. They were plain black pants. The last thing that could get someone excited about the new year. 

These pants, on the other hand...

I kind of love these pants. Denim, you know. But with stars on them. Mate? What do you think?