we decided we wanted to get out of the house for a bit tonight, so we went to the mall. i swore up and down i wasn’t going to buy anything except a glass of rose garden rooibos tea from the new tea store, teavana. i was doing SO well. i really wasn’t in the mood for actual shopping, i just felt like looking around.

after much browsing and even running into some friends and chatting for a bit, it happened. williams sonoma. i usually know better than to go in, especially after the recent 2 hour excursion and subsequent shopping spree at william sonoma’s much-more-reasonably-priced-cousin-store, sur la table in chicago. as far as williams sonoma goes, its fun to look, but everything is like 4x as expensive as it should be in there, right? i mean, seriously, a corn zipper, a chestnutter and a spaetzle maker (mmm…that really makes me crave the gherst haus…) who needs such an excess of kitchen tools. but, i look at everything anyway. then, in the back of the store, i found it. a perfectly round emile henry 2qt flame-top cooking pot.

emile and i go back a little while. yes, i love the ceramic cookware, some of which (including this particular piece) are safe for use in the oven, under the broiler, on the stovetop, in the freezer, in the microwave AND ok to put in the dishwasher. i almost bought a set of ramekins for $5 from sur la table’s website a month or so ago, but they sold out before i could get a set. the fondue sets, pie pans and artisan loaf pans have all been tempting me for about a year now, but i have managed to resist due to the pricey-ness. $90 for a (really neat) little pot is way too expensive.

so now the information you are certainly almost dying to know.

it was $19.99. i am going to be giddy about this for at least a year. time to make some bread.

ps. williams-sonoma has the ugliest URLs ever: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sku8267700/index.cfm?pkey=xsrd0m
2%7C15%7C%7C%7C0%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7Cemile%20henry&cm%5Fsrc=SCH
and should probably fire whoever had that idea.

me, who used to work with–>old boss, who toured with–>david bazan, who got yelled at by–>john krasinski
just stating the facts.

if you like neat photos, visit this site. you will be delighted. or if you just like david bazan, ben gibbard or john krasinski, click on the pic above for more.

dear microsoft excel,

i really hate how when i type things in your boxes you try to talk to me and say things like “it looks like you are managing a list. would you like some assistance?” seriously? my grandma could manage a list in excel and she’s never used a computer in her life. how come you don’t have a prompt for when i’m trying to create a pivot table or use formulas from other spreadsheets? and why is it that you continually ask me if i want help with my list even though i check the “don’t ask me this again” box? and finally, let’s just take a step back for a minute. isn’t everything in excel a list in one way or another? i don’t draw pictures or write letters in excel. i think just about everything i do is a list. so yes, it does look like i’m managing a list. EVERY TIME. and EVERY TIME you ask, and i say no. you’re like a creepy drunk guy that can’t remember he’s already been told to buzz off.

please don’t let microsoft word start doing this. “it looks like you are typing a document. would you like some assistance?”

and lastly, on a positive note, i can at least be happy that its not an animated paper clip or a puppy asking me if i need help anymore. just a box. that’s a step in the right direction.

the recipe for success as learned from my favorite entrepreneurs:

just click on it. you won’t be disappointed. i seriously cannot stop laughing…
i like to think they got their business sense from me reading my economics book out loud to them when they were babies.

its funny how when you work from home, you have lots more time to blog, but there’s this twinge of guilt about blogging between 8am-5pm. i’m sure it will pass…

things that have made me smile lately:

• something i dubbed “pajamas 2.0″ or as tiffany’s mom called it “indoor/outdoor pajamas”. this is when you get up and take a shower and put on something that could be worn into public, but could also be used for napping at any moment. case in point: black athletic pants with some paint on them and a tshirt from a race.
• recipe book organization. over the past couple years i’ve collected a few recipes from the internet, all of which get printed out and put into a folder on the recipe shelf. needless to say, “a few” recipes actually means close to 100. so today i bought a hole punch, some dividers and now i no longer have to flip through 100 loose sheets of paper if i want to make a banana bread.
• this tea is delicious, especially when prepared in this cup
• sugar cookies and fried rice. homemade. and i didn’t make them.
• these quotes:
  

  It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop. -Confucius
  Blessings are placed within our reach, but they are not placed within our hands. —Unknown

• bobble head dwight has (another) new home: in my dining room (read: office)
• that thing you do 2 disc set?!?! i must have it. the soundtrack is great, too. if it doesn’t make you smile, nothing will.
• if you’re only willing to give david bazan a 4 minute and 41 second chance, i’d recommend these 4 minutes and 41 seconds
• i went grocery shopping at 3.30pm on a tuesday.
• see jane work. i want to order everything.
• roughly 90 days until we visit chicago and those who live there. its only july and october is off to a great start.
• this can’t be happening…