A Clutter of Packages
Firstly, thanks to everyone who voted on the photographs; the votes were pretty evenly distributed, actually, but “snarky sidelong” seems to have won out as of 7:00 last evening, with four votes total. I appreciate everyone’s help, and their general niceness about everything. Meeting people and getting to know them in real life is hard enough for me, and trying it a new way is a bit scary; thanks for not mocking!
In other news, I arrived home last evening to find two packages awaiting me: dog food, and shoes. Yes, I finally gave in and ordered the purple combat boots from Vegetarian-Shoes.co.uk:
They’re definitely the most expensive shoes I’ve ever owned — about 85 pounds, which converts to roughly $170, I’d say — but they’re worth it. I’ve always wanted combat boots but have been shy of spending that much money; no regrets with these, though. They’re absolutely gorgeous, and the Vegetan Microfiber uppers are so resilient but soft that I couldn’t stop stroking them, or hugging them and dancing around the flat chanting, “I’ve got my purple boots!” They seem really well made, too, and VS got them out the door really quickly: their Web site says to allow 7 days before shipping, and then 28 days for receipt in the U.K., so I didn’t expect to get mine until the end of August, at least, but these got here in about a week!
As for the dog food, it also arrived really quickly: two days, instead of slightly less than a week, like it usually takes. The only peculiarity was that the box was quite big, and seemed rather heavier than normal when I dragged it into my flat. The mystery was quickly solved, though: rather than the one 33-lb (approx. 15 kg) bag I’d ordered, I got two:
It seems that there was a bit of a mix-up; I called the nice V-Dog people (who’ve been incredibly helpful and dedicated in the past, even being available on weekends to help sort things out when FedEx has its head up its posterior), and the upshot is that I’ll get a discount on the second bag, and will be set for dog food for the foreseeable future. Yay! The only slight problem is figuring out a safe place to store the surplus in my tiny, crowded flat — though as I clear out in anticipation of next week’s receipt of some new-to-me furniture (secondhand from my parents’ redecoration), I hope to find a good spot that Nigel won’t be able to reach, so he won’t gorge himself on unlawful kibble while I’m away during the day.
A few other packages are in the works: the purple sari sneakers at Alternative Outfitters went on sale, and I found a source for whole-bean, fair-trade, shade-grown, organic coffee that charges about $2 less a pound than what I’ve been paying, so I’m giving them a try. Both of those packages are en route. I’m somewhat less thrilled with my order from DeepDiscount.com: my Little Britain DVDs shipped on August 26 with an estimated delivery time of 5 to 10 business days, and they still haven’t arrived. If they’re not here by Wednesday, I’m going to write them and inquire. Hmph.
1. LOVE the purple boots but there is no way I could pay that much for any shoes, no matter how totally brilliant. I once bought some sexy-groovy spike healed hooker boots (non-leather, o/c) from some shop in Little 5; they were about $50 and it about killed me to buy them. O/c I’ve worn them maybe twice; I can’t stand up in them, let alone walk.
2. Is that dog food vegan? I’d love to put my dogs on some healthy vegan food but I’m not sure I could afford it. Also I’m still wavering on a vegan diet for animals who are carnivores; I definitely wouldn’t try it with my cats, but I’d consider it for the dogs if I had more knowledge about it.
3. My shipments from DeepDiscount usually take about 2 weeks no matter what the website estimates (using the free shipping option.)
August 19th, 2007 | #
1. It was a wrench to pay that much for the boots, but I’ve wanted some like them for at least 15 years. The cost has always scared me off, but I finally decided that this wasn’t a passing whim — and I’m delighted. They’re comfy, breathable, cute, and just stompy enough.
2. V-Dog is indeed vegan! I checked with my vet about it, and they’ve been supportive; their only concern is that V-Dog doesn’t do a senior version, so they’re having me feed about 50% more than the bag recommends and add in vitamins to make sure Nigel’s absorbing all the nutrients. Since we switched, Nigel’s bloodwork (both senior panel and thyroid) has been great, so I’m encouraged.
3. My previous order from DD arrived reasonably promptly; they finally e-mailed me back about the Little Britain DVDs and said I should wait until 8/19 before being concerned. (That was a Sunday, and no delivery, but whatever.) If it’s still not here by Tuesday, I’ll write again. 9.9
August 20th, 2007 | #