There was mail from Maryland in my mailbox today.
The cancellation says that ‘As in past elections, the USPS is ready. If you choose to vote by mail, please mail early.’
(Early voting has started in some states, and here in Washington State we will get our mail-in ballots by Friday, or by early next week).
Let’s check out the stamps.
1999 Celebrate the Century, 1970s – Bicentennial, Watergate, and Earth Day Issued Nov. 18, 1999 Perf. 11½| Offset, Intaglio printing | Wmk. None No 3321| 33c| Multi-colored | 1970s Fashion
1984 Horace Moses Issued Aug. 6, 1984 Perf. 11 |Engraved printing (combination press) |Wmk. None No 1845| 20c| Orange & dark brown | Junior Achievement founder, Horace Moses [Sources: stampworld.com, mysticstamp.com]
You talk like Marlene Dietrich And you dance like Zizi Jeanmaire Your clothes are all made by Balmain And there’s diamonds and pearls in your hair, yes, there are ..
– From ‘Where Do You Go To My Lovely’ by Peter Sarstedt (1969)
It was crowded on the streets and in the stores today.
As Easter weekend goes, Friday was a Sunday (and German stores close on Sundays), today is Saturday, with tomorrow Sunday— and Monday another Sunday.
The highlight of my day was to rub shoulders with Berlin’s upper crust at KaDeWe.
KaDeWe is Kaufhaus Des Westens, ‘Department Store of the West’, second in size only to Harrods in London.
The eateries on the top floor include an oyster bar— and I’m sure I would have found caviar if I looked for it.
Businessman Adolf Jandorf opened this store in 1907. The KaDeWe abbreviation was used from the start. With over 60,000 square meters (650,000 sq ft) of retail space and more than 380,000 articles available, KaDeWe is the second-largest department store in Europe, after Harrods in London. It attracts 40,000 to 50,000 visitors every day. [Information from Wikipedia]The escalators in the middle of the store.Balmain is French fashion designer Pierre Balmain: founder of leading post-war fashion house Balmain. (He died in Paris in 1982). Marie-Claire in Peter Sarstedt’s famous 1969 song wore clothes that were ‘all made by Balmain’. These shirts and jackets go for oh, $900 or $1,000 apiece. Kind of safe to say that I will never wear these, but who’s to say? Maybe I will— after I had won the Powerball or Mega Millions lottery.These beautiful long-eared rabbits are very plush and very, very soft to the touch. Maybe I should have gotten one.
Here’s Hungarian Márton Fucsovics in action at the French Open today, in Italian clothing brand Hydrogen’s bold design for men, called Tattoo Tech.
Márton Fucsovics in his Hydrogen Tattoo Tech outfit today. He beat Frenchman Geoffrey Blancaneaux 6-2 6-4 6-4 to go through to the second round. Players can earn a lot of money from clothing sponsorships— up to US$ 1 million a year, and even more for top-ten players. In my opinion the shirt is wild enough, and plain black —or white— shorts would have worked better. [Picture tweeted by Roland-Garros@rolandgarros on Twitter]
I did not need new tennis shoes right now, but I bought two more pairs from my local tennis store, nonetheless (Avanti Sports on NE 45th St).
I really don’t want them to go bust, because they string my tennis racquets. Besides, these Adidas shoes are shockingly hard to find anywhere online. They are regularly sold out at the Adidas store itself, as well.
Adidas Sole Court Boost, is the name of these tennis shoes (I paid $129 per pair). I like the herringbone pattern on the sole. The size 9s fit my feet perfectly. There is extra padding in the sole, and a little edge on the outside to provide support for side-to-side movement on the court. World No 3 Dominic Thiem likes to play with the white ones with the pink soles.
I ordered another Banana Republic sweater online.
This one fits me very well, and it’s a keeper.
Sweater in fine merino wool, with pockets and hidden full-length zipper. I could choose between grey and black. Grey is neutral and versatile. Black is much more formal and powerful and (to me), just does not go as well with earthy colors.
So .. what was I up to Thursday? Had my hair cut, had my ‘chompers checked’ (well, cleaned and checked) at the dentist, with the next one already scheduled for September. The hygienist that was assigned to me talked non-stop, and of course I just say hmm and hm-mm. She volunteered to clean the Seattle Zoo’s gorilla’s teeth as well but said several other volunteers were already lining up ! I also bought up two new short-sleeve shirts for work, trying to make sure they are dressy enough. I’m not used to wearing short sleeves for work, but it’s going to become uncomfortably hot and humid in Daya Bay very soon.
So how about modeling a nice Puma shirt I got in Hong Kong? (only US$20). Like it? I have always liked the jumping puma logo. The best part is the clothing labels that come with it .. ‘Designed and constructed for the fit and comfort of the Asian body .. evidently I have an extra-large Asian body !
And then the little advisements on the red label : Love Your Neighbor/ Eat More Greens/ Cheer Up It Might Never Happen/ Wash This When Dirty : )
