Wear, Watch, Want #64: The Orthopedic, Wagging, Foodie Edition
Wear: Dansko Professional Clogs
I have this fantasy fashion life where I dress like an older, glamorous dance teacher. I wear long, flowy skirts, cozy wrap sweaters, and of course, clogs.
Dansko clogs are the epitome of ugly/artsy/utilitarian/fashion footwear. I have wanted a pair of Dansko Professional Clogs for forever, and now I finally have a pair. I got the "grey scrunch leather" version (there are about 50 varieties to choose from) because I liked that they were sort of black, grey, and brown all at once, and would go with any ensemble.
I've been wearing them a ton, and I'm so pleased. Now to start my collection of wrap sweaters...
Watch: Somebody Feed Phil
A few years ago, PBS aired a little food/travel show called I'll Have What Phil's Having. I only knew about it because they'd show ads for it after The Great British Bake Off. I'm not into food shows, so I didn't care. (GBBO is obviously NOT a food show, it is a way of life.) Watching shows where chefs tell you about how "actually you don't know how to properly cook and egg, you idiot." and never acknowledge food inequality make me insane, so I am thoroughly uninterested in foodie TV shows. Somehow, those commercials for I'll Have What Phil's Having peaked my interest, and I gave it a shot. I'm so glad I did.
You can watch every episode of I'll Have What Phil's Having on Netflix, and now Netflix has produced a new season, retitled Somebody Feed Phil. It is, for all intents and purposes, the same show. Phil Rosenthal, creator of Everybody Loves Raymond and food lover, travels to different cities, eats food, meets people, and has a nice time. Near the end of his stay he Skypes his parents and shares some of his experiences with them.
Phil is an everyman. He's not trying to tell you how to live, he's not trying to teach you something or change your entire worldview. If there were a lesson to be learned from Phil's travels, I think it would be, "Try something new - maybe you'll have a nice time." Phil loves traveling, sharing experiences with people, and trying new things. He Skypes with his parents to share what he's discovered with them. "You love fruit!" He tells his mom. "Look at this new fruit I ate in Vietnam!"
Another thing about both I'll Have What Phil's Having and Somebody Feed Phil - I cry during every episode. This isn't a crying show, either. There is no emotional manipulation like Netflix's other recently reworked show, Queer Eye. In the episode where Phil goes to Vietnam he teaches some schoolchildren's English class, and I cried because the kids were so happy. In Israel he meets a guy who gained notoriety for his cooking skills in prison, and he cried telling the story, so you know I was blubbering.
If you're looking for a feel good show that probably won't make you cry, but makes me cry during every episode. Check out Phil Rosenthal's two food/travel shows on Netflix.
Want: Waggo Dog Bowls
Hero's bowls are looking real rough, and when we move to our new place in May he's getting new ones. I've been searching for the right bowls for months, and was shocked to find the perfect ones at Nordstrom's Year of the Dog Pop-In Shop.
First off, Nordy's Year of the Dog Pop-In is actually very cool - there are many items I'd buy if I had the kind of dog accessory slush fund to afford such things. And on the website they have a quiz to see what dog you are and the results are incredibly accurate.
But I was especially taken with the Waggo dog bowls, which I saw in person and was immediately like, "YES. THIS is what I've been shopping for!!!" There are more color options available if you buy direct from the Waggo site, but I have only seen the splatter pattern at Nordstrom. They're a great weight and come in three sizes. For reference, Hero only eats a cup of food at a time, but because he's a Boston terrier and doesn't have a long snout, he needs a larger bowl so that he can actually get his head in there and get to his food, so I'm getting medium (4 cup capacity) bowls for him.
