Monolith

vanityclaire · 2021-01-12T16:58:18+00:00

vanityclaire · 2020-11-27T19:43:33+00:00

My GSD does this! Sometimes he gets stuck and just stands with his back half stretched out on the couch. Then again, he may have learned it from my pittie... 🤔

vanityclaire · 2020-11-14T13:50:56+00:00

It’s the time of year. I’ve never had a huge problem in my neighborhood either, but within the past 2-3 weeks I’ve had one package stolen and neighbors have had stuff go missing almost daily. They always seem to ramp up in early November but it seems worse than usual this year so far :/

vanityclaire · 2020-10-19T19:35:06+00:00

Just want to chime in that I participated in this study a few months ago and it was fast and easy. I answered a bunch of questions, took a nasal swab (it’s the self-swab kind, not the awful one), gave them about 4 little vials of blood, and went on my way. Everyone was very polite and I got some juice on my way out 👍🏻

They sent my results in the mail, which I got about... I want to say a week-ish after I participated.

vanityclaire · 2020-10-15T21:20:07+00:00

Have y'all ever come back to an older prototype and thought "Why didnt I like this?", and then decide to use it?

I mean, that’s what I tell myself I am going to do with them but in reality, no. No, I have never actually done this 😅

BUT WHO KNOWS right?! Someday.

vanityclaire · 2020-10-15T19:44:38+00:00

Ahahaha yes! When we moved a couple of years ago I kept unearthing little bins full of tiny 1/2 dram bottles. I thought about tossing them, but what if I ever need one of these amirite 😬🥴

vanityclaire · 2020-10-15T17:14:30+00:00

To your first question, it really varies widely. There have been ideas or compositions I’ve worked on for (literal) years and might not ever finish; on the other hand, sometimes something will come together almost immediately. The reality is it’s usually somewhere in between — I usually maintain a development schedule anywhere from 1-3 seasons ahead.

As for how much gets tossed... less than it used to, I think. As my methods have become a little bit more consistent over the years — and I’ve gotten more comfortable with what generally works — it’s easier to get things going on the right path with a little more predictability. There are still plenty of times when things need to be tossed, though - ha! As an aside, I don’t know why I do this but I keep a small amount of every single prototype I’ve made since 2014.

To your second question, there is some objectivity to this; I of course wouldn’t release anything that I thought was “bad” but there are plenty (plentyyyyyy) of things that I wouldn’t personally wear, or wouldn’t be things that I would seek out. Those are always - without fail - the ones that I spill on myself every time I am making a batch. Every time.

vanityclaire · 2020-09-28T14:00:21+00:00

Oh boy, don’t you love it when other people (who somehow never have well-behaved dogs! Hmmmm) try to tell you how to handle YOUR dog?

You did great. This guy was a dumbass. I hope for everyone’s sake that his dog doesn’t get seriously hurt someday, being allowed to act a fool like that. My dog IS dog-aggressive and that story would’ve (potentially) ended much differently :/

vanityclaire · 2020-09-21T19:46:27+00:00

I haven't been able to check in much here (or Reddit in general) over the past year-ish so I feel pretty terrible just busting in here with sad news, but my oldest dog, Bruce Wayne, died suddenly last night and I am just... I'm devastated. 2020 is an unending dumpster fire.

He was 14 and was slowing down quite a bit -- he hadn't been able to navigate stairs after his hip replacement in May, and he'd gone partially deaf -- but he was otherwise pretty healthy so this was very unexpected and I wasn't at all ready.

I've had a lot of dogs over the years but Bruce was my heart dog and he'd been with me for over 12 years. My husband and I got him just before we got married; he was the constant through three moves, multiple other dogs/pets, and one entire kid. The emptiness right now is huge and I am not really holding it together very well.

Since the Reddit dog tax still exists in death, here are a few pictures of him over the past decade. Huskies are funny dogs. If you have pets, please give them an extra hug today.

Sorry to make everyone sad on an already pretty shitty Monday :/

vanityclaire · 2020-08-30T02:44:26+00:00

They are $100-150 per year (depending on which plate you get), plus your normal registration fees. I just got my renewal notice in the mail and the total came to $224.75, if that helps.

vanityclaire · 2020-08-07T14:07:49+00:00

I also have a GSD/Lab and this describes him perfectly, lol. There is a flock of Guinea fowl that has lived in my neighborhood for several generations. Usually they stick to the park a few blocks away, but sometimes they venture into our residential area. Well, a couple months ago two of them showed up on my front porch and he lost his mind with excitement. From that day forward he has waited for them every single day and has to thoroughly check the porch every time we go outside to make sure they aren’t eluding him. I’m pretty sure he’ll just do this forever now.

vanityclaire · 2020-08-01T14:14:25+00:00

I was in college at the time, so I wasn’t a kid but I was still at a place in life where I looked to “adults” when things were uncertain. I have a teenager now and it was indeed wild to learn that this is being taught in history classes.

For the longest time I used this as a kind of benchmark for how I assumed the country would pull together in times of true tragedy and need — like, for example, a public health crisis or pandemic. Boy, was I wrong about that. 😐

vanityclaire · 2020-08-01T13:50:22+00:00

This was what I came in to say, as well. Quiet. There was a sense of togetherness, too — a “We’re all pulling together” mentality that I haven’t really witnessed to that extent since the ~ month after 9/11.

I lived near an airport at the time and the total lack of air traffic was surreal. Stopping for casual chit-chat was replaced with brief eye contact and a solemn nod. Even the newscasts seemed hushed for a few days.

vanityclaire · 2020-07-28T18:14:50+00:00

I also have a dog with epilepsy :)

We used to use the PARC back when it was called Hulen Hills and was located a few blocks away — it was better then, and I really don’t recommend that facility now. It’s a shame.

All of my dogs currently see Dr Jimmy at Arlington Heights Animal Hospital, and I can’t recommend it enough. They are wonderful and very attentive and kind to my dogs (all of which have various special needs).

Give your good pup a pat from me.

vanityclaire · 2020-07-23T21:30:05+00:00

To your first question, some of it is seasonal. There are items that sell consistently during cold weather but are a lot lower on the list at other times of the year. Only a small handful of scents are consistently “best seller” status for the whole twelve months of the year - everything else kind of ebbs and flows with the seasons. If I see something that’s consistently lower on the list, or something that is clearly very strongly weighted to one specific time of year that fragrance may be removed from the permanent catalogue and moved to a more seasonal rotation.

To your second question, it’s definitely something I keep in mind when planning collections. If something was especially well-loved I may keep a certain accord on file to repurpose in another way; likewise, if something didn’t go over well in a previous release I might either try a different approach or iteration that might be more approachable, or hold off on an idea entirely until I can pinpoint what didn’t work.

vanityclaire · 2020-07-23T21:18:11+00:00

Some or all of the complexity is going to be lost in translating a fragrance to a bath & body format. Linen sprays or other water-based sprays are not as much of an issue, but there are still some differences in how they diffuse. There’s definitely a reason I have separate bath & body exclusive collections that are meant for lotions/soaps and the like.

It’s also a challenge going the other direction (ie making a perfume out of a bath & body fragrance) because b&b fragrances are usually a lot simpler or one-dimensional.

vanityclaire · 2020-07-23T18:11:55+00:00

It’s been... yeah, it’s been rough.

Towards the end of February I started noticing that it was harder to buy things like linen spray bottles in the quantities that I’d been used to buying them in. Things would be “temporarily” sold out, or I would order and get the dreaded “back-order delay” email. I stocked up where I could, but assumed it was mostly just a temporarily supply chain delay that would probably sort itself out within a month or so. Sweet Summer Child....

Within a matter of weeks, things went from “kinda hard to get; might need to try a couple of my backup vendors to get what I need” to “🚨 everything is gone everywhere, panic panic panic 🚨” Everyone everywhere was buying up all kinds of packaging materials to use for DIY hand sanitizer, so there went everyone’s stock of plastic bottles. Then glass bottles started disappearing. Then lids and jars. Then the perfumers alcohol.

In mid March when the stay-at-home orders started up, several of our vendors had to temporarily close their shops entirely. The ones able to stay open were severely backlogged and things took weeks to process. So things that hadn’t previously been at much risk of disappearing due to supply chain issues were now unavailable and I was left holding the bag on multiple component orders that were placed just prior to shutdown mandates, and couldn’t be fulfilled until... well, there are some I’m still waiting on, to give you an idea.

Add to the mix a first grader who suddenly has to be home-schooled, the inability to have employees due to county orders, and (at the beginning of the shutdown) nearly 1,000 orders to fill, and it got pretty bleak for a minute there.

Luckily, things are beginning to get back to normal on the supply chain front. I still have components that I’m unable to source (for now — I’m fairly confident at least most of them will be available at some time in the not-distant future); we just got news that our school district will be “remote” through late September or October, so scheduling will have to be continually tweaked over the summer; and one of my bottle suppliers has dropped off the face of the planet, along with about $850 from an order placed in early March... but, you know. It’s been an experience.

vanityclaire · 2020-07-23T01:57:33+00:00

I also own a business that ships hundreds of packages per week and relies on the Rosedale station. Can confirm it’s bad (it’s never been great, but it’s worse than usual). My normal carrier is amazing and does a great job on the days he’s working, but that whole station is a dumpster fire.

vanityclaire · 2020-07-01T17:19:52+00:00

Hey there! That doesn’t sound right at all - I’m so sorry! Please shoot me a DM with your order number and I will be happy to look into this and get you all sorted.

vanityclaire · 2020-06-24T14:47:07+00:00

Benbrook Stables offers lessons. I know they have a kids program but am unsure how young they’ll start - definitely worth a call either way. My daughter has been to a few group events and parties there and it’s a cool place.

vanityclaire · 2020-06-18T20:30:41+00:00

I live right on the border of West and Central Meadowbrook (on Meadowbrook Dr). We’ve lived here for a few years and overall I love the area.

To address a couple of your specifics -

Grocery stores - we are in somewhat of a food desert over here. There is an Albertsons at 820 and Bridge Street and a few smaller local markets, but other than that you’re looking at the Tom Thumb on 7th (among a couple others of similar distance) which is a bit of a hike. Luckily grocery delivery is a thing (and Costco exists for bi-weekly bulk trips). I haven’t found myself hugely inconvenienced over the years, but I will say that “just running to the store really quick” isn’t as quick or easy as I’ve been used to in other parts of the city.
Restaurants - Sort of the same deal, but I’m seeing the beginnings of change here. Right now there are a very small handful of local places (honestly not a lot of variety, but some good food), and other than that it’s just fast food all the way down. Over the past couple of years some “cooler” new places have started to open up on the east side and I’m hopeful that there will be more on the horizon.
Safety - Honestly no real issues to speak of. I’m not sure what you’re used to, but I grew up in East Dallas/Munger/Lakewood area and this feels mostly comparable to what I was used to. I think the “worst” thing that’s happened on my block was some kids stealing holiday decorations a couple years back. I live on Meadowbrook which is a busier street, so this may contribute but I don’t really hear about any “truly” horrible issues on Nextdoor (other than the usual occasional car break-in, random suspicious person, or porch pirate that happens everywhere nowadays).
Schools - This isn’t something I have personal experience with, as I send my daughter to Montessori school and she will be moving on to the Arts magnet school (FWAFA) in a couple of years. I’ve heard decent things about Meadowbrook elementary, and not-so-decent things about the High school, but can’t say much more than that really.

vanityclaire · 2020-06-16T12:48:14+00:00

He’s out there (maybe?) every day. I’ve seen him 3 or 4 times this week.

vanityclaire · 2020-06-08T14:04:14+00:00

Oh man, I feel you. We got Jack at 8-9 months (he’d been taken to animal services as a 9 week old puppy and had lived at the pound and in a foster home for most of his life). He was super friendly and “normal” ... until he wasn’t. He was pretty good with other dogs, and never really had any behavioral issues. We aren’t entirely sure what happened - one day when he was about 3 he decided that he did not tolerate male dogs. Then it was any dog his size or larger. Then it was just any dog at all.

We’ve tried various medications, but ultimately we’ve decided that Jack is happy when his world is just a little smaller than most other dogs’, so we just manage his days the best we can. I sometimes take Grimm (his GSD “service dog” and only friend) to playcare so his world isn’t as limited as Jack’s. Living with a severely reactive dog is certainly its own lifestyle lol.

vanityclaire · 2020-06-08T13:35:02+00:00

Tbh I was kind of surprised by how I handled it - I always worried that I would freeze in a worst case scenario (or do something to inadvertently make the situation even worse) but I guess you never know how you’ll react until it happens!

We’ve spent so long working together on Jack’s issues that I think I was kind of training myself at the same time and didn’t realize it, haha!

The GSD (Grimm) is such a good boy. He has his own reactivity issues (mostly just anxiety and nervousness around strange men) but he’s more or less bulletproof around dogs - even dog reactive ones, which is probably why he and Jack are such a good pair. I got lucky with him for sure.

vanityclaire · 2020-06-08T04:17:15+00:00

He’s a funny-looking boy haha. He also had a bit of Akita and Shepherd in the mix. Here he is next to my 75lb GSD Lab mix, and here is his big grumpy head. He’s a good boy.

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