(no subject)

[which_chick]

I went to the WalMart today to buy wrapping paper for the SKP. It's a baby shower present so I was gunning for baby-shower gifting accessories. Unfortunately, everything that the WalMart had available was inappropriate. I'm sorry, but I just can't buy fucking pastel wrapping paper. I can't. It makes me ill. I feel actual, physical pain at the very thought. The cards were worse. I finally opted for plain, solid-colored tissue paper in non-pastel colors and as minimalist a card as I could locate.

I feel certain that they'll be along shortly to ban me from the gender for the remainder of my sorry life. What the hell is wrong with me that I actually blew twenty minutes of my life in the gift-wrapping aisle of the fucking WalMart debating the gender politics of wrapping paper for baby showers? Is this a result of the liberal arts education? I know they promised me the joy of an examined life and it's quite possible that I sometimes overdo that a bit. Probably this is one of the times... but damn it, everything they had for baby showers was in pastels. Everything. There were no pastel-free items available.

It was worse than Easter. (Way too much of Easter happens in pastel tones. I personally think there should be more purple. Purple is a good color for Easter, though not pastel purple. More of a grape or Barney purple. Possibly also white with gold trim would be okay. On an outside shot, I could also go for a nice solid green which could bleed right over into Irish Day which is more-or-less at the same time of the year as Easter. We are not going to discuss the fact that my feelings about appropriate Easter colors appear to come right out of the liturgical calendar's colors leading up to and including Easter. That's pure coincidence, that is.)

Comments

[sara-merry99.livejournal.com]

When Abner and I were still pondering reproducing I pretty much laid down the law with my mother that I would not tolerate any pastel baby-junk. None. Not a single pastel anything at all or I would absolutely rebel.

She grudgingly accepted the dictum.

(And I absolutely agree with you about Easter--hideous color scheme--almost as bad as Valentine's Day.)

[electroweak.livejournal.com]

My family has learned never to expect cards from me, as I consider them a waste of money at two dollars for a bit of cardboard and a bad poem.

I was once told that yellow is an appropriate color for a baby gift no matter the gender of the little sprog. This has served me well.

[cousin-sue.livejournal.com]

When people asked my spouse and me what color we wanted baby stuff in, we told them "Black".

Needless to say we did not get it.

Ah, well.

I am a total scumbucket, as I will not be able to attend the shower. I had another engagement for that date, and since I already bagged on this particular thing once last year, I cannot do it again.

I will get the shower presents down to the event facility on Friday, however. And I will miss everybody, as I wanted to be there, I really did.

[not-your-real.livejournal.com]

Easter colors are crocus colors - bold purple and gold... at least I think they should be :)

Damned hoof-rats ate our damned crocuses. Ate them! I thought crocuses were supposed to be hoof-rat-resistant. We had a pretty good crop coming up.

The pastel issue, and more specifically the "only pastel blue, green-and-yellow, and purple-and-pink (never purple-and-blue) exist" issue, is also driving me batty. Baby clothes should not come in "boy", "girl" and "neutral", especially not with "boy" having less variety than the other two. Baby clothes should come in *all colors*.

[not-your-real.livejournal.com]

How were you planning to clothe the child? The choices are: 1) baby clothes, pastel; 2) Uber-cutesy inappropriate tiny baby-sized grownup clothes, all colors. Unless your mother is a quick hand-sewer...

[not-your-real.livejournal.com]

Needless to say we did not get it.

I'm guessing here they couldn't find it. I wouldn't know where to look. Maybe there are boutique Goth-baby sites out there I don't know about.

We will miss you too! But you are not a scumbucket.

[which-chick.livejournal.com]

Daffodils and their cousins from the Narcissus clan (not the Malfoy wife) are impervious to deer. Crocuses are palatable to squirrels, rabbits, and deer. So are tulips. So are daylilies. Daffodils and Narcissus are not eaten by deer. Deer will 100% not eat daffodils and narcissi. I promise.

I know that cousin_sue has lots o' daffodils and I can provide you with price-is-right pheasant-eye narcissus (late blooming plus they smell good!), should you wish to pursue the deer-won't-eat-it possibilities of these plants.

You can also invest in peonies, a relatively worry-free perennial that the deer in my neck of the woods do not eat. I got very acceptable pink and white peonies from WalMart for five bucks a pop.

None of this helps for *this* year, of course, but it can be fixored for next year if you are so inclined. The proper time to plant peonies is in the very early springtime (now is probably too late). The proper time to plant daffodils is in the fall. Mark your calendar...

[sara-merry99.livejournal.com]

White onesies until they were old enough to have more options. :)

But I was thinking in terms more of things like diaper bags, nursery decor, etc.

[not-your-real.livejournal.com]

Ah :) I was kind of stuck on clothes, which was pretty much all I had registered for. Post-shower, having got baskets of assorted necessities I'd never thought of from the two mothers there, I Am Enlightened :)