Happy 2016, everyone! Anyone get started on their pickle jar yet? I can’t believe it was 10 years ago this weekend that I was hopping a plane to Amsterdam and eventually making my way to live in Madrid for a semester. I’m old. 2006 was a goodie. Europe, 21st birthday. Not bad.

Speaking of 2006, I went on a New Year’s cleaning binge this past weekend. Perhaps it was the realization that I bought and moved into my first home 5 years ago and still hadn’t cleaned out some boxes and piles of paper in my front office that really had no business existing anymore.

Welp, I went bananas and kept the paper shredder busy. In the process, I found my old iPod (yeah, the white kind with the black & white screen and a click wheel) and plugged it in just for kicks.

The frickin’ thing lit up.

Guess who’s writing this blog post to her “Birthday 2006” playlist? Guess who didn’t realize her 21 year-old self liked Busta Rhymes & Snoop Dogg that much?

My roommates and I… we were a fun bunch.

5 Faves & a Dud – 1/5/16 Upload

Favorite #1: Swiftly Tech LS Crew ($68) in heathered dashing purple

2015 was most definitely the year of the Swiftly LS for me. I never thought twice about them, and then randomly gave the heathered scream green one a try this spring. I got it, wore it, but didn’t get the feeling that I OMG loved it. Then I found myself wearing it all. the. f*cking. time. Since then, I got 3 more (all varying shades of blue) and love em all. Time to branch out to the warmer end of the color spectrum!

Favorite #2: High Times Pant ($98) in cosmic dot white multi

Whether or not these are fugly or fantastic depends on your own personal style. They’re just the right amount of off the wall for me. (Interpret that as you will, as I’m usually more off the wall than most ‘normal’ people can handle.) My only hesitation is that because they’re full-on luon, they may lighten up when you squat & bend, due to the dye on lighter luon. Fitting room, here I come! Maybe. Work’s been bananas this week. Kinda sorta need to keep the day job under control.

Favorite #3: Tight Stuff Tight *Reflective ($148) in simply lace play dark slate black

Fun pattern hides the dirt from all the burpees we’re all going to be doing leading up to the CrossFit Open. There is no way Dave frickin’ Castro is going to let us off burpee-free 2 years in a row. I just don’t see it happening.

Favorite #4: Scuba Hoodie iii ($118) in heathered speckled black

Guess I’m not the only one who liked this thing. Upload went up, what… 2 hours ago? Sizes 2-8 are already toast. Good thing I’m a 10 when it comes to long sleeved lulu stuff. *insert evil laugh here* It’s not the jazziest color scheme in the book, but it will go with everything and I enjoy the contrasting black stitching on the hood. Scuba cherry = popped.

Favorite #5: Rest Less Hoodie ($98) in heathered caspian blue

If you’re short, prepare for a dress. If you’re tall, prepare to be impressed. I tried one of these on recently, and ALMOST caved. If this top ever makes it to WMTM, like… dibs & stuff.

PSA: Don’t eat buffalo wings while wearing this. You’re gonna have a bad time.

The Dud: Just Chillin’ Dress ($98) in heathered white/white

If at first you don’t succeed, try try again. Well congratulations, dress. You were the runner up last week, and you take the cake this week. White mesh. Just can’t get down with you. Someone out there may belt it and make me eat my words in July, but right now it’s about 12 degrees out. Take your sundress elsewhere.

Other Notables

• The heathered sapphire blue Swiftly SS fell just outside the top 5, mainly because I’ve never owned a Swiftly SS before. Sooner or later I’ll have to give one a try.
• MORE colored Align Pants! Raspberry is a surprising choice, given the fact that berry rumble dropped pretty recently. It’s kind of like how when pink lemonade and flash light dropped this summer. Lulu, stop confusing the people!
• Fans of the new Splendour Bra, the tonka stripe black heathered slate/black is a nice basic with a little character.
• Move along diamond jacquard nonsense, the Define Jacket is here in a pretty pink solid raspberry.
• Fatigue green In Flux Jacket, we could have been friends… back in September. A New England January is much too cold for you.
• I spy a resurgence in the Definitely Raining Jacket. Not loving the desert olive, but I’ve heard good things about the jacket itself.
• First the Energy Bra last week and now the plain black Free to Be Bra being touted as ‘new’. Whose eyes are you exactly trying to pull the wool over, here?
• One last push at the Runderful Half Zip, before the new herringbone heathered aquamarine nimbus/aquamarine joins its buddies in WMTM purgatory.
• The cosmic dot print makes its way into the world of Wunder Under Pants – no crops yet.
• The fatigue green Barre Star Pant creeps me out a bit. What is it about me hating on mesh today? Maybe if I sit down, the feeling will go away. Oh wait, I’m sitting down. Heh.
• The Shake it Out Crop is another head scratcher. It’s like that drawstring bow is floating off in the middle of nowhere. Someone throw it a raft and rescue it. I’ll never let go, Jack! I just named the drawstring Jack.
• Normally I don’t even look twice at skirts, but this new stardust geo peacock blue black/black print they’ve got the Pace Rival Skirt ii is catchy, without looking obnoxious.
• Is the Split Second Short II another omen of new prints to come? Hola, domo pixel desert olive multi/black and wind chill white lullaby/lullaby. Given that the recent &Go ‘Til Dawn Dress I got was in a berry rumble/black version of domo pixie, maybe we’re in for a pixelated spring.
• Wait… mesh I’m not hating on! The Exquisite Tank. It’s girly and pretty and something I’d wear to dance class… if I took a dance class.
• I’m not sure I understand the Get Sweat Tee. If you were going in to do surgery, is that where you’d make the incisions? Medical people, educate me. I work in sports.

So, the Christmas gift cards are starting to dwindle. So much for trying to ration them. Panicked that the Light as Air Hipster went on sale (OMG they better not discontinue), and had to give the Strap It Like It’s Hot Bra a try. Super supportive. Brought it home, because double unders.

Tonight was a little bit of #treatyoself – I ordered both the Swiftly and the Scuba. If it’s going to be 12 degrees out for the rest of the winter and I’m too cheap to crank the heat up above 58, guess I could use a super thick piece of cozy.

Anybody else get a little spendy?