What's this all about now?

Who are you?

I'm Christine. I'm 32(!) and I live and work in Minneapolis. I grew up in Chicago and Wisconsin. Middle child, totally have the syndrome. Yep, that's my real haircolor.

What are you wearing? 

I list everything as best I can. If something just says "thrifted" or "thrifted vintage" it means there is no tag! Sorry! I can also tell you what I'm not wearing, which is anything from Forever 21 or Urban Outfitters (not even thrifted things). Look them up and their business practices if you want to know why. I don't want to delve into the politics here. I try to thrift everything I can, with a few designer pieces and a few new basics like jeans and t-shirts thrown in. Most of my shoes are new too because used shoes can be tricky...

Where do you work?

In the nurse's office of a K-12 public arts school; it rocks my socks.

I also work with a special needs guy on Thursday nights. I used to run a program for teenagers with developmental disabilities and Daniel was my favorite kiddo. He's been my Thursday date for nine years now. 

I also run an etsy shop where I sell vintage clothing and t-shirts. I draw and screeprint every shirt by hand, in my kitchen (silly, I know). The t-shirts are also sold in the gift shop at the Walker Arts Center (which is the modern art museum here in Minneapolis.)

I also work at a private country club as a waitress/bar tender/bev cart girl. It's my summer gig with a few shifts thrown in during the spring/fall when it's nice enough to golf.

Aren't you worried about ruining your clothes at work?

Yeah, once I got puked on (actually a kindergartener puked into my motorcycle boot while talking to me) but I'm pretty good at dodging vomit and blood. If it happens, it happens. I am now an expert at bodily fluid stain removal.

How tall are you? What size shoes do you wear?
I'm 5'3"... well, actually 5'2" and a 1/2... the half means I get to round up, yes? My main style problem with being short-ish is that I'm also a 34D, so accommodating and de-emphasizing my bust is difficult, but doable. I wear a 7.5 in shoes.

You bike to work, how far is it? 

Five miles to work, five miles home. Not bad, unless I run into some train traffic (I'm serious... see MPLS in the background there? I take a bike path but it crosses the train tracks twice before entering downtown.)

What kind of bike do you have?

I rock a stripped down men's 1981 Peugeot UO10 for commuting and getting around town.

I ride a Sparta from the Netherlands (made sometime in 1969-71) when I'm just cruising around the lakes. It's a two-speed kick-back that belonged to my paternal grandmother.

I also have a full-suspension Trek for mountain biking (which I rarely do anymore, as I don't know anyone else who likes to muddy trail ride!)

Where do you thrift all this stuff? 

I occasionally hit up estate sales and garage sales but it is mostly from thrift stores. My favorites in the Minneapolis area are Arc's Value Village, Unique, and Valu Thrift.

What are your hobbies?

Well, when I'm not working or biking to one of the four jobs... I love sewing, snowboarding, playing shuffleboard, swimming, painting, watching and playing baseball, doing stained-glass, crocheting, pretending like I'm a great instead of mediocre chef, and basically just running around laughing all the time. I have more hobbies than time, but when I retire, I'll know how to do EVERYTHING. That is basically my goal in life, to know how to do everything, at least a little bit.

What kind of music do you listen to?

Neutral Milk Hotel, TV on the Radio, Bob Dylan, old Doo Wop and Motown, The Hold Steady, Regina Spektor, Atmosphere, Hank Williams, Beck, The Mountain Goats, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists,  The Cure, Radiohead,  Arcade Fire, Al Green... it's a stereotype to say, but pretty much everything but modern country.

Why don't you have a Twitter? Or an Instagram?
Because I am a luddite. A luddite with a blog. And I'm stubborn. No smart phones for this lady, ever. 

If you have anything that you, in your heart of hearts, must know... just ask!