wife left 10 days ago... i'm still recovering, i was totally living in the moment and didn't update my site once while she was here! there's so much to write about, but i've been preoccupied with coding a new about page, among other things. [m] is really into the owl house so i've been watching it as i code... i can actually multitask coding and watching a show quite well, but it's harder to focus on what the characters are saying when i also have to deal with what i'm saying, as i unintentionally repeat every word i type (mentally, of course) as i write a diary entry.

anyway, exciting news! my package from japan did arrive while she was here! not-so-exciting news: the btssb headbow i received was far more yellow in real life, compared to the pictures. in my defense, the seller mentioned yellowing in the middle of the headbow, but not on the lace. unfortunately, i did not take my own 'before' pictures of the headbow. but, if you focus on the color of the lace relative to the pink in the seller's pictures, then it may be more obvious.

egl livejournal thread from 2008 to the rescue! my wife and i ended up going to walmart to find some oxyclean. we also got some air freshener, with a mixed berry scent... it smells so fruity and nice, and not artifical at all! anyway, i tried making a condensed paste with the oxyclean, like someone in the thread said. i scrubbed the paste into the lace with a toothbrush for 5 minutes, but... nothing seemed to have happened. she suggested to soak it in an oxyclean solution in a larger bowl... since oxyclean doesn't have bleach in it, i figured it wouldn't affect the shade of pink on the bow. thankfully, it didn't, and the lace came out much whiter than i could have expected after soaking the bow in the solution for about 1-2 hours. the solution was so yellow afterwards... it's incredible how all of that came out of the lace.

unfortunately, this oxyclean-infused stupor ended when i tried this same method to whiten the fur on some pink furry boots i had gotten from the thrift (see "pony quest #1"). i know... i soaked boots in oxyclean. the boots were actually much more dirty than expected, and the oxyclean worked a little too well. the dirt from the inside of the shoe permeated through and stained the entire shoe a few shades darker. i don't know if it's entirely that, it could have also just been simple water damage. a lot went wrong! at least the fur trim is white though! (cope) but the shoes were $12, so i will try not to worry about it...