Deepest green

Another new jacket has landed at my home, this one a deep bottle green, though in truth it’s practically black.

It’s a bikie’s jacket in cord, and looks like something Michael Hutchence may have worn during an INXS photo shoot. It’s deliciously droopy and bad to the bone. Just add your favourite enamel pin to the lapel and you’ve scored.

I found it much more comfortable to wear than a normal denim jacket, since it’s heaps softer and warm on a cool day.

There’s enough pockets to stash everything, all zipped so that things won’t fall out when throwing it over your shoulder.

I have to say that I wasn’t sure about this one, but loved what I saw in the mirror. 

At just over $60 Aussie dollars you can’t really go wrong here.

It’s by ASOS and sold only at ASOS.

Wolfie Rankin.

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Dad’s antics

Mum was often cross with Dad, He was bought up in a very poor family, times were hard and you did whatever you could, and in some ways, even though he grew up, been in the Army, and went to Melbourne to Marry Mum, he never quite got over certain behaviour.

While having a hot toddy and English Muffins with Jette at 4am, I thought of this one story which took place years before I was born.

Dad came home with this satisfied look on his face like a dog who’d found a massive mouldy bone somewhere and bought it home, only it wasn’t a bone, it was a huge rug rolled up under his arm.

“I was given this rug luv, it’s a bit stained but you can wash it and it should come up alright”.

It turned out the rug had come from a home where a bloke was either murdered, or committed suicide, his blood was all over the rug.

Somehow it just didn’t matter to my Dad, it was a free rug, that was all.

Mum was horrified and made him get rid of it, he probably grizzled about it but did as she asked.

The things you remember at 4am.

Wolfie Rankin.

Trench

On offer at ASOS at the moment is a trench coat which caught my eye a few weeks ago, and I found myself checking it out regularly.

I’ve always fancied having one, they either remind me of The X-Files or of a Sax player in an 80s band, which might be hot if you’re thinking of one of the better bands.

I also think it’s a great, classic, wolfy look. Picturing the end of my tail just poking out from behind the knees.

So what held me back?

The price, and that I have bought a few jackets over the last few months, having decided to put more clothes on rather than heat the home with gas, as the winter here has been mild so far, that has been an easy thing to do.

But, then they had a sale, which is still on, and the price fell to a much more respectable $58, so I sprung for it.

Well it arrived today by express post, so I have had a chance to review it for those who might be hanging off like I was, while it’s still available at its sale price.

The trench coat is by ASOS design, so I don’t think you’ll find it anywhere else. It’s Navy blue, as these things too often are, and I really would like to see something in a pale green, pink or something brighter, I love bright colours.

But what gives it more appeal is the lining, chequered in light and dark grey with a hint of red, wear it open to flash your colours.

The coat looks waterproof, so it should keep you dry right down to your knees, though you’ll need a brolly to keep your head dry in the rain as it lacks a hood.

Now, it’s oversized which might appeal to some, but if that’s not for you then you can probably go a size smaller and you’ll be fine, but do take the time to measure yourself just to be sure.

My other jackets were bought for warmth, two are borg lined (fluffy woolly stuff) and two are heavily padded, but this one is very thin in comparison, it looks built to keep the wind out, but you’ll still need a jumper for warmth.

That isn’t a criticism though as sometimes a light coat is more than enough, it would be the perfect cover when vanishing off into the night.

I wouldn’t have bought it at it’s original price, but for $58 it’s a pretty good look! 

Wolfie Rankin

ASOS.com

Clothing reviews?

I’m 52 now, and while Mum always saw to it that we were well dressed, it was mostly basic clothing, the kind you might pick up from your local Target.

Clean, durable, functional and decent. 

Now Mum always had a good eye for clothing, and understood quality, She worked as a weaver in the 1960s, if a stitch was wrong, it was spotted quickly.

Mum loved good clothes and would have preferred better,  but money was tight, so we managed.

As a child, clothes were the last thing I wanted, getting socks at Christmas was always a disappointment, although I got toys too.

As a teen I saw the clothes that favourite bands were wearing, but had no idea where to get them, and besides, all my money was spent on records.

These days, getting out can be difficult for me, but thankfully there are a range of shops selling directly to anyone with a Paypal account.

And suddenly, here I am, wanting to step up my game, wanting to express myself in clothes that I desire, but also cover the necessities of practicality.

One of the best online shops out there is ASOS which has a huge range of better than average clothes, at prices which go from reasonable to screw that!

I originally had a look at ASOS in the hopes of finding a jacket, but have wound up buying a stack of clothes from them.

Though based in the UK and US, the ASOS app is location based and shows the price of the clothes in the local currency. And if you don’t like the clothes, they will send you a docket via e-mail which can be scanned off your phone at the post office so the items can be sent back for free… Which is brilliant.

One of the items I bought was a big, dark grey hoodie by Threadbare, which wasn’t my first choice, but it turned out to be well worth grabbing.

When I think of hoodies, I think of cheap looking things which are little more than a slightly thicker t-shirt with arms and a hood, nothing as dressy as this.

This one is super thick, and Borg lined, or Sherpa if you prefer, in a similar grey.

The hood is wide and generous, and lined with the warm fluff I am in love with right now.

Wear it out or snuggle down while watching telly, it could work either way, and though made for men, I can’t say there’d be much of a problem for a woman to toss it around herself on cold winter nights either.

Nor does it scream “Teenager”, I think it would look great on anyone who dared to wear it.

A big thumbs up from me.

$56 from ASOS (down from $114) *Australian dollars.

The ASOS app is available for Android and Apple.

Unconventional

My dear old mate Rattus (Marko) once told me that he’d found his place in life, and I was pleased for him, it made him happy.

Marko went to many furry conventions over the years, he was a bit of a star too. As we were close friends he asked me to come with him, and so I went to Midfur, twice.

Peter greeted me warmly, but I didn’t really know what I was doing there, and few knew me.

Yes I like furries, but I’m not heavily into the scene, I am merely myself, and most of my efforts are online only.

I had also been to a local Sci-fi con and felt much the same way.

I know that for many of my friends that a convention is an amazing thing which is looked forward to, I see the point of it, and I’m also very pleased that unlike any decade up to the 90s, there’s more to our culture than drinking and sport.

Yes I’m an introvert but sometimes I wonder if I’m just a miserable twat.

I have yet to find my place.

Wolfie Rankin.

The English U

Whenever I hear this song, I picture a potential video along these lines.

There is a huge, pure white space where long, white marble stairs lead to white figures at the top, they look like people in white, form fitting  body socks or perhaps it’s CGI, They’re all identical. They move in sync with each other, much like the Women from old movies who swam in pools to music.

Their arms are raised above their heads, clapping. Then one takes the lead down the steps, he or she begins to sign the lyrics with their hands as the song is about language.

A teacher sits at a marble desk to the side of the stand, all of her exam papers are blown off her desk and shower the other characters.

At one point, the U is received by two, who reverently carry it up to the top of the stairs and place it, laying flat, on a marble podium and guard it.

The camera showly rises, and the entire platform turns out to be a huge ear, with the U as an ear ring.

The Jacket.

A few weeks back, I found the most perfect jacket I’ve ever seen on the trustworthy ASOS website, but it had sold out.

So I used Google Image to see if I could find it elsewhere, but it seemed that only ASOS had sold it.

Then I came across another site, it had the jacket, and I wanted it, I wanted it so badly that the following took place.

The calm, rathional part of me was looking at the site going “This is wrong”, but the crazy “Fuck everything, let’s do this!!!” part of me took over.

They had the jacket, further more they had all sizes of the jacket in stock, or so the page said.

Chrome wouldn’t fill in my credit card number, the second hint, nor would they accept PayPal, but I typed my number in anyway.

Pressed send.

The next concern was no e-mail came with a receipt nor advice on when my package might arrive.

Tonight I googled info on the site and found it to be high risk.

http://www.scamadviser.com/is-nichropulse.com-a-fake-site.html
I really don’t know why I did this, desperation for a badly wanted item? I rarely ever want something so badly that I go crazy for it.

I could have checked, but I *believed* everything would be ok.

And belief is never any replacement for facts.

Stung yes, but it’s only money, I’m still alive and still here!