But the madness neither starts nor ends with food. I think I've decided that from now on, 2012 should be referred to as 'The Year of the Wishy-Washies'. Let's review the past 8 months, shall we:
I'm getting Married!
These are my colors.
Buy things.
Actually. These are my colors.
Tell everyone I know.
10 versions of announcements.
Found the most perfect set of dishes ever.
Paper. The linen textured kind in co-ordinating shades.
Actually--turns out I'm not getting married.
I should move to Washington.
Do I want those dishes, or do I like other ones more?
Definitely Washington.
New. Friends???
I should stay in Alaska.
Washington.
Alaska.
I should date three boys at the same time.
Maybe actually none boys.
Okay, maybe one.
Or not? Stupid triangles.
Washington.
Yes. Washington.
What kind of dishes do I like?
Which is really the question, isn't it? And if we're talking about dinnerware, we can't just look at 2012, sadly this saga has been going on since I started seriously looking at plate patterns in 1998. When we were high schoolish ages, my parents would start buying things for us that we would need later on. Dinnerware, pots and pans, silverware, etc. So I started looking. In fact. I have looked at plate patterns at Corelle so many times, that I could not only tell you what new patterns were available and which had been dis-continued, but I can also refer to most of their patterns by name.
After putting it off for about 8 years, my mom finally gave me an ultimatum where-in I had two weeks to pick a plate pattern. No more changing my mind. Up til this point, the issue wasn't changing my mind so much as it was finding something I actually liked. Now, my taste in material things has stayed rather consistent over the years even as styles change, which simply means that sometimes its easier than others for me to find things that I like. Unfortunately--the creators of casual dinnerware didn't really catch up to my taste until about 3 years ago. So I spent a really, really long time looking at floral, vine-y patterns that I < a fan of. Regardless, I picked a pattern, and I have plates, and they're perfectly serviceable, and really not that bad compared to all the other plate patterns that were available.
(see? really not so bad. Just a bit... floral. And pastel.)
But I still had a hand in the game, so to speak. Every so often I would do the rounds, look at patterns, see what was available. And when I was starting to register for things I found it. The holy grail. The most quintessential 'Stephanie' pattern that there could ever possibly be.
(Blue and white. Pattern mixing. Perfect.)
But then Mom reminded me that I had never seen it in person, which laid the seed of doubt. I started to wonder if they had the right weight and heft, if the picture was true to actual colors, and most of all if it would start to irritate me to have super pattern-y dishes. I love patterns. I am in love with color. But I don't necessarily like for my colors and patterns to compete with my food. It can only lead to a stomach ache.
So I thought. And thought. And thought and thought and thought. And then I started thinking about how Mom has been pointing out fiesta-ware to me for years. Literally. Everytime we go through a dinnerware section in a store, either she or I will point it out. For years. Which led me to find this pattern. It's not fiesta-ware, I think it's a more elegant answer to the question though.
(Noritake Colorwave. In Turquoise, yellow, and grey.)
I particularly like how it's neutral where the food goes, and the exterior is matte instead of glossy.
Although it might be nice with some fun pattern-y things mixed in... just so it doesn't get boring.
Which I think actually makes me the wishy-washiest plate pattern picker in the history of dinnerware.
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