So close, and yet . . .

Admittedly, I didn't think long and hard about this outfit. I went for comfort and warmth, and hoped everyone would admire my boots. The long sleeve under short sleeve top conundrum strikes again, sadly. It just looks so obviously like I pulled a warm tee out of the dresser to render a summer dress winter-ready. I originally had an acid green cardigan over the dress, and it wasn't warm enough in the office. My condo is so toasty (7th floor, radiant heat) that I find it hard to put on enough clothing for February weather. 

The dress is kind of great, though. I made it last summer, in a fit of "I will sew my own clothes again and save lots of money!" I bought the fabric online, and love its stained glass look and forgiving stretch. Here's a closeup of the fabric and the necklace.

The boots are Boden, and therefore fit perfectly, are really well made, and totally worth the price.

Tweed and Metaphor

I took part in a market research conversation Tuesday morning, about how libraries purchase industry-specific supplies: book carts, spine labels, display materials, shelftalkers. Wait, wait, don't run off, I'm still talking!

It was a one-on-one conversation, and a flattering experience, to have someone ask you thoughtful questions and hang on your every word for an hour. the most amusing part was doing a creative visualization exercise, with my eyes shut, which sent me off to my personal happy place (a hotel balcony in Cocoa Beach, as it happens). "Now visualize leaving that place for a hallway, and at the end of that hallway, there is a door. And over the door is a sign that reads . . . DEMCO." Did you think he was going to say Heaven? I burst out laughing. And then I described my perfect DEMCO experience. So funny.

This is what I wore.

Talbots Audrey sweater, J. Jill olive tweed skirt (pretty ancient), Miz Mooz Domino boots. As Sheila says, here are the shiny bits (also from Talbots):

And a closeup of the embroidery on the boots:

I love those boots so much. 

The interviewer noticed my bee tattoo at one point (even asked to photograph it), and asked me to tell him about it and why I chose it. "Oh, I love bees; so pretty, industrious, responsible for lots of fabulous things (flowers, honey, candles, fruit, honey), they dance to communicate, the lovely mathematical structure of the comb and the hive, la la la la." He told me he thought that was an excellent metaphor for librarians. What do you think?

Weekend

Much ado about nothing this weekend. I tried a new exercise DVD after work on Friday - Jillian Michaels beats you up and you pay for it or something like that. It was easy and hard at the same time, if you get my meaning, and I think I'll invest the ten bucks. Then I watched Cowboys and Aliens while eating buttered toast and tea for dinner. The movie wasn't as bad as I'd been led to believe, though unexpectedly dour; Harrison Ford doing his best grumpy Clint Eastwood imitation. I kept expecting him to rasp at the aliens, "Get off my lawn!"  Also, literally dark; unless they were in the blazing desert sunshine, they were creeping around in caverns and ruined shacks and I couldn't see anyone's faces clearly. If you take a drink every time Ford adjusts his hat, you may enjoy it more.

Saturday I had lunch with MFD at Blind Faith and talked about weighty things. We recently lost a friend: unexpectedly, unknowingly and at a very happy time of her life. MFD was very close to her and distressed on many levels by her death. Our conversation was about our desire to tie up our life neatly at the end, to make sure everyone knew that needed to know. An organized person, she is making a list. Our increased connectivity doesn't seem to help. Someone could just go dark on Twitter or Facebook, and you wouldn't know what had become of them. Or worse, they could linger on Facebook, with their friends wondering sadly what to do about their spectral presence.

We felt better for seeing each other, and made a life-affirming visit to Thee Fish Bowl across the street. The place is chock full of cheerful anima; the warmth, the people, the dignified tortoise roaming the place, the black cat bumping your hand to be petted, the lovely rabbit sitting peacefully in a corner. It's a tiny, cozy space, and MFD got a scratching post and a dose of joy as well. I was too distracted to take actual pictures, but the tortoise sort of looked like this:

I eventually wandered home and took a nap - completely missing all the doings at the library on Saturday, which I regret. Then I sat down with a Kage Baker novel that I haven't read (she's left us too) and that was my day. A good day.

Sunday I got a start on my taxes. Last year I owed $$$, so I bumped up the amount taken out for 2011. This is the first year in 20 that I haven't had a mortgage, though. On the other hand, I get to claim The Boy this year. All I'm hoping for is to break even, really. Wish me luck!

P.S. I watched most of the game, but skipped the half-time show to work out. I caught Madge on Youtube later, and admired her enthusiasm, but not so much the actual show. It looked like a high school dance team with a REALLY big budget. Points for bringing along MIA, though.

Friday love

Today I love:


Our tireless IT staff. They smile and fix anything, and never blame me for breaking it (like in the bad old days.) My laptop's puzzling coma is all better, thanks! But the bigger picture is knowledge and trust and common goals. I actually look forward to our weekly meetings.

DHC. This Japanese skincare and cosmetics company landed in my mailbox a few years ago and changed my life. Four free samples with any order! Fragrance free and nothing irritates my sensitive to the point of needing therapy skin. I use their moisturizers, cleansers, primer, sunblock, a few hair products, masks, and blotting paper. Their makeup remover sheets are the only such product that don't irritate my skin.  I wear this stuff every night:



My job. In these times, I'm lucky to be employed, let alone liking all my colleagues AND believing our work is exciting and valuable. Every once in a while I lie in bed thinking, "Really? You're thinking about what to wear AGAIN? This is what your life amounts to?", and then I remember and am awed by the all-round value a library brings to its community. I'm so fortunate to be a part of it.


Limpa bread. I made two loaves this weekend, with raisins and fennel seed and orange peel and I've been eating it for breakfast every morning. Yum. I used one of the recipes in Beard on Bread, but here is another one.

My other cat. You've seen so much - and there is so very much to see - of Riley, well, here is my little slayer. Despite the fact that she IS a slayer of mousies and cicadas, etc. Buffy is a bit of a fraidy cat with people. Few of my visitors have actually seen her. Last summer there were people working on the balconies every day for a month, and poor Buffy resorted to the sink.

Goodlooking storage. I found this fantastic bracelet stand on Amazon, but it is also available at the Container Store. The price will vary online, but I got mine for about twenty bucks, including shipping. It's very solid and sturdy, and covered with lovely black velvet. I know that if I can't see my stuff easily, I forget I own it. I had bracelets tucked away here and there because they were too big to fit in my pathetic jewelry box. Now I can see them all AND all my watches. And hey, I have enough bracelets and watches! I have a gracious plenty!

Designer Collaborations

Am I little cranky lately? I might be over the "famous meets cheap" synergy. At least, I'm finding it hard to keep up with Jason Wu at Target and Trina Turk at Banana Republic. Karl Lagerfeld collaborating with Garanimals, now THAT I'd be down with. I think the concept is becoming oversaturated.

Oh, I was waitin' by my computer last fall to buy a Missoni for Target dress and some towels, believe you me. And it's funny, because considering the millions of items they sold (and then were resold on eBay), I've never seen anyone wearing the stuff. Maybe they all bought the pillows.

Now I feel like I don't have time to consider each collection and get even a little excited about it. I thought the Natori for Target line was darling, but never did get around to buying the chemise and slippers. That was the very last high/low debut I marked on my calendar.

You heard it here first - Lagerfeld and Garanimals. "Easy to pair, fun to wear."

30 Days and Counting

I am one month into the attempt to not buy any new clothes. How have I done? Well, I did buy one maxi skirt on eBay, which was advertised as suede, but instead turned out to be "suede". Ish. Which is why I got it for nine bucks. I chastised the vendor, who claimed it had been "an honest mistake", blah blah blah. Like the label didn't clearly say polyester.

Aside from that skirt, I acquired a jacket, pants and skirt from Talbots with awards dollars, and I weeded two large bags of clothing from my closet. I own fewer items of clothing now.


That's all well and good, but how is the savings coming? You see, I bought two belts and some amazing boots this month (they are ACCESSORIES, not clothes). That means the overall savings is nil for January.  Here's to February being a model of thrift and restraint!

I love bright yellow year-round, but especially in January when our eyes are starved for color: 

There are those Golc Mary Janes again. Heather suggested last year that I wear them with dark patterned tights, so I did and she was out sick. Cheers, Heather! The sweater skirt is an old reliable from J. Jill, which has fit me through thick and thin. The leopard chiffon tee I sewed myself, and the crocheted cardi is an eBay steal (defined as under ten bucks). 


I really didn't intend for this blog to be a daily shot of Riley, but I take these pics when I get home, and he is trying to impress on me the idea that he luuuurrrrrves me and is only incidentally hoping I will feed him.

C'mon, Glamour!

I might be old. It feels like, at 52, I am increasingly grumpy about changes to the things I love, but hear me out.

Glamour raised my ire when they put the Kardashian sisters on the cover of their January issue. That was one issue I did NOT read (seriously, I was mad), and I am a devoted Glamour fan. The problem is that their sales are down 17%, and I can't fault them for trying to reach a new audience. Now they're tinkering with their design and perhaps their overall concept, according to The New York Times: 

Fashion Changes, and So Do the Magazines


Here's the new and improved cover:

I submit, how is this magazine any different from Cosmo? Are women only capable of reading five key words? The NYT article suggests a "heavier focus on celebrities." Good Lord, I have the Fug Girls for that - don't mess with my Glamour!


How much of this angst and anger is self-inflicted? How much do men struggle with loving and supporting the fashion world AND being a feminist and supporting everyone's right to like their body and dress any damn way they like? This makes my head hurt, not to mention about a hundred women in the blogosphere are more articulate than I am. As Jo says, Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It.

Now, because I am a librarian and deeply believe in being fair and balanced, I Googled the 2011 Glamour covers. I of course found they were all devoted to sex, beauty, shopping, guys and gossip. The content, though was smart and empowering, including articles on health, and women's rights, and financial sense - and women of all ages and colors. We'll see how Glamour's new look alters its insides.