A Day Without Water

A day without water is like a day without ... Hmmm ... Anyway, pardon me for looking a bit scattered in this picture ...

shirt — J. A. C. (thrifted)

pants — Impressions Lifestyle (can't remember; older than dirt)

shoes — Dansko (thrifted)

I was in the shower this morning (having a really lovely shower, I might add), when all of a sudden, the water slowed to a trickle and then nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch ... eek! Kari was not a happy girl. In fact, you could even say that she was quite unhappy. EXTREMELY unhappy! LOL ...

 

Ordinarily, I would have been more than unhappy. I would have been freaking out ... thinking, "What the hell happened now?" This time, however, I had a pretty good idea that it didn't have anything to do with my money pit of a house. The city has been doing something with the water lines on my street, and I was pretty sure that it was related to that. I'm not quite sure what they're doing — but they not only shut off my water this morning, but they also blocked my driveway and my street. Somebody just didn't want me to go to work this morning.

My street doesn't look in very good shape either ...

Luckily, I was just luxuriating under the shower at that point (I love when I can linger in a shower), and I was able to throw on some old faithful clothes. I've had these pants for longer than I can remember and the shirt has three-quarter sleeves — so I was good to go, even if I was a bit worse for wear by the end of the day.

I came home to a sign on my front door saying that the water was still off, and they were working on it. You never know how much you need water until you don't have it (I mean, that would be the day that the cat gaks all over the kitchen floor!)...

And speaking about water ... How is your region doing, rainfall wise, this summer? I have friends living in the Midwestern United States, and they are saying that this drought is the big one ... that there is a good possibility that we may run out of corn, which would be devastating.

Rows of corn stalks stand under a cloudless sky south of Blair, Neb., Monday, July 23, 2012.
The drought-damaged field was cut down for silage. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

To end on a happy water note though ... How about that Melissa Franklin in the 100 backstroke? Wow! So happy to see a girl (she's only 17!) who lives at home, living a normal life and succeeding. She refuses endorsements so she can keep competing for her high school. Love that!

Melissa Franklin during the semifinal of the 100m Backstroke
2010 FINA World Swimming Championships.
(Source: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe)

I still get all choked up when I see and hear some of these stories.
(Absolutely thrilled for the British men's gymnastic team!)

And I finally have my act together so that I can link up to Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday.  Yes. I was scattered and wore comfy clothes, but I would argue to say that I did it with style :-)

White Hair

I bet if I throw my head back and laugh out loud, nobody will see my white hair.

 

shirt — Levi's Red Tab (don't remember: it's older than dirt)

dress — Madison Leigh (thrifted)

woolly tights — no label, but purchased new! :-)

shoes — Dansko (Dansko factory outlet)

Hahahaha! Yeah, right. Do you think if I keep telling myself that, I'll start to believe it? NAH. I didn't think so, but it was worth a try! I'll probably still pull out those darn hairs if no one's looking, which is why I have a big old bald spot in the top front of my head that I now have to hide (see the cowlick in the top center of my forehead).

The little cap sleeves on this dress are kind of corny. In my day and age, cap sleeves mean that your dress is not a jumper, and there's no use pretending that it is. But ... but ... but ... the houndstooth check in brown and black practically screams fall or winter  — doesn't it? And if that's the case, I can't imagine having bare arms in what can be freezing cold mornings (or evenings) during the northeastern fall and winter months. On top of my need to stay warm, the idea of exposing my fish-belly white arms, the color of which is status quo for this time of year, makes me positively shudder.

Am I missing some other way to style this pseudo jumper? How do you possibly wear it without putting something under it?

The other thing that gives me pause about this dress is its shape. In retrospect, however, that didn't bother me as much as those silly cap sleeves. It made it a lot more comfortable to wear during the gluttony that was my Thanksgiving. 

Linking up to Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday, because well ... my glittery shoes and my white hair are pretty visible, don't you think? (And yes, I am joking — sort of.)

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

No Loitering

Don't believe the deer-caught-in-the-headlights look in my eyes — I had a GREAT first day of work! I took this at the train station at the end of the day, and I was beat. (Remind me to tell you about my lazy eye and my eye muscle surgery someday.)

shirt — Carolyn Taylor (can't remember; it's older than dirt)

skirt — no brand (Burlington Coat Factory; it's older than dirt)

shoes — Dansko (Dansko outlet)

The past few days have been cold and dreary in Delaware, which is pretty much what prompted this outfit. That, and the fact that it's an old faithful. I've worn it for years and years and years. In fact, I can't remember a time when I didn't pull this outfit out of my closet when I wanted to look nice. I also thought it would be warm (it wasn't warm enough); I thought it would be work appropriate (it was); and I thought I would be comfortable (I was, except for the tights that cut off the circulation to my legs — those babies are going in the garbage! The tights, not the legs.).

 

Anyway, now that I'm looking at these pictures, I feel like something is missing. I don't look the way I imagined myself looking or even how I looked when I saw myself in the mirror. I just feel like the outfit is kind of dull. So guys, what could I have done to jazz this up. How could I have put some color into it? I dunno, I kind of like the sweater with the skirt, but my neck looks nekked. Maybe a heavier, more of a statement necklace? Maybe I should have worn the red lipstick that I got and then was afraid to wear?!

What do you think of this as a first-day-of-work outfit? With my new found sense of fashion (love of fashion? desire to be fashionable? No, that's not it either — these days, I just have this desire to put my best foot forward. When I feel like I look good, it's like I become a completely different person. I stand up straighter, smile more, and in general — I'm just more radiant. I'm having fun, and it shows. Okay. This wasn't supposed to be a post about my fashion fun — it's just so strange that it's so much fun with clothes.)

I'm also sporting a new hair cut, and once again my hairdresser worked her magic! She also did my hair here. She's amazing!

I do look tired though. I got up at the crack of dawn this morning (4:30 a.m.) to get ready. Actually, by the time I laid my body down to sleep last night — all I did was toss and turn. I couldn't fall asleep to save my life, so if I got an hour of sleep that was probably a lot. I left my house at 6:00 a.m. (don't even ask why it took me 90 minutes to get ready, I can be really neurotic at times). I got to the train station by 6:30 a.m., and got the LAST spot in the lot. The last! The gods were smiling on me again.

The Amtrak came at 6:50 a.m., and then it was a little over an hour to Union Station. The Amtrak is really nice — quiet, and calming. And this morning, I was so tired, and it was so cold and dreary, that the chug chug chug of the train just lulled me to sleep (I could get used to that). From Union Station, it was a short 15-minute walk to the office and boy, did it ever wake me up. I didn't wear a coat or have gloves or a scarf, and it was brisk out!

Coming home, it was the same. This time on the train, people were so friendly. It was nice. And honestly, it really kind of surprised me. I'm so used to people just looking down and going about their business.

I had to include this last picture. I didn't realize until I downloaded my pictures that I was standing in front of a No Loitering sign. I hope that the powers that be won't mind me "loitering" so I can take my pictures!

I'm linking up to Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style because of my mood — I was so happy that it made me quite visible!

Thank you all for all your encouragement and support during this long hot summer. It lifted my spirits when I got down, and helped give me the confidence to keep on keeping on. I'm not sure how much I'm going to be able to post or comment for the next week or so while I'm getting used to this schedule. I'll be here, but not as visible.

Under Control

It's  been too rainy and humid to wear anything but my standard  tank and shorts. So instead of dazzling you with that outfit again (look here if you want to be dazzled), I thought that I would use an outfit picture that reflects the type of clothes that should be worn this time of the year. 

sweater — Linda Matthews (thrifted)

pants — London Jean: Kate Fit (Victoria's Secret)

boots — American Eagle (Payless)

belt — Nautica (thrifted)

Even though I wore this in the spring (on April 26, to be exact) and liked it, I actually think the colors are more suited for the fall. I also tried it with my Dansko clogs — which footwear do you think works better? the clogs or the boots? I think I'm partial to the clogs.

I start my new job on Monday (yay!), so the past two weeks have been really hectic and crazy. My commute will be between three and four hours a day (most will be on the train), so once I start working I won't have a whole lot of time to get things done at home or to run errands. I've been trying to get the things done that need to get done and to run the errands that need to get run (getting an oil change, for example).

You'd think that since I've been unemployed for the past three months that everything would be under control. After all, I had tons of time to do anything and everything. But it didn't work that way for me. Not having a job and not being sure of what the next day is going to bring made it really hard to use my time productively and wisely, or in other words, I spent a lot of time worrying and freaking out. I also worked out in the yard, went through things in the house (I knew that I wanted to move — job or no job), and hid in my bedroom. I didn't, however, do anything that entailed spending money, which meant postponing a lot of things that really needed to get done. Yes oil change, I'm talking about you.

Tomorrow, I'm going out to lunch with a couple of guys from my old office, and I'm getting my hair cut — yay! another thing that I put off until I had money.

I'm really looking forward to my new job — just about everything about it, in fact. I know there's going to be some down sides (my eyes aren't that blue!), but still ... The work is going to be exciting in and of itself, and then I'm going to be working in DC! I'll have a set schedule again, be around people, and even get a PAYCHECK! Woo hoo! And maybe I'll even fall into bed at the end of the day, too exhausted to snack my way through the night.

Another good thing is that I'll be getting dressed up again (good bye tank and shorts, hello heels and long sleeves). I'm really curious to see how I end up dressing for this job. I had to dress "professional" in my old office, but all that really meant was no jeans. This outfit, for example, may not be acceptable for an office located in the heart of DC. Since these khakis (I also have a wine-colored pair) were pretty much a "go to" item (see here, here, and here for other ways that I wore them), that's going to mean drastic changes in my outfits.

 

I don't think that I'll have the time or the inclination to pop out of a box be silly either ... 

Thank you all for all your good wishes!

Linking over to Thrifty Thursday at Spunky Chateau — my bracelet, necklace, belt, and sweater were all thrifted goodies.  

Fights with Myself

One reason my few days off stretched to over a month was because I didn't know how to pick it up again. Do I start where I left off? Do I start where I am now? And the longer it took to answer this question, the harder it got to make a decision.

First things first -- an outfit post. I wore this way way back on Wednesday, June 1, 2011.

 shirt -- (thrifted)
pants -- London Jean (Victoria's Secret)
belt -- Nine West (thrifted)
necklaces -- (one gifted, one thrifted)
shoes -- Dansko Professional (outlet)

This is pretty much a standard go-to outfit for me. A pair of comfy pants, a short-sleeved shirt, and my Danskos -- what's not to like? I may not be the most fashionable person around, but hey -- I'm dressed appropriately and, most importantly, comfortably for work, and no time was spent on contemplation of said outfit. 

 "artsy-fartsy" picture fun

I was pretty good about taking pictures while I was on sabbatical, which brings me to my first dilemma and the first hurdle to get over (see above). What do I do with all the pictures I took?! I've been having this argument with myself -- one side of my head says to post them all. Who cares when they were taken?

The other side of my head thinks it's not that easy. Some of the outfits reflected my mood; some I wore to a specific event (graduation); and some reflected the weather. If I try to post now on old pictures, I won't sound natural -- it won't sound like me.

And then what about the outfits I'm wearing now? I don't want to post them a month or two from now. And I'm just going to get further and further behind if I keep posting old stuff -- I'll be spending all my time trying to catch up. But yet, I really like some of my older pics; I also really hated some; and some I just need advice on what in heaven's name went wrong?

Really, now -- what were you thinking?

Did you even stop to look in the mirror before 

you walked out the door?

In case you think these musings are all fashion centric, they're not. These are the types of things that I agonize over and over about, ad infinitum, on a daily basis. Only the topic changes. I can think of a thousand reasons to do something a hundred different ways. And while I'm having these arguments with myself -- nothing gets accomplished. I don't move forward -- I just get farther and farther behind, and I get more and more discouraged, and I end up feeling like a failure.

And in the end, what does it really matter? I mean, one of the reasons I'm blogging is to get myself back in the habit of writing, and to reflect on what is happening in my life. And as much as I hated that Nike slogan in years gone by, I think that I need to take a page from their book and JUST DO IT for crying out loud!

By the way, I really like the belt that I wore in these pictures.

The belt was way too big for me (and why exactly do I feel the need to say that?! It's not like you can tell from the pictures. I guess I felt a little uncomfortable wearing it though, because it did seem noticeably big.). Anyway, I wasn't sure if the colors matched, but I think they did. It was an easy way to bring something interesting to my outfit.

When you fall off the horse, 

do you redo what you missed?
Or do you just say forget about it, 

and say, "What's done is done," 

and then continue on your merry way? 

Decisions

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Yes. I'm still here. 

I've been super busy with work and with my house and haven't had the time to post. My house is a money pit and a time suck. I spent an entire weekend last fall just digging a trench to bury an electric line. I was very, very proud of that trench, but it still wasn't my idea of a fun weekend.

When I'm not taking care of the house, I'm working side jobs so that I can earn money to maintain it (like paying the electrician to replace the electric line). Now that my kids are grown, there's no point in keeping the house any longer, and I can't wait to move!

Unfortunately, I tend to be a saver -- a collector of goodies (my parents used to say that if there were two of something, I started a collection). So my house is packed full of stuff, and I mean full. It's easy to get overwhelmed by all this stuff ...

Image from theberry.com

And no -- this is not my stuff! 

When I get overwhelmed, I have a hard time making decisions, and that includes deciding what to wear. More often than not, I'll end up pulling out the same old, same old ... and I just end up feeling like nothing ever changes. I've been trying to find some new and fun ways of wearing my "same old, same old" clothes to try and combat those feelings.

shirt -- Rafaella (Boscov's)

sweater -- Designers Original (thrifted)

skirt -- Carlisle (thrifted)

boots -- Dansko (outlet)

With that in mind, I turned to the news for a source of "fashion" inspiration. Today's outfit was inspired by Geraldine Ferraro, who passed away last Saturday at the age of 75.

In 1984, Geraldine Ferraro made history as the vice presidential nominee for the Democratic Party -- the first woman to run on the ticket of a major party. You don't have to agree with her politics (I did!) to recognize her achievement.

I'm wearing a skirt, because she typically wore skirts and dresses (as opposed to pant suits). The colors I selected -- red, white, and green -- are the colors in the Italian flag. In addition to being the first woman, she was also the first Italian American. She often said that that was a bigger obstacle than being a woman.

My green was more of a forest green, and I added a statement necklace. I know that statement necklaces were not in vogue in the 80s, but that's okay. My sweater actually had a matching tank that went with it -- I think these were called twin sets.

I don't remember much about the 1984 presidential campaign, but I do remember the nationally televised debate between Ferraro and the then Vice President George H.W. Bush, and her saying, "Let me say first of all that I almost resent, Vice President Bush, your patronizing attitude, that you have to teach me about foreign policy." I probably did let out a few whoops at that point! And does anybody else remember the Fritz and Tits slurs that were directed at the Mondale-Ferraro ticket?

Some other notable facts about Geraldine Ferraro: 

1. Was born on August 26, 1935. A scant 15 years earlier, women were given the right to vote.
2. Skipped three grades, and graduated high school at 16. 
3. Taught second grade in the New York Public Schools for five years. While teaching, she put herself through Fordham Law School at night. 
4. Kept her maiden name in honor of her mother, a seamstress, who supported the family after her father died. Ferraro means blacksmith in Italian, originally derived from the Latin ferrum meaning "iron."  
5. Was a stay-at-home mom for 13 years before joining the Queens County District Attorney's Office. 
6. Headed the Special Victims Bureau at the Queens County DA -- the real-life model for NBC's award-winning Law and Order SVU.
7. When asked to describe Ferraro, Barbara Bush was once quoted as saying “It rhymes with rich.” Bush later apologized. 

I had a lot of fun using Geraldine Ferraro as my inspiration. I also learned a lot about her. I'm not sure that I liked this outfit on me that much. I mean, I think that I looked okay, but it seems more like I reverted back to a style that I was comfortable with rather than trying something new. The way I put it together was new, but not the look. I did wear boots, which was something that I never ever used to wear, and I wore a statement necklace, which was new. I always used to wear small and dainty.

How do you think I did?