5 Questions

My qualifying exams have been taking up my whole life ever since returning from spring break 2 weeks ago. Before that, the semester was nothing but:

• scholarship applications (2)
• summer fellowship applications (2)
• article manuscripts for journals (3)
• conference preparation (1)
• applications to speak at yet more conferences (5)
• hustling my prospectus back and forth between my committee members (billions)

 Hence the irregular/nonexistent posts.

I am going to take a photo of my reading list once it is all organized... 400 articles and books, and somehow I have almost read them all! It is overwhelming. I really hope I can take my exam in May as planned so I can spend the 4 months of summer with M. Long distance marriages are lame! He still has coursework this summer but I can work on my dissertation while he is away.

Anyway my idea for this post was to answer the 5 questions that the "5 Questions" blog always posted. I have been reading the backlogs of that blog (hasn't been updated in a while and I miss it!).

Answer the questions on your blog if you are stumped on a post! I love reading about other people! :)

5 Questions
What scares you the most?
"Loved ones dying" is everyone's answer to this, but I have to agree! I only have one sibling, my little brother who is 3 years younger than me and I have to say I am very protective of him. He was accidentally shot a few years ago with a friend's handgun but survived. It was really terrible, like the worst after-school special ever. Years later I still have such a hard time believing how lucky he was, and I text him all the time telling him I am so glad he is still here! He is my favorite person in the whole world, and I don't know what I would do without him! And the poor kid has the worst luck but always turns out all right! I think he has given me a thousand heart attacks in my life though.

First love?
Very hard to describe. I am not sure if it is love or what, but it was very powerful and surreal. For a decade, I had this soul-link thing going on with a guy I went to high school with, but for some reason the situation refuses to work out. We liked each other from a distance in high school and were slightly friends but never dated. Ten years later, I was living in DC and he was living there too. By chance, we got together but I was moving across the country a month later. I would say we fell in love and did the long distance thing for a year, but something inside me wouldn't let me move back to where he was or invite him out to Seattle. It was really surreal. Finally we broke up because I didn't want to take it any further and he wanted to get married. I don't know why that is how it worked out. He still emails me occasionally but it never turns out well, so I haven't written back in the past two years. I still think about him sometimes, but something in my gut tells me it just isn't right, at least in this lifetime. So strange, especially after meeting up after all those years living in the same city at the same time, 1000 miles from where we went to high school.

What would you do over?
 Urgh three things:
1. My brother was in a car accident when he was 18 and needed to reach me by phone due to a really bad situation that occurred (this was pre-cell phones) and I was a waiter so I kept really late hours. Anyway, he called and called and I was too tired to get the phone downstairs and I figured it was my mom calling my brother to nag him to wake up for class, over and over like she did each morning (oh we both loathed that!). So I blew it off, and I have always felt guilty about that ever since, even though he says he didn't mind! He is a better person than I am! I couldn't sleep for months after that and I wish I had done something to help. :(
2.  I would have been friendlier in high school instead of a hermit. I don't know why I thought it was so hard to say hello and make eye contact with and smile at people; instead I kept my head down or something. I think that was so rude of me and I am embarrassed that I was not friendlier! I was the same way in college for the first part. Anyway, I am trying to work on that now.
3. Not be such a moody child! 

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
This is the hardest question. I was just telling my husband I can only see to May 2012 when we both graduate from our respective schools. So much has changed over the past five years and I feel like my plans at 23 for the next 10 years were much more developed than what I have now. 
 When I was 23, these were my ten year goals:

• Save $100,000 in cash in various accounts and retirement, etc.
• Become a project manager and make $60,000/year (this was 2003 and I was a project assistant)
• Buy a house
• Have 1st child at 28

Reality at 32:

• I am now 32.5 and traded in my $$ plans for degrees, so I have no money but I will have two expensive pieces of paper that say I have an M.S. and a Ph.D within those 10 years. Useful? Maybe. Won't know til I find a job.
• I have moved 3x in 2 states since 23. The house ownership makes me squirmy, maybe because I don't have a real job (besides TAing) and I don't know where I want to live, and I keep hearing about my friends replacing roofs and furnaces and things. Maybe it is a fear of commitment.
• The children aspect? I am more confused on this than when I was little. When I was 23 I wanted 2. When I was 28 I wanted 4. Now that I am 32 I am less confident that I would be a great parent, so I am really confused on that. M comes from an enormous family and I think it is wonderful. He prefers more quietness. I am not sure. I just don't know. What is weird is if I visualize it, I have these children who aren't mine, but they live in my house? Maybe that means adoption is in my future? Who knows. It doesn't matter right now anyway because I am poor from school and M will have a billion dollars in student loans once he graduates next year. I will be very interested to see how next year turns out and where we end up! IF I can get beyond this dissertation.

What is your guilty pleasure? 
I love to walk my dog and watch him trot. He has such a jaunty little jog it always lightens my heart. He carries his ball in his mouth too and it is just funny. He threw out his neck a month ago after playing too rough over the holidays, and I was worried his little spirit was gone. He seems to be recovered, but I was really bummed for a while not having my walking buddy, especially with M being long distance. Living alone the past two years has allowed me to appreciate the little things and figure out what I like and what I am good at. I enjoy solitude and thinking and writing. I love to read under trees in the summer with my dog by my side (preferably husband too but we are working on making that happen!). I also love to organize things, but that is probably why I study Information Science! :)

What are yours?

My little problem with Target

{Disclosure: I drafted this on 2/05/11 before I knew they would be reissuing some of these designers! Lol}

Remember a few years back, when Target began the guest designer series? It may have started with Libertine? I think that was when I first started paying attention. I was living in Spokane and had never really purchased clothes at Target before (2007?) and I remember seeing some of the designs online. And I had already loved Libertine's crazy plaid pants with the prints on top from around that time. I picked up a few items on clearance and was shocked at how perfectly they fit. Same with Richard Choi. Same with Jonathan Saunders. I mean, perfect, made-for-me fit! So I started paying more attention. I don't even want to know how much I have spent on these collections over the years. I have found some real winners, but I have also found some where I am not sure what I was thinking at the time!

After Choi and Saunders, Anna Sui came around and it had a Gossip-Girl theme (love!). I think by that time the twitterati were beginning to get a little crazy on the Next designers and were starting to stalk the stores for the release dates. I went on the first day and picked up several pieces which I still wear two years later. Then Rodarte. Ah, a few pieces. On sale. John Paul Gaultier. A little too crazy. Then Zac Posen. A little young, but for some reason I went in and got several pieces due to fit. Some, like the tuxedo jacket and a heavy draped skirt, truly were amazing pieces (see way below). But other things...let's just say I have a graveyard of some Target casualties that are just too young for my 30 something-ness!

A ribcage? Sigh. At my defense, I did buy it for $13.98 (actually all of these I got on sale, but that doesn't make it right if you don't wear them!)

Some of these pieces are beautifully shaped and body-conscious, but I just can't think of anywhere to wear them with my lifestyle anymore. I work at a university. And no matter how "free thinking" professors may act, truth is, they stare at you if you come to school wearing a bubble skirt and ankle booties, no matter what your legs look like. And the students here are jeans-and-tees (& Uggs) crowd. I am always surprised to have FD&M majors in my class because they look like everybody else. It might be due to the wind (so hard to wear skirts here) but I think it is mainly a West Texas thing.

Additionally, there is just something about the prints of these pieces that are not timeless like my wrap dresses. Something shouts "Fall '09!" and I am reluctant to take them out of that time period (at least for the next couple years). I only have one DvF dress like that (the Wonder Woman dress).

On the other hand, I have to say that Target has also produced some SUPER winners over the years! These are some of my absolute favorites!

 Zac Posen tuxedo jacket and a grosgrain skirt (I wear them separately but the weight and detail of each is just insane. I love both of these pieces.

These are older pieces (2007?) and some are more obvious that they are older. I loved this Go dress that was based off the Marc Jacobs tunic style that year. This dress was so comfortable to wear; it was made of heavy corduroy. The black and white Jonathan Saunders I wore with a white button up and black tights & ballets (loved the pockets) but it is too Japanese-Schoolgirl for me now. I loved the maroon plaid dress with the huge cowl; it almost went to your shoulders, and it was stiff enough to be able to style the neckline how you wanted it! These were regulars on me back in the day!

And then these are my darlings that I still wear at every month. The Richard Choi (2008?) clown top is my go-to if I am having a sad day. I can wear that and someone always says how much they love it and that will cheer me up! The colors are great too. It made me love orange. And I got it for $6.98 on clearance! It fits absolutely perfectly, and the white fabric is slightly sheer and striped so your skin makes it kind of glow. It's my favorite top in my closet. Second, the orange and maroon-ish Anna Sui has foil in it, so I don't think it has ever been washed or ironed. It is my #2 go-to item. I love it. It is also a little bit sheer but not in a trashy way.  Last, my Jonathan Saunders Matrix top with the yellow belt. This also fits perfectly and when I wear it with a pair of Express stretch Editors from 2007 (favorite pants ever, have been redesigned since, but I bought 3 pairs @ 20/ea!) and Choos, they make me look 8 feet tall.

I was surprised to see the Target reissues when I was in Dallas earlier this week; I had read they were coming to a pop-up store in NY but I didn't think they would be online and in stores. I didn't see anything I missed on the first time around (was hoping for more Richard Choi tops and Jonathan Saunders!) but only dresses were reissued.

I have been really good about not buying clothes this year (Sept 10-present), but I have to say I must check out any of the Next designers Target brings around, hoping for more of those magical pieces I have found throughout the years!!

Friday wish list

Earlier this week I was on the quest for Olay Pro-X face brush. Something inside of me just wanted to hunt it down and spend $30 on an electric toothbrush for my fez. I went to Walgreens but they were out, and now, a few days later, I don't want it anymore. However, what I DO want this Friday is already taking place.

I am blowing off a meeting with the vilest of men! This d-bag (Sorry, I never say that (ick), but he really IS one! Lol) is in charge of all the instructors who teach this particular course, and he runs the most horrible, pointless meetings. He just evaluated my classroom yesterday (way late) and had nothing nice to say, even though I made it a point to hover over my students like a 1980s elementary school teacher (for his benefit: he is old school). Sigh. He is just purely toxic. I got over his "delivery" of everything I was doing wrong (Why did you choose to talk about North Korea instead of CHINA?!?!) only this morning. sigh. Our meetings are always flung onto our calendars at the last minute, like throwing darts at a board, but he never prepares an agenda or creates a point. And it's an hour drive there/back. For an hour of sitting around like 8-year-olds. So I am blowing it off. I have enough of him in my life this week!  And it feels GREAT!!!! :D

I am doing laundry instead, and it is sunny and I feel happy once again and everything feels ultra-wonderful!

Day 16 of 30

One of those weird days where it is 35 when you leave in the morning and 85 on your drive home. This outfit came about itself...I wanted an extra layer and that tomato cardigan doesn't match with anyone, so I just let it do whatever it wants.

Because I continue to wear my Cheating Shoes (Target), I will have to eye what I have on my list and see what I can remove, because I don't see these guys going anywhere!

Day 15 of 30 Still waiting for the observation!

Argh still waiting on my teaching observation...no avail. I give up! I needed flats and a sleeveless top and this jacket is also a cheat because it wasn't in my 30, but it is hard to cover -20 to 80 degrees! Lol. Oh well. It is just one piece (I say).

I look mad! Lol I wasn't.

Tie belt

Day 14 of 30 Lovey

More interviews today, and the weather was nice but maybe a little cold for this (75ish). I wore a long trench over this to keep the skirt from billowing! Oh West Texas.

A little blurry.

Last

Day 13 of 30 Spring!

It was 75 all day today! How did we just have a snow day (well a late start) on Wednesday? I hung around all day in floaty dresses because I could, and my apartment was warm, and I had no one to impress. I did wear pants to walk Boris, but I mainly just didn't want to turn on my AC in my relatively stuffy apartment.

Those shoes are a cheat. I needed something lighter than boots. I pulled out those beige Virginia Taupe Mossimo heels from Target I got last fall for $29.

Day 12 of 30 The blue blur!

Ha, this was taken before the real onset of busy. When I come home, I change into either yoga pants or some sort of pj pant, but I have two favorites I refuse to let see the light of day: my snoopies and my Blue Blur outfit. I got these pants and a matching hoodie at Target for $30 or so last spring, and I love them. But they are so royal blue they are blinding. So I can't wear them outside (much the less together at once). But in the privacy of my own apartment, it is my favorite thing to lounge around in!

Day 11 of 30 the Cheat

Ha, since this was still in the Week of Whelm, I cheated. All I had to do outside the house was interview a lady on campus, but doing so required two 20 minute drives, parking, two 10 minute bus rides, an awkward meeting, a flappy black coat, and comfortable shoes that looked professional.

Did I mention the flappy black coat? Well it covered my outfit down to my shoes. And since my outfit worked so well yesterday in this windy weather, I wore it again between 9:30 and 11:30.

And then, the BLUE BLURRRRR (Day 11.5-->Day 12)

day 10 of 30 Stop with the freezing already

I taught today and there has been a lingering "observation" hanging over my head for the past three weeks, and I like to be comfortable when that happens. The man who does it isn't particularly tactful, and I didn't want to be worried about my heels or anything. Plus it was freezing out so I turned once again to my beloved pant boots. And tights and over the knee black socks, because that is what you need!

Also, I had a research interview after teaching and work so I wanted something I could tromp across campus in.

Day 8 of 30

I had meetings all day and I just threw this on. The lighting makes the necklace look like it doesn't match, but the only reason I put it on was because it perfectly matched the reddish-pink in the belt (off a Zac Posen for Target dress). Maybe it's the shiny doing it.

My Honey

Five facts about me & my honey on this day of Sap.

1. We first met on recruitment weekend for the university I am at now (he graduated in May). In fact, this is a photo of us from that weekend, taken by our friend Alyssa (the photog).

 March '08

He is the one with his hand on his hip and a book in his arm. I think that is me with the tan coat, although I cannot for the life of me remember what I was wearing that day--but  I do remember taking the photo.

He & I chatted a little when we were waiting for our respective planes to head home. I remember he was also considering a school in Portland. I assumed he would end up there instead of here. I was surprised when I saw him again later that August!

2. We got officially engaged over text message. 

3. We eloped two months later.

4.We have been in a long-distance marriage since we got married. It isn't as hard as you would think though, with his school load (five 8 week sessions/year) and my research. At least so far. We hang out whenever we can, but we live 6 hours apart so it's about every 8 weeks when he gets a break. I am really looking forward to May 2012!

5. He calls me "Principessa!" in a fake Italian accent from Life is Beautiful. We even have a dish I made nicknamed that. It's angel hair, lemon peel, parmesan, garlic, and butter. It is our go-to dish when we can't think of anything to make. "Do you want to eat Principessa tonight?" He teases me because I can never make it the same twice.

He's my mate!

The Return!

I have finally caught up with myself. Yea! What a week! Every task on my list needed fifty times longer than it appeared on the surface. A conference abstract suddenly required a full 5,000 word paper. A scholarship app needed 600 new words on this and that. No one wanted to interview with me. Everyone wanted to interview with me, and RIGHT NOW. Hehe. Oh well. Hay with sunshine, right?

I have an interview with a director of new media tomorrow at 10 and I have my outfit all planned out. A nice change after hovering over my laptop wearing Snoopy pants all weekend. But now I feel like a billion bucks and am ready to go. I just submitted my application, can you tell? :D

30 for 30 is going to be hard this week because most of my gear is aimed towards cold weather. This Wednesday will be a lovely 79 degrees. ?!?!? Last Wednesday we had a three hour school delay  due to -20 wind chill. Completely insane.

Also, I made red beans and rice today.
Yea for getting things done!

a 72 hour Tuesday

Monday. Tired. 3am. 4am. Gr! Can't sleep! 5am. Zzzz. Alarm 6:30 . Off. Zzzz. 7:22. Ee! Work 8:15. Barfy about teaching evals at 11. Teach. No eval. For the 3rd time in a row. Work til  2pm. Want to Zz while driving. Boris + vet 3pm. Boris + grocery 4pm. Eat part of chocolate pie. 11pm. Why am I not tired!!!! 2am. 3am....

This was Tuesday! I still have not recovered. Apparently I have an undercurrent of Crazy roiling underground like in Ghostbusters 2. I will recover this weekend though. And I will post my pics. ZZzzz.

Also, I watched An Education when I couldn't sleep again on Tuesday night and I enjoyed it a great deal!

Well worth my $10.91 February Netflix bill.

Day 7 of 30 Bad boots hehe

I took an amazing dress...

And ruined the whole outfit with a bad pair of boots! LOL

Yes, I walked around like this all day. "How do you do? I'm Mrs. Stumperton; pleased to meet you"

Talk about cutting your legs in half! 

Haha it is funny how feeling good in a really great outfit can brighten your day, but a "bad" outfit never really bothers you that much! And sometimes you think you look great in a bad outfit! And sometimes a bad outfit can become a favorite outfit with a few tweaks!

Regular-length boots feel very short compared to OTKs! I wasn't a fan of having naked knees all day. I probably should have tried a tight, but the weather was nice. I just don't know if I can ever go back to stumpy boots! I think this dress's print would have worked better with a much dressier, taller (or maybe even ankle) boot, or brown or nude heels, but it is still a bit cool for heels. I thought a flat riding boot was pretty much the dressiest you could with boots; maybe it is because they really need a polish.

I don't know, it is one of those outfits you don't notice it isn't working until you are already home. Oh well!

The reasons behind my blog

I keep this blog for several reasons. What are yours?

1. I want to know what I already own.
I have a ton of clothes but I always want to add to the collection. And then I have things that still have tags on them. Why! So I figured doing 30 for 30 would be a great way to assess what I have and actually need. This round, I am intentionally remixing things I don't wear very often.

2. To save money
First, I am a graduate student living on a small tiny stipend and I am trying my best to not create any debt. Second, I don't want to make repeat buying errors. If a type of article doesn't fit well, or a brand is too awkward, I can use this to remind myself to stop shopping there or wasting money on things that don't work.Oh J.Crew double serge pencil skirt in dahlia, you are beautiful and I love you but I know you aren't going to fit without tailoring, and $118 (without tax) is a full 12.4% of my monthly budget.

3. To be more creative
I want to experiment more than I have in the past, and photographs help me identify what works and what doesn't. Seeing other people's takes on belts, shoes, tights, prints, etc. helps me rethink my own situation. I would never have tied a belt, much the less on top of a cardigan, before seeing other bloggers do it.

4. To figure out what works well with my body type
And to help others who have similar measurements find good stuff. I was reading an old Nancy Drew to help me sleep, and she was buying a dress at a department store, complete with fitting. OH that is my dream: tailored clothes at the point of purchase.

5. To meet other personal style bloggers
I have a really hard time finding clothes that fit, and I realized there are lots of others in the same boat (yea AlterationsNeeded forum!), so I use this blog as a method of connecting with others. I also really love the blogs that post pics every day, regardless the weather, temperature, or hair day. I think the daily style part is the most beautiful, not just getting dressed for important occasions!

6. To see the street style/personal style of the world
I love having readers from 11 countries in less than one month of blogging. I want to see what other people do to style their clothing and face their days! If you are a daily-personal-style blogger from another country, please let me know and I will add you!

I don't use this blog for:
1. Theory
On my blogroll, I am just not that interested in seeing what simply inspires other people (i.e. pics of celebrities, high-end runway pics, bulletin boards of jewelry or magazine cut-outs). I start to lose interest when there isn't a real human on the other side. I am here for the reality, not the fantasy! Reality is so much more beautiful to me.

2. To become famous/work in fashion/quit my job/Julia-&-Julia fantasy type stuff
I am a realist, and what I want to be is a researcher, not work in fashion. I just love to see real people interested in similar things as I am and making connections with them!

Day 6 of 30 Cubist tryout

Alright, so I know this necklace isn't really cubist, but it does have literal tiny cubes of felt all over it. I bought it last Christmas and have only worn it a handful of times so I thought I'd bust it out during the remix. Today is gray and wet and dark, so I am using the day to try out potential outfits in the safety of my own home.

I got it from Giia's store on Etsy.

Also this weekend is my deadline on figuring out my timer on my camera so I don't have to take pictures like this, whose poseur pose turned out to be my only non-blurry one!

Shirt: Target

Pinstripe pants: Express

Shoes: Steve Madden ballets

Fishnets: Dillards or similar

 The mussed hair means I plan to spend the day reading, not SuperBowling. I can't wait!

Day 5 of 30 Article Saturday

I was up until 3am finishing an article last night, and I get to spend today grading and revising yet another article. My favorite part of 30 for 30 is that it forces me to get dressed every day. I work from home 5 days a week and the weekends can be an abyss of pajamas if I am not careful. But I work so much better once I am up, showered, and dressed for the day.

Boris anxiously awaits his morning walk. 

Jacket:: Gap

Shirt: AE

Jeans: MEK

Shoes: Converse

Necklace: Claire's

These are my poor MEKs that are in hospice. You can't really tell, but there are some holes in unfortunate places.

Sometimes when I don't feel very motivated, I visit this website called FlyLady that one of my friends had fanned on her Facebook. Intriguing. It is this little purple lady with wings who motivates you to clean things in your house. I am baffled, but it works. It is like she is yelling at you in a "favorite Aunt" sort of way.

It was she who scolded me to get "dressed to the shoes" in one article I read, and I have somehow never forgotten that tip. Doing so does help my working-from-home work habits. Sometimes you just need a cartoon lady to kick your butt! :)

Time to walk the boy (yes I am the worst; I made him wait while I posted this) and then read articles, summarize articles, splice articles into my own article, edit, retype and so on. That, my friends, is my typical weekend!

My 30 for 30 remix list

Sizes are on here for Alterations Needed readers (just so you don't think it's weird)!

Shirts

1. Black long-sleeve tee (Target-Mossimo) XS
2. White ruffly sleeveless top (Ann Taylor) XS
3. Blue and white striped short sleeve blouse (American Eagle) 0
4. White button down (AE) 00
5. Pink button-down (JCrew) XS

Sweaters/cardigans

6. Navy cielo cardigan (JCrew) XS
7. Gray cardigan (Target) S
8. Black cardigan (JCrew) XS
9. Tomato cardigan (Target) XS
10. Black cashmere turtle (JCrew) XS

Skirts
11. Black full skirt (Target) S
12. Whale skirt (Libertine for Target) 1
13. Navy pencil (JCrew) 0 tailored
14. "Carpet" tweed tulip (Ann Taylor) 0P
15. Maroon tulip (Ann Taylor Loft) 0P
16. F21 black and pink straight skirt S (shown with dresses--it was an afterthought)

Dresses
17. Fred Meyer (brand ?) 6 (took it off the display dummy; last one left)
18. Diane von Furstenburg 0
19. F21 XS
20. Diane von Furstenburg 0

Jackets
21. Old Navy denim jacket XS
22. Gap green cotton jacket 0

Pants/jeans

23. Express pinstripe pant size 0S
24. 7 Dojo ('professional' version of thicker denim) size 24/34
25. MEK Capetown jeans size 24/32

Shoes
26. Fred Meyer riding boot size 7.5
27. Jimmy Choo 100mm 37.5
28. Converse grey 7
29. Steve Madden Kappy ballet flat 7.5
30. Steve Madden "Zessti" over-the-knee boots size 7.5

Day 4 of 30 Whales & Skulls

I have had this Libertine for Target skirt forever! I love it but it is a cream background so it can be hard to mix. I used the navy cardigan to bridge it with a white & navy striped shirt.

Navy cardigan: Jcrew sale XS

Striped navy shirt: AE 0

Skirt: Libertine for Target 1

Tights: Target M/L

Boots: Steve Madden

Belt: ?

Trying to do the tied-belt thing. I think I might just buy really big belts and tie them up like I have seen you all do. This one needs to have its buckle removed. I was tucking it in all day!

I wish I had more of the stuff from this collection!  I don't know if you can see it but the skirt has a big kick-pleat in the front which I love!

I tried this with brown boots but they just weren't working. I kept staring at the boots in the mirror. I stuck to black.  Regular-length boots make you feel so exposed after wearing OTKs a few days a week!

This outfit kept me in a good mood today. I love skirts with big pockets. They just add humor. I hope you are all having a great week! Thank you for the follows! :)

Day 3 of 30 Popsicle girl

This is a boring outfit, sorry. It was so cold when I left to work this morning I thought my face would fall off. But as of this afternoon we are now back into the double digits!!!  So many layers of tights...I will wear a much more celebratory outfit tomorrow, promise.

Turtle: JCrew $159 XS

Skirt: Ann Taylor Loft 0P '04

Tights: WalMart $5

Boots: Steve Madden $49.50

I didn't even plan on having a black turtleneck sweater in my lineup. It was in my alternates, because I thought it was kind of lame. I still think it's lame, but today it was necessary!

Hmm I haven't worn this skirt since last winter. It is a little big for a petite. Usually petite skirts are too short on me, but this one sits around my hips. I probably should have it taken in a little to fit better, but that might tweak the length. I know ATLoft makes 00Ps now but I haven't tried them yet.

Standing in a certain way makes it look like I have a butt.

Too bad I can't stand like this all day. Alterations pile.

You only get side pics today because all my front-facing ones were crazy amounts of blurry. However, I am looking at cameras every day. $$$

The walk from my commuter lot parking space is a little over half a mile from my building. So in reality, the walking part of my commute consisted of

my beloved PugsGear mittens, bought at a Tesoro gas station (Thor & 2nd) in Spokane for $10 in '06.

Bonfire snowboarding jacket '06

The sunglasses in this pic are creeping me out, but they are part of the package to keep the wind from my stinging eyes!

Union Bay wind-proof, slippery semi-snowboarding pants (flannel lined!) '00

Hey at least these my pants were OVER these in this outfit :)

Hunter boots 7.5

I tromped from my car through Siberia in this getup and then changed into my boots and skirt when I got to work. I have a long black coat I could have worn, but I didn't want any 30mph gusts of wind flapping up my front or around my knees. I hate being cold! I also don't trust myself in heels on ice and prefer not to ruin my shoes with salt and road chemicals.

I guess I have reached that age where you don't care how ridiculous you look in negative temperatures...that is, as long as no one can recognize me.

Poor Boris

It's so cold out (temp: 5F wind chill: -10F ) my poor dog can hardly walk outside to whiz without limping! So I made him some booties:

He hates them, but they are necessary! Too bad they don't make sweater tights for puppies.

Help. Comments aren't posting on my friends' pages!:/

Has anyone had trouble with this? I can't seem to post comments on peoples' pages. I am signed into my google account, I write the comment, I fill in the kaptcha, and hit post, and it looks as though my comment will show up...

And then I check back a few hours later and my comment is not there! This has happened on dozens of pages. It is depressing; I have so many pages I want to comment on, especially during 30 for 30! And I don't want to seem rude by looking like I am not responding to questions if asked.

Any tips on this, blogger users? I can't seem to find a solution online.

Day 2 of 30 Things with tags on them

I have had this skirt (Target) and this Zac Posen for Target scarf for a thousand years (ok maybe 1) and have never worn either.I put this skirt in my remix because I need to either use it or lose it.

Scarves can be tricky, slippery little beasts. I clipped this on with an office supply binder clip--couldn't find safety pins--and it has stayed pretty well. My cardigan and the scarf's print hides the clip.

How it started

Sleeveless shirt: Ann Taylor ('03) $19

Cardigan: JCrew ('09) $29

Skirt: Target ('08) $18

Scarf: Zac Posen for Target ('09) $12 clearance

Tights: Target $3.50

Boots: Steve Madden $49.50

 By the time I left the house...

Oh well I know how these things work. You kind of have to let scarves do their own thing (within reason). I actually liked this better. I left it like this and it has stayed pretty well throughout the day, with minor adjustments.

It does have a great safety-pin print, although I kind of wish there were more going on around the edges, which tends to be what you see most of in scarves. The edges are still pretty white.

I am proud of myself for wearing two things I have had in my closet for eons yet never worn!

This is the back/side, but the cardigan covers a lot of it. I just folded the scarf four times across --it's a big scarf: probably 5'x5'-- and made a "log" and pinned it at my waist. The edges came out naturally.

I am working my way in to remixing with skirts and shirts of color....I will at least once this week!

Time to keep photographing my pieces for 30 for 30 so I can make my menu! I am loving everyone's outfits!

Thank you for the follows!!