A Little Bohemian

The day was slightly busy today.  I worked on actual work as well as grew my office art gallery (since I am out of office supplies, I have moved onto origami).  My boss' reaction?  "That's a little scary."  My response, "Scary good, or scary bad?"  He didn't elaborate since we were in the middle of a meeting.  Being that he is a bit of a smart ass, I'm sure this is not the last commentary I will get from him regarding my masterpieces. 

So it turns out that mother nature is going to strike North Carolina this weekend in the form of hurricane Irene.  Yay! I can't wait.  I am already preparing for the travel hell that will surely be a part of my experience this weekend.  It's a shame, I was really looking forward to this weekend.

Well, I'm trying not to dwell on the impending weekend of natural disaster as it is bumming me out.  So on to today's outfit.  I was feeling a little bohemian today.  Bohemian is probably what matches my personality best.  Being an eccentric, hermit fits into the bohemian free and mixed style.  I love this style because it has few rules, requires fun and exotic patterns, and most importantly, is fully of color.  The outfit today is how I interpret the bohemian style.  I am probably totally off, but who cares, right?  As long as one feels terrific in what they wear, that is all that really matters.  I decided awhile ago that life is too short to worry about other people's perceptions of one's appearance.  Perhaps this wasn't the most work appropriate outfit, but sometimes you have to show your real self, even if it is just for a moment.

The Human Touch

On most days I consider myself to be a solitary person. Solitude seems to be essential in my ability to function. When people ask me to describe myself, I say that I am a modern day hermit, someone who doesn't really enjoy people. Humans, in general, are complicated, and too often unpleasant. Sometimes though, that same calming solitude, can be torture. It is a fine balance between serenity and loneliness.

This past weekend and today are fine examples of when the human touch can be nourishing to both the mind and soul. There are times when all of us need the company of friends and the appreciation of colleagues. We humans are social creatures after all. Interaction with other sentient beings is essential to our way of being.

The Mr. and I went to a potluck on Saturday where we spent several hours eating good food and having an engaging conversation with a physicist and former dancer (get your mind out of the gutter, she was not that kind of dancer). We talked about our families, the problems that ail our society, relationships, careers, but most of all we laughed. One cannot laugh and feel the full joy of that activity without the company of others. This brief moment was so perfect, I wish I could have bottled it up so I could bring it out in trying times. It never fails to amaze me how such pleasure can be had doing the simplest of activities.

Saturday Outfit to Potluck
Dress: Kohls
Purse: Wilsons Leather
Shoes: DSW
Necklace and Earrings: Made by me

            

Chickpea Dish Ingredients: Organic garbanzo beans, organic onions,organic potatoes, organic pasta sauce, Himalayan sea salt, Organic cayan pepper, Organic black pepper, grapeseed oil, Organic turmeric, allspice, curry  powder, organic ginger.
Riata (yogurt dish): Organic yogurt, organic cucumbers, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, organic cayan pepper, black
pepper, tamarind sauce

The perfection of that moment was followed by spending time with Maya on the beach the following day. My baby girl was unsure of the water at first, but with a little coaxing, she seemed to recognize its potential. She also thoroughly enjoyed chasing an inky black great dane that looked a bit like Marmaduke (albeit smaller). Needless to say, the weekend was pretty perfect. God, how I love having a dog. Hermits, it turns out, really enjoy pets.

Maya frolicking at the beach....

Enjoying the view

Splashing around

Making new friends

Playing with daddy

Posing with mommy

Finally, we come to today. I emailed my farewell note to everyone today. The response was overwhelming in a positive direction. I had no idea that so many people thought so highly of me, or would miss me for that matter. I always assumed no one noticed, it turns out I was wrong. No matter how awkward one is, or how reserved, we all want to be noticed. It is a shame we wait so long to tell people the things we think are great about them. Imagine what the world would be like if we spent half our time telling those we interact with everyday how their presence makes a difference in our lives. While I always say please and thank you, I don't tell people often enough how great they are. At this next job, I resolve to do this more. With those I care about, I resolve to do this half the time at minimum. After I tell people that I am a modern day hermit, I always point out, that hermits have hearts too. Ours are just more more prone to break than regular folks. So we have to spend a little more effort protecting them.

Outfit today.... 

100% Thrifted
Top: Urban Behavior
Skirt: The Limited
Shoes: BCBG

The Joys of Being an Employee

It finally rained after some scorching weather.  The veggie garden is going to be appreciative of that.  I was supposed to find out the details of my promotion today, so I could make my decision.  Unfortunately, the powers that be decided not to honor their commitment to tell us today and delay the info dispersing another two weeks.  Needless to say, I am "disappointed" with my employer.  I personally feel that if you make a commitment (especially on something as important as someone's livelihood), you should honor it.  Especially, if you espouse that you value your employees.  On another note, my boss has been incredibly kind about the whole thing, and that makes me think that maybe I don't want to move.  My work father is not making it any easier by being so awesome.

This weekend's plan is to complete the craft room so that I can get to creating.  On the creating front, I have gotten a head start by adding tags to all my posts (it turns out I own alot of purple clothes).  Maya has been a trip lately.  She showed her displeasure to the hubs (for being late) by tearing up mail (nothing important).  It was pretty funny.  She also now barks at things that are only visible to her (that is not so funny).  All in all I have an awesome dog.  Pets add such fullness to one's life: joy, humor, and love.  Regardless of how bad my day has been, I come home to a welcome that screams "I am so HAPPY to see.  I LOVE YOU."  I recommend a pet for everyone, it will at the very least cure you of glumness (I'm not a fan of the word depressed, I think glum is more accurate).  Oh, and below is what I wore today.  Orange is another fantastic color.

Dress: Banana Republic (outlet)
Shoes: Moda
Earrings: self made

How to Avert a Wardrobe Malfunction

I ended my experiment two weeks ago (end of April) and have to say it has been a great experience.  The purging of my closet has begun and I can't wait to be done with thinning out my wardrobe.  This whole experience has taught me to value what I have, be creative in what I wear, and most importantly: to have fun!  I have also discovered how much I enjoy thrifting.  Part of what has made this last 6 months or so, so much fun is being able to wear all my thrifted items.  I love the idea of thrifting: it is eco friendly, it is local, and the dollars raised usually helps a good cause.  Since I have always enjoyed treasure hunting and bargain shopping, thrifting really is the ideal way to shop for me.  I have decided that this year I am going to make an effort to purchase clothes and accessories from thrift or consignment stores at least 85% of the time.  I am also going to start sewing again.  I used to do this on a regular basis, but with my sewing room in total disarray, I haven't been doing any sewing.  Which brings me to the topic of this post.

I wore a skirt I recently thrifted at my local thrift store to work today.  Only to discover that it was way too big with a high probability for a major wardrobe malfunction.  Unfortunately, this discovery came about as I was walking to my place of work.  Realizing I needed a quick, no-sew solution, I put my noggin to work and came up with this (you will need two heavy duty paper clips for this solution):

                                      

The Problem

The Solution.....

The back of the skirt

Fold left side to make a faux dart

Clip with heavy duty paper clip

Repeat on right side

The faux darts are ready

The finished product

Cover with top (shhh.. no one has to know :))

Viola! Wardrobe malfunction averted.

Needless to say I went straight to the office supples closet, picked up two paper clips then headed for the bathroom and fixed my skirt.  I wore this all day long without any issues, and the skirt looks well fitted.  As for where I got this lovely ensemble: top is from Target, skirt is ICE, and shoes are bebe.

Deadline Week

Well, this is the week of deadlines.  I think I am in good shape to meet all of them (that is one of my resolutions), but we shall see.  We are due to have another snow storm tomorrow and Wednesday.  As a result I will be working from home.  Something I enjoy doing on occasion as it gives me a break from the commute.  I am going to keep this post short today since I went to bed very late last night and am a bit worn out.  On Friday, I wore jeans and a plain top, I was feeling the casual vibe.  Today, I tried to start the week off on a good note with this number:  The top is Eddie Bauer, the skirt is Due Pue Due, and the shoes are Ralph Lauren.  I like the color combo for today's outfit.

Friday                                                                   Today

Snow!

I have been a bit lazy the last few days and have not posted anything.  I ended up falling asleep.  It has been extremely cold the last few days.  There must be some sort of weather system passing through.  Today we got some flurries, so naturally everyone decided to become paranoid and drive 5 miles an hour all the way to work this morning.  It was great fun.  Anyway,  my outfit choices thus far have been so so.  I had a client meeting yesterday and wore a suit, which is a nice change from the usual.  Today I ended up wearing all velvet, which is a little different.  The end of the year is finally drawing to a close.  It is amazing how fast this year has gone by.  Anyway, here are my outfits for the last three days.

Monday                                                  Tuesday

 

Today..

Pretty Fall Colors - Day 44

This is post is going to be another short one.  Tonight is going to last into the wee hours of tomorrow as I have a mountain of work that needs to be completed.  That being said, my outfit today was inspired by the beautiful fall color.  So here it is:  the skirt is Liz Claiborne, the top is Carole Little, the shoes are Enzo Agiolini.

Lazy Sunday Afternoon - Day 27

Today was another errand type day.  The errands were run towards the afternoon.  I watched the movie "Babies" in the morning.  It was a very sweet film.  The movie filmed several babies from around the world in their first year of life.  While there are cross cultural differences, the film demonstrates that to a large degree, there isn't much difference between peoples.  It is a relatively happy documentary, something that is rare to find.  It was another lovely day, but I wasn't feeling very inspired.  So the outfit is just that: blah.  I don't remember where I bought the top.  The pants are The Limited and the shoes are Dirty Laundry (yes, that is the actual name of the brand).

A Day at the CSA - Day 20

Today was another glorious fall day.  We spent part of the day volunteering at Harvest Fest for our local CSA.  CSA stands for community supported agriculture.  Essentially they are farm co-ops.  Members of a CSA pay a yearly sum and enjoy the crops that are grown for a certain number of weeks, typically this is the growing season in your geographic region.  Most CSA's use organic farming techniques (crop rotation, integrated pest management, no use of pesticides or herbicides).  My CSA raises organic produce and is only 5 miles from my house.  I was on a one year waiting list to get in and now that I have participated, it is by far one of the best changes I have made to my lifestyle.  I look forward to my weekly pick up and it is especially nice to know where my food comes from.  The food also tastes much, much better.  The Harvest Festival was fun, I manned the pumpkin painting station.  Young children are always a hoot.  This is what I wore:  The top is from H&M, the dress is from Marshalls, and I don't remember where I got the shoes.

T-Shirt and Jeans Day- Day 19

The hubs did the sweetest thing yesterday and I forgot to mention it.  I am a lover of dark chocolate (the more than 75% cacao kind).  Armed with this knowledge, the hubs went and bought several different kinds of dark chocolate (all more than 80% cacao) from different brands and displayed them prominently for my viewing pleasure.  It was the sweetest thing (both figuratevly and literally).  Today was one of those days that started off gloomy, but ended with a grand finale.  It pretty much rained all day, but as soon as I was ready to go home, the sun was out in all it's glory.  As I have mentioned before, I love to dress up and I do so in my clothing choices for work.  Today though I decided to wear jeans for a change.  This is a pretty rare occasion, but why not? right?  Someone once said to me that the only constant in life is change, he was absolutely right.  So with that here is my outfit.  The blazer is from H&M.  The T-shirt is a gift from the hubs (before he became the hubs).  The Jeans are Levis.  The shoes are thrifted and the necklace is a gift from my best friend.

Another Perfect Day- Day 6

Today was another perfect day: sunny, 75 degrees, and clear.  We ran errands today primarily.  I have been motivated enough by this endeavor to not dress like a slob this weekend (typically I dress like a slob on the weekends).  My husband liked this outfit, so he was more enthusiastic about taking the picture.  So without further ado, here it is:  The dress is thrifted (Banana Republic), the shirt is from Old Navy, the shoes are from DSW, and the jewelry is from India.