Mother Knows Best

Academia: So I think all the hormones I'm taking to get pregnant are prematurely turning me into a mom. And I don't mean the mom of a baby, which is what you'd think baby-making hormones would do. I mean the mom of teenagers who make the same mistakes over and over and need to be nagged.

Yesterday I fussed at an 18-year-old student who had gotten his eight jillionth traffic ticket. Normally I just help my students pay their tickets, but this kid is ridiculously horrible at following traffic laws, so I pulled his friend who speaks better English into the office and got him to translate the mom-like tirade I went on, complete with, "Seriously, another ticket?" and "You still don't have a US license? You're lucky you didn't get two tickets!" I got a sheepish smile and a promise to hightail it to the DMV, but I have a feeling that a repeat of this conversation is in my future.

And then another student fell off his skateboard and I had to spend the afternoon at the infirmary while he got treated for a sprained ankle. Jeez, I really am a mom.

Sartorial: Half my outfit came from Loft, which can lean towards middle-aged mom-ish if you're not careful, but I think the Cambridge t-shirt and animal print flats jazzed it up enough to not make me look like the mother of teenagers yesterday. You know, in spite of all the nagging that went on.

Happy Legs

Academia: Thanks for your kind words yesterday, y'all. I feel like I keep e-melting down and y'all keep cheering me up, so thanks for bearing with me. My mom told me yesterday that when you're going through something hard, like infertility or the death of a loved one or losing your job or breaking up with someone, you just have to keep living, and do things that distract you and make you happy. Writing this blog and knowing y'all makes me happy.

Sartorial: Another thing that makes me happy is wearing purple tights. Horrible clunky segue, I know. Just humor me. Today is colored tights day on Everybody Everywear, so I pulled out this lovely pair and they made my legs feel cheery all day. I wore this exact outfit more than once last winter, and it's one of my favorites, so y'all can definitely expect to see it again.



Bonus happy things: The creme-brulee-sized sweet potato pie my friend Melina brought me at work yesterday, the new Three Musketeers movie (so cheesy, so fun), and these two spoken-word poetry performances that my friend Debra emailed me yesterday. She says the first one is for fighting the good fight and the second is for feeling good, so if you need to fight or feel good (and who doesn't?), check them out.

Infertility, You Suck

Hi, y'all. I don't have an outfit photo for you today. Cary and I found out over the weekend that our first attempt at getting pregnant through infertility treatment was unsuccessful, so I spent most of the weekend laying around in pajamas, not looking cute, and certainly not taking pictures of myself.

So as not to be a total bummer, though, I leave you with this video. I dare you to watch it and not laugh. And then not run out and get yourself a cat, because cats may be aloof and occasionally smelly, but they will never do this to you.

Recommended Reading

Academia and Sartorial: It's Homecoming weekend at my university, and when you live in a town that owes its entire existence to a university, Homecoming tends to shut everything down. The university, all of the schools, and many businesses are closed today for the Homecoming parade, and there's a big pep rally tonight. Cary and I are skipping all of that because 1) we've done it all several times before, 2) our football team kinda sucks right now, and 3) my grandmother's 80th birthday party is tomorrow. So we're at my parents' house for the weekend instead, and this is what I wore yesterday for work and the drive down.

Fun Stuff: Friend Friday is all about books today. I love to read, so I'm really excited about this. We're supposed to share either our five favorite or five that we've read recently. I'm going with my five favorite. In no particular order, here they are:

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I've mentioned before on this blog how much I love this book, but I'll say it again. This is the best book ever. It has everything you'd ever want in a book. I named my cat after one of the characters. It's that great.
2. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. I'm counting the whole trilogy as one book, since that's how Tolkien wrote it. Best part: Frodo and Sam's final climb up Mount Doom. It's such a great trilogy that I hate to say there's a worst part, but here it is: the Council of Elrond. Five minutes in the movie, fifty pages in the book, during which the plot completely ground to a halt.
3. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I know it's not politically trendy to like Ayn Rand right now, but I really loved this book. Beyond the philosophical message of the book, which is definitely interesting whether or not you agree with it, it had strong characters and a great plot. And now I know what "Who is John Galt?" means, so I feel like I'm on the inside of an inside joke when people say it.
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling. It was hard to pick one Harry Potter book above the rest (shout-out to Prisoner of Azkaban), but Deathly Hallows really had it all: a fast-paced, heart-pounding plot, a killer battle scene, a make-out session inspired by house elves, and formerly tame characters being total badasses (what's up, Neville Longbottom and Mrs. Weasley). Plus, the whole book (and really the whole series) was a wonderful reflection on love and death, and the power the former gives us over the latter. Definitely not just for kids, y'all.
5. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I read this book approximately 587 times when I was a kid. Really, every little girl should read this book. Even though it's 150 years old, what it has to say about young women and how they relate to each other and the world still holds up.

So there you have it, y'all. My five favorite books of all time. There are tons of books that I love, but these are the five that will stick with me for the rest of my life. What about y'all? What are your favorite books?

Sister, Sister

Sorry about the pictures today. I wanted to see if I liked the flash settings on the new camera better than without the flash. I don't. 

Also, I'm still trying to figure out the appropriate amount of zoom.

Academia: A pretty normal day at work, except I got to have lunch with my lovely sister! My sister is a nanny, and as the child she nannies for gets older and my future niece or nephew gets closer to being born, her work hours are becoming more flexible, which means that we can have lunch once a week or so. It's such a nice break in the middle of the day and I love having the time to catch up with her. Living in the same town as adults is great.

Sartorial: After wearing a fancy dress and heels on Tuesday, I swung in completely the opposite direction yesterday and went as cozy as possible - boyfriend pants, slouchy cardigan, and TOMS. Perfect for a slightly chilly (for the Deep South) November day, and for sister lunch time.

$40 Anthropologie Dress!

Brian's Etsy Shop 

Academia: The title says it all, y'all. Part of my weekend of relaxation included going to a fancy mall to ogle the designer clothes and jewelry, at the kind of stores that wouldn't put a toe in my rural college town. I didn't expect to buy anything, but when I went into Anthropologie, my favorite store to drool all over, I found this awesome dress in the sale room. It was marked down from $140 to $40, approximately what I would spend on a dress at Target. Anthro dress for Target price? Yes, please.

Sartorial: There are a lot of things I love about this dress. First and foremost, the circle skirt. I went to the bathroom at work just to spin around in front of the mirror at least once yesterday. Second, the color and the pattern. I never knew I loved kelly green and black, but I do. Third, did I mention the price?

I felt so pretty in this all day, and I got a lot of compliments, which was really nice. I'm pretty sure I can dress this down or up, and it can transition between seasons by adding or taking away tights. Expect to see a lot of this dress, y'all. I love it.

Drink Up, Me Hearties, Yo Ho

Brian's Etsy Shop. Also, my angry pirate face. Arrrrr. 

First pictures with my new, free camera! What do y'all think? 

Academia: One of the very best parts of working with international students is getting to do cultural holidays reaaallly big. Like, wear a costume to work on Halloween big. I haven't dressed up in the last few years, but this time I figured, how often to I get to wear a costume? Exactly never. So drink up, me hearties - I decided to go as a pirate.

All the students seemed to think it was fun, albeit a little weird, that I had dressed up, but the reactions from my colleagues were way more interesting. My friend Victoria saw me in the hall and at first glance said, "Oh, are you a pirate?" Then she looked closer and said, "Oh my gosh, are you a really cute pirate?" Why, yes. Yes I am. I mean, aye. Arrrrr.

Sartorial: Honestly, I decided to be a pirate because I already had or could borrow the pieces of the costume. I've worn the tunic, t-shirt, leggings, and boots in normal, non-piratey outfits, but the addition of Brian's jewelry and Cary's Jack Sparrow hat (he uses it as a thinking hat in his classroom) took the whole outfit from cozy fall ensemble to buccaneer chic. I didn't have the Jack Sparrow eyeliner, but I felt quite swashbuckling all day anyway. Avast! Arrr! Yo ho, y'all.