Conferencing in the Lone Star State

Academia: Happy Memorial Day, y'all! I hope anyone reading this in the US is enjoying the holiday (and if you're not in the US, I hope you're just having a nice Monday at work). I am spending my Memorial Day flying to Houston for the annual NAFSA conference. NAFSA is an organization for international educators and administrators, and a colleague and I have a poster presentation on Wednesday. I'm really excited; this is my first national conference and I'm looking forward to see what this type of conference is like. I can't wait to report back to y'all next week about my first foray into academic networking!

Sartorial: I wore this outfit last week, but I'm wearing something very similar for the flight today - just swapping out the shirt and adding a blazer (so I don't have to pack it). These pants are sooooo comfy, so they're great for the plane, but can also go straight from the airport to conference registration and still be appropriately professional. And I think the animal print shoes make the whole outfit a little more fun - yes, I'm going to a conference, but my shoes don't have to be stuffy, right?

I Can't Believe I Watch...

Academia: Guys, I'm writing this as I watch the "Women Tell All" episode of The Bachelor. Holy crap. I can't believe I care about this show. I started watching this season as part of a discussion group on Christian femininity at church, which seemed like a legit reason to tune in. We talked about what it's like to be a woman in our culture, and how that relates to our faith. It was great.

But then the discussion group ended and I CANNOT STOP WATCHING. And weirdly, I can't stop drawing parallels between this and The Hunger Games. The women may not be getting killed off in a brutal fight to the death, but otherwise it feels pretty much the same. Except I was excited to share my love of The Hunger Games with others, but I feel the need to start every conversation I have about The Bachelor with a disclaimer: "Well, I was part of this Bible study..." Because Bible study makes this less lame, right?

Sartorial: There are three things that make this outfit Bachelor-inappropriate: 1) All of my limbs are covered, 2) These pants are comfortable, and most of the ladies' clothes on the show look like medieval torture devices, and 3) Spanx cannot do anything about my belly. And I'm pretty sure this wouldn't work for The Hunger Games either. Nothing about this outfit says "protection from the elements," "camouflage from enemies," or "flammable dress to impress adoring public."

Rushed and Rainy

Academia: I stayed up past my bedtime to watch half the Oscars on Sunday night (seriously, at 10:00 I was beat; I didn't even make it to Best Supporting Actor. Lame.), so I woke up yesterday with just enough time to pull together an outfit and run out the door in the rain. It wasn't a bad Monday; it just got off to a bit of a rushed start.

Sartorial: On a rushed, rainy morning, I needed an outfit that didn't take much thought. I wore this to a baby shower for my sister on Saturday, so I already knew it worked. It's pretty much the same outfit I wore last Thursday, as you can see by scrolling down one post, but it kept me warm in the rain, it didn't squeeze my belly, and it looked marginally professional. I call that a winner.

Pregnant Looking-ness

Academia: This has been an exciting week in the world of being pregnant. You know, for me, not for all pregnant women. I feel like I'm finally starting to look pregnant to people other than myself and Cary (and I'm not sure how pregnant I've actually been looking to Cary up until now, since I spent a lot of time standing in front of the mirror and demanding of him, "I look pregnant, right? Right? RIGHT?" What else could he say but yes?). It's nice to finally be looking on the outside like I'm feeling on the inside.

Speaking of how I'm feeling on the inside, this week I started feeling the baby kicking! It was pretty amazing. I mean, I've known there was a tiny person in there, but it all seemed a bit theoretical before. Feeling that tiny person's arms and legs moving, controlled by a completely different brain than mine, makes everything much more real.

Sartorial: With all of this growing and flailing of teeny limbs, I'm feeling very pregnant, so one thing I'm completely sick of hearing is, "You don't look pregnant at all!" I've really been looking forward to looking pregnant, and being told I don't is always a letdown.

So to combat that letdown, I picked out clothes yesterday that do everything possible to emphasize my pregnant looking-ness. I got new maternity pants from Target, so no weird squishing of my belly - just stretchy goodness. I picked out a form-fitting t-shirt with horizontal stripes. I walked around with one hand on my lower back. And no one said I didn't look pregnant. So there.

Professional but Fun

Academia: Check-in week continues, and thankfully it's a bit calmer than either check-in during the fall semester. Yay! I wore this yesterday to help a friend with an academic culture seminar, and to drive new students to visit apartment complexes. Rather than being in my windowless office, I was about on an unseasonable 70 degree day. Can't complain about that!

Sartorial: I used to belt this dress, but this belly seriously has come out of nowhere, so I decided the tights were restrictive enough without adding a belt. I really liked the gray dress with the chestnut tights and the animal print shoes; to me it looked professional, but still fun. "Professional but fun" is pretty much my motto for dressing for work, so I was happy in this all day (other than being a bit squeezed by my tights).

Double Duty

Academia: Pictures didn't happen on Friday, so y'all are getting a special treat today: weekend clothes! And weekend clothes that aren't sweatpants and a t-shirt on top of that. I wore this to church yesterday, and then to the movies to see The Muppets (which I loved... "Rainbow Connection" always makes me tear up). And then I fell asleep on the couch in it, and can I say how great it is that clothes I wore to church can double as couch napping clothes?

Sartorial: I've worn variations on this outfit a lot, but that's just because it's oh so comfy and still looks polished. Let me reiterate: church and a nap in the same outfit. Win-win. Win.

Love Actually

Academia: So, Love Actually night happened last night. Yay! The movie was just as delightful as it always is. I can't really pick a favorite part because the whole movie is so awesome, but my top three are probably Colin Firth's stumbling proposal in Portuguese, Hugh Grant dancing in 10 Downing Street, and the whole Liam Neeson father-son storyline. Plus, my sister set up a hot chocolate bar so we could have yummy drinks and cookies while we watched. Hot chocolate + Love Actually = a perfect December evening.

Sartorial: I wore a sweatshirt and leggings to movie night, but I wore these fun tights to work yesterday. This is the first time I've tried out chestnut-colored tights, and I think I like them. They were only $5 at Target, so I may need to go back and scoop up some other colors. Any recommendations? The only other color I have right now is black. What else do I need?

Downhill

Academia: The end of the semester approacheth. While this semester is nowhere near as wack as last semester was, the end of the semester always feels like that cartoon guy who always gets stuck in a giant snowball rolling down a hill at top speed. Weird analogy? Yeah, maybe. So I apologize for being a bad blogging friend and not commenting on anyone else's blog this week. I promise I'll get my act together soon, as soon as I stop rolling down this hill.

Sartorial: When life is busy, sometimes it's better just to go with simple clothes, and it really doesn't get much simpler than jeans and a white t-shirt. The blazer and the accessories dressed this outfit up enough for work, but I could have easily paired it with sneakers for after-work activities. And since simple clothes meant I didn't need to spend 15 minutes hemming and hawing in front of my closet, I gained 15 minutes of much-needed sleep before a very busy downhill day.

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.

Funky Jackie Kennedy

Skirt, Brian's Etsy Shop 

Academia: One of my favorite weekly activities is getting together with our four best couple friends, my sister and brother-in-law Suzanne and Mike, and our friends since forever, Jose and Adrienne, for dinner and Project Runway. We alternate houses every week and we all pitch in a dish for dinner. We're ages behind on Project Runway (we DVR), but we have a great time gasping at the drama, predicting the winners and losers, and critiquing the clothes.

And not it's not just Suzanne, Adrienne, and me who are passing judgement on the designers. The guys have just as many opinions as we do, and it delights me to hear them saying things like, "Yeah, I liked that dress, but maybe with a different shoe," or, "That really doesn't flatter her hips at all." When Project Runway isn't on, we substitute with Top Chef or other competition shows, but PR is my favorite because I love clothes and I love listening to the running commentary from the dude gallery.

Sartorial: We just watched the episode last night where the designers have to consult with men to make clothes for their wives or girlfriends, which prompted an interesting discussion about whether our guys could accurately describe our style to a designer. Mike and Jose did pretty well ("black and white" for Suzanne and "Ann Taylor Loft" for Adrienne), but being married to a style blogger allowed Cary to hit the nail on the head; he described my style as "funky Jackie Kennedy." That's exactly what I try for in my wardrobe.

I think this outfit is a little funky Jackie; the pieces are pretty classic, but the combination of fuschia cardigan, animal print blouse, and aqua earrings is a bit funky. I don't know if this would pass muster on PR, but I liked it, and my husband knows my style well enough to buy me presents, so I say I win.

In the Trenches

Academia: Y'all, my brain is fried. I wore this on Friday, but since then I've had family in town, a doctor's appointment, a housewarming party at my sister's, and a full day of work on Sunday. It was all extremely interesting and would make a great blog post, but I'm too exhausted to write anything other than blerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh.

Sartorial: I bought this trench coat in August and have been dying for it to get cool enough to wear it. I've always loved the look of trench coats (they make me feel like Carmen Sandiego), but how much more awesome is a trench coat with pleated ruffles? THIS much more awesome. Seriously, I'm so tired that my writing is entirely dependent on varying font sizes. #zerocreativity #andalsohashtags

Take Me Seriously, Corporate America

Brian's Etsy Shop 

Academia: Yesterday was a pretty typical day for me. A student got suddenly ill in class and I took her to the doctor. I got frustrated and nearly lost patience with a student who came to see me about his eight bajillionth traffic violation (seriously, dude, just obey the law). I took a group of students to orientation at a hotel where they will be doing volunteer internships. I happened across a fair trade store on my way home and bought my grandma a birthday present. You know. Normal stuff.

Sartorial: This is not the most exciting outfit I've ever worn, but I had the orientation at the hotel and all of the hotel people dress like this. I originally had on leggings and a tunic, which were way more fun and comfortable but didn't seem like "take me seriously, corporate America" clothes. I wasn't jazzed about the decision to change, but when the students were told in orientation that they should dress up, I felt good about setting a decent example for them.

Today I'm taking a student to an orientation at a bed and breakfast, so it's definitely leggings o'clock. B&B people are so chill. Note to self: you are too old to say anything is chill. But I'm getting ahead of myself. More on that tomorrow!

WIth a Little Help from My Friends

Academia: I was thinking yesterday how lucky I am to have the friends I have. As I've been dealing with the funk I wrote about on Monday, my friends have risen to the occasion 100%. Yesterday I was feeling kinda bad, but my friends were there to cheer me up at every turn. I had lunch with my sister, and Brian came over and he and Cary made dinner for us, and then I talked to my dear friend Debra for two hours after Brian went home. I felt so much better at the end of the day. My friends are always awesome, but yesterday just reminded me how awesome they are.

Sartorial: I felt a bit like Indiana Jones in this outfit, which, as I've written about before, is every academic's secret dream. And where would Indy have been without his friends? He would have been eating poisonous dates, trying to lift the Ark out of a snake pit by himself, and probably getting shot by Nazis more than once. I wouldn't be in quite the same dire circumstances without my friends, but I think dressing like someone who would made sense on a day when my friends were really there for me. Thanks, guys.

Mom for a Day

T-shirt, Brian's Etsy Shop

Academia: I may not have kids yet, but that doesn't stop me from feeling like a mom at work sometimes. Yesterday morning, we got a voicemail from a very young student's mother, entirely in the student's native language, saying that her child was sick and someone needed to take him to the doctor. I tried calling the student, but the phone number we had was wrong, so off I went to his apartment. He didn't answer the door when I knocked, so I had to get the manager to go in and check on him. I was starting to imagine the rest of my day spent in the ER with this kid who was too sick to answer the door.

Well. He was fine. He had a cold, and had been sleeping the deep sleep of teenage boys when I knocked. He had no idea his mother had called and didn't want or need to go to the doctor. I told him to call me if he changed his mind, and for heaven's sake, to please call his mom and tell her he was okay.

I also told him to drink lots of fluids and get some rest. Then I went back to work and nagged students who hadn't gotten their immunizations yet. I'm sure my future kids will be thankful for all this mom practice I'm getting now. Good grief.

Sartorial: I think this blazer makes the t-shirt and jeans look a lot more authoritarian, don't you? On days when I have to be a mom, authoritarian is a good way to look. People take my nagging much more seriously that way.

Like It's 1999

Skirt, Brian's Etsy Shop 

Academia: Nothing particularly remarkable happened yesterday. The most out-of-the-ordinary occurrence was that an off-campus meeting got out way earlier than I expected, so I used the extra time to go to a coffee shop downtown. Sometimes it's nice to have a quiet day like that.

Sartorial: Today's visual Friend Friday is hosted by Shelley of GS Lillian, and the theme is "Decades." I was a little stumped about what to wear at first. I wore some things earlier this week that seemed decade-y - my 70s 12-year-old get-up from Monday or my 60s mod outfit from Wednesday - without really thinking about needing to wear either of those things for today.

Since I had a meeting yesterday, I wanted to wear my blazer, and then it came to me: the 90s. The 90s weren't too long ago, but styles have definitely changed since then, and I thought it would be fun to honor the decade of my adolescence through fashion.

While this outfit may not scream "party like it's 1999," the skirt and blazer are definitely 90s-inspired. Remember this?

Via

And this?

Via

This is just an updated version of that. I wasn't interested in breaking out the shoulder pads and combat boots (not that I have those things anyway), but it was nice to pay subtle tribute to the decade that saw everything in my life from my obsession with Laura Ingalls Wilder to my first kiss. Which was during practice for my eighth grade English class's performance of Romeo and Juliet, if you were wondering, and the final performance was so bad that I'm surprised Shakespeare didn't rise from his grave just to punch us all in the teeth.

Do What You Love, Love What You Do

T-shirt, Brian's Etsy Shop

Academia: It's Friend Friday! Today's assignment is to talk about a great piece of advice I've been given and how that advice has affected my life. One of the best pieces of advice I've ever gotten came from my dad just before my freshman year of college. I was wondering what I should major in, and my dad told me to study what I loved. He said not to worry about how much money I would make or whether my major would lead to an obvious career path. "Just do what you love," he said.

So I majored in English, with no clear idea of what I would do after graduation. I think every English major goes through a period of thinking their only career options are high school English teacher or barista, neither of which particularly appealed to me. But you know what? I figured it out in my senior year, and now I have an awesome English-related job that I love. Yesterday, a student called me an angel. How many jobs have that kind of off-the-charts positive feedback? And I got to spend four years reading novels and writing poetry, while my friends were failing organic chemistry and cramming for the MCAT. Studying what I love was the right choice, and it has led to a lot of happiness in my life. Thanks, Daddy.

Sartorial: In honor of my English background and my dad's good advice, I wore my favorite literary t-shirt yesterday. A better appreciation of great literature was another perk of majoring in English, and TKAM is one of the very greatest. Every time I wear this shirt, I want to reread this book. Fashion that looks good and reminds me of something I love is my favorite kind of fashion.

T-Shirt Love

Bracelets, Relient K 

Academia: My Labor Day was a blessed relief after a long working weekend. I went to lunch and shopping with my sister, watched Saturday's Doctor Who, and did some laundry. All in all, just what I needed.

Sartorial: I had something less casual in mind at first yesterday, but on a day off, I really just wanted to wear a t-shirt and shorts. So I pulled out one of my old favorites, a t-shirt I got at a Relient K concert about eight years ago. I've shied away from t-shirts since I started blogging because they didn't seem fashion bloggery enough, but a well-worn and well-loved t-shirt can be such a joy to wear that I think I should bring at least a few t-shirts back.

What do y'all think? Are t-shirts the domain of high schoolers and sorority social functions, or can they be stylish?