Shoes R $8.88

A couple of months ago, my mom told me that she had gone to a store in my hometown called Shoes R $8.88 and had discovered that my junior high boyfriend was the manager there. Our relationship was short-lived, as most relationships between 13-year-olds are, but included such memorable moments, like our English class's production of Romeo and Juliet, in which we were the title characters. There's nothing quite as romantic having your first kiss in a school hallway while ostensibly "practicing" for the hands-down worst Shakespeare performance of all time. And I do mean the very worst - among many mishaps, Romeo forgot his entire suicide monologue, simply saying, "I die," and lay down on the floor like a person getting into bed instead of dying of self-poisoning. Everyone told me I stole the show, but I think that was a nice way of saying that I was the least awful. After all, I memorized my lines, which couldn't be said for poor Romeo.

So when Cary and I went to visit my parents last weekend, I knew I needed to go to Shoes R $8.88 and see what ol' Romeo was up to. So Mama and I went, and there was Romeo, managing away. He even greeted me by saying, "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?" which was very impressive considering how many lines he forgot on the night of the actual performance 14 years ago. We chatted for a few minutes and he seemed to be doing well, thinking about going back to school in a variety of fields. And then I felt obligated to buy some shoes (I know, twist my arm), so Mama and I scoured the selection of $8.88 shoes and came up with these green sandals. I really like the color, and if they fall apart in three months, they were only $8.88. And I got to revisit my star turn as a Shakespearean heroine, which for me, was worth at least $8.88. I'm sure Shakespeare would agree.

Job Interview

Brian's Etsy store

I haven't said anything about this on the blog before, but I interviewed this morning for a core faculty position in my department. Right now I'm an adjunct, which means that I have to have my contract renewed every semester (with the possibility of losing my job if enrollment drops), and also that I have no health or retirement benefits. The job I interviewed for would be essentially the same thing I'm doing now, but with an annual nine month contract and benefits. The department has been talking about adding these positions for almost a year, so I have been looking forward to applying and interviewing for a long time. I should know something by the end of this week or beginning of next.

So, what do you wear to be interviewed by your colleagues for a job you're kind of already doing? I knew I wanted to rely on my blazer and a pair of dressy trousers, but I didn't want to look boring. That's one of the great things about working in academia - creative self-expression is encouraged. So I put on this watermelon-colored top and what my mother and I call The Shoes of Salvation. I debated the appropriateness of animal print shoes for a long time, but these shoes give me confidence. The pants are hemmed a little short for them, but I needed to feel confident so I wore them anyway. And I actually got compliments on them from members of the search committee, which I figure can't hurt, right?

This Is the Solution on Friend Friday

Blouse

It's Casual Friday (or for me, Even More Casual Than Normal Friday), so I decided to put the Power of the Blazer to the test and see how much it could dress up light-wash jeans and Converse All-Stars. I wasn't sure it was working, and then I had this conversation with a Middle Eastern male student about my age (name changed):

Abdullah: Emily, I have question. Maybe it's stupid, but I want to ask.
Me (anticipating serious grammar question): Sure.
Abdullah: Every day I want to look nice. Then I am late to school because I can't decide which clothes.
Me: Ooookaaaay...
Abdullah: And then I think, Emily always look nice. So how you do this every day and not late to work?
Me (quickly shifting gears from grammar): Decide what to wear the night before. Then you won't be late.
Abdullah: Okay. I decide before one night. This is the solution.
Me: Yes. This is the solution.

So, big shout-out to Abdullah for affirming my fashion choices today, and here's hoping he won't be late to class on Monday.

Now for some Friend Friday questions about gratitude:


1. When it comes to me personally, I owe a lot of who I am to: My parents and my husband. Obviously, my beliefs, my faith, my outlook on life, and many of my interests have to do with who raised me. I'm very blessed to have parents who are emotionally and spiritually healthy people, and who have encouraged me to be and independent and healthy person myself. I owe a lot of loosening up to my husband. When we met, I was pretty tightly wound, and while I'm still not the most relaxed person on earth, I'm much better at laughing instead of crying at what life brings me now because he is good at it too.


2. When it comes to me professionally, I owe a lot of who I am to: My 4th-6th grade teacher, Mr. Mason. I loved to read when I came into his class, but when I left, I had a huge appetite for language and literature. We did everything from diagramming sentences (the beginning of my love of grammar) to performing abridged Shakespeare plays (I was Ophelia in my 5th grade production of Hamlet). I also got to see what a teacher who is truly talented and passionate about teaching looks like. I give a lot of credit for my being an English teacher today to Mr. Mason.


3. When it comes to the art of blogging, I'm grateful to these people for helping me through some rough spots: Well, I haven't been blogging that long, so I haven't had many rough spots. I am grateful to my husband for getting excited about my blog. He reads it every day and always has comments about what I'm wearing or what I wrote, so I can never say, "No one is reading this!" He's an awesome advertising force too - when the women he works with talk about fashion, he says, "Well, my wife has a fashion blog, and here's what she wore. You should check it out!" I'm also grateful to Brian Moody for lending me jewelry to wear because I feel like a "real" blogger with a sponsor, even though no money was exchanged and I might end up stealing some of the jewelry.


4. One blogging challenge I'm grateful happened because it made me stronger was: All of the EBEW challenges I've participated in, for pushing outside of my sartorial comfort zone and making me like clothes I had given up on.


5. To my readers, I'd like to say: You are few, but mighty. Interacting with y'all is so much fun, and I really appreciate the feedback you give me. I find a lot of inspiration in your own blogs. Please keep reading (and tell your friends)!

The Honeymooners

Brian's Etsy shop

No, the title of this post is not a veiled reference to Cary's threats to beat the crap out of me, a la Ralph Kramden on the classic TV show "The Honeymooners." Oh, '50s TV viewers and the crazy things you thought were funny. Domestic violence, ha ha.

No, this post is called "The Honeymooners" because this dress was my going-away dress at my wedding. We were driving three hours after our reception, so I couldn't wear my wedding dress for our big exit from the party. Not that I would have wanted to - that sucker was a two-piece behemoth that looked beautiful but actually left bruises on my hips from the weight of the skirt. So I bought this comfortable, summery white dress from Old Navy and it has served me well for almost five years. And I think about my wedding when I wear it, which makes me happy. You can see in these pictures that I'm actually glowing, which has everything to do with how in love I am and nothing to do with taking pictures shortly after sunrise, or being so white that I actually reflect the light of the sun like Edward Cullen.

Not that I know who Edward Cullen is or anything. I didn't read all four Twilight books back-to-back like a person starving for words and then wonder who I was and when I had turned into someone who read a book in which a baby vampire bites its way out of its mother's uterus, OMG. No, I've just heard that Edward Cullen might be kind of pale and sparkly. Just heard, that's all.

Baby Blues

Jeans, shoes 

I am not very adventurous with my makeup choices, but last weekend I strayed from my normal routine to buy Cover Girl's new eyeshadow that is supposed to complement your eye color. My eyes are blue, and I've always heard that you shouldn't wear blue eyeshadow with blue eyes, but one of the colors (of four) in this eyeshadow regimen is blue, and I actually love it. My eyes look bigger and bluer than normal, which is awesome because my eyes are already fairly big and blue.

My mom got a little freaked out by these giant eyes staring at her the night she brought Baby Me home from the hospital.

So inspired by eyeshadow, today I went all blue. My new favorite blue jeans, this teal shirt, my turquoise necklace from Turkey (did you know that turquoise derives the French word for Turkish? Fun fact of the day!), and this blue-flowers-and-birds scarf as a belt. Does this count as color blocking? I want to be on-trend, but I think it's probably not color blocking if one of the colors is jeans.

Hippie Chic

Brian's Etsy shop, bracelets

I have to be honest; when I heard that Everybody Everywear's April outfit was maxi dresses, I wasn't too excited. I've never felt tall enough for them (I'm just shy of 5'5"), and maxi dresses are a little more hippie chic than I normally do. I have this one because I needed a beachy dress to take to Puerto Rico a couple of years ago, so I hauled it out of the back of the closet and threw a button-down over it to make it work-appropriate.

I ended up liking it more than I thought I would, actually. I was very comfortable and I got some compliments at work. And then another teacher accidentally microwaved a cup of tea without any water in it, so the herbs in the tea bag got scorched and the entire floor smelled like pot (which I only recognized because I've been to Amsterdam, y'all). After that, hippie chic somehow seemed like an appropriate way to be dressing.

Queen for a Day

Dress, Brian's Etsy shop

When I was a little girl, I looked like most other little girls. I acted like most other little girls, if maybe a little more dramatic, and I did normal little girl things. But I knew, I knew, that I really should have been a princess. I saw the way princesses lived (the ones who had fairy godmothers, not the ones who got divorced from the Prince of Wales), and I knew that's how I wanted to live. I needed a castle and a fairy godmother, and most of all, I needed a ball gown and a tiara. Needed them.

Obviously, I didn't grow up to be a princess. I did harbor a fantasy in high school that I would meet Prince William and he would fall madly in love with me, and I wore a tiara at my wedding (because when else would I ever be able to get away with that again?), but that's as close as I got. So y'all understand that sometimes, I need to wear royal purple with gold accessories. It's just a nod to Little Me, because according to her, I should be knee-deep in fairy godmothers by now.

Of course, I did help a group of students book a last-minute flight to DC to meet the king of their country today. So I'm one degree of separation from an actual king now. I'm brushing up on my pageant wave as we speak.