Broader Horizons

Skirt

Academia: I work in a job that puts me in touch with nearly every continent on Earth every day. I have students from Europe, South America, North America, Africa, and Asia, so every day I learn something new about one of my students' many cultures. Having the world come to me every day makes me want to go out and see more of the world. I first traveled outside the US when I was 18, and while I was always interested in other cultures and countries before then, that trip is what began to make those other places real.

Sartorial: The t-shirt I wore yesterday is my favorite souvenir from that first trip. The summer after my high school graduation, I went with a high school study abroad program (which also included recently graduated seniors) for three weeks to Cambridge University, England. After poring over Shakespeare, the Brontës, and Harry Potter for years, seeing the country I had imagined for so long was a dream come true for 18-year-old me.

I remember how shocked I was that England really was foreign. It wasn't the US with a British accent; it was Britain. I remember another student talking about Walmart with one of our British counselors, who said, "What's Walmart?" It was the first time I realized that my culture and my way of life were not the way the whole world lived, and probably weren't even close to the way most of the world lived.

I've traveled to places that are significantly more different from the US than the UK is since then (Turkey being the most different so far), and now I deal with those differences every day at work, but it's no exaggeration to say that my trip to Cambridge, truly a baby step in terms of world travel, was a life-changer for me. And so, like so many tourists faced with life-changing events, I bought a t-shirt. And it's one of my very, very favorites.*

*But I might not feel the same way if my commemorative t-shirt had said "Mind the Gap." Thanks for having good taste, 18-year-old Emily.

Doctor Football

Blouse

Academia: Y'all, it's Sunday night as I write this, and my weekend was so good that I can't even remember what I did in this outfit on Friday. So why don't I tell you about my great weekend instead? Saturday was Football Day in this college town, which meant four great things: 1) tailgating, 2) seeing out-of-town family and friends at tailgating, 3) the weekly school-colors-and-mascot fashion show that passes us at tailgating, and 4) winning! And then tailgating afterwards. Really, tailgating is half the reason to go to a football game in the South. And then Sunday brought church, lunch with my sister and brother-in-law, and a new Doctor Who. Football and the Doctor in one weekend - what more could a girl want?

Sartorial: Well, like I said, I didn't wear this for any of the activities I just described, but I did enjoy wearing it for whatever I did on Friday that I can't remember. This shirt always makes me feel French, and therefore, 30% chicer than normal. And my ring is Italian - my grandfather brought the cameo back from Italy after World War Two and had it set in a ring for his mother - so I'd say that adds another 10% of chicness. Which is great, because after a weekend of sweating at the football game and harboring a not-so-secret crush on a fictional time-traveling alien, I need all the chic I can get.

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.

All Day Dress, Round Two

Dress, TOMS, Bracelets

Say hello to Atticus, Blogland!

Academia: Sorry about the grainy picture quality today, y'all. I didn't get home until 9:00 last night, so I had to take pictures inside and my camera isn't advanced enough or maybe I'm not advanced enough to take good inside pictures. I was late for fun reasons though. I have a work prayer group that meets after work on Wednesdays, and after that I had a meeting of a philanthropic organization I'm hoping to join. Spending time with friends and soon-to-be friends makes getting home late not so bad.

Sartorial: The last time I wore this dress, I called it the "all day dress," and it certainly lived up to its name yesterday. I tried to dress it down a bit with TOMS and beaded jewelry, and I was comfy, cute, and climate-appropriate from 9:00 yesterday morning until 9:00 last night. So now I know that this dress works with heels, dressy flats, super casual TOMS, in the morning, at night, in a box, with a fox, in a house, and with a mouse. And I do like it, Sam I Am.

Frappuccinos and Flattering Pants

Brian's Etsy Shop, Bracelet 

Academia: Yesterday was a blessed relief after the previous 10 days. I worked quietly in my office, I helped students with very manageable problems, and got out of a meeting across campus early enough to treat myself to a frappuccino on my way back. I'm sure the semester holds plenty of challenging days yet, but yesterday wasn't one of them, and for that, I am grateful.

Sartorial: Walking to a cross-campus meeting in 90 degree heat calls for simple clothes. I wanted to wear this white t-shirt again, but I had an awful time trying to decide what to pair with it. After half my closet was piled on my bed, I pulled out these trouser jeans, which I was sure wouldn't fit because my diet lately has consisted of Sonic and Starbucks. But what do you know, they slid right on and flattered all the parts they were supposed to flatter. Just another small happiness, like my mid-afternoon frappuccino, that made yesterday a nice day.

Complete Sentence Clothes

Academia: My check-in week duties officially ended yesterday, a week and three days after they began. The visiting professor I was responsible for chauffeuring around town, eating lunch with, and arranging meetings for headed back to his country this afternoon. Normally my boss is in charge of hosting visiting professors, but she's out of the country, so it fell to me this time. It was a big responsibility, but I feel like everything went well and the professor seemed to be happy with his trip. And if he was, I really hope he emails my boss and tells her so. Fingers crossed.

Sartorial: Since the mandated period of business wear that is check-in week ended, I felt perfectly okay finally wearing leggings to work yesterday. Yay leggings! I paired them with this dress, which I love but is a tad too short for work. Combining two pieces of clothing that can't stand alone to form a complete outfit made me happy, just like combining a dependent clause with an independent clause to form a complete sentence makes me happy. Yes, grammar makes me happy. I teach English, y'all. I can't help it.

Happy Hour, Happy Outfit

Skirt, TOMS, Brian's Etsy Shop 

Academia: The longest check-in week ever is finally over, and this is what I wore for Friday, the almost-last day of it (we had a welcome picnic on Saturday). Honestly, the whole week was such a blur that I'm having trouble remembering what I did on Friday, other than crash my husband's all-guys' happy hour after work. I figured, I was going to have a beer when I got home anyway. Having one with people in a restaurant seemed less pitiful than having one by myself while watching Friends reruns in my pajamas. The guys were very gracious about being crashed, and as far as I could tell, a good time was had by all. Or at least by me.

Sartorial: Check-in week always requires more professional attire than we normally wear in my department, but by the end of the week, I was tired, cranky, and really wanting to show up to work in sweatpants. Sadly, no one has found a way to make sweatpants look professional yet, so I wore the next best thing: jersey maxi skirt (no leg-shaving, thank you), cotton cardi and cami, and TOMS, the most comfortable shoes known to man. If I had had a spare minute to sit down in my office armchair, I would have fallen right to sleep.