Something Blue

Happy Royal Wedding Day! Oh man you guys. I don't think you understand how upset I am that I'm not English today. Although, in the words of a friend (also an Anglophile): "But we are English," at heart anyway. That's what's consoling me in my sorrow over the fact that I didn't get up early enough to watch the Royal Wedding, plus the fact that I can't properly celebrate as I'm not in England right now. Celebrating in America is just lame and sad. Ugh!

At any rate I spent my entire morning looking at pictures from the ceremony and making happy sounds. As is my life.









I'm wearing: H&M skirt and belt, F21 top, Target flats, cardi from my Aunt a million years ago.

Kind of a blah outfit here, but I enjoyed it! I'm loving this skirt; I wish I'd gotten it in every color. I suppose I can always go back and get more, but I prefer to just wallow in regret rather than solve my problems.

Super excited about tomorrow! I'm getting my tattoo in the early afternoon (my first ever!), and then Doctor Who is on later that night! I can't handle my excitement. I must run around in circles, flailing and making high-pitched sounds in order to channel my crazed enthusiasm!

Oddly I've been listening to the Doctor Zhivago (by Ludovico Einaudi ♥) and Braid (a game of which I've only played the demo) soundtracks all day, which are two of the most melancholy soundtracks ever created, but nevertheless I've managed to remain ridiculously giddy all day. Thank you, Doctor Who!

We've Got Obsessions

Yesterday I busted out this dress for the first time since last fall. I forgot how much I like it! I thought I really disliked the sort of tribal print, but I find I actually quite like it. Not usually a fan of the tribal thing, though. It also has adorable puffed sleeves which you can't see in these photos (obvs), but which I love because they make my arms look less like grandma arms. I dunno.

Also rediscovering the inherent possibilities that go along with scarves! I only have one scarf, alas, but I want to buy more. I probably won't, however, because my funds ought to be going toward summer clothes and not cold weather things (even though summer doesn't really start in Portland until late July).




I'm wearing: F21 dress, belt, & earrings; UO cardi; and thrifted scarf.

I started watching The Borgias last night. I'm already hooked! I love period television shows because the possibilities for amazing costumes are endless, and the stories are always so expansive and dramatic. I adored Rome and I'm continually on the search for something similar. Incidentally The Borgias takes place in Rome, but during the Renaissance. I'd never really read up on the Borgia family before, but I did listen to a podcast on Lucrezia Borgia once, so I'm intrigued to watch the show and then do my own research to see how historically accurate it turns out to be. Not that I care; I'm not that big a stickler when it comes to historical accuracy unless it's in regard to costumes, but I'm super interested in history so it's more curiosity than anything. Accuracy to books is quite another matter, however...

Which brings me, of course, to A Game of Thrones! What an amazing adaptation. I'm reading the book as I watch the show, and I can't say enough what a great job they've done so far in translating the book to film. The dialogue is word for word most of the time, and while some of the casting choices are a bit questionable (though nothing as bad as Mel Gibson as Hamlet), I'm thoroughly impressed by the whole thing. Not to mention the story and characters are great so far! If you haven't already, watch this show.

Oh and Doctor Who, you guys... don't even get me started. I will give a full review after part two airs on Saturday, but seriously... I can't even handle how much I love this show.

So what dorky (or non-dorky) things are you guys obsessed with at the moment?

Featured Blogger: Waking Life

I haven't really made "featuring" other bloggers on my blog a regular thing, because I love way too many fellow bloggers and I just don't know how I'd find time to feature each and every one of them. However, I couldn't not talk about Caitlin of Waking Life on my blog. Not only is she an incredibly stylish girl (every single one of her outfits gives me a giant dose of inspiration), but she's super sweet and a writer! Reading her blog and her thoughts on writing, life, and everything else is an endless source of motivation and inspiration for me. But that's enough gushing from me, here are some questions she answered for me so we can all get to know her better. (Also she sounds like a genius of a writer, just sayin'.)




1. Tell us a bit about yourself in regards to blogging. When/why did you start, what do you enjoy about blogging, and what do you want to accomplish with your blog?

When I moved back to Vermont (from Portland!) and got my first corporate office job (blech), I actually finally had some money to spend on clothes and plenty of time to kill on the internet. Around that time I discovered etsy and started buying vintage. One morning at the coffee machine a co-worker told me that she thought my style was reminiscent of Jessica's (of What I Wore--back then she wore a lot more vintage) and that I should check out the blog. I did, I was hooked, I started blog-stalking, and eventually decided I wanted to join in! I love blogging mostly because I enjoy being a part of the conversation, and getting to know all kinds of fabulous girls around the world. There are so many amazing, inspirational people out there (style-wise and other-wise) and it really is such an expansive experience to be a part of it all. I don't really have any major goals for my blog, I just do it because I think it's fun, it gives me a reason to put an effort into the way I dress and actually have people appreciate it (instead of just giving me funny looks), and gives me something to add to my routine which I actually enjoy! I know my blog has limitations (I take all my photos on a little CoolPix camera, for example, but can't even begin to afford a nicer model right now) so I don't get too worked up about not having a crazy number of followers or not having sponsors chasing after me. I just enjoy doing it!




2. What are some things in your everyday life that inspire you?

Well, for starters, I live in such a wonderful place. I grew up here and will always come back (even if my wanderlust has been in hyperdrive for a while now--okay, basically it never stops). The people are just so genuinely kind and interesting and artistic, and while it's not exactly a fashion mecca, people definitely do have a sincere sense of personal style and individuality, which I think is really refreshing. It's also unbelievably beautiful and one of the most unaffected places I've been in the US. I read constantly, watch tons of movies (I was a film major in college), and just generally try to absorb as much of the world as possible. Everything is an inspiration, even life itself!




3. I know you're a writer, but you're secretive about your work (i.e. you don't share it!). Can you at least tell us in what genre you prefer to write, and maaaybe a little about your novel?

I wouldn't really call myself a "genre" writer. My influences are definitely quasi-feminist authors like Simone de Beauvoir (her fiction is phenomenal) and Doris Lessing and Erica Jong, the romance of DH Lawrence, or metaphorically poetic writers like Tom Robbins and Kurt Vonnegut. I guess I would say that my writing is very much about the everyday struggles of the human spirit (primarily the female human), with philosophical/political/spiritual undertones. But subtle. I always hesitate to tell people what the novel I'm currently working on is "about" because it's not really "about" anything in particular. It's kind of about everything. I will say the basic plot is that a recently married young woman moves to the country with her new husband and finds herself possessed with the desire to have a child. But, to put it eloquently, the shit hits the fan. See? Doesn't sound too exciting. But there is (hopefully) poetry in the introspective nature of the prose, which is what I ultimately aspire to achieve (because that's what affects me the most).




4. What's your favorite spring/summer fashion trend that you haven't tried out yet and can't wait to attempt?

I actually really love frilly bra tops with high-high-waisted shorts, but I am so unlikely to pull that off in real life. I also love the sandals with wooden platform heels, so I'm definitely going to have to get a pair. Other than that I'm not sure that there are any trends I'm loving that I haven't already tried! We'll see what shows up on the blogs in the coming months!




5. Describe the perfect weekend away.

It would be spontaneous, because if you overplan something always, inevitably goes wrong. My boyfriend and I would take a road trip somewhere we had never been--we're thinking about going up to St John this summer, so we'll say somewhere like that--stopping along the way whenever something caught our eye (this usually means antique stores, cute little towns for exploring, walking on beautiful beaches). We would have a delicious meal (with wine, of course) by the ocean and watch the sunset like the cheesy romantics we are, then retire to our room in a cute little B&B and lounge in our in-room hot tub. We would get up early in the morning and order room service (again, never done that, but want to) before exploring all day. That night we would randomly happen upon a divey blues club where we would sip fancy cocktails (because I have never found such a place and I'm dying to and this is my fantasy trip), and go skinnydipping in the sea. And the next day we would drive home, taking a different route and doing the whole thing in reverse! (A perfect week away would be entirely different because it would involve flying to a foreign land, but that can't be done in a weekend!)




6. What's your favorite thing to do in the city where you live?

HAHA. I laugh at that because I do not live in a city, and even the closest city would be considered a town in most states. I'll call Burlington my city because it's 15 minutes away. I officially love riding on the waterfront bike path with my trusty vintage Schwinn road bike (beautiful), going out to dinner (esp when I can sit outside on Church Street) with my boyfriend or my girlfriends (or my parents!), spending hours in used book stores, strolling while eating twist creemees, and dancing in the street!

Tomorrow is Saturday and Sunday Comes Afterwards

Well it's payday and Friday, which means I am a happy Meg! A trip to H&M is decidedly in order, as I'm going through shopping withdrawal. Yes, shopping withdrawal. I haven't been shopping in a month! It hurts! And I'm super tired of all my clothes at the moment; mini skirts aren't doing it for me anymore. I want all midi and maxi, AD;ALKSDFJ! And a chocolate milkshake.

I'm deciding whether or not I want these Nexi flats by Blowfish. I write for Blowfish, so I may be biased, but I've never worn a pair of their shoes that wasn't super comfy and awesome. Still, not sure with these! I hate spending more than $30 on anything. Somebody talk me into it.





I'm wearing: H&M skirt, blouse from Dad, Gap bow tie thingy.

I don't like this outfit; it lacks color. I was super into neutrals for a while but now I want color. Frustrating.

Gotta get my ass in gear when it comes to writing. I have a story knocking about in my head and it's driving me crazy, because I feel like I haven't had time to write at all! My after-work hours yesterday and the day before were all spent recording and practicing with Ninja Turtle Ninja Tiger, and I've been so exhausted all week for no particular reason. I need to just force myself to sit down and write for little spurts. I hate doing that, though; I like to dedicate at least two hours of time to writing, because I get in the zone and hate stopping when I'm in the middle of a scene, but I may have to just suck it up and write in little chunks. Annoying.*

I started reading A Game of Thrones finally. I just couldn't wait for the next episode! Although at my current glacial pace it's doubtful that I'll get to where episode 1 ended before Sunday. I'm loving the book, though; another thick fantasy novel, just what I need! ♥




*Sherlock: Shut up.
Lestrade: I didn't say anything!
Sherlock: You were thinking; it's annoying.

High-Density Stress

Lately I can't shake the feeling that I'm forgetting something, or that I'm putting something off, but I can't for the life of me remember what it is. I've been picking at my fingers and waking up in the night, can't digest my food properly (maybe TMI but I don't care), and am generally a denser ball of anxiety than usual, which is truly disturbing. I'm like a white dwarf of tension. One teaspoon of my anxiety weighs the same as Mount Everest.

Also I've been experimenting with not actually shampooing my hair for over a week now, and I'm waiting for my hair to go back to its normal state. It was super greasy a few days ago but now it's getting better! I think? I dunno. I just felt like my hair was really dry and every time I washed it it was gross and crunchy so I'm trying to hydrate my poor follicles or whatever.






I'm wearing: F21 dress and belt, Target beret, shoes c/o Blowfish.

I rediscovered this badass pom-pom beret while going through the mountain of old/forgotten clothes in my closet a few weeks ago. Sadsauce that I found it in spring, it's rather a winter hat, but I wore it yesterday anyway! Rebellion! ...Not really at all but yeah.

I've decided to take outfit pictures every day if I can, but only post on the blog every other day. That way I'll hopefully not get behind so much on my posts, and I won't overload you all with constant posting. I think this is a glorious idea and I am a genius.

Holy crap I wore more than one color yesterday WHAT IS HAPPENING.

Once a Cellist

My fingers hurt. This is because I just busted out the ol' cello (fondly named Dorian Gray), and after 4 or so years of dormancy, my poor cello fingers are extremely frail and pathetic. After about 15 minutes of playing, my bow hand is all cramped due to holding the bow all wrong (to be fair I've never held my bow quite right), and my left hand is absolutely stinging from plonking around on those strings. Ow. My most of me.

The reason I'm forcing myself to play the cello again (not that I don't enjoy it, but look at me, I can barely type), is that a friend has asked me to record a cello part for his band this week. His cellist had to bail at the last second, and as I'm the only other cellist he knows, I get to take her place! I'm kind of excited about it, but also super nervous and frustrated because I used to be a middling to decent cellist, and now I'm like a high school freshman all over again. It's rather depressing, considering that of all the instruments I ever played, cello was by far the one I loved the most (and the one I was best at).





I'm wearing: F21 dress and hat, H&M cardi and necklace.

Maybe one of these days I'll take some photos of Dorian to show off all over the internets, and maybe even Isidore, who is admittedly much nicer to me after years of disuse (there are no difficult fingerings to remember!). Isidore is my harp. I was never very good at playing the harp, but it's a lot easier to just sort of pick up and dink around on and create a pleasing sound, whereas with a cello you have to know what you're doing to make it sound at all nice.

Liar and a Cheat

Welcome to Blogger Fail, population: me. Okay okay, I don't fail, but it has been decidedly Too Long since I last updated here. I miss it! To be quite honest my outfits have been very lacking in the past week. As in, super super lacking. I can't even remember what I've been wearing because it's so dreadfully nondescript. Alas.

Remember that whole "I WANNA DRESS LIKE A WRITER DERP" post? Well that went out the window pretty fast. I've nothing in my closet that makes me want to get dressed, and nothing that inspires me, so I've just been wearing whatever. Which is awful because I never feel as confident when I'm wearing just whatever.

This is an outfit that I actually spruced up a bit when I came home because I'm a liar and a cheat. I was not wearing the socks or shoes or hat at work (so basically all of it). Also I could wear this hat every day.







I'm wearing: F21 dress/tunic, H&M hat and necklace, UO bag, shoes c/o Blowfish.

I got a new bag! I'm very excited about it. I tend to bring a lot of stuff with me to work every day (i.e. my Macbook, books, DVDs, lunch, granola bars, my gloves, my giant wallet, Macbook charger, etc), and I was getting super annoyed with/bored of my old bag (a red backpack/bag from UO as well which I got years ago), so I got this one on sale. I LOVE IT. I love the vintage collegiate/doctor-y look of it. And obviously, I love everything having to do with doctors... or Doctors. (Doctor Watson and The Doctor, guys.)

Speaking of the Doctor, I've made an appointment with a work friend for us to get tattoos on April 30th! We're both getting TARDIS tattoos, how wretchedly geeky are we? The best part is that she had never seen Doctor Who until she met me, and once I learned she was super into British television, I made her watch and now she is as big a fangirl as me! A truly amazing accomplishment on my part, I must say. I've influenced somebody enough to get a freaking TARDIS tattoo. My work here on Earth is done.

O HAI

I have ab-so-lutely nothing of use to say today! Therefore, have a glimpse into what I do to entertain myself at work. I write short-short stories to my friend Rachael via instant message. Damn you, 640MB of RAM! *shakes fist at heavens*

from the primeval forests they sprang, shaking off the dirt of a million years, and they lay dormant, waiting until we should call for them. waiting... yet when we at last sent out a call for the dells, they trekked over mountains and through plains, and as they finally came to lie at our feet, proffering their CPUs and their CD-Rs and their color monitors, we proclaimed, "seriously? 640 MB of RAM? fuck that," and fell upon them with hammers.



I don't remember when I took these photos but I figured I ought to use them at some point. Derp.

Also I read this amazing book, My Dearest Holmes, by Rohase Piercy. If for some reason you're as obsessed as I am with straight/ambiguous dudes being ~super gay~ for each other, then you ought to read this. It's actually quite well-written, and while John Watson is written as a bit of a basket-case (what grown military man is going to start weeping at the least provocation?), it's pretty much a really, really great fanfic in published book form. Read it.

Writing High

I am in a GOOD MOOD today! There are just so many reasons why my life rules in general, especially today. Not only did I finish The Walking Dead volume 6, but I drank coffee at work and it didn't make me sick, I watched The Mighty Boosh and Sherlock while taking calls, and I found this photo of Patrick Wolf looking like an utter and complete BAMF.

And then there's the rough draft of a short story I wrote last night! Clearly, and I can't stress this to myself enough: writing fiction gives me an extreme high. Especially when it's characters I love. It's like revisiting old friends and finding that you get along with them just as swimmingly as the last time you saw them, which is an incredible feeling. I missed these characters and I plan to force myself to write about them regularly from now on!








I'm wearing: Express skirt, Gap blouse, H&M hat and necklace.

I've decided I need to dress more like a writer from now on. How pretentious does that sound? But I don't care, I want tweed and grandpa sweaters and seasonally inappropriate scarves and elbow patches and bow ties and... and. What do writers wear, anyway, aside from my own personal conviction that as a writer I ought to dress like a hybrid of the Eleventh Doctor and Johnny Depp in Secret Window?

Take today's outfit, for example. Far too pulled-together to be writerly, I'd say. In this outfit I'd much rather be in the dingy bars of Portland's late 19th century, sipping gin and narrowly avoiding being Shanghai'd into slavery on some ship bound for the Orient. Although a struggle in the dark tunnels of the Portland Underground would be a stimulating adventure, all told.

Decaf Blogging

Behold my deadened, seemingly sightless eyes. I'm staring into the void because I didn't have a Dr Pepper immediately upon my return home from work. Instead I spent an hour and a half sitting on the bed, talking with Greg. One of the topics covered was, am I allowed to snog Benedict Cumberbatch if he chats me up in London (because this would totally happen). The answer is no, I am not. This is thoroughly disappointing, but at least I'm allowed to take pictures if I come across David Tennant snogging Matt Smith? Fair deal, Greg... fair deal.









I'm wearing: F21 skirt and belt, H&M blouse, thrifted scarf, Old Navy cardigan.

Mmmm yeah look at my wrinkly skirt. You like those wrinkles? Yeah I bet you do. You like those wrinkles in my skirt. Aw yeah. Uh-huh.

...I don't know. I'm dead inside from lack of caffeine. Oh but I finished A Matter of Magic finally! It was adorable and fun and awesome, naturally, since Patricia C. Wrede is pretty much one of the best YA authors ever. I'm now trying to decide whether I should read A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin next, or The House on Durrow Street, which is the sequel to a book I read a last fall (The Magicians and Mrs Quent by Galen Beckett). I want to start A Game of Thrones, since I've heard so much about it, but I'm looking forward to the upcoming show on HBO and I'm worried that if I read the book first I'll nitpick the show and won't enjoy it as much. So, for sanity's sake, I may just read it once I'm done watching the show.

Bah! So many books. And I want to make a Powell's trip soon, too. I've been really enjoying The Walking Dead, and I'd love to read more graphic novels and comics while at work. Any recommendations? I've already read Scott Pilgrim, but that's about it in the way of comics. I'm such a geek failure.