déjà vu

"Remembering is mental time travel, a sort of reliving of something that happened in the past." (Endel Tulving)

There is something about this tunnel that compels me to philosophize about time travel. And, appropriately, one of my gal pals had déjà vu at dinner on Saturday night, prompting me to expound briefly on the possible scientific explanations I had read about (oddly enough, I had also experienced déjà vu the last time I saw one of these girls out of context [aka out of college]).

dé·jà vu \ˌdā-ˌzhä-ˈvü, -ˈvue\: any subjectively inappropriate impression of familiarity of the present experience with an undefined past.

This article from New York Times Magazine is specifically about the rare disorder déjà vécu (basically, persistent déjà vu), but it mentions Alan Brown's book "The Déjà Vu Experience" and his four broad categories of possible scientific explanation.

1. dual-processing: if one brain process is recording a memory and a glitch in the temporal lobe causes another brain process to start playing the memory back simultaneously, it could feel like a memory.

2. neurological: if the brain perceives an event, and two electrical signals go to the brain but one is delayed, when it reaches its destination an unsettling familiarity might result.

3. memory: if the brain recognizes something (object, person, place, etc.) from a similar situation in the past, it could cause a momentary eerie familiarity (personally, I don't think this is a likely explanation).

4. double perception: if the brain is momentarily distracted after "recording" part of an experience, it could potentially feel as if the moment is repeating itself when it returns to the scene a fraction of a second later.

4. double perception: if the brain is momentarily distracted after "recording" part of an experience, it could potentially feel as if the moment is repeating itself when it returns to the scene a fraction of a second later.

Haha! Did you catch that? I crack myself up. I also read somewhere that it could be caused by one eye blinking a fraction of a second before the other (sort of a minor twitch or seizure) and recording the memory before the other eye could record it a second time. Anyway, I think all of these weird common experiences we have are pretty fascinating, even though I can't believe that the experience is in any way related to previous lives or prophecy. I'm not scientifically-inclined enough to delve much deeper into the neurological possibilities... anyone else have any crazy theories??

(dress: Goodwill; slipdress: UO; sweater: cedar chest; necklace: F21; crystal beads: Grammy Flood; boots: Seychelles)

i hear that whistle blowing

Happy Friday, everybody! As you can see, I got my new boots in the mail and I love them.

Another thing I love? Ladies' Weekend! I'll be leaving work a little bit early and driving down to Portland, ME for a long weekend with my lovely college girlfriends!! I'm really excited :) It was quite a shock when I graduated from having these girls in my life every single day and night to moving across the country and seeing them not at all! Since I moved back we've been making an effort to get together regularly, so I'm finally getting back into the groove, but I still miss them! Last time we got together was for a little hen weekend before my friend S tied the knot at City Hall, and this time we're celebrating the departure of B, who will be jetting across the Atlantic at the end of August for a full year at the American University of Paris (I'm dripping with envy...)!

And I get to have lunch today with Shelley, my old college roommate and co-collegiate a cappella companion, whose husband (!) is in town on business! It's like a flashback to 2007, and I love love love it.

I also quite love this eighties dress, which was awkwardly long when I bought it (for $2!) at Bargain Boutique and is now the perfect length (thanks to my stellar hemming skills). The puffy sleeves are fantastic and the print will be perfect for fall.

Oh--and one more thing I love? You guys! Thanks for reading :)

(dress/belt: Bargain Boutique; hat: thrifted; necklace: antique store; boots: Seychelles via endless.com)

a floral frolic

I can't believe August is already almost over! I know I've been dreaming of autumn leaves lately, but once I get past the pull of pumpkin spice lattes and the prospect of apple picking, I realize that after autumn comes winter... my least favorite season, which lasts for far too long in these parts. So I dedicate this outfit to the pleasure of a sunny summer day.

I guess the reason I can't fully appreciate summer is that it's not the same as it once was (when I had such a thing as "summer vacation"). It would be lovely if I could actually enjoy the sun and the sweltering heat, but I'm stuck an air-conditioned office five days a week! Even when I do get a chance to wander around (on my lunch break), I just sweat into my bobbysocks. Balderdash.

I haven't even gone swimming in a lake yet this year! I hope that summer extends a little bit into September, for that reason alone! My August weekends are already booked solid!

(romper: TJMaxx; floral shirt: Bargain Boutique; hat: thrifted; shoes: Seychelles; glass beads: Grammy Flood)

Sláinte, summer. I'll miss you when you're gone.

let's give 'em something to talk about

"...the most exaggerated speeches usually hid the weakest feelings--as though the fullness of the soul did not sometimes overflow into the emptiest phrases, since no one can ever express the exact measure of his needs, his conceptions or his sorrows, and human speech is like a cracked pot on which we beat out rhythms for bears to dance to when we are striving to make music that will wring tears from the stars."

(Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary, p165)

I'll keep this short and sweet, to keep the crackpot speech to a minimum. I've discovered a brilliant new idea and you should all jump on board and go for a sail with me in the trendsetting sea... belts as bracelets!

I've been covetously eyeing those wraparound leather bracelets for a while now, but never got around to buying one. I also wanted to find a way to showcase the craftsmanship of this Navajo-print beaded belt, since the beading runs along my back when I wear it the usual way.

Speaking of craftsmanship, I bought this necklace in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland at a multicultural craft fair. And I stole this tee shirt from K's closet, which was pretty crafty of me if I do say so myself.

(hat: UO; belt: Bargain Boutique; necklace: craft fair; jeans: PacSun; shoes: Steve Madden; tee shirt: stolen from K)

I've been wearing my gladiator sandals into the ground in anticipation of their slow fade from the fashion front. These were the first "expensive" shoes I ever bought, right when I started to get interested in my personal style. Here's to you, Steve Madden.

thoughts on fall

(Dear Creatures F/W 2010)

I absolutely love the Dear Creatures Fall/Winter 2010 collection. What I do not love is how my addiction to shoes continues to cripple my cash flow. I'll certainly be adding a classic black Mary Jane to my wish list this autumn (although probably with a heel), and a nice matte red lip will coordinate nicely with my heather grey nails.

I'm also quite enamored of Orla Kiely's collection this fall, though I think some of the pattern mixing in the lookbook distracts and doesn't particularly inspire me. I am partial to the more neutral pieces in navy, black and grey and the delicate balance between classic and contemporary cuts is absolutely spot-on.

(Orla Kiely, A/W 2010)

However, I am still quite smitten with the 2009 fall collection... those patterned tights are to kill for! (If anyone knows where I can buy them, I promise I will spare you...)

(Orla Kiely, A/W 2009)

flowers for a frenzied fool

"Don't you know that there are some souls that are constantly tormented? They need dreams and action, one after the other, the purest passions, the most frenzied pleasures, and it leads them to throw themselves into all sorts of fantasies and follies."

(Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary, p123)

Sunday night, K and I went to see Myra and Greg (as Side Pony) play some serious eighties on dueling keys at Red Square in Burlington. K and I only got up and boogied for one song, but every single one was definitely boogie-worthy. They're both incredibly talented musicians and flashbacks to 1985 are always a good time! Going to shows like this (especially when I know the performers) always makes me wish I had kept up any of the various instruments I used to play (violin, guitar... I even took a few piano lessons!), and if I had the funds I would definitely invest in a good keyboard and monkey around on it--I've always wanted to be a lounge singer. I don't think I could ever commit to making my living as a musician though... it's too exhausting, too demanding, too many compromises. I prefer the freedom of fantasies and follies.

(sweater: stolen from parents' cedar chest; chambray shirt: Walmart; jeans: PacSun; shoes: Seychelles; necklace: UO)