life before man and other stories

So the heat wave has officially passed over. Now it's kind of cloudy and on the verge of rain, which inconveniently coincides with a sudden loss of all hot water in the apartment. Cold shower = unhappy morning.

(gold tank/shorts: Bargain Boutique; necklace/bracelet: flea market; shoes: Kohl's)

I think I might start a new trend... wrinkly clothes! Wouldn't life be so much easier that way?

I've been reading like a fiend lately--Margaret Atwood recaptured my attention with The Robber Bride (highly recommended--and holy smokes, apparently there is also a movie??) and I started Life Before Man almost immediately after my eyes passed over the final sentence of Robber Bride. It's funny--reading two books by the same author in such rapid succession, I start to see parallels and similarities between them that certainly say something about the consistency of her style. The transition was so seamless it's almost as if LBM is only an extension of TRB--an epilogue, or something. I love when I find a female writer who I can relate to. I am often discouraged by the lack of truly thoughtful, intellectually astute contemporary female novelists. I like Margaret Atwood and Joan Didion and Erica Jong (and my very favorite, Simone de Beauvoir), but they are writers of generations past. We need new voices!

Cape Cod Countdown: 3 days!

activism and thriftivism

#1: Firstly, check out my new purse!!! K and I went on a thrifting spree this weekend (I love that he hits the thrift stores with me, although he's usually finished in about five minutes and I can peruse for hours!!) and I found this classic, vintage Dooney and Bourke purse in a special display case at Goodwill. I've been looking high and low for one of these on etsy.com, and I've bookmarked a couple dozen as favorites but never got around to actually purchasing one. I had specifically been looking for navy and tan, but the burgundy suits me just fine! At $25, it was a little steep for a cheapskate thrifting adventure, but I couldn't pass it up!

#2: I got this skirt at Bargain Boutique on my lunch break last week.

#3: Let us please observe a moment of silence for mon petit frere, who is indefinitely unable to participate in any sort of wardrobe remix, as he is currently clad in an orange jumpsuit at a West Virginian state penitentiary (!!!).

I can't help but mention it--sorry, Colin! It's really not a terribly tragic story--we were all expecting him to land in the slammer sooner or later. He's been down south with the Mountain Justice/Climate Ground Zero crew, protesting mountain top removal. Last Wednesday he was arrested for chaining himself to a high wall miner on Coal River Mountain (video) and charged with trespassing, misdemeanor conspiracy, and obstructing police activity. His bail is currently set at $2500 and he is waiting for an available public defender. You can read his statement of action here, if you're interested... I'm kind of proud of him for standing up so firmly for what he believes in! He's an extremely smart guy, and I think his eloquence and understanding are a real credit to the movement.

(skirt/cardigan: Bargain Boutique; shirt: Old Navy; socks: Kohl's; shoes: Seychelles; purse: Dooney and Bourke c/o Goodwill; necklace: UO; glasses: F21)

In other news... countdown to Cape Cod: 4 days!!

she sees seychelles

After months and months (maybe even a year) of quietly coveting Rebecca's cognac-colored Seychelles oxfords, and after days and days of scouring the deepest, darkest pockets of the neverending interweb, I finally found, purchased (at $70, they were still the second-priciest pair of shoes I've ever owned, but at half-price--I couldn't resisit), and received the most absolutely perfect pair of lace-up lovelies mine eyes have ever seen:

I actually received these shoes from Eilatan.com last week (looks like they're sold out now), but I waited and waited to break them out with an outfit to end all outfits--an outfit that would blow your minds the way that the perfection of these shoes blew mine. And then, I pulled my grumbling head out of my unsatisfactory closet collection and threw on some clothes and slipped these beauties onto my feet. I just had to get the first wear out of the way, you know? I don't know why I always feel like the debut of a new favorite accessory has to occur simultaneously with some sort of wardrobe epiphany that elevates my personal style to new heights.

I am also dying to purchase yet another pair of Seychelles from Eilatan (most favorite new website ever), but buying two pairs of expensive shoes in such rapid succession is just bad news. We'll see how long my good behavior lasts this time... I just hope they don't sell out before I can snatch them!

(dress: H&M; denim jacket: Goodwill (AE); necklace: antique; glasses: F21; shoes: Seychelles (Eilatan.com))

All I can say is: I'm so glad it's Friday at last! I'm hoping to do some thifting this weekend, maybe a little sewing, maybe a little writing, definitely a little bit more loving of these shoes.

:)

wanderlust wednesday: scotland

While studying in Ireland, I couldn't resist the quick trip over to the Scottish Isle with a group of my new girlfriends. I can't remember how we got there, but I assume that we flew Ryanair (this airline was my saving grace--tickets to surrounding countries could be purchased for $15!) to Glasgow, even though we exited onto the Glasgow street via this beautiful train station (above). Please forgive me, my life was a whirlwind back then. I guess we probably just took a subway from the airport to our final destination. ANYWAY. Immediately after arrival, we dumped our luggage at the hostel where we had secured a private room (and where one of my friends suffered a serious attack of bed bugs... they're real) and went exploring:

The coolest thing about Glasgow was this graveyard (above), sprawled out over an enormous hill behind the Glasgow Cathedral. We spent hours wandering the Cathedral grounds, soaking up the warm Scottish sun and pondering the gorgeous gravestones. That evening, we went out for a nice dinner before descending into a dive-y wine bar for the night.

The next morning, feeling (and looking) a little worse for wear after a long night (and bed bug attack), we ventured out to the Willow Tea Rooms for scones with clotted cream and cup after cup of rejuvenating hot tea, before hopping a train to Edinburgh! We spent the first day wandering the streets of the lovely old city...

...enjoying the quaintness of classic European novelties...

...and climbing the 287 curving, claustrophobic steps of the Walter Scott monument...

...(which rewarded us with a magnificent panoramic view of the city proper).

After a brief siesta at the hostel, we headed out to the "hip" part of town and wiled away the remainder of the evening at a lively biergaarten.

The next morning we rose relatively bright and early to hit a few of the hotspots. First, a tour of Edinburgh Castle:

(please excuse my confused sense of style)

Then, an adventure! From the Walter Scott tower the day before, we had glimpsed what looked like some ancient ruins on the outskirts of the city. After touring the castle, we walked and walked and walked and walked and walked until we reached our destination:

And then, we walked some more--823 ft. up the side of a mountain, all the way to the very top:

If you ever go to Edinburgh, definitely take the time to hike the hills to the top of King Arthur's Seat. It's an easy, slowly sloping climb and the view is definitely worth the time and energy. Even though we saw a multitude of other climbers on the way up, the mood at the peak is quiet and contemplative--we just sat silently at the top for a nice long time before we finally began our descent. On the walk back, we stopped for simple, but surprisingly delicious, sandwiches--cucumber and brie on a baguette.

Late that night we departed for Newcastle, which must not have been very impressive (or maybe my camera battery died) because the only photo I have is of the train station on the way out to the airport when the day was done:

Don't get me wrong, Newcastle was nice enough. We just didn't do very much (and it's not in Scotland anyway, if you want to get technical). If I recall, my roommate and I aimlessly wandered the streets for hours looking for Newcastle on tap and they didn't have it anywhere! We couldn't find a single bar where we could get a pint of the hearty brown ale. Foiled, we ended up buying a bunch of books and reading the day away at the base of a monument in the center of town before meeting up with the rest of our group for an incredible Indian meal and rendez-vous at the train station (above).

People always seem puzzled by my enchantment with Edinburgh. I don't know why I developed such an immediate fondness for it, but if I had to guess I would say that it's probably because all of my aesthetic environmental needs were met. It's a charming, historic (and clean) city, surrounded by grassy hills and castles! What's not to love? For a girl who often feels the contradictory tug of her equal love for urban and rural living, Edinburgh struck the perfect balance. I guess that's the reason. Perhaps I'll never know :)

Next week: Italia!

chevron ballerina

I got this skirt about six years ago, on the super-sale rack at Urban Outfitters. It may have been the very first thing that I ever bought at UO, back when it wasn't the hipster hotspot it is today. When I bought it, the skirt was too big and too long, and I think I wore it maybe once before burying it in my dresser with an imaginary "project" sign on it. It's still too big (hence the belt), but the shorter length has definitely brought this funky little skirt back to life in my book.

(skirt: UO; top: Marshall's; shoes: Kohl's; belt: Old Navy)

Pink really isn't a color that I wear very often. It's a little bit too Pepto-Bismol Barbie for me, I guess. When I do happen to wear pink I usually feel too... sweet, or something. Like an eleven-year-old girl clinging furiously to her femininity in a boys-have-cooties kind of way. Like Shelly Tambo (if you don't get this reference, you need to watch Northern Exposure--stat!) and her sickeningly pink interior redecoration of Holling's apartment.

Of course, that's overkill. A little bit of pink can go a long way. This skirt also makes me feel a bit like a ballerina, with the slight tutu-inspired poof and the unapologetically girlish hue.