daily dose: what a difference a day makes

Tasks
1. as per usual: teach teach teach (the students are currently doing a project, so I just have to walk around every few minute and supervise, answer any questions that come up, etc.)
2. afternoon meeting
3. talent show in the evening! the kiddos all get to present a talent and it’s super adorable. last session we had some great performance… and some super awkward ones… and a few pubescent-boy-cracking-voice incidents. so charming!

Trappings

jeans — F21 blouse — Loft, thrifted sweater — thrifted belt – F21 beads and scarf — vintage

Tales

I’m having one of those strange mornings. Yesterday was… rough. I caught students breaking the rules, lying to me, etc. I had to have showdowns with those students. I made one kid cry (justifiably, but still, it made me feel like crap). I kept having to wake students up in my Short Fiction class when they were falling asleep over their writing. Overall, I felt pretty demoralized by the classroom yesterday, like I just couldn’t trust any of my students and couldn’t keep their interest and wasn’t doing a very good job at, well, at my job.

Bur today? The kiddos are on it! Maybe it was my whip cracking yesterday, maybe it’s because I have a different cross-section of campers in my classes today, maybe it’s because it’s the second-to-last day of camp and they’re feeling nostalgic already. Who knows. But somehow, today, the students are engaged, vocal, contributing to a rich and nuanced discussion (about racism and white privilege! they’re learning!) , and are currently spread out through my classroom on the floor, working collaboratively on their projects, sharing and laughing and generally impressing the crap out of me. Whew! They’re being so task-oriented and responsible that I can comfortably sit here and write this, occasionally checking in with them, but I’m not worried about their behavior at all. What a difference a day makes, right?

daily dose: hiking + 19 of 30-ish

Tasks
1. make delicious food all morning
2. go on a hike to work it off in the afternoon

Trappings

jeans — Gap blouse — thrifted scarf (as headband) — Mom’s bracelet and necklace — homemade

Tales

So El Boyfriend’s sister is still visiting and it’s lovely because she’s fun and nice and we always have a blast when we hang out. But it’s especially lovely right now because she says funny things a lot… for example, this morning, after I’d finally gotten dressed and had spent, you know, at least thirty minutes trying to get this turban-style headband to work (do you like? I’m totally charmed!), she said, “Martina, are you really wearing a blouse hiking?” Yes, El B’s Sis, I am: my name is Martina, I’m a style blogger, and I have a fashion addiction. I’m sorry.

Anyhooo, this scarf used to be my mom’s and I loved it so much as a child that she eventually gave it to me. By which  mean she eventually looked the other way when I… ahem… permanently borrowed it. Oh well. I wish I’d taken a close up of the glorious colors (purples and oranges and corals and blues!) but after I’d spent soooo long getting it onto my head, I didn’t want to risk taking it off for a picture. Now let’s hope my bike helmet doesn’t ruin it!

Two final things: (1) sorry to not give you my 18 of 30 yesterday — I had an all day teacher training and was way too rushed before and sweaty after to take pictures. (2) expect a food porn post soon — I have been cooking like crazy!

daily dose: awkward confessions + 16 of 30-ish

Tasks
1. Class… again… forever… in French
2. Costco run — gotta buy a bunch of meat to grill on the 4th!
3. I think we’re taking a long bike ride this evening around the river

Trappings

skirt — American Apparel blouse — H&M scarf — free trade store in Berkeley

Tales

So here’s my 16th outfit and its attendant confession: this scarf is not actually a scarf. It’s a table runner. That I bought at a fair trade home goods store. And that I love so much I couldn’t bear to just leave on a table. Yep, there’s my style motto: if you like it enough, make it into clothing. Awesome.

And here’s my next confession: my camera is set to take ten pictures automatically. I try out different poses and spots to stand every day, so sometimes I end up with up to fifty pictures to choose from for the one or two I’ll edit and put in a post. And some days there is absolutely not one good picture. I had to go back twice to take more shots just to get these two mediocre pictures. And you know what? Even though I want to pretend I don’t care, the only reason I’m not taking yet another set of ten to thirty pictures is because I’ve run out of time. A little awkward, no?

daily dose: steps to a better day

Tasks
1. Class
2. Class
3. Personal treat: my fave resale store is having its seasonal 50% off sale. Last time I made out like a bandit, so I’m excited to see what I find!

Trappings

pants — GAP blouse — Generra, thrifted (at the same store that is having the sale today. fingers crossed!) sweater — thrifted beads — once upon a time they were my mother’s

Tales

Steps to a better day:

1. Press snooze so that you can be the little spoon for ten more minutes
2. Groggily watch this video two, maybe three times while the coffee brews:
3. Try not to dwell on how much you wish Stanley was your dog. Or how badly you wish your apartment allowed dogs. Or how nice it would be to hug a large, hairy beast around its silly puppy neck right now.
4. Bitterly wash your face, mumbling under your breath about the ridiculous housing policies that allow your neighbor to live here with her KIDS, who are much louder and more destructive than any dog you would have AND who practice the cello for hours every day.
5. Do not do your hair, as it will only make you resent being awake even more. Instead, put it in a ponytail and make a half-assed argument to yourself that it looks “messy-chic” that way.
6. Stand in your underwear in front of the closet for a while, guzzling coffee.
7. Put on your favorite, softest, most colorful, and most shapeless blouse so that you feel like a soft, cheerful circus tent. But in a good way.
8. Layer with something warm and snuggly, because it’s cold and rainy out even though it’s nearly June. Try not to dwell on this.
9. Add beads. They always make you feel positive about the world.
10. Guzzle more coffee.
11. Above all, put on a happy face:

So, my pets, what steps do you take for a better day?

friendly friday: peeves and pets

The brilliant Katy Rose at Modly Chic links up fashion and beauty bloggers via the FBFF google group, asking weekly questions about blogging and life. Check it out here

This week, the questions are about out the blogging pet peeves we have:

1. I really dislike disorder, both in the layout of the blog, the layout of the post, and the consistency of the narrative voice. I’m all for people working through their own blogging styles (if you’ve been reading me since I started, you’ll know that I’ve made a lot of small changes in order to better express myself through this platform), but I want to be able to see things clearly and get a real sense of who it is I’m reading about, which is made very difficult when things are messy.

2. You know why I read your blog? And not just read it, mind you, but become a real participant? It’s not because your wardrobe is so exemplary that I can’t look away. It’s not because you do a thousand giveaways a week. It’s because I like you — the personality that shines through your photos, your text, your responses to my comments, your engagement with me as another real human being — and I’m interested in seeing how you contextualize your physical appearance and how you let yourself really come through to your readers.

3. Photo dumps. I love to see photos, but I prefer them to have been culled a little. Pick just the best ones and give some context for what we’re seeing and I’ll be much more engaged.

Okay. There’s all the grump I’m willing to allow on this gorgeous, sunny, warm day! I can’t let the grump infiltrate, because I’m about to go lead a very uncomfortable class session about Huck Finn and that one word we’d all like to pretend we didn’t have to deal with…

skirt — American Apparel, ancient shirt — FXXI, thrifted jacket — FXXI, ancient

awkwardly awesome on a foggy day

Awkward
1. Grant proposals — it’s so uncomfortable to toot my own horn. “Hello, esteemed professors! I am amazing and worth giving extra money too! Sincerely, Awkward Martina”
2. Oregon spring weather — it’s warm, by the middle of the day (sort of), but it’s still raining, mostly (except for when it’s not), and whatever’s happening now will change in about five minutes… then change back again. Oy.
3. People on Segways — someone cut me off on my bike while riding one!
4. Biking in heavy fog — it’ll be a coooold morning ride
Awesome
1. It’s almost the weekend
2. It’s almost the end of the term
3. I’m almost, but not quite, at the end of my rope. Almost is awesome, right? No… maybe awkward.
4. Okay, for real awesome? New blogger friends. Had so much fun with Paper Doll project — welcome new readers! — and really enjoyed e-meeting a whole slew of lovely bloggers through it. Yay!
Awkwardly awesome?

skirt — Boden blouse — Generra, thrifted sweater — ancient wrap sweater, refashioned by me belt — FXXI shoes — Target, thrifted

Okay, dearies, have an awesome, awkward, spring day!

daily dose: all Paper Doll’ed up

Tasks
1. Be dressed by the super lovely Amy of Stylish Year for the Paper Doll Project run by the also lovely Suze of Miss Vinyl Ahoy — oh has this ever been a fun project. Hop over to Amy’s blog to see the look I put her in!
2. Teach
3. Study
4. Appointment
5. Evening talk by the force of nature Sheryl WuDunn, who will give a talk entitled “The Greatest Unexploited Resource in the World Today Isn’t Oil or Gold or Wind. It’s Women” from her book (so-written by her equally impressive husband Nicholas Kristof) Half the Sky – some of us are super excited about seeing this change-maker in the flesh
Trappings

skirt — thrifted top — FXXI, thrifted scarf — present from Brazil belt — thrifted shoes – Target, thrifted

Tales

I’m not going to lie for even a second: I love this outfit. Even though this is long, busy day, I can’t be grumpy because I would have picked this outfit myself, given enough time (a la monkeys, typewriters, and the probability of Shakespeare’s works resulting in their connection). And I’m super happy to be wearing this look today because it’s comfortable, classy, and has that touch of sass that I love. It also might have a small touch of oatmeal somewhere on the tights, but blame my inability to even feed myself breakfast seamlessly. Let’s all just count it as a win that I’m not wearing my coffee, too.

So I love the look — but why did Amy pick it out for me? The only request I made was that the final look fit my Entirely Independent project. With just a browse through my archives, she came up with a great, totally Martina look. And why? Well, let’s see what she has to say:

I was so excited to be partnered up with Martina because it gave me an excuse to spend time looking through all of her archives without feeling guilty about all of the other things on my to-do list!! As I browsed around this here site I bookmarked any pieces that stood out to me right away and fortunately for me, at the end, I had a whole outfit picked out that coordinated very well together My first point of inspiration? This darling yellow skirt. Yellow is by far one of my fav colors and was thrilled to see Martina loves it too. Then, if you know me, you know why I picked the striped shirt….. Stripes seems to be all I wear recently. So, to sum it all up, I dressed Martina up in an outfit I want to be wearing today. Hopefully she wants to be wearing it to!!!

Well shucks. Thanks oodles to Suze (and Erin and Liz) for organizing this event and major thanks to Amy for a look I love, for a series of totally fun emails, and for letting me dress her up, too!

p.s. If you want to showcase your Entirely Independent looks, pick up my button, leave me a note, and let your independent flag fly. Unless you’re an Independent, in which case I think your flag says “don’t tread on me.” So it’s slightly different.

<br /><a href=”http://thelifeacademic.wordpress.com/tag/entirely-independent/”><img src=”http://thelifeacademic.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/button-11.jpg?w=191&h=191&#8243; border=”0″ /></a>

daily dose: belting it

Tasks
1. Class
2. Class
3. Collapse
4. Beers with friends this evening
Trappings

Today’s entire outfit inspiration came from wanting to combine this scarf with this belt.

jeans — FXXI shirt — Macy’s belt — thrifted a trazillion years ago scarf — present from Amman, Jordan

Tales
I fell asleep accidentally last night, on the couch, and was so out that I apparently took myself from the couch to the bed at some point. I have no memory of this. I also have no memory of El Boyfriend coming home late, finding me in bed, and trying to wake me up to see if I was okay. Or him getting in bed to go to sleep. Or his early morning alarm and the apparent conversation I had with him about it. I guess I was pretty tired?
Anyhow, it was hard to wake up this morning, and once I’d decided that I wanted to combo this belt and this scarf, I just went with it from there. I’m not so sure it worked out as well as it could have, but I did what I could in my semi-awake state.

it’s awkwardly awesome to be back

awkward
1. being back from being sick and… having to tell everyone I had the stomach flu
2. going to a bowling party tonight even though I’m medically not allowed to bowl
3. back injuries that prevent me from bowling
awesome
1. being back!
2. two and a half days on the couch meant that I both got some stuff done and enjoyed some irresponsible watching of TV
3. tonight’s pre-wedding reception for some lovely friends, even if it is at a bowling alley
4. tomorrow night’s Royal Wedding Watching Party (I’m wearing a suit!)
awesomely awkward

Blouse — Moth, thrifted Jeans — Old Navy Sweatheart, thrifted Boots — Civico 10 Tank — a trillion years old necklaces — homemade

Have an awesomely awkward day, my sweets. Bowl a frame for me, okay?

blurgh

What! The first day I get to eat leavened bread in a week and I get felled by the stomach bug? For the love of crackers, this sucks. Anyhow, since I’m out of commission and avoiding solids, I’ll leave you with this: my Big Sis Rachel feeding me at another time when I couldn’t handle solid food.

Yep, way more adorable then than now. Hope everyone else’s day is lovely. I’m going back to bed.