How I wore it: quick errands

It's a beautiful day today, but - alas - yesterday Baby Boots woke up with a summer cold, so we want to take it easy this last weekend before the big grind starts again. Baby Boots (and my husband) still haven't woken up from their afternoon naps, so who knows - maybe we'll do something fun in a bit, but this morning we dedicated to a sorely-needed grocery run.

This is a typical summer outfit for me, recently:

Not yet wearing shoes, but just imagine black Birkenstocks with this…

As I've said, my aesthetic has been changing and I feel so much more myself in a fun tank and soft pants. One thing that we haven't talked about yet because I've been away from Style Nation for so long is my new-ish obsession with 'Game of Thrones.' Holy God, do I love that show. In terms of big spectacles, I think that it's the best thing on TV right now. And I'm totally a fangirl about it. So I own several articles of 'GoT'-inspired clothes, including these so-called workout tanks. Also, fun fact: on a certain quiz app on my phone, I'm ranked 4th-best in MASSACHUSETTS at 'GoT' quizzes. Woot!

The pants I've had for a little over a year. I was inspired by Natalie when I went through a massive reading of all her archives while in Greece last year. She herself loves harem pants (still don't like that term) and when I saw how these black ones looked on her, I ordered the same exact ones myself and warned my house sitter to expect a package from American Apparel in the mail. The effect is different, but I love them. They're my "nice" comfy pants. I wear them a lot to run errands or for travelling. Heck, I even wore them for the first day of meetings at work last year. 

Since it was a little chillier than we expected AND our local supermarket is always freezing, I threw on a light sweatshirt:

That, my friends, is a walrus sweatshirt. I bought it last winter, from here: there's amazing stuff here - go check it out! This sweatshirt has already become a workhorse: I love it for its neutral color, fun shape, and - of course, adorbs walrus. Is it bad that I kind of want to add to my walrus sweatshirt arsenal with this? 

Black pants: American Apparel (online)

'Game of Thrones'-inspired tank: waycooltshirts, via etsy.com

Walrus sweatshirt: supermaggie

How I wore it: work experiment

Hey, all! Woo, today was my first day back to work since early June. I know, I know, I shouldn't complain, but man, it was tough. It was seven hours of meetings, which was tough, but it was nice to see my colleagues/friends and to catch up with a bunch of folks.

The school where I work is quite a ways from home. I usually take the subway or walk to the train station, take the train to the station near school, and then take a shuttle van from THAT train station to school, along with a bunch of students (since I teach first thing in the morning, I can't risk taking the school bus which picks up practically by my door, as it gets to school RIGHT before that first class). One of my colleagues does this thing where he bikes to the train station, takes his bike on the train, and then bikes from our stop to work. I decided to try it today. And it worked! Granted, maneuvering the bike onto (and off) the train and through the aisles was tough, but I got the job done and worked off breakfast and most of lunch! And, hey, if I could do it in 90-degree weather…

Here I am, having just come home before dashing to pick up Baby Boots from daycare, full of triumph:

On the first day of meetings, where I'm meeting (potentially dishy) new colleagues, I like to dress up a little nicer, but since I knew I'd be biking in hot weather today, I kept it super simple. 

Note, too, the sweat stains at my belly and armpits. I'm revolting. But fit!

Granted, my colleague who bikes is more of a hippie type than a spandex-clad jock, but this video sort of summed up our shared experience today:

Enjoy.

Striped tee: Gap, remixed

Shorts: J. Crew Factory (online)

Moccasins: Minnetonka (via Lord and Taylor NYC), remixed

My personal biking essentials

No outfit post today, as I pretty much wore the same thing as yesterday (except for a different top), as my husband and I ended up going on another biking lunch date, our last one, as we both have to be at work tomorrow. Alas.

So, since I didn't want to thrill you all with my breathlessly exciting choices in tank tops, I thought I'd share with you some essential stuff that I've learned about spending much of this summer on my trusty bike.

The first is hair. I always wear a helmet because, hey - better safe than sorry - but it doesn't do wonders for my hair. My default is just to put the whole shebang up in a messy low bun (again, like you saw yesterday), but sometimes I want to cute it up a bit. And this is what I do:

I side-part it up, braid a bit, and tie the rest of the whole thing in a bun. When the helmet is on, the bun is low. When I'm at rest, I put the bun at a more comfortable place for me. What I like about this hairstyle is that it's made to be messy. It actually looks a bit better after having been messed with a bit than when freshly combed. My other secret? I usually just keep the braid in until I next wash my hair. I'm gross, I know.

The other big essential has been a bit of a revelation for me: sunglasses. I haven't owned prescription sunglasses in decades and I didn't think I needed them again, as I just got used to squinting when not wearing contacts. However, after multiple trips to Greece and lots of squinting on bike paths, in March, I decided to splurge on prescription Ray-Bans. Check it:

Smirk optional.

These guys have been lifesavers. I love them. I might even go so far as to say that I wuv them. They keep my eyes nice and protected on sunny days when I'm whizzing around on my bike (or just, y'know, walking around) and I look forward to wearing them when I next go to Greece and my eyes need all the protection they can get.

So that's two things of the utmost importance for me when out and about. What have YOU been finding essential?

How I wore it: bike lunch date

… annnnd we're back! Now that I'm full of enthusiasm again, let's just jump into the whole outfit post, yes? Trust me, it's not as exciting as I'm making it seem, but here we go!

My husband and I decided to bike down to the MIT area in order to have lunch together at a little Mexican place we'd spotted a couple of weeks ago. It was a long ride and we made it longer by following the river instead of going straight down the main artery of Cambridge. The weather was in the mid-80s, the warmest it's been in quite some time, so I had to dress for comfort. Let me present my summer uniform:

And I'm still as good at posing as you remember!

… Comfy tee, shorts, and mocassins (I prefer biking in real shoes rather than sandals)! I wish I had something pity to add to this, but I really don't. I bought the t-shirt last week because it had the Beatles on it - despite not being a flattering fit for me - because that's what fangirls do. I've always been ambivalent about shorts, but I got these and I've never looked back: I freakin' LOVE them! They're so comfy and even a little flattering! And boom. That's how I've been dressing these past few months. Perfect for a little Sanskrit reading', a little ukulele playin', a lot of bikin', and some playin' with a toddler! 

Look how thrilled I am!

Welcome back, y'all!

Beatles tee: Old Navy (online)

Shorts: Gap (online)

Mocs: Minnetonka (by way of Lord and Taylor, NYC), remixed

Hey, dummy

If you watch one of my favorite TV shows, '30 Rock,' you may remember that Liz Lemon's unfortunate ex-boyfriend Dennis Duffy (portrayed by Dean Winters) will often show up at an inopportune moment, usually uttering the affectionate greeting used above.

I kind of feel like I'm Dennis, appearing out of nowhere to shock and dismay the protagonist of - okay, that simile got away from me, didn't it. Let's try again.

Hi. I haven't blogged for over a year.

Both a lot and not much has happened over the past 12 months. Baby Boots is a few months over 2 and a half (she's starting preschool in a few weeks!). We still live in Cambridge. I still work at my hippy feel-goodery school. I've been biking as much as possible when the weather permits and I'm hoping to continue by biking to and from the relevant train stations when going to/from work (school starts this coming week). I've taken up the ukulele. My hair is still long, my glasses are still green.

I didn't miss blogging much for most of the year. It was a tough year in many ways: I got increasingly unhappy and fed up at work. I pursued my dream job only to realize that it was taking a toll on my marriage, so I excused myself from that job search, which depressed me so much that I ended up getting some therapy. These past few months, I've been learning what it is to have hobbies again (biking, ukulele), which I haven't had in so many years, and that's been helping me to realize that I can be more beyond an unfulfilling job.

Over the past few months, though, I've missed blogging. So many of my favorite bloggers have disappeared and I miss the connection with other people. Sartorially, I think that my aesthetic has changed: with a summer spent State-side doing not much but biking, playing music, reading Sanskrit, and playing with Baby Boots, I've relaxed a lot - not so much dresses and sandals, but more harem pants and shorts (shorts!). I'm curious to see how that plays out when I start teaching again the week after next.

Oh, and in boots news? My husband bought me those fun turquoise cowboy boots for Christmas. I adore them. In other news? I found the elusive Frye boots that I've been wanting since November 2008 (Paige cuffs in grey). I won them in a lightning auction on eBay. Minimally used. Super comfortable. I've reached my own personal Holy Grail of boots. I'm… done looking?

So, internet, I'm back. For now. Let's see how this goes…