the birthday dress

It is my birthday today, and I just love birthdays. No, not because of the cake and the gifts and the general merrymaking (though I do quite enjoy that too), but because it's like a celebration of evading the clutches of death for one more year.

I mean, I see a lot of those "humorous" (in ironic quotes because these purportedly funny cards are typically not very funny) birthday cards that treat birthdays as if it's an occasion celebrated solely because you're one step closer to the grave. But I disagree. I'd like to see more cards treating birthdays as a celebration of the sheer luck that you've made it to another year. I know that sounds incredibly morbid, but isn't that more of a reason to celebrate? You've survived.

You didn't perish from embarrassment when you discovered your skirt was tucked into your underpants for the past hour. That ill-advised experiment of the fork in the toaster did not end up as disastrously as it could have. You've managed to escape all of Wile. E. Coyote's attempts to flatten you with an anvil (that guy's a jerk, by the way). CONGRATULATIONS. HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Doesn't that seem fitting? Maybe it's just me.

I should have Bear Grylls on my birthday cake, despite the whole controversy of "did he or did he not sleep in a hotel when he was supposed to be sleeping in the Siberian wasteland?" And that whole getting fired from Discovery thing, but whatever. That dude is crazy.

dress, h&m

jacket, american eagle (dyed)

belt, j.crew

ring, novica

necklace, larkinandlarkin via etsy

the spring witch

Whew. I just got back from a 3-day trip to Boston (or, 1.5 days in Boston with 1.5 days of travelling) for a conference and boy am I glad to be home. Not because I don't love Boston (because I do!), but because plane trips just take it out of me. Even though all you do is sit when you're on a plane, it's still incredibly tiring. I couldn't tell you why.

Oh wait, yes I can — it's because being crammed in a tiny seat for 4.5 hours next to people who don't understand the concept of keeping their elbows to themselves so that you can actually nap without waking up every 5 minutes from a bony jab to the ribs and/or head (this actually happened) is vexing, and being vexed for extended periods of time is exhausting.

Air travel is a lot less fun now that I'm all grown up. Maybe because now I know that Disney World isn't at the end of the flight.

But anyhoodle, here's a little something I wore the week before my trip...

And those dots on my nails aren't random. They're wee little constellations.
dress, vintage via ebaysweater, f21tights, xhilarationboots, vintage via etsybelt, j.crewheart ring, coachstone ring, novica

the polka dotted standard

What do you do when you find yourself in a sartorial rut? When every morning, you're faced with a closet full of clothes, but your mind refuses to do anything other than come up with increasingly unconvincing reasons as to why you should just go back to bed? ("You can sleep in for another 5 minutes, right?" "Come onnnnnnn. Go back to sleep." "Come onnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.")

In those cases, I find that go-to dresses and bright tights can usually make it at least a little better.

So, may I introduce to you my go-to dress of the moment and some very bright blue tights.

dress, cotton on

cardigan, lacoste

belt, j.crew

tights, j.crew

flats, urban outfitters

watch, fossil

skull ring, ebay

stone ring, novica

silver band, from australia

gold bangle, kate spade

bag, kooba

Still have to work with Boyfriend on the whole "don't make me look like a bobblehead" thing.

the wrinkled theater patron

I went to see the Mythbusters live yesterday at Jones Hall for their Behind the Myths Tour. For those of you not in the cool kid know like me, Mythbusters is a show on the Discovery Channel. I have a strange addiction to watching it.

It's been a while since I had a random weekday date night with Boyfriend, so it was nice to get out and do something rather than just staying in and watching endless episodes of Friends. Though the latter is nice, too.

I must have tried on every single thing in my closet before deciding to just go with this skirt and a white shirt. Boring, but after "testing out" a bunch of ensembles for this event, I was just too tired to think anymore. I mean, I went through more wardrobe changes in the span of 30 minutes than a Jubilee! marathon.

The downside of this simple outfit? How insanely wrinkled my pencil skirt was after a car ride. Hence my completely unamused expression here:

shirt, gapskirt, j.crewpumps, steve maddenbag, rebecca minkoff

But I have no excuse for Boyfriend's expression here:

I don't know what makes his face so funny in that shot, but ohhhhh, it is.

I brought in my (flashless) Polaroid 220 camera too, which predictably garnered a few stares and murmurs of "What is that?" But for these pictures, it was all worth it.

The bottom I took after the show, when Boyfriend and I met Adam Savage (half of the Mythbusters duo). He was trapped behind a glass door (which explains the glare), but was nice enough to pose for a picture anyway. Plus, I got the back signed after someone eventually set him free. All in all, not a bad evening, despite the skirt wrinkles and high heel blisters.

Giveaway post tonight!

the mullet dress, once more

Daylight savings can be a pain for someone who takes her pictures early in the morn — you know, before the sun even peeks its golden head over the horizon. Ah well. I'm making it my mission to hunt down a tripod this weekend so I can at least snap photos on the parking garage roof, where it may be one iota brighter. My cramped, shadowy balcony just isn't going to cut it.

But at long last, here I am again! And with much less hair.

dress, cotton onblazer, urban outfitterstights, xhilaration (target)belt, j.crewbooties, vintage via etsymonocle necklace, gift

Is it incredibly obvious that my Andre-the-Giant-sized Boyfriend (at least, that's how big he is compared to me) took these photos? Bless his heart, but the guy can't snap a picture of me without me looking either incredibly fat (shooting angled up) or incredibly bobble-headed (shooting angled down). I tell him to just back up and keep the camera level, but he can't quite get the hang of it yet…

Finally, check out my little witch booties! I'm fairly certain they're from the '80s. That decade wasn't all FRANKIE SAYS RELAX and cone boobs.

Tomorrow, I've got a nifty little giveaway to tell you all about! Woohoo! Just think of it as a thank you for sticking with me, even when I disappear for weeks at a time.

the fisherman

I can't resist a good greenish-hued jacket, so when I spied this little safari-esque jacket at Forever 21 last weekend, I snapped it up. It's great construction for an F21 piece too — I actually don't feel worried about renegade buttons, seams popping, or spontaneous shrinking.

I did feel a bit like I was going fishing after putting it over my gingham shirt, though. I just need a bucket hat (outfitted with lucky lures, of course), tackle box, and Wellies.

Sorry for the horrible, horrible, HORRIBLE photo quality. Every morning has been overcast lately, so my living room doesn't get the best light. I think this weekend, I'll finally get a tripod so I can just take my photos outside.

shirt, j.crew

jacket, f21

jeans, j.crew

sandals, vintage

bangle, kate spade

black stone ring, novica

leaf wrap ring, from australia

My sandals may look weird, but they are so insanely comfortable. Also, J.Crew's new Malta sandals are inspired by huaraches like mine, so they can't be all that much of a fashion faux pas... right?

the easy does it

As I'm sitting here typing this, I'm also watching my goldfish out of the corner of my eye. Just a minute ago, he got stuck behind one of the rocks in his tank and I had to go over and coach him out of his predicament. (And by coaching, I mean flapping my arms around and screeching, "Barnaby! Get out of there!") He's not the brightest goldfish, you see, and the bigger he gets, the more unaware he is of what he can and cannot fit in/through. I'm convinced that if he ever gets to be humpback whale sized, I'd catch him trying to cram his head into a Pringles can.

But that's neither here nor there.

Today's outfit was an unphotographable disaster, so instead, here's a boring but less visually offensive ensemble from last week:

plaid shirt, j.crewcardigan, f21zipper jeans, j.crewflats, f21watch, fossilring, novica

I own a few plaid shirts, and every single one of them is from J.Crew. Weird.

the pushpop mullet

I never thought I'd own a mullet dress. Partially because I think my legs would be confused by the lack of material in the front and the excess of material in the back, but mainly because the word "mullet" doesn't really make me think of something that's in good taste. (Except maybe mullet fish. I'm sure they're delicious.)

But then this dress came along and challenged my belief that all things mulleted must reek of the gross part of the 90s. Consider my mind blown. (On a side note, look up "mullet (haircut)" on Wikipedia. Marvel at the main picture.)

Hello, blurry.

dress, cotton on

cardigan, f21

belt, calvin klein

tights, merona (target)

booties, seychelles

monocle necklace, gift

ring, from australia

Also, in celebration of Eddie Vedder announcing a second Houston show for his Ukulele Extravaganza (not the actual name of the tour, but it ought to be), here's a video of... well, Eddie Vedder and his ukulele. This isn't even from the album he's touring for, but whatever. I mean, I'm sure none of you will even watch the video below, but this is my blog and I can do what I want. MUAHAHAHA! (You guys should hear my evil laugh in real life. It's pretty great.)

the hipster scarf

I've been waking up to some gray skies lately, folks. Unfortunately, that means super grainy pictures. THANKS, NATURE.

It also plummeted about 30 degrees since the weekend, so hello again pleather jacket. But I can be stubborn, so along with my scarf, jacket, and jeans, I also wore... huaraches. Which, for the uninitiated, are shoes made out of woven leather strips. In other words, not at all resistant to cold.

I am a winner.

tour shirt, the walkmen

cami, cotton on

jacket, express

zip jeans, j.crew

huaraches, etsy

scarf, h&m

ring, from australia

My hair is getting to the point where it looks like I'm wearing extensions when I'm not. Methinks it's high time for a trim.

the twirly blueberry

I love looking at other OOTD blogs for inspiration. Colors, textures, proportions -- you get the idea. There are so many good looking ladies out there who know how to put together a knockout look day after day (just check out everyone on my "READ" list!) that it's almost ludicrous. How do you gals do it? I mean, seriously?

But the point is that while I love looking at blogs for inspiration, I typically don't set out to get exactly what the blogger is wearing. Except in a few cases.

This is one of them.

When I saw Rosa over on Love at First Shop rocking this dress, I think my eyes went like this:

O____O

Hello, super cute! And it kind of reminds me of the Star Trek dresses from the original series, except not as scandalously short and with a fun flared skirt (which I like to think means I'm of a higher rank on the Enterprise) (maybe a commodore) (or a sultan).

If only the lighting and my hair had cooperated better on the day I wore this dress. *shakes fist*

dress, zara

tights, merona (target)

booties, seychelles

bangle, j.crew

ring, j.crew

Chipped nail polish ahoy!

the sometimes I just can't be bothered

Some days, I just want to wear a t-shirt and jeans, except instead of a t-shirt, this is something that's slightly less casual than that. But only slightly. You know, like how a regular brownie is only slightly less unhealthy than a deep-fried one.

Also, I was supposed to go to the gym during my lunch break today, but I decided to put it off until tomorrow and my mind is totally guilt-tripping the hell out of me for it right now. SILENCE, MIND. I'm going to make up for it tomorrow and Friday. Geez.

top, j.crew

cords, j.crew

flats, steve madden

watch, fossil

ring, novica

Whenever I put my hair up, it always looks so matronly in photos, but so messy in real life. It's the strangest thing...

Also, since this outfit is so boring, here's a little something extra, courtesy of my Facebook:

the spot-spot-stud

Hello, folks. I hope all of your weekends were swell, but not so swell that you miss it to the point of insanity, where the thought of going through an entire 5 days before reaching the next weekend makes you all twitchy and stabby. Whoa there, buddy. We can get through this. Put down the Bic pen.

I spent the weekend with friends, sushi, and coffee. Honestly, I don't know why I don't go out more often and explore this town I live in. I mean, I've only been in Houston for more than two decades. Is anyone else guilty of this? Living in a place and never really getting around to experiencing all it has to offer?

dress, cotton on
cardigan, j.crew
tights, xhilaration (target) + modcloth
booties, seychelles
belt, j.crew






So, if you currently live in / will visit Houston:

Have sushi at Hikari.




Get coffee at Antidote.

Do it. Do it for the city.

the mustard bouquet

Let me tell you guys something. Come in closer. Closer. Is your nose touching the monitor? Good.

Wearing heels the day after you first start working out again is a bad idea, especially if your thighs feel like fire every time you try to sit down / stand up / take a step / do anything involving movement in the lower half of your body.

Spread the word. Knowledge is power.

dress, luluscardigan, j.crewtights, merona for targetbooties, seychellesbelt, f21watch, fossilbangle, kate spadeskull ring, ebayblack stone ring, novica

And sorry for the weird coloring in these photos. It was especially gloomy out yesterday, so I had to use my living room lights, which photographs weird. Hmm... Also, my nail polish looks strange because I hadn't yet put on enough coats of the gray or silver glitter, so my gray nails look moldy and my silver nail looks... well, like there's nothing on there. But it's fixed today! If only you guys could see...

the chinese new year outfit

My apologies for just now getting around to posting this week! It has been nuts over here with Chinese New Year and work and blah, blah, blah... Actually, you know what? Real life is dull. Let me revise my excuse. I was MIA the earlier half of this week because I was too busy solving the world energy crisis and training a guinea pig choir to sing AC/DC's "Hell's Bells" to post.

There. Isn't that a much more entertaining story than "I couldn't post because I was too busy watching the first 3 seasons of Friends"?

But anyhoodle, I'm back now and with my outfit from Monday's Chinese New Year celebration! BEHOLD:

though it may look like it, I am not actually with child.
unless you count 2 years of holiday weight as "with child."

dress, j.crew
cardigan, j.crew
tights, urban outfitters
belt, f21
flats, urban outfitters
watch, fossil
bangle, kate spade
skull ring, ebay
black ring, novica

I also wanted to show off what I made for dinner that night! It was my first time making dumplings and they turned out swell. Woohoo!

That weird marbled-looking thing is a tea egg, which is just a regular hardboiled egg that's been steeped in black tea, soy sauce, and star anise. One of my favorites! If you're interested, here's the dumpling recipe. The tea egg recipe is my own and I won't bore you with it here.