Hand-Me-Downs

Via

Have you seen these awesome photos by Quzop of grandparents and their grandchildren switching clothes? I personally love the ones, like above, where the kid actually looks cooler after the switch!

I have never shared clothes with my grandmothers, though I have gotten some amazing costume jewelry from them and from my surrogate grandmother. But my cousin wears my grandpa's old clothes and in high school, my best friend wore a pair of bell-bottoms that were my dad's from the seventies!! And if you count Goodwill, most of my clothes are hand-me-downs!

Happy weekend, E.

Here and There

Love this guy :)

Hi all. It's been a crazy work week (flying 25 people into South Bend in February? The world just LAUGHS at you). So here are just a few interesting things I've found during my recuperative trolling sessions.

You know intercultural communication is my JAM - so you'll know I loved reading this translated list of advice for Japanese travelers going to America. My favorite is the reflection on how long we spend in grocery store lines - and what a good opportunity that is to make friends! Sounds very Midwestern, to me.

Today, I had to look professional. So I threw on a blazer. Job done. The brand is Gibson, and I found it at Nordstrom Rack during this weekend. One of my matrons of honor bought the same thing, and damn if it didn't look cute on both of us. And just to further push home the magic of this blazer: me = 5'5", curvy, big boobs, she= 6'2", tall and slender. I have never really found blazers that didn't need tailoring before this one. Now I really want this version, in hunter green.



After taking medical ethics in college, I'm always interested in breaking news on legal battles over the body. This story is crazy - does a pregnant woman have the right to move, with her unborn child, away from the father? Does it matter if the father is an Olympian or if they had only a brief, non-committal relationship? Yes, to all, btw. Also, this week, Belgium passed legislation allowing child euthanasia. I've always found Europe's view on euthanasia of the terminally ill fairly progressive, and humane, but this feels extreme (and so sad).

This is another interesting read - why volunteering in the developing world, as a white person, may not be such a good idea (for the countries in need). We all like to think that all help is good, if it's well-intentioned, but is that really true?


I'm having a huge Cream of Wheat love affair right now. I like this idea of an Indian rice pudding substitute. I'm thinking of trying this recipe, without the rose water. Normally, I only need about a teaspoon of brown sugar to make it sweet enough.

That's all folks! Have a good weekend :)

Listen to Your Fear

You know that fear you have, that maybe when you peek down that dim stairwell, someone will be lurking there in the dark?

Oh, yeah ... that just happened to me.

Yep, I was taking the stairs down to the basement at work - as you know, I like to walk an extra set of stairs when I get up to use the restroom, and I go to the basement because it's quiet and I can walk quickly without anyone getting in my way . As I started walking down, I glanced downward and saw movement - then someone's bare feet as they tried to hid themselves in the shadows of the stairwell. Um, no thanks. I quickly did an about-face and hustled back to my office where I promptly called the police. They had a 3-man search team in here in just a few minutes flat and found nothing - guess whomever it was got their shoes on quick and got out of there.

Ironically, we had just spent this morning in security training, so I knew exactly what to do: trust my instincts, get away, and call security.

I hate to think why someone might have been hiding down there. It's cold out, so it could certainly be someone trying to get warm. On the opposite extreme, it could be someone who knows a few women like walking down there and usually no one else is around. Probably not, but you never know.

Just want to say to all my female friends and readers - don't be ashamed to be cautious or report something that feels fishy. It does not mean we are unempowered or weak if we run away from something that feels dangerous. The officer today pointed out that our hunches and gut feelings are there to keep us safe - use them! Also, if you haven't, do this - you'll feel so much more empowered and strong, I promise.

Film Studies

Here's a secret: I'm a bit of a nerd. I like looking things up, doing a bit of research, some outside reading, if you will. So this winter, I've been happy to run across several movies that make me think, mmm... I should learn more about that! So here's my list, for your reading, viewing and researching pleasure:

Pain and Gain


Didn't see that one coming, did ya? Now, to be honest, this was not an intellectual film pick. Matt likes Marky-Mark and I have a bit of a thing for Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson (who doesn't?). So this movie was a no-brainer. And no, I did not start researching steroid use and female body building (I like having breasts, thankyouverymuch). But four little words had me diving to the computer after watching this: Based. On. Actual. Events.  If you've seen this movie, you know how absurd that sounds. If not, here's a recap: 3 Miami bodybuilders decide that, given their perfect physical forms, they really deserve more than the menial lives they live. So they decide to kidnap a rich gym-goer, steal all his money and assets, and live the lives of their dreams. And they do - for a while, at least. Here's a recent interview with some of the real life victims (2 of the bodybuilders are on death row).

Saving Mr. Banks

This was a really great movie, and one I'm so glad to have seen given my childhood love for the Mary Poppins movie. I have never read the books, so knew next to nothing of the story of Mary's creator - and Walt Disney's quest to convince her to let him make the movie version. The movie tells the story of author P.L. Travers - her troubled childhood in Australia, her imaginative (and alcoholic) father, and the tenacity with which she guarded the world of Mary Poppins. Here's some shockers not included in the movie: Travers, portrayed as kind of an Old Maid in the movie, is reported to have had several bisexual affairs. She also had an adopted son, who she selected from a poor family. The boy had a twin-a fact Travers knew, but never revealed to him - and the twins met randomly in  London pub as young adults. That may explain why she tells Disney in the film she has no one who cares if she's gone. Here's some of the juicy tidbits the movie leaves out, and here's a great NPR interview with star Emma Thompson, who plays Travers.

Monuments Men

Everyone's talking about what a disappointment this movie was (if US Weekly give you a bad review, you're really in trouble). Yes, any movie with that kind of star power should really be able to do justice to this bad-ass story. Basically, a bunch of art historians and curators joined the military in WWII in order to retrieve stolen masterpieces from the Nazis. I mean, this should have been Clooney as Indiana Jones and Matt Damon as Short Round. Instead, it ... wasn't. Regardless, I loved learning more about this fascinating story - and seeing a bunch of pieces I recognized from AP Art History. Plus, this is a story that is still panning out. The NY Times published this article on the ongoing saga of finding rightful owners of art found in Nazi caches.

And if you'd rather NOT think after watching a movie, and just need some good romantic fare for V-Day, check out this infographic from misadventuresmag (a production of Davidson grads - woot!)

Wintering

       
I know it's normally kind of a cop-out to talk about the weather. I mean, it's what you do with people when you've run out of common interests or celebrity news to dissect. But as someone said in my office today - this winter is different. It's exciting. And horrifying and beautiful and everything in between.
So, a few things I want to remember about this winter:

• Snow Days! Except, not - more like EXTREMELY-COLD-DON'T-BREATHE-OUTDOORS Days. They were actually issuing tickets to people out on the roads on 3-4 separate days. 
• Tacking up the duvet in front of the door to keep out the cold. Watching it billow. #draftyhouse
• Finally getting my winter dressing down pat : silk underwear, two layers of socks, double scarves, fancy snow boots, and my big puffer coat (hat on, hood up). 
• Realizing that if I wear the right clothes, I actually don't mind the cold so much. Who'da thought?
• Snow drifts so high, you can't see cars behind them. Literal mountains of snow in the parking lots. Months without seeing the ground.
• Cuddling. Oh, the cuddling.    

What I don't want to remember?

• SIX MORE WEEKS.

Work Files

January and February are big work months for me - lots of projects, events and demands on my time. Throw into the mix a co-worker on maternity leave and school closures due to bitter weather, and I'm having one heck of an interesting time over here.

I thought I minus-well share work stuff with you all here - if I'm thinking about it, why not write about it? So here are some tidbits that might be interesting to others outside my office:

1.) Excel is saving my life. I've used it before, but never loved it until now. I use it to make task lists - for everything, including what to do every month of the year (my job is pretty cyclical). I learned today that you can freeze frame the top row and first column to make HUGE spreadsheets really readable (did everyone already know this?). And it works really well with data from different apps I use like Surveymonkey and google forms. Excel, you get the slow clap of the week.

2.) I'm all for sustainability, but sometimes I think "green" efforts get out of hand. This week, building services announced they would be taking away all of our office trashcans. We will only have recycle bins in our offices, and if we have a piece of trash we must walk it down the hall to a communal trashcan. People are hot. There's going to be riots, I tell you . . .

3.) I really should update my resume - and Matt needs to write his! So I pinned this list of resume hot words. I like "conceptualized" and "built" - gotta work those in.

4.) Did you know LinkedIn now lets you upload projects? I added some recent graphic design work to my profile, and linked all of my Bly articles, too. Never know what people might look for!

5.) This isn't exactly work-related, but I'm still loving my morning workouts. I'm a little sweaty and and hot when I get to work, but man, am I awake and ready to start the day! I've also been trying (mostly in vain) to get up to 10,000 steps a day on my fitbit, and I've resorted to mind tricks: the hallway from my office to the bathroom, surprisingly, only goes one-way. To get back, I have to go downstairs and take the basement hall. It about doubles my steps for one trip. Sneaky, right?

6.) This dream is back, and worse than ever. Need to relax, much?

Pinning for you

Hey guys, this is a lazy post - but at least I'm posting! A sweet friend told me how much she likes what I pin, which was a surprisingly great compliment! So I thought I'd share some of what I've been pinning lately.

Hanoi Travel Guide - A Pair & A Spare



This Hong Kong- based fashion blogger usually posts creative DIYs, but I love her travel posts the most. Her recent weekend trip to Hanoi makes me want to pack NOW.

Better Home and Gardens Expedit Hack

With the ikat furniture, hints of teal and massive bookcases, I would pretty much just like to live here, please.

Franish - Oxford Under Sweater Trick

Now why didn't I ever think of that?

Stuff We Ate - Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai

We're on a major spaghetti squash bent over at our house. This was a fun switch up from the Italian recipes I normally do with the stuff.

Best Body Fitness - Fully Body Tabata


Wanna sweat? OH, child. this will do it. There's a million free tabata timer apps on the iphone, so get it going!

Being a Doer

First of all, I just want to thank all of you who weighed in on my last post about marriage bashing. It was great to hear you guys have experienced similar snark - and I loved all your suggested responses!

Today I wanted to bring up something I've been mulling over lately. I'm currently taking a "Global Positioning" course for my grad program and it's basically an intercultural communications course. So.... it's right up my alley.

Last week, we read about the ways in which cultures can are analyzed - basically the spectra that are used to differentiate culture groups. One may be high on individualism, while another is on the communal side. Groups may be past, present or future oriented. Cultures may value assertiveness or be more nurturing. It's really interesting stuff.

It's no news to any of us that other cultures are well, different from us. Got that. But what has been really illuminating is learning more about what makes our culture different. One characteristic that really identifies U.S. American culture is our focus on "doing" over "being." Just think how often we ask "How are you doing," "What are you doing," "What did you do this weekend."

I personally am obsessed with doing - something I never really realized before. I love crossing things off my to-do list and feel really glum if I don't do enough over the weekend. Such a strange realization, but one that I hope helps me understand more about myself - and maybe let myself off the hook to do so much all the time. 'Cause sometimes it's ok to just... be.

Marriage Bashing

I wanted to talk today about a phenomenon I've been facing since getting married. It's snark, major snark - and it's bugging me.Take this scenario. We're back from our holiday break. A colleague comes up to me and asks how my first married Christmas was. I reply that it was great and we had a nice time. Her response? "Well, it all goes downhill from here."

Thanks.

Let me just say that I can take a little snark. I can dish it out too. But this is not the first person who's said something along the lines of "Hey welcome to the married club. Your life is going to go to shit in 3...2....1.."

What's up with that? And let me reiterate, this has been 100% from married people. Not divorcees, not single people -- other marrieds.

Now, I'm not totally naive. I know marriages are hard work, I know committing to a lifetime with ONE person is an immense promise that brings with it all kinds of heartache and challenges. What gets me though, is seeing someone take that leap, aspiring to greatness with another person, your response is snark? "Good luck" with a saucy eye-roll? Isn't it enough to know that there are challenges ahead for a person without laying out the pitfalls one by one?

To be fair, I've been super lucky to have friends, family and co-workers who have had a lot of really inspirational and positive stories about marriage. I know they support my marriage and would do anything to help Matt and me out. The people I'm talking about are, strangely, mostly acquaintances. People who I might discuss the status of the weather with find that disparaging remarks on the future of my marriage are appropriate inter-hallway comments. I find that really strange from a culture that often promotes a wedding as the only acceptable "happy ending" to a tale.

I can't help but wonder how this phenomenon of public marriage bashing got started. Sure, almost 50% of marriages end in divorce and plenty of other go through rough times. But to me that suggests that we should encourage married people - not bash them. Whatever the anthropological reasons, I'm going to find a way to move past it and to project love and happiness because I do believe in marriage - especially mine.

Temper, Temper

Are you guys ready to learn a bit of kitchen wizardry? Here's a tip that will make all your curries, stews, stir-frys and general edibles MUCH more tasty. It's called tempering...

Don't you love when you realize you just learned to do ... something you learned how to do a million years ago? When I was studying in Bangalore, India I took a cooking class. It wasn't formal or anything, just our school cook showing us some thing in the kitchen and one of our professors helping translate when we needed extra explanation. Imagine 7 or 8 of us, hunched around a two-top burner, trying desperately to understand the complex methods of curry-making. In the hot kitchen, we jostled for turns at the skillet, offering to chop garlic or measure cumin seeds just to get close enough for a whiff of that sweet, spicy aroma.

One thing I learned, but never really retained, was that in Indian cooking, spices are cooked alone, in hot oil, as a way to release their flavor. Flash-forward to the present, when I actually cook instead of just watching, and I recalled this ingenious tip. If you're making curry, this is a must. Start the curry process by heating up some hot oil or ghee (clarified butter/immediate artery-filler), if you're traditional, and dropping in your cumin, red pepper and coriander. Works just as well with those blended curry seasonings, too. Once they brown just a bit and you can really smell the aromas of the spices, add in the rest of your ingredients like normal. Here's a great crock pot curried lentil recipe that is an easy way to try this technique.

Not a curry fan? Try this trick for ANYTHING else. Honestly. Studies have shown that tempering releases not only extra flavor from the spices, but extra nutritional value as well. Can't beat that. I experimented by tempering a bunch of spices with some minced garlic I wanted to add to a minestrone soup I was making in the crockpot. No surprise, the tempered garlic, oregano and bay leaf made for a mighty tasty tomato broth. Making a stir-fry? I'd temper some garlic, ginger and crushed red pepper in a bit of coconut oil before adding the rest of the ingredients.

A few tips:

• Heat the oil on high first to get it sizzling, then add the spices and reduce to medium heat.
• Keep a close eye on them - a few tablespoons only need a minute or two to temper. I burned a batch of spices last night, and it was no bueno. Quickest way to make whatever you're eating taste like charcoal.
• Don't use olive oil - apparently it doesn't do well at hot temps. Try vegetable oil, coconut oil, or clarified butter.
• Experiment! Anything that has spices can have tempered spices instead. And anything that doesn't have spices, is bland. Sorry, had to let you know.

I'm loving...

Hey guys. Just a quick post to tell you some things I'm loving.

Seeing the stars first thing in the morning. Here.

Boots: This is the sad, but eventually hopeful story of a girl who could never, ever find the boots of her dreams. Then one year, she hit the DSW jackpot and bought THREE pairs. And her life was changed forever... There's something just so cute about skirts, tights and boots. I'm all over it now. DSW has a great selecting of wide-calf boots, so all ladies should check them out. And is it just me or is wide-calf just another thing invented by retailers to make us feel bad about a perfectly normal part of our bodies?

Lip stain: I wore some to my wedding, and have been wearing it every day since. I like this avon marker and grabbed my wedding stain from Sephora. Lipstick is way too much work, but this is easy peasy and right up my alley.

Manly books: Ok, confession. I used to only really read books that were written by or written about women. Weird, huh? Maybe the influence of a husband has me more open to the male experience, but I've recently loved the male energy in these books:

• J.K Rowling's mystery about army-vet-turned-detective Cormoran Strike who investigates the death of a supermodel in A Casual Vacancy.
• The testosterone heavy Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin. Not sure why epic fantasy has such a male stereotype, since I've been reading it for years, and a lot of great female authors write it. But Martin definitely ticks all the male-lit favorites, like sex, violence, and off-color humor. Loved the show, DEVOURED the book.
• Lonesome Dove - the classic Western. It took a while to get into, but I'm really enjoying it now. It feels a little bit like GoT in that there are a lot of characters and we see the story through their eyes - oh, and the book's a brick. Makes me feel super American, too.

AM Workouts: I have these spurts in my exercise regime where I start doing thing that make me thing - huh? this is ME? Sometimes, it's running. Lately, it's been morning workouts. It's so invigorating to work out first thing - and then so relaxing to know all day that I've already done it.  Oh and add to that - weightlifting. Yes, girls, heavy weights rock.

Kitchen tools: Getting married is AWESOME for your kitchen. This week I'm loving our Ninja food processor and Matt's digging our food saver vacuum system. Yeah, we're domestic.

NOT LOVING? Walking down the hall in my office with my skirt stuck in my tights. Kind of detracts from the whole skirt, tights, boot glow.

The Best Weekend Ever, Part II or, Wedding: A Recap.

Ohmigosh you guys, I am back.

Despite my daily need to read blogs, I haven't been feeling, lately, the daily need to write one. After the wedding, and before it lets be honest, I just couldn't rally the extra motivation.

But THE HUSBAND ;) has been bugging me because, according to this post, the best weekend of my life was my bachelorette party. And he's pretty sure that after all the work and $$ that went into our grand wedding affair, that weekend should take the cake. When he's right, he's right. So, slip the Chicago girl-love extravaganza into a close 2nd place and I'll share few quick memories about THE BEST WEEKEND EVER.

Photo c/o Zach M!

Like I said, I'm just doing a few short memories, because no one needs a play by play of someone else's wedding. 

• The epic craziness of having two (extremely loving and beautiful) families running all around Indianapolis in the days before the wedding. Seeing two families collide (sometimes literally) and come out the other end as one.
• Our State Fair themed rehearsal dinner - could not have been more fun. We dressed like cow-pokes, ate fair food (note: Indiana State fair, why do you not offer elephant ear sundaes on the regular? cos OMG), learned line dancing, and told stories - some funny some sweet, a good mix.
• After mother-daughter bridal yoga, feeling so calm and relaxed during all the day of preparations. Hair, makeup, snackies - all with your favorite women? Can't complain. And I really didn't feel nervous - just excited and happy. I was expecting I'd be a wreck (I nearly drowned my self at high school graduation) so this was a nice surprise.
• Speaking of surprises, receiving some lovely ones from the guys in my life. A beautiful blue box from my dad and a sweet card and flowers from the groom. Oh, and I had such fun sneaking around making Matt a surprise for the day of too :).
• Hiding out at the venue making sure no one saw me. My bridesmaids were like special ops - no one was going in or out of that room without their approval. 
• Photos - um, so fun. Why am I not a model? Don't answer that.
• All of a sudden, it's time to walk out and I just can't stop smiling. No tears, just a hug for my dad and locking eyes on Matt. I don't remember seeing much after that - just those blue eyes.
• The ceremony was perfect. 
• My matron of honor walking directly into a tent-pole when we were taking pictures. No injuries, lots of laughs.
• Hearing the 4 best wedding speeches I could have imagined - my dad's, my matrons' and the best man's. Oh, there you are, tears!
• Greeting everyone after dinner (yes, I ate!) was so fun. Good reminder why we invited all these people after all ;).
• Dances: 2 goods, 1 bad and ugly. My dad and I were tip top, dancing with the stars quality. Matt and his mom were adorable. Matt and I stunk up the joint, but boy did we have fun.
• The rest - dancing, hugging, smiling so much I couldn't see straight, shouting out loud to Meatloaf, making s'mores, learning to Douggie, basically just having the most fun ever possible.

So there you go. If you can find the right person, go ahead and marry them because weddings are awesome! No seriously, finding the right person is the prize. The wedding is just icing on the cake that makes you realize just how truly lucky you really are.

Thanks to all the guests and well-wishers. We are blessed beyond words.

xo,

E.

How to Have the Best Weekend EVER

This is a step-by-step guide on how to have The Best Weekend EVER.
Pay close attention, as this is a multi-decade process . . .



1. At an early age, begin collecting a varied assortment of fascinating, fun and intelligent female friends. Continue, without stopping, into adulthood.
Illustration: At one (drunken) point in said weekend, I recall saying that I was like a serial killer in that I collected women. The one difference being that I made them my friends, rather than wearing them as skin suits.

2. Particularly, make friends with at least one insanely talented planner. She should have mad research skills and an endless sense of duty to find the best attractions a city has to offer. Bonus points if she is incredibly organized, diplomatic and wears cute clothes. Give her full reign to surprise and delight you.

3. Meet and accept a proposal of marriage from the man of your dreams.

4. Attend a bachelorette party in your own honor, thrown and attended by your very best girlfriends who join you in singing terrible karaoke, eating and drinking with aplomb, and totally taking over one of the major US cities. Allow them to positively spoil you with gifts and attention, and bask in the glow of SO MUCH LOVE.

5. Collapse in happy exhaustion, reveling in the fact that you just had The Best Weekend EVER.
Note: It may take you up to a week to fully recover. This is totally normal side effect of TBW EVER.

It Never Hurts to Ask

Hi guys! So my lesson for the day: it never hurts to ask.

This is one of those seemingly simple pieces of advice that can actually be quite difficult to follow. It means there's no harm in asking - a no is just that, a word, an answer, move on. But as a kid, if my parents told me this I thought, "Yes, but the hard part is doing the asking."

The older I've gotten, however, the more confident I am in my asking. Hiding behind a computer screen doesn't hurt either, though a personal ask is generally most effective ;)

What does all this instruction refer to? A few months ago, during blog-trolling, a came across the website for Project Bly. And. I. Fell. In. Love.

The concept was awesome - their team travels to different global markets every few months (think Mumbai, La Paz and Kumasi) to shop and bring back the most interesting new and vintage items they can find. It's all amazing stuff and the shop would be enough to get my heart beating. But they also profile the cities they visit, investigate the street culture, map the trends and tell the stories of each item and its vendor.

That very morning, with my heart beating, I sent them an email. I told them I loved the concept of their site, that I wasn't looking for a job but I'd love to be involved in some way. Long shot, right?

Well, a few days later I got an email. From the owner. Asking to talk to me about contributing to their blog.

Mind blown!! Of course, I said yes and we were off! So far, I've had 2 articles published on their site, with more to come.

San Pedro Prison article: http://www.projectbly.com/blog/singing-a-different-kind-of-prison-blues



Bowler Hat article: http://www.projectbly.com/blog/cholita-bowlers-a-statement-of-style-and-substance

Just a little reminder that it never hurts to ask! I hope you take a few risks this summer - you never know what might happen :)

It's Bride Time

OH, hi!

Nice to see you all. No apologies for my absence - all my extra online time has been spent trying not to get depressed about the state of the world (ie doing my homework for my class). Oh, and a bit of sale shopping ... whoops!

Anyways, I wanted to let you know that it is on. On like Donkey Kong.
Yes, I've decided it is, finally, BRIDE TIME.

via Pinterest

The time when I go into hyper-gear and knock myself into the beautiful, beaming bride I want to be. It all started when I discovered this man has a new book out.

Oh yes, and it just happens to be a 3-wk challenge to get you fit for a big event (let's just say he mentions "the dress" enough to really get my attention.)

Some of the highlights of the new program include:

• Walking for 45 minutes BEFORE breakfast
• Enjoying carbs at breakfast - and no time ever after
• Bye Bye chocolate 

Yeah, it's going to be brutal. But that's ok - I've been stagnant at this weight (after my 30-lb loss) for a while now and I'm ready to shake things up.

Added to that, I'm going to throw in some health and beauty regimes I've been meaning to try, including:

• Teeth whitening! yummy
• Trying to beautify my hair with these natural treatments. Can it help with the swarm of white hairs I'm growing? Let's see.
• Vitamins
• Dry brushing
• Using all of the many skin serums and miracle creams I buy and forget about. 

The goal is to get any final weight loss done and over before my dress needs to be stitched back together and find out what other beauty regimes need to be added before the wedding (ie day of one thousand photos). Apologies in advance for either further radio silence or a smattering of bitchy posts in the next 3 weeks as I adjust.

Brain Dump

via

Omigoodness, so many things going on lately!!! Want to hear about a few of them?

Of course, everyone is talking about the Supreme Court, marriage equality and what's next for same sex-marriage. Big thoughts before our dear friends' wedding this weekend (Matt and I are ushers!) and ours in September. I liked this historical take on the subject. And Happy Anniversary to my parents, one of the most fun couples of any orientation we know!

Costa Rica is on my brain BIG TIME -first off, because we've finally booked our honeymoon (one place we're going to can only be accessed by white water raft!) and secondly, because my old friend Chelsea just came to visit from there along with her Costa Rican boyfriend, David! We had a great time hearing about their life there and what they recommend we check out :)

I'm trying really hard to start investing in better-for-my-feet shoes after throwing my back out again last week. Has anybody tried Rainbow sandals? All the prepsters had them at Davidson, and I've secretly wanted a pair since... I think the arch support may finally push me over the edge. Any other comfy shoe brands you recommend?

Standing desks: pro or con? I haven't decided yet, but I'm very intrigued by this model that just plops on top of your current desk, that way you can move it and bring your computer back down to seated level whenever you want.

We went to our second art fair of the summer this weekend with my mom and dad, and we're on a real art buying binge. I just love supporting small artists and bringing even more unique art into our home. Shopping on a rainy day helps negotiations too, and you know I can't pass a good bargaining opportunity!

Speaking of this weekend, we were in Wabash, IN, home of the infamous Madoc, the elephant. Don't know the story? It involves a.) an escaped circus elephant, 2.) a 5-day man - er - pachyderm-hunt and c.) a peanut roasting shop. Read the whole story here.

I'm learning so many interesting things in my Sustainable Development class that it's hard to pick one thing to share here. But one thing on my mind particularly has been the global efforts to end extreme poverty - and predictions on how quickly we can do that!

Alright folks, that's all!  What's on your brain today?

Today's Fore(arm)cast

Lot's of updates today, folks. Chief among them the fact that I am typing this entirely one-handed (be impressed) since my right forearm is in a splint from a freak racquetball accident. (Maybe I shouldn't say freak - it is a sport composed primarily of fast-flying balls and swinging rackets. It was the latter that got me, btw). So, today I am:

Hoping . . . that the x-rays come back clear and it's just a bone bruise. Come on, bruise!! Otherwise, benched from the volleyball team . . . again.

Excited . . . to hold this injury over the dear friend who inflicted it on me for life. Pay for fro-yo? I would, but my wrist hurts...

Relieved . . . to be making progress on the wedding. Was feeling ready throw in the towel last week, but with flowers, invitations and honeymoon projects all moving along, I feel better. Next up? Ceremony.

Nervous . . . for the first week of school! My class in Sustainable Development started Monday, and while i'm so pumped (seriously) to be back in academics (#teacherspet4life), I've got the start of school nerves compounded by the fact that the online format is a bit disorienting. Why are there 5 different places to post my riveting thoughts on this week's material?

Honored . . . to have been part of my best friend's wedding two weekends back. Definitely one of the most special experiences for me and I am so, so happy for her! Plus, the wedding was a total BLAST and makes me want to get married rightnow.

Satisfied . . . after eating a Klondike bar at the company picnic today. Yes, I'm still working on the weight loss (5% body fat down, 5 to go), but today I wanted ice cream and that's ok.

TV Binge: Orphan Black

Do you ever binge out on TV shows? I used to do this more when I had Netflix, but recently fell back down the rabbit whole over this long weekend. The cause? Orphan Black.

here

Every now and again I love a good sci-fi show. I've had romances with Heroes and Firefly but my first foray into the genre was my much-loved Dark Angel. Hello Jessica Alba before she got famous!

Orphan Black actually reminds me quite a bit of Dark Angel. Stormy female heroine. Human genetic experimentation. Tails. But I'm not sure the 27-year-old me would like Dark Angel quite as much as the 15-year-old me did. Regardless, the current me is currently obsessed with Orphan Black - the story of punk rocker Sarah who finds there are multiple versions of herself - identical clones - living absolutely different but interconnected lives. As Sarah tries to piece together the puzzle of her and her clones, it's amazing to watch actress Tatiana Maslany transform into different characters - 6, so far, in total.

It's on On-Demand if you're a grown up with cable (ahem) but I'm sure you pirates could track it down online as well. Do it quick - the season finale airs Saturday on BBC America! 

Master in the Hizz-ouse!

Yep, we've got a Master in the house. A Master of Science, that is.

Yesterday, Matt passed his PhD candidacy exam, which officially completed his Master's degree (and started a whole 'nother snowball of PhD work, but that's beside the point). In short, he has worked his butt off, persevered through crazy challenges, and basically put up with a ton of shit to get where he is today.

And, in short, I'm flippin' PROUD!

He's kind of my hero, especially when he changed into his professorial bow-tie yesterday :)

Even though I suggested this outfit as most fitting of a Master of Science...



Hot, right? :)

Nightly Indulgence

So, as you probably know, I've been on a healthy kick since the start of the year - all in anticipation of the BIG.WHITE.DRESS.

But one thing I have not - and will not - give up is my nightly dark chocolate fix. Won't do it. I've decided that chocolate affects my quality of life too much to go without it. So, Matt and I share a bar of Ghirardelli 72% dark chocolate (sometimes with hazelnuts - yum) after dinner and that's our cheat. Absolutely no guilt about that.

Except ... I know well and keep getting reminded that chocolate is one of the worst products when it comes to child labor, slavery and unsafe working conditions.

Today I stumbled across better world shopper, a website that advocates changing shopping habits in order to honor concerns about fair trade, child labor, environmental preservation, etc. See how it lists chocolate as one of the top 10 things to change in order to make a contribution to these causes?

here

Yep, so as much chocolate as we eat, I think we need to look into some alternatives. Below, the site provides a list of chocolate makers with grades based on their labor practices, sustainability, and social responsibility.

here

My beloved Ghirardelli scores a disappointing C+, which is a grade I'd never accept for myself so why should I let my chocolate perform so poorly?

Goal for this weekend: hit up the local fair trade shops to sample some chocolate. Then, hopefully, I can find a bulk supply online to cut costs a bit. But I don't think my pleasure should come at such a high cost to others, even if it is my one indulgence.