solitary confinement

A few weeks ago, I asked a friend of mine if she'd like to attend the next Party in the Tropics at Phipps Conservatory... have you ever been? Held in the tropical forest conservatory, this reoccurring event sounds like a dream night: cocktails, canapés, a presumably adequate DJ, and of course the most beautiful setting. So steamy! The first one I ever knew about was coincidentally scheduled on the very first birthday I celebrated here in Pittsburgh... but due to lack of a date/lack of a babysitter, I missed it! And it seems I'll be missing this one, too! Bummertown. Dragsville. 

But it's not so bad... who even likes parties, anyway? It's been a long time since I had a proper Ball at a social gathering. Parties always sound fun, but in real life, they can be exhausting. Either there's no one to talk to, or you get cornered by some weirdo. It's inevitable. Or maybe it's just me? Judging by this recent post, Women Having A Terrible Time At Parties In Western Art History, blogger/kindred spirit Mallory Ortberg knows what I'm talking about, at least. 

Clearly this is my way of consoling myself in the face of my longstanding inability to partake in social activities past 8:00pm... but, motherhood is great, I promise! And if you have super fun plans this weekend, please enjoy them! Enjoy your freedom!

images via the toast

early birds vs night owls

When asked how our school year is going so far, my response is usually something like, "It'll be better once we get into the swing of things." Not to say it isn't going well--it's only been a week after all! But having begun the semester right before a three day weekend, I don't think either me or The Boy are yet in our groove. People always stress the importance of establishing a routine for little ones, but I find a daily regimen truly integral to my own peace of mind. Now that I've begun my masters program, there's no way I'll be able to stay on top of everything without devoting specific times of day to work, study, chores, et cetera. Writing takes concentration, after all, and it's hard for me to get in the right mindset at the drop of a hat. Obviously, I'm not alone in this--writers are known for their strict regimens and quirky habits. But, does all this planning and self control really work? Can you truly enhance your productivity by dictating your daily routine? Writer and Renaissance Woman Maria Popova shares my curiosity. Below, see the handy info graphic she compiled for Brain Pickings Magazine, which neatly expresses the relationship of various famous author's wake-up times to their literary accomplishments. Whether the relationships here expressed are causal or merely correlative, I find them fascinating! 

I've always been an early riser, mornings being my most productive time of day. However, when you're consistently awoken by a certain someone at 5:00am (or earlier!) for the past two weeks running, mornings can lose their magic. Not to mention the detrimental effect said young person's presence has on my ability to concentrate. The implication above is that these individuals had the luxury of choosing to wake up at 4:00am. Notably missing from this analysis is the number of children each of these individuals were responsible for when writing their various masterpieces--another study altogether, and one I'd like to see!

Portraits by Wendy Macnaughton

imlovinit: SUMMER SLIDES

When choosing one's back-to-school outfit, there is of course one element that stands above, while lying below, all other considerations: footwear! For, while we're playing fashion's notable quotables, in the infamous words of Christian Dior, 

"You can never take too much care over the choice of your shoes. Too many women think they're unimportant, but the real proof of an elegant woman is what is on her feet." 

Words to live by, to be sure. While I probably ought to be preparing for future success by way of autumnal footwear, I've still got summertime on my mind. And in my book, there is no better pool-side option than a pair of graphic black-and-white athletic slides. You know the kind I mean:

As you may recall, I do love a logo... but in this instance you can't really go wrong with a minimal adidas tri-stripe. Now, I have a feeling that the footwear in question probably isn't what Monsieur Dior had in mind, but then again who's to say? Because, while the majority of people IRL with whom I've discussed my preoccupation with the iconic adidas slide have expressed reservations, just see how sophisticated they can be if you give them the chance:

Thanks, pinterest. You can see how natural a part these would play in transitional seasonal dressing, if only you were lucky enough to own a pair! In order for them to become the fall footwear of twenny-fourteen, one need only add a ribbed athletic logo ankle sock--preferably in a rival brand, à la Edward Enninful's styling in "Why Be Normal When You Can Be Normal And Then Some?" the spot-on normcore editorial by Craig McDean recently featured in the august issue of W Magazine. 

Pretty perfect. Though, in terms of sophistication, by far my favorite combination are the manolo blahnik sandals paired with these sheer knee-high adidas stockings, that allegedly cost $18 on adidias.com but don't actually seem to exist anywhere on the internet. Which could mean that I'm not very good at searching--but I did try my best! 

eep!

It's my first day of school tomorrow, you guys! And, I'm just a teensie bit nervie! It's been six years since I finished undergrad and, having skipped out on every single orientation event, due to a combined lack of childcare and motivation, I'm feeling a little unprepared! In the absence of any real tools with which to prepare myself, I've been obsessing over my bus-route (my student ID doubles as a bus pass, how cool!) trying to get ahead in "A Short Course in Grammar" (my one and only text book this semester) and, of course, planning my outfit! Come on, you guys! Keeping in mind that no one's watching--or would care, if they were--what does one wear for their first day of graduate school? Something flattering, but not overly feminine; sharp, but casual; cool, yet effortless. You know, something like this probably-spanish* girl's got going on:

Adapted, of course, to accommodate this damned weather, which feels especially designed to prevent one from making a flawless first impression. I'd wear cut-offs, but is that appropriate?! I wouldn't want to be mistaken for a frosh, amirite?! lol. Ultimately, I'd like to appear "with it" but not overly so. In the game but not of the game. You know what I mean. And, you could say it doesn't matter, because what does, in the end? But in this hopefully-if-all-goes-well-soon-to-be-professional author's opinion, you can't really underestimate the power of an outfit when the task is getting one's head in the right place. For, according to Virginia Wolfe, "vain trifles though they seem, clothes have, they say, more important offices than to merely keep us warm. They change our view of the world, and the world's view of us."

And that lady knew what she was talking about...right? So obviously, I've got a lot to think about… Plus, let's not forget, several classes to attend! omg!

Wish me luck!

*update: um, yeah, totally spanish (image via here)

knowing that i'm ALWAYS red

When is the new episode of Sailor Moon going to air, you guys?! amirite?! What's a #boredhousewife supposed to do with her free time (ie evenings from 9-10pm) upinhere? Who even knows what Japanese programming schedules are like, in this day and age especially?

Luckily I thought of a perfect peach of a kindred spirit of entertainment to watch in the mean time. After all, the Sailor Scouts and the Heathers have more than a little in common, each a power group of gorgeous, sassy high-school girls who use their powers of cosmic and/or social persuasion to get ahead in the evil world around them, occasionally resorting to violence when necessary. 

Obviously, it's not entirely analogous; It's more like if Usagi et al had been recruited by scouts from the Negaverse, instead of talking cats from the Moon Kingdom. Or, like a reboot prequel series following Queen Beryl during her formative years back at Negamoon High (which is actually a pretty good idea…) So, yeah, it is a little different, but I think you see connection. And there's more than a passing resemblance between the dark, devil-may-care lotharios JD and Tuxedo Mask… Anyway, probably my favorite element shared by these two cliques is that each girl has her own signature color. I don't know why, but I've always loved that--all the way back to the Color Kids! It's like the personification of hue, but also it's such a cool way to establish the mood of a character. Because you can always pick apart color symbolism in a piece of  media (especially Heathers) but you don't really need to, because you can just use your eyes! It's sort of like what Schopenhauer said about sound and the will (but obviously, as it pertains to visual rather than auditory qualia);  you could think of countless ways to describe the feelings and references invoked by a color, or you could just take a look and feel it all at once. Do you know what I'm talking about?

So, which color would you choose?

Red?

yellow?

Green?

or blue? And, could you commit, like these people have? Sometimes I think I could… but I'd have to make up my mind about it first. So, really, I couldn't.

Something interesting I noticed watching this film the last time around is that Veronica only really embraces "her" color after Heather dies (#spoileralert) Before, she has little accents of blue in wardrobe of mostly black and grey; after the murder she's literally wearing it head to toe (thanks to some truly questionable hat choices). But even though she eventually owns her power color, she still claims the red scrunchie of true power in the end. It's all so subtle, but obvious. Red and blue is the best color rivalry of all time, and this film is a great example of it. It's like choosing between good and evil but you can never be sure which one is which. I wish I could explain it better but like I said, I'm pretty sure I don't actually have to! 

scream moon tiara boomerang!

Today is the stateside premier of the new Sailor Moon series, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal. Maybe you didn't know this about me, but I'm a huge fan! It's a beautiful magical show about a charmingly clumsy, hapless teenaged girl who one day is beckoned by a wise and mystical talking cat into the magical parallel universe that exists all around her, one of shadowy figures and apparitions, which she is destined to rule as Princess of the Moon--if she could only find her allies and defeat the villain! It's Just like Harry Potter! 

Celebrating the the 20th anniversary of Naoko Takeuchi's original manga, the series promises to be a more faithful adaptation than the animated version that aired in the 90's (which, as I said before, I loved). I was especially excited to see the new theme song and transformation montages--they didn't disappoint! In particular, the lyrics to the new opening theme, "Moonpride," by Yasuharu Takanashi, were too good to be true… and worth transcribing myself to share with you:

moon pride

I want to support you

the tears rolling down my cheek

my eyes burning scarlet

someone is shouting love outloud

like a flash of lightning

no matter how dark it is

I know I'm not alone

moonlight shines upon us

we all have unshakable wills

we will fight on our own

without leaving our destiny to the prince

shiny make up 

we are gonna shine bright

under the starry sky

we are not helpless girls

who need men's protection

so… 

shiny make up

we are gonna fight

with power from the starry sky

a new legend begins right now

right here

la la pretty guardian

sailor moon!

I'd also recommend watching the Official Extended Trailer:

 I loved the first episode! Apart from the initial clues we are given towards Usagi's ultimate cosmic destiny, it features a classic early-series sailor moon plot line in which an evil, otherworldly vixen comes to steal human energy by brainwashing the people of tokyo with cheap tricks like 95% off jewelry sales, before ultimately crumbling into dust after being hit with one of Sailor Moon's accessories. 

You gotta check it out! And while we wait for the next episode to air, here are some more of my sailor-themed posts from the past, including who I'd cast if I were to produce a live-action adaptation; sailor-scout accessories; and some Usagi-esque fashion on the runway . 

Happy Scouting!