WT - Just For Fun

I guess by rights I should be talking about 1950's-era clothing more than 1940's. But anyways, I went hunting for some dancing clips because I am tired of moving pavers in the yard. Try here first, or here, not exactly practical outfits to emulate but talk about clothing made to move with you. I can't find any good pictures of Cyd Charisse today, for some reason. But here's another clip (an actual embeddable one!) so you can ogle Cyd some more and watch her make some boring clothes look good just by making them move.


And for SCB -




I think that's about as country as I get. I think it's about as country as she gets too. Also, tragically, apparently she dyes her hair. So the only thing keeping me from having hair like that is wads of cash.

Questions, Questions, Too Many Questions!

The NEW (if not Improved) Opening Questionnaire with context here.

1. Thinking primarily (but not necessarily exclusively) about looks, who's your favorite performer of your own gender and species? Why? Hmm. How about Cate Blanchett for her chameleon-like actressin' qualities and her striking personal style. Of course it helps that she's gorgeous but she is also interesting.

And perhaps Neko Case for similar, if more musical reasons. And my god, that hair. (Note, I totally wrote this before Cookbook posted her answers, I swear I didn't copy it!)
from here.

2. If you could live in any historic era with a really good clothing budget (as well as soap, toothpaste, and delicing as needed), when would you choose? I am thinking the 40's would work for me - but total Hollywood in the 40's with strong colors and prints. Nice nipped-in waists and dramatic details.
from here. I would wear that tomorrow. Also, the respective Hollywood "eras" of Pushing Daisies, Amelie, The Aviator and Chocolat. Cheating again? Maybe.
But you see my point in all of those examples? 40's inspired, cute blouses with cardigans and flippy skirts, adorable shoes and everything in vivid color and pattern.

3. What's your favorite painting or other form of visual art? Why?
from here. I like me a nice Michelangelo in general. I guess that's cheating because it covers painting (mostly fresco) and sculpture. But it's so strong on so many levels - he had such a distinct style, I love his use of color (somewhere I have a fantastic book on the Sistine Chapel pre-and post-cleaning, it is AMAZING). His women may look a little manly sometimes but they never look weak. In his world everyone is striking and powerful and I'm ok with that (I'm not talking about the Last Judgment in this context, yes I am cheating again already). But seriously, look at the Delphic sibyl up there - gorgeous color, strong, imposing frame, and those eyes! That is one positive image right there.

4. What is your first memory in which clothes are important? My 8th grade graduation - I got my first "grown-up" dress. It was a purple sheath in some sort of silky material from Ann Taylor and I got to wear my grandmother's silver necklace that all my sister and I fought over (now it rotates between sisters to forestall strife). I felt so adult. That was when I started realizing that skirts and dresses are ok to wear, I don't lose my tomboy cred by not wearing jeans every day.

5. What is your favorite garment ever? Why? Ever is a tough one. Right now, I have an adorable 3/4 sleeve black jacket with big round buttons that I ADORE. I seriously lack reasons to wear it though because it is dressy but not very warm. It is freakishly flattering though, it looks boxy on the hanger but makes me look absolutely sleek when wearing it just because it is cut so well.

6. What is your favorite garment in your wardrobe right now? I have a couple of awesome dresses that I desperately need excuses to wear. One is a fitted black sheath that seriously makes me look like Audrey Hepburn (and that is not easy as I am not remotely gamine or generally Audrey-like at all) and the other is a flippy leaf-print dress that is the easiest-to-wear piece of clothing I may have ever owned. It is cut like it was MADE for me, no Spanx necessary, no sneaky funny bulges in the back, no nothing. Is it that I am willing to hunt for dress-up clothes but not everyday ones? Because the only clothes I seem to be able to rave about are the ones I can wear only a few times a year (I get all excited when I hear somebody's getting married so I can get dressed up).

7. What is the worst clothing purchase you can remember making? Wide-legged, cream-colored pants with a drawstring waist. Made out of corduroy (very thin corduroy, but still, WTF was I thinking?). There was nothing good about those pants. I think I wore them twice. I was desperate but in the end, not desperate enough to wear them.

8. What's your most embarrassing clothing-related memory other than a bad purchase? I went through a phase in grade school where I wore the same green sweatpants and matching sweatshirt, possibly until they wore out. My nickname at one point was Green Giant (I was bigger than all the boys back then too). Suffice to say I am no longer a sweatpants person. At All.

9. What body part (no more than three!) are you proud of and expect compliments on? My hair is looking pretty awesome now that I am growing it out and not dyeing it, my legs are looong and my lips are nice and pillowy (I could keep going, I guess that's a good sign).

10. What body part (again, no more than three!) seems to require management, if not coaxing, cajoling, and sometimes outright begging if it's to please you? That darn hair. It's never been this long before and I am not totally sure what to do with it. Freshly-washed it is nice and bouncy but after that I run out of ideas.

11. If you could dress however you wanted all the time, what might you include? Knee-length cotton skirts and flat sandals. A lot. Right now they are slightly impractical for both work and the weather. Sigh. In the winter I can do heavier skirts with tights and heels but that's also not terribly practical for every day. I Do Not Do heels as everyday wear. V-neck tees and zip-up cardigans in bright colors and patterns (that don't fade upon washing, thankyouverymuch BR Outlet). Large chunky jewelry (small stuff just disappears). Generally more color, not bubble-gum candy pastels but saturated jewel tones. Are those in this season? Make the colors more rich and the shoes less ugly and I'm in.

12. If you could shop at any store (or from any designer), which would you choose? I assume this is ignoring both sizing and budget issues. Banana Republic and J. Crew, full price instead of haunting the sale rack. Lots of Anthropologie. Lucky and Jane Marvel for cute bags, Hobo International for seriously gorgeous bags, Pink Studio for awesome shoes, and Michael Kors, Roland Mouret and DVF for fab dress-up clothes.

13. Where do you ordinarily shop now? Gap/Banana Republic Outlet/J. Crew sales. Also random hippie stores and tiny local boutiques for accessories. Etsy for jewelry as I have found some AMAZING ladies making stuff I love (it's trouble).

14. What clothing, accessory, or prettifying need (if any) do you enjoy shopping for? Jewelry, bags and scarves. Stuff that always fits and can make any outfit more interesting. I hunt for a lot of stuff online but rarely go out and shop now. I just don't feel like hunting right now.

15. Which one do you most loathe shopping for? Shoes. It kills me. In my soul.

16. Do you consider yourself low-, medium-, or high-maintenance? Medium. Low for work and high-ish for a nice night out so medium on average.

17. What are the two most frequent occasions that you dress for and how would you describe them? Work right now is pretty mellow so I have started to wear slightly cuter clothes there since they are less likely to get ruined. But still, I am either in the lab or the greenhouse right now so everything has to stay pretty practical. Also the lab is freezing and the greenhouse is overheated, so layers. Other than that, maybe date night? Or working in the yard? Or yoga. I don't dress much for other specific things. I mean, I do wear clothes, just not activity-specific ones.

18. What was your favorite Hallowe'en costume ever? A couple of years ago I was a 1940's style Lois Lane-type girl reporter. I got to wear a mildly sexy blouse with a pencil skirt, my awesome suit coat that I never get to wear, and a fedora with a press pass stuck in the hatband. Vaguely professional-sexy but not full-on ho as is so very common at H'ween. This past year's was a close second. I have decided a good hat is an absolute necessity for a good H'ween costume.

19. What do you see as the current problem(s) with your wardrobe and/or look? Lack of consistency. I have started to find things that work for me but they are still part of a very random mix. And it is so much easier to find lovely things for dressing up than it is for everyday wear. To use a slightly strained sports analogy Ive got a few flashy starters but I need some more depth on the bench.

20. At the end of WT, what lovely compliments do you want onlookers to give you? "She looks so put-together". I want everyone in the closet to play together nicely. As a team, one might say (if one were to beat the reader over the head with the metaphor).

Drooool...

I may get nothing done today. But last night was an unqualified success. The tenderloin was tender with little crispy bits on the outside, and the mushroom sauce was rich and delicious. The tiramisu, you may ask?

My picture still doesn't compare to the one I swiped from flickr but I bet my tiramisu sure does. And yes Lauralynne, I knew there was no way we would finish it. It's better for breakfast anyways. This was corroborated by Mister Oh-I-Don't-Have-A-Sweet-Tooth this morning.

Dinner Party Update

So a plan is coalescing. The asparagus and mashed potatoes were such a hit they may be repeated, and I am still sticking with the pork tenderloin plan. However, I think I can tie them all together with a semi-sauce with lots of sauteed mushrooms, somewhat like these but simmered down in a little bit more liquid with a pinch of flour.

The other part of the plan is the totally impractical dessert that requires more people to finish it so one doesn't scarf down the whole thing in one sitting. To wit: The Frugal Gourmet (remember him?) had an excellent Italian cookbook many years ago. This is where I learned that tiramisu should properly be referred to as TiraMiFuckingSu.



Picture from here. It's a showstopper, kids. And they can bring the wine.

I Haven't Completely Abandoned The List (Just Mostly)

9. Find a skincare routine that works.

Reno is DRY, folks. And my skin was actually really happy in the 99% humidity that was life in Oregon. So my skin was miserable when I moved here. Oily, dry, breakouts, redness, you name it. I was so self-conscious that I decided to suck it up and do something about it. Between luck, crossed fingers, an allergist and a dermatologist, I have actually (after going on 5 years here) found a skincare routine that works (knock on wood) without making me super-oily or ridiculously dry. To the point that I sucked it up and ordered the good stuff (although frugal me had to at least wait until I could get free shipping and an extra sample, those sample tubes are BIG).

Morning routine:

Finally something with SPF that doesn't feel greasy. Every morning post-shower.


This stuff is called Duac, and I only use 3-4 days a week, max. It is a combo benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin gel so it dries the crud out of my skin. But it really does cut back on general spottiness (except on my towels, if I'm not careful). I'm still coasting on the samples with this one, but this is a prescription I plan to fill.

Bedtime routine:

Yes it is mild and all the dermatologists say to use it, blah blah blah. Once I got used to not feeling like clean = skin completely stripped of all moisture I realized, my skin is really much happier with this stuff.

This one is the investment (at least in my book). My skin was having a particularly dry period and it came as a XL-sized sample so I figured I'd give it a shot. This is good stuff, folks. I actually sucked it up and bought some and it is so mild yet rich but not oily and seriously my new favorite thing ever. And so far it has taken me more than a month to put a dent in the sample bottle - you only need a tiny bit!


And a very mild retinol, because they really do work.

It seems funny to me that even though I like to go all natural for my soap and shampoo and as much food and cleaning products as possible, literally no natural skincare products have done anything other than make my skin worse. I guess this makes me a bad hippie. But seriously, folks. I wear less makeup if my skin is healthy, I stress out less if my skin is healthy, I pick at my skin less if it is healthy. I guess that would make it a reverse vicious cycle. But I'll take it! All of these products seem to last forever and so far they are worth it.

What skincare products do you swear by?

Whether the Weather.

So I bit the bullet and ordered more decomposed granite. It is supposed to be partly sunny/partly cloudy with a chance of drizzle this weekend and I am going to suck it up and level that back patio area so I can put some pavers down when the weather actually gets decent. Here is the view towards the patio-to-be:



The path is grayish gravel, the river rocks are shades of gray too, so I am wondering if I should use gray pavers so it will all match. This article is my main inspiration:

This couple stained their pavers, and it works pretty well for them, but mine will be in a slightly less lush area, so I don't know if I am as enamored of the greens they use. The gray would go with the rest of the stone but look kind of industrial, but there is a tan color too. It won't "match" but it might blend better with the rest of the garden. Thoughts? Fancy pavers or flagstone starts at anywhere from $2-5 per square foot so I want to make the basic stuff work as it is the best option, budget-wise (the cheapest option would be a really thick layer of decomposed granite but I got some patio furniture and I don't want it to sink in. Also I don't want to track it in the house, so that's out).

Edit: Best Guests Ever helped me truck all that decomposed granite into the backyard. Now I just need to level it and edge it and I can order some pavers!

Dinner Parties (Also, Looking For Opinions)

We have been trying to not eat out so much lately. Which I think is good. But when one of your main pastimes with friends is going out to lunch, you see people a little less when you stop going out as much. So we have been trying to invite people over periodically. The goal is: I feed them, they usually bring wine or dessert, and we all spend 1/10 of what we could have if we had gone to a bar for cocktails and then out to dinner (ok we didn't go whole-hog that often, but still).

We had friends over a couple of weeks ago. I served this over mashed potatoes and with a side of roasted asparagus. I cooked it a little longer, I think it's nicer because the chicken gets really tender and the tomatoes turn into a sauce. We had white wine and some cookies from a fancy local bakery. It was a really nice evening.

Now I want to do it again. And I need recipe ideas. I still want to be a little bit fancy, last time I actually plated stuff out in advance instead of putting everything on the table in big bowls and letting everyone serve themselves, and it was really nice that way without all the clutter on the table. But I am also horribly tempted to make a big batch of chocolate chip cookies (a.k.a. not fancy at all).

So tell me - what do you like when you go to someone's house for dinner? Fancy? Low-key? We're not talking a big group here, just 4 of us (same as last time). Do you usually bring something? Are you offended when people bring something to your dinner parties, like you were going to run out of food or something? Also, what are your favorite appetizers? Or do you prefer to wait for the meal and not fill up beforehand?

Image from here.

Menu-wise, the only thing that I've found that I'm excited about so far is Smitten Kitchen's mushroom appetizer, which I might have to test run tonight even though it totally won't go with dinner, just because I really really want it. I am contemplating some sort of roast pork, possibly a tenderloin sliced up over some salad so it's not terribly heavy. Ideas, anyone?