Halloween (aka Black/Red)

I like dressing up for Halloween...but not excessively. I also like Tim Burton, and his copious use of stripes and red/black (also black/white, but I was working with the tights I had).  Twin buns are a hair-do I love (while not being professional enough for regular work).  I even have on my little gold skull necklace. I am totally outclassed, though. Two of the girls I work with came dressed as the two men in our office -- spot-on!

I celebrated Halloween last night by reading my favorite horror story, "1408" by Stephen King, which is in Everything's Eventual. It's just...twisted and odd, without King's usual goriness. It's reminiscent of those creepy dreams you have where everything is off. I love the movie as well (not just because of John Cusack), but it is different.

Sweater weather {again}!

Comfy cozy and finally Friday. Is it time to sleep all weekend yet?

Sweater - Joe Browns (Simply Be), Pants - Denim 24/7, Shoes - Dexters, Jewelry - home-made.

soft

I just can't wait any longer, so today you're getting a DivaCup review! (Needless to say, I am pleased.) I am also pleased with this cardigan, which I can't believe I haven't worn in weeks. It's so soft! Like a baby's blanket! You are getting a super short OOTD post today, but hop on over to the DivaCup Review. (CAUTION: includes talk about periods and other girl stuff)

Cardigan - Simply Be, Shirt - JMS, Pants - Denim 24/7, Shoes - Mossimo.

Product Review: DivaCup! [Gory period discussion]

So, you may ask, what is a DivaCup? Well...it's a silicone cup that you can use during your period instead of tampons. Basically, you put it up in your vagina and it holds the blood from your period until you empty it. How often you need to empty it depends on your flow. Think of it like a tampon. If you have a really heavy flow, and you need to change a super plus every 3 hours - empty the DivaCup that often. You can wear it for up to 12 hours without emptying it if that works, too. You need to replace it around every year or so, depending on use/wear.

There are two sizes: Size 1 - for women under 30/who haven't had a vaginal/caesarean birth and
Size 2 - for women over 30 and/or women who have had a vaginal/caesarean birth. (This one is slightly bigger.)

REVIEW:
I turned 30 this year, but I decided to err on the side of a Size 1. Definitely the right choice. I haven't had any problem getting it in, but I don't know if I would be as comfy with a bigger one. I've heard online, and from my sister (who uses a DivaCup as well), that it takes a period or two to get used to it. I'm not even done with my first period using it, and I'm a total convert. I wore back-up light pads the first few days, but the only leakage I've had was very slight, during the heaviest part of my period, and equal/less than using a tampon. Basically, if you're cool with your body, and you want to be green - buy it. It's super easy to use.

Pros of a DivaCup

• You use less trash. Seriously, do you realize how much trash you accumulate during your period? Between the pads, pantyliners, and tampons, my trashcan is always full after my period. Not this time. And I feel sort of guilty about all the other times in retrospect.
• It's cheaper. WAY cheaper, even though it seems expensive at first. You can buy it on Amazon for around $26. If you get a $6 box of tampons every month (we won't even discuss pads/pantyliners at the moment), that makes $72 a year. $72 minus $26 is $46 and that could stay in your pocket.
• No icky dry tampon feeling. You know how a tampon will suck the moisture right out of your entire vagina? Yeah, the DivaCup doesn't do that. At all.

Cons of a DivaCup

•   You have to be comfortable with your body. This isn't like a tampon. You are putting this up in there with your hand, and then giving it a little twist to make sure it's fully open. You will have blood on your hands.
• If you're at home and you take it out, you rinse it out. If you're in a public restroom, you wipe it out with toilet paper. Again, bloody hands.
• Taking it out in the morning is weird. And a little cool if you're odd. It is full. FULL. You have to be a little delicate easing that sucker out, cause your toilet is about to be full of blood.

What you REALLY need to know

• Yeah, the stem? Cut it all off. It will poke out of your vagina otherwise, and you will think "WTF, this isn't comfortable at all!". Cut the stem off as close as you can to the cup (without cutting the cup, obviously) and it will fit so much better.
• Occasionally, when you are putting it in, and you are twisting it to make sure it's all nice and open to catch all the blood, it will make a sound like Tupperware. It will mostly do this when you are in a public restroom and other ladies are in there too, but really...that noise is much louder in your head. They can not hear your vagina suck in your DivaCup. They will hear you if you laugh about it, though. FYI.

Red Flags

Today, I'm wearing red not because I like the color. I'm wearing red because the university I work for has designated today (Oct. 26) as Wear Red Day.

Red Flag Campaign.

• Wear red to show someone in an abusive relationship they are not alone.
• Wear red to remind people to look for relationship red flags.
• Wear red to show that [students] say something when we see red flags in friends' relationships.

 

 What are some red flags in a relationship? (If these worry you, read the link. Thoroughly.)

1. A Blamer
2. Resentment
3. Entitlement
4. Superiority
5. Pettiness
6. Sarcasm
7. Deceit (intentional and unintentional)
8. Minor Jealousy 
9. A Rusher         

 
 I love you guys and I want all of you to be in HEALTHY relationships. Get help if you need it. 

IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT.

B & W

Sometimes it's the little things. Today, all the comments were on my "Halloween" necklace. It's just simple deep red beads that I need to restring, that I thought were a nice little contrast to all the black and white I wore. But they got all the attention! And days like today are the reason I always try to put on a necklace and earrings, because accessories do get noticed (by women).


Jacket - Simply Be, Top - Jessica London, Pants - Lands End, Necklace - self-made, Earrings - thrifted.

Cozy + Classy

Sundays are my day for classy cozy. Comfiness + pretty details; like the flattering color of this shirt and the nice drape of it. In a perfect world, all t-shirts are cowl necks, simply because I look so nice in them. I also know someone was interested in the DivaCup, although I can't remember who at the moment - I'm starting my first week using one, so expect a product review at the end of the week.

Shirt and Earrings - Avenue, Necklace - self-made.

Coziness shall be mine

 

This morning it was in the 40s, but according to the windchill it felt like the 30s. Hence the big, comfy sweater.  Do any of you use Spotify? I am completely in love with it. Not that I've shelled out for the premium service. I only use it sitting at my work computer. But I love it, and I've even found some bands that I now love (like Beirut). It's so much more convenient (and cheaper) than iTunes. Although I might be listening to an 80s mix at the moment...the only thing more likely to make me bop around in my chair is The Offspring.


Sweater - Simply Be, Pants - Denim 24/7, Shoes - Dexter, Watch Necklace - Amazon.

Schizoid Weather

(Disclosure: I have a fairly full-blown anxiety disorder/depression exacerbated by my epilepsy medication, so I feel free making mental illness jokes. Also epileptic jokes. Unless you fit in this category, you are a horrible person. That's just how it works.)

It was in the 70s yesterday, and it's supposed to be in the 50s today. WTH! I feel like Mother Nature is a bit bipolar here in the mountains. And of course, my office is equally bipolar; if the weather is hot, it'll be cold outside, and vice versa. This makes planning for the week impossible. (Not that I have that kind of dedication. But I like to pretend I do.)

Book recommendations : Self-published Kindle authors Nicole Hamlett (just starting her series) and Lindsey Buroker (fairly well established). Really, my Kindle is the best way of finding these self-published gems, as well as odd little publishing houses that you wouldn't find in a big box store. I usually Lendle the first in a series/one by an author, and if I like it, then I buy.  It's the online library, dude...try it, you'll like it.


Top - Avenue, Skirt - Urban Nomad, Leggings - Walmart, Necklace - Thrifted, Earrings - self-made.

Pendant Watch

I went for a little deceptive leg lengthening today. By tying the shrug right under my chest, it accentuates my (relatively) smaller high waist and makes my legs look much longer than they are. Usually, I wear my pants a good deal lower than my "natural" waist (re: the smallest part of my middle) because I don't feel like having a foot long inseam or more. But this makes my munchkin legs look quite long!

I'm also wearing my new and beautiful watch necklace! It hits me underneath the bust, and makes me feel very old-fashioned in a cool, British way. [Said the Anglophile.] I have a problem with watches, same as my grandmother; we're both a little...magnetic/electric, I suppose? Anyway, we have problems with watches dying when we wear them, and shock ourselves a lot. In college, my friends wouldn't lend me watches. I actually haven't worn a watch for over a decade, and I'm hoping that having it dangling around my chest, rather than strapped to my wrist, will keep the watch going longer.

Shrug - Simply Be, Tank - Simply Be, Pants - Lands End, Short Necklace and Earrings - Self-made, Watch Necklace - Amazon.

Soon to be in my tummy....

Today at work, for charity we're doing a dessert bonanza type thing that I'm helping to run. Think 20 desserts that everyone tastes and votes on. You pay $3 to get in and taste/vote, local business have given us some gift cards to give to the winners, and all the $$$ goes to the charities. Great idea, and tasty too...but I didn't want to walk around the rest of the afternoon with a uber full tummy showing. If this wasn't a time for a tunic, I don't know what is.

I ended up swapping out the necklace for a bracelet after photos, because the necklace kept disappearing into my cleavage. Distracting to say the least.

Top - B'leev, Pants - Denim 24/7, Shoes - Dexter, Jewelry - Self-made.

Super-warm

I love this sweater tunic to pieces and this is only the second time I've worn it. It's the ultimate in warmth, and it comes with pockets! And it is finally the weekend, and I'm really hoping no one in my church will die this week (3 deaths in 3 weeks), and all I want to do is sleep and watch tv.

My life is pretty simple, but if would be nice if it were even simpler. Or if I could just crawl inside a college dorm room without having to go back to college or see people in real life. That's the misanthropic introvert talking. Is this a part of "our generation", the desire to live our lives alone in small warm womb-like bedrooms with all the latest gadgets? Or is it simple laziness? Or is this just a result of it being Friday?

Top - Mossimo, Sweater - Simply Be, Pants - Denim 24/7, Necklace - Avenue, Shoes - Dexter.

One Book...

One book that changed your life: Tam Lin by Pamela Dean, the best ballad retelling set in 1970's America at university with English majors.

One book you have read more than once: Every book I've read and liked.

One book you would want on a desert island: My Kindle! Or if I have to pick, then either Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen or Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

One book that made you laugh: Everything by Jasper Fforde.


One book you wish had never been written: The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. Her book The Secret Life of Bees was so good, and then her second book was such an interminable trudge that no one at the library I worked at was able to finish it.

One book that made you cry: Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. When Matthew dies....

One book you are currently reading: Boneshaker by Cherie Priest, a neat steampunk historical re-imagining.


One book you have been meaning to read: Pirate King by Laurie King, the new Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes book.

One book you wish everyone would read: Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich.

(This meme started by former college roomie, Vanderbilt Wife)

T-Rex Arms

I have short little arms. And legs. But a normal torso. So yes, I am the tallest dwarf. But this makes my preeetty 3/4 length sleeve top up here come down to an inch above my wrists. And yes, I just need to cut off a bunch and sew it up so it fits better, but I was in a rush.  And the color was just too lovely to go on and pick out something else.

Top - Avenue, Pants - Denim 24/7, Shoes - Simply Be, Jewelry - Self-made.

Epaulets ahoy!

Evidently my new cardigan feels like being fancy; hence the epaulets and general sleekness. I am feeling exhausted lately, and it's been showing in my clothes (aka the outfits I don't show - thrown together with pissed off sleep face). I'm happy it's fall, don't get me wrong, I just wish I was getting up an hour later. Also, an annoying person I know is being annoying. But - great (new to me) British show Luther has started it's second season! Why are most British shows so much better than our crap tv? Are we really that annoying and stupid as a nation (see all reality shows and most "comedy" shows), or do they only show the best on BBC America? Probably the latter, but still, it makes me feel very sad to be not-British. They win automatically anyway for Doctor Who.

*Asshat expression not required

Cardigan - Simply Be, Shirt - Avenue, Pants - Denim 24/7, Necklace - Send the Trend, Shoes - Crocs.

Never near the face

With my coloring (supah-white with rosy cheeks) this...greeny-yellow color could never be worn near my face, for fear of questions about when my attack of bilious plague was going to be over. BUT. I actually quite like it as a skirt.

I promise I have hands.

If I add a black tee-shirt and blazer (listen, with short arms, most blazers are too long), then the color is allowed to pop on it's own, not contrast weirdly with my skin. My niece and nephew were very complimentary about my necklace, too, telling me how I could use it as a weapon if I needed to. I have friends that call this my bondage necklace, and I admit, it does look a bit like a leash. But I like the fact that it's a combo between a choker and a big statement necklace. The neckline of this top wasn't looking right with some of my other "big" necklaces, but I wanted something dramatic. The chain on this is thin and light enough that it lies flat while also offering a big POW.

Skirt - Urban Nomad, Top - Walmart, Blazer - Walmart, Shoes - Dexter, Necklace - JewelMint.

Snark face

"Snark face? Why whatever do you mean, lovely Erin?"

Take a loooong look, my dears.

This is the face you make when your father takes 8 blurry pictures, then goes inside. After you look at the pictures on the tiny camera screen, and get him back outside (because your little mama, lovely though she is, can not take a decent full shot to save her life), your face realizes that you're tired of taking pictures and really, you would just like to go back to bed instead of going to work, and you should have belted this sweater anyway, because while it's super comfy, it does tend to make you look a bit blocky in photos, and why won't Daddy just tell you when he's taking a picture, not just take it whenever so you have 7 shots of you talking and moving and closing your eyes and only one that's even halfway useful, but even that one is odd because of the SNARK FACE!

Sweater - Avenue, Shirt - ANA, Pants - Lands End, Crocs, Jewelry - Self-made.

Bits and Pieces

I didn't quite end up with any full shots that I liked today, so you get accessory shots today.

I like the idea of big necklaces like this, but I actually have precious few plain shirts to wear them over. My tops tend to be exciting within themselves. And as much as I like the idea of full-on boho, I also dislike a cluttered look. Hence my problems with/lack of pattern mixing. Don't get me wrong, I like the look on other people, it's just when I do it and look in the mirror, I think "Really, were you drunk when you thought this would work?"

This bracelet is terribly hard to get a good shot of. It seems to absorb light. The metal isn't quite this dark, more of a medium gray rather than a soul-sucking black hole gray.  Here:

Much better.

And some adorable little Dexter flats to finish it off. Seriously, go to Payless and get some Dexters. You'll be glad you did.

Top - CMC , Cardigan - Avenue, Pants - White Stag, Shoes - Dexter, Necklace - selfmade, Bracelet - JewelMint.

tonal differences

subdued

I like this photo, and I like it in both tones...although the more I look at it, the more my face turns into random disparate features. It's like when you repeat a word too many times and it becomes meaningless. Something meaningful is Sal's post today about diversity in the clothing industry, or the lack therof.  As a short little plus size supah-white (sounds better than cracker or albino!), I think it would be awesome to see people like me in everyday ads, not "special" inclusive ads. WTF, ad-men! Take a look around, and see the pudge! I love my curves, I'm not dieting them away.

bright!

Fun With Scarves

You know you like it.

Tia had such a wonderful use of a scarf yesterday that it inspired me (helped me get out of a boredom rut). I know, not very colorful, but what with my hatred of certain colors, and love of gray and black, it just seemed to fit. (Seriously, it could be the most beautiful scarf/dress/whatever in the world, but if it's turquoise/teal/orange/neon/the wrong shade of brown/or a combo that includes one of the dread colors, I will NOT have it. Because I am old and cranky.)

This was a in-between poses shot that just came out too too great.  I love the way the scarf is floating through the air! I've been wearing my hair back in a french braid or a bun lately, because with all the work I've been doing on the computer it's just easier. While I personally am not a big fan of how I look in a french braid, it seems to inspire mucho compliments. Weird, isn't it? How something you dislike on yourself ends up being something that other people admire? I think the french braid hair is admired just because it shows off how thick and shiny my hair is, while disguising it's tendency to frizz and go half wavy/half stick straight if I don't pay attention. 

Gorgeous scarf

What do you feel eh about that other people love on you?

Scarf - Send the Trend, Top - JMS, Pants - Denim 24/7, Shoes - Simply Be.