182. a blue goblet
September 30th, 2009 § 3 Comments
The iittala Marimekko Bowl is a traditional Finnish pressed glass goblet.
Available in a variety of rich, beautiful hues, this popular and traditional Finnish vessel is perfect for serving desserts and treats. The iittala Marimekko Bowl makes anything you put in it glow dramatically in the light, giving whatever is inside a new life.
Each piece is embossed on its base marimekko.
-finnishgifts.com
My beloved Finnish friend, confidante, and word-pong partner, Hanna, gifted this beautiful blue iitala Marimekko bowl to Chris and me for our wedding. I haven’t figured out what to put in it yet, but she told me that an iitala Marimekko bowl is a very standard (and beautiful!) first purchase for a new home. I anticipate putting sea glass in it someday — I’m obsessed with sea glass, although I’ve had a terrible time finding large amounts of it. The project is one of those long, ongoing endeavors that may never end. Anyway, what I meant to say is that it was one of the most touching gifts we received this summer.
I’ve been thinking a lot about friends, and how important it is to have friends in times of need. Over the last week I’ve received homemade soup from Katie, cake from Miriam, had friends come and sit with me while I convalesced, had Hanna both drive me to the ER in the middle of the night and stay with me till morning (holding my hand during medical tests), and so on. I feel so very lucky.
As for my medical problems — after another physical on Monday, the doctor still couldn’t figure out what was wrong, though she did give me some medication for pain that she thought might help. And I’m going back to her tomorrow morning, and hopefully they’ll be able to come up with an explanation that will lead to something being fixed. In the meantime, my husband, my parents, and my friends have been a tremendous support.
I know that everything will be okay.
In the meantime, I made an appointment for a haircut (but only a trim, see). My students told me today that they’d thought I’d gotten a haircut because I looked different, but it was really because I wasn’t wearing my red lipstick. Aw.
181. helena kvarnstrom
September 26th, 2009 § 2 Comments
A Siamese Cat Would Be So Small from Helena Kvarnström on Vimeo.
I might not be around for a little while. In the meantime, please watch this beautiful video, A Siamese Cat Would Be So Small, by my friend Helena.
180. raw
September 25th, 2009 § 1 Comment
I ate some semi-raw potatoes this morning, and I think they’re wreaking havoc on my stomach! Which reminds me of this one time when Andy and I made chicken. When we pulled it out of the oven and started eating it, we realized that it was still mostly uncooked; but we were starving, and ate it anyway. Not the smartest thing I’ve ever done.
179. closet purge, new dress
September 23rd, 2009 § 7 Comments
50s dress, favorite 20s necklace, tabio tights, heels
So busy these days — busy with teaching (lesson plans, grading, actually being in front of a classroom), busy with my own writing, busy with my Modernism class, etc… yet somehow, I’m managing to keep my head together. For now!
Despite this, I took a tip from the everfabulous Glamourai and did a huge closet purge, in which I got rid of anything that wasn’t getting enough wear, even if I thought it was beautiful/sassy/cute. & now my (very minimalistic!) closet consists solely of things that I love and would buy again in a heartbeat. To celebrate the occasion, and to remind myself to buy comfortable, high-quality clothing, I went out and spent almost an hour trying things on at my favorite local vintage store (The Get Up, Ann Arbor); I left with the above dress, which I couldn’t manage to get a fantastic photo of. There are so many nice details to it, including rhinestone buttons down the bodice, tiny vertical pleats across the chest, and girlish POCKETS. Lurve.
At present I am lusting after these pajamas from APC Madras, which cracks me up because they couldn’t be any more different from the filmy, lacy lingerie that I’ve been contemplating. These pajamas look perfect for eating chicken strips with ranch while watching reruns of “Law and Order” at 2 AM after a long, long day.
178. dress remixed: dress codes & teaching
September 17th, 2009 § 4 Comments
Remember this dress? I hadn’t worn it in a while; still, it’s one of the more conservative dresses that I own, and I have office hours today, so I decided to dig it out. My self-imposed dress code for office hours is on the more casual side of dressy, hence the brogues (& yes, I plan on removing the headband before any students come in). This whole matter of dressing for a student audience is tricky, despite my university’s relatively relaxed/non-prescriptive dress code. Meanwhile, Mimi wrote a great post on Threadbared regarding the issue of being “small, Asian, female-bodied, with a recognizably feminine gender presentation that is often read, because [she is] queer, as femme…” Highly recommended, thought-provoking reading.
