Sunday, October 31, 2010

What I Read This Month



We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, 1962

Creepy and disturbing. A tale of two sisters facing debilitating mental illness and social isolation after the murder of the rest of their family members. Fascinating glimpse at the inner workings of such a disturbed mind.



The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli, written 1513, published posthumously in 1532

One of those significant books that just doesn't seem so significant anymore. Possibly groundbreaking at the time, but hundreds of years later, many of the precepts in the books are quite familiar to us. One startling aspect I noted as I read was how casually Machiavelli talked about invading other nations and taking them over to gratify vanity and amass power. He takes for granted that lots of humans will be murdered or killed in various aspects of political life, and finds this to be completely acceptable if done in an effective pursuit of power. There may be something to the argument that this was meant as a satire. Interesting view on another time and place, and a piece of history, but not a particularly engaging or novel read.



The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, 2005 (published posthumously)

Good read. A few too many characters and a bit of a slow start, but definitely picks up. I don't exactly get why it's such a huge sensation. It's good, but not THAT good.



Persuasion by Jane Austen, 1818 (published posthumously)

Not one of her best known works for a reason. Starts slow and never really picks up speed. Too many characters, too little action. Charming enough, nonetheless.



The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell, 2010

I enjoyed the Sex and the City tv series, so I'm drawn to Candace Bushnell's novels, but her writing isn't as good as the shows that were built on her story concepts. A few too many characters (this seems to be the month of character overload), but a fun enough story, following Carrie Bradshaw as a high school student in 198-. The book is set in the 80's, but it's a bit of a running joke that you never quite find out exactly what year it is.



Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult, 2009

Not up to par with her usual work, Handle with Care is a bit of a re-hashing of many of the themes and stories she addressed in My Sister's Keeper (which I did enjoy) combined with some elements borrowed from Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate. Handle with Care had some timeline discrepancies and did not seem well researched on the legal and insurance issues. None of the characters was particularly likeable. As in many of her novels, Picoult tells the story in first person narrative from changing characters' points of view, which can be interesting and effective. Unfortunately, in this case, the changes happened so fast that it was dizzying. Not my favorite Jodi Picoult.


Friday, October 29, 2010

Spirit Day





I completely forgot that last Wednesday was Spirit Day until after I got off the train in Chicago. Arguably this jacket is a shade of purple, but I had planned to wear lots of very obvious purple. Oh, well. At any rate, I support LGBT youth and I oppose bullying of any kind.

When:
Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Where:
work, committee meeting

What:
Jacket: Moda International
White Sweater: Wet Seal
Skirt: Ann Taylor LOFT (thrifted)
White Tights: Capezio
Socks: ??
Boots: Nine West
Earrings: World Market
Necklace: vintage from my mother
Leaf Brooch: vintage from my mother

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Blue Sweater, Red Bag







When:
Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Where:
work

What:
Cardigan Sweater: Gap (thrifted)
White Button Down: Zac Posen for Target
Pants: Old Navy (thrifted)
Red Boots: Franco Sarto (thrifted)
Earrings: H&M
Belt: ??
Bag: from a street vendor


Sunday, October 24, 2010

Flood City









Last weekend, my boyfriend and I drove out to Pennsylvania to visit my family. These pictures were taken in the park in Johnstown, which was decorated for Halloween. We had a lunch of hamburgers and hotdogs at the infamous Coney Island and shopped at the flea market at Value It.

When:
Saturday, October 16, 2010

Where:


What:
Sweater: Mossimo (thrifted)
Red Button Down: Express (thrifted)
Black Cami: Wet Seal
Linen Shorts: H&M
Black Sweater Tights: ??
Boots: Nine West
Bag: Marc Jacobs (thrifted)
Leather Coat: ?? (hand-me-down from an ex, who acquired it from ebay)
Scarf: handmade by my mother
Hat: Filippo Catarzi
Silver Ball Earrings: mine from the 1990's


Saturday, October 23, 2010

Peacock Feathers and a Flower











When:
Thursday, October 14, 2010

Where:
work, class

What:
Top: Old Navy (thrifted)
Pants: Mossimo (thrifted)
Necklace: vintage from my mother
Peacock Feather Earrings: from a street vendor in Vancouver
Flower Brooch: c/o Shop Ruche, from our Blogger Brunch last month
Shoes: Payless


Friday, October 22, 2010

Green & Yellow











When:
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Where:
work, book club

What:
Tweed Jacket: ?? ($5 on clearance)
Long Sleeve Tee: Forever XXI (thrifted)
Skirt: Trina Turk (thrifted)
Argyle Socks: Target
Shoes: Joan & David (thrifted)
Bag: ?? (thrifted)
Necklace: World Market
Wooden Bangle Bracelet: vintage from my mother
Flower Earrings: mine from the 1990's

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Black and Orange













I love how this looks like two complete outfits: the dress by itself is complete, then when I put the jacket on and button it, ta-da, new outfit! Perfect look for transitioning into the cooler weather, while it's still hot in the middle of the day, but cooler for my evening commute, and the office, as always, is unpredictable.

When:
Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Where:
work, book club, sushi dinner in Chinatown

What:
Suit Jacket: Rina Rossi
Dress: 3Free
Grey Tights: H&M
Sandals: Cynthia Vincent for Target
Bag: ?? (thrifted)
Pearl & Gold Earrings: vintage

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Notre Dame Pink





A quick and easy outfit for running some errands and doing a little shopping.

When:
Monday, October 11, 2010

Where:
thrift store, Target

What:
T-shirt: Notre Dame Law School Student Bar Association
Skirt: Gap (thrifted, new with the tags still on)
Silver Sequin Shoes: Xhileration (thrifted)
Bag: ?? (thrifted)
Peace Sign Earrings: World Market


Monday, October 18, 2010

What I Was Wearing Last October

Some of my favorites from this time last year...



















Sunday, October 17, 2010

Elephant Room



My boyfriend and I went to an opening last month at the Elephant Room, a gallery in the South Loop. The owner took a picture of us and sent it to us afterwards.

The opening was for Cydney Lewis, who repurposes plastic bags and uses them as materials for her collages. She also makes jewelry, which she also sells at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago store.

We originally found the Elephant Room when Jennifer Cronin had a show there. We had seen some of Jennifer's paintings at Second Friday at the Fine Arts Building, and were quite taken with her work. We attended a few of her exhibits over the summer, before my boyfriend eventually purchased one of her paintings.

When:
Friday, September 3, 2010

Where:
work, opening at the Elephant Room, dinner at a thai restaurant in the South Loop

What:
Sweater: Cynthia Steffe (thrifted)
Tank: Tommy Hilfiger (from the men's dept at Marshall's)
Pants: Young Kinds by Steve Harvey (from the boy's dept at Marshall's)


Since I didn't get an outfit picture the day of the opening, here's a picture from the last time I wore the same sweater, tank and pants:


Saturday, October 16, 2010

Pitt and Notre Dame

In one of the new law school classrooms:


My boyfriend and I in front of the library:


Last Saturday, I went to the Pitt-Notre Dame football game in South Bend. Both my alma maters, undergrad and law school, playing each other: who to root for? No matter who I choose, I'm bleeding blue and gold.

I usually dress up my t-shirts a bit more than this, but I was feeling lazy Saturday morning, so I just threw on a comfy old slighty-too-big Notre Dame tee with stretchy jeans and comfortable walking shoes. I threw a comfy Pitt sweater in my bag, but I didn't need it until I got into the air-conditioning at dinner.

My parents drove out to campus with some friends (my dad is a Pitt alum too and a Pitt football fan), and met up with my boyfriend and me for the game. We spent a little bit of time on campus beforehand. It was the first time I've had a chance to see the new law school, which has been expanded and doubled (tripled?) in size since I graduated half a dozen years ago. It's lovely, and quite impressive. The campus is beautiful, and was particularly so last weekend with the changing leaves, bright sunshine overhead, the light breeze and temperatures reaching into the low 80's. A perfect day for visiting my alma mater.

When:
Saturday, October 9, 2010

Where:
Notre Dame campus for football game (!), dinner in Chinatown (back in Chicago)

What:
Notre Dame T-shirt: Adidas (thrifted)
Jeans: ?? (I think I may have purchased them while living in South Bend. Fitting, huh?)
Peace Sign Earrings: World Market
Pitt Collegiate Sweater (not pictured): vintage from my father
Shoes: Converse All-Stars
Bag: Marc Jacobs (thrifted)

Credits: Thanks to my boyfriend for taking the picture of me, and for posing himself. Thanks to my dad for taking the picture of my boyfriend and me.


The Basilica and Golden Dome visible from the stadium:


The library (with Touchdown Jesus) visible from the stadium: