little victories: a hint of mustard

    During my history of libraries class last night, we were having a discussion when I heard: click, snip, click. At first I thought I was imagining things, so I tried to ignore it, but the sound continued. I surreptitiously examined my fellow students. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. Then, I noticed the girl in the front row. She was partially blocked from my view by the second row, but from her posture I guessed she had a foot on her  knee. It dawned on me that the click, snip, click was her trimming her toenails.
    Now, I have no problem with someone unobtrusively trimming a fingernail that just broke, then putting the clipper away (and disposing of the nail in the trash can, of course). But this was a full-scale personal grooming. And did I mention that the professor was sitting right across from her? And given that it's a graduate class, it's not like those huge 150-student undergrad lecture classes they hold in a mini auditorium. There are probably 23 students, tops, in a rather cozy room.
    I'm sure you know that there are many stereotypes about librarians, ranging from the buttoned-up-but-actually-sexy librarian, to the weird but smart computer lover, to the obsessively tidy, patron-shushing fuddy-duddy who patrols the shelves.
    I wanted to tell my personal-grooming-obsessed colleague: "Help a fellow librarian out!! Stop perpetuating the idea that we are weeeird."
    Anyhow, but you're not here for weird anecdotes, are you? Here's what I wore yesterday: my new eBay necklace!

     Since I started blogging, I've seen so many people wearing mustard and looking fantastic. I've avoided the color because I figure with my skin tone, I've got enough yellow going on.
    I took my inspiration for this outfit from two sources: I decided on a navy buttondown because Megan of Feathers & Freckles recently showed how pretty mustard and navy look together. My second source of inspiration was Elaine of Clothed Much -- she always rocks the necklace-over-the-buttondown look.

All buttoned up - hey, where'd my neck go?

    I was elated when my ever-stylish cousin K commented on how much she liked the necklace and how well it went with the navy. :) Little victory #1.
    Just last weekend, I  saw a very similar-looking necklace (in reds and pinks) at Macy's, checked the price tag, and it was a whopping $28! I think the colors of this necklace fit better with the colors I usually wear, and the panels are just the right size -- the Macy's one seemed like it would be overwhelmingly large. Scoring something on-trend via eBay instead of paying lots more at the department store? Little victory #2.

eau de omelet

   My cherished cold weather has vanished, leaving behind ultra-humid, sticky weather and dour gray skies. :( It was so hot Tuesday morning that I needed to sit in front of the fan to finish my bowl of oatmeal without overheating. It's definitely not as bad as the humidity I experienced when visiting India a few years ago, but nevertheless an unwelcome change from the cool tradewinds we usually enjoy.
    My teacher friend invited me to assist with her reading class on Tuesday -- they had read a story about dinosaurs having a brunch, and they were making omelets to extend the activity in a fun way (and squeeze in some procedural writing). I read two of the groups a related story while my friend and her co-teacher presided over the butane burners and helped the other students make omelets. The warm weather made the skirt a smart choice, and I couldn't resist the cheerful red to brighten up a glum-looking day. The kids were polite and enthusiastic, and I had fun. The only problem? My clothes and I smelled like omelet after that.

 Ralph Lauren buttondown (Macy's)

CK pencil skirt (from outlet)

Forever 21 leatherette navy & green belt

 
    My favorite part of this outfit is the green belt. I saw my friend take a good look at it, then she didn't say anything. She was either thinking, weird -- doesn't Carrie know red and green is only for Christmas?!??, or, she was awed by my fun sense of color and temporarily speechless. :D
   The long weekend has thrown off my schedule, but I'm planning the usual Try-it-out post for this week. One of my (as yet unstated) goals for this blog in 2012 is to bump up the accessorizing by taking more outfit photos that feature purses. (Only happened once in 2011, so things can only improve!) This week I'll be building an outfit around a purse I received as a Christmas gift from my friend R. I love having friends who remember what you need (in this case, a clutch purse), then get it for you for Christmas ... I don't have that talent, but I do admire it in others!  ; )

a little knowledge ...

really is a dangerous thing. I looked at my camera settings quickly today, but I need to sit down with the manual and figure out how to change the settings back. So these photos are brought to you today by the magic of Picnik.

    I decided to tame my snake-print dress with a buttondown knotted at the waist. The dress has a shirt collar as well, but I tucked it inside the dress. I'd like to redo the sleeves eventually - the cuffs make it hard to layer something over the dress.
    I feel a little like Goldilocks in regard to dresses this week. The one I wore earlier was a little tight on top, while this one is a little loose. I've learned to be more careful about assessing the fit before I buy.

    Love the full skirt on this, but I ended up clutching it as I walked to class -- I wasn't expecting it to be so windy! Note to self: check the weather report before wearing this dress. Also, this outfit needs "winterizing." I know that sounds silly when I live in Hawaii, but my legs were freezing in my air-conditioned classroom. I've seen a lot of folks in the blogging world rocking their dresses with tights, but all I own right now is a pair of leggings that ends slightly above the ankle. And then I have no idea what shoe to wear with the tights/leggings ...