chrysalis

Evan Picone dress, Overstock.com (old)

cobalt cardigan, Gap Outlet

opal studs, gift from EKM

    This is an ooooold outfit ... from Spring Break in March, to be exact.  Why so dressed up on my vacation? I had a job interview. There were exactly 2.5 school librarian jobs posted this year (on this island), and I decided to apply for them all.

    It was an interesting experience. At my first interview, for a half-time position, I was equipped with a pencil, paper, a good half-hour to sit in the school's media center, and the directions that I was to sketch out my plans for the place. I am not a pro at organizing spaces - in fact, in my first classroom a colleague with this skill was generous enough to help me rearrange using the layout she had carefully determined for her room. I ended up thinking back on libraries I had seen and features I had liked about them, and incorporating them into my own design.

     While I'm still a bit disappointed that I was not offered any of those jobs, I realize that competition is stiff - it includes fellow recent graduates as well as experienced folks looking to move. It was heartening to hear that school administrators are starting to realize the value of librarians and an innovative library program.

        I went through my library studies fiercely hoping to never return to the classroom - not because I disliked being a teacher, but because I was so ready to become a librarian. In August, I will start my second year back in the classroom. For some reason, it's not my time to leave the classroom yet. By chance, I landed at my current school, which I like. I still dream about having my own library someday (soon), but for the time being I'm thankful to be fully employed again and to have an all-around good bunch of colleagues and students.

       A friend gifted me two pairs of opal earrings from her own collection a while back. I believe she picked them up on her travels, and they are gorgeous. I never really liked opals before, but after wearing them I've come to appreciate their subtle, almost eerie beauty. This photo doesn't do them justice - the stones come to life with peek-a-boo streaks of bright green and pink in the light. 

* P.S.: This dress was featured in my closet orphans post about a year ago!

*P.P.S.: What is something you are (patiently or impatiently) trying to bring to fruition in your life? It can be big or small ... I'd love to hear in the comments!   

second day

      For my second day at my practicum site, I had a great outfit planned. However, late-night snacking on salty things derailed this plan ... it seems that this bad habit results in a not-so-skinny-feeling day after. I decided to pair my elastic-waist dress with a non-constricting belt.

 dress, Old Navy

belt, thrifted

opal earrings, gift from EKM

      I have to admit I was snacking on Chicken in a Biskit. It's an odd snack all around: who decided that chicken makes a good cracker flavoring? How do they squeeze the chicken into the cracker? And why couldn't they spell "biscuit" properly?
      As strange as they are, Chicken in a Biskits hold a special place in my heart (er, stomach?) due to my childhood. It seems my childhood was largely comprised of ... reading and snacking. And these were not healthy snacks, but the glory of the processed-food industry: Oreos, cheese balls that came in a can, Icees, Combos, Otter Pops, Chips Ahoy, these strangely mushy microwaveable cakes, Ho Hos, Ding Dongs. (At this point you are either smiling nostalgically ... or feeling nauseated.) I'll stop here.

      I try to eat healthfully most of the time, but on occasion I give in to the temptation to revisit these childhood favorites. I'm not the only one, either ... my cousin shared recently how excited she was to find Biskits on the snack table at a meeting. While one of the attendees declared the Biskits weird, my cousin went back for three servings. Those childhood tastes are hard to shake!