From the "can't wait for it to go on sale" files

Scrollwork blouse, $88

The last time I was at Anthro I spotted this from across the room and wouldn't let myself try it on because I knew I would take it home. Gotta bide my time until it goes on sale.

By the way, Anthro's proven to be a great source for basic, everyday skirts. I've bought two from there so far (both full price, oh well) but I wear them all the time. They'e both the Holy Grail of skirts: sharp enough for work, comfy and easy enough for play. And they flatter my petite body and butt/thighs. Heaven.

Also, I treated myself to these rings, which are lots of fun. At 9 for $48, they weren't too pricey.

New York or Chicago?

Meeting with former professors is the trippiest thing ever. Rather than seeing them as I used to - i.e. as people who Must Be Respected, lest they give me a poor grade - I can now see them as people.

And then I can charm the pants off them so they will write me a strong letter of recommendation.

Well, not quite. But I will say: I am so, so thankful these profs are here to give me moral support when all I want to do is crawl into bed and give up on this whole PhD thing.

Also, it's fun to hear female professors talk about their kids. It really is possible to succeed in academia while having a family!

Anyway, I met with one of my former writing profs yesterday and after hearing my sob story, her message was pretty much along the lines of: go forth and kick ass! You're young and single and might as well move to a fabulous city and take some classes at whatever top university is lucky to be graced with your presence!

Which is a message I can't really argue with.

Some backstory: I may still apply to PhD programs this year, but I'm also entertaining the idea of taking some master's level classes (at a top program, of course) without actually enrolling in a degree program. Apparently, this is totally possible, and the barriers to entry are quite low (the major downside, of course, is tuition fees). The goal would be to make lots of great contacts outside of class, so I'm much stronger when appplying to PhD programs.

As it happens, the top programs I have my eye on are in Chicago and New York. I can keep my job and work remotely, so what's keeping me from moving tomorrow and seeing how the academics shake out? Not much, really.

So...if you were young and single and a nut for books, good food and sociology, which city would you choose?

Handmade Stackable Rings

Let's hear it for stackable rings, shall we? Versatile and comfortable, they can make a big statement or a more subtle one. And thanks to Etsy, you can get reasonably priced rings - made to order with whatever gemstone, pattern or metal you like.

Kateszabone offers a set of six stunning rings for $110. They are fully customizable, so pick your metal and gemstone!

I love the modern, sleek shape of these rings by TreAnelli, especially juxtaposed with this lush, tropical color scheme. Again, the rings are customizable with your favorite gemstones. Three rings go for $74.

I'm in love with metalicious's entire Modern Rock collection, which is a fun take on the shapes of classic diamond jewelry. These Ascher stackable rings ($90 for two) are sure to attract a lot of attention.

Offered by seller muyinmolly, multicolored pearls look so cute nestled together in a stackable design. At $30 for three, these are an inexpensive treat.

Ultra-shiny and fun, gets five of these rings from laurelhill for $38.

I think what I love the most about all these rings is the handmade look you just don't get from mass-produced jewelry.

A ForeverChic jewelry line?!

That's right, folks...I'm having so much fun jewelrying up a storm, I thought I'd put together a little jewelry line. My goal is to have at least 15-20 unique pieces ready by November 15 (i.e. the holiday season). I'll probably sell on Etsy as well as local craft fairs. If all else fails, I'll have tons of kick-ass jewelry to wear!

Here's a sneak peek at one of the offerings:

'Plums in the icebox' bracelet - see full set at Flickr

So, here are the key points:

• one-of-a-kind gemstone jewelry
• handmade by a ditzy leftie
• watch this space for updates!

Squeal.

As if by magic, I brought two pairs of unwanted shoes into Buffalo Exchange, and they transformed into one pair of the coolest BCBG Max Azria pumps EVAR*.

The real question: how old are these babies? If, as I suspect, they are from the 90s, will I sound like an idiot if I call them "vintage"?

Closeup of my new favorite shoesies:


* Does anyone else get a charge when the finicky buyers at Buffalo Exchange actually accept your stuff? It's like being let into an exclusive club.

Burning Man: The verdict

Burning Man was amazing and awe-inspiring and a whole lot of fun. I laughed and danced and gawked and survived two all-day windstorms and one nasty bout of heatstroke. I met lots of great people and took a few pictures, but mostly I flew by the seat of my pants and found wonder and excitement at every turn. I watched people fight in the Thunderdome, danced on cages and rickety three-story structures, donned devil horns, and competed in the Potato Olympics. I jumped on trampolines (once during a white-out sandstorm), spun the wheel at the Skinny Kitty Teahouse (home of several mummified cats), and partied with Canadians and Belgians and Australians.

I would definitely go again, though I don't think I would camp with the same people. And I would work harder to avoid heatstroke (note: getting drunk all day isn't so smart when you're in the desert.)

Anyhow, now I'm back to my own little life, a weird sort of melancholy has set in, but I have a spring in my step and a new joie de vivre that I didn't have before.

So I'm good. I want to get a new job in the worst way. But I'm good.

Some pics:

Entering Black Rock City for the first time. I carpooled with my friend Brian, who was also a first-timer. Since we were virgins, the greeter let us ring a big bell. Hooray!

Sunday night: Our campsite when we first arrived. Since we registered as a theme camp, we had a nice slice o' land carved out for us.

Monday around noon: we'd just finished setting up our mess tent and a huge windstorm kicked up. It didn't let up until 10pm or so! We spent the day aimlessly wandering around Black Rock City, all decked out with goggles and bandannas. In hindsight, it wasn't fun at all, but we were just so happy to have arrived in BRC, and there was lots to see even during the storm. My favorite windstorm sighting: a naked old guy waiting for a nonexistent bus and jokingly asking passers-by for change.


Hanging out in Center Camp during nicer weather. Center Camp was a very impressive, stable structure, and there were always dancers and other performers to keep one entertained. On this particular day, an old man was parked near us and was putting pasties on willing women as they passed him. Hilarious!

The Man, perched on a three-story structure that people could climb and get a great view. Sadly, I didn't get to ascend the Man before he burned, but I climbed plenty of other structures and got to enjoy great views (sorry, no pictures).

Hanging out on the Esplanade (the main drag) on a particularly hot day. I happily accepted cold water, beer, mistings, etc. from all of those camping on the Esplanade.


The Skinny Kitty Teahouse earns its name.

The kissing booth near my camp where I spent lots of time. I worked the booth probably about 15 hours over the course of 3 days, and kissed hundreds of people. It was tons of fun; I especially enjoyed the gifts - booze, food, trinkets, etc. people brought me after I kissed them. I think my favorite gifts were Young Wife Blend coffee (from a Salt Lake City couple) and an Eiffel Tower keychain from a French man. Also, a Russian guy had an old typeweriter and let us type on it. Fun!

A sign at one of my favorite bars.

A band playing in a rolling concert venue. That would be impressive enough, but when you consider that all this was brought to the middle of fucking nowhere...it's pretty awe-inspiring.


Another awe-inspiring sight: two massive pieces of metal artwork alongside the crane that put them in position.

So those are some pics. They hardly capture the energy or debauchery of the festival, but I let the fancy photo-taking for others because I was so busy cavorting. Also, the dust was hell on electronics and I didn't want to kill my camera.

In summary, I would describe Burning Man as a rave meets Woodstock meets total anarchy. It was smashing.

One of the coolest quotes I heard during Burning Man

I'm happy I was able to track this down.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure….

“It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?…

“Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you…

“And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

- Nelson Mandela*

Loves it!

(more about Burning Man later)

*Ok, apparently this quote is actually from Marianne Williamson and is wrongly attributed to Nelson Mandela.