As I write this, there's a cat FREAKING out below...

Hey, all!

Folks...I am so sorry for not having written in a while. I have SO MUCH to tell you all! For example, on Friday night, I hung out for about five hours with La Historiadora de Moda, her husband M, Herr Doktor, and the chemist-coture (all - except for M, although he's been featured himself - from the late, lamented Fashionable Academics blog which brought us all so much joy). Hung out, people!

... Jealous?

Unfortunately, because I'm a moron, I didn't pack my camera. But I did meet them. And I plan to stalk them forever. So THERE!

In other news...um, I'm in Greece. Yup! After Friday's ridic socializing, my husband and I got our acts together and packed like mofos for our Monday morning trip. Since we arrived at Athens at 2:15 AM (local time), I was convinced we'd get in, say a quick hello to the family, and fall asleep, waking up eight-to-ten hours later with no traces of jet lag. HA. No. Our plane arrived at 2:45 AM. By the time we got back to the house AND ate a meal (I'm not kidding), it was past 5 AM. I'd just like to say that I've spent more hours asleep than awake today. Because I'm amazing at planning to not have jet lag.

Also, because of idiocy and distractions ('House Hunters,' people! What can I do?!), I might have made the worst packing decisions of my life. I brought a lot of stuff that I might need, and didn't bring some stuff that I definitely need. Like, I didn't pack my Sanskrit dictionary. Granted, I won't be doing much Sanskrit in Germany - and there's an online one I like fine and I'm sure my friends/colleagues/professors can spare me an extra - but I wanted it for security. We should all be lucky that at least I packed a hard copy of my dissertation so that I won't look like a totally unprepared asshole during my defense...

Anyway, our Athenian home continues to be freakin' amazing and both my husband and I have guiltily admitted to finding it way more luxurious than our full-time Boston home. Oh, well. In other news, shopping has already been done, so both my husband and I will be sporting new duds on Saturday evening, for our cousin's wedding. I'm excited to show that off to you all.

And, yeah, that's my life. Well, some of it.

Welcome to Chalkdust and Boots, absent-minded summer edition!

I...don't know what to say!

It's not like I didn't PLAN to post an outfit today. It's just... I didn't have time to take a photo before going out for my tutoring sessions. And then when I get home, I got into PJs immediately. Plus, it didn't help that my seven-year-old tutee informed me that I must be having a baby because I looked fat. The word "fat" (in English!) was used. I'm so glad I'm never seeing her again (although her mother told me to call them when I get home from Europe...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!). So...maybe it wasn't the most flattering outfit ever?

Then I felt bad, so I thought I would post a hair interlude, because I've fallen in love with yet another celebrity's hairstyle (which I can totally recreate). But THEN I found out that, uh, last week (oops! Yay for stupid dissertation work!) the wonderful Cassy [seriously - how does she just nonchalantly apply make-up like it ain't no thang?!] had passed on an AWARD to me! An AWARD! My first one!!!! I'm speechless, people.

I'm stylish, y'all

And now I have to share seven things about me. Again. Do I have seven more facts to share? Okay, here goes...

1) I canNOT handle scary movies. For real. I saw 'The Ring' (the American version, no less) my senior year of college (this would be spring of 2003) and I'm still not over it. For real. I can't talk about it, even. If there's a scary commercial on TV, I will cover my eyes and sing "LALALALALALA."  That being said, I just finished watching 'Rosemary's Baby,' which I can watch again and again. If you don't show me anything scary, I'll be fine. Of course, my husband - who was brought up in a devout Orthodox home - is freaking out, despite having suggested the movie. 

2) I came to the conclusion recently that I could live on plain white rice. Well, not "live on it" per se, but rather, "have it at every meal." I really love rice, y'all. Put a little salt/olive oil on it? Yes. Vinegar? Sure. CHEESE? Let's do it. I really love rice. 

... But do not serve me brown rice. I'll hate you. (And, yes, I know it's better for me. Screw off.)

3) If I had unlimited funds (what up, full-time salary next year! And we found out that my husband got a raise!), I would buy more jewelry. Despite my ridiculous love for boots, I will ALWAYS stop and look in the window of a jewelry store. Especially in foreign countries. It drives my husband NUTS.

4) My dream in life is to move to another country. A few years ago, my husband (then fiancé) and I informed everyone that we were moving to Athens. Then we got jobs that offered actual salaries (we were graduate students at the time). And here we are. Sometimes, I still dream of giving it all up, packing up my husband and my cat, and moving to a garret in Paris and writing poetry while munching on a baguette (in this fantasy, I don't have Celiac Disease). Rome works, too. Athens is the ideal, but ... huh. 

5) I firmly believe that most women go through a short hair phase (I would say "all women," but I don't want to get indignant comments from you all saying that I'm an idiot). Almost every single female friend I know has chopped off (or considered chopping off) all her hair at some point. Similarly, I think that the female world is divided into short-haired and long-haired women. Although I had super-long hair for some years, I always considered myself a short-haired person. And here I am. 

6) If I had to do it all over again, I would get a degree in comparative linguistics. Or, if I were a total masochist, I would get a second degree. And it would be in comparative linguistics. But since it took me over eight years to complete ONE Ph.D., I don't want to go down that route again for now.

7) I think George Michael's "Freedom! '90" might be one of the best songs of all time. Every time it comes on my iPod, no matter where I am, I will rock out. I may be in the gym, face contorted, eyes closed, singing "I won't let you down...I will not give you up...gotta have some faith in the SOUND...it's the one good thing that I've - GOT!"

Sooooo, yeah. There you have it. More ridiculous facts about me. Don't you want to meet the REAL C&B now?! 

And MY nomination? It goes to the fantabulous Terri of RAGS against the MACHINE. Every time she shares anything about her life, I'm hooked.

Happy almost-Friday! 

How I wore it: uninspired

Folks, today was a grey, rainy day, made all the more insulting by the fact that we had 82 degrees and sun yesterday - we even grilled for lunch! But today? Nope. ... Unfortunately, I did have to go out to run some errands and then to join some friends in celebrating their adorable daughter's second birthday. By then it was pouring. I went with practical, though not entirely pretty:

Yup, the Steve Madden boots make a reappearance. Rock. Isn't this outfit boring? What can I do. I originally had envisioned it with white jeggings, which was what I first wore, before my first outing for errands. But I've been a little bloaty lately, and I was already a little self-conscious wearing - let's face it - nothing more than white tights on my bottom half. On top of that, I realized that it was raining and...well, I didn't want to have transparency issues. So I cheerfully changed into the blue jeggings and did not regret my decision for an INSTANT. Outfit-choosing! So inspiring. 

In other news, all has gone well with my bureaucratic nonsense on my home university's end. My poor advisor had to pretty much single-handedly (with my cheering in the background) the administration so that they wouldn't be assholes on the account of a single technical issue not in my favor ... well, long story short, he won and all is well and I'm still defending in *gulp* less than three weeks. For now. I've been asked to do so many things (at 6 in the morning, always! Do you know how wonderful it is to be SIX HOURS BEHIND your home institution?!) that I wouldn't bat an eye if I were asked to electronically submit a virgin sacrifice. 

Brown tunic: Gap, remixed

Blue jeggings: HUE, by way of Lord and Taylor, remixed

Blue boots: Steve Madden, remixed

How I wore it: albiceleste

Ooh, a Thursday twofer! Amazing... Since I know right now that I'll fall asleep in front of the TV (and later I wonder why my sleep schedule is so weird), I thought I'd preempt and post earlier than I would normally plan to.

People, today was HOT. It reached 90 degrees. I was super-tempted to cancel my lessons, but I cancelled them last week because ... of the heat. So, yeah, I had to go in today. However, because of the hot weather and the fact that I'm a little stressed about German bureaucratic nonsense (NONSENSE, I tell you! So there, Uni!), I decided to throw on a lightweight summer dress and call it a day. Ahhhh, lightweight summer dresses, how I love you:

Don't mess with her: she's defiant. And sweaty.

While I've only featured this dress on the blog once before, it's one of my go-to staples during hot weather. It's cool (seersucker!), has a neat pattern (halter!), can be both dressed up and down, and I don't have to think about it much once it's on. I will definitely wear it as much as possible this summer, as I do every year in Greece. 

As you can see, my accessories are all white and blue, going with the photo-invisible white/blue seersucker pattern. I also wore a light turquoise scarf outdoors and my handbag was navy and white. I'm hardcore like that. I just told myself that I was expressing my love for Argentina. And Greece - which particularly needs it these days... 

Dress: H&M, remixed

Blue sandals: Nine West (Athens), remixed

How I wore it: keepin' it real

People, I took the time yesterday to actually get dressed in cute clothes, take some pictures, and LOAD THE PHOTOS onto my computer before, like, 8 PM. Next thing I know, it's past 12:30 in the morning, I've just slept through an hour of "Capitalism: A Love Story," while my husband is shaking next to me and mumbling incomprehensibly. Yeah, I basically lumbered into bed after that.

So, yeah.

I had my normal Friday tutoring yesterday (Wednesday) instead. My girls have a long school day (cuz of a neat-o field trip) planned on Friday, so we decided to skip tutoring for that day and instead have them come over for pizza and a fun, French movie. But yesterday we worked. And, for some reason, my thoughts went to this outfit. And I decided to recreate it exactly. Right down to the earrings:

For real, people, I even wore the same shoes. However, upon reflection, I noticed something rather embarrassing. A sweat stain under my arm! CURSES! (Note: the sweat stain is not actually as big as it appears in the photo. A lot of it is the shadow. But it is still there.) So I quickly decided to go for a second pose...

... and that was a fail, too, because I still had the guilty arm in the same position (although hiding the pit stain) and - though you actually can't tell in the photo - one of my legs buckled under me the moment the camera went off. Good thing I managed to keep it professional.

So, yeah, people. While I don't win any Fashion Babe awards for telling this sad saga, the truth is out there: I sometimes sweat out my shirts. And sometimes thirteen-year-old girls notice that and their eyes involuntarily go to my armpits while I'm trying to teach them about the verbs pouvoir and vouloir. Good thing Sal had that post up today...

Grey tunic: American Apparel, remixed

Red skirt: Dickie's brand, bought in a store in Philadelphia (Guacamole), remixed

Red wedges: CL by Laundry, via DSW, remixed

Mission Accomplished!

People, I totally didn't mean to disappear for ten days. I wore clothes. I had thoughts. I swear. However... you know how it is: there are bunnies in the yard to watch; HGTV shows to watch (my new obsession); parents to entertain (they left today, won over by my cat's cuteness, which is possibly a first in their life - they're not pet people); oh, and dissertations to finish.

It's true, people. Today, about five hours ago, I sent three hard copies (printed, bound, signed) of my dissertation to the powers that be (the Prüfungsamt! God, German is fun.) in Hamburg. I'm convinced that I've forgotten something rather crucial - like a table of contents, or a crucial page, or, I don't know, a bibliography, but I'm not letting myself think about it. Right? NO. I celebrated by doing the laundry. Academic life, it is sexy, no?

In other news, my defense has been set for July 12th. It is possible that I will have a "Dr." to add to "Chalkdust and Boots" by this time next month. I'm also convinced I won't pass my defense, but I keep on reminding myself that my advisor wouldn't let me get this far as a cruel joke. ... Right? 

Well, folks, hopefully, I'll have more content from now on. But for now, I have to get caught up in the story of a British couple looking for a house in France ("House Hunters International" is the best show on God's earth)... so if you'll excuse me...

PS - I've been also derelict in reading/commenting on others' blogs, so forgive me for that, too. I'll be back in gear soon, I swear. 

How I wore it: tutoring twofer

Hey, all! I really wanted to update yesterday, but I got super-sleepy. That's the same excuse I gave for not going to the gym today. Don't fight it. Sleep trumps all. In other news, I'm dreaming of our summer trips. I've had two nights in a row where I've dreamt - surreally - of being in Europe. In the first night, I was creepily hanging out with some of my favorite Greek bloggers (stalker!). Last night, I dreamt that I was in Paris (never gone) and being stopped by Luciano Pavarotti and his son. Don't ask.

So yesterday I went to my Thursday usual tutoring session and decided to dress cheerfully. Skirt! White! Yellow shoes!

The weather was quite cool, so I had to add a cardigan over the whole shebang. Boo. Back in the day, I had an adorable short-sleeved white button-down which I always wore with this particular red skirt. Unfortunately, I'm not sure where that particular blouse is: it's either somewhere hidden deep in my parents' home or it was donated in a fit of madness. I wore this white button-down - technically classier and of better quality - yesterday and...the effect is not the same. The other blouse is (was?) shorter and fitted and just looked good untucked over skirts. This one? Doesn't really work unless it's tucked in. Or over pants. Oh, well.

Today I reverted back to my comfy color scheme for another day of tutoring and having dinner with a jazz legend (no big deal):

At least it had embellishments. I know the moccasins kind of ruin the effect, but I wanted something comfy in case of lotsa potential walking. Boring look, but I'm enjoying the whole effect. 

In OTHER news, on the bus today, I could've sworn I saw the chemist-coture (from the late, lamented Fashionable Academics site)! I was too shy to ask him if it was indeed him, but I'm dying to find out the truth - R, can you verify? 

Exciting stuff!

Thursday's outfit:

White shirt: gift from mom, by way of Brooks Brothers, remixed

Red skirt: Dickie's brand, from a store in Philly, remixed

Mustard flats: Nine West, by way of DSW

Friday's outfit:

Embellished top: Gap, remixed

Black pants: Ralph Lauren, stolen from my mother

Moccasins: Minnetonka, by way of Lord and Taylor, remixed

How I wore it: twister?!

People, there was a TORNADO in Massachusetts, today. Granted, the big storms didn't really come near us - just caused lots of rain and wind - but it was still eerie to watch the footage on TV while being told by the weather service to stay away from windows.

Fortunately, the small errands that we had to run did not correspond with any periods of rain (or worse), so I was able to dress comfortably for them. I had to go to the doctor this morning for a check-up and decided to go with comfy and easy to slip on/off:

I realize that I've been gravitating a lot toward comfy material and neutral colors recently. I don't know why, but I'm kind of boring myself. The above isn't by any means an interesting (or even, in some angles, flattering) outfit, but - as you can probably guess - it was comfy and allowed me to spend the day like this, even throughout naps (yup) and lots of TV-watching (I'm waiting to hear from my advisor). 

I feel, much like I did back in March, that I'm kind of in a rut again. I've been vaguely unsatisfied with my hair (I still like the style/length [or lack thereof], but...something about it seems off) and bored stiff of my make-up. Me. Bored with black eyeliner. Maybe I need to change up my look a bit. Any suggestions? 

My own suggestion to myself? MORE COLOR. I'm dying here with the black and grey. And if I'm saying this about myself, you can probably guess that the situation is a little dire...

Grey striped tee: Gap (purchased in 2006, never featured, I don't think)
Black skirt: Dress Barn, remixed
Sandals: gift from friends, remixed