Thursday Threads: Wedding Guest Attire

I am in the midst of preparing to leave for a research trip, so I thought I would just do a short post this week in the Thursday Threads category.

It's been a couple of years since I've been invited to a wedding that I was able to attend. This past weekend I had the pleasure of going to the wedding of one of my former students with whom I've since become friendly through a book club. Mark and I took the opportunity to get a little bit gussied up for the occasion.

Dress - Anthropologie, Shoes - Anne Klein, Earrings, Necklace, and Ring - Gifts, Bracelet - Asha Handicrafts

After a mostly grey and rainy week, Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day for an outdoor wedding -- sunny and warm (80 degrees). I felt like I had fully restocked my body's supply of Vitamin D after my long run that morning and the wedding that afternoon. Elise was a radiantly happy bride.

Since Elise requested guests not take photos during the ceremony, I put my phone away and don't have a lot of shots. It was a sweet wedding with some cute Star Wars themed and other charming details, including a tree planting. They had set up a large Chewy cutout with which guests could take pictures before and after the ceremony. The processional was the Star Wars theme song. Their officiant made several references to the force.

Have you attended any weddings recently? Do you enjoy "dressing up"?

Thursday (Running) Threads: I Gotta Have the Sparkly

When I was a little kid, I was a voracious reader. One of my favorite books was Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh. I also loved the movie version The Secret of NIMH. I still remember how excited I was when my family stayed in a motel room that had cable one weekend while traveling when I was around five years old, and it happened to be on so I got to see it. How little it took to make my 5-year-old self happy! While now I like to think that I have grown into a brave Mrs. F/Brisby (they changed the family name in the movie version) or a wizened Nicodemus, I am probably more like Jeremy, the proverbial comic relief. In the movie version, Jeremy, given voice by Dom DeLuise, desperately wants Mrs. Brisby to give him an amulet, saying, "Gimme the sparkly! I gotta have the sparkly!"He's less concerned with its mystical qualities and more interested in how a sparkly of his very own will help him woo the ladies.

"I just thought I'd mention in passing that I've always wanted a sparkly of my very own" is one of those lines I have repeated on numerous occasions to many a person in the past three decades. It may or may not have influenced some of my jewelry purchases throughout the years....  I murmured that line once again to myself a few weeks ago when I saw some of the skirts that our honored teammate Val was selling for a fundraiser. Admittedly, this sparkly is purple instead of red and a skirt instead of an amulet, but it definitely shares in some of the magical qualities of sparkly.

With our fabulous Team Captain Ruth

I've already worn this skirt several times on training runs. I was considering wearing it for my upcoming marathon but it doesn't breathe quite as well as some of my other running skirts do so I think I'll have to channel my sparkle power from somewhere else on race day. The sparkles might get trotted out for the expo and whatnot the day before, though.

Do you run in skirts? What are some of your favorite books and/or movies from your childhood? Do you gotta have the sparkly?

Thursday Threads: Hamlet Tights

As a Hispanist and someone who has written a book (forthcoming in 2017 :)) about the prevalence  and importance of theater in the early modern Spanish Atlantic World, I sometimes indulge in a little biting my thumb at the Bard. While Lope de Vega would have totally bested him in a battle royal, in all honesty, I do also enjoy Shakespeare. My mother's background was in Speech and Drama Education so poetry and plays along with novels, and BBC and PBS (Doctor Who, Blackadder, and Mystery) were entertainment staples in the households of my youth. It's not uncommon for my mom and I to spend part of a vacation together rematching a series of Blackadder or a film adaptation of a Shakespeare play.

Dress - H&M, Cardigan - Target, Tights - Online Legging Store, Boots - Not Rated

When I saw that these tights were on sale a couple of months ago, I felt compelled to acquire them. I've worn them to teach in a couple of times, and I wore them last Friday for a day of meetings and events, mostly related to the presentation of and celebration of undergraduate research at my institution.

Now if only I could find Don Quixote or Don Gil de las calzas verdes (Don Gil of the Green Breeches) themed attire! In the meantime, I can sooth my inner Iberianist by drinking my morning coffee out of my Las Meninas mug. Do you have any literary themed clothing? How do you feel about Shakespeare?

I promise a training update next week, but the last few weeks of this semester have been a doozy. I've had to choose between getting in runs or blogging about getting in runs, and I've been choosing the former.

Thursday Threads: Pants

It's often pretty challenging for me to find jeans or pants that fit me well. However, the other day after brunch I happened into Banana Republic, tried on a pair of pants, and ended up buying two different patterns because they seemed to be of quality material and didn't have a giant gap in the back. Please don't mind me while I repeatedly rotate them over the next few weeks.

Pants - Banana Republic, Blouse - Modcloth, Cardigan - Thrifted (Banana Republic), Shoes - Nine West

Pants - Banana Republic, Sweater - Target, Shoes - John Fluevog

Is there an item of clothing for which you find it notoriously difficult to shop?

Thursday Threads: First Classes

A new semester started on Monday. Being an avowed nerd and a higher ed professional, I always look forward to the start of classes even when I'm simultaneously wishing for another week of break. Since I'm teaching three courses this term -- one on Mondays and Wednesdays and two on Tuesdays and Thursdays -- I got two first days of class and two back-to-school outfits. ;)

For the first time in a couple of years, I'm not teaching a class at 8:30. Because I'm a morning person, the slot has never been a challenge for me personally, but I recognize that it can be harder for students. Also I have to admit that I'm also pretty happy to be able to get up at the same time (or even fifteen minutes later than I was for the better part of 6 years) and get in an hour of research and writing at home and/or a workout before I start those days on campus. Clearly, I c/should also be using that time to let go of the holidays and change over the decor on our mantle.

Aside from the start of the semester, I don't have too much news to report. The only other real incident of note is that I gave myself a pretty bad (but not quite bad enough for stitches) cut on our kitchen mandolin a few nights ago. The scalloped potatoes turned out to be delicious, but I'm not sure they were quite worth the injury.

Academic friends, do you like teaching early in the morning? Did you loathe or like taking early morning classes when you were a student?

Thursday Threads: Meeting Materfamilias

During my trip to Vancouver I had the pleasure of meeting up with the wonderful blogger Materfamilias. I had been very much looking forward to meeting her as we are both academics, we both enjoy running and travel, and we both have an interest in clothing and style, including Fluevog shoes. We decided to meet up for lunch at a Greek restaurant, Takis' Taverna, for lunch on Saturday. Our spouses joined us for the meal, which was delicious.

Both Mater and her husband were lovely people, and I very much enjoyed meeting them in person after reading about their island home, trips to the opera, and family in blogland for so long. We chatted about our academic interests, students, gendered issues in the classroom, the discourses and pitfalls of blogging, conferences, other blogging meet ups, opera, summer travel plans, and running. Although Paterfamilias declined to accompany us, after lunch Mark, Materfamilias, and I meandered over to the Fluevog store and did some perusing of shoes there. I tried on a pair, while Mater sought to channel the spirit of our blog friend Kristin and convince me to buy things. Sadly, the pair I tried didn't fit very well, but I made up for it a couple of days later in the Gastown store.

Blouse - Anthropologie, Cardigan - Target, Jeans - New York & Co., Flats - Me Too, Purse - Mango, Watch - Michael Kors

Have those of you who blog (or who read blogs) ever met up with another blogger? Did you find an easy rapport after reading about each other on a regular basis?

Thursday Threads: Roman Holiday

I'm off to Minneapolis for the afternoon and evening. Other than flying into the airport in a couple of weeks, this will be my last time in the Twin Cities for the foreseeable future. I'm planning on doing a little real and a little window shopping this afternoon. I'll pop into a couple of places to see if I can't find a few pieces of more summery work wear that can transition into teaching outfits in Alaska with the addition of a jacket or tights. Then I'm meeting up with my friend Lisa for a dinner of Thai food and to see a production of Roman Holiday at the Guthrie.

Tank - Target, Skirt - Anthropologie, Sandals - Madden Girl, Necklace - Thrifted

When's the last time you went to see a play? Do you have a dog that perpetually tries to photobomb you?

Valentine

To celebrate Valentine's Day -- or alternatively El Día del Amor y la Amistad -- I'm drinking coffee out of a pink elephant mug with hearts on it, letting Bailey have an extra Milkbone, wearing red and pink, lecturing to one of my classes about Bad Romance in the Middle Ages (it's like a Lady Gaga video that's set in the twelfth century featuring feudalism, secret marriage, scholasticism, and castration), and eating sugary confections. Candy Hearts shall be broken and consumed today.

Shirt - ???, Skirt - J. Crew (thrifted), Blazer - H&M, Tights - We Love Colors, Scarf - from another shirt,  Boots - Ugg 

I hope your day is full of love and friendship - or at least coffee and chocolate. Thanks for reading, friends. I really do ♥ you.

Thursday Threads: Epiphany In Chicago with M.

While I was in Chicago last week, I was able to see M., a good friend of mine from my grad school days. We were not in the same program but I was an occasional interloper and took a couple of seminars in the department from which she earned her MA. I admired her scarves. She admired my boots. We ended up becoming good friends. I showed her and her husband around Madrid when they passed through there on their honeymoon, and this past week was the first time I was able to visit her in Chicago.

I spent the morning and early afternoon last Friday at my conference downtown and then I switched my blazer for a cardigan and headed out to meet up with Anne (who is as awesome in person as I suspected she would be!) and M. for a coffee at Lavazza. We spent about an hour chatting about neighborhoods, jobs, blogging, and politics. I headed back to the conference to attend a reception for an organization I'm a member of and then M. swung by and picked up my spouse, M., and me to take us to her home to celebrate the Epiphany with a King's Feast, involving empanadas, tortilla española, a delicious avocado and clementine salad, stuffed peppers, arancini, wine, and kingcake.

While their other guests, (my spouse) M., and I stuffed our faces with appetizers, M. and J. made the final preparations for dinner. M. did take a break to snap a few photos with me.

On me: Skirt - Calvin Klein, Cardigan and Tights - Target, Blouse - JCPenny, Shoes - John Fluevog

On M.: Cords - Loft, Shirt - Ann Taylor, Blazer - Talbots, Shoes - Indigo by Clarks, Necklace - Urban Outfitters

Close up of fun red shoes!

It was a wonderful meal and a wonderful time! Have you ever had kingcake? Did you get the baby? For those of you who blog, have you ever met up with another blogger/other bloggers?