Grading done!

I've just finished my mini-grading marathon. Five weeks of the semester left means we're really getting to the tough part of the semester where tiredness and increased work meet. As we're about to slide into April, it still feels like winter which seems to have all of us distanced from the reality of the end of another academic year. If I finish these two articles and get on with the book proposal, I will be relatively pleased with this year's progress.

I'm also going to try to implement a vow of austerity on the clothing/book/dvd front (unless absolutely necessary for work) as I let myself slip this month. The perils of the final winter sale. I do need shoes, however, but I have this reluctance to pay full price...

Flavia

I bought the Flavia skirt from ebay last week and since it has arrived, it has barely been off my body (save for when I sleep). I love this skirt and it works so well with some of the pieces I don't usually wear as often as I'd like. I particularly like the way it looks with FW 07's Virginie blouse tucked in at the waist. I think it may run a little large as the 6 is a perfect fit on me.

Thank You

Today started with a lot of stress. While I still have issues I have to deal with, the kindness of two people made my day so much easier. First of all, I want to thank Erica for being so amazing and scanning the two articles I needed for me. I can't thank you enough for your kindness--and I know scanning articles is a thankless task.

My acupuncturist was also amazing. It turns out that one of her former workers did not process my claims, hence the notification I received yesterday. She's also prepared to swallow the loss--although we are both going to appeal the ruling so that she doesn't lose out (as a small business she can't afford to). She was so kind and graceful and evidently my current claims are being processed so that's one weight off my mind.

I also received my Gilt package. As seems to be typical, Jeffrey Monteiro's sizing is all over the place and far smaller this season--the summer items all ran really large. Someone get this man a fit model. The size 8 mini is going back as it's more like a small 6--alas, the 10 is out of stock. I am really pleased I got the blue dress in a 10 as even that is not so roomy and anything smaller wouldn't work at all. As for the Rachel Comey boots, they fit, are relatively comfortable for such high heels and will work for conferences and other events. I am on the fence and think I'll keep them. If they had been $79--as they were a day later--I'd have no hesitation. I am now wondering if I have to return the Gilt items in the same box they came in or if any UPS box will work as the box I have is enormous. I also now have to find a UPS station. I like the JM dress I'm returning but I guess that's life. As soon as I pulled it off the hanger, I knew it was running really small and that it wouldn't work. I may even need a 12 in this one--and as it was final sale just a day later, I know I'm not going to be getting any returns.

So, as I end the day, I still need to sort out those banking issues--the lack of interest statements. I will call one bank in Pittsburgh tomorrow and deal with Citibank the next day. And my debit card worked today in Trader Joe's so the Warner Archive site must be at fault. But I'm still looking forward to my trip to the moon with Ashley. It looks like Brittan is also joining us so it's going to be quite the adventure--three astronaut-ettes and their feline friends.

Going to the Moon

Over the last 24 hours, I've had to deal with no end of unexpected stresses. First of all, my health insurance denied acupuncture claims going back to September, claiming that my acupuncturist did not submit them in time. I have no idea what this means, other than I may have to pay/appeal/give up acupuncture at a time when that was far from my plan. Even if it works out, it is a time suck I don't need. Added to that, some readings I thought I had scanned for my class appear not to be scanned and the book is out of the library--and I need them by tomorrow. And there is a possibility I wasn't paid for some teaching I did last semester--at least according to my W2. And I'm just way too busy at this time of the semester to do any extra digging. I also found out that NY State taxes are due on April 15, not April 18, so it matters not that the federal forms have three extra days (that I needed and was counting on) as I still have to have taxes filed by then. And neither of my banks have sent me interest notification. And for some reason last night, Warner Archives couldn't process my debit card--and I should have a lot of money in that account. So I tried. And tried again, and then with another browser and got the same results. So that's something I'm trying not to worry about

So, when my friend Ashley mentioned she was planning a trip to the moon, I decided to go along. Hopefully there are kittens and puffy pillows up there as I need a rest!

Socks!

I recently took up Zumba at my yoga studio. I'm really hoping it will help me lose these pounds (20 or so) that gradually appeared on my body and don't seem to want to go anywhere. My friend, Alyssa, who is a personal trainer amongst other things (artist, software trainer, sewing queen, bra- and shoemaker, plumber, decorator, former strongest woman in NYC, teacher) has told me that resistance exercises alone (yoga, weights) will increase my metabolism but won't cause me to loose much weight. Similarly, cardio alone is relatively ineffective--both have to be combined.

Which brings me back to socks. My running shoes that I don't really wear to run didn't work for Zumba because they were too rigid and heavy, so I invested in a new pair from Puma ($85 plus tax). Obviously I don't wear anything on my feet for either yoga or pilates, but I need to wear socks to Zumba to prevent blisters. Alas, the socks I have are generally thick and knee length, which isn't good when you are sweating in a room with 10+ other exercisers. So I dug in my sock drawer and found a couple of semi-mismatched white anklets, one with a hole in the toes. I've worn them to class twice but they aren't the best and they are on the verge of disintegration.

So when I received an email from Hansel from Basel about their sock sale--prices as low as $2 a pair--I couldn't resist. I don't have that many pairs of socks and I do wear them--knee high and thigh high in the fall and spring, ankle socks in the summer and at the gym. And the two pairs I have from Hansel from Basel are among my favorites. So, for $16--$27 with shipping--I got the following:

The markdowns are remarkable (and I'm actually wishing I had got another pair)--the list price totalled $178. It looks like there is still plenty of stock, including tights (I'd have bought some but I know I am too tall for them and they won't fit). But now I have two nice new pairs for Zumba--the ankle socks above--and some other fun footwear for Spring, if it ever arrives. The brown and moss fishbone socks are my favorites.

Triangle Shirtwaister Factory

One hundred years ago today, 146 people, 123 of them women, perished in the Triangle shirtwaister factory fire. This has been a piece of history I've recounted many times to students, partly to let them know that the history of working women is far longer than most think. For my current students, this history is very close to home--indeed, today, as the commemorations were going on, we were having class in another room in that same building.

While I had a great class today, complete with a guest speaker--a gossip columnist from the Daily News--there did seem something a little too frivolous about teaching celebrity culture as outside a procession marched carrying the names of all the people who died that day. We heard bells toll, voices raised, chanting and watched representatives from schools, unions and those people who wanted to pay homage to those long-lost New Yorkers. In the current industrial climate, it seems such suffering is now forgotten, or, once again, considered acceptable in the face of the demand for ever-increasing profits at the workers cost. Ironically, today we were talking about consumerism, celebrity and materialism, topics with a critical edge but ones that still seem the privilege of an elite that don't have to worry as much about survival.

NYU (I presume) placed purple and black bunting in the former factory's window and the NY Fire Dept. had a fire engine outside the building, complete with a ladder going up to those same windows. There were wreaths outside on the sidewalk where people had placed flowers and written the deads' names in chalk on the pavement. A parade with photos and banners went down Broadway and across to Greene Street. It was all very moving.

This tragedy has always touched me. As an event linked to the histories of working (and working-class) women, consumer culture, Progressive era society and the nascent mass produced fashion industry, it is something that touches on my research issues, but it has also always moved me. Seeing the tributes and the girls' photographs brought tears to my eyes. I am pleased New York city has remembered this anniversary with such delicacy and respect.

Bad Girl

I've had a chaotic last couple of weeks, doing things that I have to do even if they terrify me, working on papers and grading, grading, grading.

So, perhaps I can be excused for slipping. I checked into my Gilt Group cart today to check that the RC boots were still there. They were. As was the Jeffrey Monteiro dress from Fall that I placed in said cart months ago--only now it was $100 cheaper at $79. I clicked on it, found another one I liked, added that, and, as the boots are returnable (albeit for a credit) if they don't fit, they went in too. $340 later, I have the following coming:

This is the dress that I wanted from the Fall JM collection. I got an 8 as the top looks loose but of course, this is where Gilt is tough. Do I need the 8 or 10? Last time I bought from there, I got an 8 and a 10 and of course the 10 was huge.

I also got this dress in a cobalt blue. It was $99 from $620. The Gilt pictures are better. I opted for the 10 as this laces up the back but maybe should alter that order to an 8 for the self-same reason. Here's the Gilt image.

And here's the back: