Inspired by: White Oak Drive-In Cleaners, San Carlos, California

For almost the last two years, I've been living back here on the West Coast in what you could essentially say is my hometown. Here on the Peninsula, life is certainly running at a different pace than it did in New York City, not to mention Tokyo. It's nice to come home, take a breath, and rest in the peace and quiet the suburbs afford you sometimes. Still, I crave the cold, hard multisensory stimulation of big cities and when driving into San Francisco's downtown when I have a death wish won't cut it, I head out of the house to find a local spot to explore. This past week I took an afternoon to walk around downtown San Carlos, California, whose Laurel Street main drag is quickly becoming the hot spot for restaurants and yuppie storefronts on the Peninsula.

It turns out Laurel Street, quiet and set back just one block away from the hustle of El Camino Real, the train tracks, and plopped halfway between highways 101 and 280, has been remarkably well-preserved from its obvious heyday in the 1940s and 1950s. As a huge fan of historic and midcentury architecture, it was a delicious treasure trove of well-loved and well-kept buildings just waiting for my adoration!

I had my camera with me and was immediately inspired by the lines and colors of San Carlos' historic buildings, for fashion, of course. The White Oak Drive-In Cleaners above at 1200 Belmont Avenue in San Carlos is a perfect example of midcentury architecture. Note the Googie-influenced curving street-facing wall that turns what would normally be a plain concrete box into a wonderfully Jetsons-esque structure.

San Carlos has preserved (or restored) the old streetlamps and painted them white, as you can see in the photo above--the Victorian profile of the white streetlamp contrasts with the voluptuous, heavy building and its fabulous original pink and white sign!
Check it out, as we get closer--

Yes, the dry cleaners is connected to a two-story apartment building, classic midcentury profile and to my mind, shows that someone did some excellent urban planning to provide both residential and commercial opportunities when the White Oak Drive-In was built. In my attempts to do research online, I found no citations for the address itself, so I can't tell if it was always a drive-in cleaners or a fabulous 1950s venue for James Dean wannabes and their full-skirted, Rayban Wayfarer-wearing girlfriends.


Seriously, how awesome is their sign? It's what makes me think they have been in business since at least 1960, and the building likely dates from the 1940s when this area experienced a huge wartime and post-war boom in building homes and businesses for young families. San Carlos is not your normal Wild West California town, with very few Victorian-era buildings left and a surprisingly substantial strip-mall style cluster of building constituting the downtown, providing a steady flow of plain but stylistically interesting storefronts for local businesses. Like all micentury design and architecture enthusiasts, signage is a particular favorite of mine, I can't get enough of it! Just goes to show, it's not just Hollywood and Route 66 where you can see great midcentury architecture, walk down to your city center and open your eyes for some great, historic, delicious design left over from the 1940s-1960s.

Obviously, I came home inspired by what I saw and just had to make a Polyvore to reflect the best design elements of this building:

Inspired by: White Oak Drive-In Cleaners, San Carlos, CA by periodicstyle featuring kate spade accessories

See the fabulous orange Wayfarers (a must), the 1950s saddle-shoe inspired flat sneakers for the girl who walks to work and traipses about town, the slightly more feminine accessories to soften the blow of a highly structured outfit. The building's strongly contrasting orange line on a field of forest green makes me think of unusual color combinations for greens and oranges, two colors I would normally never pair together. (Really, what color tights are you supposed to wear with a green dress or outfit? Black? Or is that too uniform-y?) I won't lie, when I saw the White Oak Drive-In Cleaners, I thought to myself, "This is Joanie Holloway AS A BUILDING!" Thus, the lady herself has to be featured in that fabulous green dress, could we love her any more?

So we'll bid farewell and say thank you to the White Oak Drive-In Cleaners for the fashion inspiration they've inspired, in the most unexpected of places. On behalf of all of America's underappreciated and forgotten downtowns, every city's architectural history has something to offer us, and remember you can always look to the past to inject a breath of fresh air into your fashionable life!

Happy things for spring!

I've been feeling a little broadsided and run down this month, and so I've been finding myself needing a little mental happy boost. One thing that helps is taking extra vitamin B, and another thing that helps? Sweet inspirational prints on Etsy from dazeychic.etsy.com.

Click on the pictures to go directly to the listings!


I think this doesn't need any extra comment. It *is* going to be okay.


Wise words from Bob Dylan.


I need to make some lemon bars this spring, because they are so delicious and will certainly perk me up around here. Anyone have any recipe recommendations?


And finally, this is one of my Facebook profile quotes, which means I should probably get the print some day! I think it is just perfect. Because really, what is happier than a bird with a french fry? (A bird with a whole pizza, actually, but french fries are awesome.)

What's been inspiring you lately? What have you found on Etsy that has stayed with you, or has just made you happy?

images from dazeychic.etsy.com

Things for Spring

It’s been atrociously warm here the past week for February, and I got spoiled with three great days of sunshine and shorts weather. It made me long for spring, and even the renewed rain isn’t dampening my springthinglust. Here are some of the things I’m digging for this:

Waffles! A cute waffle place just opened up down the street from my work, and my friends and I are loving up on it. Sweet waffles, savory waffles, it’s all amazing. Yes, savory waffles—It’s like a sandwich on a waffle and it’s amazing.

Quinoa- nothing is beating fresh quinoa salad for me lately, I love it! And Self just published a recipe for Quinoa stir fry in their Feb issue that I can’t wait to test out.

Gossip Girl- March 8th, save the date! It’s been long awaited in these parts. Gossip Girl is the only show I live-watch anymore, given the craziness of my schedule. I love setting aside some snacks and a nice glass of wine and settling in for an hour of tv. Can’t wait for my little dorky Gossip Girl viewing parties again.

Rainboots and Dresses by kitkati

Seasonal weather—I want the rain and the sun and the balmy temperatures. I love getting up and puzzling out an outfit based on the weather. Rainboots and little dresses, yes please!


Yoga- I have some back issues right now which are improving, but I’m not at my prior level of fitness yet. (Don’t look for me to be taking up roller derby anytime soon!) I’m kind of like Payson in Make It or Break It—yeah, I’m cleared for exercise as long as I don’t push it too hard, but getting back on those uneven bars (or weights and dancing, in my case) and possibly re-injuring myself is kind of terrifying. Thank god for yoga. It doesn’t tweak my back, and it actually helps soothe it, while I’m getting a mild workout. My abs are ridiculous right now. Side benefit—I’m more focused in all aspects of my life (hence this return from the dead post! Let’s keep it up, yoga!)

What’s everyone looking forward to this spring? Or are you still hoping for more winter weather for your snowboarding and winter Olympics?

images from polyvore.com and periodicstyle.blogspot.com

What's Your Jam? for February 10th

After all of my grousing, here's something to lighten you up -- it's my jams for today, February 10th!

- First off, my first jam is the movie, Sita Sings the Blues. It's showing tonight at the Red Vic Theatre in San Francisco, but it's also available to watch through a Creative Commons license at www.sitasingstheblues.com. I adored it -- it pressed pretty much every "things Jeanne loves" button.

- Lady Gaga, of course, is also my jam. I think we should be friends, just because I would love to hang out and get a little time inside of her head. "Fame Monster" is the bomb and I love working out to all of her music (although everyone probably is wondering who the crazy chick rocking out on the elliptical is -- whatever, I don't care, it's my JAM). And while I'm still hesitating on buying those Heartbeat headphones, I can at least pick up MAC's new Viva Glam Gaga lipstick for all of my Gaga-karaoke needs. (Turns out it's the lipstick she wore to the Grammys!) And Viva Glam Cyndi also looks like a great color to add to my collection. Viva!

- It's just about New York Fashion Week time, so everyone on Twitter is at fever pitch getting ready. I'm not going this season, because I knew that February in New York would be difficult, but I'm excited to see what comes up! NYMag has the entire NYFW schedule here.

- Oh, and Valentine's Day is this Sunday, of course. What I do love is eavesdropping, and so this collection of overheard love stories (if you can call them that) from San Francisco. With charming lines like "If he can't figure out the public transportation system, well... I don't want you dating him", how can you resist?

What's your jam right now? What's lifting you up in the middle of February?

Antiques Extravaganza

Lately, I've had a lot of success shopping for vintage. Either I have a good eye for this stuff or I am just focusing my shopping adventures on retro/vintage style, because in the last month, I have managed to find about five times as much great vintage clothing/accessories as I ever have before in my adult life. Having a mother who collects vintage aprons and hats (1920s-1960s, she does not discriminate) certainly helps, and a long-standing fascination with interior design, architecture, fashion history, and obviously, independent fashion businesses does not hurt! Great antique stores seem to find me and want to show me their hidden gems.

Since I've traveled back and forth amongst the East Coast, California, and Tokyo, Japan frequently over the last few years, I've got a pretty solid list of great antique/vintage clothing stores I always love to hit up. It's really like a treasure hunt, first finding the shop, then digging through its wares to find what really calls to you. In my mind, when I visit all of these fabulous stores, I make up a eidetic encyclopedia of the types/eras of design I particularly appreciate--a cheap way to educate yourself on design possibilities for fashion and home.

So, to share with all of you lovely readers, I've created an easy Google map featuring my most favorite places in the world.

View Favorite Antique Stores, Periodic Elements of Style in a larger map It may stretch across thousands of miles, but each place is close to my heart!

-Halltree Antiques, Salinas, CA:
When I used to drive from Silicon Valley to get back to school in Monterey almost every weekend, I HAD to stop at Halltree to check out their vendors' furniture, vintage jewelry, and great collection of weird little knick-knacks. If you're into it, they have loads of vintage embroidered linens and tablecloths. I've personally found awesome 1940s-1950s sewing patterns for a pittance, including a 1950s young lady's 4-H dress pattern that I promptly made for my college graduation. Downtown Salinas itself is dying, sadly, but has great historical significance for you fans of Steinbeck, including the National Steinbeck Museum.

-The Garment District, Cambridge, MA
A local favorite, hidden just beyond the edge of MIT's campus and a brisk walk away from the Kendall T-stop on the red line. The basement is their dollar-per-pound extravaganza, freshman year of college I found a huge black velvet vintage overcoat there that I still wear today. According to my sources (aka my cousin who was in Boston recently), the dollar price is now more like $1.25. Upstairs at the Garment District is a veritable cornucopia of 1970s vintage, used denim, and cheap/schlocky clubwear that college girls go crazy for. It's really more of a go-to place for frat party and Halloween costumes, but the odd gem can be found with a sharp eye.

-The Globe Antiques & Cafe, Mishuku, Tokyo, Japan
When I lived in Tokyo, for the first six months I rented a room in an apartment outside of Shibuya, one stop away on the subway and a twenty-minute bus ride from that glorious hub of humanity. Walking around the rather boring but quiet residential neighborhood of Ikejiri-Oohashi, I discovered the fabulous Globe Antiques and Cafe. It quickly became my go-to spot for reading on the weekend (despite being bilingual and spending all my time reading in Japanese for my schoolwork, I desperately missed reading English books) and perusing their stock of antique farm tables, lighting fixtures, and prints. They are inspired by Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, of course, and managed to create a veritable English countryside oasis in one of the world's most hectic cities. If you visit the cafe, get one of their homemade mango and white chocolate muffins for me. All of the furniture in the cafe is rotating inventory in the shop, so it's all on sale.

-Shimokitazawa, Tokyo
If you ever wonder where all of the U.S.'s great vintage clothing has gone, this is where it ends up. Shimokitazawa is a twenty-minute train ride west from Shinjuku and Shibuya, and the absolute mecca for Tokyo's hipster scene. There are underground bars with live music from Japan's up and coming rock bands, jazz and wine bars, indie art galleries, and the best vintage clothing stores you'll ever experience...if you are a size 00-6, max. Tons of polyester, crazy colorblocked 1980s sweaters, and acid-wash jeans to be found here. I spent many evenings pounding the pavement here as a young, spry 19-year-old and shopped my little heart out in the accessories shops. When I went back last year, more foreigners had discovered my little corner of heaven in Tokyo but there was still a very hush-hush, don't-let-the-tourists-in vibe about the place.

-Junkees Antiques & Clothing Exchange, Reno, NV
A more recent discovery from my roadtrip to Reno from California (Grandma loves playing those slot machines!), Junkees is turning into a real Reno institution since business at the casinos is way down. Its owner Jessica just published the inaugural issue of Reno Style Magazine, which does a great job of styling outfits with affordable options and vintage/thrifted items. Junkees itself is half antiques mall, half used clothing store, and they only accept good quality, non-stinky clothes! Can you imagine a fashionable thrift store with clothes that don't smell of BO and death? I found a great 1940s black dress, a funky vintage sexy-secretary blouse with a very Pop Art flower pattern, and a nearly new 1950s beaded wool cardigan that is going to get a lot of use this winter.

-Vintage Playclothes, Studio City, CA
We've linked to the glorious fashion paradise that is Vintage Playclothes before, and as you may know, it is the go-to store for Hollywood TV and movie wardrobe departments, including the costume designers of Mad Men and The Closer. They even had a party for the Mad Men third season premiere, could you die? Being a modern-sized woman, I've always had trouble finding the lovely vintage clothes my daintier friends could, but Vintage Playclothes has up to size 16 for women. Everything is well curated and very organized. I saw a black and white oversize houndstooth coat from Playclothes in the second to last episode of Mad Men!

-Addison Antiques, Palo Alto, CA
A bit pricier than your average warehouse-sized antiques mall, Addison Antiques caters to the quirky tastes of suburbia. A lot of their vendors' stalls don't change much, while others are continuously turning over and bringing in new, fascinating little items. I've seen a Napoleonic Maltese military hat with medals and huge feathers, Civil War compasses, and bought a sequined bow pin with pearl accent and a freaky little broken babydoll head with a hole in it.

-Reincarnation Vintage Clothing, Pacific Grove, CA
There was a time in my life when sleepy little Victorian fishing town Pacific Grove, California, was the most exciting place to visit. Reincarnation is just a half a block away from Lighthouse Avenue in what is Pacific Grove's historic, residential downtown district, hidden in a row of small restaurants. The owner is a chain-smoking lady who will hand you armfuls of things to try on and accessories to match. Reincarnation has a great selection of truly unique vintage bags and dresses in particular, I still wear two cotton day dresses that are tres Peggy from Mad Men (are we sensing a theme here?), and picked up a crazy straw bag with an owl made entirely of sequins on it. FABULOUS.

-Fabulous Fanny's, New York City, NY
Which brings us across the country to the East Village's notoriously funky vintage glasses destination, Fabulous Fanny's. It's basically the world's greatest closet of amazing vintage glasses from the 1920s through the 1980s, if you want fly sunglasses like all the hip kids are wearing or pearl-inlaid cats-eye frames. It's wall to wall, floor to ceiling glasses, HEAVENLY. Miss C. and I visited one afternoon and while crowded, it's definitely worth it. I must have tried on every pair of frames in the store, and I walked out with a pair of robin's-egg blue cat's-eyes with gold and pearl inlay, and sides that look like birds' wings. They'll even direct you to their preferred optometrist to get your new glasses set with prescription lenses within the same day.

-Housing Works Thrift Shop, New York City, NY
These local non-profit thrift shops are all over the city and are known for celebrities and socialites donating their gently used high fashion goods to benefit low-income housing in NYC. The Upper East Side location on E. 77th Street is particularly fetching, the interior design of the store is pretty much like an Anthropologie, with window displays to match. They always have the greatest furniture and vintage luggage, plus your standard fancy business clothes on the racks!

-Lee Alex Decor, Denver, CO
One of my recent discoveries in Denver on my trip there this past August, Lee Alex Decor is a quiet little treasure trove of midcentury interior design greatness. Immediately upon walking into this shop in an up and coming Williamsburg-esque Baker neighborhood, you face a wall full of every kind of bar and martini-related item your little heart could desire. (Friend of the blog Miss C. was over the moon since they had highball glasses with both medieval knights and card suits on them.) They have a steady Flickr stream (link above) and Twitter feed with all new merchandise and nifty furniture finds you can check out if you don't make it to Denver very often!

-Janakos & Company, Burlingame, CA
A perennial favorite of my boss', Janakos is more of a museum-type store for those of us of more modest means. Excellently curated, with items on display ranging from Art Deco vases to full rows of antique movie theatre seats (oh, be still my heart!!) and Bauhaus-inspired bent wood furniture from midcentury European designers. On weekends, they hold estate and junk sales in an old storefront next door with some interesting, if overpriced, pieces--check out the pins and antique necklace pieces if you stop by. I've picked up cuckoo costume jewelry for a song there. It's dusty, but if you dig with an eye for DIY remakes and design value, you'll find something you love.

-Antiques Unlimited, San Carlos, CA
This is one of those neighborhood places that's been around forever, yet I only just stopped by last week after an afternoon of outdoor skate practice with Jeanne in Belmont. Don't be deterred by the freaky mannequins modeling the vintage clothes in the crazy front window, I nearly jumped out of my skin when I walked straight into the giant African mask section myself. Antiques Unlimited has a condition that all sellers must only have items that are pre-1950s, so my search for tiki items for Miss C. was futile--I did find a couple of fabulous vendors chock full of luxurious furs, vintage skirt-suits, and HATS GALORE. Etsy's Booty Vintage (a.k.a. Anna Newman) had some cards there, although I didn't see any patterns. I found an incredible navy and cream polka-dot skirt suit from the 1950s in perfect condition, it fits like a glove if anything, double-breasted lapel with self-covered buttons...you'd better believe I took one look at the beauty and said, COME TO MOMMA!

Speaking of suits, I love incorporating vintage pieces into my daily wardrobe for work in particular--it breaks up the monotony of black pants, solid top, heels that is so easy to fall into. I came close to pairing the navy and cream polka-dot suit jacket with a pair of wide leg navy/grey herringbone slacks for work the other day, but one look in the mirror had me hearing Tim Gunn say it was "too much look." I say unless you are going full-on retro/vintage in your hair, makeup, eyewear, shoes, whole hog femme fatale, keep your vintage pieces as the highlight to your wardrobe basics.

Jeanne's advice is to shop for accessories, as the old solid real leather handbags, hats, bracelets, and rings, which always a great deal for the quality and style. For years, I watched other girls buying armfuls at Haight Ashbury thrift shops in smoking jealousy, and it's taken me this long to find the few styles, fashion trends, and shops that will suit my taste and fit/size. I know for a fact that you just can't find the quality in beading on a pure wool, made in the U.S.A. cardigan at Macy's like the one I found at Junkee's in Reno. It's a hunt to find the best and brightest of previous generations, but if we don't preserve and celebrate vintage fashion, who will?

(I promise to do a couple of outfit shots with my various vintage scores soon! Keep your eyes peeled, darlings.) Where do you go for a truly unique, fabulous vintage treasure? What do you keep an eye out for at random estate sales in your neighborhood? I am a sucker for ornate Victorian keys and straw/Bakelite handled bags...oh, sweetness! There is a big Art Deco show coming up at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco, December 5-6th, maybe we'll see you all there!

What's Your Jam? for October 28th

Recently I started going to aerobics class at least once a week -- it's Mondays and Wednesdays, but I've only been going to Mondays on a regular basis (oops). My roommate, K., was talking up the class for weeks, telling me how awesome it is, and I dragged my heels for far too long.

Our instructor, M., is full of energy and personality with a CD booklet of remixes for working out, and if a particular song comes up, she'll shout mid-call-outs, "This is my JAM!"

So I've been thinking about what's my jam lately -- things that are rocking my world, things that make me happy, that sort of thing.

My jams for today:

- My aerobics class (of course), for making me get up, get out, and get active. I'm already seeing and feeling a difference in my body, which is awesome.

- Halloween! I'm always excited for Halloween, as you all know, but this year I'm planning on going as a stegosaurus, even though in my mind's eye of imagining my costume, I keep picturing myself as The Atrox. (Not as a lovely nymph, but hey.) I may also do a second costume, which is always exciting, because I've been invited to a Fancy Grown-Up Halloween party at a local museum, so perhaps my stomping around as a dinosaur would not be appreciated.

- The Ruth Reichl recipes for spaghetti carbonara and Aunt Birdie's potato salad. Delicious and easy! The worst part for me, seriously, was peeling the potatoes after boiling (instead of before). That and the onion chopping, which made me cry like crazy.

- CB I Hate Perfume in "Gingerbread". It's limited edition and only comes out at the holidays, so I'm still using last year's. It's the only thing I've been wearing to work lately (besides, you know, clothes) since it's warm, a little spicy, a little baked good-y, and doesn't punch people in the nose.

- Winona of Daddy Likey. I don't think I need to explain why she's the jam, but if you need a little nudge, you can read my Closet Confidential review on BlogHer.

What's your jam today?

Los Angeles Noir

I have always been fascinated by police, private investigators, and the dark underworlds of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Maybe I just love the 1940s, the World War II angst of the troubled, hard-drinking male detectives who maybe had survivor's guilt, or carried scars of previous battles. I love their plucky female sidekicks, usually the girl-journalists, whose tight little sweaters and sharp wits usually win over the dogged detective...unless he's already head over heels for the requisite femme fatale. See? I even have a copy of Dashiell Hammett's The Continental Op sitting on my bureau right now, waiting for me to finish, um, this other book about crime.

I'd like to think that if I could travel back in time, I would go back to 1940s Los Angeles--the Black Dahlia murder, the Hollywood glamour, the slim suits, the birdcage veils--and I came close, a few months ago. My friend Courtney and I took a roadtrip down from San Francisco (after an epic trip to the ill-fated Tonga Room, and a little roller derby) all the way to LA via Highway 1. We made a point of mapping out all of the LA landmarks we wanted to hit, and the majority of our list was historical: we ate at Musso and Frank Grill (disappointing), Bob's Big Boy (awesome), we took a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House, drove up to the Ennis House, drank cocktails and had tacos in Los Feliz, drove around Silver Lake with jaws dropped, and generally soaked in the fabulous architecture. As badly as I wanted to Dita von Teese it up and dress like a 1940s vixen, it was all shlumpy jeans and t-shirts for us for that magical week. So, to inspire you but mostly myself, I've created a little slideshow of film noir goodies:

The hardboiled film noir detective world of Los Angeles, circa 1925-1950, is the subject of an upcoming coffee table photography book by Catherine Corman. Daylight Noir: Raymond Chandler's Imagined City documents the very real Los Angeles that Raymond Chandler based his noir fiction on, and creates an iconic vision of the mystery and beauty of Chandler's time in LA.
Raymond Chandler may have imagined his hardboiled city around these architectural landmarks, but the noir-ish effects of Los Angeles are still intoxicating. I left thinking that sure, I could live there, but the city of broken dreams is a fairly apt description, don't you think? All those people coming to look for fame and fortune in Hollywood, only to end up as Pilates instructors and waiters...in Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler's time, they were the fallen women and low-life gangsters of Hollywood.

Los Angeles will, I hope, preserve what's left of its glorious, dark, dirty, fabulous noir history. There's just an air in the city that fills me loathing yet draws me back again--obviously, I have no Hollywood dreams, my tastes run more along the lines of driving up Laurel Canyon ogling the amazing houses. (I may have driven around the neighborhood in Studio City where Lee Pace apparently lives, with no luck on that front...we went and had onion rings instead of befriending that adorable man and living happily ever after.) Los Angeles is blinding in its rapid turnover of lost souls, the pervasive wannabe culture with the rare glimpses of the real, everything is fleeting and tenuous at best. I expected to feel nervous and fat in Hollywood, but I found myself to be much more grounded and self-confident than the people I met there. It's easy to imagine the girls who flocked to LA in the 1940s, looking for love and fame on the silver screen. I wish I could capture that spark of history's hopes and dreams in a bottle and wear it as a perfume--it would smell of sunlight, honeysuckle, the sea, and shadows. It's the scent of a city full of people convinced they are on their way to something better.

modern noir by periodicstyle featuring Revamp Vintage

I just couldn't help myself but to make a little Polyvore palette to inspire myself--I love all of those pulp novel covers. In terms of 20th century fashion history, you could make a case that American fashion was never so politically driven as in the 1940s. Women gave up their silks for nylon and rayon to support the war effort, cut down the shape of their dresses and separates to ration fabric and notions (thus was born the huge-skirted 1950s New Look as recovery), and went to work looking as smart as their husbands, brothers, and fathers. It was a era of advancement for women, strength, and struggle. We still have a lot to learn from America's past, in fact and fiction, it's worth the dignity of preservation and value.

For now, I want to go back to LA and put together my own (driving) tour of Ms. Corman's Raymond Chandler sites--check out her website above for Daylight Noir, where she's paired black and white photographs with snippets of classic Chandler.

Glad Midsommar!

I'll admit it, this post is already several weeks late. Amidst all of our American summer celebrations, I've been distracting myself with thoughts of Scandinavia. Summer here is all lemonade stands, fireworks, sandy picnics at the beach, you know the drill. It's high time we talked about celebrating midsummer right! This week's particular summer-themed Scandinavian fascination comes in the form of Midsommar, the (obviously) mid-summer holiday celebrated in Sweden in late June. Summer in Sweden sounds like a cool drink of fizzy, ergonomically designed minimalist lemonade to me, and I want to go, desperately. Who cares if there are only two months of sunshine every year? The same is true for much of the United States!

My midsommar inspiration was initially sparked by Emmas Designblogg's posts on summer in Sweden: warm days, green grass, sunny skies, what more could you want? Admittedly, living in California as Jeanne and I do, we have a lot of sunny days and green grass, but the allure of Sweden just does not stop. I think it's the novelty of summer days in Sweden and the exuberance of the midsommar celebration is so exciting!

Ida at Interior & Inspiration has lovely pink and white table settings for your summer picnic lunches. Add a couple of citronella candles and we're in business! I love the haphazard flower arrangements, as if the flowers are all just plucked from a sun-drenched field and thrown into glass receptacles from the recycling bin--voila, beautiful!

There's even snapshots of midsommar moments on Flickr, including this mouth-watering gem from Flickr user Staffan Ekstrand:

Mmm, strawberry pavlova...as a summer birthday girl, I can't get enough of desserts like this. This past week, I celebrated my 25th with ice cream cupcakes from Rick's Rather Rich Creamery here in California--a layer of yellow cake, a generous scoop of lemon lavender premium ice cream, topped with a hefty spiral of real lemon frosting with lemon sprinkles. It was HEAVEN.

A cute post at Asian Living in Sweden takes a different perspective on midsommar celebrations--how must Sweden seem to the outside world? In college, we had a huge maypole out on the lawn every single year, with students in dresses and ribbons in their hair dancing around. It was pretty kooky, but a fun, exuberant celebration of springtime when Massachusetts finally starts to thaw out, just a little. Everything seems so simple around the maypole or the midsommar ring dances, the rhythm of life is the easiest to fall into and stay there. I imagine it's a lot like those shows where they put a dozen people in yurts on the English moors and make them live as if it were the year 5 B.C. I'm only exaggerating a little bit.

Food photographer Sweet Paul shares his grandmother's Norwegian recipe for "farmers' daughters dressed in veils," also known as an apple compote parfait. How simple and lovely is that? Obviously, Scandinavia has cornered the market on efficiency and streamlined, flatpacked design, but you can't get any better than a cold dessert designed for maximum deliciousness in every bite. (Note: Japan also has a large stake in the deliciousness factor of parfaits, particularly those involving green tea pudding and ice cream. More on that later.)

Speaking of food, check out Swedish brand Indiska's soft, casual models' summer picnic, just for midsommar. And here's the video for Jonna Lee's second single, "Lake Chermain"--hanging out, rocking out, walking backwards:

THAT's the life, my friends. Cold sparkling drinks, delightful nibbly bits, good friends, short pants, hot summer days, all bound together with a whiff of nostalgia and a touch of whimsy. That's what midsommar is to me, so I'm going to go out and celebrate!

Things I'm loving this summer

It's crazy-crunch time for me here, and while I'm fielding a bazillion emails and preparing to meet Tim Gunn (omg), here are some of the things that are making my life easier and prettier while I'm trying not to a. melt into a puddle or b. breathe fire.

- Band-Aid Friction Block stick. It's summer, it's hot, I'm walking three miles a day in sandals and my feet are tender. The Friction Block stick is definitely helping me out here.

- Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in "Bourbon". This came with the Get Baked set, and I love it. Normally you wouldn't think that I'd get excited over a brown eyeliner pencil, but it's really flipping pretty and lasts all day.

- Keeping a pitcher of iced tea in the fridge at home. I know I should have been doing this all along, but I finally got myself a cheap plastic pitcher and have been drinking it like crazy. Amazing! (I make unsweetened mugicha, but any iced tea would be delicious.)

- A nude American Apparel bra. I don't know why I didn't have one sooner, but it's great. I'm finally wearing summer shirts I'd previously banned for being too, shall we say, showy without a camisole underneath.

- Butter London nail polish in HRH. Really, I'm waiting for Mismas, but I'm still excited by the lovely purple HRH. (I think Karen will love it too!)

- Gel lip stains. You all know I love my Benetint, but lately I'm more interested in the gel lip stains like Stila's Cherry Crush Lip and Cheek Stain (I have Cherry and am waiting for Mango) or the MAC See Thru lip colors (I have the Ungaro one swatched there). Yes, they still get eaten off mid-day, because I do eat all day, but they're very pretty and, paired with a clear SPF balm like Softlips, boom -- tinted lips with SPF. Hooray!

- Speaking of tinted lips with SPF, I'm loving the Fresh Rose lip treatment balm. Like the classic Fresh Sugar balm, but with a rosy red tint. Fantastic, holy grail-worthy for someone like me who wants color and protection. The only problem is that it's so rich and so lovely that I'm terrified it's going to melt in my purse, so I've been leaving it at home on the scorcher days.

- The Flip Video! Yes, I've added a new gadget to my repertoire. I'm super-excited to have this tiny little video camera in my purse so that I can record my adventures (or misadventures) and share them with everyone. Yay!

- And now, anticipation for the Treasure Island Music Festival! Karen and I are both in, and I'd love to get Ms. Kati to come with us as well. It seriously looks like two days of awesome music. I've also never spent any time on Treasure Island, so it will be exciting!

What's rocking your summer?

Let's kick off July right!

Man, I don't know about everyone else, but this June was a supremely weird month. Not one of the worst months of my life, but a very weird one.

And now that it's just about July, which is a super-busy time for me (holla, Chicago), I'm ready for something fresh, something new, something cool. I'm ready to bring more good things back into my life.

So tell me something good, folks. Share what's rocking your world, what's new and exciting, what you're looking forward to this summer. What do you recommend, what's awesome, that sort of thing. I'm always curious to find out what people love, and that's why I'm here in this scene, you know? Everyone always has something to talk about. I don't today, so it's your turn to show me!

While you're letting me know, here's one of my favorite summer songs so far:



Share away!

Friday Fun!

Just a few quick fun things on a Friday afternoon!

- Psst! Want a chance to a. see my eyes in extreme close-up and b. enter for a chance to win a goodie bag of make-up? Go check out the latest Periodic Beauty post and leave a comment to win!

- Karen and I are considering signing up for Edible Pursuit, a food-themed trivia night in San Francisco on June 7th. I'm a bit of a trivia rock star, and I do love food (that's where I'm a Viking!), but I don't know if the two go together well. We shall see! (I am, however, good at coming up with sassy team names. Hmmm.)

- The Silicon Valley Rollergirls have a free exhibition in San Jose this Sunday -- go check it out!

Do you have anything fun for this Friday/weekend/the future? I'm going to the baseball game (woo!) after work tonight, which is always a good (if sometimes cold!) time!

Presenting Swan Lake

This spring, the San Francisco Ballet debuted its new production of Swan Lake, and Karen and I went to go see it, and it was simply stunning and had us both battling back tears at the end. (It doesn't have a happy ending.)

Here's a glimpse of San Francisco Ballet's production:



We came away emotional but inspired, particularly by the lead ballerina, who has to dance two completely emotionally-opposite roles -- that of Odette, the tragic and graceful queen of the swans, and Odile, the charismatic trickster daughter of the sorcerer Von Rothbart.

Odette was a princess who caught the eye of Von Rothbart, and because she rejected him, he turned her into a swan. (I hate it when that happens.) She can only become human by night, which is when the prince comes across her at the lake with her maidens. The only way to release her from her spell is to be truly loved, and if he is unfaithful to her, she will be cursed to be a swan forever. Her prince swears to love her and her alone...

Here's Gillian Murphy of the American Ballet Theatre, dancing the Pas D'Action as Odette in Act II of Swan Lake.



Karen put together a Polyvore set inspired by sweet Odette, complete with a darling white dress, creamy feathers for her hair, kissable pink lips and blue mascara for bright eyes, accented with lake-blue ribbons and teardrop earrings. (Foreshadowing, perhaps?)




After leaving Odette at daybreak, the prince returns home to a ball where his mother insists he choose a bride. After meeting several foreign princesses, the prince rejects them all, only to have two uninvited guests show up -- Von Rothbart, in disguise, with his charming daughter, Odile. Odile and the prince dance, and he, thinking she's Odette, pledges his love to her, breaking his oath to the real (and heartbroken) Odette...

Here's Gillian Murphy and American Ballet Theatre again, but this time she's Odile. Even if you're not super-familiar with ballet, you can tell just by her dancing that she's a different girl than the one before:



And so I got to put together the Polyvore for Odile, the Black Swan, the sharp and sassy villainess. I also gave her feathers, dark ones, for her hair, as well as gold and yellow accessories (including those fierce zippered Louboutin sandals). The nail polish, by Butter London, is Branwen's Feather. With smokey eyes and a glistening rose lip, Odile is one to watch out for.




If you didn't manage to catch San Francisco Ballet's Swan Lake this season, you're in luck -- the ballet just announced their 2010 schedule, and Swan Lake is the first program of the new season, starting January 23rd. I know I'll certainly be going again, and Karen and I both highly recommend it!

What art has been inspiring you lately? Are you inspired more by performances, or by fine art, music...? I'd love to know!

images from polyvore.com

Lemons Sour, Lemons Sweet

Living in California, I find myself surrounded by citrus fruits for most of the year. My backyard has not one, but two lemon trees that seem to bear fruit year-round. As kids, we used to use the extra lemons as missiles against each other--I probably couldn't throw a curveball, but my lemon-aim is mighty sharp.

Jeanne and I recently embarked on a mission to find refreshing, sharp citrus scents in perfumerie. I'd been interested in L'Artisan's scents, their presentation was lush at Saks but nothing smelled right on me. When I came home, I looked around my bathroom for the products I loved to narrow down a scent I could master for myself. Lemons and oranges jumped out at me, and seem particularly appropriate for this Spring. Refreshing, zesty, simple, and clean. If you're looking forward to warm weather and sunny days, I have a list of products I can recommend!

-From the much-maligned but still awesome Vermont Country Store, LemonUp Shampoo wakes me up during every morning shower. Frankly, I'm upset that my bottle of LemonUp didn't come with the fabulous plastic lemon top, WHAT'S UP WITH THAT GUYS. Unlike similar clear, simply cleansing shampoos (I'm looking at you, Neutrogena), LemonUp doesn't dry out my hair so it turns into straw. If my hair were long enough, I would grab handfuls and sniff them when I felt sleepy throughout the day.

-Fresh released a new fragrance in 2007, Hesperides, that's one of those products I always walk by, test out, enjoy but never buy. Why? I've been disappointed by Fresh's citrus fragrance efforts before, namely their Lemon Sugar. The Sugar series is nice, but Lemon Sugar smells like CLEANING SOLUTION. Seriously, one of the bathrooms at my work smells exactly like Lemon Sugar, and that is not a good thing. Hesperides, by contrast, is delightful. Sweet, not overpowering, and a complex combination of light+airy with fruity+fresh. (Obvs.)

-I picked up Burt's Bees Orange Essence Facial Cleanser on sale a few weeks ago while in search of a foaming face-wash (I need to stock up on DHC face-wash because it's freaking great). This all-natural orange oil wash doesn't foam whatsoever, doesn't feel oily, and doesn't leave your face dried-out. A perk? I have gotten at least a tablespoon in my mouth through overactive/half-asleep face-washing, and it's edible! Tastes a bit like orange rind and olive oil, not all unpleasant. I also found it easy on the eyeballs, through trial and error.

-Ever since I saw Korres products in my local (super-fancy) Whole Foods beauty section, I have been saving up my pennies to replace all of my bath products with theirs. As you can imagine, I love products that actually smell like natural things, NOT the lab-produced chemical approximation of scents. Surprise! If I wanted to smell like blue raspberry Kool-Aid, I would bathe in it nightly, but I want to smell like real fruit, from nature! Greek apothecary Korres has full lines of nifty, naturally-fragranced bath and beauty products, including basil lemon body milk and shower gel. YUM. I often come out of the shower smelling like a delicious gourmet mojito, fresh and clean! (Their watermelon tinted moisturizer with SPF30 may warrant a wee visit to Sephora. Also, if you are a man or a lady with a man in your life who needs scent-ervention, check out the lime styling gel.)

-Pure has all-natural, organic lemonade shower gel that I would probably drink out of the bottle in a drunken stupor. Not that I drink, really, ever. What is this post becoming, a cocktail-oriented showerfest? WEIRD, Karen.

-Caldrea's household cleansing arsenal includes a ginger pomelo line, ranging from hand lotions to stainless-steel cleaner. What more could you want? Pomelo is one of my favorite fruits, I look forward to winter farmers' markets the whole rest of the year, just so I can fill my bags with those massive lemon-grapefruit hybrids. Hint for eating pomelos: cut the fruit into quarters laterally, then slice off as much of the pith and rind as possible. Peel off the membranes and eat the wedges of pulp! Oh, god, I want one!

-My mother first introduced me to Juice Beauty products by leaving a bottle of their lemongrass SPF moisturizer in my car for about a year. It separated eventually, but smelled lovely--like Thai food. Just reading the description of Juice Beauty's lemon apple peel mask makes me feel thirsty: apple, lemon, and grape juices with raw sugar cane? YES PLEASE.

-Quite hypocritically, I rarely purchase new beauty products on a whim. The last thing I truly waffled on was between Bigelow Chemists' mint face-wash and their rose cold cream. Alas, the cold cream won, as I still have a tube of Queen Helene's mint julep mask in my cupboard, and one hundred years of beautiful complexions can't be wrong, right? Thus, I feel attracted to Bigelow's yuzu rouge eau de parfum. Yuzu rouge, you say? Aren't yuzu yellow/green? You are correct, and their peels are delicious when candied or used to garnish Japanese clear soups. This yuzu-rouge sounds like the perfect blend of citrus and floral to me.

What do you think, are any of these worth my hard-earned dollars? I could always just take a couple of lemons from my backyard and squeeze them into the bathtub for their purportedly skin-lightening qualities. Time for some post-work chamomile tea with a squeeze of lemon juice, with thoughts of warm summer days ahead!

Various Valentine goodness!

Yes, this Saturday is Valentine's Day, and I'm looking forward to a nice day of treating myself to things I enjoy and pampering myself. Why not? I'm not hiding under the blankets and shaking my fist at the world or wearing all black. That's just a waste of time, especially when a. it's a Saturday so I can sleep in AND stay up late if I want b. all of the chocolate goes on sale the next day and c. there is so much cute Valentine's Day stuff out there! Could you really scowl at a penguin valentine?? (If so, we can't be friends anymore. I'm sorry.)

And with that, here are some of the things that are warming my heart lately!

Cards and prints and other paper goodies:

- Awesome LUCHA LOVE valentines! from yeehaw.etsy.com.
- Printable cupcake Valentines from zuqandzoe.etsy.com.
- This awesome card and print from dazeychic.etsy.com with the best sentence ever. (It's now one of my Facebook quotes, I love it that much.)
- The Paris: City of Love prints from irenesuchocki.etsy.com. Stunning.
- The cards rounded up at oh! how lovely. (Doggies! Typewriters! Owls!)

Jewelry'n'such (because I <3 it):

- Gorgeous gold and garnet earrings at shopsomethingblue.etsy.com.
- Fun and sultry Valentine Vixen earrings from barbarellabeadworks.etsy.com.
- The ring that I've been thinking about for ages? It's this silver and gold heart ring from artisanimpact.etsy.com.
- I've been gnashing my teeth over this garnet ring from metalicious.etsy.com because I have tinytiny fingers and this ring is so not my size (gnash, gnash, gnash!). So maybe it's yours...
- And, of course, the stellar Wendy Brandes jewelry, particularly the Anne Cleves ring. (Kate Beaton has a great saucy little comic featuring Anne Cleves, as well as Tycho Brahe and Hatshepsut. And, you know, a little bit of a language warning.)

Any plans for Valentine's Day, or are you just planning on enjoying your Saturday for being a Saturday?

images from yeehaw.etsy.com and barbarellabeadworks.etsy.com

Highlights from a New Year's Battle Royale

On New Year's Eve, you won't find me in Times Square with a glass of champagne. Nor will I be shivering on a rooftop to watch fireworks and drink wine. No, I spend my New Year's Eve with a belly full of Grandma's soba, fried fish fillets, chirashi sushi, and mochi, glued to the TV screen. From one o'clock in the afternoon to six at night, our local Asian programming station gives my family the gift of music, ridiculousness, reminiscence, and total hilarity--yes, it is time once again for the Kouhaku Utagassen (紅白歌合戦)! Now in its 59th year, Kouhaku is essentially a humongous, staged battle of the bands, only the bands compete on behalf of their gender as a whole. Women represent the red (紅, kou) and men represent the white (白, haku). All of the top-selling artists of the past year perform, and it is an honor to do so. The preparations take an entire year for costumes, scheduling, stage design, choreography, you name it. It's a massive, internationally broadcast singing-dancing-costumed battle of the sexes!

NHK's website has an appropriately festive website for its 59th annual Kouhaku. That's the official NHK (Nippon Housou Kyoku, or Japan Broadcast Station) website, with a full list of the artists and songs performed. Listen Japan even has a page chock-full of songs featured in recent Kouhaku competitions for your sampling pleasure!

Personally, I love seeing how Japanese music has (or hasn't) changed over the years. Compared to the Kouhaku five years ago, this year's songs incorporated influences from rap and hip-hop and had a far more international sound. With live broadcasts from Sao Paulo, Brazil's Japanese quarter and an awkward lip-synched performance by Enya beamed over from Ireland, Kouhaku is starting to embrace the outside influences in its pop music.

My parents, who lived in Japan in the 1970s and '80s, remember the pop music of that time and are big, big fans of Fuse Akira, Maekawa Kiyoshi, and Mori Shinichi. My grandmother, who believe she is the last "real" Japanese person on the planet because all of those young Japanese kids don't know what it is to be Japanese (I get this lecture a lot, despite the fact that I am her mixed-race grandchild) loves all of the traditional enka songs. She remembers taking the trolley to downtown Kobe as a teenager to the only record store that sold Western music. So really, what could be a tedious five-hour torture chamber of J-pop is a funny, memorable family affair. My mother has an incredible knack for singing along to songs she's never heard, helped by the naturally predictable melodies and transcribed lyrics on the TV screen.

Once upon a time, I was heavily into J-pop, and let me tell you it helped my Japanese-language vocabulary acquisition like no other. That was about seven years ago, so I've moved on, but once a year, I get to experience the glory and splendor of five hours of Kouhaku. Here are some of my favorite highlights:

-The adorably diaper-wearing techno-pop girl group PERFUME performing "Polyrhythm":

I love them! So manufactured, so upbeat and club-kid-esque, so well-coordinated! This is how J-pop should be.

-American-born enka singer Jero made his first appearance on this year's Kouhaku with a touching performance dedicated to his Japanese grandmother:

I have a special place in my heart for this guy, seeing as we are QAPA brethren. (QAPA is a term my brother and I invented when we were little to identify as, meaning "quarter Asian part American". Spread it around!) See his mother in the audience, weeping? Check out Jero's grandma's smiling face painted on his shirt! Way to go, buddy!

-My most favorite songs of all are the traditional enka performances. The singers are so impassioned and obviously moved by the lyrics, which have actual meaning compared to J-pop. Enka is mostly about longing, leaving your loved ones behind, the ocean, crying, mothers, and really just a lot of drinking. In the world of classic enka, sake is the purest expression of emotion possible for men. For women, it's all about the kimono:
This is the lovely Godai Natsuko performing "Kyoto Ninen-zaka" about an old district of the city. Doing an adorable dance to accompany her are twins Kana and Mana. I love Ms. Godai's peacock-themed kimono and matching oversize-pattern kimono! Did you know that the peacock features in the Jataka tales, stories of the Buddha's previous incarnations? Like Aesop's fables, Jataka tales end with a moral and pause for reflection. The peacock is also associated with Kannon-sama, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. Believe me, I took a class on this in Japan. Even the colors and patterns of Kana and Mana's kimonos evoke meaning and emotion. For now, we can just enjoy them aesthetically!

This dramatic performance featured infamous sixteen-year-old kabuki onna-gata Saotome Taichi (in the white kimono), with Fuji Ayako singing "Akai Ito," or "Red String." Here's a close-up of her ensemble, complete with obi tied in the front. Befitting the kabuki performance in the background, Ms. Fuji's kimono is evocative of Edo-period fashion.


Here is Sakamoto Fuyumi in a lovely East-Meets-West kimono, rainbow on the top and woodcut style foamy waves on the bottom.

Also big this year were decorative hairpins--coincidentally, our favorite accessories here at Periodic Style HQ! Traditionally, women in kimono will accessorize with kanzashi in similar themes to the patterns on their kimono. Wisteria, cherry blossoms, pine, plum blossoms, maple leaves, and all other manner of seasonal flora are popular hair adornments. Like all great wardrobe accoutrement, kanzashi began as functional hair-pins and quickly turned into a full-blown art form. Here's a few examples from this year's Kouhaku:

Nagashima Miki wove her dramatic white feather-laden hairpiece into a thick braid--Etsy seller Marissa Joanna Rojas has some lovely feathered hairpins to show off your combined Japanese-chic/flapper style!

Taiwanese-Japanese actress/singer Hitoto Yo always has large hair decor, this year it was a tulle number that matched well with her ethereal, bird-like dress. Does it overpower her short hair, though? What do you think?

Singer Aiko's flower has a zesty Spanish flair, tucked behind but under the ear. Simple, cute, and elegant! With a matching wristlet, it's a little prom-ish and adorable.

If you want to recreate these for yourself, grab some bobby pins, your computer mouse, and check out our friends here:
Hanatsukuri, Little Cookie, Atelier Kanawa, Mizusugi, Gochemoche, and Peachy Pan is Jeanne's favorite from Down Under!

Ultimately, this year's Kouhaku was won by the men's side. I disagreed, the ladies really pulled out all the stops, but you can't contest the men's side when they have a whole chorus line of samba-dancing transvestites on their side. Ah, well. I'll leave you with this lovely reminder of good times past, a celebration of one of Japan's most vibrant, food-crazed cities: OSAKA.

Wishing you all beautiful, fun, and joyous 2009!


Images from Sankei Shimbun, MSN.co.jp.

I Want to Be A Mommy-Blogger When I Grow Up

As the daughter of a mother who was overjoyed to "give up" work to be a stay-at-home mom, I am absolutely in love with mommy-bloggers. I'm serious. I. Love. Mommy-bloggers. Not because I love kids, necessarily, but because I see the mommy-blogging movement as an incredibly empowering and powerful development in the way mothers interact with their children and the world. When my mother was a new mom in the 1980s, she was living in Lubbock, Texas, far from home and without the traditional social network of sisters, aunties, and grandmas to help with her first baby. She felt alone, isolated in her experience of leaving the office to stay at home all day with a baby who demanded more of her than any paid job ever could. When I read the blogs of new mothers today, I can hear her voice, and wish that my mom could have had that outlet and network to support her.

By the time I came along, it was a different story--I was a preemie. Preemies run in my family, you see, but I took it to the extreme (don't I always?). I weighed just under two pounds at birth after 27 weeks of gestation, all wrinkly and red, and lived in a NICU incubator for three months before I could go home. Doctors gave me a 50% chance of survival, and most preemies succumb to infections or sepsis, even in incubators. I was incredibly lucky to survive with zero infections, zero disabilities (unless you count ear infections and nearsightedness), and a general joie de vivre. It brings tears to my eyes when I think of what my parents went through, holding my teensy little hand through sterile rubber gloves and hospital gowns, seeing their baby girl with tubes and monitors all over her. My mother still can't stand to hear the songs she sang to me in the hospital, let alone look at photos of that tiny wrinkly little mess.

So, as you can see, my love for mommy-bloggers comes not only from the close relationship I enjoy with my own mother, but the fears I have about my possible future children. What if I have a low-birth-weight baby, or a preemie? How are women actually able to balance careers and motherhood, when I've been told all my life that I can do and have everything? Can I succeed at preserving Japanese language and culture, plus a proud sense of identity in my inevitably mixed-race children like my parents did? I shouldn't worry about these things now, obviously. I think of reading my favorite mommy-blogs (love the Kimchi Mamas) as advance research. The first guard, the exploratory mission, if you will.

Like discovering strong female role models in your mother, your boss, your sisters, your aunts, your grandmothers, your neighbors, your teachers, and friends, the mommy-blogging community is truly a support network for the modern age, full of strong, well-spoken, sharp-witted women. Mommy-blogging is not just entertainment for idle housewives or bored mothers complaining about their rotten kids and all that damn housework, it's active, involved mothers sharing their experiences with all of us. Like Jeanne, Kati, and I, even if you aren't a mother or even thinking about having a family someday, mommy (and daddy!)-bloggers provide proof positive that raising children doesn't sap your brain power and turn you into a gurgling baby-speaking moron.

We live in exciting times these days, and especially in post-election America, it there is an electric charge in the air--change is coming. Babies born today have the best chances of survival with the most advanced medical care. We can recognize and treat post-partum depression without stigma or forced isolation. American women retain and hold dear the right to choose given to use by the Supreme Court's decision on Roe v. Wade in 1973. It's never easy being a mother, daughter, sister, friend, girlfriend, wife, granddaughter, grandmother, auntie, co-worker, fighter, leader, supporter, teacher, student, anything, but we do it all out of love and human kindness. That's what mommy-bloggers and my mother taught me, and I can only hope to pass it on to other young women.

What have you learned from the mommy-blogging movement, how do you think it will change with Gen-Yers (Jeanne informs me that WE are technically "Millenials," thank you very much) maturing into parenthood? I know my brother, a consummate Gen-Yer, is settling down and thinking about starting a family--maybe Auntie-blogging will take off soon! I can't wait.

Keeping Calm and Moving On

So part of the reason why I haven't been blogging much or very excitedly lately -- and some of you already know this -- is that right before I left for New York Fashion Week, my boyfriend and I broke up. And it, frankly, has been hard. Really hard. And so that, along with work, is part of the reason I've been so quiet lately. (That's not to say that I'm not buying stuff -- believe me, I am buying stuff, I'm just not writing about it. Nothing is going to keep me from buying stuff. Not even my vows to stop buying stuff.)

But there is a bright side: in two weeks, I'm finally moving into a brand-new apartment with a fresh start, so that will definitely pull me out of my doldrums. So while I'm trying to ignore the pile of clothing that has to get sorted and culled and packed within the next two weeks (I've already made a head start on packing my nail polish!), I'm thinking about decorating and furniture and all the fun part of moving in.

I've always loved the "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters at sfgirlbybay.etsy.com, and I fully intend on picking up one for my bedroom. In case you don't already know the story of the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster, it was a British WWII poster urging citizens to, well, keep calm and carry on.

As I was getting off the light rail a few weeks ago, I noticed a girl wearing a pendant with "Keep Calm and Carry On", and realized that yes, I wanted one too. So, of course, I got onto Etsy and typed in that oh-so-familiar phrase. Many, many, many pendants popped up, particularly the kind that are on Scrabble tiles. While I like the idea of reusing Scrabble tiles, and it's definitely a good scale, I tend to play hard with my jewelry. So I wanted something waterproof, something that could stay on in the shower. I dug and I dug and I found the resin pendants at MarkJamesDesign.etsy.com. I've ordered one in royal blue (of course), and look forward to its arrival any day now! (I told you I was buying things.)

I also know that I can use some positive reinforcement at the office -- it's one thing to have the poster in your bedroom, where ideally things are calm, but in the office when the phone is ringing, your inbox is full while your computer is crashing, and there's buzz saws in the hallway... it doesn't hurt to have an extra reminder. So I found LillyandCoco.etsy.com, which sells sets of postcards in your choices of colors. Since they come in sets, I ordered the set of two -- one for me, and one for Karen with her big new fancy job. (Pink for me, robin's-egg-blue for her.) Lilly & Coco also sell this awesome KC&CO rubber stamp for you collectors out there; I desperately want one and have no idea whatsoever what I would do with it. (Besides, you know, stamp things.)

So thank you for bearing with me while I've become a slower blogger lately; I am still here, and I am still reading my Bloglines and my Twitter... I'm just more quiet lately. And things will get into fever pitch with moving, but I'm sure you understand 'cause you're our readers and you're awesome like that. (It's true, you know.) Me, I'm just going to keep calm... and move on.

images from sfgirlbybay.etsy.com, MarkJamesDesign.etsy.com, and lillyandcoco.etsy.com

Facing the Tents

Technically, I am on an airplane right now, but I thought you all should know: I'm going to Fashion Week in New York. It's crazy, right? I'm attending with Total Beauty, and I will be there for this Saturday and Sunday. So I'm not doing the whole week -- just getting my feet wet.

Since it's going to be particularly beauty-heavy, my Fashion Week content will be on Periodic Beauty Reviews, so now is the time to subscribe! I'll also be Twittering my experiences at the blog's Twitter account, @periodicstyle, so if you aren't already following, it's a good time to start!

I've never been to an event of this size and this prestige, and so I am (as you can understand) a bit of a nervous wreck. As soon as I learned I had the opportunity to go, the first person I went to to ask for advice was Sarah Conley of StyleItOnline.com. Sarah's the community manager for Coutorture, and she is one radtastic lady. I knew she would steer me straight and it's been so great to get her help and her knowledge and her encouragement.

Sarah's a two-time vet of New York Fashion Week, and this year she's putting together a mini web series called On The Plus Side: A Fuller Figured Fashion Week Experience. It's about being a plus-sized woman during Fashion Week, and how the pressure of an event like that can cripple the most confident and professional of us because of how it makes us feel about our bodies. And that's partially why I decided to just be there for two days: I'm there to see if I can really hang in there, if I can make it, if I can handle it. I know it's going to be tough for little wallflower nerdy me.

I'm so looking forward to watching Sarah's series, because these are issues that all of us need to think about and talk about no matter what size we are. As Sarah says in her mission statement, we need to be helping each other instead of hurting each other. I think we all can agree with that.

I definitely recommend that you check out On the Plus Side; I know that even when Fashion Week's done for me, I'll be checking in on Sarah and seeing the rest of it through her perspective, which is an incredible opportunity for all of us.

See you at Periodic Beauty and Twitter!

Science Fair for August 25th-31st

Welcome to the dog days of summer, everybody! I just took a gorgeous walk around the neighborhood as part of my renewed investment in a daily exercise regimen. Watching FitTV while sitting on the couch being lazy is, I have to say, a great way to guilt yourself into kicking it into gear.

This week's Science Fair is looong, I've been gathering the most interesting tidbits while staying out of the hot, hot heat outside! First, the news:

-We've been hearing about the bees disappearing, a.k.a. colony collapse disorder, for a while now. Could Bayer Pharmaceuticals be responsible for colony collapse in Germany? There's been talk of the adverse effects of pesticides on friendly insects and humans ever since their use became widespread in the farming industry. (I'm sure if you're up at Slow Food Nation in San Francisco this week, your ears are positively buzzing with hoopla about natural, organic farming for all.)

-Yuri Ivanovich Nosenko, a KGB spy who came in out of the cold to become an informant for the CIA, passed away this week. I love those LeCarre-ish stories from real life, especially since the Cold War seems to have revived lately...keep your ears peeled, dear readers!

-Most of us know the Dead Sea because of its amazing mineral- and salt-laden powers used in marketing beauty products. Sixty years ago, the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered, the oldest known written version of the Bible as we know it. Now, NASA technology is being used to share the rich history of the Dead Sea scrolls with the entire world. Rejoice, religious scholars!

-I love Bollywood (The early films starring Amitabh Bacchan, anyone? Delightful!) as much as a Cinema Studies graduate can with one little heart, but maybe it's gone too far in taking hints from Hollywood. What do you think, is Hari Puttar a little too close for comfort to our beloved Hogwarts kids?

-Now, two stories out of our favorite country! Japanese women are rejecting traditional gender roles to, well, be more career-driven. I have a bunch of cousins in Japan, all female, who never married and barely dated in their youth. How is that a bad thing, tell me! Maybe it's the quality of Japanese men today, hm? When they're not kidnapping their neighbors or dismembering foreign English teachers, they're stuffing their apartments with snake cages, tsk tsk!

-Style.com's Beauty Counter blog is adorable, a blend of high-priced makeup tidbits and indie personality. This week, they have an interview with Blake Hazard of The Submarines (you MUST get their new album, Honeysuckle Weeks, love love love it), talking about her love of pigtails and life on the road. That and, gloriously, fascinating and mind-blowing pics from the Shu Uemura and Viktor+Rolf collaboration.

-Finally, I leave you with THE PERIODIC TABLE OF AWESOMEMENTS! Man, I wish we'd thought of that. So comprehensive, so complete! Obviously made by members of the male species, however--perhaps we ladies need to populate our own table of mightily awesome stuff. I will agree with the inclusion of bacon, penguins, sunglasses, and cheese on the list, but mullets? Boobs? Really?

Enjoy, and have a great week, everyone!