Summer Clothing

In the Kansas summer, there are only two clothing items I ever want to wear when I wake up in the morning: sleeveless shirts and dresses. The clothing item of choice to accompany a sleveless shirt is generally a skirt, and the companion for a dress is a light sweater or cotton jacket.

Shorts are... just not that much fun. I wear them, bermuda for work, and shorter ones for play, but I never feel really awesome in shorts.

I generally feel totally great in something swingy and flirty. But I also walk to work in some pretty humid heat, so I can't ever wear polyester, satin, or silk. The sweat problems with those fabrics would be insurmountable.

This is where Patagonia comes in. I just ordered the Patagonia Bandha dress from Altrec.com. We'll see how it goes when it comes in. I'm crazy excited about owning a swingy dress in a high performance fabric.

That's also why I like Athleta's stuff. I wore their Melody Miniskirt to see Stevie Wonder play at an outdoor venue in 97 degree heat, and although I danced my booty off, my awesome skirt held its own.

Now that's a good summer clothing story.

Requiem for Firefly

My heart aches knowing that in seven years, Fox still hasn't come to its senses and begged Joss Whedon to re-start Firefly. One movie wasn't enough. That show was brilliant.

I am not much for TV. I think it's mostly rubbish. I frequently campaign my husband that we discontinue our service. I would probably win that argument if there was some other reliable way my hubby could catch all the good international football matches.

Perhaps that's why, after renting the DVD's of Firefly, I really cannot conceive of how this wonderful show got canceled after one little season. HOW was that possible? I realize that FOX is just a crap-spewing media company. I realize they strive for mediocrity, and that their "news" is sensationalized hooey appealing chiefly to poor ol' put-upon rich white people. But if The Simpsons could survive this long, why not Firefly?


I know, I'm late to the party. Seven years late. I just have to say it once more, for the multiverse to hear: Firefly is one of the greatest television shows of all time. It is a travesty that there are only 14 episodes and one awesome movie.

Getting Amped for South Africa

I know. It's a year away. And the U.S. just lost again in the Confederations Cup. Giuseppe Rossi: you're dead to me.

However, it's still really exciting. When my husband and I got married in 2007 we postponed the honeymoon for World Cup 2010. Now it's just one year away, and I'm starting the research and the budgeting.

My resources:
2 travel books on South Africa - See It South Africa by Fodor's, and another one by National Geographic
Kayak.com
The Frugal Traveler
Hannah Britton, my friend who is a Poli Sci professor. She makes annual trips to South Africa.

My goal:
To live for three weeks, in Pretoria and Durban, out of a carry-on. That better be the best prepped carry-on known to man, for I am a girlie girl. Yet, my experiences from World Cup 2006 will inform my planning, so it's not a totally hopeless goal.

Any recommendations?

Whew

I just finished reading the 45-page article by John Heilemann entitled The Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth. It was published in the November 2000 issue of Wired and it covers the Microsoft monopoly trial, including events leading up to the trial, the trial itself, and some post-decision follow-up.

I can't remember exactly how I heard about the article. I have subscribed to Wired magazine off and on for nearly 10 years, and I also subscribe to their RSS feed. I do know that I bookmarked it to read more than a year ago, and just now got down to actually doing it. It was a VERY worthwhile pursuit. Heilemann is a great author.

I think the most salient thing I took from the article was that the technology industry is, and always has been, just another industry. At times, especially in the dot-com boom, sometimes I did buy into the idea that computing technology was so weirdly different, that it couldn't be fit to any other industry's standards. Yet reading this article, it was clear that Microsoft is a company, much like any other. I'm glad the Department of Justice sued them. It was a good move for business in America, and it was a good process to remind all involved in the tech industry that men are not gods. No matter how much money they have. Good stuff.

Michelle Obama Look Book

One of my favorite things right now is the Michelle Obama look book.

First, I have to say, that from a pure fashion standpoint, I truly love her style. She does five things that are just so cool:
1. Dresses to flatter her body type.
2. Wears dresses frequently.
3. Wears sleeveless tops in professional venues, often with a cardigan, which later comes off.
4. Embraces color.
5. Pushes the First Lady sartorial envelope. Asymmetry? Sheer? Sleeveless? Could it get any better??

Above all, she doesn't conform. It's so refreshing!


Off the shoulder, non-traditional floral top by Basso and Brooke, mixed with white cropped pants (a trend that is very of the moment, but also very difficult for most women to pull off). She is brilliant.

Hence, I like to see what she's wearing. NY Mag is so great to keep the updates rolling.

Dance Party: From 1 to 100

My honey sent that to me. Like he said, you definitely don't need to listen to the music to be able to enjoy the video. Isn't it cool?

My favorite is how people are running up to join. You don't see that kind of enthusiasm too often. But I guess that's the glory of a snowball effect.