Got Me Wrong: What I Wore

This morning started off well...not!

I had a new case that another attorney covered for me last week. Somehow the details got lost in translation so off I drove this morning to the wrong courthouse.

Then I realized that the case we thought we had settled yesterday was still a complete mess. I ended up back in court this afternoon and we're scheduled to be back one last time on Thursday morning.

It's shaping up to be one of those weeks and at this point, it was only Tuesday morning!

Variagated Rosette Top, Anthropologie

Jacket, Ann Taylor Loft

Skirt, Banana Republic

Shoes, Franco Sarto

Necklace, Gift from India from former co-worker

Rosy-Posy Posts, Anthropologie (available here)

Bracelet, Pandora

The good news is that I am now at home and the rest of the work week is shaping up to be slightly less hectic. I certainly hope so!

Happy Tuesday!

Anthropologie Fitting Room Reviews (Made to Measure Skirt, Marston Sweater Skirt, Finishing School Skirt, White Noise Skirt, Steamer Trunk Skirt revisited)

It's crazy around here in Princess of Taylor-ville. My trial was continued to yesterday, but then at the last minute ended up settling. Now my client is MIA and we're all freaking out and trying to find her. I didn't even get a chance to take a What I Wore picture yesterday, but Husband took a quick picture of me this morning so I'll try to post that later this afternoon! In the meantime, enjoy some fitting room reviews!

Made to Measure Skirt, size 12 ($138)

I did not have high hopes for this skirt. I spotted it folded under a table at my local store weeks before it appeared online. I was looking for some skirts to try on so I went through the pile looking for my size: the biggest size available was a 12 which typically does not work for me in a pencil skirt. I figured I'd give it a try and took it into the fitting room. Much to my surprise, the 12 fit pretty perfectly. And even more to my surprise the cut of the skirt was relatively flattering. I really like this style of a pencil skirt with a twist and this falls into that category. The only thing keeping me from taking this little lovely home with me? The pattern. *sigh* If this was a pretty floral or graphic print or even a solid color, it would be in my closet right now, but this pattern was striking me as equal parts Scottish bagpiper and Annie Oakley. I have a difficult time with plaid: I went to a Catholic school and wore a plaid uniform skirt so I think I always get a little uncomfortable with the idea of willingly wearing plaid. The price was enough to knock me to my senses because I could like the print for $88 or even $98, but for $138, I need to love the print. I'll reconsider my position come sale time.

Marston Sweater Skirt, size Large ($98)

After trying on every sweater skirt in NYC a few weeks back (click here), I assumed that sweater skirts were an item that I would never ever like, no matter what. So given my rough history with sweater skirts, imagine my surprise when a reader requested that I try on this skirt. I assumed it was for comic relief, perhaps this reader was depressed about something and needed to be cheered up. Always a trooper, I spotted this skirt in my store and decided to just go for it. Okay so guys, it's really not that bad! I grabbed a Large which felt a bit big in the waist, but I worry that the Medium would have the same effect of the other sweater skirts in that it would just show every lump and bump. The Large skimmed my hips nicely. The color is a really pretty mustard and the wool is really soft, not itchy at all. I seriously considered buying this sweater skirt because it's so unlike anything I've ever owned before. In the end, I panicked when it came time to styling it, but if other bloggers start putting together cute outfits using this skirt, I might just have to give in and buy it!

Finishing School Skirt, size 12 ($78)

I seriously considered ordering this skirt online the first day it appeared. I loved the color and the description suggested that the cut was a-line. I ended up not ordering it, but I found it in my local store and couldn't resist. Okay, for starters, this is not an a-line skirt...or if it is supposed to be, it runs really small. The skirt has buttons down the front rather than a zipper. The material is a corduroy and has a bit of stretch to it. I hadn't noticed the ruffles on the back hem before, but I think they are a nice touch. And the color is just adorable for fall! The fit of this skirt, however, was all wrong on me. I'd have to size up two or even three sizes (which don't actually exist at Anthro, but you get my point) for this to be an a-line skirt. Even in a 14, it would be a pencil skirt. I'm so sad to do it, but I'm passing.

White Noise Skirt, size Large ($98)

This skirt is a true wrap skirt. There are snaps inside the skirt and the front panel came across far enough to prevent any windy day mishaps. The fit of this skirt was fine and I liked the way it looked on, but it really bugged me that there's only a pocket on one side. Either do pockets or don't: that weirdness alone was enough to totally turn me off of this skirt.

Steamer Trunk Skirt, size 10 ($98)

Yes, I've already tried this skirt on, but the last time was in black, size 12 and there were security tumors all down the inside of the skirt (click here). I just couldn't resist trying the skirt on in this pretty pattern which is the whole reason why I liked this skirt initially. The smaller size helps me out a little, but not much. I still need a little more structure and a little less sweater in my sweater skirt. I also wasn't as in love with the pattern in person so at least my love affair can now end amicably rather than on such a sour note from before.

Going On Today: Fierce Mamas at Ideeli sale

One of my favorite television shows (and the only reality show that I still watch) is Project Runway. And one of my favorite designers to appear on Project Runway is Season Four. Unfortunately the few items I've seen on Blufly designed by Mr. Siriano were crazy expensive and I could only dream of owning them!

So I was very excited when I heard that Fierce Mamas, Moody Mamas' fashionable maternity line created by Project Runway designer Christian Siriano, is teaming up with Ideeli today and tomorrow for an exclusive sample sale. From trendy tops that start at $12 to stylish dresses that start at $30, women can splurge on their bump without the guilt, saving up to 60% off retail price! Fierce Mamas is the go-to premiere luxury maternity line when it comes to dressing A-list celebrity moms-to-be that include Christina Applegate, Becki Newton, and Ali Larter.

Now if you're expecting, know someone who's expecting, or expect to expect at some point in the next 20 years, check out this sale!

And check back here for more from Fierce Mamas for Moody Mamas. The lovely folks over there and I are hoping to cook up a giveaway and some other excitement soon!

C-Lebrity: What I Wore

I'm feeling much better today. Thanks to everyone for their well wishes!

Earlier in the week, I made a rather exciting discovery that I forgot to share with everyone due to my crazy trial schedule. It was pointed out to me that performing a Google image search for Brian May can potentially yield links to my blog! Here's one link and here's another!

So imagine you are me and you are insane: what is the first thing that pops into your mind upon this revelation?

What if Dr. May Googles himself and finds me?

Or, even better, what if RT Googles Dr. May and finds me?

The possibilities are endless!

Although now there is added pressure to look adorable every single day! Who knows who might be reading! (Hi, Roger!)

Free Flow Tank, Anthropologie

Beribboned Buds Cardi, Anthropologie

Capris, Ann Taylor Loft

Sandals, Marc Fisher

Necklace, QVC (available here)

Earrings, Kohls

Bracelets, Inch of Gold cruise ship purchases

Sadly, I had a late meeting this morning so Husband was long gone by the time I was ready to take my picture.

These are my one pair of "fun" shoes. Now that my closet is newly organized, I can actually see them and remember that I own them. My meeting was with a new teenage client which means I have to walk a fine line between looking professional and approachable (or cool). I thought the shoes were a good choice and my client said that I was cool. Well, she said I was nice and I responded, "I wanna be cool," and then she said I was. I joked that she probably wanted to roll her eyes at the silly old lady trying to be all hip! She laughed and said, "no,"

See, I am cool! One teenager agrees!

We just made plans to go to dinner Saturday night with some good friends from law school. And then I plan to put Husband to work prepping all the wood trim in the house for me to prime and paint. I told him that I'd paint it, but he has to sand it. Luckily he agreed!

Oh and here's a link to the song C-Lebrity off the 2008 album that Queen released with Paul Rodgers.

Happy Friday!

Queen Song of the Week: Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to...)

I've found that I have a much easier time with my Queen Song of the Week posts if I have some sort of theme. It's so much easier to pick a RT solo song because it's his birthday or to just go through the set list of a concert, like I did with the 1975 Hammersmith Odeon Christmas Eve show. The alternative is just plucking a song out of thin air and when a band's catalog is as massive and prolific as Queen's that can be a rather daunting task, even for the biggest of fans!

A possible solution was to feature all of the songs on one of Queen's albums. But which one? I mean, there are 15 (excluding The Cosmos Rocks which was recorded with Paul Rodgers in 2008).

Image courtesy of Queenpedia.com

Finally I decided to go with the obvious choice: A Night at the Opera. Widely considered Queen's masterpiece, there's actually an entire special dedicated to the recording of this album (click here to purchase or alternatively for all you Netflix users, it's available in your instant queue!). Completely coincidentally, as I was writing this post, I realized that VH1 Classic was airing this special! I, of course, rewatched it!

I've already featured several songs off A Night at the Opera (click here for I'm in Love with my Car, here for '39, and here for Bohemian Rhapsody, but the album contains nine other tracks that deserve a little love themselves!

So let's start at the beginning: Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to...) was written by Freddie Mercury and is the first track on Queen's 1975 album A Night at the Opera.

Video courtesy of spaccapassa                                                         

The song itself is supposedly written about the band's former management. At the time that A Night at the Opera was recorded, Queen had already released three albums and several popular singles. However, the band was not receiving the royalties that they were expecting and wanted to know why. Prior to recording A Night at the Opera, the band signed with new management who instructed them to go into the studio and record, they'd deal with the contract issues.

Nearly the entire band has spoken about the lyrics of this song. I find it rather amusing since they describe the lyrics as vicious and mean, but honestly, they aren't that bad. I mean, they aren't nice, but they aren't so bad that Dr. May should have felt uncomfortable singing them, as the story goes. I guess Dr. May really just is a really nice guy! Personally it makes me laugh when Freddie sings, "Shark," and I always imagine him imitating a fin on his head with his hand.

Here's a link to the lyrics: what do you think? Am I just desensitized to mean lyrics?

In 1976, Freddie told Sounds magazine, "When the others first heard it they were in a state of shock. When I was describing it they went, Oh yeah, and then they saw the words and they were frightened by it. But for me the step had been taken and I was completely engrossed in it, swimming in it. Wow! I was a demon for a few days.


The album needed a strong opening and what better way than to have the first words, 'You suck my blood like a leech'? Initially it was going to have the intro and then everything stop and the words, 'YOU, SUCK, MY' - but that was going too far."

The opening of this track is amazing and considered by many fans (myself included) to be the best opening song on any Queen studio album. It perfectly sets the stage for what the listener has in store for them with the perfect combination of drama and heaviness.

Queen's influence continues to grow, even now nearly twenty years after Freddie Mercury's death. Just this week, VH1 named Queen #17 on its list of the Greatest Artists of All Time. Back in 1998, Queen was ranked #33 on the same list. Maybe by 2022, they'll be #1!

Happy Listening!

Change the World: A Tour of Princess of Taylor's Closet

Last week Husband and I met with a consultant from California Closets. We bought our house three years ago and it really is more than enough space for the two of us, but the closet space has always left much to be desired. The previous owners lived here for more than thirty years and raised two children here. I cannot for the life of me figure out how four adults managed to fit clothing into the closets in this house.

I swear they must have been nudists.

When we first moved in, I took the closet in the master bedroom because...well because it seemed bigger and I'm the girl. Husband used the closet in the spare bedroom. A few months back, I freaked out and told Husband that I either needed to switch closets with him or we needed to move.

We switched closets.

Well, actually, I switched closets. He sat downstairs and played on the computer and said he wanted nothing to do with my nonsense.

The switch worked relatively well. I had a bit more room, but I still felt cramped. The California Closet appointment was another attempt to convince me that moving immediately was not necessary.

Here are what our closets looked like (my closet - well half my closet since the stupid sliding doors prevent me from seeing the whole closet at once - and Husband's closet, respectively):

The consultant arrived at our house promptly at 9am last Saturday morning. First, she set up her computer on our dining room table and then we showed her the closets. She took all sorts of measurements and asked us questions about what items of clothing we wear most frequently and what our priorities were. Did I want shelving for 30+ pairs of shoes? Did I want double rows of shelving for shirts and skirts or did I need more full shelving for dresses and pants? What about belt racks? Or tie racks for Husband?

After she measured the space (and she seriously measured everything: the width of my shoes and the length of my pants), she worked on her computer to create a 3D image of her design proposal. Once she finished, we were able to make suggestions and recommendations which she could immediately reflect in the design. Very cool.

We had anticipated that the price would be the deal breaker for us, but we were pleasantly surprised by the estimate. Neither of our closets had all that many bells and whistles in the design so the cost of redesigning both ended up being about $1000 less than we were expecting.

Once the consultant left, I told Husband that I wanted to change my closet doors. The consultant had recommended doing that anyway and I thought it would make quite a difference. So off we went to the Home Depot to buy closet doors. True to form, the doorway of my closet was 47 inches while the standard doorway is 48. I swear nothing in this house has been standard. The previous own really seemed to think that no one would ever want to make any design changes to his handiwork. He did the same thing in the kitchen: they redid the cabinets and left a 32 inch opening for the refrigerator. A standard refrigerator (French door) is 36 inches, but good ole Johnny Homeowner couldn't imagine that anyone would ever want to have a wider refrigerator than his stupid little top freezer refrigerator so he had the cabinets built right up to the edge. So annoying!

Shockingly Husband, who has never been all that handy, was able to install the new closet doors. Yes, it took a few hours, but he did it and the difference is absolutely amazing!

Finally, I can open my closet doors completely and see everything in my closet at once. This also means that more light shines into my closet and I can use the space back beyond the doorway (at least a foot on each side). By using that space, I was able to get rid of the double rod I had been using and none of my clothes are dragging on the floor anymore! We decided that I'm going to use my new closet for a few weeks and that may alleviate the need to hire California Closets at all! As much as I'd love for them to redo the closets, there really are much better ways to spend that money.

And it turns out, that we can fix Husband's closet with a door too:

All I have to do is shut it and I can't see the mess that he has going on in there!

I'm home sick today so no What I Wore post, but hopefully I'll be back to my healthy self tomorrow!

Happy Thursday!

Three Times a Lady: What I Wore

After the last two days, I have decided that the only thing more exhausting than having a trial is second-chairing a trial. My boss is retiring in January and didn't think one of her cases was going to wrap up before then. She asked me to start learning about the case and helping her prepare for trial (secretly hoping that the trial wouldn't be scheduled until after January, I'm sure!) Well the trial was put on for August which was much earlier than she anticipated, but since I've already been helping, she asked me to stay on.

Here's what second-chairing a trial entails: sitting in the back of the courtroom on uncomfortable benches (as opposed to nice counsel chairs), furiously taking notes on what's going on, occasionally offering recommendations on examination tactics or topics, and not getting to do any of the fun stuff of a trial like questioning witnesses or making objections.

In a word, it's exhausting. The last two nights, I got home only to collapse on the couch, barely put together an edible dinner, and crawl off to bed around 9pm. Pretty pathetic.

Finally, today after two full days of trial, we have a break until Monday. So far the trial is going well for our client and we're feeling pretty good, but you can never be too confident in my area of practice. Clients can screw things up completely in less than 30 seconds!

As promised, here are my outfits from Monday, Tuesday, and today.

Initially I had on a cropped blazer, but I ditched it right before Husband took my photo. After all, it's not my trial so it's not like I needed to get too formal and I think I've realized that despite owning two cropped blazers, I really don't look particularly nice in them. I think they're going to Goodwill soon.

I couldn't decide about necklaces on Monday so finally I just went without one. The Clepsydra Hoops are pretty big and stand out enough that I don't need a necklace which is good since this neckline was throwing me off a lot.

Ruffle Shell, Ann Taylor

Cardigan, Geoffrey Beane outlet

Skirt, Ann Taylor

Clepsydra Hoops, Anthropologie (on sale here)

Bracelet, Pandora

On Tuesday, I wanted to wear long sleeves and pants because I was chilly in the courtroom all day Monday. Even with this more fall look, I ended up borrowing my boss's shawl, thus completely turning into a little old lady by wearing a shawl in public. I also took my hair down as soon as I saw this picture. As much as I like the length of this new haircut, it's not been as easy to wear pulled back: I end up looking a little bald since my hair is so short and thin. Not a good look for me. Thank goodness, I hadn't sprayed this style with too much hairspray so it looked fine when I took it down. Crisis averted.

Blouse, Ann Taylor

Pants, Ann Taylor

Belt, Kohls

Sofft Fiorella Pumps (available here)

Necklace, Ann Taylor Loft

Bright Bulb Posts, Anthropologie (available here)

Today I have a straight up office day. It's actually funny because my boss came in today wearing something uber-casual that she referred to as "business pajamas" so when I saw her, I didn't feel quite so bad about my casual look.

Dress, Ann Taylor Loft

Belt, Kohls

Sandals, Oka b Marion (available here)

Necklace, Handmade by my sister-in-law

Rosy-Posy Posts, Anthropologie (available here)

This is the dress that has prevented me from buying a whole host of pretty shirtdresses at Anthropologie this season: the Two-Wheeler Shirtdress and the Secret Treasure Dress in navy, specifically. I owned one shirtdress before I became obsessed with Anthropologie and it's navy. Why oh why does Anthropologie insist on releasing so many adorable shirtdresses in navy?

Yesterday was a pretty substantial sale at Anthropologie and today the website is chock full of new arrivals, including some which have been spotted in stores for weeks now. I'm super excited to finally be able to stalk things like the Wish You Were Here Cardi (reviewed here) and the Made to Measure Skirt (review forthcoming), both of which will be mine. Oh yes, they will be mine.

Did anyone get anything good at the sale? Sadly, by the time I managed to sit at a computer yesterday, everything I might have been interested in was already gone. I'll just have to make due with the new arrivals, I suppose.

Luckily the week is settling down a bit and the good thing about being in trial for two days is that those days really did fly by and now it's already Wednesday! Of course, now I'm sure that the next three days will just crawl by - oh how I wish my office followed a four day work week to save electricity!

Happy Wednesday!

Anthropologie Fitting Room Reviews (Flowing Tiers Tank, Long Embrace Cardigan, Two Worlds Tee, Mystery Postcard Cardigan)

Since I am a few days behind on What I Wore posts, I decided to run a fitting room review to give me some time to get my act together! I'll be back "for real" on Wednesday!

Flowing Tiers Tank, size Medium ($68)

This tank is reminiscent of about a thousand other tanks currently available at Anthropologie, J. Crew, and the Ann Taylors. I'm at the point where I think I'm over all this ruffle and tier business. I mean, I still love me some ruffles and tiers as much as the next girl, but at a certain point I have to say enough. I feel as if I reached my breaking point as I pulled this tank over my head. The fit wasn't great on me and all the ruffles added bulk to my midsection which makes me look a bit boxy. The pale color wasn't helping me out much either - I felt really washed out in this tank. If you haven't already been sailing on the ruffle ship, you might want to pick this one up, but for me, I'm passing.

Long Embrace Cardigan, size Medium (was $98, now $49.95)

Wow, this one hit sale quickly. This is a straight-up fall sweater and it's already 50% off. Honestly, I can see why because I thought it was pretty dreadful. The color was a lovely wine and the knit is mixed with panels of a charmeuse-esque fabric. The end result is that there's a lot of fabric that just  sort of hangs off me. I can imagine this sweater being disgustingly adorable on some other bloggers, but it's just too much excess fabric around the hips to ever work for me!

Two Worlds Tee, size Medium ($78)

The first thing I noticed about this top was the color. It is such a pretty warm orange. It reminded me of pumpkin pie. Yum! The Medium fit perfectly (I think there may be some smocking in the back for a little extra give in the bust). The blouse is a little low cut - I wish the top button was a little higher or maybe that there was one extra button. The length was good and I think I'd be able to tuck this top into a skirt or pants. I already have several short sleeved blouses, but I'd consider this one at sale.

Mystery Postcard Cardigan, size Large ($118)

I missed out on the Cartography Cardigan a few months back so I was interested to see this postage stamp version in my local store. The fit of this sweater is great and the length hit me at the right spot. The sweater was also ridiculously soft and felt great on. I also liked that it's a v-neck as opposed to a crewneck. For $118? Holy moly, Anthropologie! The prices have been slowly creeping up lately and I'm worried that the new cardigan price point is now over $100. I very nearly had a heart attack when I paid full price for my Beribboned Buds Cardi ($88) and anything more is enough to send me over the edge! I'll definitely be stalking this one to sale!

I have a ton more reviews, including the Martston Skirt which can be seen in these photos! I'll run some more soon!

Checking In

I was in trial all day today and the trial picks back up again at 9:30am tomorrow morning. I'll post my trial outfits eventually (though it might not be until Wednesday).

And there's no Keep on Running post this week. It's a long story and I got a few walking workouts in, but no runs. You may all commence telling me that I suck.

Here It Goes Again: What I Wore

The cool thing about this particular song is the music video so here it is. It's really awesome and was filmed in a single take.


Last night I was horrified to discover that our cable and Internet were not working. Now granted this isn't completely devastating news: I mean there are other things to do with my time besides watch TV and surf the Internet. I could read, clean the house, play Rock Band, talk to Husband. But, as I've discussed before, the way my brain works, the minute I can't have something, I want it...in fact, I need it...immediately.

Luckily we did have a few Netflix DVDs to watch so while I waited for Husband to come home, I popped in Queen: Greatest Video Hits, Volume I. I've seen all the Queen music videos, but I really wanted to watch the audio commentary which I had heard was rather amusing.

I'm a big dork and love audio commentary. I know it's weird. And it's not just a Queen thing either: I watched the commentary for the entire Mr. Show with Bob and David series. I just think it's interesting to hear about the creative process: how something was written, where an idea came from, how others got involved in a project. Husband thinks it's a waste of time and refuses to watch commentary with me, but yesterday I had nearly an hour before he was set to come home from work so I got right to it!

The commentary itself is interesting: Queen is recognized as pioneers in the "music video genre". They recorded the video for Bohemian Rhapsody as a means to evade having to perform on Top of the Pops. Each week, the band with the number one song of the week was invited to play on Top of the Pops. Queen played the show when Killer Queen hit number one and, during that music video commentary, talk about what a bad experience it was: dreadfully boring sitting around all day, miming rather than really playing, and, worst of all, RT complains, having to stay sober all day. The horror! The band came up with the idea of creating a video to play in lieu of having to perform "live" on the show each week that Bohemian Rhapsody topped the charts.

Thus far, the funniest bit has been during the video for Don't Stop Me Now (one of Husband's favorite songs). Dr. May is going on about the shoot itself: that there was only one camera so the band was forced to stand together rather tightly on stage, the intricate lighting rig, where the video was filmed and under what circumstances. Throughout Dr. May's analysis, RT stays rather quiet before finally out of nowhere he blurts out, "Oh God, I've just realized I wore that same green blazer in two music videos." Oh RT, you're just as ridiculous as me and that's why I love you!

I've called RT out before for rewearing clothing on a multitude of conspicuous occasions (click here), but at least here he's realized that wearing the same jacket (especially when it's a completely recognizable and obnoxious bright green jacket) to more than one music video shoot is probably not a good thing. Although in RT's defence, this video was shot in 1978. This morning I saw another attorney wearing a near-identical bright green jacket...to court...in 2010. *shudders*

Of course, I'm frequently guilty of the same sin. Take my new black skirt from Ann Taylor Loft: I've owned it for three weeks and I've worn it three times! If RT can do it, so can I!

Origami Tank, Ann Taylor Loft

Skirt, Ann Taylor Loft

Ambrosial Cardigan, Anthropologie (on sale in stores)

Shoes, Franco Sarto

Necklace, Banana Republic

Bright Bulb Posts, Anthropologie (available here)

Bracelets, Inch of Gold cruise ship purchases

A fellow princess owns this same Origami Tank from Ann Taylor Loft. Actually she owns it in two colors so whenever I know I'm going to see her, I always go out of my way to not wear this tank since the odds are pretty high that we'll both show up in it! It's a nice piece for layering although it's a total pain that I have to iron the origami detailing every time I wash it! Annoying! Oh and because I'm really a closet-90 year old, how cute would my Ambrosial Cardigan look with a little brooch or pin holding it closed right at my bustline? I was really upset this morning when I realized that I couldn't even improvise that look with anything (and don't think I didn't consider everything, including earrings!)

Husband decided to take the day off today which turned out to be a good thing for several reasons: first, he was home to take my picture (most importantly) and second, he'll be there to let the cable guy in later. Hopefully they'll fix whatever the problem is before I get home because a weekend without cable and Internet might make me cry. I was actually excited to get to work today so I could check my email!

I hope everyone has some lovely plans for the weekend! We have our California Closets appointment first thing tomorrow morning (yay!) and then I'm planning on hitting up Anthropologie to do some fitting room reviews. I still have a whole batch from last week, but they're all still mystery items and haven't shown up online yet. Very odd. So I'll have quite a backlog of reviews if I go this weekend!

Happy Friday!

Queen Song of the Week: Spread Your Wings

I make it no secret that bassist John Deacon is my least favorite member of Queen. I mean, I don't hate him or anything, but between my appreciation of RT, my new found crush on Dr. May, and Freddie Mercury, who's awesomeness speaks for itself, there's not a lot of room in my world for John Deacon love. That said, I went back and looked at past Queen Songs of the Week and was shocked that I've only featured one John Deacon song (click here).

Well yesterday was John Deacon's birthday and since RT and Dr. May got Queen Songs of the Week in their honor on their birthdays (click here and here), Deaky gets one on his birthday too! It's only fair that way!

Spread Your Wings was written by John Deacon and appeared on Queen's 1977 album News of the World. It was released as a single in the U.K. and peaked at #34 on the charts. One rather unusual feature of Spread Your Wings is that it contains absolutely no harmonies. This was virtually unheard of in the early days of Queen.

This is a rather catchy song, but the thing that I always associate with Spread Your Wings is the music video. Shot on a blisteringly cold day at RT's newly purchased home, the band also decided to shoot a video for We Will Rock You at the same time. Unfortunately the previous owners of the home had yet to move out, forcing the boys to stay outdoors the entire time. Poor Deaky and Dr. May couldn't wear gloves because they needed to be able to "play" their instruments and Freddie Mercury attempted to warm himself by consuming just a bit too much alcohol. It's also rumored that he nicked a pair of ratty gloves from a gardener working in the yard. You can also see RT shivering throughout which I find equal parts absolutely adorable and completely pathetic.

This is one of those Queen songs that I like, but always forget about. So it's rather fitting that Deaky wrote it since a lot of people probably feel the same way about him. In the future I'll try to feature a Deaky song as a Queen Song of the Week more often. I promise!

Happy Listening!

Clocks: What I Wore

Yesterday afternoon I looked at the wall clock in my office and noticed that it was off by several hours. This puzzled me so I watched it for a few minutes and realized that once every minute, the second hand was getting caught up for several seconds at a time. Luckily, it's a $10 Staples clock and we already have a spare available, but annoying nonetheless.

Still wanting to know what time it was, I looked down at my watch only to discover that it, too, had stopped! This is one of the two watches that I purchased last year on my cruise. And it too was only $10. Frankly I'm a little surprised that it lasted as long as it did without needing a battery change (especially since my mom bought a watch at the same time and had to change her battery months ago).

But it got me thinking...is it some sort of bad luck for two of my personal clocks to stop on the same day? It reminds me of that old Twilight Zone episode starring Ed Wynn where the old man is convinced that when his beloved grandfather clock stops ticking, he'll die.

Yikes! Maybe two clocks stopping counteracts that because I'm feeling relatively healthy right now!

Dress, B.Moss

Belt, Kohls

Earrings, Kohls

Necklace, Kohls

Bracelets, Kohls

Calvin Klein Lillian Flat (available here)

Today I'm a little annoyed: I dressed for court only to find out that my case wasn't on the docket and then once back at my office, I discovered that another attorney has been blatantly lying to me about conversations he's been having (or rather not having) with his client. Not cool. It's an odd situation because technically he doesn't represent this client anymore, but we're all being courteous and keeping him in the loop so she'll have some degree of representation. Now I find out today that he's not returning her calls or meeting with her when she asks him too. Needless to say, I spent my morning preparing motions and subpoenas to get to the bottom of all this! Thankfully my outfit is completely comfortable so I'm not too upset about being in the office rather than in court!

The good news is that tomorrow is finally Friday and it's a payday Friday! Hurray!

Happy Thursday!

And Happy Birthday John Deacon - I'll run a Queen Song of the Week tomorrow in your honor!

Happy Birthday John Deacon!

Today is John Deacon's 59th Birthday! John has been in retirement for the last several years and no longer makes public appearances (Queen-related or otherwise). Spotting John Deacon out in public has become a bit of an urban legend - not unlike catching a glimpse of bigfoot in the wild!

Happy Birthday, John (wherever you are!)!

One Vision: What I Wore

Last night after dinner, Husband drove to a local ice cream shop to pick up sundaes. We live in the same town where Husband grew up so he used to visit this place when he was a kid. It's so yummy and is such a nice (and cheap) after dinner treat. Unfortunately, they only take cash so we usually end up scrounging around looking for rogue dollar bills and coins because Husband and I basically function in cash-less mode 24-7. We quickly located four cash dollars, recently discovered after cleaning out the second bedroom, but then Husband had no choice but to break into his coin jar. He pulled out six dollars in quarters and put them into a plastic bag. I begged him to let me keep looking for actual cash money, but he assured me that he wasn't embarrassed about paying with quarters and he'd be fine. I was glad that I didn't have to go along to witness the nonsense and twice as glad when he came home fifteen minutes later with my turtle sundae! Delish!

This morning I knew exactly what I wanted to wear. I don't have court or meetings today and was just planning to spend the day in the office helping my boss with a trial we have scheduled for next week. In retrospect, I have no idea why I didn't think to grab a cardigan to put over my shoulders because it's positively freezing in my office and as I type this, I'm wrapped in a little old lady-esque shall. The other women in my office are all at a certain age and occasionally feel the need to crank up the air conditioner to ungodly temperatures. Combine with that the fact that it's actually really rather hot outside and it makes for a rather chilly little princess!

Twist Cone Tank, Anthropologie (on sale here)

Skirt, Banana Republic

Seychelles Araxi Sandals

Rosy-Posy Posts, Anthropologie (available here)

Bracelet, Pandora

I was terribly pleased with the way my hair turned out today and even more pleased when Husband was still home to take my picture! While he was waiting, I was trying to figure out what necklace to wear and finally just gave up. The neckline of this top is really tricky and I always panic when it comes time to put my necklace on.

Once I arrived at work, however, I realized that every time I've worn this tank, I've worn it with white bottoms: a skirt, capris, pants, you name it. As I was standing in the ladies room earlier today, it occurred to me that this top has grey in it and could look absolutely smashing with my Acting Out Skirt in grey. Then I thought about my new Banana Republic black wrap skirt. And my beloved Ann Taylor Modern Fit Trousers! I just accidentally styled my Twist Cone Tank for fall and winter! Throw on a sweater or jacket and it's court appropriate too! How exciting!

Now I just need to get my act together about choosing a necklace and I'll be good to go!

I'm so glad that it's finally Wednesday! This has been a really long week, probably since I'm so looking forward to Friday! Hopefully the next two days fly by!

Happy Wednesday!

Crazy Little Thing Called Love: What I Wore

Husband would claim that I'm completely ridiculous in many regards and frankly, I wouldn't really disagree with him. However, I remain thoroughly convinced that a good majority of the time Husband enables my ridiculousness, either for his own amusement or because he too is a bit ridiculous.

Everyone has heard time and time again about how I met Dr. Brian May from Queen a few weeks back. It's seriously one of those days that I could just relive over and over again - I'm so pleased with it. My main goal of the meeting was to get a great photograph and I did. I sent the photograph to my sister to use in my blog header and got a frame to display a 5 x 7 inch print in my office. That was totally enough for me! I was more than happy with the blog header and framed photo!

Then Husband said, "Aren't you going to display the pictures somehow?"

"I am. I have it framed in my office."

"No, no," Husband insisted, "you should go to a nice frame store and have the photographs and the CD booklet he signed and the 3D glasses and ticket from the lecture professionally matted."

"Don't you think that's a little ridiculous?"

"No, we went to the lecture and you got to meet him. That's cool! You should commemorate the occasion," Husband convinced me.

So off I trotted to a local frame shop with my photographs from the event, my Back to the Light signed CD booklet and CD, 3D glasses and ticket, and photographs of A Village Lost and Found and the autographed book. Husband had recommended that I order a 8 x 10 print of myself with Dr. May. I thought it was far too enormous and thankfully the frame store staff agreed: we settled on the 5 x 7 photographs.

After what seemed like hours, we had settled on what to include and the layout. Then I had to select the mats and frame. In for a penny, in for a pound, I figured, so I told them that I wouldn't be completely against some sort of antique-looking frame due to the book's subject matter. Finally I splurged and paid the extra $16 for museum-quality anti-glare glass.

Less than two weeks later, I had an email that my frame was ready. It is rather large and was terribly expensive. It's still in its plastic wrap because we haven't figured out where to put it yet. As we stood in the store, waiting for the attendant to ring me up and staring at this enormous creation which I had commissioned, I off-handedly remarked to Husband, "Just wait til you see what I have planned for when I meet Roger!"

And likewise, readers, if I ever do have the chance to meet Roger, the poll to determine what to wear will rival the presidential election: that will be serious business!

Creative Outlet Tank, Anthropologie (available here)

Tucked-Away Blooms Cardigan (on sale here)

Skirt, Ann Taylor

Shoes, AK Anne Klein

Artist's Palette Necklace, Anthropologie (available here)

Earrings, Kohls

Bracelets, Inch of Gold cruise ship purchases

I think today is the first time I'm wearing something from my 18 for 18 Remix Challenge since the challenge ended. I've really been trying to branch out to other things in my wardrobe, but this morning I really just wanted to wear the Creative Outlet Tank so I figured, "What the heck!" Not much else to say about my outfit although I am wearing my Artist's Palette Necklace again which is fast becoming my favorite. I can't recommend it enough!

Happy Tuesday!

Book Review: Her Fearful Symmetry

*Disclaimer* I hate book reviews that give away too much of the plot so I don't do that. You should feel free to read this review even if you haven't read the book already: mostly it is just details found on the back of the book or in the front cover and my ramblings about the process of me reading the book!

I was a reading fool while on vacation in July! I read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (reviewed here) and just finished The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (which I hope review soon). Between those two books, I read Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger.

Four years ago I read The Time Traveler's Wife. I was stranded in the Atlanta airport. I was by myself and my flight had been delayed for something like twelve hours. I needed something to keep my mind busy so I wouldn't freak out so I wandered into the bookstore. I don't remember why I picked up The Time Traveler's Wife. If I'm being completely honest, it probably had something to do with the cover. In my mind I equate a glossy cover with only words on it with more of a chick-lit/mass produced author (i.e. John Grisham). However, a nice matte cover with a cryptic photograph? Oh la la - now you're talking.


I devoured The Time Traveler's Wife. I read it the entire time while I was in the airport. I read it the next three evenings after the work conference I was attended ended. And finally I finished it in my own apartment upon returning home a few days later. I loved every minute of reading The Time Traveler's Wife.

Then, for some reason, I flipped to the back of the book and read the Reading Group Guide. I have no idea why I did this. I had finished the book already. I think it had actually been weeks since I had finished the book. And I most certainly was not in a Reading Group. But despite this, I read the Reading Group Guide.

And suddenly I thought the book's protagonist Henry was a manipulative jerk. Suddenly Claire, his wife, was stupid and naive. Suddenly the whole book was just a shadow in the greatness of which I had praised it just days earlier. And suddenly the title of the book made sense because all Claire ended up being was the time traveler's wife. She had absolutely no other identity and I hated her for it.

So with this history with Audrey Niffenegger, why on earth would I decide to read another one of her books, you ask?

Simple - I figured I'd read the book and then not read the Reading Group Guide.

Genius, right?

Unfortunately, I fear Ms. Niffenegger caught wind of my sneaky plan.

There is no Reading Group Guide in Her Fearful Symmetry.

Damn you, Ms. Niffenegger. Damn you.

This book starts off interestingly enough and Ms. Niffenegger lures you into her little trap. On the first page, Elspeth dies. It is her will that sets the events of the book in motion. She leaves her estate to her two nieces, Julia and Valentina, whom she's never met. Julia and Valentina move to London to live in Elspeth's apartment for one year. Julia makes friends with their neighbor Martin, who suffers from OCD and hopes to someday travel to Denmark to reunite with his estranged wife. Valentina, on the other hand, befriends Robert, another neighbor and Elspeth's former lover who is struggling to get over her death.

Her Fearful Symmetry includes a lot of descriptions as opposed to dialogue. A central location of the book is a historic cemetery where Robert works and Elspeth is buried and Ms. Niffenegger seems to believe that the layout and appearance of the cemetery is of utmost importance to the reader. In the back of the book, it is revealed that Ms. Niffenegger herself is considered a historian of the cemetery, which actually does exist, so her extensive descriptions were possibly a bit unintentionally self-serving.

In contrast to The Time Traveler's Wife, Her Fearful Symmetry operates in a world of blatant fantasy. At one point, I complained to Husband that the book was getting a little too unrealistic for me and that it surprised me. Then I realized that the other book I'd read by this author is titled The Time Traveler's Wife and is by definition complete fantasy. But my recollection of The Time Traveler's Wife is that Ms. Niffenegger attempts to set forth a scientific explanation for Henry's time traveling. And frankly, time traveling is something that I'm much more willing to accept as a possible occurrence than ghosts. Ms. Niffenegger offers no explanation for Elspeth's presence as a ghost: in this world, ghosts apparently exist and people just go along with that.

Because there is no Reading Group Guide in Her Fearful Symmetry, Ms. Niffenegger takes it upon herself to make each and every character completely and totally dislikable during the course of the novel. Maybe I'm wrong on this and maybe some of you will tolerate, or perhaps even like, some of these characters, but by the end of the book, I thought they were all rather contemptible.

Part of my dislike of Valentina and Julia, who I suppose are designed to be the most sympathetic characters in the book, stems from their complete and utter inability to separate from their twinness. Now granted, I know next to nothing about being a twin. One of my good friends from law school is a twin. And for a while, I cornered the market in babysitting twin two year olds. But an expert, this does not make me. I just have a very difficult time grasping Valentina and Julia's inability to function other than as a pair because has not at all been my very limited experience with twins. Julia didn't want to go to school so Valentina doesn't either. Julia wanted to go to London, but Valentina really didn't. Julia becomes upset when Valentina stays out late on a date with Robert. They slept together in the same room, in the same bed, despite being adults. God forbid these girls live separate lives! At a certain point, these young ladies needed to learn to function on their own and yet no one in their lives ever seemed to encourage or demand that.

Here's the problem though: I enjoyed reading the book, despite being thoroughly annoyed and unsatisfied with it. Ms. Niffenegger writes short chapters and dangles small cliff hangers at the end of every section, tempting you to move on to the next page. Will I read Ms. Niffenegger's next release? Probably. And I'm rather confident that I'll hate that book when it's all said and done too.

I think Audrey Niffenegger is the perfect example of an author whom I love to hate!

Now I know millions of others have read and enjoyed The Time Traveler's Wife and by no means am I trying to dissuade you from reading Her Fearful Symmetry. Go ahead, read it. I'm glad I did. I just was rather disappointed with all the characters by the end of it. Perhaps I'm just used to a world where someone is likeable (I remember when Husband and I watched Arrested Development and I was convinced that Michael Bluth was a good guy when he's actually really not!). It's really hard to like any of Ms. Niffenegger's characters though.

Does that make her a bad author? Of course not.

Does it make this a bad book. I don't think so.

So if anyone else has read Her Fearful Symmetry I'd be interested to hear your response to it. Am I just being overly sensitive and expecting too much from her characters? Or am I right in thinking they're all a bit horrible?

I just finished The Thirteenth Tale a few nights ago so a review of that is forthcoming!

Happy Reading!

Untitled: What I Wore

Friday's picnic turned out to be a much more time consuming affair that I had anticipated. By the time I was home, it was past 6:30pm and I was too exhausted to type up a daily post. The picnic was rather fun though - there was a good mix of folks from other offices, some children and our brand new big big big boss came for several hours which impressed everyone. I also took the opportunity to show off my new haircut of which everyone approved (it's not looking great in the picture below - it always takes me a day or two to figure out the styling!)

Ludi V-Neck, Anthropologie

Capris, Ann Taylor Loft

Sandals, Ugg

This weekend Husband and I trotted off to California Closets to make a consultation appointment. I've seen so many bloggers recently clean out their closets and it's made me so envious: our closets are horrible. We have a decent sized house (I mean it is just the two of us), but the closets make me feel like we're positively busting at the seams. Before we went to the store, we took measurements of the two offending closets. The lady at the store had all sorts of suggestions for mine (which is in the second bedroom), but basically told Husband's that his (in the master bedroom) was a lost cause. As we walked out, Husband said he felt better knowing that it wasn't us being stupid and not being able to figure out how to make his closet work: it is just architecturally a nightmare! If we decide to hire them, I'll take tons of before and after pictures for everyone to see!

Blouse, Banana Republic

Cardigan, Ann Taylor Loft

Skirt, Banana Republic

Belt from Swirling Villages, Surplice Dress, Anthropologie

Shoes, Dr. Scholls

Necklace, Handmade by my sister-in-law

Earrings, Kohls

Bracelet, Pandora

I was feeling rather uninspired with my outfit today. It's rainy and yucky outside so I didn't want to wear anything too nice that would get ruined. I also have a home visit later and as a general rule of thumb, I like to wear things on home visits that can be easily washed or are already just about ready to hit the dry cleaning pile because who knows what kind of conditions I'm heading into. I did impress myself, however, by deciding to wear the patterned belt with the patterned blouse as opposed to a plain brown belt.

Last night I had another odd dream: I was on a home visit with the social worker in our office. It was 7am and we were driving around. Right as we arrived at the client's home, I looked in the mirror and realized that two of my teeth had fallen out! I was so convinced it was real! I hate dreams like that - I have them all the time actually: that my teeth are falling out. Once when I was little, I dreamed that my tongue fell out! Eeek! Needless to say, I was very happy to wake up and see that my teeth were still security fastened to my gums!

I'm hoping to hop on the treadmill this afternoon. I've got to start off Week 4 on a positive note after the disaster that was Week 3 (although I appreciate everyone's comments about taking a few days off and needing the rest. You're absolutely right, but I still always feel a little lazy when I don't finish a scheduled workout!) Hopefully I'll be back on track this week!

Happy Monday!

 

Week 3: Keep On Running

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later: a week where I didn't get my act together and complete all my scheduled workouts. This week between doctor's appointments, my office picnic (which lasted hours longer than anticipated), continued hot temperatures and a fair amount of laziness, I skipped my long run which was supposed to be 8 miles. I also only managed to do one afternoon of yoga.

Let's see what I did do:

Monday:       2 miles
Tuesday:       Yoga
Wednesday:  3 miles
Saturday:      5 miles

It looks rather pitiful listed out like that, doesn't it. Bah! I'm entitled to a bad week every once in a while but I'm still not happy about it.

And now as punishment, we don't get to listen to RT's cover of Keep on Running, we have to listen to his unreleased solo song Two Sharp Pencils, which features RT's voice being electronically lowered and is about as dreadful as my training was this week.


Sorry to do that to you, folks. I'll try to get my act together next week!

Queen Song of the Week: Bring Back that Leroy Brown

We made it! Today is the last song in the set list of Queen's 1975 Hammersmith Odeon Christmas Eve concert! As I stated previously, a lot of these songs are much less well known and as such less has been written about them. However, my two favorite Queen websites Bechstein Debauchery and Queenpedia both rose to the challenge and include information about even the most rare Queen songs. Great work!

Bring Back that Leroy Brown was written by Freddie Mercury and appeared on the band's 1974 album Sheer Heart Attack.


If the style of Bring Back that Leroy Brown sounds familiar, it's because the song is part of Freddie's exploration of vaudeville-esque music. Other songs in a similar genre include Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon, Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy (discussed here), and Seaside Rendevous.

Bring Back that Leroy Brown also includes a ukelele solo which was Dr. May's idea! Although the song itself is rather short (2:13), it features strong performances by all four members though RT has suggested that perhaps some studio effects were used to speed up the song and get the desired sound.

Happy Listening!

Perfect Blue Buildings: What I Wore

Ever feel like you are living in a movie?

Sometimes that can be a good thing. Sometimes, not so much. Unfortunately, right now for me, it's the latter.

It's a good movie though: in fact, one of my favorites. The Money Pit, starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long. I love this movie so much that I desperately wanted to include music from it at our wedding. At the very end of the movie, an orchestra plays the opening of Beethoven's Ode to Joy and is soon joined by an electric guitar and rock band. I thought it would be the perfect song to walk out of the meeting hall after the ceremony, but unfortunately couldn't figure out how to edit out all the talking from the movie. ARG! In the end, we hired a string trio to play All You Need Is Love, stolen from another one of my favorite movies, Love Actually, so it all worked out.

Why do I feel like I'm living in The Money Pit?

This is a famous scene from the movie:

Walter Fielding (Hanks) comes home from a day's work to find that a construction crew (hired to do some rewiring and plumbing work) has totally demolished his house.

This photograph was taken from my boss's office yesterday afternoon:

But the similarities don't end there. In the movie, Fielding and his girlfriend Anna (Long) buy a house that turns out to be a "money pit". They get a great deal, but immediately realize something is amiss: the kitchen explodes, the stairs are "out", and taking a bath involves heating water on the stove and carrying it to the bathtub. It turns out that the previous owners have fixed the home up just enough to appear nice, but in reality, there are some major problems that must be repaired.

A new owner has recently bought our building. He's a small little man who wears entirely too much cologne. After he walks down the hall, it reeks for a good twenty minutes in his wake.  He's owned the building for a few months now and so far as we can tell, he's pulling a "money pit" by fixing it up just enough, and intending to flip it. He fired the cleaning crew and seems ill concerned with the fact that two of his biggest tenants (us) are moving out at the end of the summer.

What has he done?

He installed synthetic hardwood floors in the elevators and in the lobbies of each floor...over the carpet. He created a seating area in the entrance to the building complete with a flat screen TV bolted to the wall and permanently on CNBC. He brought in potted plants (fake and real). He hung up mirrors and "hotel" art all around the building.

The changes are nice, but they are totally cosmetic.

Here's a great example: the latest project was the restrooms. His handyman spent two days painting both the restrooms (and not leaving when ladies entered the restroom, forcing us all to walk down two floors several times a day!) When he was finished, we were all shocked. Here are some photos:

A huge hole in the wall wasn't patched and repaired, just painted over. Peeling wallpaper wasn't removed, just painted over. And the ceramic tile baseboard was also just painted over. There are drips of paint everywhere. The few times I walked by, he was not using any sort of drop cloths.

I just hope that our successfully move offices before the elevator short circuits because the nail holding up the cheap hotel art is splitting a crucial wire!

Cami, Ann Taylor Loft

Field of Fancy Blouse, Anthropologie

Skirt, Ann Taylor

Sofft Fiorella Pumps (available here)

Necklace, Honora for QVC

Mathilde Drops, Anthropologie

Bracelet, Pandora

I realized that you can't see the earrings and they aren't available online so when I was in the bathroom taking construction photos, I snapped one of my earrings. These were $9.95 and part of my most recent Anthro order. My shopping motto is: If it's on sale for less than $20 and it doesn't catch on fire when it touches my skin, I get to keep it. These earrings made the cut. And my ear isn't really deformed like that - I'm not sure why I tucked my ear back when I tucked my hair back for the photo. Very weird.

Tomorrow we have a group picnic. There are seven offices like ours in my agency and we try to get together a few times a year. Usually that ends up being once a year because of everyone's schedules. It's going to be hot and since we're outside, I get to dress super casual. I'm very excited about one extra non-dressy day this week and seeing everyone should be fun too!

Happy Thursday!