A New Year Wedding Celebration

One of the first important things I did this new year was attend the joyful occasion of my dear friend Joanne's wedding celebration. She and Jose are such an inspirational couple. I love how simultaneously fun and nerdy and cool they are together. Being a part of the celebration felt like falling in love again!

They asked their guests to come in fancy vintage wear, from the decade of our choice. The happy couple looked amazing in their finery ... including Fluevogs, of course. :-) My little family and I did the 1940s, also with Fluevogs (no pic of my husband, alas, but he wore his fanciest Fluevogs, the black Wisdoms).

First dance

My little guy and I hanging out. Yes, those are flamingos on my dress! He's wearing a WWII London evacuee costume (I know, so awkward, but I had to get him period clothes at the last minute). The googly eyes didn't come with the costume; those were from Shirl. :)

The Fluevog ladies after dancing. The bride replaced her Vogs with the most adorable bunny slippers.
My outfit details: Dress: Tatyana via ModCloth | Cardi: LOFT | Shoes: Fluevog Liz

I must add, the music that evening was fantastic. Their DJ did an '80s mix with a few songs from other decades thrown in, and it was consistently good. I was on my feet sweating off the food and wine almost the whole time!

Congratulations to the happy couple. Here's to many more years of joy to come!

xo, Gladys

Happy Snapshots: Summer 2015

I went to Western Europe for the first time this past summer. I went with one of my sisters to London (with brief visits to Bath and Cardiff, Wales), Edinburgh, and Paris. It was a very quick but lovely trip. Here are some photos!

Requisite tourist-y photo with the London Eye in the background (on the Jubilee Bridge)

My younger sister and I got lost while trying to walk to London's West End, and we managed to run into the little cul-de-sac where part of the Philippine Embassy was. Of course we had to take a dorky pic.

I met my friend B at the Tate Modern Museum and afterward we walked across the Millennium Bridge toward St. Paul's Cathedral.

A "street" performance in front of the British National Museum (not an actual street there)

Are you surprised that we made it to Cardiff, Wales, to check out the Doctor Who Experience/Museum? Loved seeing a life-size police box in person.

This was the site of so many great Doctor Who episodes (the Russell Davies years).

This was taken outside the Roman Baths in Bath. The walls activated my trypophobia a bit, but I made sure not to look too closely!

Lovely Fluevogs (Arabella) by the bath

Tea time at the famous Pump Room

More tea, this time in Edinburgh, Scotland

Walking up the Granny Steps towards the Edinburgh Castle

Taking selfies in front Notre Dame just to show we were there. There was no way we were going to wait in those huge lines to get inside. I know. We made really bad tourists.

Posing at one of the many bridges in central Paris. Check out the locks.

Sorry this was basically just a photo dump. I don't have much time to write a longer reflection on the trip, though, to be honest, I probably need to take the time to reflect on it more. I came back from the trip and had to start teaching less than a week later. I was pretty jet-lagged for the first few weeks of the fall semester and I'm not sure that I've quite recovered yet! But it was great to be there. I even saved my sister from getting pick-pocketed/mugged. I want to return with my husband next time.

xo, Gladys

More Fluevogs at Work

Happy April! I didn't get around to posting another time in March. Teaching is still kicking my butt, but I'm getting the hang of it. Some days are better than others. In the past few weeks, I've had the added stress of being observed (by the department chair, no less). The observation for the first class went really well, but I had a second one today, and let's just say it wasn't as stellar. I get massive stage fright sometimes, to the point where my brain completely blanks. And I don't know when it will strike. UGH, the things I was babbling -- well, now I wish I could shut off my brain....

Despite the stress and lack of sleep, I still manage to get dressed relatively decently and not be late for my 8am classes. Here are more teaching outfits featuring Fluevogs. I particularly love the Grace ankle boots -- they're so comfy! I wear them with skirts, dresses, and jeans because I like to put them on as much as I can. I went up a full size in them just so I could wear thick socks for maximum comfort. The Arabellas are also fantastic.

Top: Effie's Heart | Cardi: ModCloth | Jeans: Calvin Klein | Cat socks: Kohl's? Target? | Shoes: Fluevog Arabella (Integrity family)

Top: ModCloth | Jeans: a.n.a. (JC Penney) | Shoes: Fluevog Grace (also on sweet sale at Amazon)

Dress: eShakti | Leggings: Sockdreams | Shoes: Fluevog Grace (Enneagram family)

Top and skirt: Effie's Heart | Shoes: Fluevog Baskerville (GetUp family)

Top: Kohl's | Cardi: Banana Republic | Skirt: Effie's Heart | Shoes: Fluevog Grace (Enneagram family)

I'm sooooo looking forward to spring break next week. I'm not going to Cancun; I'm going to sleep! I might also get a haircut. :-)

xo, Gladys

P.S. Now that it's April, I'm dreaming of summertime. I need to get new bathing suits! I haven't gotten a new suit in a few years. I looked at ModCloth's selection -- they have a lot in my size -- but they don't look like they'd fit me well. I'm getting old, ha! I think I might try Land's End this year. The idea of tummy control is so soothing to me.

Fluevog Outfits Working It

Work is kicking my butt! I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I'd start teaching at the local community college in February. Well, it's been four weeks since my start date, and here's what I've figured out so far:

• Class prep for three completely-new classes is ROUGH.
• Navigating a new campus, especially at a college level that's different than where I went as an undergrad and grad myself, is also rough.
• Nevertheless, I still enjoy meeting the students and learning about their lives.
• This is my first time teaching lower-division courses, and I have to recognize and accept that not everyone is going to do well, no matter what I do.
• The students who are doing well, however, make me really happy.

One personal perk of doing this job is that I get to dress up a little. I gave away a significant chunk of my closet in January and February -- in part because I gained weight last year and couldn't fit a lot of my clothes anymore -- and then I bought other clothes that fit me better and were more appropriate for work. So far, I've been loving Effie's Heart clothing; their jersey stretch fabrics are forgiving and flattering but also come in some wonderful patterns. I have a few items from eShakti but the fit and fabric have been iffy, and while some are gorgeous, they're not especially appropriate for work (or at least I'm not comfortable yet with wearing the fit-and-flare/pinup style dresses and tops that I bought, even with a sensible cardigan). They've got some really nice items this season, however, so I might give them another try.

And of course, I've been wearing my Fluevogs to work! (Yay, they're finally getting more circulation outside my closet!) Here are some photos from the past month:

FIRST DAY OF SCOOL: Dress with fabric belt: Effie's Heart | Cardigan: Banana Republic | Shoes: Fluevog Qtee (Mini family)

Top: ModCloth | Belt: consignment store | Skirt: Effie's Heart | Shoes: Fluevog Barkerville (GetUp family)

Cardigan: Banana Republic | Tee (not shown): Doctor Who shirt via TeeFury :-) | Bracelet: handmade from this fabulous Etsy shop | Skirt: Effie's Heart | Shoes: Fluevog Barkerville (GetUp family)

ON A REALLY COLD DAY: Top and cardigan: ModCloth | Jeans: JC Penney | Boots: Fluevog Stella (LoFs family)

Skirt: Effie's Heart | Tights: Foot Traffic | Shoes: Fluevog Masarek (Mini family)

Dress: Effie's Heart | Tights: via Sock Dreams | Boots: Fluevog PRI (Radio family)

I've worn more outfits than these, of course, but these were the ones that worked. The others are not shown for a reason! It's been a learning experience for me in more ways than one. :-)

Wish me luck on the rest of the semester, although I hope I'll be able to post again before June!

xo, Gladys

Fluevog Visit

Yesterday I visited the Fluevog store in L.A. with dear friends Joanne, Mae, and Cheryl to try on the new Spring line ... and the new styles did not disappoint! It's especially fun this year. And there's a new shoe style called Gladice (the French version of my name) that I think is awesome, cute and striking with a kitten heel! I'll post a pic of the shoes here sometime. Here's a pic of me trying on a different but also cute pair of shoes:

Dress: Effie's Heart | Cardi: Banana Republic | Belt: unknown | Shoes: Fluevog Sam (KKBB family)

Btw, there are still some amazing shoes from last season on sale. (I visited with Mae in early January.) It's totally worth checking them out at the same time as the new line. Get 'em before they're gone!

xo, Gladys

Holidaze 2014

Hello there. :-) Happy holiday season. I wanted to make sure I posted one more time in 2014. Here's my Xmas day outfit, a couple of new favorite items in my closet.

Dress: Effie's Heart | Shoes: Fluevog Liz via Raspberry Heels

The fabric of this lovely Effie's Heart dress is stretch knit and drapes wonderfully. I love how well-made it is. Plus pockets!

I love these shoes. They're a limited-edition colorway that was only available at a store in Poland called Raspberry Heels.

I know it's been a loooooong time since I last wrote something here. It's been a busy fall since I finished up school. Besides volunteering at my son's school and weekly yoga, I attempted NaNoWriMo in November and I interviewed to do adjunct teaching at the local community college -- I start in February! I'll be teaching three comp courses and am putting together the syllabi now.

My siblings and siblings-in-law had an "ugly sweater" theme. Can't really see mine, but it's a Doctor Who sweater from TeeFury.

The holidays have been more relaxed for us this year, which has been nice. Because frankly, I'm exhausted. I'm proud of all that I've accomplished this year, but it's been difficult in many ways, as anyone who's read or seen the news since the summer knows. I'm wishing you all a more peaceful, sane, just, compassionate, and happy new year.

xo, Gladys

The Doctor Is in...

How silly is that title. But yay, I am done!!! I found out a couple of days ago that my dissertation was officially accepted by the university. I'm all but diploma at this point. I came back from my trip this past Tuesday, and since then I've been trying to catch up both on what I missed at home and on sleep. Still in a bit of a fog, to be honest (partly because I can't shake off the sleeping habits I acquired this summer, combined with having to wake up early to take my son to school), but I am definitely more relaxed than I was the past few months.

Getting the rest of the committee signatures last Monday was a nice experience. I had a lovely chat with two committee members. The last one was my other co-chair, and while waiting at the cafe for her I saw this:

Looks like the TARDIS has been moonlighting as a door somewhere, doesn't it? Haha. I thought it was pretty cool, seeing something like that while on a journey specifically seeking to become a doctor myself. ;-)

Co-Chair and I spent quite a bit of time talking about how to turn the dissertation into a book. I was just following her lead ... that's the way she works, constantly thinking about the next step. It was flattering, I'll admit. She's not the easiest person to impress, and she was quite happy for me and called the project original. It was probably the best face-to-face meeting we'd ever had. I'm still not interested in getting a job as a professor and having to move away, but I'm considering applying for postdocs in the L.A. area. We'll see. Competition is incredibly fierce all around nowadays.

After that meeting, I had a fantastic dinner with Joanne and Dorothy -- both of whom are members of the MotleyFlue -- and we took these:

Of course we had to take the requisite Fluevog shot, courtesy of Dorothy. I wore my new burgundy/black/pink Sandras and Joanne wore her blue Guides (which I also have). Our pose in the second photo is due to a private joke, but it actually turned out to be a good photo of us, which is hilarious since we were totally hamming it up! Anyway, I had such a fun time with these kickass women. (I have to say, I'm so blessed to be surrounded by amazing women in my life, from my friends to my all-women dissertation committee to my mom and sisters. I have some great men and boys in my life, too, but I definitely have close relationships with more women than men.)

Also, the food in the Bay Area is reliably excellent. That's one thing I miss about living there. If you ever get a chance, try Isla in San Bruno (yummy Filipino food) and Paisan in Berkeley (American). And the quality of the Thai food in San Francisco, even the small hole-in-the-wall places, is outstanding.

Anyway, I don't have anything big lined up for the fall, but I'll probably look into applying for postdocs. I also want to work on NaNoWriMo in November. I can't wait to go back to a very different genre of writing! Cheers!

xo, Gladys

It's Happening

Having a blast with my funny boy during a hike at Yellowstone National Park in June

I drove half the day to my university yesterday. I'm here on a mission: to get my committee's approval signatures for the dissertation and submit all paperwork to the graduate office. So far, two signatures down, two to go! I had a lovely long chat with one co-chair over coffee yesterday. Though I don't expect to go into academia, she suggested that I think about turning it into a book manuscript and publishing it at an academic press somewhere, and then offered some leads. (My reaction: Wow! Really?) Anyway, hopefully everything will be done by Tuesday. Cross your fingers that it all works out. It's still sinking in that I'm almost done. I'm really going to be a "Doctor" soon. Whoa....

Random but here are bonus photos of my outfit for a 1950s theme birthday party from all the way back in May. Man, I have been neglecting this blog.

Dress: Emily and Fin via ModCloth | Socks: Gold Toe (for girls) | Shoes: Fluevog Danielson

The shoes are Fluevog of course (I showed them off on the blog last year), and the dress is from ModCloth. Of course. When I find a winning combo, I tend to repeat it over and over. :-)

xo, Gladys

Birthday Fun at the Huntington

So, I'm still struggling to finish the same dissertation chapter I talked about last time. But I'm getting so grumpy from lack of sleep that I thought I'd take a break to post here and fondly remember some recent events. My dear friend M and I had a ladies day out last weekend to celebrate my birthday. We went to the gorgeous Huntington Library and Gardens and of course we dressed up. It turned out to be perfect weather, and really the whole day and evening were fantastic. What a gift.

Dress and sash: Tulle via Modcloth | Cardi: Banana Republic | Leggings: ? | Shoes: Fluevog Erika (different colorways available)
M is also wearing a Modcloth/Fluevog combo. Her boots (compliment-magnets, I tell you) are still available (Bartoli in red).

My dress without cardi or sash

With cardi but no sash

Trying for fierce expressions

Closeup of my new glasses. This is my usual expression when I look at people/cameras.

We enjoyed ourselves at the Huntington, as expected. We loved walking around the place in our pretty dresses and even better-looking and comfy shoes. Our favorite thing was seeing the mind-blowing Archimedes manuscript exhibit. Archivists and restorers are hardcore. Seriously.

Of course we had to eat somewhere special, so we went to the famous soup dumpling restaurant, Din Tai Fung, in Arcadia, just a few miles away from the Huntington. If you've never been and you love delicious fresh Chinese food and you live in SoCal or are visiting, I highly recommend it.

Then of course we got dessert, despite being already stuffed. These were from J.J.'s in the same plaza as the restaurant.

Then, what do you know, in the same plaza we found a cute little clothing store. Their markups were unfortunately too much. We tried on a couple of things anyway, including these adorable rompers that caught our eye from the window. They're certainly well-made and of good fabric, but much too expensive (at least for us -- does $140 for a romper sound reasonable to you?).

Special thanks to dear M for making my birthday special this year! Oh, and thanks also for drawing this for me:

Can you guess who it is? Ah, she knows me so well. Hee hee! #Cumberfangirl

xo, Gladys