Crabby old ladies post

"This is so wrong in so many ways:
1. Geek Chic glasses make you look youthful, playful and current.
2. Big necklaces make you look old. Period. Ever seen a youngster in a big chunky necklace?
3. Earth tones? Nothing says 1970 like earth tones. Bright colors look good but they have to be the right bright colors for your skin tone.
4. Long skirts are in style and comfy so shut up. Mid-calf does look frumpy because it's simply out of style right now.
5. Hide your neck with a turtleneck? Go right ahead. Just don't wear a big necklace to hide your neck. We can SEE it, OK?
6. Everyone looks bad in a poorly fitted jacket, and in clingy jersey knit. Doesn't make you look old, just poorly dressed and we should know better by now.
7. Shapewear for every day? Your clothes should fit, your undies shouldn't be too tight, and therefore you shouldn't need everyday shapewear. Get serious!!
8. If you want to tie a pretty scarf around your neck go right ahead; it looks funky and retro-cute. Anything that says funky and retro-cute, in small doses, has the opposite effect from "aging" you. Scarf on your purse is weird. I only do that when I'm carrying one and it can't be avoided. Do avoid taking style tips from the French. because this is the US and you will look silly pretending to be French. If you're not French.
Nothing is more "aging" to a woman that trying too hard to look like you are avoiding looking "aged". My best advice is to filter current styles through your lens of experience, and apply decorum. Wear good clothes (including underwear) that fit well and don't create tucks and rolls.
You are a elder member of society and deserve respect. Shake that respectable thang!"

I got all riled up about that Yahoo post on what to wear to not "age" youself. That kind of crap gets me all excited. There is a lot of really bad advice to older ladies out there and not much that makes sense. The very best way to not "age" youself is to be connected to current events, to be happy and lively, and to have a positive attitude. You could be wearing a flower print sweatshirt and mom-jeans and not be "aged" with a sunny disposition and a happy outlook.

meanwhile, Here I am in black with big necklaces. Ha! LOL! OK my necklaces are not that big. But I am wearing geek-chic glasses!

Oh for christ's sake

http://shine.yahoo.com/photos/fashion-mistakes-look-older-slideshow/#crsl=%252Fphotos%252Ffashion-mistakes-look-older-slideshow%252F-photo-2651252-201600315.html

meanwhile, spot my "mistakes" in the photos from this blog.

Also, today's photo is courtesy of spousy. I thought that change might be good.

Royal baby day

Hello,
It may be silly but I am delighted by the arrival of William and Catherine's baby boy. I was touched when William was born, his mama holding him in front of the hospital in white knee socks. She looked so, um, vulnerable? Small and young and sweet. Maybe not in real life but that is how it looked to me. So now that baby has his own baby. The circle of life. It's not trivial really. I'm delighted at the presence of any new baby.
Then they grow up and nobody cares.
And this is what I had on:

A new baby is a tacit reminder of death. Its a shame that we get such a short and shabby ride across the universe. A little flash of light and that's it. All in service to make a baby. That we will love for a while. Then it will grow up. And we, then they, then their kids will be forgotten. What for?

OK I'm done now. I must need coffee, or a glucose dripline, or something.

Fly away! How I wish

Here is what I had on when I left the house on 18 July 2013. This sweater has what is called a fly-away back. There are two panels that overlap but are not connected that serve as the back of the sweater. I like the idea but in practice it looks baggy and shapeless from the front.
I like the idea of flying away though. Wish I could scoop up my little family and plop them down somewhere under some tall trees with the sun streaming through, where we could live without a care in the world. Satisfied and comfortable and peaceful.
But no. So I wear my shapeless fly-away sweater and dream my little daydreams, clutching my red stapler, as my desk is moved once again.

May I bitch? Thank you.

So. This morning I got up an got dressed and had the great idea of riding my Vespa to work as I had no meetings scheduled for this morning. Its a beautiful morning and I hop on the damned thing and start tootling down El Camino Real happy as a retarded little clam. At the intersection of El Camino and Ravenswood in Menlo Park, the Vespa stalls out and will not restart. So I push it to the side of the road and call CSAA. After describing where I was ("the west side or the east side of Ravenswood?" "How the fuck do I know? Do I look like a Boy Scout to you?") the operator tells me this is one of four free tows I get per year (used to be unlimited. Remember?) and says a tow truck will be there within the next 90 minutes. 90 minutes? I'm WALKIN' here! So I go to Cafe Borrone (less than one block away) and am distracted by my phone telling my spousy what is up and dealing with CSAA by text and do not realize that the guy behind the counter is ready to serve me. "Real world calling, here" he snarks at me. I drop all my stuff (purse, lunch bag, helmet and snarl at him "you might want to tone it down a bit" but of course he doesn't. I get my shitty pisswater coffee and leave. As I walk out, I see a tow truck drive by. Me. Waving frantically. I call CSAA again but it turns out that wasn't my guy. Sit sit sit. Wait wait wait. Another flatbed tow truck goes by. Me waving frantically. CSAA calls and says they are getting a special tow truck for me (a flatbed one) and it will be about 90 minutes. You mean like that one that just drove by? I know I know he was on another call but I'm standing there and can't help but think these things. At this point I get excited at the hapless CSAA guy. Finally, after 2.5 hours of waiting Thomas the sweet young Hungarian guy shows up in his truck. He turns the key and the Vespa starts right up. Mortification. I say: I don't want to drive it in case it does it again. He is nice about it and loads up my Vespa onto his flatbed tow truck. He drives me and my godforsaken device to San Jose, where the mechanics at BMW/Vespa San Jose are really nice about everything. During my time walking the sidewalk in Menlo Park I surfed the internet and found info that the fuel pumps on some Vespas had been recalled. The guy at San Jose looked my scooter up and there it was: the fuel pump on my scooter had been recalled. Replace for free! Then he commented on how infrequently I drive it (noted the mileage). Yeah yeah. Because it breaks down, maybe? Anyway I hopped on the bus and took a 1.5 hour ride home. By this time I bagged going to work. Because I didn't get home until about 3 pm. After breaking down at 9:15 am.

This is what I had on when these events transpired.
And here is a picture of my hapless scooter being hauled onto the back of Thomas's tow truck.

And now for the bitching: I do love knit silk shirts. However, I wear my clothes during my life and sometimes it so happens that I sweat a little bit while wearing clothes. Sometimes this happens when I have a knit silk shirt on. Yes I use anti-perspirants. Sweat on a knit silk shirt ruins it. I have tried washing these shirts in Woolite to no avail. I have tried dry cleaning which results in pressing the sweat stain in with a hot iron.  I have tried regular detergents. I have tried careful vinegar rinses and all kinds of stuff I got off the internet. What are you supposed to do? Throw them out? They cost money! I hate it! I have ruined two shirts with sweat stains. The red silk shirt and now the brown silk one. With the red silk one I tried everything including scrubbing the stain with every soap I could lay my hands on. Much unhappiness. I think I'll stick to cotton T shirts from Target from now on.

9 July 2013: The Eileen Fisher suit

Stretchy suit I got on ebay a million years ago. Wears like iron. Have on a brown Eileen Fisher knit silk T-shirt as well, and a brown dotted silk scarf from Express back when I could shop there in the early 1990's. Look at my feet. That's why I have such problem with shoes. I can walk on snow and not fall through with those wide toes. Anyway. Life goes on. Beautiful sunny days here in NorCal.

8 July 2013

And here is what I wore to work.

 

Don't you love the shoes? Let me tell you about my trouble with shoes. I buy shoes that are comfortable in the store but give me blisters, bruises and that irritate the neuroma in my foot immediately after handing the clerk my credit card. I have so many pairs of cruel shoes. I always end up in these Dansko clogs whether they look good or not. So if you go Goodwill hunting in my neighborhood, you will find lots of pairs of size 8.5, barely worn shoes. Hope you enjoy them!

Not feeling this anymore

June done. Onto July. So bored of my ugly, out of style clothing.

Spent the afternoon at Nordstrom Rack not buying clothes on sale. Depressing. Maybe I should start a little "Christmas Club" for myself: putting away some dollars in a special account to blow on some really nice things in January of 2014. The more I can sock away the nicer things I can gte. Hmm. Motivation.