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Saturday, January 07, 2023

Might As Well Be Comfortable

I wish all of my clothes were made out of blankets, that way if I fell asleep with my clothes on; Fuckin' A, I'm tucked in-Mitch Hedberg

Not a blanket, but a satin bed sheet perhaps? I have been spending quite a lot of time in bed, all for naught as I'm too restless to sleep, but too exhausted to get up and do anything worthwhile. That's understandable though, and I'm trying to remind myself that my body's been through a lot and just needs time. Feels a bit like I'm losing my mind as well, but I'll chalk that up to covid, stress, and lack of sleep. If I wasn't prone to anxiety before, I'm likely not now. I could however, do without the racing heartbeat out of nowhere that feels like a panic attack, but goes as quickly as it arrives. Oh well, I managed to stay out of the hospital with covid, and I'm not dead, so I guess there's nothing to do but just get on with it, albeit at a much slower pace than I'm accustomed to.

I've owned this 80s dress for years, but somehow never wear it as the satin is heavy and not suited to the warmer seasons, yet the short sleeves won't do in our Nebraska winters. Finally, something made me think to throw a bodysuit beneath it, and here we are. Wearing it with black feels very 80s, though I'm not certain it would be my first choice were I working with a cooperative climate. It would look lovely on a cool but sunny spring day with strappy heels and bare legs. Sadly, we get perhaps two days a year that fit that description. 

There was never any question which coat would be worn with it. 

Everything but the boots are thrifted, though I've long since forgotten where. Hardly matters, unless you're planning a shopping trip to Nebraska, which I trust, you probably aren't.

Another Pterrible Dinousaur has joined my collection in the form of this travel drink holder (a tumbler from Tumblr, ha ha, ain't I clever?!) Dan bought me for Christmas.

I already own the ceramic mug for use at home, but now I can take my, "Wakeful beverage" with me if I ever leave the house again. 

Dan is back to school for his last semester of high school. Next week he has an online Zoom call with the university in Brussels, so we'll wait and see how that goes. He's already been accepted into the three universities he applied to stateside, with full scholarships to two. He's still waiting for word about money from the third. On a whim, he applied to what I'd describe as a "Prestige" university in St. Louis, Missouri. Remember when he was suspended from school for protesting the unfair treatment of his friend that was being bullied? He more or less worked that into his application essay on the subject of a time he, "Faced consequences for doing what was right." I told him he should send the principal a thank you card for getting him into collegešŸ˜Š. It is a Jesuit university, so they're invested in the whole social justice/liberation theology thing. 

Turning 18 meant Dan needed to register for Selective Service (aka "The Draft"). I'm taking him next week to register to vote as well because now he has a personal interest in voting. He would have anyway, but I'm going to take him and we'll make a day of it. A couple of adulthood milestones. Still not old enough to drink or buy lottery tickets, but old enough to be drafted into the army. Something's really messed up with that.

I've finally been clear of covid long enough that we can eat dinner as a family again. After three weeks of dining in his room, Dan was happy enough returning to the table. I can't say I've been cooking anything terribly exciting, but the act of sitting at a table in a well lit room does enhance the activity if not the food. I still can't smell or taste anything, but I have enough experience from years of cooking to proceed without my senses. I will say, not being able to smell means relying on my eyes much more. Hopefully, that's coming back soon. It is such a strange experience to suddenly encounter the world without smell. I'd joke about it being a blessing in disguise, but it really isn't. I even tried sticking my nose into the strongest perfume I own-some vintage Youth Dew from the 70s. Nothing. My sense of taste is destroyed as well with everything tasting bitter, but not in a nice way like broccoli rabe/rapini.

It looked good, and as the saying goes we, "Eat with our eyes." That's curried yellow split peas with roasted butternut squash. A little dense on carbohydrates, but the diabetic didn't have rice with it, so still within permitted limits. 


 We had an unseasonably cold December, but now as the temperatures have moderated somewhat, I'm dressing for early autumn again. Ignore my growing out hair. I'm in dire need of a haircut.


The skirt is vintage by Jackfin, and the jacket is part of my Amana Woolen Mills suit.

The suit dates to the 80s. These days the mill focuses on making blankets. I have a few other pieces from Amana, but they're sweaters. Finding this suit was such a lucky thing.



The carved carnelian ring features a bird, but the photo is bad. I'll try to get a better one as it is a lovely piece.
Skirt label
Bag and shoes are more wine coloured in person
Suede lined bag. Still in nice condition, and I rarely use it.
A bit better photo of that ring. I suspect this will be one of those pieces that defy being photographed. We all have those.



I was unsure how pea green and wine would look together, but it turned out to be a pleasing combination. The skirt has a Made in Korea tag which makes me think 80s, possibly 90s. We haven't imported much clothing from Korea since. The skirt is made of a nice, soft wool and is fully lined.

Still experimenting with bras. This one is unstructured and feels like more of a sports bra. I'm not convinced it was the best choice for this sweater so I'll try something else next time.

Can we talk about these shoes though?

Vintage shoes are always a gamble as they can fall apart with the first wear.
But I was willing to take a chance as they were inexpensive, and had a fantastic label.

Florsheims were quality shoes. Hopefully, they'll hold up. I needed purple shoes in my life. 

Finally, a 70s does 30s nylon maxi dress having a first wear.


 First wear for the novelty earrings as well.




And that's about it from here. Take care, see you soon.



12 comments:

  1. great news from you - having dinner with your family again!
    the smell and taste will come back.....
    but your taste in clothes never was lost! gorgeous outfits - the 80s pale pink satin dress is my favorite this time. i would wear it with black too - love that look! and the zebra coat and beret made it even better!
    we had oven roasted butternut pumpkin the last 2 days - with sweet potatoes. something really good we imported from america ;-D
    xxxxx

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  2. Pink satin under a black body suit, topped with a zebra coat, beret and boots? Chicago Art Institute, here she comes! The elegant woolen suit with wine accessories would serve you well when exploring the Taft Museum in Cincinnati (vas you ever in Cincinnati?). The docents there would be delighted to discuss your carved carnelian*, cameo and lotus ring.

    I remember having both the racing heart and foggy brain experiences immediately after transferring from the ICU to the PCU. Fortunately for me, the staff didn't minimize my discomfort. Since I wasn't up for reading or watching TV, they invited my family to provide music both to soothe (Satie) and stimulate/organize (Bach). * A friend with anxiety has a pet YouTube mood music channel -- up to 4 hours of "haunted library in thunderstorm". Works for her!

    *Please tell us more about this carved semi-precious stone.

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  3. Glad to hear you can all sit round the table together again! Hope the sense of taste and smell return soon.

    Yay for Dan and his undergraduate opportunities. My grandson, Isaiah, has applied to 5 unis; 2 in London, 1 in Bristol, I in Birmingham and 1 in Lincoln. He has been given an unconditional offer from Lincoln and is waiting to hear from the other 4. Good luck to Dan in his future studies.

    The bird in the ring is superb and I loved your 70s maxi and those oh so elegant vintage shoes. Your hair looks fab!
    xxx

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  4. It's great to hear you're finally free of Covid. Keeping my fingers crossed that your smell and taste will come back soon. I was without smell and taste for a couple of days last year and it was awful. As for those short panic attacks with racing heartbeat, that's something I'm often experiencing in periods of stress.
    I'm loving the pea green and wine combo, something I should definitely keep in mind. Those shoes are fantastic, by the way. xxx P.S. Keeping my fingers crossed for Dan's Zoom call with Brussels!

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  5. Emily6:21 PM

    Congratulations to Dan! The world is his oyster.

    Red and green are two of my favorite colors, so anything pea green and wine would look good together in my book, and without looking too much like Christmas. I also loved those Florsheim heels and that 1930s-style maxi dress.

    I have no doubt your cooking is as good as ever, despite losing your sense of smell and taste. Don't worry, they'll come back soon.

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  6. Yay! Delighted to see you up and dressed again! Your meal looked delicious and I'm certain your sense of taste will come back eventually, it must be miserable.
    Excellent news on Dan, so many options!Good luck with the Zoom call, young man! xxx

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  7. Miss ETB,
    You may feel rotten, but your looks are fab (and those purple shoes, squee! Any idea on the era?) Respect and congratulations on keeping on for your family, launching your son, and sharing with us even as you're enduring health challenges. This isn't my place, and perhaps is redundant to how your doctors are working with you, but your symptoms as shared bring thyroid - specifically hyperthyroid - to mind. If this hasn't been suggested or tested for, it could be worthwhile. All the best to you and yours in the New Year.

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  8. Hope you're taking it easy, sometimes all you need is time to let your body recover (topic but true). Glad to hear that you're not prone to anxiety, as it makes things worse.
    That satin dress is amazing and love it with black underneath (very 80's, you're right!) and the cool coat!. I think all we have clothes that only can be worn on a perfect spring day, (which rarely happens) ;D
    Glad that Dan is back to school and ready to vote as an adult! (and also glad that something good came from being suspended, sometimes karma happens). It's amazing that you can vote but not drink: here everything goes in the same pack when you turn 18 (including driving).
    Sorry that you still haven't recovered your sense of taste and smell, so annoying!.
    Love your wool jacket and skirt and the fab accessorizing, the brooch and ring are so beautiful!. But my favourite one is that nylon dress (polka dots!!) and the cute earrings!
    besos

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  9. So happy to see you up and about again. Fingers crossed the sense of taste and smell return soon and also for Dan's scholarship. xx

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  10. @Beate
    Pumpkin is one of the better USA imports.They last so long too, if they've been properly stored. I still have one from October.

    @Beth
    That must have been awful in hospital. I'm glad they found something that helped. I'm just kind of getting used to it, now that I know what it is.
    I don't know much about the ring except that the seller thinks it dates to around the 20s and is from somewhere in "Asia" which isn't terribly helpful as that covers an awful lot of countries! It is very delicate, so I avoid wearing it in very cold weather. The setting is silver. Carnelian is the red variety of chalcedony (I think?). That's about all I know.

    @Vronni
    That's wonderful news about your grandson! I wouldn't want to be that young again, but it is so exciting to watch kids starting out in adulthood. Do keep us posted with which school he selects.

    @Ann
    The call went well, now we just wait to see if he's accepted. He doesn't really need it in Brussels but he's studying Flemish anyway. I think he's really serious about getting a job after school and staying.
    The racing heartbeat is so strange. I'm sorry you're dealing with it too.

    @Emily
    I finally smelled something! Unfortunately, it was a dead skunk, but eh, it is a start!

    @Vix
    I swear, everything tastes like bitter, sour, death. I hope that doesn't last forever.
    Dan's a good kid and we're so excited for him.

    @Elizabeth
    Thank you. We already checked my thyroid, but I appreciate you offering the suggestion. We more or less know what the problem is (broken immune system, lol)but what to do is rather limited. I'm okay though. Could have done without the covid for sure!

    @Monica
    The kids can start driving here at 16 (14 if they live on a farm) but Dan has waited because he didn't feel ready. My parents forced me to drive before I was ready and I didn't want to make Dan go through that. Americans are really crazy drivers too!

    @Miss Magpie
    Thank you. The schools are doing this game (in the US anyway) where they treat it like buying a car. Inflated price, then the scholarships (discounts) then they do the equivalent of "I have to go check with my boss (Dean of admissions) and then if they think you might go elsewhere, offer you the moon to reconsider. I hate what higher Ed has turned into in the US.

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  11. Swooning over that maxi dress! What a gorgeous piece it is! sorry to hear you had Covid! And very proud of Dan for registering to vote - I love that he turned that negative into a positive for a school application.

    I have two pairs of vintage shoes, and they are hellishly uncomfortable, but I keep 'em anyway. Gads, just looking at your awesome clothes - I just want to dig into your closet for a few hours!

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  12. That 70s dows 30s dress is lovely - really slinky. I'm sorry to hear covid affected you so badly. It's a horrible ilness. I hope your smell and taste are returning now.

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