Currently Wishful Thinking About: My Next Bag

Yeah, I know. I’ve bought two expensive bags in as many months, so I really should just cool it. But old habits die hard. I’ve got a running tally of possible candidates, and I’m casually (ahem) checking eBay to see what deals might pop up. On the list? The Givenchy Nightingale, YSL Besace, and some vintage Mulberry bags (like the Shaftesbury, and the seemingly unicorn-ish Audrina).

Currently Loving: Pop Corners Chips

These things are bloody addictive. I got hooked when Costco was selling them by the ginormous bag-full, which, of course, lasted a hot minute (the bag, and Costco’s supply). I now have no choice but to pay a ridiculous amount of money for a small bag at the deli – and even the deli has sold out of my favourite flavour (Kettle, fwiw). Whoever is creating this artificial scarcity situation: I hate you. Sincerely, me.

Currently Hunting: Work Appropriate Skirts

Boring, but actually necessary. Many of my old faves no longer fit, and I’m starting to feel like my wardrobe is suffering for it. Ideally, I would love to find one or two skirts in fun prints (florals probably, because I’m nothing if not predictable), since my work blazers and cardigans are usually solids and I like to balance things out. None of the current offerings at J. Crew or Banana Republic (the two most easily accessible stores for me, in terms of work appropriate clothes) are really appealing to me at the moment, so I may have to default to eBay or the consignment stores on this one.

Currently Reading: Tamara de Lempicka: A Life of Deco and Decadence

Tamara de Lempicka is one of my favourite painters, which would not necessarily recommend her biography to me … except that she also happened to be a bigger-than-life narcissist, who lived an interesting life not short on scandal and juicy gossip – the perfect recipe for an entertaining biographical read. In many ways, de Lempicka was a prototypical career woman, who refused to allow herself to be defined by her status as wife and mother (in an age when this was pretty much the status quo). The book recognizes her achievements, while also acknowledging the negative impact of her relentless desire for independence and creative expression on her family and loved ones. It’s well written, and more importantly one of the few de Lempicka biographies currently in print (which is a shame). I’m actually surprised that Hollywood hasn’t coopted this story yet.

Currently Obsessing Over: The Desired Effect

I think Lainey is my twin. For real, though: that face + that voice + 80s pop synths = my hotness trifecta. The Desired Effect is being released on May 19, but I’ve been listening to the 4 tracks available on pre-order (what?) a lot (on repeat), and it struck me that they’re basically (love) songs for grown-ups. Seriously, give Still Love You a listen – or better yet, go watch the video. I’ll wait.

Now tell me that’s a song that, like, Adam Levine would write. As a married lady long past the dating/infatuation stage, Adam Levine’s music does nothing for me, no matter how many reasons he finds to strip down to his skivvies in a music video. Brandon Flowers in a suit, singing Still Love You? Gets me every time.

Currently Wishful Thinking About: My Summer Holiday

It’s not that I’m trying to shirk work; it’s just that I wish it were summer, and I was in Vancouver. Eating a lot of sushi.

Sigh.

Only 3 more months to go. Meanwhile, I’ll be going to Moncton, on a short business trip, in 2 weeks. Recommendations for good places to eat, see and shop are welcome (keeping in mind that I won’t have a car, or much time for touristing).

Currently Loving: Caran d’Ache Watercolour Pastels

True story: I got a box of pastels as a gift from my Swiss relatives, um, way back in the day. (Who’s keeping count of years? Pshaw!) I became a little bit obsessed with them, and especially with drawing hyper-realistic portraits, and whiled away my wild (LOL!) teenage years holed up in my room, doodling. I did eventually discover the meaning of “a social life”, and art went on the back-burner. For the last decade or so, I’ve found my creative outlet in writing, but recently I’ve been feeling the urge to do something else. Something with my hands.

I was looking through my old boxes in the basement the other week, and came across – wouldn’t you know it – my old box of pastels. Nearly 20 years later, it’s in sorry shape, but I’ve been having a lot of fun playing with the leftovers. In fact, I may have ordered a new box for myself from Amazon. (Side note: Swiss made things are priiiiicey, like whoa. Damn my unwittingly expensive tastes!)

Currently Hunting: Boden Floral Skirt

I bought this skirt nearly two years ago, while pregnant, and gave it away (in a swap to Lou) last year after I finally convinced myself that I was never going to get back down to my pre-pregnancy weight. (I was wrong, but that’s a whole other issue. I’m basically no longer purging any wrong-size clothing for the time being, because I’m tired of re-buying clothes I just got rid of.) Anywaaaaay. Lou looks fantastic in this skirt, and I need to have it. Again.

Currently Reading: The Romanov Sisters

If you’re interested in Russian history, or the Romanovs, this is an excellent choice. Be warned that it is a sad read, and not just because of the sisters’ ultimate fate. (The book doesn’t spend a lot of time on their imprisonment at Tobolsk and then St. Ekaterinburg; the same author wrote The Last Days of the Romanovs, which covers that ground in great detail. Also recommended, although the last few chapters are heart-rending.) The Romanov children lived incredibly sheltered lives, always under the Damocles’ sword of the tsarevich’s hemophilia and the czarina’s own health problems, and the almost claustrophobic atmosphere pervades the book. Rappaport does a great job of outlining the different personalities of the grand duchesses, who were by all accounts lovely girls. I dunno, maybe it’s the mom in me, but I had a hard time finishing the book, even though it’s very well written and otherwise an enjoyable read.

On a more lightweight note, I also re-read this and it was fun.

In response, I posted a make-up free selfie on IG, and an interesting discussion about our relationship with make-up happened. Short version: I basically can’t exist without make-up (just an ever so slight exaggeration), but others can and I’m definitely jealous of everyone who’s not a slave to their mascara.

Currently Obsessing Over: That Scene at Winterfell

Needless to say, SPOILERS.

Did my favourite GoT rat bastard, Petyr Baelish, just confirm the R+L=J theory? He sure gave Sansa a funny look when she rattled off Lyanna’s fate. Or was it just his usual scheming stare? Eh, I’m gonna ride the fan fiction train until GRRM definitively shuts it down. I’m also going to enjoy the Petyr-Sansa ship until it sinks, hopefully not at the hands of Ramsay Bolton. I will say this: I am worried about Petyr’s nonchalance regarding House Bolton. Maybe he’s understating his concerns for Sansa’s benefit, but I hope he has some sort of genius back-up plan. Because shizz? Will surely hit the fan very soon.

Sorry, you guys: nothing groundbreaking here. Just a solid casual Friday outfit. When I originally bought this blazer, I swore I wouldn’t wear it to the office, but here we are. It’s just too comfortable to relegate to weekend wear exclusively. I usually stick to the formula of print top + solid colour blazer, but the reverse can work on casual days.

I wore this outfit the Friday after an extra long day on the road (for business, alas), when I was basically running on diet Coke and the fumes of my will to live. To distract people from noticing, I piled on a bunch of pink make-up; pink always looks bright and cheerful, right? Ehhh …

Oh, I almost forgot: I recently decided to take off my gel nails. I know some of you have asked in the past about my manicure, so I thought I’d give you a quick update. I loved the look of my gel nails, but the time commitment involved in getting them re-done every 3-4 weeks was becoming too much for my weekend schedule to handle. So far … I’m not hating my natural nails. Especially when they’re painted. They’re definitely pretty thin/soft at the moment, but I’ve only had 2 break in nearly 2 weeks (normal for my nails before). #blahblahblah

Ok, back to your regularly scheduled programming.