I am one of those people who lives and dies by my daily planner. To Do lists, meetings, tasks, all carefully transcribed into the pages, forming a timeline of my day to day. And although that might sound stressful to some, I love my timeline. I love the organization and the planning. I like setting goals and crossing them off with relish. I love that satisfying day where everything runs like clockwork. I guess it was only a matter of time before I became a veritable clock…
Well, the rumors are true: Kara’s Annual Closet Cleanout has come around the mountain again! Now that we’re starting to see summer in our rear view, I decided it was time to give the ol’ closet a refresh. This meant it was the perfect time to go through my wardrobe and find the beauties that need new homes.
Greetings, dear readers! About once a year, the unthinkable happens. I reach into the depths of my wardrobe and collect pieces that should find their way to new homes. In case you didn’t see my announcement on Instagram, I wanted to let everyone know that my annual closet clearout is happening tomorrow over at @shopdressedappscloset. It’s going to be a mix of true vintage and vintage-inspired garments in a range of sizes, as well as some shoes and bags. Things will start at 11:00am EST Sunday and go until my fingers drop! To help with people who are on the…
In times of crisis, I think we tend to go on auto pilot. We tamp down feelings of fear and insecurity, and then slip into a mode of Get It Done. At least I know I do. This past week we had to deal with a hurricane bearing down on us. And you could almost feel the shift. Fight or Flight. Stay or Evacuate. Stock up on supplies, secure any outdoor furniture, cover the vintage with plastic (oh, just me?). After the crisis has passed, there’s usually a period of euphoria. Where the flowers smell sweeter and we are so…
When I’m in full-blown teaching mode, I spend a fair bit of my semester lecturing about sensory biology. About the mechanisms behind how we can see, smell, touch. About the tiny senses that give us insight into the world around us. That alert us of danger. That point us towards things that might get us rewards. And every semester it’s always one of my favorite sections to teach, because it finally starts to feel relatable to my students. Teaching about neurons and neurotransmitters and cellular processes is so microscopic it almost seems unreal. But, understanding how we can run our…
At the start of summer, when months of warm nights and the freedom that comes from a lack of teaching stretch before you, you can’t imagine that autumn will soon be upon you. One day languishes into another – and you find yourself leaving work early, kicking off your shoes for a walk on the beach before dinner. Ice cold glasses of wine are pressed into your hand and things get put off until tomorrow.
Have you ever noticed that, for a lot of people, ‘dressing up’ is synonymous with laundry day? As in, there’s nothing else to wear except for the beautiful dresses that languish in the back of my closet, because everything else is in the wash? The other day I was racing to and fro (as I do) and a woman stopped me on my way from Point A to Point B. She complimented my floral dress and laughingly inquired whether it was laundry day. I winked back, “Nope, just Tuesday!”
There are few things in life that incite emotion more quickly than music. And it doesn’t even have to involve any words at all. The very best theme songs or movie scores are gripping specifically because there are no words. Think about the dread the iconic two tones from Jaws evokes. The uplifting feeling of adventure from Indiana Jones. And you say “Pink Panther” to just about anyone from my generation and you’ll be treated to a chorus of, “Badum. Badum. Badum-dabdum. Badum-dabdum. baduuuuuuuuum!”
Over the years, I have amassed quite the vintage collection (yeah, no one is surprised). And with that collection comes the responsibility to care for it to ensure its longevity. Now, nobody likes laundry, but cleaning vintage is a necessary evil (even moreso in my southern climate!). On several occasions, I’ve been contacted by many of you lovely would-be collectors about tips for cleaning, steaming, and caring for vintage. Truth be told, it can be a daunting task – so I’ve decided to start a series here on the blog to help you navigate the sudsy waters.
I remember when I was just starting out in science as a fledgling PhD student, I used to sit and worry about running out of research questions. It was inconceivable to me that I would have enough words to say or things to explore past my PhD, so focused was I on my singular task. How can it be possible to sustain an entire career, I wondered? Is there a point in every scientist’s life where they simply have exhausted their lists of possible projects? Naively I thought there must be.