Tag Archives: black

I Language vs. You Language

I ordered this top (dress) from Modcloth a couple of months ago and even though I love the pattern & the cutout on the back I literally cannot wear it as a dress because the skirt part does not fit me.

I am pretty much totally happy with the way I look. I love my curvy bits, and my freckles, and my short legs, and my funky short hair.

But still I find plenty of things that don’t fit me, or aren’t flattering, or are just plain weird.

In college I took a business writing class. The professor went into specifics about ‘I language statements vs. you language statements’.

You Language

“Your joke wasn’t funny.’

I Language

“I don’t think that was funny.”

‘You language’ puts the blame on the receiver, and can easily be interpreted as an attack.  So you shouldn’t use in business writing (or arguments with your spouse).

When I am in the dressing room it’s easy to fall into those familiar “I language statements’

‘I am to fat for this dress’

‘My hips are to big for this’.

The truth is that the dress isn’t right. There is nothing ‘wrong’ with me, or with you. We are not at fault when an inanimate object doesn’t look good on us. It’s weird that I still use these statements because the clothing doesn’t have feelings, I won’t disappoint a skirt when I tell it ‘Things just aren’t working out’, there’s no reason to say to a dress ‘It’s not you, it’s me’.

I think ‘you language’ belongs in the dressing room. Lately when I step into a dressing room I’ve been practicing my ‘you language’ statements like.

‘This skirt is to small.’

‘This top doesn’t suit me.’

‘This dress is not proportioned correctly.’

Which is exactly the problem I ran into with this Modcloth dress, the top fits me well but the bottom will not pull over my hips, because my hips are wonderful and this dress is to not proportioned to fit my body type.

Nearly Derby Time

I should probably be bored of this dress but instead I think I love it more every time I wear it.

You may (or may not) know that the Kentucky Derby is coming up. Much like a New Yorker who’s never seen the Statue of Liberty, I’ve never actually been to the Kentucky Derby. But it seems like I always see mint julep recipes pop up all over the internet this time of year.

Pro tip!

Mint juleps are kinda of gross.

If you are ever in Kentucky, or even decide to visit Louisville, you should just order bourbon instead, sans the mint & sugar. Bourbon is the ‘champagne’ of Kentucky, yes other places can make sparkling wine, or corn whiskey. But real champagne comes from Champagne & real bourbon comes from Bourbon County, Kentucky. I’d like to give you guys a delicious cocktail recipe that includes bourbon, but to be honest the only way I’ve ever drunk it is with a couple ice cubes, or some seltzer water in it. If that is to intense for you I’m pretty certain any bartender worth his salt will be gladly  suggest a bourbon cocktail that is NOT a mint julep.

I know expecting people across the world to know about a horse race is pushing it, but is your town known for something you don’t really care about?

When in Doubt Wear Black Out

Dress: Dorothy Perkins, Shirt & Tights: Target, Weird arm placement: All Natural Baby

I changed my top 25 times before I left the house the other day. I had on a black tank top but couldn’t figure out what to wear over it to make this outfit look cute.

Then I remember DUH, I own 3 black t-shirts. I frequently forget that black is an option, I spent my formative teen years with a ‘goth’ older sister which really cemented in my psyche that I’m the ‘colorful one’. Also, I am still playing along with Mara’s ’30 Days of Dresses’, this is TOTALLY a dress, I folded down the top like a lot of bloggers do. I’ve never really tried that before but I really loved the look with this dress.

After work Curly-haired-boy, Ian-dog and I headed over to my mother’s house to watch Tin Tin, becuase I live two blocks from her, and sometimes go over for dinner & movie nights, because I am cool like that. The movie was ‘meh’, and my mother’s TV was so much smaller than ours. In our household the gender roles are frequently reversed, I am the one constantly pontificating we should upgrade our 42′ TV for one at least a foot larger, and Kent is the one that is rolling his eyes.

Maybe next time we will host movie night… THAT will prove him wrong.

I’ve Had the Time of My Life

I think we can all agree that I look adorable in 50′s style dresses. Fun realization, cute little brown belts break up patterned dresses really well, and help them feel more ‘spring appropriate’.

So instead of talking clothes I would like to address that a certain man in my life had never seen Dirty Dancing (proof that he didn’t have a girlfriend while he was in high school). Last weekend, after trying to describe the scene where Baby crawls across the floor singing ‘Love Is Strange‘ for the one millionth time, I discovered that Dirty Dancing was available on Netflix instant view. So I turned it on forced him to watch it.

And by forced I mean, that I started watching it and poked Kent in the stomach so he would pay attention every time a good part came on. Until he finally was just watching it with me and asking lots of obnoxious questions  like ‘So wait, her dad is a doctor?’ and I’m like ‘Yeah, they said that at the beginning and then meaningfully showed a shot of his medical bag, but you were to busy making fun of me for turning on Dirty Dancing to notice’.

Kent decided that Dirty Dancing is pretty awesome.

Loren’s Many Days of Dresses

Dress & Shirt: Thrifted, Scarf: Just Creations.

The Eccentric Owl is doing a ’30 days of dresses’ challenge where she wears all of her dresses in a row. I’m a couple days late because I am forgetful, BUT I think I have I have exactly 30 dresses. I thought this sounded like fun so I am participating, a little belatedly.

This is one of those days that I came home & ‘fixed’ my outfit after work. I took off my stockings & traded my necklace for this scarf. It’s fair trade, I bought it last weekend while I was volunteering. So of course I had to wear it for the blog. Things very rarely sit around in my closet for more than 24 hours before I am pulling them out and figuring out where I can wear them. Also my necklace was boring. So here is me playing with my new scarf.