Iris Apfel

Fashion Alerts

So little time. Yes, our summer hiatus went on a  little longer than just the summer. But the phdmamas are back and fall fashion has been pushing high on our list of things to discuss.

I’ll lead off my fashion alerts with the more culturally enriching item first, forcing the highly gratuitous but extremely urgent Nordstrom sale to appear second (see very important tip below). The Peabody Essex Museum is running an exhibition of fashion icon Iris Apfel’s wardrobe, Rare Bird of Fashion: The Irreverent Iris Apfel, from October 17th through February 7th. It looks fascinating and inspiring. Recently, she styled a website collection for Nordstrom.com and I was so pleased to see the retailer taking queues from the wizened and extremely creative globe-trotter.

Just for kicks, The Peabody Essex Museum’s website also includes an interactive “paper doll” application with which you can assemble all sorts of Apfel-esque outfits.

OK, the gratuitous: the big fall Nordstrom sale kicked off today, running from Nov. 4-7. Yes, I’ve already been and my own extremely considered and scrutinized purchases will appear on an upcoming Fashion Friday post.

Here’s my big, big, insider tip: if you happen to be in the market for some “investment” designer items (grey patent Tod’s driving loafers anyone?) that are not yet on sale, simply ask the clerks to take them out of inventory and hold them for you until they are. You can pick them up or have them shipped when their sale date arrives. You are only charged at that time, and you walk away with shoes that haven’t sold out (my common size always does) for at least 40% off. It’s a beautiful system. Work it.      -Jen

Blues Alley, Georgetown, Washington D.C.

Our spring teaching term has just wrapped up and Amy and I are slipping into our summer schedule — which is not to imply that things will be less busy. For instance, Amy will be off to Rome again soon — I’m not at all jealous. I’m expecting one or two Italia travel posts from her. I just got back from my hometown, D.C., which is so lovely this time of year. My favorite thing is to stroll in and out of the shops, restaurants, and jazz clubs in Georgetown.

So, we shall not kid ourselves with attempting daily posts through summer, but will shift to a summer blog schedule of about 1-2 times a week.  After all, this is the Academic’s true writing season, so let the productivity commence!     -Jen

I wish I were kidding.

So I am taking stock–trying to find out what a new routine might look like–particularly as we move toward the summer months when both kids will be home.  Simple Mom has some good tips here that I am using as inspiration.  Check them out here. -Amy

Maybe a better routine will give us more moments like this?

Jen, out recently with The Ladies

A few months ago I wrote about my daily dilemma between what seem like two necessary uses of alone time: dissertation writing and physical fitness. Any working/dissertating mother has an additional dilemma when considering the demands of even the most humble social life. When faced with social obligations or desires (depending on how I see them), I revert to the old undergraduate mentality: study or play. As the life of a scholar does not allow for easy compartmentalization — the dissertation/research project always being there day or night, not conforming neatly to convenient day-time hours — the scholar’s nightlife may often feel like a competition between being a social human being and a cloistered researcher (much as my mornings are daily decisions between the gym and the dissertation, with the gym usually winning due to reasons previously given).

Unlike our social lives in college — where friends are made just as instantly as the next party invite, making it easier to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ depending on our momentary state of mind — our adult social lives may actually resemble the dissertation. For the most part, our friendships and connections in adulthood are long-term relationships that deserve and require nurture and attention. Our social relationships are investments in long-term happiness, just as our dissertations are investments in long-term professional success.

It seems like an actual strategy for navigating and developing our social lives as adult scholars may be just as necessary as the strategy for writing the dissertation. Too often I feel like I’m flying by the seat of my pants in my social life, and not putting in enough planning time for quality events and activities. The dissertation provides the excuse for my social disorganization and general lack of initiative — encouraging the false idea that my real life might start after the project is complete. In the meantime, is it really appropriate that I haven’t thrown a party at my house in years (as I once did), or is this beyond the limits of the mother-scholar?  -Jen

When my husband wanted to brush up on his Italian before enrolling in an intensive summer class, he did not look to Rosetta Stone though–rather, on the recommendation of a linguist friend, he purchased the Fluenz Italian software.  I must say that I am very impressed by the program.  It really places the language in context and through different modes of content delivery (dialogue, mini-lectures, interactive exercises, etc), it focuses on the goal of conversational fluency with a native speaker.   If you are thinking about learning a new language, or brushing up on your conversational skills, check out the demo on the Fluenz web site.  Believing that “language is a human right,” the company also has a ESL program titled El Book for native Spanish speakers which can be downloaded (and the accompanying booklet printed out) free of charge from the web site. -Amy

Last week, I fiddled around with the Mac’s built-in microphone to make an audio recording, but I ran into some problems when I tried to convert the file into a format recognizable by our University’s Blackboard Course Management system.

So on to Plan B: The SpeakEasy voice recorder! If you have either an iPhone or a 2nd generation iPod Touch, you can download the application for less than a cup of coffee ($1.99) and so long as you have the iPod headphones with built-in microphone ($29 at apple.com if you don’t), you are up and running.  Touch the microphone to begin, record your audio, connect to your computer (it syncs with iTunes) and viola! A quick and easy way to make a podcast.  I uploaded one this morning and students already emailed me, happy with this additional mode of content delivery.  Hooray for Mondays helped by easy-to-use software applications! -Amy

Lately I’ve become hooked on the BBC reruns of Dame Judy Dench’s series “As Time Goes By.” It is the story of an older couple who find each other 38 years after their initial love affair; and it is also described as a representation of quintessentially British ways and humor. For my next treat, I would like the box set of this series. I’m not sure if watching the show has made me think more about older life, or vice versa. Perhaps an academic career, because of its relative delay due to long-term undergraduate and graduate study, the tenure track, and so on, invites more reflection on the quality of later life.

On bigthink.com Carol Gilligan speaks about women “Aging in America.” On metalife.com, several contributors post on “The Life of a Scholar for Me,” whether or not to stick with graduate school, taking a longer view of life, etc. For myself, I’m so near the end of the PhD that occasional fantasies of quitting are irrelevant, but for those struggling with doubts earlier in the process this is an interesting collection of posts. Also, I never knew that Joseph Campbell did not finish his doctorate!  -Jen

Readers: Do you use a reward system during the dissertation? And, if so, what are your favorite types of rewards?

Note: The Nordstrom shoe sale is on now!  -Jen

Equation for mediating winter – spring fashion: spring dress + lightweight cardigan + gray tights +campus-friendly black heels (the Privo Clarks below) = so cute and professional.  Spring dress and navy cardigan are both recent Anthropologie finds. Just doing my part to support the economy.  -Jen