What I'm Reading Now: October 10, 2011

I finished The Borrower last week and started up on Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand. This is the October book for my virtual book club, Reading Without Borders. I had been waiting for this book to show up either on my Paperback Swap online, or on my hold list at the library, but it hadn't, so I decided to suck it up and buy a copy - it was already a week into October, and this is a long book! There's a great little used-and-new bookshop behind my office called After-Words. I popped in on a lunch break and when I told the man who greeted me what I was looking for, he got a very pleased look on his face and proclaimed that 'boy was I in luck.' Sure enough, someone had just dropped off a used copy that day. It hadn't even been shelved or priced yet. Winner.

In other nerdy news, back in January I set myself a goal via GoodReads to read at least 20 books in 2011. As of last week, I've met my goal and am actually five books ahead of schedule. Nerd: OUT.

Blame -- Nay! Thank -- Canada!

Okay, that was a silly title. I know. BUT a) it's Friday, so give me a break; and b) that was a good South Park reference, so it wins.

It's good to go into the weekend with a healthy perspective, right? I mean, since the weekend is the only time I've allowed myself to eat desserts (weekends and special occasions, the latter of which there are oh.so.many), it's smart to think healthy, fit thoughts going in. That's what I always say, anyway. Actually, I just made that up, but it sounds good to me!

Well, this comes to us courtesy of Divine, Canada's online magazine for women (but really by way of Pinterest). This "Exercise Finder" is a tool designed to help you (women - guess this is a ladies-only post) target specific areas of your body with exercises for that area only. You just click on the body part you want to strengthen and tone, and it'll provide a plan made up of specific moves to work.it.out. Check this out (All of the images I've used in this post are screen shots, and so, are not click-able, sorry.):

How cool is that?! You just So, say, and let's just use this as a hypothetical -- no personal sources of inspiration here... necessarily -- you want to focus in particular on your thigh region (I picked the thigh region because no woman hates her thighs... right?)... you click on that little "button" on the any-woman-avatar's quad, and it'll give you a list from which you can narrow your choice even further:

Thighs? Inner Thighs? Outer Thighs? Quadriceps? Hams? Pick the one you want, and then you get this:

And that's just a small sampling - there are three more exercises on this first page, plus note there are two more pages of exercises just for this muscle area.

Anyway, I just thought this was a cool resource, and figured I'd pass it along. I've already bookmarked it on both phone and work computer. What do you think? Cool or lame?

Have a great, healthy, active weekend!

Mastering Indian-Summer-Wear

I'm trying to enjoy every last drop of this week of Indian Summer here in Chicago. News reports are already torturing us with the "warning" that ours will be the worst winter in the country this year... Jerks. I don't know how to prepare mentally for that. I almost wish it could have been a surprise. Instead, I'm already starting to panic about my likely turn as a recluse in the months ahead. Not good. But NOW. NOW it's warm and delightful. That magical bit of warmth and sunshine that taunts you with the memory of summer neatly set in between cold spells. I'll take it. If this is the winter I throw up my hands and give up, then I'll suck the life out of these last yummy-warm-happy days.

But I feel weird dressing summery when it's October, you know? Like, it's warm, but it's just warm-er. It's not summer again. It's fall. Just a bit of meteorological comic relief to help us out, but still fall. I think I got it right (or at least acceptable) from head-to-ankle, but I think I went too summery with the footwear, and I knew it when I put them on, but I didn't really have the *right* fall/Indian Summer shoe, so I just went with it.

(Please forgive: a) my beautiful background of my office; and b) my aging rock star (aka Richie Sambora) hair... that's another story for another day...)

(Also, I mentioned the bracelet before here, and the shirt here)

But see what I mean? Too summery with the sandals. Maybe something like this would be more Indian-Summer-appropriate:

(DSW)

(DSW)

(ModCloth)

Or even something like one of these:

(Urban Outfitters)

(Endless)

What do you think? Which would have worked better for between seasons? How do you dress to fit these not-quite-a-season days?

Truer Words...

“. . . almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

trying to remember to continue using this brilliant bit of wisdom as inspiration to guide my steps. humble genius.

"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do."

amazing that one man truly did change our world so enormously. he was once quoted as saying all he wanted was to make a "ding" in the universe.

quite a ding, eh?

(via)

Desert Boots and Dad

It's not just my mom to whom I can credit my fashion sensibility. More on that in another post, and in frequent mentions. My dad is a sharp dresser. I remember going shopping with him as a kid, and picking out smart socks and ties to go with his work outfits. He likes to look good, and I think that's an incredibly wonderful characteristic in a man. My dad also appreciates a good shoe. Here's a great photo of me as a little kid, still in Israel, wearing an understated outfit in order to highlight the pièce de résistance: a pair of my dad's boots (on the wrong feet). They're Frye's. High-five, Dad:

This past weekend my parents were in town and it was just a really great visit. We felt no push to do touristy things, and just played it all by ear - we cooked together, we feasted together, we walked a lot, we read in the same room, we chatted, and just generally enjoyed each other's company. On Saturday afternoon we wandered about in a nearby 'hood and poked around in a few stores. We popped into a shoe store and while my mom went over to the Ladies' department to pursue a pair of tall, dark red boots, I followed my dad over to Men's. While he pursued some sensible Keens, I pointed out a pair of casual-or-dressy shoe-boots I thought were fantastic, trying to encourage him to try them on.

"We used to call these 'Desert Boots' and they were all I wore for a time in the '70s."

Of course they were. Aren't they great? They're also still called desert boots, for the record. They're great for a man, but they're also great for a gal. They work casually with jeans or cords or cargos, but just as well with tights and a skirt or dress, no? Here are a few, and with contemporary upgrades, for the ladies:

(These are the "originals" - by Clarks, and available in a bunch of colors, and suede)

(Big Buddah on Endless - I'm really loving the wedges)

(Dolce Vita at Nordstrom)

(Fryes on SALE on Endless)

(Kelsi Dagger on Endless)

(Wanted - also Endless)

(Steve Madden at Nordstrom)

(a shoe-ier version in fun orange at Urban Outfitters)

(and a lace-less similar style, also at Urban Outfitters)

(Mia - DSW)

What do you think? Are you open to welcoming this style back in? Or do you want to kick it back to the desert, in the 70s? I love the "updates" - color, height, detailing. And I'm loving the tried and true flashback look, too... I would love to see Dave in the originals. But I'll have probably have to use reverse psychology... or a time machine.

4 Years Later...

...still miss you loads.

Maroon + White

Maroon and white were my high school colors, so I've basically avoided them like the Plague since turning 18. But how chic and current does this look:

(via The Sartorialist)

I love everything about this photo. And I think it gives such a fresh face to fall color stories. I'm inspired.

Also: Go 'Canes!