Because I can't say it in person . . .

Today is the 70th anniversary of D-Day.  I'm not going to get into a history lesson here because if you don't know what I'm talking about then you can look it up and get much better background than I can probably give you.

Both my grandfathers and my great uncles on my mother's side fought in WWII.  My one great uncle lost his life in the Pacific: PFC Thomas F. Vasta.  I actually have his high school yearbooks and will someday do a post on them.

But back to D-Day.  My paternal grandfather was there and badly wounded.  As my dad said the other day - "The most important thing to me about D-Day is my dad survived."   Because if he hadn't, my dad wouldn't have been born.  So I'm pretty grateful too.

I never got to know my grandfather.  He died before I was born.  Because the universe loves irony, the career army man who was declared KIA and MIA so many times my grandmother just ignored the telegrams after awhile, lost his life in a car accident.

I know.

So to one 21 year old man who would someday have son who would grow up to be my father: Thank You.  I wish I'd known you from more than stories.  I don't smoke but I will have a beer in your honor today.

As opposed to yesterday when I just had a beer because I wanted one.

I'm definitely your granddaughter.

Summer Reads

The calendar claims it's still spring but school is out here and it's already too hot to think by midday so I'm ready for some summer reading.  Here's a sampling of what I'm reading now:

I Capture the Castle 
My favorite book ever.  I've read it so much I have passages memorized.  I have forced myself to only reread it once a year.  I always end up reading it now as it's the time when my brain is worn out and I need a vacation.  Apparently my ideal vacation spot is a ruined castle in 1930s England. 

Bust
I used to have a subscription but now I just pick up an issue based on who is on the cover.  This issue it's Dolly Parton, so I had to get it.  I'm not so much a fan of her music as her.  She's a savvy businesswoman and probably a total hoot to hang out with.  Hopefully the article doesn't destroy my beliefs.  Also there's an article on a silent film star, too.

The Hero with a Thousand Faces
I studied Joseph Campbell and archetypes and the hero's journey in both high school and college and along the way I fell in love.  I started this way back in 2009.  I am making notes as I go but it's really silly I've been reading it so long- I need to finish this one before the summer is out.  After all, I can always read it again. 

The Windsor Factor
An alternate timeline novel.  This one focuses on how events would have panned out if Wallis Simpson died before Edward VIII abdicated.  I'm not very far so I am not ready to judge if it's any good.

Dawn Powell : A Biography
In theory I like biographies, in practice they are often hard slogs.  I usually only read about writers or people I love (Myrna Loy, Nina Simone) and Dawn Powell is both.  Like many writers, it's pretty sad.

Free Comic Book day Comics
Yes, I know it was nearly a month ago and it doesn't take that long to read a comic book.  Let's just say I was saving them for summer.  I have a Rocket Raccoon, a steampunk Star Wars, and a fairytale one.

What are you reading right now?

What They're Saying #2

Me ages ago pretending to be Nancy Drew.  Remove the gloves and hat and this is pretty much my favorite work outfit: Skirt, blouse, and cardigan

I work with kids.  While I do tend to "tone it down" for work I don't exactly wear khakis and polo shirts.  Kids notice.  Kids comment.

 I tend to get a lot of comparisons with cartoon characters.   I've gotten Velma from Scooby Doo, Minnie Mouse, and Betty Boop.  I've also been told I look "like a doll."  None of these comparisons or remarks have bothered me.  The boy who said that I looked like Velma was worried I might be hurt by the remark but he did mean nicely and I assured him I was fine.

This skirt is a big hit with students and teachers.

One that cracks me up comes up when I'm dressed '40s.  "You like wearing old school things miss,  like from the '80s right?"  I actually got that once from a waitress.  To be fair, she was probably born long after the 1980s.  Most of the time I just laugh and smile.  Though sometimes I say that what I am wearing is more '40s than '80s but I understand the confusion as '40s styles came back in the '80s.

Sometimes it's intentionally rude, trying to get a rise out of me.  "Why do you always wear those ugly old style shoes?"  My general response to those comments are "Because I'm awesome like that."

Ugly old style shoes

My rolls get "How do you do that with your hair?"  a lot.  From adults and kids.  My favorite was when a kid was asking me about them and what they are called.  I told her they were "Victory rolls" and she said she was going to call them "Cinnamon Rolls."  After that she would tell me my "Cinnamon Rolls" look good today and I would tell her she was making me hungry.

Crappy bathroom selfie from this week.  It was tropical day at work.

My pants also get a lot of comment.  Not so much the style but the placement of the zipper.  On the pants where the zipper is hidden in the pocket I get asked where the zipper is.  On pants with the zip up the back I get asked why I have a zipper on the back of my pants.  "Why to get them off and on, of course."

Probably the most popular things are not the vintage but the nerdy - items like my raygun and Pow! earring, my Captain America shield necklace, and my Doctor Who belt.  Because it's not strange or different - its something they know and get.  Just this week I showed a picture of myself in the TARDIS to a boy a work with.  His face lit up.  I love that. 

And let me tell you, bleach out a streak in your hair and adults and kids will say more than you could ever hope to record.  All good though.

I just don't want to end up on Hoarders

Some of my spring/summer sweaters

I have this desire to somehow reduce my wardrobe to the bare minimum.  Just a few pieces that encompass my style and all co-ordinate with one another.  Except that is never realistically going to happen.

Most of the time my style oscillates between the late '30s and '40s (wide legged trousers, simple cotton and rayon dresses, cardigans/sweaters, stockings) and a sort of beatnik/bohemian look (capris, peasant blouses, brightly colored skirts, lots of black, sweaters, and huge jewelry) and maybe if that's where my style always lived I could manage such a thing.  Except some days I feel like a flapper or a sixties minidress, or rockabilly, or maybe a little cabaret.  And that doesn't even cover cosplays.  I'm never going to build some ideal minimalist wardrobe.  Or if I do it's going to be buried among beaded skirts, feather boas, and Han Solo's vest.

Some of my earrings

Of course the irony here is most women from the eras I favor probably didn't have anywhere near half the clothes I own.  I try to think about that every time I have the urge to buy something new.  I also try to mend things before I go tossing them and unravel sweaters I don't wear anymore and knit new ones that I will wear.  But that doesn't always feel like enough.

More Jewelry, this is JUST necklaces and rings

I don't want to be swallowed whole by my wardrobe and accessories but I also don't want to wake up and be without the pieces I need to dress the way I feel on any particular day. 

I'm not whining here, just thinking out loud. I am also not completely well yet so I blame all grammatical errors and fuzzy logic on that.

On break

I've had a bit of a week and am sick so I'm skipping out today.  Enjoy this (or not if you don't like Simon & Garfunkel):