CRASH

(Flickr)

I apologize to my bloggy friends whom I normally visit regulary and to that one person who reads my blog :)

I am struggling right now with my chronic fatigue syndrome and not up to posting or even reading much.  This is my difficult season-but before you suggest a sun lamp let me tell you that summer is also my difficult season.  So I send you all thought valentines and hope to be more lively again soon.

What is Your Go To Outfit?

I usually have somewhat of an idea about what is in fashion and what tends have passed.  I've reached the age where I've seen enough trends come and go so I'm not really interested in being on trend all of the time.  Not everything is going to work for me; the shrunken blazer is a good example.  I'm a cardigan girl because I hate the feeling of a stiff jacket that limits my arm movement.  I wave my arms around when I talk; this is a serious issue for me.  I like raglan sleeves.  When you reach that point where you no longer try out every new look because you know what works on your body, what you like, what makes you feel comfortable, and you've seen something on the DON"T list only to see it on the DO list, proving that rules are meant to be broken and some women will look good in pleated pants and some won't regardless of what the current trend is, then you are likely confident enough to create your own style.

Supply can be a challenge.  For the first few years when the waist line on pants dropped I really struggled to find pants that fit me well.  I'm tall, but I don't have long super model legs, I'm a bit longer in the rise than average as my extra height isn't just in my legs.  I have a longer inseam, longer leg length and longer torso than average.  Some women, especially those strutting down the runway just have miles long legs, no extra height anywhere else.  Sorry to be boring you with these details, but the result was that for a few years there were no pants available that covered my bottom.  Pants have always been a challenge for me so I have worn skirts most often for the past twenty five years.  I love denim skirts and while a denim mini has just about always been fashionable for a hot young twenty something, it has been quite awhile since I was near to that and even then minis were never in my comfort zone.

My favourite is an above the knee pencil skirt.  I could live in this skirt, a pair of tights and my favourite shoes.

Something like these but with a lower heel.

Add another inch to the length of this skirt and here it is, a perfect outfit for me.

(Okay, I lied a little, I look terrible in turtle necks)

I have two denim skirts in my wardrobe right now.  One similar to the first picture and another that is long, ending just below my calves.  If I could have one for every day of the week, I would.  And I don't care anymore if they are trendy or not.  Some years hey are ripped and bleached, some years they are full with kicky little pleats.  There are granny versions with elastic waistbands, high waisted and low waisted, flared and tapered, embroidered with pink and blue flowers, covered in zippers, frayed at the ends and even acid wash.  They aren't all the right one for me, but I comb the thrift shops looking to increase my collection.  A straight cut denim skirt is part of my personal style now.  I don't care if the It Girls are wearing them or not.  What is your favourite thing to wear whether it is in style or not?  Do you long for the return of stirrup pants or high waisted jeans?  Have you stubbornly clung to your shoulder pads?  Is there something from this season that you love so much you think you will keep it even when it is no longer au current?  

I'm seeing socks with dressy and even strappy shoes in the fashion pictures for spring.  Maybe my beloved Velma will more fashionable than Daphne this year.

Writer's Block

I'm going to do what I tell my students to do; I'm  going to write through my block.  Yup.  that means I'm taking on the stream of my conscience, babbling visually, finding my way to having something to say.  It wasn't as hard as I thought it might be since I'm thinking about parmesan cheese and, well, that is a writing topic, is it not?

People as me if I miss meat.  Nobody ever asks me if I miss yogurt or cheesecake,  foods I loved much more than I ever loved meat.  I suppose the answer is yes and no.  When I first became vegetarian it was a gradual process and the salty-fat taste of meat in my diet was impossible to give up, even though I was no longer interested in great hunks of flesh.  I made stews and soups with meat broth initially and then went through the phase many vegetarians go through where I overcompensated with cheese.  As a vegetarian both yogurt and cheesecake are still on the menu, but at some point which I find difficult to recall, I became vegan.

There are many faux foods on the market and beverages labeled milk which are non-dairy are varied and readily available.  Faux meat and faux cheese have never really excited me much but I've dabbled in the use of them.  Cheesecake can easily be replicated with tofu but I've never found soy yogurt to be worth eating.  Its unappealing greyish colour doesn't help.  Faux cheese either  doesn't live up to its promise or is not actually vegan due to the use of casein or rennet.  Although I once lived cheese, I have gone beyond missing it.  I can make a cheesy tasting sauce that fulfills my desire for mac n cheese or grilled sandwiches.

But today, as I whipped up a pasta primavera I recalled how a little fresh parmesan really does add that je ne sais quoi. (I am now wondering what the Italian version of that is)  I have tried faux parmesan-nope not the same.  I might be good in its own right as a flavourful sprinkle, but there is just no duplicating that ultimate fat-salt taste of parmesan cheese.

Often I tell people that it is easy to be vegan.  In a short time your taste preferences change and you no longer crave the animal taste.  That is mostly true.  Cheese and butter have an animal grease taste and smell that really puts me off now, my body reacts as though it is wrong to eat them.  I have no doubt this is purely psychological and I am fine with that.  But I miss the parmesan.  Just once in awhile.  I guess I'll get over it with a nice carton of Purely Decadent Peanut Butter Zig Zag non-dairy dessert.