Outfit post

It isn't really my thing to do outfit posts on my blog. However this pic Mr. C took while we were returning home from work today worked out really well and I decided to share it with you. The reason Mr. C took the photo in the first place was because we were testing our new memory card.
The other thing that might be interesting is getting your feedback on the appropriateness of this outfit for a work environment. As is very obvious from my choice of clothing I work in a very relaxed environment where my outfit doesn't stand out or is considered inappropriate. But I do dress much more formally on days when we have business meetings scheduled. I've also been considering the possibility of keeping some neutral business clothes just in case.

A perfect day for a wedding

Bistra Castle

This Wednesday Mr. C's dad and his fiancée tied the knot! A small private affair without the unnecessary hoo-ha which I personally find so tedious.  The ceremony took place at Ljubljana Castle (where I had my birthday party last year) and it was very touching and elegant.

From Ljubljana we headed on to Bistra, yet another castle. This one is turned into a Technical museum.
Slovenia is ripe with castles and beautiful old places perfect for taking wedding pictures.

Ducks performing their midday bathing routine

Mr. Beaver doing the same

The garden was spectacular. All of the animals went about their day as usual and were completely unfazed by the large number of visitors running and shouting about. Even the two buses full of high school students that must have been there on a field trip didn't bother them.
What can I say? Cool animals!

Mr. C and me perfectly colour coordinated. Not on purpose.

River Bistra

From Bistra Castle we went on to Ponvica, a restaurant with a most whisical name that literally means Little pan.

Wedding cake

As you know it's my blog policy never to include pictures of anone other than me and Mr. C. A rule I firmly abide by but I thought showing you the bride's wedding ring would be quite okay.

Here we are gathered round the bride admiring the ring. You can even tell which one is me (hint: pointy shoes).

Instant happy

Burda Magazine 02/2012

People who know me well can tell you that there are very few things in life that make me as blissfully happy in an instant as the fact that something fits neatly or that something is stored away in a perfect most functional way. I'm just that way I guess.

This morning I woke up to the sight of a completely clean and cleared up kitchen table. I can't imagine a  more perfect start of a weekday and the sight of  a clean apartment fills with a sort of quiet resolve that gives me strength to face the week. That and a cup of coffee!
The other thing that made my day was that the dress featured in the pictures I've been sewing came together so perfectly well, all the seams are aligned and the drape and fit are really spot on even if I say so myself.

Foolishly I didn't check my supplies before starting this project only to realize at the most inopportune time that I don't have a matching zipper. It was last Tuesday, national holiday and all the stores were closed of course .Yikes! Once more my cousin came to the rescue and provided me with a zipper that matches the colour of the fabric perfectly.

And then on Saturday we made a little trip to Graz (pictures to come) and Ikea. Mr. C found some small containers that are made to be mounted on a wall and are ideal for storing bits and pieces. It's just what we've been looking for for our kitchen cabinet with the dishwasher where we also store all of the spare light bulbs and a few tools. It used to drive me mad having it all sort of piled up behind the organic waste dustbin.

As I sit here sipping my evening coffee, surfing the Internet, reading posts from my favourite bloggers and listening to Mr. C laughing as he watches an old film I feel another kind of happy altogether.
Wishing everyone a peaceful weekday!

Awards, accolades and plaque

my new toothbrush

We've become a society of superlatives: everything is wrapped in neat shiny packages where something as mundane as a waitress serving tables at the local diner becomes a highly skilled professional capable of maintaining customer satisfaction while simultaneously organizing and managing food preparation process i.e. grilling sandwich in a toaster while pouring coffee?!

These days people don't miss any opportunities to brag about their accomplishments, special skills and achievements.

Today I went to get my teeth cleaned. Quite an unusual experience. The dentist went on and on how great my teeth were and how rare it was to see such even distribution of roots or something and no cavities especially counting in the fact that I hadn't seen a dentist in over a decade. But that's a whole different story. It took me ten minutes to realize this person wasn't exaggerating or trying to soothe my ego but he was genuinely astounded..
Should I be flattered by the fact that my teeth are perfect? I'd say that's pretty silly, because I had absolutely zero influence on the matter, I have only my parents to thank for good genes.

Tomorrow I will be attending a formal ceremony at my former Law school where I'll be awarded with a special plaque for an outstanding thesis. Yet another excellent opportunity for bragging. While I do understand that this is an immense honor and I'm certainly feeling proud and elated. On the other hand telling people about it has been difficult: no matter how I approach the subject it feels like bragging.

How do you feel about talking about your accomplishments?

Today I covet...

Moped by Mohop

It would seem I always covet either shoes or bags which is starting to remind of the film In her shoes, where the lead character buys shoes to deal with issues of insecurity, low body image and loneliness.
What is it about shoes? I confess I haven't figured out the right amount of shoe boxes in my closet, I always seem to lack a certain type of footwear on the other hand I've got too many pretty shoes meant for special occasions only.
These vegan flat sandals by Mohop are something that's definitely lacking in my closet, I need one pair of flat sandals for the coming summer season.

Do you have too many or too little pairs of shoes in your closet?

Bits of wisdom

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

I'm so tired of being constantly afraid, I simply ran out of energy to be afraid. And the funniest thing about it is that in every which way I look at it, I'm better off than I was 6 months ago. When I analyze the things I'm afraid of it all comes down to the things I read in the newspapers, about people being laid off, how terrible it is in Greece and all over Europe...
But in reality? I have a job, so does Mr. C. We're both busy with our other projects: DIY, volunteer work, spending time with family and friends.
So really, what am I so afraid of? Enough already.
(I'm cancelling all of my newspaper subscriptions.)

What are you afraid of? Does the widespread panic propagated by the media affect you?

Disappointed and disillusioned

Remember this post? Eppur si muove
I wrote this way back in September hoping against hope it would somehow make a difference. Alas it was as I feared: two days ago, on Sunday the vote of the (scarce) majority 55% voted against the new Family law that would enable among other things that gay people could adopt and have children.
As a lawyer, as a liberal as as someone who's only starting out in life, hoping to make a it a happy one in a culturaly enriched environment  it makes me sad beyond words to see that I'm living in a claustrophobic, homophobic society that shuns progress and hides behind a cloak of hypocrisy.

Feeling rather sad today....

About life, immortality and the continuation of the human race

I turned 30 last year. I graduated and I'm starting a new job that holds great potential. Having a baby seems like the next logical step. I've got nervous people lining up who can't wait to become grandparents, aunts and uncles...

the only child we've managed to bring up so far....

Then come the questions or at the very least the quizzical looks. I usually shrug my shoulders and say: "Not yet." I'm not quite finished working on myself as well as making sure I've done everything I can to make damn certain I can give my child a happy, healthy, carefree childhood.
And then people tell me I'm selfish. Or they say I'm materialistic. Usually people with a lot more money than me, living comfortably in a two bedroom apartment their parents bought them.

...and he's proven to be a handful

The people who understand money is tight shake their heads and say we'll manage somehow.
Well let me tell you flat out we'll manage isn't good enough for me. Not even close.
My step dad says everyone has a right to be born, to exist. My future father-in-law (FFIL) insists that having children is the natural order of things, part of the circle of life.  I told them both that the mere reproduction isn't enough for me. That every being on this planet has a right that extends past mere survival, it's the right to prosper. What we all want, what we all strive for is to make sure our children have a better life than we did. To give them opportunities we never had.
Even my FFIL couldn't rebut my argument.

My obsessions with...gloves

There is something so very quaint and sophisticated about gloves.  Wearing them properly is a skill that takes time to master and I confess I have been gaining mileage in this department for years.

A few years ago I bought my first pair of opera gloves: the forest green pair in the picture. Real silk of a fairly decent quality, they're a dream to wear. Since I don't go to the opera you might wonder what's the use of owning a pair? I like to wear mine for a promenade thorough the old part of Ljubljana with my cropped three quarter sleeve jacket.

In the upper right corner is a pair of vintage deer leather driving gloves I inherited from my grandma. The pink mohair knitted ones were made by my mum after I begged and begged her to knit them for me. She's such a skilled knitter but has all lost patience for it. I so wish she'd make me a few more pairs but I simply don't have the heart to pressure her when she'd much rather be outside gardening or taking a walk through the woods.

My every day pair is a simple black & cognac nappa leather pair I've had for a decade. Comfortable and familiar. The last is a pair of crochet mittens with mini pom poms I made on a whim. These come with a matching beanie and scarf I made several years ago. The photo is included in my blog banner.

Any thoughts on gloves? Do you have more than one pair?

On the blog, off the blog

It's been more than a year since I started blogging regularly. The 5 posts I wrote in 2010 don't really count as active blogging :-) And  it's  been only a few months since I started coming out to friends and   relatives about keeping a blog.

To anyone who asks I still refer to myself as a newbie. But after one year, a significant increase in   exposure and a blog format pretty much set I believe my grace period is over. That's okay. No drama.

As time went by I felt more and more comfortable letting people in. We've moved from me posting about my stuff and my DIY to sharing some vulnerable moments as well as some happy ones. And as honest and open as I try to write about myself there is still a large portion of my life that I keep off the blog. Some things are private, others, I feel are irrelevant and still some are difficult to translate into written word and equally if not more difficult to translate to English.

A bouquet for my mum for her birthday

The most interesting phenomenon has been telling my friends about my blog. The people who  see what I include or choose not to include in  my posts. Though no one  ever asks I get a lot of quizzical looks when  something didn't make the cut. I'm quite sure it comes off as a sort of split personality  effect.
Re-reading my posts as I often do I sometimes get a strange out of body experience because I am reliving the same event  twice: As it actually happened and as I wrote about it. There is a  definite distinction and try as I may there will always be one.
That whole lost in translation thing comes to mind...

This  post is meant as one part my observations on the subject and one part explanation/apology why I've been absent from the blogosphere for the past couple of weeks. I miss it more than I can ever begin to explain, I miss visiting the regular blogs I follow and commenting, participating  in the debate. I feel so terribly disconnected and yes I just realized yesterday was the first Friday of the month and I haven't written a film review  post. Which makes it the second in a row.

Detail of an exhibit piece from MSUM, Modern musem Metelkova, Ljubljana

I've also been involved in a couple of projects I  haven't really discussed on the blog yet: one of them being a a two months course to become a guide for visually impaired in the field of culture (galleries and museums). I've met so many wonderful new people, we discussed the problems the blind face on a daily basis, stuff we tend to overlook (pun intended!) or not really conceptualize.
I've also seen so many of Ljubljana's galleries and museums , I'm ashamed to admit I didn't even know some of them exist. All in all a timely reminder to reacquaint myself with culture. I've begun to realize this kind of involvement and real human interaction was missing from my life. But it can be pretty scary, looking back on the past 5 months and see the swift changes.
For one, I'm beginning to look my age and I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad one...