T-shirt and Jeans My Way

Occasionally I'm asked by people who see me often if I ever go out wearing a plain t-shirt and pair of jeans.  When I go to the gym on the weekend and am coming straight home afterwards, I have been known to throw on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans for convenience sake, but it always feels like a muted version of "me".

It was darn cold here on Saturday (a high of 8 degrees celsius and a brisk wind) so layers were required, and I ended up wearing, what was in essence, a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.  However, it was my version - the long-sleeved t-shirt is an official Cirque du Soleil brand shirt that incorporates different fabrics (thrifted for $7, original price between $50 and $60), and the jeans are a pair of old Levi's 501's that had been made into a skirt by Melinda (aka The Sentimentalist) back in the day, customized with bleach.  It was a maxi skirt when I bought it from her, but she's taller than I am, so I chopped off several inches to make it calf-length on me.

I'm not a big fan of lettering on my clothing but at least the word "dream" is fairly innocuous, and the graphics are cool.  If you've never seen a Cirque du Soleil show,  I would recommend that everyone see at least one if they come to a venue near you.

My hair had been freshly shorn and I forgot how cold your head gets when not insulated by hair.   Winter is not the best time of year to be sporting a modified mohawk. I have a couple of very warm hats, but it wasn't quite THAT cold, so I found an inexpensive touque in the Halloween section at Shopper's Drug Mart.  I sense a theme.

I was wearing a coat (I will not freeze for style) which I found at Talize a month or so ago.  It's wool and quite warm, and I fell hard for the giant collar and flounces (and the $17 price tag), even though they make me look bigger and boxy.  Heck, we all look larger in the winter anyway!

The collar is excellent as a disguise if I wish to go incognito.

Heather was kind enough to stand in the cold and take these photos, but now it's time for a hot beverage - Gotta Go!

Thank You For Being a Friend

This being Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, I had originally set out to write a meditation on the nature of friendship.  I wanted to comment on how the definition of a "friend" changes from what it meant when we were small children (for me, it was anyone who didn't pick on me) to what it means when we are in the second half of our lives.   Then Sunday became Monday, and the laundry is still piled in the corner, and my friend's cats need feeding, and I decided this would have to have to be shorter than I originally intended, but the sentiment is still there.

This is my best chum Heather - the messy hair is my fault, as I had just told her to toss her head

And here is yours truly, finally feeling well enough to put together a good outfit and spend quality time with my bestie doing stuff we enjoy - a mini photo shoot, a hot beverage, thrift shopping, followed by a belated birthday burger (her birthday, not mine).

There's a significant age difference between us, and she's got way more stamina and strength than I do, which she needs in order to play roller derby, but it means that I leave her to enjoy the more strenuous, outdoorsy activities with other friends.  She's an academic, I am most definitely not.  She's been married to the same sweet guy for ages; I am contentedly single.  Our shared love of good books, furry critters, creepy and unsettling television series, thrift stores, and dark and inappropriate humour brought us together, and the sharing of individual joys and sorrows keeps us close.   We have pushed each other out of our comfort zones, physically and emotionally, and I feel like I've become a better person by knowing her.  

I have also been very lucky to make some dear friends who are closer to my age through my blog.  Unfortunately, they all live a significant distance from me, so our relationships are maintained via email, text, telephone, and occasional visits.  Their virtual presence has changed my life for the better - providing inspiration, support, and opportunities for adventures I would never have had otherwise.

Some gifts friends give us are impossible to measure or define, others are tangible, delightful things like these butter-soft leather shorts that the lovely Greetje, of the blog No Fear of Fashion, sent to me. 

This photo was inspired by "Queen of the Alley Photoshoots", my friend Mel, whose brilliantly creative blog posts are bits of infectious, stylish joy.  Here's my own version of unbridled joy in the alley. 

I hope my Canadian readers had a peaceful and happy Thanksgiving weekend