Category Archives: Style

Gift giving season is upon us, so what kinds of items would a book nerd in your life want? I’ll tell you the things I’ve been gifted and loved and the things that I’d love to own.

Canvas bags with pithy sayings like this gorgeous one.

Apparel that brings comfort to readers like these warm socks with a cool slogan.

Items that compliment your reading environment like these adorable coasters.

Jewelry like a bangle that says “I love books”.

For the book nerds with an extensive library that they often don’t like to lend out– they’ll add a reminder of just whose it is with a stamp or embosser. That’ll do the trick!

And book weights! That item has revolutionized my reading life.

What are your favorite book nerd gifts?

I should already be in bed but I must post after finding out that today is National Dress Day. I mean ultimately it’s like the holiday that was created for me. I should have already known it existed but it took an email from one of my favorite stores (sharing a sale no less for the thing that it’s celebrating and the thing that I buy the most there), then I double-checked to confirm it was a real thing. Then, I visited the national dress day website and found a quote that says it all–

“Because no great story ever started with jeans”.

Amen to that.

There’s a reason the bio for my public-facing Instagram account is “You’ll find me drinking tea in a dress and reading… or making lists”. And why my “Dressed” Pinterest board is majority dresses and a play on that attire (if they can all magically appear in my closet, that would be great). And also why my colleague lovingly broke the “rules” governing gift-giving and gifted me a dress in celebration of an achievement.

I’ve shared, especially in professional conversations that preparing for presentations or important events like author visits almost always includes a new dress. If not a dress, new jewelry or heels. And it’s literally just a mental game, with a long-term effect. All of my dresses then have memories.

Just last week I had to throw out a dress after an irreparable rip, but before I did, I sat for a few minutes remembering the summer presentation that I gave it in;  I have my Ruta dress and my Zentner dress. The one from my first paid presentation. I remember our first author visit ever, Ellen Hopkins, and the dress I wore that no longer fits but was lovingly sold on consignment. I remember it and the day itself in association with it. I will never give up my obsession for dresses because that’s the day that I begin to forget emotions surrounding events that happened in them.

I’ll add that as I’m finishing the last half of What We Keep: 150 People Share the One Object that Brings them Joy, Magic, and Meaning by Bill Shapiro with Naomi Wax, and I can say that I don’t keep the dresses I must retire for one reason or another, but I do have a folder of pictures to go back and revisit whenever I’d like.

I’m dying to know– is there something undeniably “you” in how or what you dress in?

This week is our winter break which is always a staycation for me. It means catching up on the stacks of books that have been piling up (with no end in sight, but I’m not complaining) and also arranging some brief encounters with my colleagues who otherwise are stacked with a to-do list a mile long being their fabulous librarian selves. This post is a reminder to take the time to cultivate these relationships when you can.

We do a disservice to ourselves professionally when we don’t take the time to share what we’re doing with colleagues while simultaneously learning from them (and occasionally stealing their ideas). They can reflect and question why and what you’re doing while also encouraging you to be at your best. And having these conversations over a beer or a walk in nature is even better.

We rarely stop to take a picture together, so this was a run in with each other this past summer! 

I have several quick meet-ups this week, but it started with my friend Stacey Rattner last night. Getting back home made me think how lucky I am to call her a colleague though she works in an elementary library and I work at a secondary one  in separate districts. We have so much in common, but we operate so differently. We want and believe the same things for our students and that kind of passion rekindles and spreads like an infectious disease. So how do we do it? We schedule it!

So you’re homework this week is to pick a former colleague, work wife or work husband, or current colleague that you just don’t see enough of and contact them for a meet up. It could be a quick drink or a quick walk, but don’t miss out on the opportunity.

It’s the little things that end up being the big things and nothing says that more than school spirit weeks with a side of national celebrations recognized at school.

Today marks the end of another spirit week and while I randomly participated in the past, I’m finding myself as a decade-long educator doing so more fervently. I can’t tell you why necessarily, but it’s a silly way to engage with students, laugh and joke, and be an active participant in the school’s culture. This week I

• Wore a school t-shirt to support “athletes and mathletes” on Monday
• Cosplayed as Harry Potter for memes, cartoons, and cosplay Tuesday
  • This entailed stealing my elementary-aged son’s Halloween costume
  • I struck a pose with other students from our Anime Club who went all out then also struck a pose with three other staff members who decided Harry Potter was the way to go too
• Wore an LL Bean robe and slippers for pajama day on Wednesday
• Slid on a polka dotted skirt for polka dot Thursday
• And today am donning another school t-shirt to recognize Falcon Friday

Likewise, February 1st (this past Friday) was World Hijab Day and to recognize and stand in support of our female students who wear hijabs, staff were encouraged to participate too. The library took it a step further and asked students to sign an “I support #WorldHijabDay because” poster to hang along our wall in addition to my twenty minutes of Youtube videos and practice on Thursday night to wear a hijab on Friday. As with school spirit week, the conversation was the rewarding part of the experience along with understanding more about the culture of our Muslim students and staff.

It might seem insignificant or a distraction, but as an educator it’s the least I can do to break up the monotony but also connect at that next level. No one is saying you must go out and buy polka dotted outfits if you own nothing with them (you’re not living until you wear polka dots), but making an effort can make you feel more fulfilled. Especially for an educator like me who isn’t always seen as 100% warm and fuzzy all of the time (I like procedures and policies), it makes me vulnerable in a way that helps me remember my role in student development and as a caring adult in their life.

So what the heck?! Throw some caution into the wind and wear your clothes inside out for that next spirit day or plan one if your school doesn’t already have one to pull everyone just a little bit closer.