Morning view from my hotel window. You can see the river glimmering under the interestate overpass there. I might go out again in a bit and walk the Riverwalk, just a couple of blocks down.
Yesterday: much travel. I left home at 8, landed in Milwaukee just after 3, checked into my hotel at 4. Was picked up at 6:30 for the evening's reading, which was very well attended and much fun. Didn't . . . really . . . ever have an actual meal yesterday, but otherwise, it was a good day.
Today: slept in a little, showered, dressed, went out for coffee and a chorizo-and-egg bun (very welcome by that point) with a medievalist friend who teaches at Marquette. Much conversation, a really good time.
Now I'm back in and have just read over and made additional speaking notes on my script for my conference presentation --- which seems to be holding up okay. I'm still nervous, but not as consumed with utter terror as I had been.
Again, I think that later on I'll go back out and walk the Riverwalk, then maybe go back to this morning's coffee shop, because I know where it is, and pick up a couple of their little crustless quiches to have for my supper tonight. That's kind of more appealing than venturing the hotel restaurant by myself.
What have I been wearing?
-Yesterday, to travel and read:
*Secondhand Not Perfect Linen Mama maxi dress (S) in Caffe Mocha, bought September 2024, last worn October 13. This was the third wear for this dress, I believe, since I bought it at the end of September. And I was reminded how much I love it. The color is a great almost-neutral, and I appreciated that in the 80-degree-Farenheit weather I discovered on landing in Milwaukee, I could take off my big cardigan and not feel too bare.
*Secondhand Eileen Fisher merino cardigan coat, bought September 2024, last worn October 26. This is fast becoming a total staple of my cool-weather wardrobe. Temps are supposed to drop throughout the midwest this week, so I'll be glad I have it with me.
*Snag merino tights in Red Velvet Cake, bought spring or summer 2023, entering their second season of wear. You can see how burgundy/purple these actually are, rather than red. They make a great tone-on-tone almost-neutral pairing with the purply gray of this dress.
*Xero Tari boots, bought summer 2022, another staple in their third season of wear.
I switched out the cardigan for my green corduroy blazer for the evening, though I quickly shed the blazer. Again, I was glad to feel still dressed when I took off my top layer. And a sweet young woman at the reading told me she loved my dress!
Today:
*Wool& Fiona dress (M) in Teal, bought November 2022, last worn October 26. Threw this dress in at the last minute, and I'm glad I did. It's really the perfect dress for a warmish fall day, with a high of 76F. I always feel good and effortlessly put-together when I wear it.
*Secondhand Ann Tayor cashmere/rabbit hair cardigan, bought October 2024, last worn October 10, I think. I can see this being another staple this season. I hadn't tried it with teal before, but I really like the combo quite a lot.
*Secondhand Earth Shoe Mary Janes, bought August 2024. These are indeed great shoes for travel, and very comfortable for city walking. I like them equally with tights and bare legs, which is fortunate in this weird, unseasonably warm weather.
What I wound up packing for my travel capsule:
*NPL Mama dress (worn to travel in yesterday)
*NPL Cinnamon Rose Leila dress (which I might or might not wear, but I thought it would be nice to have the option)
*Wool& Teal Fiona
*Wool& Marine Blue Fiona
*Wool& Pacific Brooklyn
*Wool& Beetroot Brooklyn (which again, is kind of a wild card, but I thought it might be nice to have it as an option, since I did have room for it)
*Eileen Fisher cardigan coat (worn to travel in yesterday)
*Ann Taylor magenta cashmere/rabbit blazer cardigan
*Calvin Klein moss-green cordury blazer
*JonesNY blue rayon shrug cardigan
*Cream cashmere bolero/shrug cardigan with crystals (maybe a little flashy, but it does look nice with things, in case I really want to dress up one evening)
*Tari boots (worn to travel in yesterday)
*Earth Shoe Mary Janes
*Birk Papillio wedges
*Merino tights in Red Velvet Cake, Royal Navy, Sand Dollar, and whatever the darkest gray is --- Storm Cloud, maybe?
*Black cashmere footless tights
*Teal silk velour scarf, which makes any outfit instantly dressier
So, this seems ample for six days, but it all fit pretty handily in my carry-on backpack, with just a little overflow into my daypack. I did indulge myself in extra dress choices, because stress and decision fatigue go hand-in-hand, and I just couldn't eliminate live possibilities. What I didn't bring (except to sleep in) was a swing dress, because I just like how I look better in dresses with at least some defined waist (even if, as in the case of the Mama dress, the waist is fairly loose and not fitted). Everything I have potentially to wear is something I feel confident wearing and feel good in.
It's also worth noting that I wore my bulkiest clothing items to travel yesterday, rather than packing them. I'm glad that at this stage, anyway, airlines don't count your coat or large cardigan as a "personal item." I could get away with wearing the outfit pictured above and carrying my full-size carry-on backpack (which went in the overhead bin) and my daypack (into which I fit my purse, so I don't have to carry the pack all the time, and which went under the seat).
Anyway, I had been kind of dreading this whole week, but as I had hoped, now that I'm launched on it I don't feel nearly so anxious. So much anxiety is bound up just in travel logistics --- will the plane be on time? will my Uber be okay? will the hotel not have lost my reservation? All those hurdles cleared, I feel a good bit better and more relaxed, and I can look forward to a few days of reconnecting with friends, which is what the conference experience will mostly be about.
Still feeling a little tired from being sick on Sunday --- I think that was a virus, as well as anxiety, and although I mostly feel well, there's still that lingering shadow of a headache and fatigue. So I'm taking it easy, hanging in my hotel room, reading (my friend Jacob loaded me up with some marvelous books of his) and writing and resting, though again I want to go out and walk a little later, to see more of the downtown.
Posting here will be spotty over the next few days, but I will take outfit photos to include when I do get around to knocking a post together.
Also: today marks the beginning of the last week of my 50s. A week from today: the beginning of a new decade, full of surprises I feel sure.
