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simple

A simple outfit for a tricky day. Black DKNY dress, belt from old navy, shoes from JC Penny. Bag from H&M, scarf from Macys. And yeah, I did tie my scarf on my bag to go with my belt. 

I’m trying to take pictures outside now that it’s not winter anymore but with my limited equipment in my shoebox size apartment there’s only so much I can do. Luckily, I should get some things to help soon, so hopefully better pictures will come. In the meantime, this is what it looks like outside my apartment.

dark tower

I’ve just finished book two of the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. The first book, The Gunslinger, introduces us to Roland, the last gunslinger. Gunslinger is pretty much what it sounds like, only way more badass. The first book whets your appetite for Roland’s world—one of many worlds—and touches on the surface of his quest for the tower, the evil of the Man in Black, and Roland’s troubling past that has left him without his family and friends. 

I still am not sure if I like Roland, but I respect him. His discipline and focus is admirable and though I haven’t quite figured out what his values are, I believe he has them and sticks to them. In book two, I think this quote sums up a lot of what Roland is: 

He was a romantic in his own harsh way..yet he was also realist enough to know that sometimes love actually did conquer all. 

Using the word “harsh” to describe Roland is a huge understatement. He goes where he needs to, for as long as he needs to, and does what he needs to, even if that includes losing the loved ones he has left to get closer to the Tower. Even if it includes losing his fingers and crawling for miles while his arm gets infected. Even if he kills 100 people without missing a shot. Why does he need to go to the Tower? I have no idea. But I’ll stick around to find out. 

Other quotes I liked:

  • The only contingency he had not learned how to bear was the possibility of his own madness.
  • It was an old yellow sound, like turning pages.
  • …but it’s very rotten. Like the ideas of certain people, maybe.
  • No, sugar was not cocaine, but Roland could not understand why anyone would want cocaine or any other illegal drug, for that matter, in a world where such a powerful one as sugar was so plentiful and cheap. 
  • Eddie was doing well. The gunslinger measured just how well by the fact that he was fighting naked.
  • “cliche. Do you know what that word means?” “It means what is always said or believed by people who think only a little or not at all.”

Just about every time I picked up these books I couldn’t put them down. Stephen King’s language is as beautiful and intriguing as the characters he’s introducing you to. He comes up with people and scenarios and sentences I couldn’t imagine in my entire life. 

One of my favorite moments in the first two books was when Detta/Odetta, the black woman who lives in the ’60s and doesn’t know she’s schizophrenic and who lost her legs when someone pushed her under a subway, looks into the gunslinger’s purse and is awed. Now this is a very manly purse. Here’s what I imagined was inside.

What’s in your bag? Bet it’s nothing like that.

clutch

I’ve probably worn this outfit a hundred times.

It’s easy, a black button up from H&M with Gap skinny pants and my striped shirt from Topshop. (Sweater from Uniqlo and watch from Target, if you are wondering.) And on the day I went to work after vacation was over, it was an easy thing to grab for because I knew already that it worked. But, this time, I added a fun clutch to tie it all together. I like this clutch. I like the gray and yellow color combination. I like that it tied my sweater and pants together and kind of played with the idea of stripes and texture. But most of all, I like that I made it. 

It’s knitted on the outside, black cotton on the inside. And it’s sturdy, so it will hold and of your things and fit into your hand without getting all droopy. 

I’ve been toying with this idea for a while and I really like the way it came out. I just need to make a few adjustments and then I hope I can share more with you!

Oh, and if you want to take your clutch to happy hour but need more room for work? just toss it in your bag and make the switch later.

Now that I’m back from vacation, it’s back to real life. But first, a few snapshots from the past week. I knew I was on vacation because the tiny bottles of booze at the airport had party hats. I also knew because I could stand in the ocean. We went to see my brother and his wonderful now-wife get married at a beautiful spot on St. John. Esmerelda was a permanent guest of the hotel. When I got home it was back to shlubby weekend style to run some errands. Or to just sit in the sunshine in the park. To see more in real time, find me on instagram at raenudson!

back

I am so tired. Since I’ve gotten back from vacation I’ve done very little other than buy oreos and watch this season of Secret Life of the American Teenager. I’m not perfect. Sorry I’m not sorry. 

I just got back from the Virgin Islands where I watched my brother get married. The wedding and the island were both beautiful, as you can see. 

It was an amazing week, full of family and the beach and iguanas.

That is the beach.

That is an iguana in a tree. Can you see him? He’s very sneaky.

But now I’m back! We should hang out and catch up.

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Some #fatcat to brighten this gloomy morning

(Source: http://www.adobe.com/)

Want to know a secret? I can’t take off my sweater today because I couldn’t get my dress all the way zipped up this morning. What’s worse is when you can’t reach to get it UNzipped.

50 ways to make 50 shades more interesting

Today in Sometimes I Read Things, I take a look back at the literary glory that was 50 Shades of Grey and add 50 ways I think it could be more interesting. If you need a refresher before you dive in, take a look at my thoughts on the book here. But you probably already know the gist of it. This list was compiled with the help of a fellow reader who also felt it was a little…lacking.

1. Christian’s secret is that he tortured and killed his mother’s pimp.
2. The charity he’s been donating to is actually a front for selling illegal arms in guerrilla warfare. I can’t decide if its better if he knows about it or finds out about it later.
3. Ana is actually kind of a ho and teaches Christian a few things
4. Ana gave a kid up for adoption before she met Christian
5. Christian is running a giant ponzi scheme
6. Christian is a pimp for expensive call girls that used to be his subs
7. Taylor, Christian’s live-in head of security, is secretly Christian’s biological father
10. Christian is an international gangster—that’s why he’s so rich
11. Christian opens a thesaurus and uses words for his mother that aren’t “crack whore”
12. Book is written from the perspective of Ana on the reality show “real girlfriends of Seattle”
13. Therapist Dr. Flynn falls in love with Ana and messes with Christians head in anger/jealousy
14. Taylor, the male head of the security team, and Christian had a secret illicit affair
15. Ana becomes a businesswoman and rivals Christian at work
16. I would also like to acknowledge that to receive an email on Ana’s blackberry, it would have to be sent to her personal email address, and for her to receive an email on her work computer, it would have to be sent to her work email address. These are different things. Also, does no one else ever send Ana an email?
17. Ana finds Viagra in his apartment
18. Someone at least once does something embarrassing during sex, i.e. falling off the bed, can’t get bra unhooked, etc.
19. They lived in a world where hangovers exist
20. They stopped arguing about how they don’t deserve each other
21. Christian makes $100,000 an hour? hahahahaha, please
22. Ana actually had a computer since, you know, she’s an A student and lives in the 21st century and has a job
23. The sex scenes were better. Yeah, I said it.
24. Ana was into dominating and Christian was not
25. Darfur seems to be thrown around a lot without anyone actually seeming to know why, so maybe we could pick a less trendy cause for Christian?
26. Christian has an older sister that surfaces
27. There is a hostile takeover of Grey’s company
28. Christian accidentally killed a submissive
29. Christian is a secret serial killer of pimps
30. Ana is already using birth control
31. Ana is a lesbian
32. Ana has a life-threatening disease that one of Christian’s research teams can cure…but she’s not telling
33. Ana likes being a submissive and later wants her own sub
34. Christian is gay
35. Christian’s real dad shows up and wants money
36. Christian’s real dad shows up and is also very rich
37. Christian’s real dad shows up and tries to kill Christan because he doesn’t want any other heirs around
38. Call the book 50 shades of red..amp up the sadism
39. Christian’s company sells the sex products and he tests them
40. Jose begins to stalk gray to do away with him
41. Kate feels she deserved Christian and goes after him
42. Someone starts blackmailing Christian…and it’s ?…Take your pick
43. Christian’s mom is still alive and is looking for him
44. Christian finds out he already has a kid he didn’t know about
45. Ana reads modern fiction/science fiction/anything other than romantic English literature
46. Ana likes make-up and shopping and realizes this does not make her any less smart
47. Someone at his work files a suit because he only hires attractive blonde women
48. Same story, half the length
49. Christian is ugly, Ana falls for him anyway
50. Everyone stopped saying the phrase “mighty fine” forever

Got your own ideas? Leave them in the comments!

I’ve since finished the 50 Shades trilogy and have moved on to better and brighter-titled literature Hot Pink by Adam Levin. It is just what I needed to cleanse my palate.

Keep up with me on Goodreads! And, as always, if you need a way to carry your trashy and not trashy books, check out Rae’s Days on Etsy!


P.S. I can’t take credit for this whole list, so my thanks to another 50 Shades reader who always has the time and wit to talk books.

#fatcat took a very long nap this weekend and was very blob-like in the process. Also this weekend I made Pioneer Woman’s bruschetta and it was delicious. I forgot to get crusty bread at the store so a bagel did in a pinch. I went to the eye doctor after I had some trouble reading the display signs at the museum last weekend. So I got new glasses! I was also told to probably not read for so many hours in the day without taking a break, whoops. In the park, some sidewalk men try to hold hands. Or, you know, it’s sidewalk paint to show where people should walk. Also, the lake was looking particularly lovely. 

I hope your week was great! To see more snapshots during the week, I’m on instagram as raenudson.

back to work

The past weekend was really fun, but work has definitely kicked up a notch this week. To keep my spirits up, I threw a few of my favorite things into one outfit. 

Chambray! Again. From Lands End. Skirt from Zara, sweater from Uniqlo (50% off heyyy), necklace from Dannijo, shoes from JC Penny. Belt from Old Navy. I think I’d like to add some jingly bracelets to this look, but I can’t wear too many at work or they jingle too much when I type. Also, you can’t really see them, but my nails are orange. Which I liked.