Striving for Mediocrity!

Remember when I said I was going to take a break from the regular posts to write about Nepal? Well, slight change in plans. You see, I have a lot of jet lag and a terrible cold, plus a comp looming in the very, very near future. My brain is not functioning fully, but I don't want to abandon all of you again so soon after I returned. Since I want to think carefully about how I write about Nepal, that is now on hold. So consider this a break from the break of our regularly scheduled program.

Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, three sisters decided that they should run a 10k. Super athletic people that they were, their goal was simple: make it to the end, together, without anyone dying on the course. And in honor of this quest for mediocrity, they wore matching t-shirts, designating each of them as "The World's Okayest Runner."

Said 10k was on Roosevelt Island, which was great because it's flat and also very beautiful, right on the water. We made sure to take many pictures before we started running because we are sweaters, and we wanted to look nice and pretty. Here we are:

Don't we look happy? It was actually very fun! So much fun that Simon decided to join in about halfway through, running the last 3 miles or so with us. There's nothing like a 7 year old who can keep up with you despite not wearing sneakers or training to make you feel good about yourself. Ah, to be young again.

Simon joins in!

Having achieved our goal of mediocrity, we will be running a 5k Turkey Trot this Sunday. Simon will be joining us, and we shall wear silly hats. In the meantime, I highly recommend these t-shirts, as they are super soft and allowed us to own our athletic limitations. Okayest forever!

View from the tram to the island

Here I am fake crossing the finish line. Even we were not so slow as to take 1:27 to run 6 miles. You can tell it's me because of my neon pink sneakers. Just because you're sweaty doesn't mean you can't look cute, right?

Note: this is a simulation.

You can get your world's okayest t-shirt (available in a number of varieties so choose your mediocrity!) here.

What to Wear to Ride an Elephant

Dear readers, I have returned! I know you all missed me terribly, so let's get to it.

As you know, I just spent a little less than two weeks in Nepal. It was an incredible trip-- fun, thought provoking, educational, beautiful, and challenging (in a good way.) I still have things to post from before I went, but I'm going to hold off for now and instead dedicate my next few posts to the trip, while the memories are still fresh in my mind. As I go, I'll also offer some tips for thinking about modesty while traveling, on a few different levels.

Off we go!

One of the things I was most looking forward to on this trip was the wildlife, and especially the elephants. This is partly because I grew up seeing a picture of my grandparents riding an elephant when they went to Nepal, and it looked so fun. So when my uncle first sent the itinerary and there was an elephant ride on it, I was VERY excited.

A few things to know about elephants. There used to be many different species, but unfortunately, now most of them are extinct. The two main remaining categories are African elephants and Asian elephants. The Asian ones are smaller and more easily trained. All are in danger of extinction and are difficult to breed in captivity. The breeding center we visited, in Chitwan (in the south of Nepal, where the land is flatter and the weather is warmer), was the second of its kind, and has had a pretty high success rate.

Look at the baby! Is that not the cutest thing ever???

The goal is to raise and train the elephants humanely, without using chains whenever possible. Obviously, there are some complicated ethical questions about people using elephants for their own need, but it's one of those conservation issues, where domesticating a small part of the population tends to lead to fewer threats for the ones in the wild. At the breeding center we visited, the domesticated females were bred with the wild males. The babies are trained from when they are about three years old, and each elephant has three trainers dedicated to him or her.

The full look, plus a younger sister as an extra accessory.

After we visited the breeding center, we went on an elephant safari of sorts. Again, complicated ethically, but also just so cool. And, as it turns out, really bumpy and super uncomfortable. But also totally worth it.

As you can sort of see in the above picture, you ride with your legs around a pole so as not to slide off. Therefore, this is not an activity to be done in a skirt. Also, because we were riding through the jungle, full coverage was a must. (Believe it or not, I had to pull a leach off that day. I know, gross.) I found the yoga pants (not too tight) were best for this activity, as they are very stretchy and also flexible, which meant I didn't have to think about adjusting them at all. Sneakers were a must. My hair did not much care for Nepal (it is a country of straight haired people) so I mostly covered it up, and I added my RBG t-shirt because RBG rules everywhere. Even in Nepal, on an elephant.

And we all made it off in one piece. Thanks elephant! We will love you forever.

Fall Bucket List, Life Bucket List (AKA Gone Fishin')

As you know, I have a fall/ winter bucket list. I also have a life bucket list. It's not as well thought out, but going to Nepal is DEFINITELY on it. My Aunt Champa is Nepalese, and I've wanted to go for as long as I can remember.

And now, after talking about it and planning for literally a whole year (before the blog even existed!) I'm leaving for Nepal tomorrow! AHHHHHH!!!!! I am very excited. A number of my relatives are already there, as of the end of last week, but I am joining a few days late on account of very much wanting to be at Sarit and Abe's wedding. (So yes, I am going to the airport tomorrow after I go to a bris AND a wedding. Exhausting, yes, but happy things, thankfully.)

I am literally jumping for joy

While I'm there, I won't be updating the blog, but I will have many stories and pictures when I return. If you would like to see what's happening in real time (or almost real time), feel free to follow me on Instagram: @curlyhairglasses. I'll be posting there when I have internet access. And I'll be back here on the blog in a few weeks. In the meantime, hopefully I (and all of you, if you're so inclined) will have some great adventures. See you all soon!

#100! And Some Reflections on Blog Having

OMG, dear readers. This is our ONE HUNDRETH BLOG POST!!!! Can you believe it? If you have read every single post-- and I know some of you are out there-- then pat yourself on the back! And please accept my deep thanks for your loyalty to this crazy, funny, hopefully enjoyable project.

 So since we are up to the 100th post, I thought I would take a time out from our regularly scheduled shenanigans and reflect a bit on what it's been like for me to write this blog.

 As some of you know, I basically started this blog on a whim. I walked into the library one day and said, "I think I want to start a modest fashion blog." And one of my friends said, "You should do it!" And thus Curly Hair with Glasses was born.

 Because it was not a thought-out process, I wasn't really sure what to expect. Were people going to read? Was I going to feel too shallow and self-indulgent? Would I have enough to say? Is my wardrobe really so interesting? I made a deal with myself which was basically, if and when it stopped being fun, I would shut the whole thing down. It should never feel like an obligation.

 So from this angle, this has been a big success. Every week or so, someone tends to shyly tell me that they love the blog. Which is so nice! So I say, Don't be shy! I love the blog too! And I write it to make you happy! So please keep the feedback coming.

 Also, it's fun for me. It's a great chance to get out of my head and think about something other than the Talmud or how stressful grad school is. A nice little self-contained study break, and a chance to say some things, if only in writing/ virtually. (One of the craziest things about grad school is how easy it is to go a whole day without talking to anyone.)

 Additionally, the blog has made me stretch myself in some surprising ways. For example, take the summer bucket list. While it's possible I would have done it without the blog, I'm not convinced. And then it ended up being one of the best things I ever did, so much so that I'm doing another one. The blog pushed me to do new, exciting, and interesting things, if only to have things to write about.

 The blog has also helped me define my modesty boundaries. I know that might sound strange, especially since I haven't written an On Modesty in a while (soon, I promise!), but sometimes when I'm trying something on, I think, Would I feel comfortable putting this on the blog? And if the answer is no, then I have to think about why that is, and whether I think I should actually be wearing it. While I certainly am not organized enough to take blog pictures every day, I try not to wear anything that I wouldn't feel comfortable being photographed in. It's been a surprisingly helpful barometer.

 Finally, it's made me push my fashion boundaries. While I had a vague sense that I wore something similar most days, I didn't realize the extent of it until I started writing about my clothes. Since then, I have experimented a lot more with colors, patterns, and things I thought couldn't work for my body. Do I look my best every day? Probably not. But I would rather try something than stay away because I'm too scared. True for clothes, true for life. And if I didn't make poor choices sometimes, then there would be no pictures for my future children to laugh at how silly I looked. So there you go, future children. This one is for you.

 So thank you all for reading! I hope you're enjoying this funny little journey we're on together, because I certain am. Please leave your comments below, if you have any, telling me what you like, don't love, or what to see going forward. Here's to the next 100 posts!

A Leopard Print Fanny Pack and a Shabbat Kallah

No, not my leopard print fanny pack. Don't you know me at all???

By now, you all know about Sarit, as I write about her all the time. The reason I write about her all the time is because she is the best. Well, luckily for everyone, her fiance Abe had the common sense to recognize her best-ness, and they are getting married on Sunday!

I'm not much for wedding-related events. I like weddings, but bachelorette parties are not my speed and showers are boring. However, the one tradition I really love is a Jewish one, called a Shabbat Kallah. The Shabbat Kallah takes place before the wedding-- sometimes right before, sometimes a few weeks before-- and is a chance for the bride's friends and family to gather to tell stories and offer blessings to the bride as she gets ready to embark on the next phase of her life. And eat a lot of cake, because really, why not.

I threw Sarit a Shabbat Kallah a few weeks ago. We don't have any pictures from the event itself, as we don't take pictures on Shabbat, but once Shabbat was over, we took a couple. And here they are!

The first time I ever met Sarit, she was very very ill and I was trying not to catch her germs. The second time, we were on our way to Mexico with American Jewish World Service, and she was wearing a leopard print fanny pack. Or should I say, rocking it. Because that's the thing about Sarit. She is fully who she is, and owns it all the time. Even when it involves fanny packs. So in honor of this great occasion, she broke it out again, as you can see below. (There was also a purple feathered crown, but that had sadly been taken off by this point.)

I always find the seasonal transition a little challenging in terms of what to wear. If it's too hot to wear boots but too cold to not wear tights, I sometimes have trouble figuring out which shoes would make sense. These are my first pair of booties. You can't see them so well in the picture, I now realize, but they look sort of like a low boot type of oxfords. A little funny looking, but I am very into them and you will definitely be seeing them again soon.

Obviously there will be a post about Sarit's wedding, if only because the dress I am wearing is awesome. But in the meantime, let me take this chance to say, here's to one of the best people I know, who is one of the best friends I have. Yay and mazel tov to Sarit and Abe!

What I'm wearing: Boden skirt (old, similar here), Charter Club cardigan, Kosher Casual shell, Lucky Brand booties (this season's version here), Hue tights

Adventures in Pattern Mixing

One of the fashion trends that most intrigues me but also scares me is pattern mixing. When done well, it looks so cool. And when done badly, you just look sort of like a three year old who insisted on dressing herself. (Not that that's not bad for said three year old. But three year olds can pull of things that 30 year olds cannot.)

Our super elegant, not at all dated or ugly hallway

One of my fashion resolutions for the new year was to be more adventurous in my clothing choices. So when I saw this dress at Fox's it seemed to fit the bill perfectly. It mixed patterns, but in a way that worked because it was made that way. It was a shape that I was comfortable with, to make up for the less comfortable pattern mixing. Plus, it had sleeves. And it fit perfectly. The only problem-- it was about three inches too short.

But wait! There was a large hem! So I bought the dress and took it straight to the tailor who told me no problem, he could definitely let it out. Hurrah! Never underestimate the power of getting things tailored. It can change the whole ball game.

I wore it to synagogue the first night of Rosh Hashanah, and then a couple of more times since. The fabric is a scuba-type stretch, so it's versatile enough to be worn with sandals or with boots. I love it when I don't have to put my dresses away for the winter.

Here's a close up of the patterns:

I get many compliments every time I wear it. And I love it more every time. Look for it to be back on the blog soon, styled for winter.

And now, back to my books. Enjoy the last of the weekend, everyone!

What I'm wearing: Taylor mixed print dress (here, but for a lot more than I paid for it), Dr. Scholls sandals (similar here)

Good Bye Bucket List. Hello, Bucket List!

There is a traditional Aramaic prayer said at the end of learning any significant body of text called the Hadran. The word Hadran, which means "we will return," states our desire to return to the text we have learned, and that the text will return to us as well.

Now, you might wonder, Rachel, why are you writing about Aramaic prayers when this is supposed to be a modest fashion blog??? (A better question might be, Rachel, why are you updating your blog when you are supposed to be reading the Cambridge Companion to Rabbinic Literature? But I have no good answer for that.) Here is why: because as soon as I finished this bucket list, I started a new one!

As I said, I did, in fact, finish every single thing on the bucket list shortly before Labor Day. The last two things-- walking a bridge and going to Brooklyn Bridge Park-- were done together, with my favorite nephews and niece (and their parents.)

Simon is super into engineering these days, so he was very into how the bridge worked. And we all agreed that Brooklyn Bridge park was both fun and beautiful, if SUPER hipster Brooklyn. (For example, artisanal lemonade. You can't make this stuff up.) We made it across the Brooklyn Bridge, took Maddie on her first carousel, ate ice cream, and went to a playground where everything was about moving water around.

My favorite part was probably the Please Touch art installation/ splash pad. As you can see in the pictures below, it was a grid of four boxes with water that flowed up on the grid lines. The water would stop and start on a cycle, so it was actually possible to go inside of the grid without getting wet. But it was very hot out, so I decided to take a different route:

Was I soaked all day? Yup. But totally worth it. It was actually as fun as it looked in that picture.

I've decided to do another bucket list for fall/ winter. I understand that most people do not need to make lists of fun things to get them to leave the house, but I am not most people. I found it really helpful to have a written account of all of the things I wanted to do because you know what-- then I actually did them! I tried a lot of new things this summer, was much more social than I might have been inclined to be otherwise, never felt like I had nothing to do, and never had a day that I regretted doing things on the bucket list. In fact, I think I would do them all again. So maybe I will next summer. But for now, the seasons have switched (although not in St. Louis, where I am right now, where it is currently 83 degrees) and so will my activities. New list coming soon!

And finally, here is a picture of Maddie enjoying the sprinklers after we had to take off all of her clothes because she tried to eat ice cream with her hands. Third children, man, I'm telling you.

What I'm wearing: Eshakti dress (old, similar here), Kosher Casual shell, Rebecca's hat that I borrowed because it was too sunny and I am very pale

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram! @curlyhairglasses