A Perfect Day at the Ballpark... Except for One (Big) Thing

For reasons that nobody in my family, including me, really understands, I became a hardcore sports fan when I was 10. Every morning, I would make a beeline for the sports pages. I could recite  all sorts of random statistics at the drop of a hat. My bedroom walls were lined with sports posters. My family thought I was some sort of alien.

If my father had cared about sports, it's possible I would have ended up a Pirates fan, but he didn't, so I chose my teams. And, as would be the case with almost any kid choosing their loyalties from New York, I chose the Knicks and the Yankees, because in those days, they were the ones who were winning. (Yes, I know. I have paid dearly for those Knicks teams of the 90s in recent years.)

Over time, my obsession wained and became more of a hobby. I still pay attention, but if you asked me to name, say, C.C. Sabathia's ERA, I would certainly not be able to summon that information from anywhere in my brain. But because this was the summer of the Bucket List, I made sure to head to Yankees Stadium. My friend Yossi, who is (along with his wife Brooke) among the hardest of the core, was kind enough to accompany to a day game on a BEAUTIFUL day the last week of August.

One of the things I liked best about the Yankees, even as a kid (besides, you know, all of the winning) was how classy they were. Mariana Rivera (hence my t-shirt), Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams-- those core guys stayed out of the tabloids, kept their heads down, and got things done. As a mediocre athlete with a strong sense of sportsmanship, I think that appealed to me. So it was fun, before the game, to head with Yossi into Monument Park, where so many Yankees of that era have had their numbers retired. Even if it also made me feel sort of old. But also like I got to watch players I might tell my kids about one day. Hate on the Yankees, as I'm sure many of you do and will, but you have admit that they have history.

The perfect day for some mediocre baseball.

 The weather was perfect. Monument Park was so cool. There were kosher pretzels and ice cream. The recipe for a dream day at the ball park. Except...

The Yankees forgot how to play baseball for the fifth inning. They remembered again later in the game, but by then it was too late. And, as happened earlier this week in the Wild Card game, the Astros just totally shut them down. It was not pretty, the score was not close, and even that score suggested it was closer than it was. Oh well.

But part of being a true fan is picking your head up and carrying on. So I am doing my best to get my nephews (and niece, when she's older) to cheer for the Yanks. Because their father is a Red Sox fan, and that just won't do.

Pinstripes forever! See you at Spring Training.

And because this is a fashion blog, at least theoretically... Yes, I am wearing red pants! It took me a long time to get up the courage, but now I have somehow managed to accumulate two pairs. Go figure. These are the casual ones. I love them.

Also, yes, my Converse have holes in them. I know, they're disgusting. One day I will throw them out. It turns out Converse aren't supposed to last 10 years. But man, do I love them so...

What I'm wearing: LOFT cropped khakis (similar here), Yankees t-shirt (similar here), '47 baseball hat (similar here), Converse sneakers (not made in this color anymore, but similar here)

What My Body Does! Plus Stitch Fix Update

Hi friends! I hope you all are having a glorious weekend.

To state the obvious, this is a fashion blog, which means I spend most (although not all) of my time here thinking and writing about what I look like. However, I want to take a brief detour for today, and take a few minutes to talk about what it means to appreciate what my body can do. So if you came to look at my outfit, my apologies, and come back tomorrow! Otherwise, read on, friends.

Have you ever thought about how amazing the things your body can do are? It's something we often take for granted, until our bodies stop working properly. (In fact, in Judaism, we have a blessing called Asher Yatzar that we say every time we go to the bathroom that thanks God for making sure all of the parts of our bodies work and allow us to function.) In the meantime, we tend to focus on how we look, and (unfortunately) on where we perceive flaws.

I'm as guilty of this as anyone. I try to have good body image and appreciate what my body can do, instead of focusing on the tiny little perceived flaws that nobody else even sees. But it's hard too much of the time. So today, I am going to write a mini ode to my body.

My new running shoes! I did not pick the color.
But at least nobody can say they didn't see me coming?

It all started around Passover, when my sister Rebecca was telling us about how she was using the Couch to 5K app to get back into shape after having a baby in December. We decided it would be fun to do a race, and set a goal of doing a 10K at the end of the summer. I am a very regular gym goer, as it keeps my anxiety in check, but I've always been afraid of outside running, which is much harder for me than running on the treadmill. However, obviously the 10K will be outside, so I decided to bite the bullet and start training now, before it got too too hot. (Just goes to show that man plans and God laughs, because when I went out at 8:00 morning, it was already in the 70s with 90% humidity. Oh well.) So far I've done four outside runs and I'm doing so much better than I thought!

Because you know what? Despite the insane amount of sweating and the fact that it was so humid that my glasses got all fogged up, I ran 6 miles in an hour! I'm sure I will feel it tomorrow, but for today, I am so proud of myself and my body. So even though there will inevitably be the days when I look in the mirror and feel unhappy with what I see, for now, I am feeling grateful for what my body can do. So consider this a reminder that even when we wear the world's cutest outfits, we should feel even better about what's happening underneath.

Okay, cheese over. In other news, here's an update on my Stitch Fix. Somebody bought the white shirt I didn't like from my last fix from me, so I ended up keeping all five items. I'm hoping to be able to sell the black shirt, which I think is too big, because I decided I would be sad to send the green and pink one back. Since it would have cost more to send only the black shirt back, it didn't make sense to give up the 25% discount. So there we have it. A win for Alison. Thanks to everyone who weighed in! (And if you're interested in buying the Daniel Rainn shirt, feel free to email me here.) Want to try out these super cute looks? Sign up for your own fix here!

What have you done lately that's made you feel proud of, and grateful for, your body?