Firmoo

Who decided that glasses were a librarian thing? I mean, I'm sure just as many doctors and baristas wear glasses as librarians.

Anyway, I was asked to review a pair of Firmoo glasses, and since glasses and librarians are somehow inexorably linked, I figured I'd do it. Full disclosure: the company sent them to me for free.

Even if you have to pay for a pair, though, you can afford them. These are the ones I chose, and they're only $16 (not including shipping). I guess they are so cheap because they come straight from the factory in China?  I'm not sure where the company is based, but their website is (adequately, but obviously) translated into English. 

The customer service rep I spoke with was kind and very quick at responding to emails. Shipping only took four days (from China), although it was a week from the day I ordered to the day they shipped. The actual quality of the glasses is about what you'd expect. I mean, I'm not afraid they're going to snap any second, but I'm also not expecting them to last forever.

The only big negative I have about Firmoo is their selection. It's nowhere near as extensive as Warby Parker or Coastal. It was pretty easy to narrow down my options.

Overall, though, definitely worth checking out!

Firmoo gives new customers their first pair of glasses free--you just have to pay shipping. Click HERE if you're interested.

Modcloth Sale

You may remember back in August when Modcloth had their crazy end-of-summer sale and I bought a bunch of stuff (and then swore off shopping for the remainder of the year).

Well, they're at it again. 70% off people. Here's what I snagged:

I feel like they don't have as much cute stuff available (perhaps because it's day 2 of the sale already), but it's definitely worth checking out if you're interested.

(And if you use this link, you'll get $15 off any $50+ purchase!)

On New School Years

Classes at Point Loma started last week, and I've been training up TEN new student employees. That's a lot, considering I currently have 16 total. It's been nice, and they all seem really enthusiastic and ready to learn, which is great.

It's especially interesting because now there are only 4 students left who were my co-workers before I became their supervisor. So the majority of my students just see me as their "boss," and not, you know, like a regular human being who was also a student worker not-too-long-ago. Which is good and bad, I guess.

Next year all the students will have been hired by me.

It makes me feel a little old. I realize that I graduated two years ago and have been in this position as long. It's really flown by, and what's weirder is that there's not really an end in sight. I could easily be in this office for five (or seven? or ten?) more years. Who knows?

Being a grown up is weird.

Anyway, classes of my second year of my MLIS start up in three weeks and I'm dreading having to actually do school again but looking forward to being a bit closer to completing my degree.

Welp. Boring post is boring.

Here is a photo of my and my friend/New Testament professor Kara wearing our matching shoes on the first day of classes:

ModCloth Sale!

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.

ModCloth is having their annual Summer's Last Hurrah sale. Now, this isn't any old sale, where you save a measly 10-20%. We're talking 70% off, people. As in, I bought a $100 dress for $30. As in, a cart that would have cost me nearly $400 (except I never would have spent that much) only cost me about $120.

Check out my haul:

 Something about the beginning of the school year makes me absolutely HAVE to buy new clothes. I really can't help it. And I'm so excited to start the new year with this cute (and cheap!) stuff from ModCloth.

Go check it out yourself!

Your'e welcome, little ModCloth pug. You're welcome.

Warby Parker Home Try On

If you follow me on any social media at all, you've probably already seen this because I'm a narcissist and a terrible person.

But I am also posting here. Because it's my hot blog and I do what I want.

Warby Parker is great--really good-looking frames, and really affordable (most are $95 including prescription). They let you pick out five frames to be sent to your home (for FREE) for a five-day trial, with no pressure to purchase. AND for every pair of glasses you buy they donate a pair to someone in need. Although according to their website, the program is WAY BETTER than just dumping a bunch of glasses in a poor neighborhood in the third world. They work with nonprofit VisionSpring to train optometrists and entrepreneurs--it's really a bout community building.

Anyway, I'm trying to decide on a pair of frames to buy. So help me out.

I'm going to the optometrist next Saturday (for the first time in two years, oops) and I'm fairly certain I need a new prescription. So I'm excited to purchase some nifty new frames.

Every time I think I've decided on one (or narrowed it down) I change my mind.

Let me know what you think!

(Also, please note that nowhere in this post --uh except here of course-- did I say anything about librarians and glasses. Because guess what people--wearing glasses does not make you "look" like a librarian!)

ALA12: Packing

If I'm being completely honest, packing for my first professional conference has made me want to just go out and buy all new clothes.

I don't know how many blog posts I've read about what to wear, and all of them are so ambivalent: dress professionally, but not too dressy;  it's summer so dress cool, but there's AC everywhere so bring a jacket; you'll be in meetings all day, but don't forget about the social night life part.

I'll be meeting so many new people, hanging out with colleagues from my cohort, making a million first impressions. This is too stressful.

At this point, all I've decided on is lipstick.

So, you know, if you see a girl walking around in underwear and red lipstick, that's me.

Wardrobe Wednesday: Colored Skinny Jeans

The colored pants trend is hardly news, but I wanted to talk about it because it's summer and I have such a hard time getting dressed in the morning since the library is so slow and I can go virtually a whole day without talking to a single person but at the same time it's unacceptable to wear pajamas.

So. Colored skinny jeans are the best because they are just as easy to wear as regular jeans, but a little more exciting. Plus all you need to wear them with is a chambray shirt or a plain white button-up and somehow it's leaps and bounds better than just blue jeans and a t-shirt.

It's practically magic.

So here are some fun colors I've been looking at.

one // two // three // four // five

Wardrobe Wednesday: Sparkly Tights

Alternatively, this post could be entitled "Why My Desk Chair is Now Covered in Glitter," but that seemed a bit long.The point is, they are tights with sparkly stars. And they were only $3! Not that the price really matters, because anyone who knows me will vouch for the fact that I cannot pass up glitter, whatever the cost.

Wardrobe Wednesday: Leopard Print as Neutral

I picked up these heels at Target over the my-boyfriend-is-gone-and-I'm-bored weekend, because I just couldn't resist. And when I got home, I realized I'd completed my leopard print shoe trifecta, which is great because I now have leopard print shoes for all occasions--wedges, flats, and pumps.

They seem a little wild, but I honestly consider leopard print a neutral. It really goes with everything! It adds some interest to a black/white/grey day, and can also balance a brightly colored pant (like these maybe?) with its bold pattern.

What say you? Am I crazy for proclaiming leopard print as neutral? Or are you with me on this one?

Weekend Update

This weekend, I

• Tried to get a jump on reading for class. I've finished 2/8 of the articles.


• Had breakfast at a really cute little diner in Mission Hills called The Huddle. BEST strawberry-rhubarb jam EVER.


• Borrowed luggage from a friend for my trip.


• Cleaned my apartment so I don't come home to a mess when I get back.


• Baked pumpkin cupcakes (my student employees are now reaping the benefits).


• Started packing.


• And therefore sent my boyfriend about a billion outfit photos so I could get some input on what to bring. Case in point:

I leave for Seattle tomorrow. Can't believe it. Super nervous, but also excited! Lots to do before then.

P.S. If you want to keep up with my weekends in real time, follow me on Twitter! I'll be tweeting a lot when I'm in Seattle too.

Looking Like a Student

Most days, when I get up and get dressed, I have one question in mind: How do I not look like a student?

I know this post might seem kind of funny directly following that last post about how sad I am that I'm not a student, but oh well.

It's true, I am only 22 years old, and I did just graduate 8 months ago, so it shouldn't bother me that I look like a student. But I do supervise students (most of whom I consider my peers and with whom I worked when I was a student), and I interact often with faculty, so I have this need (however self-imposed) to exert my authority by the way I dress. I want people to take me seriously as a professional!

Usually heels are a good place to start. When you wear heels, people automatically assume that you are up to something fancy. Or you're an adult. It helps if you can actually walk in them, so you don't look like a stumbling baby giraffe.

Also, anything but jeans. This has been a difficult transition for me, since that is what I wear most often and what I am most comfortable in. But if you are wearing a pencil skirt or slacks, you are immediately upgraded from denim-clad student-hood. If I do wear jeans, I try to pair them with a button-up or a frilly blouse so people know I didn't just wake up in a dorm room bunk in a T-shirt and walk across campus.

My library is pretty casual, and there's no real dress code involved, so technically there's nothing wrong with wearing jeans and a T-shirt (many of the librarians go this route daily), but for me, dressing up a little makes me feel more like a grown-up, and like I belong in this office with an ocean view.

Here's what I wore on the first day of classes:

Frilly blouse, slacks, and heels. Went all-out for the first day. Mostly wanted to look like I knew something for the benefit of new students.

Despite all this, sometimes it's nice being mistaken for a student. Today I got a free lunch because the cafeteria worker swiped my ID card as a student and didn't charge me as staff. Oops.