the preppy prof

my fair lady

2009-05-04T15:00:00.001-07:00

happy 80th birthday, audrey!

a derby-day award

2009-05-02T09:35:00.001-07:00

thanks a million to the lovely bellamartinelli over at classic girl in pearls for this awesome award! okay, here are the rules of the neno's award ... Here are the rules: Post the award, mention the award-giver, tag and distribute to anyone you want and of course, don't forget to tell them! Lastly, answer this: Why do you love blogging?

hmm ... why do i love blogging? it's a great way to share some of the fun parts of my life with equally fun people. i love hearing about the daily lives of such fascinating and interesting women! you're all a huge inspiration to me. :)

so, let's see, i need to tag a couple of ladies. how about the lovely kHM at queenbeeswain and the always awesome beantown prepster!

and now ... back to preparing for my big afternoon of paper-grading and derby-watching. i love derby day! :)

a few more of my favorite things...

2009-04-25T10:32:00.000-07:00

tag, i'm it! the lovely chloe over at cardigans and clogs tagged me to fill out this fun little questionnaire:

1. Respond and rework: answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.
2. Tag other un-tagged people.

The Questions:

What is your current obsession? watching bbc film adaptations of classic novels and finding the perfect pair of summer flip-flops.

What do you think your name says about you? i am a child of the 1980s, for sure.
Who was the last person you hugged? one of my best friends, who had a very tough week.

What’s your favorite dinner? a big, messy homemade taco dinner, with fresh fruit on the side.

What was the last thing you bought? the swimsuit i blogged about below! :)

What are you listening to right now? my washing machine chugging along and dhani jones on the travel channel.

What is your favorite weather? slightly overcast, 75 degrees.
What is your least favorite season? winter. ugh.

What's in your bathroom cabinet? along with the usual stuff, lately allergy medicine for sure, and this new smoothing creme stuff i bought for my hair.

Say something to the person/s who tagged you. hi, chloe! that cupcake picture you posted last week made me hungry all day! :)

What is your favorite tea flavor? i'm sort of a pariah in my family, because i don't like tea (for shame!).

What did you want to become as a child? a famous writer...

What do you miss? seeing my family on a weekly basis.

What's your favorite brand of jeans? it's hard to beat a perfectly worn-in pair of old-fashioned levis.

What designer piece of clothing would you most like to own (new or vintage)? a birkin bag, just so people would bug out when i carried it places.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? either london (sigh) or my hometown.

Who do you want to meet in person? my two celebrity crushes: henry cavill and jim from the office (or maybe not ... i might embarass myself!) ;)

What is your most challenging goal right now? finishing up this pesky PhD! (yeah, the "preppy prof" nom de plume isn't quite official yet...)

Why is today special? because i got to sleep in -- no alarm saturdays are the best!
What is my favorite sport to watch? baseball, but really only in person. i don't have the attention span to watch a whole game on tv.
To play? hm. i'm really more of a spectator. :)
What is your favorite piece of jewelry that you own? the birthstone ring my parents gave me.
Dream car? right now, with my tight budget, a hybrid with amazing gas mileage! :)

...and my replacement question: what is the last movie you saw? for me, that would be australia with the delicious and hunky hugh jackman!

i tag two of my new bloggy pals, the cape house and the prep-e girl. have at it, ladies! :)

swimwear success!

2009-04-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

old navy comes through again! even though i didn't find this in time to wear it on my recent beach excursion, i'll have it for the summer. so cute! no halter, and the matching bottoms are the same hot pink color, very plain. i think it was meant to be... :)

five reasons to smile today

2009-04-07T20:09:00.001-07:00

beantown prepster has inspired me today ... here's a list of the five highlights of my tuesday. :)

1. i had a super productive day at the office -- i got some important reading done, graded every paper i had with me in my bag, and finished a project ahead of the deadline. and i even had time to say hello to some of my awesome colleagues!

2. i managed to buy groceries for the rest of the week for a whopping fifteen bucks. project "save for the summer" is going swimmingly!

3. i wore a pashmina to work that i bought at a market in florence (the same one in the pic!) during my semester abroad in college, and i got to remember that fabulous trip every time i caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

4. i made more plans for the beach weekend with the fam over the phone -- so excited! i've decided that i'm going to get my hair chopped off while i'm there so the preppy sis can give me her expert follicular opinions at the salon. :)

5. i'm heading up now to hop into my cute pajamas, have a snack, and curl up in my comfy bed. does it get any better than that? ;)

it's that time of year again...

2009-04-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

...time to suck it up and start seriously hunting for some new swimwear!

i'm heading out on a bit of a beach holiday next weekend, and i'm in dire need of some new swimwear. i have one major issue with buying swimsuits: i hate, hate, hate halter-style suits! something about the way they pull on the back of my neck really bugs. and, of course, that's all that seems to be in stores anymore, so i've had to do some major searching to find something that would be comfier.

i fell in love with the above suit (green and navy rugby stripes on a tankini! sign me up!), but of course, it's completely sold out at l.l. bean in my size. c'est la vie ... time to keep looking!

a few of my favorite things...

2009-03-31T18:30:00.000-07:00

the lovely beantown prepster has tagged me for the kreativ blogger award! thanks, bp! :)

so, i'm supposed to list seven things that i love and then tag seven more bloggers to do the same. here goes...

1. books! this should shock no one, because i'm an english teacher, but nearly all my splurge purchases end up being books or something book-related (and, well, shoes, but that's another story). i have four completely full bookshelves in my house and more stacks laying around. if my job weren't so centered on books and reading, i might think i have a problem. :)

2. the locator on we tv. i got hooked on this show a couple of weekends ago ... it's a detective show where a private investigator tracks down long-lost family members and tries to reunite them with their families. it's heartbreaking, uplifting, and totally addictive.

3. pizza pringles. they're like the crack of potato chips.

4. my madras purse. i can't wait until it finally gets sunny and warm so that i can bust out my favorite spring/summer bag!

5. freesia lotion from bath & body works. love, love, love -- and have since i was a teenager. i still wear it every day.

6. audrey hepburn movies. she's one of my celebrity idols, even though sometimes i think i'm really more of a katherine than an audrey when it comes to hepburns. i saw sabrina again recently -- what a perfect movie!

7. london. my home away from home ... i can't wait to get back soon! (if i'd just get it together and marry a british boy already, this would be much simpler...!)

i'm sure most of the lovely ladies i tag will already have been tagged, but they're some of my favorite daily reads, so i'll honor them again!
1. kHm @ QueenBeeSwain
2. K.C. @ Peachy Keen
3. Chloe @ Cardigans and Clogs
4. Her Preppiness @ Preppy, 50, and Loving Lilly
5. Emily @ Vineyard Vogue
6. Kristin @ Summer in Newport
7. AEO @ Up North Preppy

spring hair fever

2009-03-21T08:11:00.001-07:00

it's that time of year again -- i'm jones-ing for a hair cut. right now my hair falls a couple inches below my shoulders, and it's just straight and dark. i'm thinking i want something cute with a shape, maybe a little like taraji at the oscars?

it's just so amazingly cute, with the long sweepy bangs, and i like that it's short without being super severe. and it looks like it would grow nicely -- being a preppy prof doesn't exactly pay well, so i usually only get my hair cut a few times a year, unfortunately. this one looks like it might stay cute, with a little bangs-trimming, even if it grew a bit.

beyond it just being spring, and my own personal wish for something less blah on the top of my head, i have to admit that there's a totally superficial reason for choosing right now as the time for a trim: i'm not currently seeing anyone, so there's no one to complain about me cutting off my longer hair. boys are so weirdly picky about hair, and i swear i had a boyfriend once who broke up with me not long after i chopped off my locks. now, i can get a cute cut and go out and be flirty with it, instead of having to worry about how anyone else is going to feel about it!

erin go bragh!

2009-03-17T10:05:00.001-07:00

happy st. patrick's day, everybody!

though i only have a little bit of irish heritage -- represent, murphys and flynns! -- i'm also a domer, and i fell in love with st. patty's day during college, green beer, jigs, shamrocks, and all. hope you're all wearing green so you don't get pinched today! :)

and before i head back to my st. patty's festivities, here's a link to my favorite news story of the day so far: in honor of chicago, the first lady has had the white house fountains dyed green!

spring break has sprung!

2009-03-16T18:11:00.000-07:00

after conquering my mountains of work last week (yes!), i am now officially on spring break. i'm visiting the preppy mom, dad, and sis this week, and loving it -- i get to see my family pretty infrequently, and i miss them a ton.

today the preppy sis and i went on a hobby lobby trip, and i snagged some great, cute fabric for that amy butler brick path quilt i'm going to work on as my fun, relaxing project for the second half of the semester. aren't the colors great?

so, strenuous plans for the rest of the week: bracket-building before tomorrow night, and st. patty's fun tomorrow!

hanging in there...

2009-03-10T18:11:00.000-07:00

two more days to go before i get a break, and i'm still chugging along! but i have decided that i'm going to buy this shirt in preparation for finals week later this semester. so hilarious! (and so appropriate for those post-crunch time moments, ha!)

want to win a pretty necklace?

2009-03-09T06:32:00.001-07:00

jewelry designer kristin pearce over at summer in newport has an awesome giveaway this week: the pretty green necklace shown above. how cute would this be for the spring and summer? my spring-clothes fever is kicking into high gear over this one!

i'm mulling a giveaway of my own as soon as this midterm craziness dies down a bit ... book lovers, stay tuned! :)

dateline: midterms!

2009-03-08T18:33:00.000-07:00

ah, midterm week: alternately the best and the worst week of the year. i always get a ton of stuff done this week, because i'm under so much pressure from deadlines ... but i also have to get a ton of stuff done this week, because i'm under so much pressure from deadlines! :) at least my classes got their papers back last week, so that's one less thing to worry about!

right now i'm working on a research grant proposal. one of the toughest things about academia is the way that money is distributed; instead of giving everyone more on a regular basis, they hold more competitions and scholarships that you have to apply for. i've got a great project going right now, something that could definitely be publication material, so fingers crossed on this one ... now i just have to get the write-up done on time!

but as a distraction, of course (of course!), my brain is going all full-steam-ahead on dreaming up the world of the persuasion-inspired novel. picture it: a girl just like you, who loves a really sweet boy, with misunderstandings, love, romance, reconciliation ... all set with the kentucky derby and the horse racing industry as the background. and the hero looks like this:

swoon! love henry cavill. ah, someday soon i will get this written! and it will be amazing, and you will all love it. ;)

the blanket with sleeves!

2009-03-03T16:39:00.000-08:00

it may be dorky to admit it (scratch that: i know it's dorky to admit it), but i have absolutely fallen in love with my snuggie. i got one from the preppy sis as a gag christmas gift. i laughed a lot about it at first -- the wtf blanket indeed! -- but when the temperatures nose-dived in my part of the country this winter, it suddenly became an absolutely indispensable item in my house. i can sit in my living room comfortably, using my laptop, and not jack the thermostat way up! amazing.

(one tip, though, if you're going to get one of your own: wash it with fabric softener and then dry it with dryer sheets before using it. i nearly got electrocuted on a lamp the first time i broke it out of the box!)

the new york times had a hilarious article about the joys of the snuggie in the style section last week: "snuggie on the street: watch your back." now, while i love mine for cuddling up on my couch, i think i'd have to draw the line at going outside in it. or even walking around my own house. this is a couch blanket, not an article of clothing!

and quickly, about the bachelor last night? boo hiss, jason. you suck! (and molly, what are you thinking, honey? he's already dumped you once, for goodness sake!) what a load of hooey all around.

ladies, will you accept this rose?

2009-03-02T15:51:00.000-08:00

here's a vaguely (or possibly very) embarrassing admission: even though i'm a girl who works as a scholar for a living and am supposed to be very high-brow and la-di-da and all that, i still watch the bachelor like it's going out of style. it's like a "real" soap opera, and i've always secretly loved those. i've been super-hooked on this season, but less so since my girl jillian was booted a few weeks ago. fingers crossed that she's the next bachelorette -- love her!

i've heard that there's all sorts of weird behind-the-scenes drama that's going to go down tonight on the show. hmm ... we shall see!

like christmas in march

2009-03-01T15:31:00.001-08:00

i found an old navy gift card while i was cleaning today -- isn't that just the best! i've been surfing their website all afternoon, trying to decide what i should spend it on ... i'm thinking these super cute seafoam green capris would be too cute for spring!

of course, there's still snow on the ground in my neck of the woods, so it may just be spring-clothes fever talking!

a new obsession

2009-02-28T18:55:00.000-08:00

i think i may have found my next crafting project: i'm in love with amy butler's brick path quilt! i'm thinking about heading to hobby lobby next week to see what sorts of scrap material they have to start building up a small stockpile to make this in all the (ha!) free time i have these days. but i really do feel the need for a creative outlet -- too much work certainly does make the preppy prof a dull girl!

speaking of work? nowhere near the home stretch on this set of essays. so far i'm at 6/33. somehow that just does not seem fair...

the girls are on the move!

2009-02-27T18:55:00.000-08:00

fellow golden girls fans: make sure you tune in on sunday to the hallmark channel for a marathon of the girls! the show is moving after being on lifetime for what seems like an eternity, and they're having a special day of episodes to mark the move. i can't ever decide which episode is my favorite, but all of my most-loved moments seem to center around sophia (who doesn't love sophia?) and rose -- she's just so childlike in her wonder about everything in the world, and that is hilarious. here's one of my favorite scenes -- rose thinks she has "died and gone to heaven." oh, and of course, the parody video of the girls as the election '08 candidates!

also, it seems to be "entertainment with old people" day, but everyone needs to check out the clara cannucciari cooking show on youtube -- she's 91, and she and her grandson produce a show where she demonstrates recipes that she and her mother made during the depression. she's adorable!

more grading tonight -- and then i'm going to spend some time sketching out more ideas for the persuasion novel. i really feel like this could go somewhere if i just had enough time to sit down and get through it!

another long day

2009-02-26T18:54:00.000-08:00

lesson planning? check. we're going to keep pushing on cultural studies questions tomorrow, and things should hopefully work out okay. so now i've given myself the rest of the evening to chill on the couch, eat potato chips, and watch 30 rock on tv and old episodes of rich girls on youtube. ah, relaxation. if i could just forget that i have all those papers to grade tomorrow, i'd be totally zen.

after my weekly liz lemon fix, i'm switching over to pbs for the video of last night's stevie wonder extravaganza at the white house. can't wait to see the prom king and queen of dc there! ;) (and it just started -- and he's kicking off with "sir duke"! my favorite!)

austen fans, check it out -- the first preview art panels from the new marvel pride and prejudice comic books! i've already got mine ordered, and i can't wait until they come in the mail!

still working on the editing project for that forgotten regency novella that i've rediscovered. i really think this could be an amazing edition if it all takes off -- i've got plans for the introduction, the annotations, and even the appendix material, with primary sources, contemporary reviews, and more. i'm not sure that i'll have the clout yet to convince a press like broadview to publish my stuff, but i think they'd really benefit from something like this text for college students -- it's short enough to be read quickly, but it's got so many dimensions that it could be interpreted in lots and lots of different ways.

tomorrow: teaching, laundry, grading, more grading, possibly drinks later. and hopefully a hell of a lot of sleep!

frank, the first dog

2009-02-25T18:51:00.000-08:00

ah, ash wednesday, one of the most morbid and yet strangely comforting days of the religious year. there's something so ritualistic and nostalgic about bundling up to go to mass on a february night and having the priest smear ashes on your forehead. i went to a new parish tonight and really liked it. the songs they chose were great, and the place was packed. but i have to admit that i washed my ashes off when i got home ... if i don't, i always forget about them and then end up with ashy smears all over my house. i'll just have to remember that "to dust i shall return" without the visual cue.

the obamas have chosen their dog breed! our new first puppy is going to be a portuguese water hound, and apparently the first lady is upset that the girls want to name him frank. i disagree -- i love old man names for pets, and frank the first dog sounds just delightful to me!

also, the obamas hosted a special event in honor of stevie wonder tonight, and i love the first lady's hair! picspam here at the lovely obama_daily. video is here at the always awesome ontd_political. president obama deserved a little stevie-wonder fun time after that amazing congressional address last night. health care and education ... hell yes!

so sad to hear about the unexpected death of david cameron's son, ivan. i have always admired the way he and his wife have devoted themselves to making life better not only for ivan but also for all other disabled children in britain, working to pass initiatives to promote scientific research and raising awareness by speaking about their son and allowing him to be photographed with the family. prayers and condolences to the whole family; little ivan is now pain free in a better place, and i'm sure it's comforting that they have that lovely thought to cling to in their grief.

and now, i'm off for bed. what a long day!

anyone want to lesson plan for me?

2009-02-24T18:50:00.000-08:00

having one of those evenings where i should be lesson planning (for tomorrow! eek!) and grading essays, and i somehow cannot make my brain cooperate. we're working on a rather abstract and complex text in my lower-level course right now, and thinking up ways to complicate the discussion while still steering them toward a more nuanced understanding of the essay is really just eluding me at the moment. looks like there will be major freewriting going on in the preppy prof's class tomorrow...

thought obama did a really great job with his speech tonight, and i loved the emphasis on education, health care, and personal responsibility for all americans. he's managed to stay inspiring even after the rah-rah campaigning portion of the political journey has ended, and i love it. he makes me want to be a better american, and that's got to be worth something. i love that he's trying to make us all understand that we have massive common ground despite our differences.

in royal news today, crown princess victoria of sweden got engaged to her long-time boyfriend, daniel westling. i love that yet another "normal" person is marrying into a european royal family. they look incredibly happy, and i can't wait to see what her wedding dress looks like. if her classy engagement dresses (and ring -- what a rock!) are any indication, it's going to be gorgeous.

still having the persuasion-inspired piece knocking around in my head. i'm thinking henry cavill is my ideal stand in for the "wentworth" character. maybe that will be fun to dream about tonight, even if the lesson planning goes as pear-shaped as i expect it will.

the post-oscar fashion wrap-up

2009-02-23T18:46:00.000-08:00

the oscars were so good last night! loved the montages, loved hugh jackman, loved loved loved the past winners paying tribute to the nominated actors. i literally gasped when the curtains rose during the supporting actress category and revealed freaking eva marie saint! and then sophia loren later, and deniro/hopkins for best actor? oh, it was just lovely. everyone seemed so genuinely touched. i hope they keep doing it, with new surprise stars every year.

but i have to say, my two favorite moments were the pineapple express comedy montage (the two of them laughing at the reader had me rolling, and then when they brought in the saving private ryan cinematographer, i just died from the hilarious surrealism of it all) and kate winslet's dad's whistle. that was beyond adorable.

my predictions were way off, obviously: i think i only had three of six, and two of those were slumdog and heath ledger, which were totally shoe-in awards. i'm still kind of sad meryl didn't win, but i thought it was great that kate won after losing for all those years!

but the most important part, obviously, was the clothes! seriously, why the people at e! or the tv guide channel haven't yet called me up to join their bitchy fashion panels is just beyond me. but, since they haven't, i suppose i'll just have to content myself with my best/worst verdicts here.

prettiest: penelope cruz. so, so, so pretty!
most majestic: kate winslet. i think it's the hair. and i can't tell if this dress was gray or blue, but i do like it.
most likely to appear in a titian painting: meryl streep. gorgeous.
silliest bow: amanda seyfried. i only wish she had a backwards "k" on her chest, too.
best places to hide snacks: tilda swinton. that's what i'd use all that extra fabric for. it is a long show.
best jewelry: taraji p. henson. her hair was also super cute.
most exotic: freida pinto. i heard some people didn't like this, but it's just so bollywood. very appropriate.
most annoying: evan rachel wood. i have nothing to back this up with, it's just a gut feeling.
most likely to be mistaken for a bob mackie barbie: melissa george. except she's missing a fur stole.
best french flair: marion cotillard. also, she wins the "hottest boyfriend" award. mm, canet...
most likely to sleep in/on her dress later: jessica biel. it reminds me of makeshift togas i wore in college.
grouchiest: angelina jolie. also, it looked like she was wearing a green ring pop.
most painful earlobes: heidi klum. ow!
most painful boobs: sarah jessica parker. ow, ow, ow!
least likely to be put in a corner: as always, jennifer grey. no, really, apparently that is her. i know!

and now, back to work. have a report tomorrow, plus students coming in, and all i can think about is the plot for the persuasion-inspired novel i've got bouncing around in my brain. why does the muse always strike when you've got a million other things to do?

i love the oscars!

2009-02-22T18:44:00.000-08:00

i love oscar sunday ... i almost always give myself the entire day to be lazy, sit around on my couch, and watch great old movies before switching over to the red carpet coverage on e! and then the ceremony itself. so excited for hugh. i loved him when he hosted the tonys, and i imagine he's going to be awesome hosting the oscars. i'm intrigued by all this secrecy around the special guests and presenters, too ... dare i hope for some classic hollywood stars? and to make tonight even more special, i'm indulging with a little chinese takeout, too ... yum!

okay, so here are my picks for the major awards:
best picture - slumdog millionaire
best director - stephen daldry, the reader
best actor - mickey rourke
best actress - meryl streep
best supporting actor - heath ledger (rip)
best supporting actress - amy adams

in other news, there's a giveaway over at historical-fiction.com right now for all my fellow austen groupies. they're giving away a copy of the annotated pride and prejudice and a book called lost in austen that apparently doesn't have anything to do with amanda price. you just have to comment with your favorite austen character -- i punted for miss elinor, of course!

more after the oscars -- for the obligatory thumbs up/thumbs down on the fashion choices, natch!

wardrobe inspiration

2008-12-11T20:46:00.000-08:00

i'm always on the lookout for cute, non-fussy clothing to teach in, and i love the look sported by lisa finkelstein in the most recent issue of marie claire. the tweed blazer over the party dress is just gorge.

check out a scan from the magazine over at j.crew aficionada. i think i need to update my christmas list...

i'll bet mr. wickham loves the "poking" function

2008-12-11T09:19:00.001-08:00

taking a break from grading piles of student essays to link to this hilarious little gem: "austenbook" by deedee of much-ado.net.

i can't decide what my favorite parts are! probably "fitzwilliam darcy tagged elizabeth bennet in his note my character requires this to be written and read" and "lydia bennet and kitty bennet joined the group 1,000,000 strong against the officers leaving meryton!"

i can't wait to use this as a teaching tool next time i teach pride and prejudice to my freshmen!

jane austen's still got it

2008-12-09T18:29:00.000-08:00

austenblog posted a link to a great article about why, two centuries later, jane austen is still a relevant writer to be taught in the classroom. the writer, kay mcspadden, shares some great anecdotes about what it's like to teach jane and how today's students still can relate to her characters' lives and loves. i really like this bit:

this hard girl, this smart girl, this girl whose choices have whittled her future into a small, lonely path, this girl who longs for romance but has found motherhood instead – well, my heart breaks for her even as she invites me to tease her out of her bad mood another day.
i look at the other students like andrea in the class – girls and boys who appear more mature than they are – and I'm glad that jane austen is able to speak to them, too.

here's a link to the article. whether you teach jane in the classroom like i do, or are simply a modern-day fan of her work, it's a great read.