Over the fence -
Strawberries - grow -
Over the fence -
I could climb - if I tried, I know -
Berries are nice!

But - if I stained my Apron -
God would certainly scold!
Oh, dear, - I guess if He were a Boy -
He'd - climb - if He could!

Emily Dickinson

All women have had this moment.  When we first realize that being female will limit us.  I'll call it a "Strawberry Moment".

My Strawberry Moment happened when I was five or six.  It was a rainy Sunday, after church.  I was running around in my Sunday clothes.  Flower-print dress, frilly socks, white patent leather dress shoes that were a bit too big.  I was playing with a little boy's slingshot.  My big sister snatched it from me and threw it into some shrubs.  I ran to pick it up, skidded in my dress shoes, and fell, splitting my head open.  Blood ran down my face and onto my dress, my mother scolded me for running around like a boy.  I thought about boy shoes.  Rubber soles.  I don't think I ran very much after that day.

As for Ms. Dickinson, well, we were analyzing her poem in my freshman English class one day.  The teacher asked us what we thought about it.  Stony silence was her answer.  I was too afraid to speak up.  The girl sitting next to me burst out, "This poem makes me think about strawberries, oh my god, I love strawberries so much, they're so good!"  My jaw fell open.

So, have you had a Strawberry Moment?  And men, have you ever felt limited because you're male?

Carlos takes pictures of me while I work.  By the way, I'm no fashion plate.

So this entry is a slight departure from my usual entries, but I have to say,

I *really* love what's going on in fashion right now.

Dresses are back!

Flats are staying strong.

Women are going back to their trusted blazers and standby classics.

I don't even mind leggings as much as I used to:

(Just keep in mind, ladies, leggings are *not* pants.)

Some of my personal favorites, which I stock up on at every opportunity:

The white dress shirt.  Pair it with jeans and brown sandals (I dislike metallics) and you look instantly put-together.

Well-constructed satchels.  Handbags are one of my only addictions (books too, I keep a balance) and I can spot quality a mile away. 

Levis.  My god, I love me some Levis jeans.  They last forever and come in "short" sizes that make me look proportionate instead of shrunken.

Bold glasses.  I'm near-blind and proud.  Spending big money on frames is perfectly reasonable, I mean, they go on your face.

What are your fashion staples?  Do you care about fashion?

 My mom...agh.  I don't want this entry to turn into a therapy session, so ya'll are just going to get a list of the things she taught me.

1.  Resilience.  I can take a lot of hard knocks and keep going.

2.  Cooking.  I can cook like the wind.

3.  Frugality.  I am a grocery shopping pro.

4.  Courage.  Or just the ability to hide fear until you're far enough away.

5.  How to ball socks.

I know that the featured questions aren't always deep enough to warrant a whole entry, so tell me the number one thing you appreciate your mother for teaching you.

And by the way, Tonka got HUGE:

I just answered this Featured Question, you can answer it too!

 After two weeks in Houston, I've finally come home.

While in Houston I managed to wash and dry my iPod in a load of laundry.  Four gigs of music, gone, just like that.   Keep in mind almost none of it was backed up on my computer....most of it was just lifted from friend's computers, the Seattle library, etc.  Yep...I was pretty careless.

I lost :

every Nirvana song ever made, including rare demos

work by my bud Adam Bricks, which I'm sure can be replaced, but will certainly be a hassle with the distance

Buddy Holly albums

Britpop

the entire Mogwai anthology...

On the bright side, it finally forced me to upgrade to an 8 gig iPod touch.

It's going to be loads of fun locating my lost music, but in the meantime, here are some photos of my younger siblings chalking up my friend's driveway.

Okay...so if your MP3 player were approaching death, which three albums would you save first?

Single, Hispanic female seeks breathing male, ages 20 to 45.

Male must have legitimate job, car and home.

Male must hold some college education...street schooling is not acceptable.

Male must know how to hang.  

Male must have a golden sense of humor.

Male must keep eyebrows and pubic hair lightly groomed.

All else is just icing.
   

I just answered this Featured Question, you can answer it too!