Academic integrity...and stuff

Yesterday my required 'Research Methods' course was a lecture about academic integrity and what happens if you cheat/steal another's work. I kind of think that if you don't know what you shouldn't do, you probably shouldn't be in grad school, but whatever. Anyway, the talk, while kind of scary, made me really want to stay in this academic game for a while. It somehow gave me warm fuzzies, for lack of a better term, to think about how the academia is so serious about honesty and integrity, two things that are sorely lacking in most other professions. And it can't really be any other way, as its a profession completely based on reputation; without that reputation and the subsequent trust of the public, scholarship would be completely useless. So, as long as the rules (of being honest and having integrity) remain, academia can't/shouldn't go down the drain like everything else. Like I said: warm fuzzies. Of course, I was brought back down to earth when I overheard the following in a campus coffee shop: (friend coaching friend on how to fill up space on a course paper) "Just make your periods bigger. That's a little trick I learned in grade 5." Sigh.

Anyway, while I would in no way advocate uniforms for post-secondary students, I definitely think it helps your overall mindset to make an effort in having your appearance show that you respect your role as a scholar. Two recent additions to my wardrobe (courtesy of an unexpected fellowship) are making me sit up a bit straighter (metaphorically speaking). First up is my beloved new Moop bag, The Backpack (above left, and in sidebar on right). I have had Moop's The Letter Bag (above right) for a couple years now but, due to a shoulder issue from a previous injury, I knew that I'd need to spring for a bag that both balanced me out and protected my laptop on the walk to and from campus. Lo and behold, just in time for school to start, Moop came out with the coolest backpack on the block, in the waxed canvas I love. It somehow makes me excited to leave home in the morning just by carrying it. Seriously. And, when coupled with my very first Ursa Minor piece (and new favorite basic!), the Victorine Blouse (below), I'm a raring scholar machine. Kind of. Here's hoping both will help me when I present in 28 days in NY!

P.S. Moop is having a 12% of sale today only, just because it's 10-11-12. In Moop's online shop (not their Etsy), enter this code at checkout: 101112

Update (Oct 26th): The Victorine blouse is now available in black and in cream in the Ursa Minor Etsy shop and online shop! Don't be surprised if I get the black one too. I love this top.

Back to School

I can't help but think I'm not supposed to be here today. A year ago, at the beginning of NYFW, I was in New York for the very first time, building the foundations for what would be my most expensive addiction yet. As I later returned around the time of NYFW in February, it seems weird to now be reading about other people getting ready for NYFW and getting fashion show invites in my inbox when I'm stuck here, without any future itineraries planned. Sigh. Not only that, but today is the first day of university. And, when I live in my city's university area and have to walk by one too many frat houses to get to work, it's hard to escape the sudden influx of 18-year-olds and American Eagle graphic tees. If I could, I would go to school for the rest of my life (and by wearing pigtails, I'd make quite a passable, albeit rather mature, 20-year-old). And yet, here I am, for the fifth September in a row, not needing to calculate the shortest distance between classes, or pinpoint the least busy washrooms, or stand in line for an hour to get the one textbook that Amazon doesn't have in stock. Again, sigh. I'll keep my fingers crossed for next September. School or NY.

Anyway, if I could do my first day of university all over again, this is what my outfit would be: 

Barbara Í Gongini cardigan (now only 56 Euros!) + The Future of Frances zipper tencel top + 

mydearthing silk husband tank + Norwegian Wood asymmetrical circle skirt + 

moop waxed canvas Letter Bag + my chucks 

In reality, I wore non-memorable blue jeans, two long sleeved tees, and a black puffy vest. I don't even want to try to remember what kind of shoes I wore. I was still blond at that time (and 11 years younger), so I'm just going to pretend that was a different person. I mean, I didn't even drink real coffee back then. Not to mention being unable to understand the Joy Division and Pixies references in the Gilmore Girls. Eek.

Moop, with a splash of peanut butter

I love this bag. Love. If I hadn't just gotten my own moop (courtesy of the proceeds of my End of 2010 sale), the new Paperback (in brown or grey) would definitely be at the top of my Next Purchases list. Not only is it made of that fabulous waxed cotton, but it's a double agent, acting as a cute strapped bag when folded or a taller (but still adorable) tote bag when unfolded. Triple agent actually, seeing as the strap is removable in case you need a clutch. Genius. 0007, even.

Perhaps it's good that I can't get it (yet), as I have a feeling I'd have a strong inclination to fill it with my leftovers from supper, just to see if 'highly water resistant' also means 'highly peanut butter resistant'. And also to make sure those leftovers are with me when I get hungry next. Without further ado, here's what I had for supper:

On my way home, I bought some tofu. I wanted to get some pad thai sauce to try making my own pad thai, but I didn't make it to the farmer's market on Saturday to get some local eggs. And then I had peanuts in my head (figuratively speaking). So, as soon as I got home, I Googled 'peanut tofu', for lack of a better phrase. As I had also bought some spinach and had a bit of a red pepper in my fridge, this recipe jumped out at me. However, I had to make a few adjustments to mirror what I had, so I actually used:

- a couple generous squirts of lime juice. I probably used about 1 tsp., but I really have no idea how much came out of that lime-shaped bottle.
- 1/3 cup Kraft Smooth Peanut Butter. That's right. Definitely not the most healthy peanut butter, but I've loved it since I was a kid and wasn't allowed to have it at home. Having said that, I'd probably go with an all/more/at least slightly natural peanut butter next time.
- 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- about 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- a couple cloves of garlic, chopped as finely as my one sharp knife can do
- most of one pkg of extra-firm tofu (as much as can fit flat in my large frying pan)
- 1/3 red pepper (I'd use at least 1/2 of one next time)
- a bunch of fresh baby spinach leaves

So, first I mixed the lime juice, peanut butter, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes in a bowl until it looked like a delicious (spicy) cookie dough. Then I cut up the garlic, tofu, and red pepper. At medium-high heat in a lightly oiled pan, I fried the tofu so it was a pretty golden brown on each side (about 3ish minutes each side). After turning the heat down slightly, I threw in the garlic and stirred, then the red pepper. I cooked and stirred this for about a minute, and then added the sauce. It turned a darker colour pretty much immediately and clumped up a bit, which worried me at first (I'm sure there's plenty of oil in Kraft PB to keep it from drying out or something). I stirred it some more so the tofu was all coated, and then threw in a bunch of spinach, enough to cover everything. I stirred to mix it all as evenly as peanut butter allows, then put a lid on the pan for a couple minutes to make sure the spinach had wilted. I recommend serving this with basmati and a huge glass of water. I only had jasmine rice, but fortunately the stir fry is so tasty that it makes up for the bland rice. I'd probably also garnish this with some chopped green onions next time. And I'd probably not eat a peanut butter and jam sandwich for lunch if I knew this would be my supper. I would've taken a few more photos for better selection, but I had already eaten a few forkfuls of it by this time and couldn't take a nice aerial view. Yum.

What would you put in your moop?

(P.S. The Paperback is also available at moop's Etsy shop here.)

I'm covered in bees, Part II

I've noticed the recent (and exciting!) trend of coated fabrics as an alternative to leather, and I really hope that more designers jump on this bandwagon (remember that glorious glazed cotton piece by Mr. Pugh?). Canadian designer Sonja den Elzen's Thieves' current collection, for example, has some lovely organic cotton pieces that are treated with beeswax (though I must say I'm a bigger fan of the men's pieces than the women's, this time around). The fabric supposedly both wears and is to be treated like leather. Most of these waxed pieces thus cannot be machine washed, but can be spot cleaned by rubbing more wax on them. While the prices are also comparable to that of leather pieces, I think it's definitely worth investing in a great piece that is so environmentally conscious.

A second example of coated fabric was found last night, when I rediscovered the work of Carrie Hayes at Ukamaku, a wonderful new online shop that features Canadian designers. While I'd more readily go for one of the printed silk dresses from her S/S 10 collection that was inspired by Icelandic geology, this jacket, made of polyeurethane coated linen (in the most perfect shade of green) is rather adorable (and a great deal at $80 CDN, from $295).

However, while I'd prefer to buy a coated clothing item, the time has come for me to buy a new bag. For the other day, I had to stand at my apartment's front door for too many minutes, digging in my once beloved handmade cotton bag (which was last year's Christmas present) for my keys. The thin inner lining simply couldn't handle more than 11 months of me shoving my sharp keys and sharp cornered books into it. Sure, the outer layer will hold up for a bit longer, but I simply can't be standing outside, degloved in sub-zero weather, fishing for keys which I won't have the agility to use be the time my frozen fingers have found them. Sigh. All is not lost though, as moop has also discovered coated fabrics! I've had their highly functional and aesthetically pleasing Letter Bag in my favorites for quite some time, but now that they have it (as well as some of their other styles) available in a waterproof waxed canvas, I think I must cave. And, as in honour of Cyber Monday, with the code 'GRAYFRIDAY', you/I get 10% off your moop order. Yay!

Oh, by the way, here are some more Cyber Monday codes/deals you may want to know about. Yes, I know that Cyber Monday is almost over (or long over) for some of you, but I had a truly busy and life changing day. You see, I've finally found out that I have a legitimate knee problem (and have since being a pre-teen) that can be relatively easily corrected, and I'm on my way to becoming a bona fide grad student. Yippee!

- hier apparel: Today and tomorrow, save 20% with code '20off', AND get a free $25 gift card with any order over $100, or a $50 gift card with any order over $200 if you mention the November Promotion in the Note to Shop when ordering. That means that the gorgeous new wool wrap is essentially $103 instead of $160!
- complexgeometries: Today only, 20% off everything with code 'monday'.
- Glamorous Amorous: Ending tomorrow, 15% off your order with code 'NOV15'. Meaning that the Nichole de Carle piece I still have my eye on is only a few dollars more than my weekly acupuncture/beekeeping session. Sigh.

(And yes, I realize this post seems rather disjointed. Such is the result of writing half before life-changing appointments, and then the other half after said life-changing appointments. My apologies.)