Pokemon Research Therapy

#NatureTwinning Part 46...with no end in sight

Bathing Elephant--Thursday, 3/22/18

Yep, can't get enough of this red cardigan and brown pants.  This time I wore it with a navy top and a scarf that incorporated all these colors in small quantities.

Outfit cost per wear (OCPW): $19.80

We were lucky to hit the elephant area in the morning when they were being brought inside for their baths.  This girl had been very well-trained to respond to a zookeeper's signals to sit, stand, roll over, lift her trunk, etc., so that the other zookeeper could spray her with water.  She seemed to really enjoy the process.

Cincinnati Zoo

A Bundle of Roses--Friday, 3/23/18

This outfit becomes increasingly casual as you move from the bling necklace and sorta-dressy blouse at the top to the jeans and smoking slippers at the bottom.

OCPW: $18.04

I love how this photo turned out--when you have a gorgeous and perfectly cooperative subject, it's so easy.

Los Angeles Arboretum

In other news...The combination of the onset of actual spring (i.e., high temperatures reaching 60 F) and the introduction of quests finally has really revived our recently-somewhat-lagging Pokemon Go obsession.  There are two kinds of quests (called "research" because ostensibly you are helping a professor with his work).

Regular quests are triggered when you spin a Pokestop, and they offer a small reward (e.g., balls, potions, revives, berries, stardust, spawn a Pokemon for you to catch) in exchange for completing a small task (e.g., catch x Pokemon of y type, play a raid, win a gym battle, spin z pokestops).  It may seem dumb that this makes the game more interesting, but it really does.  I mean, come on, anything that makes you happy to catch Pidgeys (for the "catch 3 Pidgeys or Murkrows" quest) and so on is pretty much brilliant.  It adds just a bit of direction to how you play, and it gives you a chance to get extra stuff (always good).  Last weekend, for example, Robert and I purposely sought out opportunities to battle gyms and raids for quest purposes, and one of my quests ("use a supereffective special attack in 7 gym battles") definitely required some strategizing to complete efficiently.

Each day that you complete 1 or more regular quests, you get a stamp.  Once you collect 7 stamps, you get a "research breakthrough" that rewards you with more desirable rewards and spawns a legendary Pokemon for you to catch (and it will not flee! if you keep trying, you will eventually catch it).  Since the only other way to get legendaries is to win a super hard raid that requires 12+ top level players AND to get lucky enough to catch it (my success rate so far is about 1 in 3), this is a huge development for the game.  So far, I've gotten 2 research breakthroughs, and both times I've gotten Moltres as my legendary.  I'm guessing they will rotate the legendary Pokemon perhaps once a month or something.

The second kind of research is special research--which is like the main quest line of a Skyrim type game.  The current quest is helping the professor find a Pokemon called Mew.  There are 8 stages to the quest, with 3 tasks per stage, and these are more difficult and more varied than the regular quests.  You get experience for each task you complete, and a nice set of loot for each stage you complete.  Once you complete all the stages, you get to catch Mew.  Again, not only is it fun to get cool stuff, it definitely provides an extra oomph of motivation to do the various aspects of the game--walk more, catch more, catch more, battle more--while helping guide your next move.

This evening, after a series of rather annoying events caused running a couple of errands to take longer than it should, and both of us were feeling irritated, we were driving home on an unusual route due the the frustrating nonsense.  And in that exact time and place, a Ditto (a not very common Pokemon that looks like another Pokemon then reveals itself after it's been caught) had appeared at the side of the road in the guise of a Pidgey, and I caught it.  And it was the last of 3 tasks needed to pass the current stage of the special research quest!  But contrary to our usual practice, in which I play both of our phones while Robert drives, he'd been distracted when we got in the car outside the unexpectedly closed restaurant and hadn't given me his phone.  So we circled back to the location, afraid that in the time that took, the Ditto-Pidgey would have de-spawned (each Pokemon only exists to be caught for a given amount of time--something like 15 min, or 30 min, or an hour, depending on what you read; no one knows for sure).  But it hadn't!  So I caught that one too.  And it pretty much saved our evening.

Pokemon Go quests: I am a fan.

Reading

#NatureTwinning Part 45: Brought to you by shades of purple

Cattle Egret at Expedition Madagascar--Monday, 3/19/18

Black and white plus pretty much any color works just fine, you know?

In a recent discussion about my parents' new place in California, and thoughts on what colors to use in their bathroom, we talked about the black and white plus light green that they used in their old house to great effect.  My mom observed that people like to pair black and white with pink in home decor, but that she preferred the green.

How about purple?  I think that might be overkill for a permanent bathroom decoration scheme, but I like it for a Monday work outfit.

Outfit Cost Per Wear (OCPW): $14.37

It's fun to see common "local" birds as exhibits at the zoo and realize/remember that they are actually wide-spread species.  The cattle egret is an interesting case in point, as it has "undergone one of the most rapid and wide reaching natural expansions of any bird species."  Starting out in Spain, Portugal, tropical and subtropical African and tropic and subtropical Asia, it made its way across the Atlantic Ocean (believed to have flown under its own power?) to the Americas in the late 19th century, Australia in the 1940s, and so on.  As the name suggests, the cattle egret lives among domesticated livestock, and I guess it ended up liking the bugs churned up by the cows of the US as well as anywhere else.

I had not heard these alternative common names: cow crane, cow bird, cow heron, elephant bird, rhinoceros egret, and hippopotamus egret.  The Arabic name means "father of ticks."

I didn't realize until looking at my photos when I got home that I had photographed this egret in the process of scratching himself.

Henry Doorly Zoo

Purple Caterpillar Plants--Tuesday, 3/20/18

I made several last-minute substitutions in this outfit the morning I wore it, and I like the result very much.  Stripes + florals = awesome, and I like the subtle toughening-up effect of a moto vest on an otherwise soft and feminine top half.

OCPW: $10.79

This isn't called the caterpillar plant, but I'm not sure it's buddleja (butterfly bush) either, as Google Images seems to think.  But there are over 140 species of buddleja, so how the hell do I know.  Caterpillar, butterfly, it's all good.

Los Angeles Arboretum

In other news...A recent article in The Atlantic explains "Why American Students Haven't Gotten Better at Reading in 20 Years. Schools generally focus on teaching comprehension skills instead of general knowledge--even though education researchers know better."

Another, more surprising to me, finding--it's also better to provide kids with texts at their grade level (even if they are considered "too difficult" for them) than texts at their supposed individual reading levels.  "What struggling students need is guidance from a teacher in how to make sense of texts designed for kids at their respective grade levels..."  Oh, well that complicates things.  When you have a classroom full of kids reading under grade level, how does the teacher help all these strugglers with their difficult texts?  I can see how pragmatic considerations would stand in the way of this approach.

Pretty Kitty

#NatureTwinning Part 44

Sunbittern--Friday, 3/16/18

I am amused by how much this skinny scarf, knotted in this fashion, looks like a men's tie.  There's something about the combination of a men's tie, a denim jacket, and what looks like a men's undershirt (but is just a plain white women's t-shirt) that speaks to the weirdness of workplace casual Fridays.

Outfit cost per wear (OCPW): $12.41

Unfortunately, we did not see this sunbittern spread its wings in an astonishing display of color and pattern that resembles two giant eyes (used in courtship, of course, but also as a threat display).  But even in its relatively plain daily garb, it's quite lovely.  One of the birds we could see in the wild if we ever make it to Costa Rica.

Cincinnati Zoo

Amur Leopard at Red Rocks--Sunday, 3/18/18

A rare weekend outfit!  But I wanted to show off my new brown jeans (sibling to the burgundy jeans), and give another look at the red sweater worn with brown.  I've also quickly discovered that having brown jeans is going to drive down the cost per wear on these brown shoes, which are my obvious choice to wear in these outfits.  That's a good thing, as these shoes have been under-utilized  during my rather long recent no-brown-pants phase.

*Brown jeans (JCP), $22.49

OCPW: $30.48

Nothing says "taking it easy for the weekend" like a really big lounging kitty.

St Louis Zoo

In other news...An article from last year about the evolution of the business casual dress code and the credit/blame Silicon Valley bears in the process.

The reference to Mark Zuckerberg's signature grey t-shirt and hoodie was kind of hilarious in contrast to the straight up business suit he recently wore to testify before Congress.  When in Rome, eh?

Quilted Rooster

#NatureTwinning Part 43: The quilted vests continue unabated

Natal Lily at Samuels Bulb Garden--Wednesday, 3/14/18

I'd been wanting a pleated skirt for a while in a lackadaisical manner when I happened across this one at Goodwill.  They had multiple ones in various sizes, and the brand on the inside tag had been cut through, which I associate with donations of remaindered items coming straight from the store.  (I assume the original retailer does that so no one who thrifts it can return it to their store.)

I am extremely pleased with it.  It's better than I would probably have come up with had I been designing one in my head because (a) the coral/orange color matches a lot in my wardrobe and (b) I don't really think about how much coral/orange I have, so I wouldn't have come up with it.

Lying in bed the night after I bought it, I thought of this outfit idea, and I got up to write it down so that I could stop thinking about it and go to sleep.

*Navy/coral/green floral skirt (thrifted, Target), $2.99

Outfit cost per wear (OCPW): $9.52

What's the deal with the natal lily?  It's an odd name, isn't it?  It also goes by bush lily and Kaffir lily as well as its scientific name, clivia miniata.  Confusingly, natal lily is also a common name of a totally different plant, crinum moorei.  But it appears that both of these "natal lilies" are native to the Kwazulu-Natal province of South Africa.  The "Natal" part of that name refers to the Natalia Republic, a Boer republic in the 1830s that was ceded to the Zulu.  That region was named Terra Natalis (from the Portuguese for Christmas) by Vasco de Gama in December 1497 while searching for a route from Europe to India.

So I was thinking that it was odd for a flower to be named the birth lily, but I suppose the "lily from an African region a white dude named for Christmas because that's when he saw it while looking for something else" makes more sense, unfortunately.

Missouri Botanical Garden

Grant's Zebra with Griffon Vultures--Thursday, 3/15/18

I think this might be the first time I've worn this black/zebra reversible quilted vest to work with the zebra side out.  I thought it was a fun juxtaposition of animal prints.

OCPW: $7.09

What would be really cool is if I had a zebra/crane zoo photo.  I don't...but I do have this zebra/vulture photo, and that's pretty damn on point.

Indianapolis Zoo

In other news...In addition to catching up on Netflix while I was sick, I read a bunch of books on my Kindle using the library's Overdrive subscription (it's the bomb dot com).  This was one of them.

The Rooster Bar by John Grisham

I was fascinated with the basic premise: four friends at a bottom-feeder for-profit law school are approaching their last semester of classes, drowning in debt and terrified at the abysmally low rate at which their school's graduates pass the bar exam.  I kept having this strong assumption about where the story was going, and it went somewhere different.

As a fan of anti-graduate school screeds, I might have enjoyed it better had the book focused on the events of the 3-4 years leading up to this point rather than the events that came after.  It was a weak story (especially by John Grisham standards), and the characters were not his usual type (smart lawyers with strong moral compasses).

It's more successful as a series of lectures about immigration, student debt, banking bad-guys, and for-profit colleges than it was as a novel.  But the student-victims were sufficiently unsympathetic that it might have made me feel (temporarily) less strongly about the issues than when I began.

So, an unsuccessful book on every front.  I got through it okay because I was sick and didn't have much in the way of standards as long as I was occupied/distracted.  I advise you to not waste your time.

Academic Rogues

#NatureTwinning Part 42:  Featuring the cashmere sweater + quilted vest combo

Jellyfish or Whatever--Monday, 3/12/18

Monochromatic blue redux, this time with extra aqua.  Nobody remembers that I dressed very similarly on Friday, right?

Outfit cost per wear (OCPW): $11.83

I pair an expanse of blue with yellow hair.  The oceans decorate with much cooler-looking golden things.  (These guys were such a pain to photograph; I'm glad one of my attempts turned out.)

Henry Doorly Zoo

Palm Trees at Simone Pond--Tuesday, 3/13/18

A somewhat unusual version with classic work pants.  Is that taking the quilted vest thing too far?  I thought it kind of worked in a crazy way.  If I'd traded these flats for all-weather mocs, I'd feel very Colorado in this outfit.

OCPW: $17.14

The Coachella Valley is not just a place for music festivals.

Coachella Valley

In other news...Say what you will about my PhD program, but at least I wasn't ever required to break the law to complete an assignment.

April is the Snowiest Month

This weekend we broke the record for the snowiest April in Coldville with over 25" of snow!  The 15" we got in the weekend's storm took us over the top.  Yay, team...?  Way to go, April....? But we got a snow day today out of the deal, so I'm not complaining!

#NatureTwinning Part 41

Orangutan--Thursday, 3/8/18

I had wanted to buy some new full-length (not ankle) pants, but didn't really want a trouser silhouette.  That was hard to shop for, until it occurred to me to look at colored denim.  These perfectly-fitting burgundy jeans are great--even though they're denim, they don't look very different from normal cotton pants, just thicker and more structured.

For their debut, I went with a bit of a coral/burgundy/orangy-leopard mix up with a black and white base.  Not my favorite combination of all time, but I did like having the bright scarf to punch things up.

*Burgundy jeans (JCP), $22.49

Outfit cost per wear (OCPW): $36.88

This guy has a more classic take on orange with black/brown.

Cincinnati Zoo

Rays at Scott Aquarium--Friday, 3/9/18

A Friday outfit in shades of blue and not a speck of denim to be seen.  What?  I retired my denim skirt and started replacing it with this new navy skirt.

A monochromatic outfit works best with various shades and textures (see how I use google to find other random bloggers to back up my assertions?), and I definitely have that going.

I sort of amuse myself how I live in these quilted/puffy vests, which I am content to add to pretty much any work outfit.  Putting the casual in business casual all season long.

*Navy skirt (Walmart), $10.50

OCPW: $20.94

The tie-dye scarf puts me in mind of ocean waves, which I think these rays would appreciate if they were into the subtleties of human clothing.

Henry Doorly Zoo

In other news...I do like a monochrome outfit on occasion.  However, no matter if I were to dedicate myself completely to this style, I could never be the Queen of Monochrome.  That title is already taken by Queen Elizabeth II.  Her coat collection totally rocks.  I think she must literally have every single color.  The neon green was a bit of a surprise!

Spend a Few Weeks with a Cold/Sinus Infection

...and it's sad how you fall behind on blogging.  Oh well, I did catch up on a lot of Netflix, I guess.  (Better Call Saul season 3 hit a new high point.  I think it was better than Breaking Bad at its best.)

#NatureTwinning Part 40

Vinca--Friday, 3/2/18

This new thrifted skirt (lined, in immaculate condition, fits perfectly) is a prized find.  I am particularly pleased with how nicely it works with this floral blouse.  I would like to revisit this blouse/skirt combination in warmer weather.

*Aqua/navy skirt (thrifted), $3.74

Outfit cost per wear (OCPW): $24.05

Even though it's technically Spring, our weather is nowhere near it (we are expecting 8-12" of snow as I write this, in the middle of April), so I'm enjoying this flash back to flower season (which in Missouri lasts into October, apparently).

Missouri Botanical Gardens

Big Pink Bushes--Tuesday, 3/5/18

This sweater is another thrift store purchase I was very happy about.  I've been wanting a red cardigan to wear with long-sleeved shirts, and this one is comfy, is in nice condition, and is a lovely and unusual pale red color.  I like the brown buttons, too--I've been wearing more brown lately (as will become evident over the next month or so of outfits), and it's nice to have that extra bit of coordination.

Oh, and the t-shirt I'm wearing...it's one my mom bought me for my birthday for sleeping in.  I'd told her this style was one of my current favorite t-shirts, and she bought me a bunch of colors to coordinate with my flannel pajama bottom collection.  It has been sleep perfection.  I like a regular t-shirt for sleeping in as well or better than dedicated pajamas tops from knit fabric, and they are more versatile also.  As you can see.

*Light red cardigan (thrifted, Lands End), $5.24

OCPW: $13.58

And apparently it's flower season every single day in Los Angeles, if this is what it looks like in late December!

Los Angeles Arboretum

Orange Fish--Wednesday, 3/6/18

This is a straight-up "start with a scarf and wear all the colors in it" outfit that didn't require much effort (hence the brilliance and popularity of the start-with-a-scarf strategy), but I think the result is pretty great.

OCPW: $8.08

And then there's this simpler take on orange, black, white, and blue.

Newport Aquarium

In other news...20 years, 119 self-designed hand-knitted sweaters.  He travels around taking pictures of himself wearing sweaters that match famous landmarks.  This guy is crazy-amazing.

Oklahoma Leaders

Following the Oklahoma teachers' strike is driving me crazy.

But not as crazy as the state legislature. 

This just about sums it up.