Erika S. outfits

home work = домашняя работа

I have a good number of Eastern European/Cental Asian students this year, coming from countires such as Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Tajikistan.  Many of them speak limited/survival English at best, but they all speak Russian.  So it’s been a struggle teaching them biology…in English.  I rely on using pictures to illustrate concepts, using vocabulary charts and other students to fill in the blanks.  Today, I learned a new Russian word, which I have been using probably all too often to describe everything.  домашняя работа (domashnyaya rabota), which means homework, as in “Unless you can tell me right now what the ‘Z-scheme’ is in photosynthesis, I can tell you straight copied your domashnyaya rabota from the internet.”  That’s right.  Do your domashnyaya rabota!!

This corduroy pea coat has been a staple in my closet for the past 6 years at least.  I got it ages and ages ago from the Gap, way back when my old roommate Lori worked there.  Its the best cut ever – boxy in the body but slim in the arms.  So you have room to move and layer underneath, but you don’t end up looking like Popeye the Sailor Man with huge arms.

coat: hella old gap – cardigan: hella old therapy – dress: gap – tights: uniqlo – high socks: asos – booties: steven by steve madden

Erika S. outfits

brisk

It was a brisk day.  To me, that meant it was time to bust out the nordic style wooden booties and match it with conflicting prints all around.  

Please note that I have a view of the ‘penis building’, so aptly named by Sara, from my roof.  My opinion of Brooklyn architecture has improved drastically with this gem of a nickname.

vest: uniqlo – thermal: f21 – coated jeans: urban outfitters – booties: anthropologie, found at nordstrom rack for an amazing $20 last spring

Erika S. outfits, teaching

surviving tuesdays

How to survive a hectic Tuesday at school after a 3 day weekend:  an easy no-iron shrunken boy shirt and black super stretchy jeans.  It will take you 5 min to get dressed and you’ll be physically comfy all day while your patience and sanity gets  shredded to bits.

This was one of those Tuesdays, where grades are due, you have “guests” possibly coming into your classroom to “observe” the next day and kids pretend the no-talking-during-a-quiz rule is new to the world.  So before I got down to planning and grading, after my last class of the day, I had some fun with my trusty Smart Board and camera.  Cool colors!  The refresh rate on the board is pretty low, and I really want to make this a teachable physics moment, but I’ll spare you guys the lecture.

The rumply leftovers of the day:

glasses: warby parker – button up: madewell – belt: gap – jeans: uniqlo – boots: steven

Shout out to class A for taking it like a champ today and making all the connections between photosynthesis and cellular respiration!  (none of them even knows this exists, this is just my mental high five.)  Go on with your bad selves.

Erika S. outfits

Grid-Walking Part 2

Today we walked Quadrant 2 of our grid-walking plan: Union St/6th Ave to 7th St/Prospect Park West.  Fall is definitely settling in, and I couldn’t be happier with the cooler temperatures.  I wouldn’t call it cold by any means, but it’s cool enough for a holey sweater and a very thin puffy in a fall plaid.  I’m not even quite done with the plaid yet, but this Uniqlo puffy is a recent addition to my fall arsenal.

Oh, and I dyed my hair last weekend.  There was a sale on hair dye at CVS and I had a coupon for an extra $2 off.  $4.50 later, I have black hair.  Something new for cheap.

puffer: uniqlo (bought during a $10 off special)- sweater: anthro, evening chill pullover (old)- belt: h&m – coated twill pants: urban outfitters (I bought mine on sale for $30 in-store, online they’re full price still)- shoes: vans (super old) – bag: freitag

Erika S. fun stuffs

friday checks

Not done with the plaid just yet.  A second plaid/checked flannel from Uniqlo. Totally unnecessary to have two checked flannels, but I am weak willed.  They’re totally different colors!  My mom joined in with her own plaid – she knows what’s up.

I came home from school to a surprise envelope today.  B is the best random gift giver/I read your blog entry and got you something gifter ever.

Yay giraffes!  Unicorn Crafts –> ridiculously cute jewelry like my Narwhal.

Erika S. fun stuffs, outfits

Mad for Plaid

Fall is finally starting to creep in here and temps are starting to become tolerable.  Good thing, as I’ve recently picked up a couple flannel shirts from Uniqlo and have been dying to experience some 90’s nostalgia while listening to Alice in Chains.

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sunnies, jeans (my favorite for the last year and so ridiculously cheap) and necklace: f21 – flannel: uniqlo – belt: j.crew – bag: freitag – shoes: vans

Uniqlo is my new favorite store, “fo real for real” as the teens like to say.  Basics with a little bit of flair for super reasonable prices.  Case in point, this $20 (normally $30, there was a special going on) flannel.  It’s warm, will carry me through fall and winter, I’ve been mad about plaid for some time now and the soft flannel makes me super huggable.  I need hugs.

ImageAlso, my mom is in town this week.  This means playing tourist through the 3 major chinatowns of New York.  Flushing’s chinatown/koreatown is the best, hands down.  A couple snaps of a scene in Manhattan’s chinatown: a square full of gambling old grandmas and the people who watch them.

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Erika S. outfits, teaching

little victories

I have a student who is super shy.  So shy and unsure of herself that all year, she has barely said more than a few sentences in class.  I was also a very shy kid, so I can empathize with her.  Well, this shy kid had to do a solo power point presentation last week on the integumentary system.  She could have chosen to do a mini-book project instead, but alas, she opted to challenge herself and speak in front of the class, all by herself.  The day came, and she froze on the spot.   Really froze!

My class, as good as they are, kept encouraging her with “Don’t worry C__, you don’t have to be shy in front of us” and “you can do it C___, just pretend we’re not here at all” and other supportive things.  Still didn’t help.  She was still standing there frozen with large eyes.  I suggested that everyone in the class turn around so that C_____ wouldn’t feel like all the eyes were on her, every single student whipped around in their seats and stared at the wall.  After a 3 minutes of tortured silence, C____ began to speak, read her note cards and did her presentation, switching slides for the backs of heads.  It was a mini victory.  I wanted to hug each one of my 5th period students that day and stick them all in my pocket so that I could pull them out routinely and tell them how proud they make me.

On an outfit note, I bought these black jeans this past weekend at Uniqlo in NYC.  Love that store.  Cheap, good quality basics with a touch of designeyness (I just made up that word).  Just when I plan on moving to the only US city that has a Uniqlo, they announce that they’re opening one up in SF.  Bah.  I  have two paris of the same jeans, black and blue, mid-rise skinny tapered.  They are super stretchy, thick, super comfortable and holds its shape well for at least 3 wears.  All for $40.  Can’t beat it.  other than the jeans, my teaching outfit was pretty boring and basic.  T-shirt and jeans.

glasses: warby parker – jacket: h&m (old) – v-neck: thread for thought via nordstrom rack – belt: gap – jeans: uniqlo – shoes: bass – bag: j.crew

 

Erika S. outfits, teaching

Weekend love note

It’s always fun to find love notes left for you from your students on the white board. Yesterday, one of my fav students, “A”, left me this love note.  She found the boxes of preserved specimens waiting to get dissected.  Guess who wants to take physiology next year!  “A” also played photog for me.  Good job, A!

glasses: bonlook – infinity scarf: american apparel – blazer: madewell – sweater: j.crew – belt: gap – jeans: uniqlo – booties – steve madden

Erika S. outfits

sunday strolls

It was freezing today by SF standards.  48 degrees!  B and I decided to take a sunday stroll so we walked 7.73 miles today.  We walked from his apartment to the Marina and back, stopping for shopping at Lululemon (B bought lounge pants that are actually long enough for his gangly manly legs), Urban Outfitters (still going with the 30% off sales!) and dinner at Umami Burger.  I’ve been dying to try this place ever since they opened up here in SF (there is one in LA too I think).  Look at the brown sugar on the sweet potato fries!!!

B and I had fun playing with new found features on my camera while we waited for food.

It was sooo cold.  I’m glad I got to put the spoils of my last shopping trip to good use.

beanie and sunnies: F21 – sweater: UO men’s dept. – puffy vest and bag: J.Crew – jeans: Uniqlo – shoes: minetonka via UO