Isorhythm

2013 ended up being a pretty eventful year, especially compared to the never-ending 2012: Moved from Carrboro to Greenville. Christopher graduated and got a job, so we packed up and headed east. Coastal North Carolina isn't the most exciting location, but leaving the cancer center and finding a two-bedroom has been positive overall. It helps knowing that neither of us hopes to be here forever. Summited five state high points and one territory. Christopher and I are highpointers, which means we make a sport out of traveling to the highest natural point in each of the fifty states. We started the year by grabbing Cerro de Punta in Puerto Rico, our second US territory, then continuing to collect east-of-the-Mississippi states, including Brasstown Bald, GA; Sassafras Mountain, SC; Spruce Knob, WV; Hoye-Crest, MD; Mount Davis, PA. Kittens took up residence on our porch. I left the door to our bike closet open one night in September, and Mittens the stray cat crawled inside

December has been busy with gifting, travel, and preparing for the new year. I'm ready to head south, put things back in boxes, and start fresh.

Have some kittens on a Roomba to celebrate! Students and faculty have been out for almost a week, so I expected this week to be a breeze, but it's been unexpectedly busy! Lots of fires to put out before the new semester begins in January! In a few days, I'll head north until the new year. Many busy days ahead. I will never tire of kittens on Roombas. :)

Dress: American Eagle; Shirt: Target; Scarf: Gift; Socks: Target; Boots: Steve Madden via eBay

I'm not a big believer in cutting any one thing out of my diet. Going cold turkey on red meat, dairy, or grains to improve health seems like an over simplified solution to a complex problem. But I have tried to curb my reliance on cream and cheese, which led me to this no-cream mushroom sauce. And I have to say now that I prefer it to any cream-based mushroom sauce I've tried. It's still rich and smooth, but those qualities come from the fungi themselves rather than filler. The original recipe is tweaked from one I found at  The Kitchn  (mostly to accommodate what I had available in my fridge), and it's absolutely my favorite mushroom sauce. No-cream Mushroom Sauce Adapted from  The Kitchn Ingredients 2 8-oz. packages of baby portobello mushrooms, washed and chopped 1 medium yellow onion, diced 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 1 c. dry white wine 1 c. chicken, beef, or vegetable stock 2 Tbs. fresh chopped sage (or 2 tsp. ground sage) 2 Tbs. butter

Dress: ASOS; Sweater: American Eagle; Belt: Target; Socks: Target; Boots: DV by Dolce Vita; Necklaces: Gifts This navy ASOS dress might be the best clothing purchase I've made all year. It's amazing all the things you can do with a simple blue skater dress. My real pride with this outfit, though, is the necklace, which is really two short necklaces that I clasped together to make it look like one statement piece. Ingenuity, guys.

The cold weather and dark evenings make me wish I owned more things that sparkle! Free People Shimmy Shimmy Party Dress in Silver, Pim + Larkin Sequin Mosaic Mini in Multi, ASOS Sequin Top Cami Dress in Oxblood, ASOS Sequin Top Skater Dress in Navy, Corey Lynn Calter Regence Tunic in Gold, Little Mistress Maxi Dress with Sequin Bodice in Cream/Navy

Books Thomas Mann,  Der Tod in Venedig Richard H. Hoppin, Medieval Music Inna Naroditskaya, Bewitching Russian Opera: The Tsarina from State to Stage Der Tod in Venedig  is still ongoing, but I haven't been keeping a steady regimen. The same goes for Medieval Music . Inna Naroditskaya's Bewitching Russian Opera , however, is a page-turner. Clothes Mossimo Women's Solid Skater Dress in Dark Red Sam & Libby Dominique Pointed Toe Pump in Pewter J. Crew Factory Double Stripe V-neck Sweater in Cloud/Brilliant Coral J. Crew Factory Always Cardigan in Black J. Crew Factory Colorblock Boatneck Tee in Ivory/Navy J. Crew Factory Clare Cardigan in Champagne The dress and shoes were emergency purchases for a wedding I attended. I realized at the last minute that all my semi-formal wear was only spring/summer appropriate and definitely not warm enough for a November ceremony. Now that it's over, I'm thinking about altering the skirt to make it a more

Dress: ASOS; Cardigan: American Eagle; Belt: Target; Tights: Target: Boots: DV by Dolce Vita; Scarf: Gift; Earrings: World Market I'm going through one of those phases where I'm tired of everything in my closet. But I like this. I really like this.

Top: Anthropologie; Jacket: Custom; Skirt: H&M; Flats: Steve Madden I wore this to an academic conference last month. Everything needs to be tailored badly. I realized too late that most of the things I wear to work aren't professional enough for this kind of event.

Tunic: ModCloth; Skirt: Rafaello via TJ Maxx; Pumps: Mossimo via Target; Earrings: American Eagle I love to dress up more casual clothes. It feels like getting away with something I'm not really supposed to do. In college I became really good at dressing up pajamas. No one ever knew. These are the earrings I wore: Little bicycles make me feel like I'm getting a lot done.

Books Thomas Mann,  Der Tod in Venedig Boris Pasternak, trans. Max Hayward and Manya Harari,  Doctor Zhivago Richard H. Hoppin, Medieval Music Keeping up a steady reading regimen has become more difficult now that I'm not riding the bus to and from work everyday. But I'm almost  done with Doctor Zhivago . Hoppin's Medieval Music  is more for notes in case I ever decide to go back to graduate school. It's nice, though, to be able to spend time with books I should have read more closely for class. Clothes Bonfire Stories Tunic in Red, $39.99 American Eagle Straight Jeans in Light Gray, $23.96 It was a light shopping month because I'm really trying to repurpose things I already own. But I needed new jeans, and the red plaid reminds me so much of camping and cold and the woods. Sound, Stage, and Seminar Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin , Met Opera Broadcast Dmitri Shostakovich's The Nose , Met Opera Broadcast I can't

Sweatshirt: Alternative Apparel; Tank: Target; Skirt: Loft; Flats: Alfani via Belk; Scarf: Gift This skirt is too big in both the waist and thighs but just right around the butt, a category too many of my mini skirts fall into. The result is a weird bell shape instead of a tailored look. I love the green tweed, though.

Sweater: American Eagle; Skirt: H&M; Tights: Target; Boots: Steve Madden; Scarf: Gift I didn't realize until I uploaded the pictures that they were all blurry, and this was well after I'd ditched the work clothes for sweats. But you get the idea. Besides, the blurriness gives it a ghostly effect, and it is awfully close to Halloween.

Sweater: Everlane; Skirt: Loft; Tights: Target; Boots: DV by Dolce Vita I'm still on the fence about the Big Bird tights, but they get so little wear and I figured there was enough mustard in the skirt to make them sort of go together. EDIT:  Actually, after more thought, I've decided I don't like this combination. Color-blocking fail.

Sweatshirt: Everlane; Skirt: Rafaello via TJ Maxx; Boots: Steve Madden via eBay; Scarf: Loft Outlet; Sunglasses: TJ Maxx I woke up on Tuesday thinking it was Wednesday, Wednesday thinking it was Thursday, and the cycle continued through the week. By Thursday, I was so ready for Friday that dressing up a sweatshirt felt almost mandatory. This one is so, so soft.

Dress: ASOS; Blouse: Everlane; Tights: Target; Boots: Steve Madden via eBay; Scarf: Street seller in Dublin It's finally beginning to dip below 70 degrees, so I'm starting the process of winterization by autumning up my summer dresses. These boots are hands down my favorite eBay purchase ever.

It was 80 and humid today. All I want is to pile on scarves, tights, boots, but alas. Top: Loft; Skirt: Rafaello via TJ Maxx; Heels: Nine West via DSW

But to couch this episode only as a Democratic victory would really miss the point. For the process by which such a shutdown and breakdown could happen is not just the work of a few cranky Tea Party types. It is rooted in an electoral system that is heavily gerrymandered, where only those who can pay, can play. The reason the Republican dissenters could proceed with such unstrategic zeal is because they are in safe, rigged seats and so risk no challenge at the polls. Indeed, given that they only have to fear nomination within their own party, rather than election by the nation at large, there is an incentive to act out in this way because it appeals to the base. When constituencies are so heavily contorted in the interests of incumbents that there is precious little consequence to anything a politician does, then you don't really have a democracy, you just have the vote. — " And so America's skewed democracy lurches on toward its next crisis ," Gary Younce for The

Dress: Anthropologie; Cardigan: Gap; Tights: Target; Boots: DV by Dolce Vita It's been gray and rainy for the past four days. Boots and sweaters have been a must. And bears. I'm usually apprehensive about patterned pieces because I find them harder to mix-and-match, but I haven't regretted this dress purchase for a minute. I need a better way to take pictures than my Mac. I need a friend. That's what I need.

I'm trying to be a mindful spender, but these are making it difficult.

I think sometimes that I can be content where I am, marking time with a steady job and filling the hours with domestic obligations. But then I see an opera or read a novel and remember the hundred things I'd hoped I'd do someday, and it becomes harder to file papers or wash dishes without a little resentment. It's been my dream for years to go to Russia, but now it's hard to see beyond even the coastal plain.

Tatiana's letter-writing aria, «Пускай погибну я, но прежде…», from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin . Performed by Anna Netrebko with the Metropolitan Opera, 2013-14 season.

These two have become the best part about coming home after a long day updating student records: Mitts & Kitts

I've seen monthly recap posts on a few other blogs (namely here ), and I like the idea of looking back on what I've accomplished before flipping the calendar. September had a lot of stops and starts. Books Alan Light,  The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of "Hallelujah" Thomas Mann,  Der Tod in Venedig Boris Pasternak, trans. Max Hayward and Manya Harari,  Doctor Zhivago Light's being the only book I started and finished. I don't expect to be done with Mann any time soon, as I'm attempting to read it auf Deutsch. Clothes Everlane Classic Tote in Burgundy, $35.00 Weston Wear Bloomfall Peplum Tank, $39.95 Leifsdottir Delancey Trousers, $39.95 (possibly returning) Maeve Zola Shift in Navy, $49.95 Pesqueira Lola Dress, $59.95 I'd been eyeing the Zola shift (left) for weeks and was thrilled when it went on sale. It's light, has deep pockets, and is a perfect length for work. The Lola dress (