Isorhythm

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 (

Mittens, one of far too many stray cats that hangs around our house, crawled into our bike closet a few weeks ago and gave birth to Curious (picture 1) and Chips (picture 2). They live in a tupperware bin lined with an old towel we put out for them. I'm tracking their progress at  Mitts & Kitts .