Bikes and Maps and an office tour

This weekend was full of Bachelor/Bachelorette Party and wedding prep fun. Thus things fell quiet on the blog. Here is a quick outfit update from Friday (when it was like 90 degrees...ugh! It might sound ungrateful to summer, but I am so ready for fall). I decided long ago to treat the Cartography map print Cardigan like a neutral, despite its print. And I think it looks quite nice with the muted washed navy of the Two-Wheeler shirtdress. I wore it to work and it was a big hit. I'm still trying to figure out how to leave my tripod at home but snap clear, acceptable photos in my office. Anyway, I paired these pieces with a Linea Pelle belt, Burberry jeweled flats, and my Jenny Yuen Gatsby bag, which has become my go-to work bag. It is big, professional enough, understated, lacking in branded fodder/logos, and neutral in color. It made an excellent birthday present from Chris last April and I am thrilled with its usability.

You can see some bonus office decor, in the above shot so I figured I would share the things I've done to make my work space feel more me.

Here you can see one of my shelves. I used some throw-away posters I found in the basement of the basement of the Smithsonian (aka, where my very prestigious predoc fellow office was located during the remodel) to add color. They were from jazz festivals of years previous. I found a pretty feather-filled pillow at Tuesday Morning that matched the purple of the chairs. And I got the rug (which you can see in the first photo) at TJ Maxx. Although my book shelves are currently somewhat sparse, they will be filled further when/if I decide to bring more of my stuff to work.

My desk is a little messy but before I began this job, my mom bought for me a number of pretty metal organizers that keep everything in place. So the mess here is misleading. It is typically quite ordered. I don't have close up photos of the items, sadly. But they were a great gift! You also can see my humongous Dell laptop. I'm a Mac gal so using this machine has been quite the adjustment.  But I am glad to have something new and portable to supplement my Macbook! I hung above my desk some framed prints from Paris. I bought them in Montmartre. On the far right hangs an excerpt from an older map of Pittsburgh (specifically, my neighborhood). Hung kind of crudly with sticky tack, are some more finds from the Smithsonian. These were from the Archives Center where I spent the bulk of my predoc research time. They're all advertising history pamphlets for various iconic American brands.  Lastly, you will see that I  brought a lamp from home because the lighting in an office can be so garish. I should have turned it on for this photo!

This is my new friend who chirps outside my window, at least until winter. He is nicknamed Dr. Chippy, to remind me that although I have a job I like, I need to finish my degree/dissertation asap. If Dr. Chippy can do it, so can I. Thanks for reading!