Flying to China

Finally able to eat & taste properly, so I was thrilled to go to my favorite meal, dim sum, with my family. And that gave me a chance to wear these silly winged flats & spice up a casual outfit. Stuffed myself with dumplings & char shu bau & enjoyed a great time with my parents & old fiends.

What I'm Wearing:

Purple shawl sweater, bought at Camden Markets in London | Black knit tunic, American Apparel | Black glittery leggings, Torrid | Black socks, unknown brand | Black winged flats, PlasticLand | Silver book locket necklace, random accessory store | Silver hoop earrings, random accessory store | Purple lipstick, Sephora house brand

Scarf Time

Originally, I thought scarves & turbans were too "cancer patient" looking for me. Well, they are, but I now see the value of wearing them anyway. This style of head covering is easy to wear once it's on (tho' it can be fussy to adjust to look good), & they can be comfortable. Besides, scarves/turbans mix up the look. Sometimes, I don't care if I look like a cancer patient -- it's the truth, I own it.

I made this one from a fabric scrap a friend gave me. I was trying to copy a fitted scarf that I got on Etsy, since I liked the style & just wanted variety. Sewing stretch fabrics isn't my favorite thing to do, but the project only had a few darts to give the cap shape. I'm going to make more since other friends have donated stretch fabrics, & I'll be bald for quite a while longer.

What I'm Wearing:

Black & white knit scarf, made by me

Black & white stripe "Paris" T-shirt, bought in Paris, France

Silver filigree earrings, Target

Red lipstick, Sephora house brand

Dinner With the Family

One of the most common side effects of chemo (other than hair loss) is changes to the taste buds. It can be mild or make everything taste like cardboard. I've been lucky in that I've mostly had a sensation of burnt tongue, like when you drink too-hot coffee, so everything tastes off or a little more dull. Some things taste distinctly weird, like citrus tastes bitter. Luckily, the one thing that tastes normal is my favorite milk chocolate, so yeah, I've indulged some!

Recently, I went out to dinner at an Afghani restaurant with my parents & some old family friends (& this is what I wore). The food was great! I could taste everything pretty well -- something about those favors were just right even to my burnt tongue. So nice.

The bad tastes have usually gone away just before the next chemo infusion. And my last one will be on Halloween -- so I'm *really* looking forward to Thanksgiving this year & being able to really taste all of my mom's great cooking!

What I'm Wearing:

White & black pinstripe jacket, Macy's

Purple T-shirt, Target

Black corduroy skirt, H&M

Black & white kitty-print wedge sneakers, PlasticLand

Black socks, unknown brand

Silver book locket necklace, random accessory store

Gunmetal dangly skull earrings, Walgreens

Sparkly skull stud earrings, random accessory store

Black & white beaded cuff bracelet, bought in Kauai

Getting Batty on Round 3

For my third of four chemo rounds, I mixed old-school with new. Classic pointy boots with bat buckles and a big sweater woven with the word "BAT" on the front and "CAT" on the back. Not exactly work appropriate, but good for kicking it around on weekends & casual days.

What I'm Wearing:
BAT / CAT sweater, Forever 21 | Black knit skirt, Target | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Black leather boots with pewter bat buckles, swapped from a friend | Black & white stripe dangle earrings, Kohl's | Pewter woman symbol stud earring, bought on the street in Berkeley | Ying/yang stud earring, bought on the street in Berkeley | Pewter peace symbol earring, bought on the street in Berkeley | Black & pink wig, Miss Violet Lace

Added bonus: Rhinestone-crusted "Fight Like a Girl" travel mug, gift from The Professor. Thanks, sweetie!!!

My New Favorite Hat

It's not all about the wigs -- sometimes a hat is all I want or need to wear. But finding the right ones has been tricky. As a wanna-be milliner, I'm rather picky about style, materials, & fit, but I don't have the time & energy to make all my own hats right now (the ones I have made tend to be wear-around-the-house serviceable ones).

So I was thrilled to find this cute, comfortable, & affordable one on Etsy. Plus, the seller regularly donates hats to cancer patients, & when I mentioned I was buying this to cover up after losing my hair, she threw in a funky scarf cap in a gorgeous fabric too. So cool!

This is the kind of outfit I've been wearing a lot of around the house, to follow-up doctor's appointments, to the pharmacy, & then for the inevitable nap afterwards. Nothing as fancy as I'd wear to the office, but it's a step up from the PJs I wear on my really burnt-out days.

What I'm wearing:
Purple knit dress, Old Navy | Multiple shades of grey sweater, Macy's | Black jeweled flip-flops (not seen), Mootsies Tootsies | Black beret, KnownGrewels | Silver glittery skull stud earrings, random accessory store | Bon Jour script necklace, random accessory store