(Wednesday) Link List

Going back to an older photo - hanging out with my sister's dog!

I received some fantastic news recently regarding one of my pro bono matters. We had a far better outcome than I could have dreamed of when we started, and I was so happy! I'd been so worried about this case so many times in the last few months. I generally don't do a very good job "disconnecting" from my cases, and get emotionally invested. It's been fine so far, though I worry about how devastated I would be the first time one of my cases turned out poorly.

I'm experimenting with posting link list posts whenever I have one ready, rather than only on Fridays. It would still only happen once a week at most, I think, as I'm not able to blog that frequently. I think I've been finding my previous self-imposed "Friday Link List" and "Sunday Reading" concepts a bit more formal and restrictive than needed, given that it isn't realistic for me to make either feature a weekly thing, and I prefer flexibility.

1. // This is sort of random, but I enjoyed this Racked article about Victorian mourning dress, in particular a type of fabric called mourning crape. There's also this older Jezebel piece about Victorian mourning dress.

2. // Anyone else a fan of Grey's Anatomy back in the day? I loved seasons one and two, though stopped watching around season three before revisiting the series years later and racing through all of what was available on Netflix at the time. The series was always a bit too dramatic to be plausible, but I really love the Cristina character and her friendship with Meredith.

There's a good recent interview with Sandra Oh, which touches on, among other topics, how racism has affected her career. She discusses how, when her agent called about the offer to play one of the two leading roles in the new BBC America show Killing Eve, she just couldn't believe it:

In that moment, I did not assume the offer was for Eve. I think about that moment a lot. Of just going, how deep have I internalized this? [So] many years of being seen [a certain way], it deeply, deeply, deeply affects us. It’s like, how does racism define your work? Oh my goodness, I didn’t even assume when being offered something that I would be one of the central storytellers. Why? And this is me talking, right? After being told to see things a certain way for decades, you realize, “Oh my god! They brainwashed me!” I was brainwashed! So that was a revelation to me.

Anyway, it's probably not a surprise that I spend a lot of time thinking about Asian American representation. There's more in the interview too. 

3. // A few blog links: Happy one-year blogiversary to Luxe! She always writes really great, thoughtful content, so I'm glad I discovered her blog. YAPFB wrote about some good, helpful lessons she learned in her job, and that she hopes to pass on. I see them as lessons that are applicable to many industries, including law (though alas, for a junior biglaw associate, applying things like boundary-setting to protect your own health and well-being may be complicated, given firm hierarchies and the expectations of the industry). Talia's shower renovation turned out beautifully!

4. // A few discussions to highlight: I was grateful for all the tee recommendations. Because the weather is still quite cold, I haven't gotten around to shopping yet, but I'll refer back to the recommendations when I'm ready! Also, I really appreciated the discussion about whether to hire someone to clean, and seeing how everyone approaches this question differently. It seems like such a small, mundane question, and one that should be easily resolved (and indeed, if K and I were both working truly long hours, we'd just go for it already), but there's actually a lot that goes into it sometimes.

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5. // Also from Racked, though it's been covered everywhere else at this point, there is some drama going down at Deciem, the company behind The Ordinary brand skincare products, mostly thanks to its CEO, who seems to be... going through some things. I'd been intrigued by The Ordinary's products for a long time because of their modest pricing combined with their focus on scientifically proven ingredients, though I've been unable to try them because I was following my dermatologist's instructions, which included a directive to stick to a very minimal for me skincare routine. With all the drama, I'm more reluctant to try anything from The Ordinary. 

6. // Finally, I've done a bit of window shopping recently, and I noticed that a few of the Ted Baker long wrap coats, like the one I bought last year (similar, on sale but only left in one size), are on sale. There's a burgundy one in a a textured 100% wool rather than the smoother-textured wool/cashmere/synthetic blend of my coat. There's also a few other coats in their more standard blend, including a gray one with a pink contrast lining.

I was really intrigued by this Uniqlo two-way tuck design tee, as the gathered knot detail seems identical to the one on my favorite shell for  under my suits, a very old cream-colored Ann Taylor top that's pictured in my post about interview clothing. Because I'm quite busty, not a lot of tops I wear under suits look that great (the proportions are odd when tucked in to a pencil skirt), but that sort of v-neck effect anchored by the gathered knot makes the neckline hit in the exact right place to be fully covered-up, but still flattering. Of course, my Ann Taylor top is a completely different material - two layers of polyester, meant for work - while the Uniqlo top seems to be a single layer of cotton-modal tee material, so it's very likely not to look at all similar. I might be tempted to try it anyway, on the off chance it has that same magical effect.

Any thoughts about The Ordinary drama? Anyone else as fond of Cristina Yang as I am? I don't like the recent seasons of Grey's Anatomy as much, but Ellen Pompeo and Shonda Rhimes have really accomplished something impressive with how long the show's been on the air!