Times like these, out of my element and away from Bethesda or Nashville, make me feel quite out of my element.  I’ve been indoctrinated into the casual East Coast preppy lifestyle, and college mixed that with a slight Tennessee twang.  Neither of these looks line up with Bloomington’s style.   Where do these hipsters shop?  To be honest, I have absolutely no clue.

I don’t necessarily want to blend in, but it would be great to not stick out like a sore thumb in my Jack Rogers and J. Crew.  So today I trekked downtown to Urban Outfitters, purveyor of all clothing fit for posers and true hipsters alike.

The brand Silence & Noise has many items that can pass as trendy whether you’re on the East Coast, in the South, or in the Midwest.  Their Ruffle Camisole in particular comes in eight colors and can be worn with jeans and jacket, or tucked into the BDG Full Knit Skirt.

Another look, more appropriate for summer jobs or internships, is based on the same basic building blocks of tucking a top into a skirt.  The Cooperative Floral Skirt has a versatile pattern that can work in the summer with bare legs and flat sandals, and then tights and brown leather boots in the winter. A blousy top, such as the BDG Breezy Button Down Shirt, balances the shortness of the skirt.

So how are button down shirts, ruffled camisoles, and short skirts more Bloomington and less DC/Nashville?  Good question.  I’ll have to take the new ensembles for a test-run and report back.  But never fear, a leopard never changes its spots: you won’t find me sporting dreadlocks, sitting outside of a dingy coffee bar, taking espresso shots and brooding over a composition book.  That would be far too alternative for this DC native.

The epiphany, like a fledgling sparrow leaving the nest too soon, plummeted to the ground in a fiery ball with the words “needs considerable work.”  These words came in an email from a magazine editor in Bloomington in response to an article I wrote.  Never have my teachers at Sidwell, nor my professors at Vanderbilt, ever described my writing as needing work, let alone considerable work. 

Oh, the pain!  As a perfectionist, those words stung.  Never let them see you sweat, I told myself, as the iPod in my hand shook and I sprinted down the street in a mad run to escape the deafening tidal wave of disappointment behind me. 

I talked to a good friend, a dancer, who told me that facing rejection is a necessary part of the learning process. So what, I told myself, that one editor thinks my writing needs considerable work.  After all, I’m just starting to think about writing as a career. This blunt critic has been writing for longer than I’ve been alive.  At the same time, I couldn’t shake that nagging feeling that maybe I’d been wrong.  Maybe I’m not so good at this, after all.

But when the going gets tough, the tough goes…shopping.  And shopping, my friends, is something I know I am good at.

My eternal obsession, shopbop.com, came to the rescue like a drug to an addict.  My bloodshot eyes scrolled through the new items and markdowns at rapid speed, flitting from one side of the screen to the other in a frenzy.  After editing my (rather large) shopping bag down to two items and clicking the check out button, the anxiety that had built up slowly left my body.  If a few clicks of my mouse and a small donation from my checking account can relax me, then surely I can pick myself up and try again.

Never let them see you sweat, but know that everyone, everyone, is sweating bullets right there along with you, every step of the way.  So tomorrow, I’ll take another look at that article, and make some edits so that “considerable” work can turn into “some” work.  If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.  But when all else fails, retail therapy can go a long way.

We can now add Indianapolis’ team to the long list of things Obama has supported that have failed miserably: health care, Chicago Olympics, Creigh Deeds, Jon Corzine, Martha Coakley, et al.

Obama told a pre-game interviewer: “I think the Colts probably have to be favorite, mainly because they have got perhaps the best quarterback in history — Peyton Manning is unbelievable.”

The president did add that he had a “soft spot” for the Saints, however, so as to continue his legacy of being wishy washy and offering all things to all people.