https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-i-did-in-october Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:02:31 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-i-did-in-october#post-1860364 Mon, 13 Nov 2017 18:23:23 +0000 Chris987 1860364@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks <b>shopaholic<br /> </b>and <b>harmonica! &nbsp;&nbsp;</b> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-i-did-in-october#post-1859476 Thu, 09 Nov 2017 18:24:46 +0000 harmonica 1859476@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thank you for sharing! Great to hear from you. It's so important to make a pause every now and then. The sunrise is so beautiful. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-i-did-in-october#post-1859469 Thu, 09 Nov 2017 18:08:46 +0000 shopaholic77 1859469@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I am glad you are back!! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-i-did-in-october#post-1859446 Thu, 09 Nov 2017 16:02:17 +0000 Chris987 1859446@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>thanks RachyLou and Karen13. </p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-i-did-in-october#post-1859318 Thu, 09 Nov 2017 03:43:48 +0000 karen13 1859318@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Happy you are returning refreshed. You have had an awful lot going on. I sometimes feel a need to do something similar in various aspects of my life. I probably need to do some serious reassess of my closet, as I have just been in &nbsp;rebuild mode for the past two years, and not all the choices were informed by YFL. Your post is excellent food for thought.</p> <p>I was a long time Windows user and switched to Mac 6 years ago. My same MacBook Pro is still going &nbsp;strong (knock on wood). The transition was not too bad. My husband's Mac Desktop is probably 9-10 years old, and is about to stop being supported by Apple. You are correct that the interface between an iPhone and a mac is a big plus. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-i-did-in-october#post-1859313 Thu, 09 Nov 2017 03:09:56 +0000 rachylou 1859313@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I really like that you took time to be in your clothes. </p> <p>Congrats on the House </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-i-did-in-october#post-1859173 Wed, 08 Nov 2017 18:43:41 +0000 Chris987 1859173@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks <b>Janet</b>. I’m with you on “taking frequent breaks from my frenzy with shopping or social media”, but am trying to find other ways to take breaks because shopping and especially social media feel frenzied to me too sometimes. Good to hear that Macs last as long as they do. Some PCs do also, just not my newest one :-)&nbsp;</p> <p>Thanks<b> lisa p</b> …having this psoting considered a “letter from a friend” makes my day!</p> <p>Thanks <b>RobinF</b> and thanks for another thumbs up on Macs. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-i-did-in-october#post-1859125 Wed, 08 Nov 2017 15:20:42 +0000 RobinF 1859125@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Nice to see your update. It sounds like you are accomplishing a lot which is a really good feeling. I need to do much of the same soul-searching regarding my wardrobe and shopping habits.</p> <p>We have had Macs at home for years and my kids all have Mac laptops (bought with graduation money) and they do last really well. Our latest Mac desktop is 10&nbsp; years old and just in the last year starting being buggy so I bought a cheap Enovo laptop which I like. Just needed it for bills and stuff that are too hard to do on my ipad. I have a Windows computer at work so it is easier for me to use anyway.</p> <p>Great reminder about Lisa's book. I need to check it out. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-i-did-in-october#post-1859120 Wed, 08 Nov 2017 15:03:32 +0000 Anonymous 1859120@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What a nice "letter from a friend" to open this morning with coffee &nbsp;I keep meaning to check out Lisa's book - thanks for the reminder. &nbsp;Looking forward to seeing your new hair cut too ! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-i-did-in-october#post-1859118 Wed, 08 Nov 2017 15:02:27 +0000 Janet 1859118@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Nice to see an update from you! It sounds like a very productive and busy fall for you. Maine is beautiful. </p> <p>I like your focus on mindfulness and deliberation. I've been trying in fits and starts myself, but this year has been such a whirlwind. I can relate to the multitasking, and I am very prone to distracting myself and taking frequent breaks from my frenzy with shopping or social media. </p> <p>Another plug for Mac from me. I've been a Mac user for 25 years now, and just bought a new MacBook Pro to replace my 6-year-old one, which still works, but the screen was starting to have burn-in problems, and I use my laptop so much for photo editing that I need a good screen. I also have a Mac Pro desktop (one of the big towers from 8 years ago) at my studio, which is (knock on wood) still going strong all these years later. I typically replace my laptop every 5-7 years, and always keep the old one just in case. I'm now selling my OLD old MacBook Pro (circa 2007) for $300, so they hold their value pretty well, much like an old Toyota. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-i-did-in-october#post-1859111 Wed, 08 Nov 2017 14:43:22 +0000 Chris987 1859111@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks for all the inputs on laptops. I've been a windows (and predecessors) user for many decades at my job, and have also used it for my home/personal computers for 10 or 15 years. It’s only recently that I’ve had to deal with a hardware failure since at work I had an IT department to call on, and I've never had a hardware failure in my personal computers. DH, a long time MAC user, has had the occasional hardware failure and he just takes it to the local Mac store and they fix it within a few days. Perhaps it’s partly because he has a service contract. With a Windows system you have to go to Best Buy or Staples or similar for service, and then begins a round of shipping it out to various locations for various work. Best Buy had the worst service I’ve ever had for any product, and ultimately said the motherboard needed replacing for around $900 including labor. DH found a guy in Miami who has made a business, sold through Ebay, of repairing these motherboards so we went with that. So, between this horrible service and having bought an HP laptop (it’s only 2 years old) that seems prone to hardware failures, I’m ready to switch to MAC the minute my HP laptop comes back from the repair shop and acts even the littlest bit flaky. So, my reason for going to Mac will have nothing to do with ease of use, or familiarity with the operating system, but will be all about ease of support. Plus I hear there are some nice compatibility features you get between an Iphone and a MAC laptop.</p> <p>Yes <b>fashionintern,</b> a very good time to practice mindfulness. I expected that to be true even BEFORE the house went under contract :-)</p> <p>Thanks <b>Jaileen. </b> </p> <p><b>Suz</b>, thanks and yes do by all means do a more detailed wardrobe review when you can. It seems to make such a huge difference in overall outcome to really think about what you have before adding new pieces. As Angie has been telling us forever…:-)&nbsp;</p> <p><b>La P</b>...not surprised that you had a similar experience with the storm, I know it caused outages all over New England. Our road in Maine was blocked too, but by the time I arrived, a chunk had been removed so we could get through. This storm impacted far fewer people than the huge hurricanes and fires earlier this year, (the Maine population is only 1.3 million) , so it didn’t make the national news, but there were still many stories of people helping people. Hah, love your commend on needing to “reprogram” to do less shopping…so true! </p> <p><b>Runcarla</b>, thanks! These days I don't do much in terms of "holiday fairy" activities so that's not a concern for me but I know it is for many . Your renewal question is an interesting one. Not sure I know why it was the right time for me, but that's ok, I just knew it was. </p> <p>Thanks as always <b>Angie! </b>Reading your forum comments always brings a smile to my face, whether they are replies to my own posts or those of others.&nbsp;<b></b></p> <p><b>Joy,</b> I know exactly what your relatives are dealing with in terms of having no water. At my regular house in MA I'm in a very small town that is very much "on the grid" for electricity, internet, cell phones etc, but no municipal water so everyone has a private well. We have gotten used to always having some water stored in containers for when power outages happen, and we heat partially with a wood stove so we can heat the water, <br />but it's still a pain, especially the bathing part. When I think about Puerto Rico having their entire electric grid destroyed by one of the recent hurricanes….</p> <p><b>Style Fan</b>, thanks, and yes Lisa’s book is really a good read, especially if you are into analysis and numbers. Agree that Carla’s question about renewal is most interesting! </p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-i-did-in-october#post-1859036 Wed, 08 Nov 2017 09:04:05 +0000 Style Fan 1859036@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Good to hear from you, Chris.&nbsp; Thank you for sharing.&nbsp; Lisa's book sounds very interesting.&nbsp; A few fabbers have mentioned it. &nbsp;&nbsp; Your new haircut sounds very fab.&nbsp; I look forward to the pictures.<br />Mindfulness is so helpful.&nbsp; I have to remind myself to use it when I am feeling overwhelmed.&nbsp; I find I start multitasking and then forgetting what I did.</p> <p>Carla asked an interesting question about renewal.&nbsp; I am going to think about that one. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-i-did-in-october#post-1859014 Wed, 08 Nov 2017 04:50:51 +0000 Anonymous 1859014@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What a time you have had! As of yesterday my uncle and aunt and cousins in Maine do not have power restored and no water to drink or bathe as the pump for their well is not working. They know of about 400 or more in their village also without power yet. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-i-did-in-october#post-1858959 Wed, 08 Nov 2017 01:54:03 +0000 Angie 1858959@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Good to hear from you, Chris. I missed you.</p> <p>I'm glad you're in a good place, and looked inward to get there. Good job listening to your feelings, and selling the Maine vacation home. Good luck with the laptop, and much love to you.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-i-did-in-october#post-1858953 Wed, 08 Nov 2017 01:34:18 +0000 Carla 1858953@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thank you for sharing. I know the feeling of competing interests/demands too well. And of course, we are going into that time of year when we women are expected to be the seasonal fairies that make holiday magic happen! I like learning that you are taking time for self care and looking forward to your haircut post. </p> <p>I've been trying a new skin care regime since August, and since September making an effort caring for my hands (lots of moisturizer). I did a big wardrobe sort in October. I pick up new specs next week and have a haircut booked as well. </p> <p>I wonder at so many folks looking at a renewal of sorts this F/W rather than the typical spring makeover? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-i-did-in-october#post-1858951 Wed, 08 Nov 2017 01:31:49 +0000 LaPed 1858951@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Nice to hear from you! Glad the storm didn't cause you any major damage. We didn't lose any trees on our property (we're in NH), but our road was blocked the morning after by a huge spruce. By the time we needed to leave the house, a group of neighbours had cleared it. The town just came by yesterday to remove the logs they'd left on the side of the road. Our home is off-grid so we can't lose power, but the nearest power lines were out for almost a week, and the downtown area of our town was flooded for ~24 hours.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Your discussion of mindfulness really resonates with me. I've done very minimal purchasing for the fall season and feel pretty happy/satisfied with the state of my wardrobe. I'm trying to sit back and enjoy, but it does take some reprogramming to remind myself that there are other things I'd rather be doing than shopping.&nbsp;</p> <p>Oh -- and I've been a Macbook user for a long time. My first lasted me eight years (and even survived being stolen and miraculously returned to me!), and my second is five years old and gives me no trouble.</p> <p>Can't wait to see pics of the new haircut! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-i-did-in-october#post-1858948 Wed, 08 Nov 2017 01:02:05 +0000 Suz 1858948@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>You have been working hard, Chris! Thank you for the update and report. I really like your thoughtful process on the wardrobe review/ renewal and so glad to hear you have found Lisa's book and Angie's review posts a great guide! I think I need to do a similar review. My closet is in pretty good shape for fall overall but there are a few areas I need to examine a bit more closely. I have made a few purchases recently that I think will be good ones. Hope to show the forum eventually, if I am able to get the time and space to do that.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-i-did-in-october#post-1858945 Wed, 08 Nov 2017 00:42:44 +0000 JAileen 1858945@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>It was interesting to read what you've been up to. </p> <p>I used a PC for my working career. At home, though, my husband wanted everything uniformly Apple. So I got a Mac. I have survived. Now, I only use it when I have to do a report on Excel. Otherwise I use my ipad. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-i-did-in-october#post-1858901 Tue, 07 Nov 2017 21:12:34 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 1858901@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What an eventful month! That makes it a very good time to practice mindfulness.<br /> I have had Mac computers since the beginning, and wanted to get my son a Mac laptop Air. He was very insistent that he wanted a Microsoft Surface, so that’s what he has. It is very cool. I’m considering one for my next computer. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-i-did-in-october#post-1858894 Tue, 07 Nov 2017 20:15:15 +0000 Chris987 1858894@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>It’s been a very busy Oct/Nov!  My original reason for dropping off YLF for Oct was that I spent the month focusing on being more mindful in many different areas of my life and decided to back away from YLF as part of that (although I did browse almost every day).   The being mindful thing was a wonderful experience, and also very humbling. My personality and modern life in general push me toward too much multi-tasking and jumping from one thing to another without much thought and it was wonderful to slow it all down and think about what I really wanted to be doing. It’s not something easily “mastered”, more of a lifelong practices like yoga, even if you become a monk and spend all your time doing it. Now that I’m retired I find it way too easy to fill my days with things that are not necessarily what I really want to be doing, but are habits, so I wanted to begin to investigate that cycle.</p> <p>My laptop finally came back in mid October after being in two different repair shops and out of commission for 3 full months. I limped along with an old Windows Vista system during that time. Everything was fine until 10 days after it arrived, and then the original problem recurred. I said a lot of very bad words that day Back to the Miami repair place it went under warrantee for one more chance. If this repeats again I’m buying a new one and switching to the Apple ecosystem. </p> <p>We FINALLY found a buyer for our Maine vacation house, after having it on the market for 3 years off and on. We have owned it for 11 years, with the first few being wonderful and the last few having too many aggravations around renters and repairs plus not getting to use it enough. The house was fully furnished with second-hand stuff that we didn’t want to keep so we planned a long weekend yard sale Nov 4 – 6 followed by taking everything left to the nearby goodwill store. Some friends were lined up to bring small pickup trucks etc to help us. To make matters interesting, on Oct 30 there was a huge windstorm in the Northeast US causing downed trees and power lines, with power outages for literally half of the households in Maine, including our house. DH spent a few days there prepping for the yard sale without any power, internet, or cell phone service, although he did turn on the propane generator from time to time to power the refrigerator. He bought canned food and camped out and still talks about how strange it was. By the time I arrived a few days later the power was back although it took over a week to be restored everywhere. We are doing one more weekend yard sale, then will transfer it to the buyer on Nov 14. </p> <p>On the fashion/wardrobe front, I used a mindful approach, and focused carefully on every outfit I put on, to see what I really LIKE to wear. I listed to my feelings, and if there was anything I didn’t like, I changed it quickly without too much deliberation. I tracked everything. I also did a more detailed assessment of my lifestyle activities and what types of clothing I want for each. I ended up with a much better idea of what I have and how I feel about it (per Angie’s advice that it’s really helpful to do this). I demoted a lot of things to the holding zone, donate pile, the needs replacement pile, etc . I have done this type of exercise before, but never in such a focused manner somehow. At the end of the month I had a noticeably smaller working wardrobe that meets all my needs, but is feeling a bit dull and boring. It also has a few too many pieces that that are only suited to one outfit and therefore not very versatile. I also want to go in a slightly different wardrobe direction but I don’t know exactly what, so I’m slowing down and “sitting with it” to use an expression from the world of mindful living. lisa p’s recent posting on a similar topic really resonated with me and I plan to read it again... <a rel="nofollow" href="https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/my-wardrobe-and-therefore-my-style-is-boring-what-to-do">https://youlookfab.com/welookf.....what-to-do</a> . In Sept and Oct I’ve bought some accessories and sweaters, replenished cold weather under layers, filled a few small wardrobe holes, and otherwise not bought much. </p> <p>I also finished a first pass through “Shopping Brake” by Lisa. What an awesome book! There are SO MANY great suggestions, and highly worth reading even if you don’t follow every one of them. It’s great for anyone who wants to analyze their patterns for buying cloothes and putting together a wardrobe. So far it has led me to realize I’m spending far more time on shopping/wardrobe activities than I had realized and I want to cut it all back, that I need to put more time into building outfits especially when buying new pices, and that I would be better off for a while shopping almost entirely from a planned list. I need to read it again and take more notes  </p> <p>So, to start off a new chapter in terms of style, I am trying some new skin care products once they arrive, got a slightly shorter and more layered haircut, and have been painting my nails a bit more often (instead of only for special occasions). I’ll post haircut photos separately. </p> <p> Photos:<br /> 1 – sunrise at our house in Maine first week of November, looking east across the New Meadows River. This is like a bay or large cove. We’ve never been there this time of year before since we always had a winter tenant from September thru April. I got to look at this spectacular sunrise, probably the most beautiful I’ve ever seen there, on my morning walks! . </p> <p>2 – DH taking his chain saw to the one tree that blew over on our property during the storm. It was originally across the driveway. A guy that came to the yard sale agreed to take away the tree chunks. We were so lucky to only have ONE tree down and lucky that it did not land on any power lines </p>