Potpourri

I finally found that cable for downloading pictures. So, here's a good one of the jewelry that I bought to wear with my saree. This is a really tough jewelry to take pictures of, because of the color. The beads reflect light, so we had to play around with the background setting. Placing it on white played havoc with the flash - either it would come out too bright or too dark. Bruce tried putting it on this white aran sweater; while it came out fairly decent it is too jarring to see the aran pattern against the necklace decoration. Hopefully it will be better when I wear the sari.

I've been prowling the web for a good video on how to wear one. There are tons of illustration out there on the web, the ubiquitous set of purple-colored sari illustration which seems to have become the default set of reference on many website with an obligatory “how to wear a sari” page. I do have a video, but it is not well-put together. There's one video from this website I've known about, but for some reason it isn't there anymore even though the link to the video still exists. Wish I'd been able to save it when it was still available.

This morning I tried putting it on and it didn't quite come out well. I need someone there to tell me if I'm doing it right and Bruce is at work right now. Hopefully there will be time this weekend to practice; I'm taking an iconography class (which is why I'm home right now).

Here's what I don't want to end up looking like. Helen Mirren was wearing this as a favor for a charity marketing products made by poor Bangladeshi women (I think). I know she means well, but frankly, this just doesn't look great. See how uneven the front is? And the pinning of the pallu is haphazard. She should have gotten a lesson or two from an Indian shop, or gotten her personal assistant to hire an Indian woman to work with her on putting the outfit together for the event. I like being neat, and I know I will be very self-conscious if I know I don't have it on the right way. Looking at pictures of beautiful Indian women with flat abdomen doesn't help matters any further.

Soon I've got to go to the iconography class; need to pick up something to eat for lunch and I must remember to pack my camera so I can show y'all what I did today. I should have some uninterrupted time to myself as Bruce is off to a bachelor party tonite (no, it's not going to be a wild event where women strip down to the bare; that's for when his brother Rick comes out here next month to spend ten days with us . . . eeek!). So it will be good to catch up with stuff. I know I could get some cleaning done . . . but I don't feel like it.