Here’s a better look at the design:

Does anybody recognize the artist? I really want there to be a lot of stories about these characters, because dachshund-riding badger, both with fetching headgear? Plus the smoking, to noir it up some? I don’t know if they fight crime or commit it, but either way, their adventures need to exist.

ETA: The astute Jenn Manley Lee tracked it down– looks like the design is by Jeremy Fish. Dear Mr. Fish, please provide some badger and dachshund adventures thank you.

Okay, backstory: ten years ago my husband Steve Lieber illustrated a graphic novel called Whiteout, written by Greg Rucka.

A while after that, Wolfgang Petersen thought he might want to make a movie based on it, but he didn’t. Then Reese Witherspoon thought the same thing, but she didn’t, either. Then Joel Silver bought the rights, and he did. The red-carpet premiere is Wednesday night, and Steve and I are going to be there.

So, this event is utterly and completely not about me. I am attending in a spousal support capacity. Nonetheless, I have anxiety.

I didn’t think I did, so much. And then today, I realized: I’ve displaced all my anxiety about the trip into Extremely Specific Fashion-Related Quests.

Despite The Storied Glamour of Hollywood, I am certain that no one’s going to care what I look like. But if I obsess about finding neutral-toned fishnets, an exactly correct black tank top, and the precisely right pair of jeans to take with me, my brain has less room to worry about, you know, coming off like an idiot to any Important Hollywood People to whom I might randomly end up talking.

Moving on. Four things that shocked me when I learned of their existence.

1. Estheticians. Specifically in relation to eyebrows.

I’d read some beauty books aimed at teens, and a few of them did discuss techniques for plucking one’s eyebrows. But the notion of paying someone else to attend to any desired eyebrow maintenance? It stunned me. I just assumed that other folks were more skilled in the area of eyebrow shaping.

2. Foundation garments.

I thought others were simply shaped in a way that conformed more closely to the lines of non-tailored clothing.

3. The kind of socks that you cannot see when they are worn.

I assumed the feet of others did not sweat or blister.

4. The kind of test preparation where you pay someone to help you learn the material.

I did not see the difference between this and actual cheating.

All these things, I see now, have to do with self-presentation, whether of appearance or intellect. (Or the appearance of intellect, which was my issue with test preparation.) All of them also connect to the idea of not needing help, whether from other humans or via clothing. They’re versions of the angry toddler outburst: “I can (and should, and it would be morally reprehensible if I did not) do it mySELF!”

But really? There’s not much in life we do all by ourselves.

And Casey Parks shares some good things in this well-written multimedia article, Life as a Portland gay teen better, but not all rainbows. Identity. Community. The feeling that Portland is a good place to be queer. Mr. and Ms. Junior Gay Pride. Boys demonstrating proper snap technique. Girls giggling about how straight one of them used to be, til the night she was like hey, that girl looks good!

You take all that, and you set it next to the fact that Caitlin Bernardi, aka Rainbow,  got kicked in the head for saying yes when a stranger asked if she was gay. In 2009. In Portland. Outside the all-ages gay club.

Stay with me, because this is going to feel like a big subject shift.

A friend who works for the New York Public Library sent along some videos he wanted me to share. I’d be happy to, I told him, but I held onto them for a little while, not sure exactly how I wanted to post about them. (Well, that, and the fact that I got sick and wasn’t especially coherent for a couple of days.)

Now I know. The NYPL, as my friend writes:

worked with 6 high school students, who are all aspiring fashion designers, and brought them into the library to explore some of the fashion and design related collections, and to give them different perspective on past fashion trends. They then did some sketches and brought them back to the library to show Tim Gunn, who then provided personal advice to each aspiring designer, and answered any questions they had about fashion, the industry, or the project.

The teens’ designs will be showcased at the 5^th Annual Anti-Prom, which this year is themed Vam-Prom. The Anti-Prom, organized by NYPL’s Young Adult Programs, provides an alternative, safe space for all teens who may not feel welcome at official school proms or dances because of their sexual orientation, the way they dress, or any other reason.

Watch, and be inspired:

I’m not saying that the existence of events like Anti-Prom in New York, or Mr. and Ms. Junior Gay Pride here in Portland, means that violent bigots will vanish from the earth. (I do have that cynical side.) But having the events, and talking about them, and making sure everyone knows how incredibly cool they are — that’s one way to create change.

Today, though, there’s sun, I have the windows open, I’m listening to an old, slightly over-the-top favorite, Murray Attaway’s “No Tears Tonight,” and I’ve been sorting through my wardrobe for the inevitable spring purge.

Three Things I Can Never Have Enough Of:

1. Hoodies. (God help me if they ever go seriously out of style. Don’t tell me if they already have.)

2. Amusing t-shirts. (Yeah, I know.)

3. Vintage dresses. (Anything designed after circa 1964 doesn’t seem to work.)

Three Things I Keep Buying, Thinking That This Time I’ll Wear Them:

1. 3/4 and long-sleeved cotton “basic” solid-color shirts. (I always think they’ll be good for layering, but they never seem to actually fit right.)

2. Button-down blouses.

3. Neutral, business-professional-type jackets.

What are your wardrobe staples and recurring misses? (Or am I the only one with that problem?)