Is it just me, or is Tuesday taking Monday’s lead and pulling some monkey see monkey do shenanigans this week? Won’t spend time going into detail, because I’ll be honest… they’re all first world problems/annoyances.

One of my former bosses often reminded me on big projects, “it’s not how you start, but how you finish.” The point she was trying to make was ‘start strong and don’t coast’, but it can also apply to my morning.

I started my first flight of the day in a poor mindset about an excess hour of traffic to the airport. I happened to leave an hour early and make it completely on time. So what if I missed out on my planned trip to the bookstore. There was an accident on the highway causing massive delays, but at the end of the day I should be thankful I wasn’t in it.

Upon boarding, I pink tagged my rolly bag because I was on a CRJ, and getting off the plane, my rolly bag popped up into the jetway first. FIRST! That never happens.

I guess the moral of the story is if you have a crappy/annoying/inconvenient start to the morning, don’t write the rest of the day off. Thanks to a crew on the tarmac in Detroit, my attitude = adjusted.

Favorite #1: Athleta Ponte Moto 2.0 ($89) in black

Two words have haunted me for a very, VERY long time…

“Work pants.”

I absolutely love when my work pants are by the North Face, but that -ish doesn’t fly on the cubicle farm. Given that lulu’s killed off &Go, I again turn my attention to the store down the hall that I ignored for many years. Maybe, just maybe I’ll find a pal for my cute new ankle boots.

Favorite #2: Athleta Silver Twill Vest ($168)

SPACE VEST SPACE VEST SHINY PRINCESS LEIA SPACE VEST YES. If I started a Christmas list and only one item were on it… this vest would be it. Hi Mom! 😉

Favorite #3: Betabrand Big Travel Tote ($151.30)

I have sepraration anxiety from my trusty OGIO backpack, but ol’ reliable has been beaten up over 317,125 miles of air travel, plus road trips, over the course of the last 6 years.  It’s starting to show.

I am fully aware of my faux pas… run-down accessories can easily tear a nice outfit apart as much as nice accessories can pull an ensemble together. Frayed & worn bags are like chipped nail polish. We all know we shouldn’t, but we still do.

What am I waiting for, I should probably pledge my support on this crowdfunded design. Doesn’t ship until February though.

HOWEVER… pre-ordering things is like being Santa Claus for yourself. Sometimes you forget and then you get the shipping email and it’s like, “woooo, presents!”

Favorite #4: Contigo Snapseal Kenton Travel Mug ($14.99)

If you’re like me… you’re pretty busy. You’re constantly on the go to a million different places, and chances are you’d like to bring your coffee with you. While this isn’t clothing, I’m going to loosely classify this recommendation as ‘gear’.

The long-winded official name is the Contigo SnapSeal Kenton Vacuum-Insulated Stainless Steel Travel Mug, and I grabbed one at Target a few months ago. Totally in love with it.

This mug keeps my coffee hot all the way until lunch time, and it has been known to keep ice cubes intact (in AUGUST) for 14 hours.

YETI & S’Well are the trendy (read: kind of expensive) brands, but they’re not the only ones who can fix all of your beverage temperature problems. I understand the hesitance to spend money on a ‘knockoff’ because they’re so hit or miss, hence this FYI. Contigo (and RTIC, too) hold up!

Favorite #5: Brooks Levitate ($150) in blue/mint/silver

OMG Shoes! While I’ve put some miles on my Brooks Ghost 10’s, it’s not been long enough to warrant trading in one pair of blue shoes for another. Yet.

Honestly, I first took note of Brooks’ recent ad campaign for the Levitate and thought ‘Plain blue. Heh. Ok.’ Then I saw the silver soles in person. Now I want them, even if they are the colors of our cross-town rival high school. Because things like this matter to 2003 Katy.

Bonus Fave: Vans Metallic Leather Slip-On ($60) in rose gold

Speaking of shiny shoes, here’s another extra I couldn’t keep a lid on for another post 2 weeks down the road.

I’m no Sherlock Holmes by pointing out rose gold has exploded in popularity in recent years. I could even get a pink  MacBook if I wanted it… but I’m just not ready for that kind of commitment in my life.

Luckily, until I save up enough to where the price of a fully loaded laptop ain’t no thang, maybe I’ll just grab some new shoes instead.

The Dud: L.A.M.B. x Burton Lion Storm Pant ($199.95) in olivine/riot plaid/woodland camo

I was going to wait to do a ski-themed 5 Faves & a Dud, but like with the rose gold Vans, I just. Couldn’t. Wait. I know January is creeping up fast, so last week I couldn’t help but peep what was new in the snowboarding world.

I was not expecting to see THESE. I love me some Gwen Stefani — No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom was one of 5th grade Katy’s first CD’s EVAR — but I simply don’t understand the point of this design. I mix patterns on occasion, but this mashup is a miss for me. Yeeeeeeks.

It’s like if all the characters in Toy Story got together and made snow pants.

In Other News…

I don’t think I’m emotionally ready for the falling back and it being cold and dark outside when I leave work. Packing my suitcase last night, I legit packed 100% black (except a gray jacket) outfits so I wouldn’t have to worry about matching.

Ned Stark was right. Winter *was* coming. It’s effing here. Unsure how I feel about it.

What about you?