Jana Remy
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Jana Remy

  • Writing
    • Disability
    • Making History
    • Digital Humanities
      • dayofDH
    • Canoeing
    • Creative Nonfiction & Essays
    • Feminism
    • Bibliographies
      • Pacific Worlds Bibliography
    • Social Media
      • Mentions/Links
  • Scholarship
    • Awards/Fellowships
    • Conferences & Invited Talks
    • Collaboration
    • Workshops
    • Conference Planning
    • Technical Skills
  • Teaching
    • Blogposts About Teaching
full spectrum
deep thoughts

full spectrum

written by Jana March 22, 2006


This post is inspired by runlulurun and by my Mom, whose favorite color is beige….

When I first married I wanted an all-white house. White couches, white carpet, white duvets and fluffy white feather pillows. Prior to my wedding I hand-quilted an all-white ‘whole cloth’ quilt with intricate designs of overlapping rings and leaves. Staring into the lines of that quilt I saw the beauty and possibilities of the future. It was as if my life was a blank, white slate and I only needed to weave my life’s pattern among the whirls and circles of the future as it lay wide open in front of me.

When I turned 30 I changed 180 degrees and started wearing black most of the time. Perhaps it was the awareness of getting older, perhaps it was the cumulative depression of too many years at home as the full-time caregiver of my kids. Perhaps it was the 10 pounds that sat on my hips and belly that didn’t show quite so much when I wore all-black. Oh, sure, I occasionally wore a white blouse or a grey skirt. But the bottom line was that I almost always wore black. Black jeans, black jumper, black t-shirt, black shoes, black socks…

Well, lately the most amazing thing has happened. As if I woke up one morning and discovered that there was color. A few months ago I bought a bright orange wool coat–not a timid burnt-orange, mind you, but _bright_ orange. I acquired T-shirts in apple green and peacock and peach and salmon and slate. I bought a skirt with a white background and a whimsical flowered pattern w/not one black line to be seen. My favorite jackets are navy, tan, and baby blue. I’m wearing a chartreuse cardigan when it’s chilly in the house instead of a black one.

Now, not only am I wearing brights, but I am wearing them willy-nilly–mixed and matched, all at the same time. Orange and pink and watermelon all in the same outfit. Peacock and baby blue layered over each other. A button-down maroon shirt with a pale pink tank top underneath. A brown skirt with any of the above colors. I still wear black sometimes–especially my favorite pair of black dress pants, and my long black tiered skirt with layers of frothy chiffon ruffles. But I love that the black section of my closet is quickly being overpowered by layers and layers of COLOR.

A part of me wants to analyze this and figure out why I am changing. But another part of me doesn’t want to. Instead I want to don a multicolored scarf, my latest rainbow outfit and head out the door. For I am certain that adventure lies ahead.

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5 comments

Jana's Mom March 22, 2006 - 8:05 pm

I’m not so sure that I’m completely beige anymore, but it looks like I’m getting a little bit of publicity about being a beige Mom. One thought: I’m not sure that I see beige as blah. I’m not sure how to say it, but I actually think I see something very alive and beautiful in beige and other neutrals. I love to see the contrast in neutrals–black against taupe; grays against beige and white; white against offwhite; etc. Maybe other people don’t see the movement in those neutrals. To me, it is alive and vibrant, yet doesn’t distract. When I see someone in a neutral outfit, I want to see THEM, not what they are wearing. When I sit in a room where there are neutrals, I want to drink in the room without bold colors overwhelming my senses. And it touches my soul–like my favorite macaroni and cheese comfort food.

Reply
RunLuluRun March 22, 2006 - 9:21 pm

Wow, you let your mom read your blog?! :) I haven’t been so brave, but one brother and my sister read it. I will sometimes forward one or more to my parents…

I love this blog! It is an inspiration. I’ve gained 10 pounds lately and have been clinging to my black clothes…maybe I’ll live it up a little more and own my current state of curvy!

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jana March 22, 2006 - 9:34 pm

Aha, it’s my MOM’S FIRST EVER COMMENT ON MY BLOG.

Cool.

I knew that if I wrote about riding dangerous vehicles and gently teased my Mom about her color preferences that she MIGHT ACTUALLY MAKE A COMMENT.

And, yah, I agree that neutral colors are important. I have a tupe bedcover–it goes nicely with the pale blue wall. Today I wore a light brown sweater w/my peacock blue top. I don’t do beige, tho. I don’t look good in it and I don’t care for it in decorating. Taupe is entirely different–taupe makes everything look natural and serene, IMO.

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Holly March 23, 2006 - 2:16 pm

Hey Jana–I could relate. My “I wear black on the outside because black is how I feel on the inside” phase started early–when I got home from my mission in 1986, in fact, and it lasted until, um, 2004. I didn’t always dress entirely in black, but plenty of days I did–it was just easier. Plus I like black! I really embraced the whole death-bunny look of the 1980s.

But there was also a day when I discovered color again, and it’s been really fun. And I must agree with your mom here, because part of the palate I discovered was the neutral part. I never thought I’d like beige or brown, but I actually totally dig them these days.

Reply
E March 24, 2006 - 2:04 am

my favorite colors right now are turquise w/a lot af blue, yellow yellow green, and a purle pink. i recently went to the store and got mare turquiose clothes for summertime. only turquiise.

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About Me

About Me

Hi there friend, and welcome to my blog. I started writing on the internet two decades ago. Since then I've started and finished a PhD program, left the Mormon church and became a Quaker, got divorced, remarried, found full-time work in academia, took up rock climbing and outrigger canoeing, and traveled across the globe (China! Belgium! Italy! Chicago! Montana! Portland! Gettysburg! and oh-so-many points in-between). This blog is eclectic and random--it has poetry and cooking and books. And cats. And flowers. And the ocean (my ocean). But in that sense it's a good reflection of me and my wide-ranging, far-reaching, magpie curiosity.

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