Drink of the Week

Do you ever have a day every so often that about halfway through you realize "GOD, I need a drink!" ??

I feel your pain and I'm here to help. Every Monday, I will share my bartending knowledge with you. Why Monday? Cause that's the most likely day it will be needed.

So for this week...

Lijit Cocktail

1 1/2 oz . Silver Tequila
1/2 oz. Midori
1/4 oz. SOHO Lychee Liqueuer
1/2 oz. Pinappple Juice
Splash Lime Juice

Combine ingredients in a shaker or mixing glass filled with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass and serve.

Garnish with lime wheel.

Halle - Bravo - lujah

Okay. I am officially hooked up. I have Bravo again. Yay!!! I'll probably spend a month watching nothing but re-runs of all the shows I have missed. THANK GOD for Bravo's re-run habit. And, for the record, I HATE Bravo's website. I can say that now that they are not my main source for Bravo programming.

Also, I started selling Avon this month, and I have sold $500 in a week! I started selling because I LOVE their ANEW Clinical products but there are no AVON ladies where I live so I was ordering it online and having it shipped. I figured that with me only working a real job 3 days a week that selling it would be fairly easy money. I didn't know how right I was. I really haven't had to do much, people find me. And since there are maybe 2 other avon ladies in my district, it's a fairly receptive market.

If any of you out in Blogland want to try their products you can order them on my website. The ANEW Clinical products really are amazing. My mom got me hooked and now my porcelain skin is now more porcelain than it has been in a long while. And all those pesky forehead lines are fading fast. Anything that gives you those kinds of results without surgery and face-peeling chemicals has my vote!

Plus, if you guys buy it through my site, I get money. And if I get enough money I can quit my Mon-Wed job and perhaps have enough time to blog as much as I would like to. Maybe. But inthe short-term all my Avon money is going to my vacation fund. I believe Tokyo will be the first stop :)

Konnichiwa!!

Blonde moment of the week

I will never be able to scoff at ridiculous warning labels again. This morning I was the butt of one. I got deodorant in my eye. I know, I know... it begs the question of HOW I got deodorant in my eye. Just don't ask. I doubt I could explain it if I tried and I'm certain I would not come off looking smarter if I did try.

If you have ever known true discomfort this is it. At first I thought it was mascara. My eye was throbbing in pain and felt SO DRY. I never imagined the trace amount of deodorant residue on my finger would elicit such a reaction. So today I am walking around with one red swollen eye. And of course everyone is asking what happened to my eye.

And it comes down to either fingering my fiance as a brutal abuser or admitting my antipersperal faux pas. Naming the one I love as a monster or admitting to be the biggest flake in town...

He better buy me diamonds for Christmas that's all I have to say.

Tuesday's Twins Design Star Special Pt. 1

I am going to be doing a 3-part series on the lookalikes of the contestants of Design Star. Now, before I get reamed for my choices, let me just say that this is going by the faces of the contestants only, and are mostly based on the picture I have. I have not been watching the show religiously, and I'm sure many contestants look differently from their official photo, but oh well. I work with what I've got, and if you think you can do better, by all means try. I'll even link to you.

First of all, Let me thank Linda Merrill over at ::Surroundings:: for having these pics of the Design Star contestants on her website.

For our first lookalikes:

Todd

Gary Busey

Christina

Heidi Klum

Josh F

Matthew Perry

What a way to go...

Imagine you are in a restaurant and nature calls. Pretty urgently. You rush to the lavatory only to find...

Would you be able to pee in these??

I'm sure if you had to go bad enough, you could force yourself.

I mean, you're only peeing into an instrument, right?

But who on earth would want to pee in a mouth right after eating?

And could you force yourself to eat at an establishment whose sense of humor extends to peeing in mouths??

And after all of this, imagine going to wash your hands to be greeted by this...

It's nice when people don't take themselves too seriously, but it is possible to take it a bit far.

Now, take this public restroom in Houston. It looks like a stylish reflective structure from the outside. But surprise, surprise...

It has a great view, too. It's a public bathroom built out of 2-way mirrors. Now call me little miss prissy pants if you must, but I don't think I could force myself to go once I got in there.

Could you??

Just say no: Redux

Ms. Place posted a wonderfully witty post about the things we should just say no to. I have merely added to the original list which can be found here.

Ass cleavage

Eating your boogers

Starvation (self-inflicted included)

Wal Mart

Ignoring Dental Care

Road Rage

Feeding the Animals

Happy Birthday

Today is my birthday, and this just happens to be my 100th post. I had a pretty good birthday this year. Of course that translates to I got a huge haul of FABULOUS presents! :)

I got probably around 9 new outfits - all fabulous, of course.

A new handbag.

A paraffin bath.

New perfume.

Money.

Mike gave me a GORGEOUS birthstone ring. My birthstone is a peridot so I'm pretty picky when it comes to wearing it. I don't like the faded ones. But here are 2 pictures of the ring. Fabulous is a good word.

I know, I'm spoiled. But it's a condition I'm learning to live with. :)

First day of school

Today is Katie's first day of Kindergarten. I'm so glad this day got here. Everyone kept saying I would get wistful and cry, but those people obviously don't know me and Katie. Katie likes going to school and I like sending her. We had already been doing the daycare Pre-K thing, so we have the routine pretty down.

The good thing is my mother is a teacher's assistant at the school Katie is going to, and will actually be in the room next door to Katie. So if Katie starts taking over the class she will have to deal with my mother, which really offers little consolation since my mother has probably told that child no like 3 times in her entire life.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very glad I have a strong-willed daughter. I don't have much patience for overly sensitive females. It's just that when you have a strong-willed child you have to worry anytime they are given a new authority figure. But I have known her teacher for a while. She survived a pretty nasty divorce last year and I'm hoping that experience prepared her for dealing with my angel.

Another good thing is that because of a class rotating system, this will be her teacher for 2 years. So we won't have to go through this breaking-in period every year.

But best of all, now I can REALLY enjoy my 3-day work week. Tomorrow, on my first day off, I can get up and take Katie to school, and then, I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT. I probably won't know how to act. I will have 2 days every week (Thurs & Fri) that from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm (she is also enrolled in the afterschool program) I am officially a free woman.

I think tomorrow I will treat myself to a day at a spa and have cocktails while a mousy little woman applies a facial mask and a hunky massage therapist works out all the kinks.

Just because you can dress yourself, doesn't mean that you should...

Fashion can be bought. Style one must possess. ~Edna Woolman Chase

Wouldn't you agree my dear?

You don't owe me, but you don't own me either

Okay, there have been a couple of posts about this New York Magazine article which supposedly uncovers the truth about the lack of reality show winners' success. Everyone has an opinion on this and you can bet your bloomers you're about to get mine.

There are two separate issues here. And I'm gonna deal with them separately.

#1. The reality show contestants are never promised a career in fashion. They are promised a car, some money, and basically an internship. They are not promised their own label. They are only promised money that can help them START their own label. They are not promised a head design gig at a major fashion house. So in essence, the designers really got everything they were promised.

As far as Jay goes, he does have a right to be pissed (for a reason I will cover in point number 2) but not for the reasons he seems to be. It seems to me Jay is most pissed because he never got someone to hold his hand and explain what he needed to do, step-by-step. And I'm sorry to be the one to point it out, but even if they had, who's to say Jay would have taken their advice to begin with? I watched Jay both on PR and on PJ. He never struck me as someone who was willing to tow the line if it meant doing or saying something he didn't like.

Jay is a brilliant designer. But even he admitted that he wasn't so hot in the business line of things. And fashion is a business. Honestly, Jay needs to try and find someone he respects and can work for (and is willing to work with him) and learn the ropes from the bottom up. Jay was never formally trained at a design school and so he has a lot to learn. Yes, he is naturally gifted in design but there is a LOT more thank just design going on in the world of fashion.

#2. I do think that it is unreasonable to ask someone to "sign themselves over" to a company "body and soul" to be able to compete in a reality show competition. I enter cake contests all the time and the people that run the cake contest don't expect me to give them a portion of whatever I make on cake sales if I win. Why should this be any different?

Weinstein makes plenty of money off these contestants while they are on the show. That's all they have a right to reasonably expect. They don't really invest anything in these designers individually, so why should they expect a return on no investment?

Weinstein also does not have the right to dictate to contestants what career path they choose after the contestants have fulfilled their contracts. If Laura Bennett wants to do a tv series then she should have the right to. She was never promised a job with the Weinstein company so she should have the right to look elsewhere. Weinstein shouldn't even get first refusal in my opinion.

So, in closing I just want to jump on the "quit your bitching" bandwagon because whether these contestants received what they felt they deserved or not, they did receive what was promised to them, and for the final 4 contestants, so much more in my opinion. The opportunity to show at Bryant Park is no small deal, and many designers would never complain about anything else in their lives ever again were they given that one chance.

Tuesday's Twins

Daniel Vosovic

The lead singer from the Plain White T's
Hey there Daniel what's it like in New York City? I'm a thousand miles away but girl tonight you look so pretty, yes you do. Times Square can't shine as bright as you. I swear it's true.

(sorry, I couldn't resist)

No More Negatives

This post is for all the people who have a child that looks up to them in their lives.

I have seen a lot of media focus on how widespread negative body image is these days. How did this happen? Where did this come from? Is it all due to the media? I'm sorry to say I think not.

As parents and mentors I feel that the adults of our society have a lot to do with how our children are starting to view their bodies. Studies have consistently shown that behaviors such as physical abuse, alcoholism, and drug abuse are behaviors that are passed down generations. Why would negative body image be any different?

We talk negatively about our bodies in front of our children. When our children hear us complain, they project those feelings on to their own bodies.

We fad diet. Instead of focusing on eating healthier, we deprive ourselves to lose weight, showing our kids that to be healthy we must sacrifice, instead of finding enjoyment in healthy foods.

We don't exercise with our kids. Our kids are watching us. If they see that we hate exercising, how can we expect them to choose to when they are given the option not to?

We discuss weight with our kids. Kids come in all shapes and sizes. They change as they grow, and just because a child is one shape or size right now does not necessarily mean that will be the case in the future. Under no circumstances should you ever point out a child's weight problems. Children are not equipped to handle responsibility for their health until they are older. If you have a child in your life that has a weight problem, instead of pointing out what's wrong, push the solution. Provide the child with lots of healthy food choices and make sure they see you enjoying them. Make sure they see you exercising and let them know you want them to join in the fun. Don't tell them they have to exercise and eat right so they won't be fat anymore, just encourage them to eat healthy foods because they are good and make you feel good. Encourage them to exercise because it is lots of fun. If you make their weight a responsibility you may be making a recipe for disaster when they hit their teens and the time to rebel comes along.

Now, I'm not putting all the blame on us parents. Media does have a thing or two to do with how our kids see the world. But it's not enough for us to just say "oh that's horrible" and then obsess over that piece of bread we ate 2 hours ago and how it will hit our hips like a ton of bricks. Because you can be sure our kids are listening, and chances are the things we say stick, whether we know it or not.

Quixotic

I was looking up the word of the day on dictionary.com because when I grow up one day I want to be like Tim Gunn and use lots of wonderful words in my everyday speech.

Anyhow, today's word is :
quixotic \kwik-SOT-ik\, adjective:1. Caught up in the romance of noble deeds and the pursuit of unreachable goals; foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals.
2. Capricious; impulsive; unpredictable.

What a wonderful word to have in one's vocabulary. The word actually refers to the eccentrically generous spirit of a well known literary character known as none other than Don Quixote. How cool is that?!?

Imagine having a presence so strong that the mere idea of your character requires a new word being created to describe it. In my opinion, the fact that this is a fictional character to which we are referring only makes it all the more impressive.

So let's play a game. Name a character or historical person that a word was fashioned after. I'd be interested to see how many we can come up with.

Hope for Darfur??

Here is a hopeful article of Darfur Peace Talks from Reuters Africa. http://africa.reuters.com/world/news/usnL0691333.html

Over 200,000 have been killed in hostilities, and to avoid any more casualites, I am sure you all join me in the hope that talks will be enough to see peace for these people.

The show I have NOT been watching

I have a very good reason why I have not commented on the first blog entry about Top Chef. The reason? I haven't been watching it. Not the first episode.

Oh don't worry, I'm not so scarred from the debaucle that was season 2 that I am forever deterred from watching the series ever again (although that season was pretty traumatic for me) but my absence is merely due to the fact that Bravo is unavailable to me at this time. Since I have moved, I have had no access to BravoTV.

Now, before Marius faints at the mere thought of living without Bravo for the last 3 months, and before Ms. Place starts wailing at the thought of my missing the upcoming Project Runway Season 4, let me allay your fears.

I will be getting a new dish service that will include Bravo next week. Oh happy day. If I was forced to endure another twee made-for-tv movie courtesy of the Lifetime Movie Network (thanks mom) I believe I would have lost the will to live.

My spirit is one that needs bitchiness and snark to flourish. I have been around the block a time or two and all those mushy love-always-works-out movies make my stomach turn. The rare exception being any movies based on Jane Austen novels (because of their high levels of wit). But apart from those gleaming rare exceptions, I need cynicism and wit and above all, bitchiness supreme.

So lets all count down the days until my new dish service is installed. We have 10 days to go.

My poor neglected blog

Well, I got tagged. Thanks Marius. I know I have been very silent lately. I got very ill at the end of June and rather than do nothing but whine about it for a month on my blog, I just took a little unannounced hiatus. I guess I'll come on back now. I've been feeling a lot better lately.

Okay, here goes...
Four jobs I have had or currently have in my life:
1. Poll Manager for my voting district (a title I hold to this day)
2. Short Order Cook (high school)
3. Accountant's assistant (might as well have been the accountant because he didn't do anything)
4. Accounting Specialist/ Payroll Account Reconciliations for Aflac (current profession)

Four countries I have been to:
1. Netherlands
2. Ireland
3. Luxembourg
4. Greece


Four places I’d rather be right now:
1. Tokyo
2. London
3. Paris
4. On a boat anywhere, I'm not picky

Four foods I like to eat:
1. Pizza
2. Tiramisu
3, Hibachi Shrimp
4. SUSHI

Four people that I would like to tag:
Instead, I'm going to apologize to my four most faithful readers for abandoning you with no notice. (I'm really sorry)
1. Ms. Place
2. Marius
3. Ms. Merrill
4. All you lurkers out there :)