90's R&B, Plus A Great Dress

The great thing about YouTube? Not having to actually purchase old-school guilty pleasure songs like this one. (Except, I do that too.) So fun to dance to. And I'll never forget my friend Spanky coming to pick me up in a big gold caddy, MTV Yo Raps in the CD player. In case you didn't know, a lot of room to dance in the front seat of a caddy. What else could I do? YO MTV RAPS, kids. Who does that? Spanky, that's who. And here's one I feel NO guilt about. Love LL Cool J. And one more. Okay, I'm done. You get the idea.

And speaking of old school, this issue is in my permanent collection. Love the clean, simple lines of this dress. I couldn't pull it off, but she looks amazing in it. Still one of my all-time favorites.

A Man's Old T-Shirt

Is anything better than a man's sweet, too-big-for-you, spicy-scent-of-him, worn-in old t-shirt to curl up in?

Best ever.

JKras's Birthday Wishes

"Happy birthday, my darling sweetness. I find you so charming and lovely, it breaks my heart we can't be together *kiss*"

(Wait...you couldn't hear it? Weird.)

Sock Dreams

Winter is good for one thing I've decided: stockings. I love over-the-knee and thigh-high versions, fun to wear and pair well with skirts, which I also love. (My friend C. got me these black and red striped ones in Australia; very warm, plus I look like a poisonous snake to boot, who wouldn't want that?) I'm always on the lookout for new pairs and sockdreams.com is a treasure trove of stocking funliness. (Yes, I made that word up. You can do that you know.) They have funny, sexy, sheer, thick and wooly, crazy, and pretty stockings of all lengths and styles.

I'm taking a picture of my legs to commemorate my marathon training, so trying to determine my favorite photo-finish stockings. Pretty sure I'm going with unfinished fishnets (left) or plain stockings (right, both website model pics), since I have a cute dark denim corset with garter attachments. A black skirt/garters, pale stockings and my kitty-cat shoes would especially make a statement, that statement being "I am an idiot, but I amuse myself." Fun trying stuff out, though. And a good excuse to buy new pairs. YESSSS.



sockdreams.com

Girly Crap: Three Things

1. Schick Intuition razor: FloJo bought me one last time she was in town; any new gadget, she has tried it and gives me stuff she thinks I'll like, what a good friend. She was spot on with this one, it shaves everywhere, over every curve, super-close and smooth with no irritation. Bless the designer who came up with this one, the engineering just works. More expensive, but less than laser treatments and this is your skin, eh? Worth it.

2. Trim brand eyelash curler: they sell this brand at Walgreen's, half the price of the Revlon etc. brands and a tighter curl to boot. And forget those expensive self-heating ones, just blast your hairdryer at this one for 10 seconds or so before using, lashes stay curled until they get wet. Sometimes the old way really is better. Just don't burn your eyelids.

3. The Body Shop liquid eyeliner: some people are afraid of liquid eyeliner, but the crispness and longevity are worth getting it down. This brand has a great applicator and a dark brown shade, not as severe as black but still dark enough to be noticeable. I've been using this one for a decade. (I also use silver, lavender and copper glitter liquid eyeliners, but only for nights out on the town.)

Schick Intuition: around $10 at drugstores, refills extra
Trim Eyelash Curler: around $3.00 at drugstores
The Body Shop liquid eyeliner: $11.50

On Grief and Grieving

This book is by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, who also wrote On Death and Dying. On Grief and Grieving discusses the five stages of grief by telling the stories of those who have experienced them. Some of the stories will feel familiar. Some of them will be eye-opening. Some of them will make you cry, because you will see yourself in the stories. I have been re-reading this book due to emotional and physical stress I feel about upcoming important-to-us holidays and celebrations that, for the first time, my dad will not be a part of. It makes me cry, hard, but has been a great source of comfort. It tells me my feelings are normal.

A few weeks ago, I had a dream my father was dead. I didn't see him dead, but in the dream I knew he was dead. This was the first time I had dreamt this way. Usually I dream he is alive or that it was a mistake we thought he died, he has actually been alive this whole time. It has been almost a year since my father died. He is the person I was closest to on this earth. Our subconscious accepts first sometimes. I hope my conscious mind and heart catch up soon.

I have had friends tell me about their experiences losing a close loved one. I treasure their stories. I have other friends I think don't want to hear mine. You might only want to read this entry if you have lost someone close to you. Otherwise, you might think less of me for my grief. I have to be okay with that. Maybe my experience can help others. This book is a good starting place to learn about the role of grief in our lives. The stories might make you feel you are not alone. I hope so.

Wellies

If there is any snow/rain/slush in Central Park for Susan's wedding pictures, I'm going to be sad I didn't buy these cherry red wellies and carry my dress shoes until needed. Plus how great would they look with jeans or a cute spring dress and raincoat? Very practical girl I'm turning into; no toes in sight. They make them in all kinds of great colors, too.

UPDATE: I bought blue ones.  And FYI a size smaller than I normally wear, they run big.

www.wellie-boots.com, $98.00

Architectural Photography

I came across this photo on a photography website. Gorgeous color and symmetry. I aspire to take something this good.

Places I'd love to visit and take pictures of architecture: The Czech Republic and Cambodia. (And Scotland, Ireland and Iceland, but for different types of pictures.) And back to the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, with a better camera. One of the most breathtaking buildings I've been inside of. (And yes, I find buildings breathtaking. I'm a nerd.) This photographer got a great shot.








This is one of my favorite building pictures I have taken myself, Parliament in Ottawa. Lucky shot getting the moon/Venus? in there, but I like the city peeking out in the corner as well. (Slightly blurry, I didn't have my tripod yet.)










(Click pictures for a larger versions.)

Washington Heights

Washington Heights in northern Manhattan-- I stayed with my cousin when he lived there, on 181st St. On a blog I read, someone said "COME TO WASHINGTON HEIGHTS. It's the happiest place on earth. Seriously, it's like Sesame Street, but all the muppets have weed.*" And that cracked me up, pretty much my new favorite description for WH: Sesame Street on drugs. It's a bit crazy up there, but I love it.



Last time I was there, I walked from Amsterdam Ave to the George Washington Bridge (not a long walk) on 181st. I took some pictures of the GW bridge from the Washington Heights side and when I go back to NYC later this month, I was going to take pictures from the bridge itself of the Manhattan view (there's a pedestrian walkway). But then I read it's illegal to take pictures from the bridge. Homeland Security violation. Crushed.

*thanks to this person for giving me permission to quote her.

Something Kinda Oooh

I have terrible taste in music. My main criteria is whether I can sing it, dance it, or drive fast to it. Pretty low standards. I have this song on my iPod running playlist and it always gives me a little burst of energy. Suck it, music snobs, I know it's bad. I love it. (Warning: Brits are excellent wordsmiths, bad music video makers.)

Also, it makes me want to wear silver hot pants and shake my booty. Is that so wrong?

Spa

For my birthday later this month, I'm spending a few hours at a Japanese spa. I've booked an hour and a half hot stone massage, a facial and a pedicure, courtesy of a gift certificate I received for Christmas.

What I love about the spa: the comfy robes, soothing music, teas to drink, my awesome massage guy (wonderful strong hands), the steam room and sauna, and the Japanese tea garden where you can sit and relax between treatments.

Sometimes I feel bad about spending that much money (especially not my own) on trivial expenditures. Don't really need those things. But last year on my birthday is when my dad's doctor told us it appeared the cancer had spread to the outside of his lungs and could start to choke off the arteries within days. (It was 20 days. He fought 'til the end.) It was a horrible day. The year before I spent my birthday with him in his hospital room, then took a red-eye home to San Antonio. I cried the whole flight. I felt so alone and sad. Two not great birthdays. So screw it, right or wrong, I need to do something fun this year for my birthday, frivolity and all.

Touch

I have a serious thing for men's hands. Nicely shaped fingers, big palms, skin a bit roughened with use, there's just something about those hands that catches my attention. And imagination.

I've learned some men know just the way to casually touch a woman. (And some don't.) Such a man's hand in the small of my back? Melts me. Lightly keeping us connected through a crowd, helping me avoid an obstacle I don't quite notice, a reassuring touch when I feel uncertain of what's going on around me, this casual-yet-intimate touch is the tactile equivalent of Lloyd Dobler pointing out the glass. Throw in small thumb caresses and I might feel it up my spine. Tingly all the way.

A small gesture. But a lasting impression. A woman doesn't forget a man who knows how to touch. And she doesn't overlook the first, small hints that he does.

p.s. any men reading this, is there is a female equivalent for men of this gesture?

Baked Cheese

I hate doing dishes so I cook on foil in the oven as often as possible. One late night snack I love is corn tortillas with olive oil baked at 375 until crispy, sprinkled with shredded cheddar cheese for the last few minutes of baking, then topped with pico de gallo or tomatoes with hot sauce before eating.

I noticed the little bits of shredded cheese that fell onto the foil were deliciously crispy and flavorful and because I have extremely sophisticated cooking habits, I now throw an extra little pile of shredded cheese directly onto the foil. Peels right up in a thin sheet of cheesy bliss that melts in your mouth. Yum-my.

When I had a gas stove, I would make this by laying the corn tortillas directly on low flame. But one night I was fixing it in my underwear and dripped some hot cheese down my front. Definitely safer in the oven.