Pretty Pretty Bang Bang

Now that I’ve discovered the joys of the iPod this week’s topic will center around music. What’s your favorite song? You can pick one of the moment or of all time.

My favorite song of all time is “Hey Jude” by The Beatles. It’s a song I never grow tired of hearing.

Today I went over to MSU to take care of all my school stuff before classes start on Monday. I’m so excited and I feel like a kid! I want to go out and get my new school shoes just like in Jr. High! Anyway, I went over to Sarah’s office to return some jewelry books, got a new student ID (complete with my sassy new hair ‘do), bought my books and got fee cards for supplies. Tomorrow I’m going to get all the cobwebs off my backpack, that’s been shoved under my work bench, and get some supplies together. This semester I’m learning forging and casting neither of which I know anything about. Should be fun. Steve mentioned he’d like me to learn mokume-gane but I’m here to tell you, it ain’t gonna happen. Maybe I’ll cast him a new wedding ring. That would be cool.

Ever since leaving AdBuilders I’ve had the luxury of not having to be somewhere early in the morning. That luxury has made me a bit lazy. I used to get up at 6:15-ish and Steve and I would workout before we had to leave for work. Now, I’m lucky to get up at 7 which means Steve’s getting in the shower and I’m left to workout alone. A couple of days ago, Steve decided he’d get up at 5 (waayy too early for lazy me) and run. He took his iPod, went over to the MSU track and ran. When he got home, I was just getting around and he suggested I take the iPod with me on my walk/run. Now, I admit, I’m about the last person on earth not using an iPod for workout purposes. Hell, I don’t use it at all. But I decided it was time for a change so I took it with me. What a difference! Not only was my walk/run more exciting, but I ran more since the music kept me going. Now, I see what all the fuss is about. Today was another day with the iPod and I ran even more! Plus, Steve gets to do his workout without feeling guilty I’m not along and vice versa.

Those who visit this site on a regular basis will notice a couple things. 1. I have a new look. 2. Any comments you made before today are gone. That’s because I had a problem with the last weblog software I was using and it’s now been changed. Thanks to my super-smart hubby for figuring this out and doing all the hard work!

I should have better luck with posting in the future and Steve’s happier because he doesn’t have to do as much tech support! So it’s a win-win situation for everyone.

I spent last weekend in St. Louis at my friend Suzanne’s house. We created our own retreat to work on some issues we’re currently facing. With all the self-help books on the market, Suz and I decided we could create our own “self-help” weekend better than any book could. And we did.

The theme of the weekend was getting out of our comfort zone. We ate at places we’ve never been (or at least hadn’t tried in quite some time), ate food we’d never had or thought we wouldn’t like, and tried on things we’d not normally wear. The outcome was great. Friday afternoon we went to Dahlal Internationale to look at belly dancing accessories and I got a fabulous new hip scarf in hot pink, which is a color I would not normally wear. I had smoked trout Friday night, something I would never order because I had so much trout as a kid (dad was a fisherman). Saturday we went to belly dance class where I learned some new moves (that I’ll never remember) then we went to Trader Joe’s for gourmet snacks. All in all, a great weekend adventure.

Although it sounds like all we did was shop (something we’re very good at) we did spend lots of time discussing issues in our lives, figuring out where we’re going professionally and personally, and giving each other feedback. At one point I thought, “everyone should have a friendship like this.” Seriously, I feel sorry for people who don’t have at least one really great person in their life who knows them better than they know themselves. Thanks, Suzanne, for being one of mine!

With the start of school just around the corner I thought this week’s topic should be education-related.

What was your favorite subject in school? Either high school or college.

In high school, I loved Home Ec., English and Art. I also excelled at being a social butterfly. In college, I loved English, Public Speaking and Creative Writing. I also excelled at pissing off an entire sorority (see archives for complete story).

My artist block just might be coming to a close. Yesterday, I spent part of the afternoon with my friend Sarah and she gave me some inspiration. First, I think I’m going to take another class this fall at MSU. I normally don’t take fall classes because of the holiday season, but I’m making an exception this year. Second, Sarah loaned me some great books on jewelry so I’m looking to them for inspiration. Third, I’m challenging myself to start a a project piece, one that will require a real time commitment. I haven’t designed said piece yet, but it’s in the works. Wish me luck!

Fall may be a couple of months away, but fall fashions are crowding the racks at all the local stores. I have received my September editions of Shop, Etc., Marie Claire, InStyle, and the People Fall Special Edition so I’m already getting excited about the new looks. Besides, I’m so done with summer!

One item stood out as a “must have” piece for the season – skinny jeans. I admit, these gave me quite a scare. I have fairly thin legs (thanks mom) but I’m not a skinny person so I wasn’t sure how these would look on me. Curiosity got the best of me and I headed out to Old Navy today to try some on. I figured I’d start with the inexpensive brands, see how they fit, and work my way up. Knowing how weird the sizing is at Old Navy, I chose one size larger than normal to start. Imagine how excited I was to learn they were way too big! I called for a smaller size and, after waiting for a long time, they arrived. I had to do a bit of bending, but they fit. And looked pretty darned good! An added bonus is that right now they are only $25 on sale. Plus, Old Navy got smart and is offering jeans in short, regular and long styles.

So, here’s the skinny (pun intended) on skinny jeans:

1. Choose a dark wash if you’re not a size 2 or in High School. Bleaching on thighs only highlights problem areas. Plus dark jeans look very chic.
2. Ignore standard sizing. Go up a size or two to get the right fit. Nobody is going to be looking at your tags. And if they do, chances are their jeans are a size or two larger anyway.
3. Wear longer tops with skinny jeans. Cover your butt!
4. Wear looser tops with skinny jeans. Unless you’re a supermodel, you can’t pull off the crop t-shirt/low-rise jeans combo.
5. Flats or high heels work with these. These are also the perfect jeans to tuck into your knee-high boots. Very 1970s.

Like all good fitting jeans, you’ll have to try on a few pair to find the right ones. However, the reward of looking fabulous will make the hunt well worth your time.

I found this today on boingboing.net and it’s hilarious! Made up reviews for Tuscan Whole Milk. Really funny and worth reading.

One thing I love about Target is their commitment to inexpensive, fashionable clothing. Their GO International line highlighting up and coming designers such as Tara Jarmon and Luella Bartley is great. So it was with much anticipation that I headed to the big red bullseye on Tuesday for the debut of the new line by Paul & Joe. I had previewed the line at target.com and was anxious to see it in person.

I was a bit disappointed when I got to the store and saw everything up close and personal. The wool poncho is scratchy and the colors are a bit weird. Not my idea of a good buy for $60 even if the style is cute. The owl pocket skinny jeans are adorable, but I didn’t have time to try them on. I’d say for $35 they aren’t a bad deal, but keep in mind you’ll probably have to go up a size or two since they’re Juniors sizing. I wasn’t impressed with the colors in the georgette top much too pale for me, but it would be lovely on someone with darker skin. All in all, not my favorite line, but not bad for Target. I can’t wait to see what my fave designer, Isaak Mizrahi, has in store for us this season. Stay tuned.