The best endorsement of a product - A dude's review

8:30am my cell phone rings Hi honey, what's going on? you never call me in the morning.

Chris: I keep forgetting to ask you what that lotion was that you left out for me to use.
Me: I didn't leave any lotion out for you to use.
Chris: Yah, the one you left on the counter.
Me: Well I left it on the counter, but yah ok, you can use it.
Chris: Yah my skin felt really nice afterwards, I thought it was just a fluke but now I don't have it and I can tell a difference.
Me: I TOLD you good skincare works!
Chris: I know, but where do I get it?
Me: You can get it at Target it's the new line by Loreal that I was trying out. It's the tube with the SPF20 in it.
Chris: It was SPF 15.
Me: Ok, whatever. Target, Loreal, Skin-something or another...it was about 20$ which is kinda pricey for Loreal.
Chris: 20 bucks? forget it.
Me: Well if you noticed it enough to call me I think it's worth it. You should have good skincare products.
Chris: Yah, I guess so. We don't have to tell anyone about this conversation do we?
Me: Nope. Just me and you baby.

--There it is the official plug of the dude. It must work great if he actually called about it. I on the other hand, layer so much crap on my face I didn't notice anything different. Shhhh...don't tell him I spilled the beans. Apparently, he's not the only one. It got Allure's award for "Best Beauty Breakthrough October 2007"

Right Now...

Right now...
This puppy makes me smile.

I'm eating Persian cucumbers with a sliver of Parmesan cheese and some lemon mineral water. They are my semi-healthy potato chip alternative. Too bad I love the cheese part so much.

I'm so stressed out about all my freelance work and the little time I have to do it in. That's why I'm doing this right now instead.

My neck hurts so bad from spending 12 hours a day on the computer lately.

I wish I had some peanut M&M's.

I ran into an old beau on my walk earlier. He broke my heart many years ago, but I'm so glad that it didn't work out. We were good together but not as good as my guy now. Funny as it is...he was my "Mr. Big" minus Paris and the happy ending. He even looks like him a bit.

I'm glad the weather cooled off from the weekend. I still want to wear my cute jackets.

I gotta go and do some work now.

The most slow painful death is not good enough

Sorry to divert for this one second but I can't help but comment on this article on CNN.com. I truly believe there is a special place in hell for people like this. The death penalty isn't good enough this man. I hope he dies in the slowest, most painful way -and I don't say that lightly.

lusting for outdoor furniture

It was 95 f*ing degrees here in Long Beach this weekend. For those of you who don't live in So. Cal, it doesn't often get THAT hot here and we are ill equipped to handle it. Most people in this area don't have central air [or heat for that matter] out come the horrible plastic fans that are just so incredibly ugly but I can't bring myself to buy a pricey retro one.

Because of the heat I'm dreaming of outdoor furniture and CB2 has a really swell package [or at least the photo looks good]
This set is $1346 and apparently the cushions come with it, which never seem to happen. Limited availability so check CB2 for more information.

A little something to make you laugh

have a good weekend. Spread a little cashew love and don't forget to pull that weggie out at the end.

You too can be a cougar in only 2 hours!

Only in Los Angeles would there be a life coach teaching a class on how to be a "cougar" I only wish I could have made this up. From Los Angeles Magazine...

L.A. based life coach Zen Kern wants "cougars" - women who pursue younger men - to know they're not alone in the wilderness. Kern recently kicked off "Cougar Class", a two-hour course designed to help over-fortysomethings find quality mates. For $39.95, Kern teaches skills like how to be confident and not scare off men. Among the experiences that qualify the 27-year-old to speak on the subject? "I get hit on by older women all the time."

from the website:
"Unfortunately, some Cougars have difficulty adjusting to their newly found single status. Often times, they don’t know how to properly highlight their core strengths. Sometimes Cougars try to rely on being overtly sexual rather than showcasing their substance, and regrettably they appear too desperate or aggressive. Conversely, new Cougars can often times be too shy and reserved because they are not confident enough to fully commit themselves.
There are unique challenges that Cougars face, it’s difficult to know how to successfully navigate through the singles scene. That is why Cougar Class was started, to give practical instruction and valuable insight to experienced women on how to best approach single life. "

Call me crazy but the whole $39.95 thing cheapens it even more than the reality. Dude call it $50 and be done with it. Sadly, I'm sure his classes are filled.

Good Things and Emotional Barfing

I haven't been paying attention to my calendar. Tomorrow [Thursday] my niece Kiley's adoption [which I spoke about here previously/scroll to very bottom] will be finalized at the court house and I'm so sad that I didn't plan on being there. Call it lack of judgement, I'm not sure really, but I told myself that she has been in our family for a year now and that it was just another day.

A couple weeks ago though, my mom shared a story with me when she was talking to my brother [and her soon to be official dad] about the adoption. And he told her that it was as exciting to him as going to the hospital when his biological son was born. I haven't been close to anyone who has adopted, so this shocked me to hear, as well as surprised to hear it from my brother who like I, has come from a great line of stoic people.


So this morning, thinking about the reality of the adoption, I realized that I AM THE MOST HORRIBLE AUNT THAT HAS WALKED THE PLANET that I should have flown up to the event. It's too late now and so instead I made plans to order flowers: a wreath for Kiley's hair [that I'm sure she'll rip out in 5 min flat] and an arrangement for her mom and dad. I had to get Kiley's head size from my sister-in-law and so I left a message. As I was leaving the message, I just began to cry, I couldn't really help myself and couldn't get my shit together to finish the message really... I just choked it out. It always surprises me when I do this. I think of myself as that same stoic person but my dilegence of 15+ years of therapy has served me well, I guess if bawling your eyes signifies a success. More often than not I find myself crying over the morning news [twice this week already], dumb cute commericals or a great blogger post. I am PMSing this week so it's a bit more than normal but it's embarrassing to me that I've become such a cry baby.


I suppose it's good in the long run but lordy I had to fax in the note I wanted included in the card because I couldn't talk through it with the friggin' florist. It's funny and a little odd if you ask me.

So, tomorrow, her day, I'll probably cry through it each time I think about it [I'm just barely keeping my shit together to write this]. It's such an amazing thing for everyone involved. I hope that when she gets to be an adult and learns of the story of how she came to all of us that she knows she picked us, as much as we picked her. People would argue that I suppose, that she already was a distant family member, but I truly believe children come to us and that we spiritually choose our family [crazy or not].

Welcome to the family Kiley. We love you.

Biggest Regrets

While in P.S. we were out to dinner and one of the girls was expressing her sadness about not being able to find this game called the "the game of questions" to bring along to the weekend. She was explaining the game to the table and offered up the example of "What is your biggest regret".

I immediately had this one to offer up and I'll share it with all of you - that haunts me close to 20 years down the line. It sound serious doesn't it? Oh it is to me...

I was still in college and broke. My boyfriend at the time and I were traveling home from Sacramento visiting my family and decided to stop in San Francisco for the afternoon. We ended up in The Haight shopping. I being the shopper that I am, even then, I wandered into one of the vintage clothing shops and on the first round I found a sample dress from CHANEL. It had a Chanel tag inside with hand written notes about the design. I almost passed out.

I walked straight to the dressing room and it fit me perfectly. A late 60's shift in an odd beige color with white peter-pan collar, it wasn't the most flattering on me but it was Chanel, and it was on my body. The thought that it may have been in her [Coco's] presence was a complete reality. The price tag was $35 dollars. THIRTY-F*CKING-FIVE-DOLLARS. I had 38$ in my account to last me for another week. I carried the dress around with me for another 30 min debating on how I could rationalize the purchase, how I would eat for another week on 3$ and who I could bum food off of.


[this is from Ebay but had a similar look to my dress]

In the end I talked myself out of it, I was practical, I was responsible, I was a good girl.

I could have charged the dress on the "emergency credit card" my mom had given me, but I couldn't justify that emergency. I'm sure she would have been fine with it.

I can tell you that I think about that Chanel dress often, and it still haunts me to this day. I have made it a point in my bargain hunting days since then to buy now, return later. Damn, I still want that dress though. The girls at the table were all equally as devastated for me as I was telling the story. One day...I'll get my chance again!

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So What is your biggest shopping regret? or regret in general...

Cutie Chairs

I saw these cutie chairs in a shelter mag this weekend [sorry can't remember which one] and expected them to be $500 each. When I read the notes that they were $179 I just about freaked.

The company is pretty neat as well. From their website:

Atuto as been producing wonderful hand crafted objects in the mountains of Honduras for the past twenty years. We've become known as a resource for exclusive private label goods, and now we are pleased to offer an extensive wholesale collection as well. We are very proud of our modern production facility which is linked to our network of small artisan workshops. Our crafts people bring dedication to their work and possess skills that are unique in all the world.

In a country where a large part of the population has no work, each job is precious. Atuto serves the people of Honduras with employment as well as community services. Atuto's founder, Holland Mills, created the Ambos Foundation to provide training and business loans for rural artisans, housing for elders and food and care for at-risk children.

She is so brilliant I think I want to make out with her

Ok not really...but I do have a slight girl crush on Decorno because she's just so incredibly funny. Her new site Vodka Has No Carbs is just another flash of her brilliance.

What is it you ask? according to the site: "Two friends basically emailing each other through a blog about food and booze and fat. Hot shit like that. In order to play along, sometimes it's best to read previous posts first. But it's a free country, man. Do whatever you want."

Me and my Palm Springs girls had conversations so parallel to this site that I think she had spy cameras. Describing the piece of fat between your arm and back [or boob] as chicken cutlets...Yes, that was said and more than once.

back fat *bingo*, cheese *not the eating kind*, rolls *again not the eating kind*, muffin tops, gravity *and how it sucks*, diets Lendora & Weight Watchers, Points counting and how many are involved in what we were drinking *yes*, protein filled meals and skipping dessert so we could drink more...um YES.

don't delay go visit NOW.

Those assholes know how old I am

So I got this magazine in the mail yesterday. More is a lovely scented glossy, it is also for women over 40 [not that there is anything wrong with that]. When I got it in the mail I thought, those son-of-a-bitch bastards at Conde Nast [or whoever publishes] knows how old I am and they are preparing me.

I am a marketers dream I fill out all those crappy cards and on-line marketing questionnaires. I answer truthfully [I have friends that f*uck with them] because I too am in the world of advertising/marketing and that stuff helps. So these people know that next month I turn 39. Granted a hot 39 but still as one of my friends said "we're women of a certain age" I made her take that comment back because it's just difficult to think of myself like that. I feel like I'm 25.

So the people at More sent me this trial offer, the "hey we know you're getting up there, we just thought we'd prep you for what is to come issue" I was impressed they sent me the full issue and not a teaser. The magazine is good and I have read it before at the doctors office etc. So, what-the-f*ck...I'll read it, it's free.

So I got over being bitter and jaded about the whole thing and ripped into the package, and when I did so I realized the issue actually belonged to my hot 50 year old neighbor and not me.

Hallelujah! I can still pretend for just a little bit longer that I'm not really "A woman of a certain age"

Viceroy Palm Springs

The women I was with wanted to stay one more night in Palm Springs and our house wasn't available to extend so they booked a room to share at the Viceroy. I should mention that two of the girls on this trip use to work for the Kor Group, one of which was very high up on the food chain when she left. It's always amazing to me when I travel with them the perks and benefits that I reap just because I'm with them. It's good to know people that know people.

Once we checked into the room one of the girls decided she would really rather have a villa than a standard room. The standard rooms were lovely but my one friend loves her some villa...so calls were made and things were arranged [they paid normal prices]. We plopped our stuff down and headed to the pool while the villa was being prep'd. While we lounged we racked up a decent pool side tab and since they are all old friends, folks stopped by to chat and catch up and comp'd our snacks and adult beverages along the way. And considering that bill... it's good to know people.



I didn't want to be too touristy and snap photos of the things that have already been seen on line, but I since I did have the opportunity to be in two of the rooms I did take a number of photos in each.

The villas are one bedroom apartments complete with kitchen and dining room, private patio and fireplace. The standard rooms have two queen beds and are like a really nice hotel room. The two photos on this entry are from the Villa.

Click here to see a Flickr Set of the Viceroy Palm Springs

It's a lovely property. Kelly Wearstler is as good as they make her out to be. I still am in love of the acid yellow that she popularized here at this property. Despite that I think I've burnt myself out on Hollywood Regency and I couldn't help but cringe just a tiny bit when I realized they had painted over the vintage terra cotta tiles all over the Villa. Everything was white, and it worked well visually but I have a small sense of history to me and wondered what would happen 10+ years down the road.

We got to hear a bit about the opening of Kor's next property in Anguilla. It's set to open Jan 09' I believe he said. Apparently the island is so small that they had to bring in hundreds of people to build the property. For better or for worse they have changed the island completely ie: Jobs to natives, and of course the many, many people that will spend their money in years to come.

If I understood correctly, the property will entail a "hotel type resort" but will also be home to residences. It's part of the new hotel-style properties that are owned, yet that are managed like a hotel...room service etc but you own it. They also will handle renting it for a fee if you would like to make some money on the property while you're not there.

If this is something you're interested in, you're my new best friend and I'll get you in contact with people...because now I'm people who know people.

it was a great weekend!

We interrupt the palm springs postings for this

I saw this at the gym tonight and had to switch the channel after 2 seconds so I didn't cry my eyes out. holy toledo.

Palm Springs part 1

First off let me introduce you to my new best friend: Hello everyone this is St. Germain St. Germain, this is everyone.

One of the girls on the trip is in fine dining and brought along a very impressive bar set up. She was very excited about this liqueur and insisted that we all try it. It is quite possibly the most tasty drink I've ever had. The girls mixed it in with the margaritas but one of them mixed it with some fizzy water and it was just about perfect. If you've ever had something with rose water in it, it had that sort of element to it. Tasted like the smell of pretty flowers is the best I can describe it.

It's made from Elderberry Flowers and just tastes so darned yummy. Not to mention the bottle is so impressive! [I just saw it in a design book too].


On to some photos:



This is about the extent of what we did during the day. Drink in hand whether it be water or cocktail we kept em' moving.

The best part of this pool...the tanning shelf. The tanning shelf is this extra large first step that multiple people can lay on to linger in the water and stay cool. We moved the umbrella over to have a little shady bit for us as well. It was heaven. I think all of us multiple times said "Have I mentioned how happy I am right now?" I think all of us needed this vacation badly!


This is only after the first night. We all took a break from cleaning I think.




Each room had great art. David, the guy who owns the house is a professional photographer so his work is all around, this piece in the kitchen was a cute print. [one of my pieces is there as well! he's one of my first customers...thanks David!]


I don't know why he didn't mention this bathroom because it was really, really beautiful. All those little tiles were chocolate brown pieces of loveliness.


No, this is not our house this is the best bar in Palm Springs, Melvin's, a Palm Springs classic. You know as soon as you walk in there that Frank Sinatra ate here. We were the youngest of anyone in the restaurant by about 25 years.

You know what's better than cougars?...Palm Spring cougars...they're the hotties of the 50+ crowd and they are lookin' goooood! The men are pretty snappy as well. Sequins are still big by the way, in case you wanted to know. All of this is completed with a cheesy lounge singer, including Neil Diamond covers [I mean how do you not LOVE Neil?] and dancing - it was brilliant! There was something really lovely about it though. The wait staff were in tuxedos and suits, the martinis were dry and strong and the men were men and actually could cut a rug with their "dates".

I think the ladies were worried we were moving in on their guys. As we walked in one of the women at the bar said "oh my god, where did they all come from?" [It's the property adjacent to the Viceroy, which if you're staying there is a blessing to stumble home to]



------------

Tomorrow...my spy photos from Viceroy Palm Springs...I think I might be over the Hollywood Regency thing, but man is it lovely all together. I got into two rooms for photos 1 standard and 1 villa. There's a good story behind that as well. Did I mention our bills were comp'd at the pool? oh yes, it's good to know people in high places.

Palm Springs went something like this...

Me: What time is it? Yelling from the floaty in the pool

Mik: Almost 10:30 am

Me: Really? it feels later.

AJ: We all got up at 7am because we're so excited to be on vacation

Mik: We have been up for a while, I think we can have a cocktail at 11. Well, actually... I can make fresh strawberry margaritas which is nearly fruit, so technically it's breakfast!

AJ,KC, Me, KK: Sounds good to us! Let's consider it brunch.



*
lots of photos to come. It was a perfect weekend.

Some random things to ponder

• Why is it that I feel fairly ok about what I look like until I go and try bathing suits on? I wanted to jump off a cliff last night at Target. And furthermore...why can I get a pair of underwear that fit my ass but not a bathing suit? Yo, swimsuit people...get it together! You did revolutionize the world by actually selling pieces separately... I'm pretty sure you can get a bottom to actually fit.

• You want to believe in amazing lives read this story "The best job I ever had"

• I'm off to this place for the weekend. Lets hope the kidney stones behave themselves.

• this is the best birthday card for a man [or a boy for that matter]

• If anyone knows about a letterpress for sale in the Los Angeles area preferably a Vandercook Proof Press with auto inking I would be so grateful. Just putting it out there that I would like one for my garage...along with about a dozen other people.

enjoy the weekend!

Pottery Barn Kids

I want to come back in my next life as a rich kid, one that my parents buy me things from Pottery Barn Kids...like my own personal outdoor furniture. Who does this? and can I come live with you?

Actually this little ottoman thing is cute even for the grown ups and at $199 it includes the cushion and everything [they never do that!]

Granted it's only 7.5 inches tall so you would feel all old and shite getting off of it. But in my dream land there would be many of them hooked together with great pillows and a wall without ants to lean against. I would look glamorous sipping drinks on my patio.

Who wants to go with me to see a cute urologist?

Going next week to visit the urologist again. He's cute, he's young and he was as surprised to see someone who looks like me as I was to see a doctor who looked like him.

He's married, and I'm spoken for so it's just a little doctor crush but it makes the idea of having a "procedure" done a little easier. I'm not sure what they're going to do till I get into the doctor's office but none of it sounds like any fun.

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until then...I'm off to Palm Springs for the weekend on Friday to rest and hopefully not end up in the emergency again. Somehow I don't think it's going to be the party I had wanted it to be but I will hopefully get some good pool time and a little less reflective skin tone. Lord help my girlfriends who have to witness the reflective lard ass that I am.

More ER fun and barfing from good drugs

Back in the ER Saturday night with worse pain than last time. All of my evidence points to another bout of kidney stones [similar pain etc as 3 weeks ago] but the ER doc could not find evidence of it. Instead telling me after describing my level "10" pain to her, "sometimes our bodies just hurt". Hummm... how many years did you go to med school? that was f*ing brilliant! I'm totally gonna go home and ponder that you asshole.

Lucky for me the dry heaving from pain turned into real barfing from the good drugs that made me sick. I would rather barf than have the pain.

I told my boyfriend at 2 am while curled up in super-agony waiting for my next IV shot "we are never having children if it's like this and we'll be adopting brown babies from another country"

amen for drugs is all I have to say.

still recovering will post a bit later this week.

Happy 80th Birthday Dr. Angelou

I have great admiration for Dr. Maya Angelou. Today is her 80th birthday. I hope that you have had the experience of reading some of her work I know why the caged bird sings is a favorite. Here is one of her poems if you have not had the privilege.

Phenomenal Woman

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built to suit a model's fashion size
But when I start to tell them
They think I'm telling lies.
I say It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips
The stride of my steps
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please
And to a man
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees
Then they swarm around me
A hive of honey bees.
I say It's the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth
The swing of my waist
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say It's in the arch of my back
The sun of my smile
The ride of my breasts
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say It's in the click of my heels
The bend of my hair
The palm of my hand
The need for my care.
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

-Maya Angelou

Dreaming of...

Dreaming of... Portugal. I spent a semester abroad while I was in college [London]. While I was there I got to do some neat traveling. My three regrets of not getting to a locations though: Portugal, Paris, and the Netherlands region. I was "this close" to Portugal while I was traveling in Spain but a series of odd mishaps on our trip made it seemed as if my roomie and I were doomed so we passed on it. Portugal is part of my heritage so it has a special place in my heart. Today while reading through Luxury Culture there was a tid bit about a Portugal hotel that was too lovely not to post. Today I dream of Europe.

Rachael is starting to piss me off

Rachael Yamagata's new cd was due out in Jan from last reports but it's now April and I still haven't seen anything about the release. grrrrr...There are a couple of songs I haven't heard at seeqpod.com if you're a fan [I like the one titled "what if I leave?". Till then here's one of my favs.

Something I believe in...

I saw this today and thought how lovely it applies to most everything especially art. Finding it is not so easy, but when you do, you know you've found the magic.

"Have you ever thought about whatever man builds, that all of his industrial efforts, all his computations and calculations, all the nights spent working over draughts and blueprints, invariably culminate in the production of a thing whose sole purpose and guiding principle is the ultimate principle of simplicity?

It is as if there were a natural law which ordained that to achieve this end, to refine the curve of a ship’s keel, or the fuselage of an airplane, until it gradually partakes of the elementary purity of the curve of the human breast or shoulder, there must be experimentation of several generations of craftsmen. In anything at all, perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away, when a body has been stripped down to its nakedness."

•Antoine de Saint Exupery