I've had a couple of pretty restless nights over the last few days. I'll feel really, really tired but then when I lay down in bed my mind starts going and I can't make it stop. I almost grabbed a pen and pad the other night so I could write down and share with you the ramblings of my mind. I honestly don't think there is any other way to convey the insanity that is my restless brain.
This has happened before, many times. It usually happens during the planning stages of a party or right before one or when I have a big project going on. Right now, all of those things apply. It's like a triple whammy. I've got house renovation overload, Lindsey's shower on Saturday, and I'm in the beginning "brain storming" stages of planning a baby shower for my girlfriend. I think it's more than my brain can handle at one time. I have ideas flying in and out, lists being written and re-written, thinking of something neat and then trying to think of how I can actually make it happen... And it doesn't stop at just those subjects. Once the wheel starts turning there is no stopping it and no telling what direction it'll head off to next. I could be on "party planning" and all of a sudden I'm thinking about work and then what I'm going to wear to work the next day, then what we're going to have for dinner the next night.... on and on and on. And usually my thoughts are accompanied by a very annoying song that just won't shut up! It just keeps playing over and over again to my restless body's dismay.
Then, as if the overwhelming thoughts aren't bad enough, throw in the dogs, who sleep in our bed and stretch out to the longest and widest possible position their little bodies can make, and Joe, who can fall asleep two seconds after his head hits the pillow and can out snore a hibernating bear. Sometimes I feel like I'm running as fast as I can on a treadmill and people keep coming up to me asking me questions and I can't stop running and I can't get away. It's very frustrating. On these nights I usually end up on the couch. It's quiet and comfortable and somehow I can usually fall asleep pretty quickly. But, that restfulness only lasts until the dogs come out and jump on the couch to sleep with me.
What is probably the worst part of the whole thing is not being able to remember in the morning all the stuff I was thinking about the night before. Lots of people have told me to get a journal and write my thoughts down and get them out of my head. I've tried it and it did help but it's hard to see in the dark to write everything down. If there isn't already a journal with a night light or a pen with a light on it I think I need to invent them. I'm sure there are others out there who can sympathize with that problem. I know there are bigger problems to be afflicted with than creative thinking but sometimes I wish I could just turn it off when I didn't want to use it. That would make life a lot easier sometimes.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Details
These past couple of weeks have been very hectic for me to say the least. Our kitchen renovation project has been all-consuming. It's pretty much all we eat, sleep, and breathe. Plus, now that we've been bitten with the renovation bug, we are already planning our next project.... and the one after that.... and the one after that. We're hooked.
We've been so busy that I almost forgot that Lindsey's bridal shower is next weekend! I'm glad that I already had the majority of decorations that I plan to use but have been scrambling to get the rest of the stuff ordered in time to make the shower. I had a mini nervous breakdown the other night when I figured out how close it actually was. I've been furiously making list after list of things I need "to do" and "to buy" and "to bring". I hope it turns out as gorgeous in person as it is in my head. I will, of course, post pictures afterward so you all can see for yourselves.
Realizing that the shower is rapidly approaching reminded me that her wedding is right around the corner too. I think I blocked out how stressful planning my wedding was and how much went into it. Now that Lindsey is going through it, all those stressful memories are back. There is so much to do and so little time and so much stress and hurt feelings and decisions to make and opinions to hear.... I always tell everyone that is planning to get married not to do the big wedding. Yes, it will be beautiful but you can save yourself a lot of stress, aggravation, and money if you just run off somewhere and get married. I loved my wedding but would've been just as happy getting married on the beach in Mexico. Say I do, then have a margarita on the beach! Good times! Try convincing a newly engaged person to do that though and you'll probably get an I-don't-think-so-bitch look in return. I've seen it many times. But I've also heard, "you were right we should've eloped" just as many times.... unfortunately it's always been too late.
I guess I need to give you all an update on my hair dilemma. I've found a temporary solution to my drama. I bought some John Frieda Brunette Glaze. You use it in the shower after shampooing and conditioning. It deposits a small amount of color to "brighten" brunette hair. Since I had platinum blond highlights, it toned those down to a more natural-looking caramel blond. Definitely more livable. I don't think I will be going back to gay grandpa again. I'm going to try a friend's hair girl next time. Surely I can find someone to do my hair to my liking for less than $200! I'll keep you posted.
I also wanted to update you on my gym status. I am still going. I've been going three days a week and seeing my trainer every time. She's really great and has been making me do things that make my muscles very sore. I feel a major stress relief when I go to the gym and feel very accomplished and healthy after I leave. I haven't really lost any weight yet. I tend to hover in a 5 pound range usually and I'm currently on the lower end of that 5 pound range now. I'm having a major problem with my eating. I'm sure it's always been a problem but I'm really realizing it now that I've started exercising. I tend to do very well during the week while I'm at work. I usually eat a healthy breakfast and pack good snacks. I eat my fruits and vegetables and whole grains. My biggest problems are snacking after work, dinner time and the weekends. I just can't seem to make the right choices. For instance, this week I had Mexican food (out) one night, 7 Mozzarella sticks (in) another night, chicken stir fry with two FRIED egg rolls and a piece of cheesecake with strawberries and chocolate sauce (in) last night. That's just the stuff I can remember. That's terrible! I might as well not even eat the almonds and fruits and whole grains during the day if I'm gonna go home and eat like a pig. I just don't know how to make better choices at home and out at restaurants. I'm taking suggestions if you've got them!
Anyway, it's Friday afternoon, I'm about to go home so that's it for now.
We've been so busy that I almost forgot that Lindsey's bridal shower is next weekend! I'm glad that I already had the majority of decorations that I plan to use but have been scrambling to get the rest of the stuff ordered in time to make the shower. I had a mini nervous breakdown the other night when I figured out how close it actually was. I've been furiously making list after list of things I need "to do" and "to buy" and "to bring". I hope it turns out as gorgeous in person as it is in my head. I will, of course, post pictures afterward so you all can see for yourselves.
Realizing that the shower is rapidly approaching reminded me that her wedding is right around the corner too. I think I blocked out how stressful planning my wedding was and how much went into it. Now that Lindsey is going through it, all those stressful memories are back. There is so much to do and so little time and so much stress and hurt feelings and decisions to make and opinions to hear.... I always tell everyone that is planning to get married not to do the big wedding. Yes, it will be beautiful but you can save yourself a lot of stress, aggravation, and money if you just run off somewhere and get married. I loved my wedding but would've been just as happy getting married on the beach in Mexico. Say I do, then have a margarita on the beach! Good times! Try convincing a newly engaged person to do that though and you'll probably get an I-don't-think-so-bitch look in return. I've seen it many times. But I've also heard, "you were right we should've eloped" just as many times.... unfortunately it's always been too late.
I guess I need to give you all an update on my hair dilemma. I've found a temporary solution to my drama. I bought some John Frieda Brunette Glaze. You use it in the shower after shampooing and conditioning. It deposits a small amount of color to "brighten" brunette hair. Since I had platinum blond highlights, it toned those down to a more natural-looking caramel blond. Definitely more livable. I don't think I will be going back to gay grandpa again. I'm going to try a friend's hair girl next time. Surely I can find someone to do my hair to my liking for less than $200! I'll keep you posted.
I also wanted to update you on my gym status. I am still going. I've been going three days a week and seeing my trainer every time. She's really great and has been making me do things that make my muscles very sore. I feel a major stress relief when I go to the gym and feel very accomplished and healthy after I leave. I haven't really lost any weight yet. I tend to hover in a 5 pound range usually and I'm currently on the lower end of that 5 pound range now. I'm having a major problem with my eating. I'm sure it's always been a problem but I'm really realizing it now that I've started exercising. I tend to do very well during the week while I'm at work. I usually eat a healthy breakfast and pack good snacks. I eat my fruits and vegetables and whole grains. My biggest problems are snacking after work, dinner time and the weekends. I just can't seem to make the right choices. For instance, this week I had Mexican food (out) one night, 7 Mozzarella sticks (in) another night, chicken stir fry with two FRIED egg rolls and a piece of cheesecake with strawberries and chocolate sauce (in) last night. That's just the stuff I can remember. That's terrible! I might as well not even eat the almonds and fruits and whole grains during the day if I'm gonna go home and eat like a pig. I just don't know how to make better choices at home and out at restaurants. I'm taking suggestions if you've got them!
Anyway, it's Friday afternoon, I'm about to go home so that's it for now.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Stoned
Hey everybody. I just wanted to post a quick, little blog to update you on our status. We've been putting our house back together and cleaning it this weekend so we've been going non-stop. I've also come down with a lovely cold so that's really making everything so much more fun.
Anyway, our granite is in!!! It looks amazing. The natural stone is so gorgeous. I posted new pictures in the album. Joe also installed our new faucet and it looks great too. Everything is really coming together and it is wonderful to have a sink and a dishwasher again! Only things left to do now is the backsplash and the under cabinet lighting. Hopefully all that will be done next weekend!
Well, back to work. That floor isn't going to mop itself..... unfortunately. Hopefully I'll have another good post for you soon.
Anyway, our granite is in!!! It looks amazing. The natural stone is so gorgeous. I posted new pictures in the album. Joe also installed our new faucet and it looks great too. Everything is really coming together and it is wonderful to have a sink and a dishwasher again! Only things left to do now is the backsplash and the under cabinet lighting. Hopefully all that will be done next weekend!
Well, back to work. That floor isn't going to mop itself..... unfortunately. Hopefully I'll have another good post for you soon.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Fight or Flight
Oh my God you guys, I am in total crisis mode. So, you know how I was having issues with my hair girl? If you don't remember, I felt like I was getting sub-par service but still paying full price. Full price being A LOT of money. I was paying close to $200 for a cut and one color process and no styling! I loved my hair girl though and initially felt like she was worth it. But, in recent visits, her service has definitely not been what it used to be. Fast forward to today. I had my first appointment with someone new.
I am very picky when it comes to my hair people. Not everyone can cut my curly hair. In the past, people have had a tendency to misjudge the springiness of the curls when dry and cut my hair way too short. Other times they put in layers that only work on people with straight hair. I've had a few disasters along the way. I'm also pretty picky with the color. I want it to look natural and shiny like I was just born with hair this gorgeous color. I don't always get that result but I felt like my girl got it right most of the time.
I've been on the hunt recently for a new person to try. I've been asking around and had gotten a couple recommendations. A girl that I work with recommended the guy she sees. She told me that he is really good and recommends stuff that he thinks will look good on your hair... I trusted her opinion because her hair always looks good. She told me that he was gay and that he was very outspoken about what looks good and what doesn't. I thought, "PERFECT!” that is exactly what I need. Some bitchy guy telling me if I look hot or not. Finally a genuine opinion from someone who isn't afraid to tell me like it is! So I made an appointment with her guy.
Well, let me start by saying he wasn't the "gay hairdresser" stereotype that I had envisioned. I pictured some hot, young, David Bromstad looking guy dressed in a fierce outfit looking at me with the "Blue Steel" stare. Not-even-close! This guy was more Robin Williams in Bird on a Wire, but less stylish. He was like a gay grandpa. He even had to sit on a stool to cut my hair because he had thrown his back out. Seriously! Despite all that, when we started talking about what I wanted I felt pretty confident with him. I told him that I wanted to keep my length but take out some of the bulk on the sides of my hair. For the color I told him I wanted to get back to my natural dirty blonde color. He said he'd do all that but add some highlights around my face for depth and movement. Great, I thought. Sounded wonderful to me. Then we got started.
Let's just say, gay grandpa was not gentle. That man was pushing my head around and whipping it back and pulling my hair. I almost got whiplash. He got the main color on first and then, instead of letting that process and washing it out and then moving on to the highlights, he went ahead and put the highlights right on top of the other color. I was really confused and a little worried. I've had my hair colored lots of times and no one has ever done that before. Maybe that is a technique some people use but it seemed a little sloppy and ass backwards to me. But, whatever, he's a professional so I went with it. He put me under the dryer to process.
After I processed he took me to the sink to wash it all out. Again, homeboy was not gentle. Nor did he know how to use the hose. You'd think him being gay and all... you get what I'm saying. We might as well have taken a shower together because I was soaked. My whole face was wet. It felt like Chinese water torture. His shampooing was very vigorous and the cuff on his sleeve kept hitting me in the nose/mouth area. To make it worse, his shirt cuff smelled like cigarettes, mints, and Bijon for men cologne. Blech.
Hair cut time. Now, I don't really think he cut much off my hair. It doesn't look like he did anyway. But he had a very interesting cutting technique. It was more "Edward Scissorhands” than experienced hair stylist cutting technique. I seriously at one point had a day dream that he was going to cut off the top of my ear. It was that crazy. He was just flipping my hair around and cutting. There was no measuring to make sure the sides were even or anything. I'm glad my hair is curly because who knows what kind of jagged edges I have going on in there.
After surviving the cut he moved on to styling. I don't worry too much about how stylists do my hair at the end because none of them know how to do it. Unless they straighten my hair I ALWAYS walk out of the salon with a mop of frizzy curls. You'd think they'd give a lesson in school about how to style curly hair. The only one who has EVER gotten my hair to curl and not frizz is my favorite stylist (and best friend) Nikki. The ONLY one. So, whatever, I was prepared for frizz. What I wasn't prepared for were the platinum blonde highlights that I received. These aren't pretty, been on the beach all summer highlights either. I have about 5 spots surrounding my face that are Playboy bunny blonde. The rest of my hair is dirty blonde. I look like Cruella Deville’s brunette sister. Not cute! I told Joe I looked like a stripper and he said, "all right!” Bad response!
I don't know what to do now. I don't know if I should buy a hair color kit from the store and try to dye it myself? Should I try to find another stylist to fix it? Should I go groveling back to my old hair girl and beg for forgiveness for ever doubting her skills? All I've managed to do so far is be a huge bitch and eat way too many "stress" calories. I guess that's my way of coping. Stouffers Mac-and-cheese and chicken nuggets. I just don't know what to do. I don't know how I'm going to go to work tomorrow. I know people are going to look at my hair and think it looks like shit. And what am I going to say to the people who lie and tell me it looks good? Do I call them a liar to their face? I guess this is what I get for trying to save some money. Damn it!
I am very picky when it comes to my hair people. Not everyone can cut my curly hair. In the past, people have had a tendency to misjudge the springiness of the curls when dry and cut my hair way too short. Other times they put in layers that only work on people with straight hair. I've had a few disasters along the way. I'm also pretty picky with the color. I want it to look natural and shiny like I was just born with hair this gorgeous color. I don't always get that result but I felt like my girl got it right most of the time.
I've been on the hunt recently for a new person to try. I've been asking around and had gotten a couple recommendations. A girl that I work with recommended the guy she sees. She told me that he is really good and recommends stuff that he thinks will look good on your hair... I trusted her opinion because her hair always looks good. She told me that he was gay and that he was very outspoken about what looks good and what doesn't. I thought, "PERFECT!” that is exactly what I need. Some bitchy guy telling me if I look hot or not. Finally a genuine opinion from someone who isn't afraid to tell me like it is! So I made an appointment with her guy.
Well, let me start by saying he wasn't the "gay hairdresser" stereotype that I had envisioned. I pictured some hot, young, David Bromstad looking guy dressed in a fierce outfit looking at me with the "Blue Steel" stare. Not-even-close! This guy was more Robin Williams in Bird on a Wire, but less stylish. He was like a gay grandpa. He even had to sit on a stool to cut my hair because he had thrown his back out. Seriously! Despite all that, when we started talking about what I wanted I felt pretty confident with him. I told him that I wanted to keep my length but take out some of the bulk on the sides of my hair. For the color I told him I wanted to get back to my natural dirty blonde color. He said he'd do all that but add some highlights around my face for depth and movement. Great, I thought. Sounded wonderful to me. Then we got started.
Let's just say, gay grandpa was not gentle. That man was pushing my head around and whipping it back and pulling my hair. I almost got whiplash. He got the main color on first and then, instead of letting that process and washing it out and then moving on to the highlights, he went ahead and put the highlights right on top of the other color. I was really confused and a little worried. I've had my hair colored lots of times and no one has ever done that before. Maybe that is a technique some people use but it seemed a little sloppy and ass backwards to me. But, whatever, he's a professional so I went with it. He put me under the dryer to process.
After I processed he took me to the sink to wash it all out. Again, homeboy was not gentle. Nor did he know how to use the hose. You'd think him being gay and all... you get what I'm saying. We might as well have taken a shower together because I was soaked. My whole face was wet. It felt like Chinese water torture. His shampooing was very vigorous and the cuff on his sleeve kept hitting me in the nose/mouth area. To make it worse, his shirt cuff smelled like cigarettes, mints, and Bijon for men cologne. Blech.
Hair cut time. Now, I don't really think he cut much off my hair. It doesn't look like he did anyway. But he had a very interesting cutting technique. It was more "Edward Scissorhands” than experienced hair stylist cutting technique. I seriously at one point had a day dream that he was going to cut off the top of my ear. It was that crazy. He was just flipping my hair around and cutting. There was no measuring to make sure the sides were even or anything. I'm glad my hair is curly because who knows what kind of jagged edges I have going on in there.
After surviving the cut he moved on to styling. I don't worry too much about how stylists do my hair at the end because none of them know how to do it. Unless they straighten my hair I ALWAYS walk out of the salon with a mop of frizzy curls. You'd think they'd give a lesson in school about how to style curly hair. The only one who has EVER gotten my hair to curl and not frizz is my favorite stylist (and best friend) Nikki. The ONLY one. So, whatever, I was prepared for frizz. What I wasn't prepared for were the platinum blonde highlights that I received. These aren't pretty, been on the beach all summer highlights either. I have about 5 spots surrounding my face that are Playboy bunny blonde. The rest of my hair is dirty blonde. I look like Cruella Deville’s brunette sister. Not cute! I told Joe I looked like a stripper and he said, "all right!” Bad response!
I don't know what to do now. I don't know if I should buy a hair color kit from the store and try to dye it myself? Should I try to find another stylist to fix it? Should I go groveling back to my old hair girl and beg for forgiveness for ever doubting her skills? All I've managed to do so far is be a huge bitch and eat way too many "stress" calories. I guess that's my way of coping. Stouffers Mac-and-cheese and chicken nuggets. I just don't know what to do. I don't know how I'm going to go to work tomorrow. I know people are going to look at my hair and think it looks like shit. And what am I going to say to the people who lie and tell me it looks good? Do I call them a liar to their face? I guess this is what I get for trying to save some money. Damn it!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Chocolate Rain
The cabinets are in!!!!!!!!!!!!! WhooooooHoooooo!!!!!!!!!!!! You guys have no idea how freaking excited I am! My dad and Joe installed our new cabinets yesterday and they look great. I also now have all my appliances (minus the new microwave) in place again. The kitchen is really starting to take shape. It was a very trying weekend though.
We spent the better part of the week mudding the drywall then sanding the drywall. Mud, let dry, repeat.... OVER and OVER and OVER. Sanding sucks, ya'll. I only did it once for about 30 minutes and that was plenty for me. I was covered from head to toe with white dust. I matched the rest of my house really well because that is all covered in white dust too. It's like we're replacing our tile all over again. Everything is covered in a thick layer of dust that will probably take weeks to settle and really clean up.
We were finally able to get some paint up on Saturday and it looks soooooo good. We did go with the chocolate brown. It's actually called Edwardian Burgundy by Ralph Lauren but it seriously looks like we painted the walls with melted milk chocolate. It's so pretty. Even my dad said he liked it which is huge coming from him. We also painted our ceiling bright white and that looks really good too. It was really hard painting the ceiling and it took three coats to finally cover everything. My kitchen is so tiny we thought it'd be a piece of cake but it was not fun. Me and Joe kept switching who was going to roll and who was going to cut in around the ceiling and the outlets. We still have some touching up to do but that'll come after the backsplash and countertops go in.
Speaking of countertops.... our granite guy just called and is coming out today to do the template!!! We didn't think he'd be able to come out until Thursday so I am pumped!! Hopefully that means it won't take long to cut the slab and install it.
I can't wait to see everything in and finished. I think this week we're going to work on installing our new microwave, putting all the pulls on the doors and drawers, and installing the under cabinet lighting. Then, once the countertops go in, all we have to do is install the new faucet and we'll be done!!! This project hasn't been as bad as I had expected but I am pretty tired of washing dishes in my bathroom sink and eating out every meal. We should've added a couple hundred dollars into our budget for all the meals we've had to eat out. We definitely didn't figure in those costs and it adds up fast! Also we didn't figure in the cost of the gas money for the 25 trips a day we've been making to Home Depot to buy then return things or to go back and get the stuff we forgot to get the first time. Home improvement... you gotta love it! Anyway, new pictures in the renovation album!!
We spent the better part of the week mudding the drywall then sanding the drywall. Mud, let dry, repeat.... OVER and OVER and OVER. Sanding sucks, ya'll. I only did it once for about 30 minutes and that was plenty for me. I was covered from head to toe with white dust. I matched the rest of my house really well because that is all covered in white dust too. It's like we're replacing our tile all over again. Everything is covered in a thick layer of dust that will probably take weeks to settle and really clean up.
We were finally able to get some paint up on Saturday and it looks soooooo good. We did go with the chocolate brown. It's actually called Edwardian Burgundy by Ralph Lauren but it seriously looks like we painted the walls with melted milk chocolate. It's so pretty. Even my dad said he liked it which is huge coming from him. We also painted our ceiling bright white and that looks really good too. It was really hard painting the ceiling and it took three coats to finally cover everything. My kitchen is so tiny we thought it'd be a piece of cake but it was not fun. Me and Joe kept switching who was going to roll and who was going to cut in around the ceiling and the outlets. We still have some touching up to do but that'll come after the backsplash and countertops go in.
Speaking of countertops.... our granite guy just called and is coming out today to do the template!!! We didn't think he'd be able to come out until Thursday so I am pumped!! Hopefully that means it won't take long to cut the slab and install it.
I can't wait to see everything in and finished. I think this week we're going to work on installing our new microwave, putting all the pulls on the doors and drawers, and installing the under cabinet lighting. Then, once the countertops go in, all we have to do is install the new faucet and we'll be done!!! This project hasn't been as bad as I had expected but I am pretty tired of washing dishes in my bathroom sink and eating out every meal. We should've added a couple hundred dollars into our budget for all the meals we've had to eat out. We definitely didn't figure in those costs and it adds up fast! Also we didn't figure in the cost of the gas money for the 25 trips a day we've been making to Home Depot to buy then return things or to go back and get the stuff we forgot to get the first time. Home improvement... you gotta love it! Anyway, new pictures in the renovation album!!
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Welcome to the Jungle
A couple of weeks ago I posted about the new show, Cashmere Mafia. In that post I discussed the other "Sex and the City-esque" show that would be coming out also. It was Lipstick Jungle and it premiered on Thursday. I had really high hopes for this one because it is based on the book written by Candace Bushnell.
The show started out pretty good. Three very successful New York women with great hair, beautiful make up and amazing clothes. One, Wendy, played by Brooke Shields is a head of a movie studio and married with two children. Another, Nico, played by Kim Raver is the editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine and is married to an older man and has no children. The third, Victory Ford, played by Lindsay Price is a fashion designer who is single. How these three women ended up friends, I have no idea because they seem as different as night and day.
The show also has men but they are definitely not as hot as the men on Sex and the City were or the men on Cashmere Mafia are. Maybe they're going for the "quirky" type guys that Sex and the City went for. Those guys were quirky at first but, once you got to know them, they were hotties. We'll see if these guys can grow on us the way the SATC guys did.
The first episode has Wendy's husband threatened by her success and them having some trouble in their marriage. But, she also lands Leonardo DiCaprio for one of the movies she is producing. Nico cheats on her husband, who seems to ignore her, with some young guy she meets at a party and is in a feud with a guy she works with who is competing with her for the CEO position. Victory showcases her new fall fashion line, which gets terrible reviews, at a fashion show in Bryant Park and gets asked on a date by some guy who is supposed to be a "billionaire". Not quite your everyday, average-girl kind of stuff but, I guess, these women aren't supposed to be average.
Overall I was under whelmed again. It just didn't have that spark for me. And, I was really distracted by the nose thing Lindsey Price did the whole episode. It was like she was sucking her nose in or something. I know that's a terrible description but if you watch the show, watch her nose and you'll get it. It's very distracting. One thing I did think of while I was being under whelmed was that I wasn't blown away by the first two seasons of SATC either. I mean, it was a good show but it didn't really hit its stride until Season 3. So maybe I'm just being too picky at this point. I will definitely give it a chance, as I have been giving Cashmere Mafia a chance. Both shows need to step it up though. If they are vying for the title of "Next Sex and the City" they've got some HUGE Manolo's to fill.
The show started out pretty good. Three very successful New York women with great hair, beautiful make up and amazing clothes. One, Wendy, played by Brooke Shields is a head of a movie studio and married with two children. Another, Nico, played by Kim Raver is the editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine and is married to an older man and has no children. The third, Victory Ford, played by Lindsay Price is a fashion designer who is single. How these three women ended up friends, I have no idea because they seem as different as night and day.
The show also has men but they are definitely not as hot as the men on Sex and the City were or the men on Cashmere Mafia are. Maybe they're going for the "quirky" type guys that Sex and the City went for. Those guys were quirky at first but, once you got to know them, they were hotties. We'll see if these guys can grow on us the way the SATC guys did.
The first episode has Wendy's husband threatened by her success and them having some trouble in their marriage. But, she also lands Leonardo DiCaprio for one of the movies she is producing. Nico cheats on her husband, who seems to ignore her, with some young guy she meets at a party and is in a feud with a guy she works with who is competing with her for the CEO position. Victory showcases her new fall fashion line, which gets terrible reviews, at a fashion show in Bryant Park and gets asked on a date by some guy who is supposed to be a "billionaire". Not quite your everyday, average-girl kind of stuff but, I guess, these women aren't supposed to be average.
Overall I was under whelmed again. It just didn't have that spark for me. And, I was really distracted by the nose thing Lindsey Price did the whole episode. It was like she was sucking her nose in or something. I know that's a terrible description but if you watch the show, watch her nose and you'll get it. It's very distracting. One thing I did think of while I was being under whelmed was that I wasn't blown away by the first two seasons of SATC either. I mean, it was a good show but it didn't really hit its stride until Season 3. So maybe I'm just being too picky at this point. I will definitely give it a chance, as I have been giving Cashmere Mafia a chance. Both shows need to step it up though. If they are vying for the title of "Next Sex and the City" they've got some HUGE Manolo's to fill.
Monday, February 4, 2008
When you're a celebrity
You know how people say they could have the body of a celebrity if they had a personal chef and a personal trainer? Yeah, well I'm half way there baby! I had my second meeting with my "personal trainer" today at the gym. My first meeting was on Friday but we didn't do any exercising. We just had a meeting to discuss my goals, what I'm doing now, what I should be doing to meet my goals, etc., etc. It was so wonderful! It was probably one of the best experiences I've ever had at a gym.
My trainer's name is Cory and she's an intern at the gym. She's really tiny and cute but also really nice. She took all my measurements (eek!) and also calibrated my body composition (EEEEEK!) and told me what a healthy goal weight is for me. I was actually really happy because her healthy and my desired goal were within 5 pounds of each other. So at least I know I have a reasonable goal in mind. We also went over how many calories I should be eating in a day and I was surprised because I thought it should be way lower. I was thinking I should be eating 1200-1300 calories a day, she says 1500. That should put me on target to lose a pound a week. We discussed meal planning and healthy snacks and all kinds of stuff. The weight loss industry can be very confusing because there are so many people out there who think that their way is the best so it was nice to have someone tell me that I can eat real food from the grocery store and go out to eat and still maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Today I had my first "training" session. I wasn't really sure what to expect but I enjoyed myself. I was afraid she was going to have me doing all sorts of crazy things and that I wouldn't be able to walk out of the gym when I was done. But that didn't happen at all. She had me do 30 minutes of cardio; half on the treadmill and half on the eliptical. I haven't used an eliptical machine in years so that was interesting. I kept feeling like I was doing it wrong. Of course Ms. Fitness America had to be on the next treadmill over. Bitch. Ok, maybe she was working out but it seemed like showing off to me. It probably didn't help that my machine was set on level 10 incline. I thought I was really out of shape when I was gasping for air within the first 5 minutes but I figured out the incline and how to lower it and things went much more smoothly.
After my cardio was over we started my strength training routine. It was heavy on pilates and stretching and breathing. I did squats with the big ball resting in between my back and the wall, I did really hard sit up things, some push up stuff, something that made me look like Superman flying on the floor, some leg thing with a band around my legs that hurt like hell, and some stretches. The strength training was definitely a lot more challenging for me than the cardio. I guess Jazzercise did help me out with that afterall. I'm glad that I'm challenged by the routine she gave me because if it was easy it wouldn't really be worth it.
I go back on Wednesday but I'll be on my own for that one and I meet with the trainer again on Friday. I feel really fortunate to have the opportunity to see a trainer for free in a gym I can go to for free. I know myself and I know I would never spend money on a "luxury" like a gym membership or a trainer for myself. I've thought about it in the past and always dismissed it because it was too expensive and not as important as other things. But, I realize now that it was important and I wish I would've taken steps to get into a gym sooner. Even if I did have to pay for it. I mean, really, what's more important than your health? Bygones.... all I can do is be proud of myself for doing it now.
My trainer's name is Cory and she's an intern at the gym. She's really tiny and cute but also really nice. She took all my measurements (eek!) and also calibrated my body composition (EEEEEK!) and told me what a healthy goal weight is for me. I was actually really happy because her healthy and my desired goal were within 5 pounds of each other. So at least I know I have a reasonable goal in mind. We also went over how many calories I should be eating in a day and I was surprised because I thought it should be way lower. I was thinking I should be eating 1200-1300 calories a day, she says 1500. That should put me on target to lose a pound a week. We discussed meal planning and healthy snacks and all kinds of stuff. The weight loss industry can be very confusing because there are so many people out there who think that their way is the best so it was nice to have someone tell me that I can eat real food from the grocery store and go out to eat and still maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Today I had my first "training" session. I wasn't really sure what to expect but I enjoyed myself. I was afraid she was going to have me doing all sorts of crazy things and that I wouldn't be able to walk out of the gym when I was done. But that didn't happen at all. She had me do 30 minutes of cardio; half on the treadmill and half on the eliptical. I haven't used an eliptical machine in years so that was interesting. I kept feeling like I was doing it wrong. Of course Ms. Fitness America had to be on the next treadmill over. Bitch. Ok, maybe she was working out but it seemed like showing off to me. It probably didn't help that my machine was set on level 10 incline. I thought I was really out of shape when I was gasping for air within the first 5 minutes but I figured out the incline and how to lower it and things went much more smoothly.
After my cardio was over we started my strength training routine. It was heavy on pilates and stretching and breathing. I did squats with the big ball resting in between my back and the wall, I did really hard sit up things, some push up stuff, something that made me look like Superman flying on the floor, some leg thing with a band around my legs that hurt like hell, and some stretches. The strength training was definitely a lot more challenging for me than the cardio. I guess Jazzercise did help me out with that afterall. I'm glad that I'm challenged by the routine she gave me because if it was easy it wouldn't really be worth it.
I go back on Wednesday but I'll be on my own for that one and I meet with the trainer again on Friday. I feel really fortunate to have the opportunity to see a trainer for free in a gym I can go to for free. I know myself and I know I would never spend money on a "luxury" like a gym membership or a trainer for myself. I've thought about it in the past and always dismissed it because it was too expensive and not as important as other things. But, I realize now that it was important and I wish I would've taken steps to get into a gym sooner. Even if I did have to pay for it. I mean, really, what's more important than your health? Bygones.... all I can do is be proud of myself for doing it now.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Dem-OH!
My kitchen is offically demolished. It's nothing but a skeleton at this point. Joe and dad worked all day yesterday and started back up this morning at 8am. They rewired the outlets so I can have hard wired under cabinet lights, a disposal switch on my backsplash (as opposed to under the cabinet where it was), and a dimmer switch for my recessed lighting. Speaking of, I have brand new recessed lighting and an additional drop where my new bank of cabinets will be. They also rewired for my new over the stove microwave. On top of all the wiring and demolition, they also hung new drywall. Whew! I'm tired just typing all of that.
It was a busy day yesterday so I'm glad I wasn't here for it! I stayed very far away so that I wouldn't get in the way and so I wouldn't get annoyed. I don't handle chaos and disorganization very well so this isn't a very pleasant experience for me. In fact, when I got home yesterday I had to rearrange their piles of crap and vacuum my floors. It made me feel much better.
Yesterday my mom, Lindsey, and I went out to do some wedding stuff. We also stopped by at a granite yard to see if there was anything I liked better than the Silestone we already picked out. Actually, the whole ordeal started when Joe started telling people we were remodeling our kitchen. Everyone told us to shop around for counter tops because Home Depot is pretty expensive. Joe started calling around and my sister Becky recommended using the granite guy her company uses for their houses. So, off to the granite yard we went. We actually found a really pretty slab that I like a lot called Venitian Gold. It is so pretty and is actually about $750 less than we were going to pay for the Silestone. So, we're getting granite now. It's really pretty and has gold, tan, dark brown, and cream patterns in it. If I can figure out how to upload pictures from my cell phone, I'll post a picture.
Now the tough decision. What color to paint my new kitchen. My dad wants us to paint after the drywall is in and mudded but before the new cabinets come. So I will probably be doing that this week. I've been debating my color choices and have it narrowed down to a couple. I could do it the same as it is now which is like a dark tan color or I really like a terra cotta orange, an olive green or (my favorite) chocolate brown. Once the cabinets and back splash are in, you're probably only going to see about a foot of wall space on either side of the kitchen. I'm leaning towards the chocolate because the new counter top has dark brown specks throughout. Plus, I think it'll really pop against the white cabinets. Yes, pop is a technical term, I learned it on HGTV.
So, there you have it, my kitchen progress in a nut shell. You can see the demo pictures in the renovation album.
***UPDATE- I was able to figure out my cell phone pictures so I now have counter top pics in the Renovation album.***
It was a busy day yesterday so I'm glad I wasn't here for it! I stayed very far away so that I wouldn't get in the way and so I wouldn't get annoyed. I don't handle chaos and disorganization very well so this isn't a very pleasant experience for me. In fact, when I got home yesterday I had to rearrange their piles of crap and vacuum my floors. It made me feel much better.
Yesterday my mom, Lindsey, and I went out to do some wedding stuff. We also stopped by at a granite yard to see if there was anything I liked better than the Silestone we already picked out. Actually, the whole ordeal started when Joe started telling people we were remodeling our kitchen. Everyone told us to shop around for counter tops because Home Depot is pretty expensive. Joe started calling around and my sister Becky recommended using the granite guy her company uses for their houses. So, off to the granite yard we went. We actually found a really pretty slab that I like a lot called Venitian Gold. It is so pretty and is actually about $750 less than we were going to pay for the Silestone. So, we're getting granite now. It's really pretty and has gold, tan, dark brown, and cream patterns in it. If I can figure out how to upload pictures from my cell phone, I'll post a picture.
Now the tough decision. What color to paint my new kitchen. My dad wants us to paint after the drywall is in and mudded but before the new cabinets come. So I will probably be doing that this week. I've been debating my color choices and have it narrowed down to a couple. I could do it the same as it is now which is like a dark tan color or I really like a terra cotta orange, an olive green or (my favorite) chocolate brown. Once the cabinets and back splash are in, you're probably only going to see about a foot of wall space on either side of the kitchen. I'm leaning towards the chocolate because the new counter top has dark brown specks throughout. Plus, I think it'll really pop against the white cabinets. Yes, pop is a technical term, I learned it on HGTV.
So, there you have it, my kitchen progress in a nut shell. You can see the demo pictures in the renovation album.
***UPDATE- I was able to figure out my cell phone pictures so I now have counter top pics in the Renovation album.***
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