Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Saturday Night Live - What Up With That? - Video - NBC.com

A dream came true for me this weekend....I was there live at SNL and they not only did Garth and Kat, a personal favorite, they did "What up with that?" Enjoy

Saturday Night Live - What Up With That? - Video - NBC.com


Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Banjo the Fence Sitting Horse




Well, after years of city living, my husband finally convinced me to move into the country.  Granted, for anyone west of the Mississippi, being a mile from a major highway hardly constitutes country living, but for me it's going to feel like living in a foreign land! 

Anyway, meet Banjo. We never knew Banjo but evidently he was a very famous horse in these parts.  As I understand it, Banjo was a very sweet old boy who suffered from arthritis in his later years.  Ever resourceful, Banjo found relief by 'backin it up' against his fence.  So now, in his honor they renamed our future residence "Banjo's Trail", which I find completely endearing if not amusing.  Maybe the country ain't so bad after all. 

In other bizarre news, yesterday I went running in one of those "over 55" neighborhoods that are popping up for our aging boomers about every quarter mile, and I had to do a double take.  There was a man in his garage, sitting on a folding chair, surrounded by oversized framed art.  OK sort of weird but get this, next to him, in another folding chair was a woman. Oh, wait, um, it totally wasn't a woman it was a mannequin positioned the same way he was in his chair!  What goes on in those over 55 neighborhoods????  


About the Photo
Digital Photo by Seth Fox, Chadds Ford, PA
Kodak DX3500
© 2001 Photo by S. Fox. All rights reserved.

Monday, May 09, 2011

Spring Cleansing

ZICO Pure Premium Coconut Water, Tao Mango, 14-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 12)I'm struggling to down a little blue and orange bottle of  "premium" coconut water.  
Who decided this was the new cool thing, because unless you are on Survivor, this has to be considered prison food. Monday mornings are always like this for me.  A pathetic attempt to erase the toxic weekend (donuts, beer, sweet potato fries, chocolate covered frozen bananas, you get the idea) with a few healthy choices.  So breakfast this morning has been two hard boiled eggs, this weird coconut water and a smoothie.

For months now I have been considering trying a cleanse.  It is spring cleaning time after all.  But I have two issues with it.  One, I'll be so hungry that I will be miserable and unable to focus.  But that's just a theory.  Two, the price.  I mean, really??  I cant seem to find one that  that is less than $200.  Why should three days of not eating cost more than three days of eating??

So while I haven't decided I will actually do this yet, here's what I'm considering.  The first cleanse was recommended on GOOP ....so you have to figure if Gwyneth is a fan....It's the Clean Program.  It seems to come with the fixings for both the drink/shakes and the supplements.  It kind of sort of feels like a bargain since its a 21 day cleanse and its only $250 plus shipping.  The problem is there is NO WAY I can do this for more than  few days, let alone 21!

The next one I thought I might try was the Blue Print Cleanse because I read about it in some magazine.  Evidently some celebs do cleanses like this pre-Oscars so they can squeeze into their gowns.  While I have no gowns whatsoever, I do like the cool packaging and the drinks actually look tasty.  But I think everything is looking tasty to me right now because I'm choking down this weird coconut water.

The next is the Organic Avenue Love Cleanse.  I am keen on their packaging and overall presentation, and also, the place was recommended by Tracy Anderson, owner of the perfectly toned trainer body I crave, but it's almost $300 with shipping.  I'm NYC bound this weekend and so am considering visiting one of their locations, but dont want to have to lug it around the city with me.   Finally, I did come across something that Selma Hayak is promoting that was in Oprah's favorite things recently. It's Cooler Cleanse.  Are all of these starting to seem the same to you too??

The Naked Truth Green Machine Superfood Juice Smoothie 15.2 Oz Pack of 3So, I decided maybe I could "create my own cleanse" by just sort of throwing a few of these juices together. How about a handful of  Naked Juice  throughout the day, plus a few complementary  foods like raw almonds, egg whites and some plain, raw tuna?   I mean,  I already drink green one just about every day, in order to get a full serving of dark green veggies. I'm considering doing it this week, so I report back next week with results!!

Friday, May 06, 2011

What the Stuff?

Do I dare do a product review?  I think I can I think I can.  I don't even leave comments or reviews on websites like Amazon or Zappos, but me thinks I'm more comfy in my own space.  Also, I have to say something about these products because I really am a huge fan.

Just in time for wrinkles, dark patches and sunspots....I found the perfect skincare combination and it's ALL affordable and widely available.  First....face wash.  I found this at Target and gave it a whirl because it boasted 'dermatologist recommended' in a very understated, matter of fact way. It's  Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash 6 fl oz (180 ml)  My dermatologist told me ages ago that face wash is gentle enough for your skin if it doesn't sting your eyes.  This is the first face wash I have found that really feels like it cleans, gets every last drop of my makeup off, and doesn't sting my eyes.  Plus I love the sweet, barely there scent.

Second: PRIMER. Specifically L'Oreal Paris Studio Secrets Professional Color Correcting Anti-Redness Primer, 0.68-Fluid Ounce. This stuff is the bomb.  Now that I am starting to see laugh lines and other offensive age revealers, primer is just what the doctor ordered. It "fills in" the ridges, so your makeup and powder doesnt draw even more attention to your lines.  But this primer is particularly great because a) it's cheap!  Most primers a la Sephora are $40 or more.  and b) it completely evens skin tone.  Apply moisturizer, then this great primer, followed by foundation and powder.

Finally, I give you  Kiehl's 'Midnight Recovery' Concentrate.Kiehl's 'Midnight Recovery' Concentrate
I am a big fan of Kiehl's and its something I splurge on.  The smell alone lures you in with this serum.  I know it's important for your skin to "recover" from your day, and most serums are difficult to justify, price wise.  While this isn't what I'd categorize as "cheap, " one drop goes a long way.  Grab a sample of it next time you visit a Kiehl's boutique or a Nordstrom.

Thursday, May 05, 2011

Being rich and Famous in the age of Snookie

I have been thinking a lot lately about the people of the world who are rich and famous.  When I was a kid, in order to be rich and famous, you had to either look REALLY special (Farrah Fawcett) or you had to have some serious talent.  Now and again there were the sons and daughters of the rich and famous who slipped through the cracks...by association, if you will.   But I'm fascinated by the fact that today, it seems, you need no associations, no remarkable talent or even good looks to become rich and famous (however fleeting the fame may be).  Some days this makes me angry.  Others, it's exciting! Opportunity awaits!

A few weeks ago I read that Snookie got paid $32,000 to speak at Rutgers. What!? She got paid more than Nobel-winning novelist Toni Morrison!!  Suddenly my master's degree seems like money not well invested.  But I don't get angry that someone with no exceptional talent or good looks can make 75% of the National average household income for one speaking engagement.....I get angry that I'm not making that much! Thoughts?

Friday, April 08, 2011

To work or not to work....the daily mom dilemma.

I mostly read in sound-bites….RSS headlines, emails, friend’s status updates, etc. But I read enough to know that there are millions of mothers who make quite possibly the biggest decision of their lives, every day: to work or to stay home.  The blog coverage alone on this topic could fill an encyclopedia.  It’s a highly emotional topic, and often the decision is being made in the midst of a hormone surge. But the thing is, the decision doesn’t end once you make it.  What I now realize is that it’s not a popular topic because it’s such a difficult decision, (and because it creates a great divide socially between mothers, another topic altogether) but rather because it’s a decision that a mother faces every single day.  

I recently saw a post from a woman who was blogging from her mobile device while commuting on the train home.  Her words were riddled with guilt and anger as she clicked away on her keyboard, all while watching the minutes tick closer to her child’s bedtime. She was trapped in the clutches of the daily grind, missing out on her only special moments with her children that day.  She had already made her choice….to work full time, yet here she was, still talking about the decision years later. 

A few weeks ago I spent time with a girlfriend of mine, a stay at home mother of three. She met me for lunch in my swank office building, looking around with starry eyes at the whole sophisticated scene.  She turned to me at one point and said, "wow, you must be so proud of what you have accomplished." She went on complain about her sweatpant clad days of time-outs and potty training, adding that she was going back to teaching at some point.

I suppose the old adage applies, the grass is always greener.....The problem of course, is that there is no right answer for someone making that choice.  So, as I sit here saddened by the holiday concerts I will miss and the classroom volunteer opportunities I cannot raise my hand for, regretting the energy I am giving to a boss who is never satisfied, I too am struggling with the choice I made so many years ago.   The only comfort I take is in the fact that I had the choice to make at all. 

Friday, April 01, 2011

Why I like Friday, Friday, Friday

No, I'm not referring to the curiously popular Rebecca Black song. For some reason I woke up today completely unmotivated to do anything that resembles work.  While I would always rather sleep in, spend time with the family and swan about my day very casually, tackling today is proving particularly painful.   In order to stomach another day at work I decided to skip the regular lunch time workout and order my FAVORITE lunch (seen here) - tuna sandwich and sweet potato fries.   I'm also getting through the grind by daydreaming about about this day only one week ago, which was decidedly better.

Friday March 25th I woke up with a spring in my step.  I knew it would be a great day.  Not only was I only working a half day, but shortly after work I was joining my girlies for a short drive to Atlantic City to see Janet Jackson at the Borgata. For someone who now spends weekends schlepping kids around to moonbounce parties and swimming lessons, this was a real treat.  In this venue Jackson shined....I felt like she was my girl.  I bonded with everyone around me, singing along to back-in-the-day-hits, doing as much as of the choreography from her videos as we could manage in our seats.

But the real surprise came after the concert (spoiler alert, no we did not meet Janet).  Our Janet ticket stubs got us into mur.mur (the club) where Samantha Ronson was set to spin.  Four great things happened: 1) Janet's backup dancers showed up and we met them, 2) Samantha Ronson rocked it and allowed us a post party pic 3) Joe Fatone showed up and invited us into his VIP section (my fuzzy and lame picture of him here via a smudged blackberry at 3am) and 4) I managed to dance for 4 hours straight.

So cheers to Fridays.....raise your glass to those with only sweet potato fries to look forward to and those where you're a rock star for the night.