Vanity Sizing My Butt

One Size Fits Nobody: Seeking a Steady 4 or a 10 was recently published by the New York Times. The whole article goes on about the ridiculousness that is female clothing sizes. I always find these articles fascinating. While reading the article I thought back to my sizes over the years.

When I was in middle school and shopping at the Weathervane I started with size 7 bottoms. By the time I hit high school I was capping off at 11s. Classmates were stunned, I admit I was rather gangley looking, but thighs do not lie, and they were not getting into anything in single digits by the time I hit 10th grade.

Now let's flash forward into college and the first year out in the real world. Again, I am looking at pants at 8s, 10s, and dresses at 6s. The dresses could be smaller because the top part of me is rather tiny and as long as it didn't have to hug the hips, I can get away with a dress made for a big tween.

Then came the biggest surprise of my life. I decided to splurge on a pair of jeans and go to Lucky. While looking around I asked for an 8 like always. The girl laughed at me and said I needed a 4. I told her hell no, I have never been that small (and mind you I do weigh more than I did in middle school). Low and behold, there was egg on my face because at 23 I was wearing the smallest size I could ever remember. To this day I stay around a 4-6 in pants, and every time I pick up a pair I am convinced that something is off.

I would be much happier wearing a larger numbered (size would technically be the same) garment. I know I have more mass than my middle school self, and would appreciate this reflecting in my clothing. Additionally, I have been too big for my mother's wedding dress since 9th grade. I know there is no way she was a negative number, so really, these sizes need to be realistic.

In the end, I hate vanity sizing. I would love some standard sizing. And if that made me 14 or 20 so be it. I just don't want to feel like I have a prepubescent body.

New Graffiti

(Photo from Boston Globe)

There are people who tag up walls with spray paint, and then there are others who cover telephone poles with yarn creations. Boston.com recently published an article entitled "Watch your streets - knitters are on the loose". The South End Knitters is a group of women (at least I assume they are all female) who have taken it upon themselves to create knitted graffiti.

When I first read the article I smiled and thought how funny it would be if I walked home and saw an elephant (like above) hanging off a tree trunk. Seeing random pops of color on dreary winter days would help brighten my mood, and I totally appreciate that these crafters periodically clean their pieces to keep them look like trash that got tangled in a bush.

However, I don't understand why the group chose to do all this. I mean if you have extra yarn and no current project, why not donate mittens/hats/scarfs etc to charity. The graffiti is cute, but it makes me think of littering more than anything else. I understand that no one has to be charitable but I don't know why you pick defacing property (no matter how cute it is, these creations are still vandalizing property) over helping the greater good.

Oh well. To each his own. Let's get back to shoes and fashion!

Hell has no fury like a City Scorned

Tonight is the Heat/Cavs game in Cleveland. LeBron is making his return to the city he b*tch slapped on national television. I feel as if I have been reading about this game since the season began, and finally it is hear. The countdown has been almost as exciting as counting down for Christmas!

For the last hour, I have perused a number of online publications which focus on this event. (Note: at 10 am I googled LeBron James returns to Cleveland and got 4,995 news hits) I have to admit, Cleveland is as creative as it is bitter. The best video would go to the group that spoofed Lebron's recent Nike ad.



Even though I will be in my Economics class during most of the game, I will be silently chanting along with the Clevelanders(?), or is it Clevelandites (?), hh we will just go with Cavs fans. The third quarter song is quite brilliant if you ask me. I truly hope that this song happens and can be heard on tv.

I could have cared less about LeBron when he was at Cleveland, but after he made a spectacle of himself with "The Decision" I have grown to love rooting against him. Let's hear it for Cleveland!

Booze before noon? Hells Yeah

Massachusetts passed a law that allows for booze to be served before noon on Sundays! This is some of the most exciting news I have heard that would fall under the category of politics. I realize that makes me seem shallow and pathetic, but really, having to wait until noon to order a mimosa is quite taxing at times.

If you have ever gone to the Highland Kitchen for Sunday brunch you would know how quickly the bartenders need to react when noon hits and EVERYONE wants a drink. Everyone sitting at tables, at the bar and waiting for a table wants a Bloody Mary or Mimosa STAT.

I cannot wait to brunch. Let's check my calendar...any one free July 18th? If not, how about August 1st? If neither works, maybe we can go for sometime in September :)

Pretty Damn Cool

This is video showing how flights were affected by the ash from the volcano. You can see how as the ash settled more and more planes were able to take to the skies. I like that you can tell when it is daytime versus night.

Airspace Rebooted from ItoWorld on Vimeo.

*Video is from Buzzfeed.com

WSJ is more fashionable than I thought.

Daily I read through perezhilton.com, jezebel.com, and projectrungay.blogspot.com. I also follow a number of fashion magazines and design houses on twitter. This system has kept me in the loop with regards to fashion trends and has provided some great articles to peruse through during downtime. Never had I thought to turn to the WallStreetJournal.

Last Friday, a friend of mine sent me a number of articles produced by this publication. I was taken aback. At first, I thought, why did she send me stuff from wsj.com? Then I started reading. The articles were great.

Miuccia and Me is an article that focuses on the power couple of Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli. The author focuses more on Patrizio than Miuccia. My guess is because he handles most of the business side of the company and it is the WSJ.

Today, Bertelli says his sons are his window into what young consumers want. “You have to watch young people, because if you’re not updated with the world of today, then you might as well get the hell out of fashion.”

I like knowing that even the high fashion houses like Prada realize that one shouldn't ignore the trends found within the younger generations. Yes, most young people cannot afford the designer labels, but the spirit of where fashion is headed can often be found on the streets.

I did catch myself laughing when I completely forgot that Prada was a woman and not just a label when reading the following sentence:

Bertelli and his sons were still fixed in front of the television when Prada walked in and plopped herself on the couch, unbuckling her shoe straps. “This is a real glamour evening, isn’t it?” she joked.

And who says fashion hates food? I would love for the Prada household to invite me over if this is going to be served: "On the menu were spinach-filled pasta, meatballs, spinach pudding, potato puree, a cream dessert and a chocolate cake—topped off with red wine."

The article often refers to the fact that the power couple gets into rather loud and intense arguments while working. I was thrilled at on page four we got a taste of such a dialogue when the two begin to discuss Prada's disinterest in using the internet to promote the label.

The second article that was sent to me was Chemical Attraction which focuses on the husband and wife team behind Estee Lauter. This article focuses even more about the relationship that first but there were also some cute lines I wanted to point out

They admit that they sometimes kiss in the office, but always behind closed doors.

He admits to wearing pink shirts and ties to please his wife.

I hope to be lucky enough to find a guy that is willing to wear pink shirts just to make me happy :)

I think I might try making magazine.wsj.com a page I review more regularly if I can learn more about the people who make my life so colorful and pretty...

Females in Utah Need to MOVE

Dear Utah:

SHAME ON YOU!

With hatred,
Me

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

Over the last few weeks, my coworker and I have been following the news, as it breaks on Jezebel, about a new law that was being formed in Utah centered on miscarriages being equated to murder. Early drafts of this new legislation stated that any woman that miscarriages for any reason could be tried for murdering their unborn child. This includes miscarriages related to being involved in car accidents or falling accidentally. Utah appears to believe that all miscarriages can be prevented if the woman is being responsible and protective of her fetus. In all actuality many pregnancies go unrecorded since it is well documented that the first trimester is the most dangerous for a fetus. A large number of women never know they were pregnant to begin with.

Sadly, the law has passed. Fortunately, some of the language has been toned down, but the state has still criminalized miscarriages. The law has opted to define miscarriages that can be tried for homicide as those that result from "reckless acts". Reckless acts are broad enough that the term does nothing to help protect women from individuals that wish to try them under this insane ruling.

In the latest article, there was a link to the actual law. I tried to read through it and failed miserably. This experience makes me wonder why laws are written in this way. Why is the law written in such a way that the average citizen cannot understand what it states? I consider myself a relatively intelligent individual. If something is passed that is going to change my world (assuming I am an unfortunate female who lives in Utah) I feel like I should be able to review and process the information. But I honestly sat at my computer for at least 15 minutes and couldn't get past the first section without feeling like I was missing how the law worked as it appeared to me that miscarriages were actually ok...?

I hope other states do not continue on this path especially since New York, Delaware and Iowa have similar laws already in place.

Normally I am not a pill kind of girl

I need to meet this Russian professor. He created a the VODKA pill. Seriously. He figured out how to turn alcohols into a powder and then packs the powder into pill form.

How did I find out about this? My friend saw the article and informed me that he just knew this was something I had to be aware of. I was rather excited, but then slightly concerned that when my friends see new ways to imbibe alcohol or anything to do with vodka, they think to tell me about it. Oh well. I enjoy being in the know.

The vodka pill sounded really neat when I first read the headline, but then I thought about it. It isn't like you take the pill and then dissolve it in water to create a drink. Cheap alcohol tastes bad, but good alcohol is well for lack of a better word, FANTASTIC. You so thought I was going to say good. Oooo. This makes me think, if you took a vodka pill with a cranberry pill would it feel like a Cape Codder?

There are some ugly babies out there, but...

there is no reason to be retouching baby rolls!

I am perfectly comfortable about the fact that models, actresses and public figures get air brushed and morphed into perfection when their images get published. Weird hairs, random zits or discoloration can be removed just to smooth out the image, but getting rid of a baby's fat rolls is just going to far.

Most of the time, babies are cute purely because they are chubby. I don't care for kids, but I cannot help but smile if a see a blob with pudgy arms and legs waving around. Skinny babies make me nervous. They look sick. Infants can't really move much on their own so they can't really be "working off" their calories, thus, they should have some heft to them.

Photoshop and retouching is a slippery slope. I understand wanting to show the best version of an image, but some standards need to be reevaluated based on the subject. Its true, I don't want to see a chubby model (unless she is a plus size), I do want to see a chubby baby.

MAJORLY HUGE JELLY FISH!!!!

EW

If I see jelly fish in the ocean anywhere near me, I panic. I just cannot deal with them. Even though I know the clear ones don't sting, they are just so weird!! Sometimes they wash ashore along the coast and when you are strolling with friends while chatting, it is easy to put your foot down right on top of one. The squish and cold and ugh I can't even handle typing about something that hasn't even happened to me personally in years. Ick.

When ever it got unseasonably warm back home early on in the summer I felt both joy and dread all in one fell swoop. Joy, because that hopefully meant a great summer full of beach days, dread because that meant the jelly fish would be on the move and they would be coming to my beach. There is really nothing more depressing than going to the beach knowing there are tons of teeny tiny little jelly fish floating around out there. Well red tide is way worse and smells terribly, but if we only count situations that allow you to still swim, teeny jellies are up there.

Now what might be worse that teeny jellies? How about 450 pound ones!!! Well they are out there. Japan is being surrounded!

A blood-orange blob the size of a small refrigerator emerged from the dark waters, its venomous tentacles trapped in a fishing net

MSNBC.com had an article out about this crazy population of sea creatures. I would normally like to provide more quotes from this article but they really give me the willies. If you are braver than I, please go ahead, but be forewarned that these things are huge and really messing up the fishing industry! Yet another reason to shake our fists at our changing climate...

We need to end this post with some picture of jelly fish that I think are cute. The live in the aquarium. Please meet the upside down jelly fish:

Oh and let's also show some jelly fish ATTACK!!!!!!

This last picture might have been the inspiration for a potential tattoo. But I am not supposed to be thinking of adding any more ink to my body. My parents would not be very happy with me and I would like to keep their love and support right now. But seriously, don't you find the two jelly fish bouncing into each other kind of beautiful? Especially when they look like they are on fire!

**These pictures were taken by me at the Mystic Aquarium when I spent a very amusing weekend with two lovely ladies :)

Sleep happens.

I had every intention to enjoy the first night of kickball playoffs for the fall season at Samba's last night. My team wasn't scheduled to play until Wednesday, but friends had games the first night and I wanted to celebrate their probable win with flip cup. Work had been rather stressful and I came home with a killer tension headache. I tried laying on the couch in silence, eating food, taking pills and nothing was helping me out. So I thought, power nap was the way to right myself. There was no way I was going to stay in when dancing and beer games were just a few blocks away.

I made the decision to nap at 7:30 pm, thinking that I would wake up around 8:30 and be ready to run down by 9. Definitely woke up at midnight. Damn.

The fun was over and even though I had hoped to do some cleaning after partying, it just seemed silly at this point. Thus I opted to simply brushed my teeth, get into bed, fall right back to sleep, and wake up at 7:30 when my alarm went off. It seems rather obvious that my body was in need of some serious sleep. I am fairly certain I have at most gotten 7 hours of rest on any given night in the last few weeks and honestly, there has been some tossing and turning.

Living alone means being the only one to clean and cook, it also makes me feel the need to go out or visit with friends at least 5 nights a week. There is no way I am becoming a recluse or something like that. Add on a new part-time job, searching for a new job and everything else in my life and well, sleep takes a back seat.

Fortunately for me, boston.com has my back. They recently posted a brochure (?) or article, I am not sure what you would call this exactly, about how to properly nap. I knew attempting an hour nap was a bad idea, and this just proves it. One must either keep the nap under 45 minutes or go at least 1.5 hours. The 60 minute mark puts you in an awkward point in your sleep cycle to wake up during.

I'm glad to see that my 30 minute lunch naps are a perfectly fine and helpful idea. There are times that I just feel so sluggish and in need of a boost. Those days I turn to my spare chair in my office and power nap away half of my lunch hour. It always works.

The 12 hours of sleep has made me question my lifestyle. I'm compromising, I am going to try and hit 7 hours each night whenever possible. But I'm not promising anything.

C is for Cookie

I guess if you don't use google daily like me, you might not be aware of the fact that Sesame Street is celebrating it's 40th birthday. Each day the Google header on the site has been redesigned to involve characters from the show. My favorite, was one of the firsts, and that was Cookie Monster. The use of his googly eyes as the o's is simply wonderful. I could not stop smiling after I saw it.


Cookie was one of my favorite monsters on the show growing up. He was lovable and silly. I particularly enjoyed when he was overzealous about eating his plate of cookies and would toss in a toaster. With the celebration of the show's longevity, there have been many articles written about the show's purpose and evolution. I have enjoyed reading such articles but am also saddened to learn that Cookie has now decided that cookies are a "sometimes food". He no longer tries to devour them as often and apparently eats broccoli!!!

Yes, I understand that childhood obesity is on the rise, but really? I remember as a child thinking how sad I was for Cookie since he tried so hard to eat all those cookies but they usually just ended up breaking into lots of little pieces. I never thought that I should attack a pile of cookies like that and munch munch munch like crazy. In all reality, I didn't really have the option as my parents kept cookies out of my reach and allowed me to have 3-4 in my lunches in elementary school. Cookie isn't a bad influence if parents restrict their children's ability to reach cookies themselves. I can also say, that I am pretty sure seeing a bright blue monster eat broccoli would not get me to change my anti-green vegetable ways.

Should we be concerned that Cookie might relapse? What if all this "sometimes food" stuff gets the best of him. He could go on a cookie rampage!!! And on that note, let's consider the t-shirt I have been contemplating purchasing from woot.com for a few weeks now. I did just buy the zombie candy corn one, so I might hold off just to keep within my budget.



I'm going to end with a clip of my favorite monster singing a song dedicated to his favorite food:

High Heels - Hot Topic

My love for high heels is pretty obvious. Half my blog's name goes to this one item in my wardrobe. When searching for new pairs I often look for styles and patterns that would look good not only with a short skirt, but also with a nice pair of dress pants for the office. Up until recently I saw no reason to keep them out of my Monday - Friday 9 - 5 life.

With the interviewing I have been doing over the last few months I did start reading up on some pointers regarding first impressions and what not. Many articles mention that it is not a good idea to wear perfume (obvi), bright fun colors (sad but again pretty understandable) but also no high heels. I get the concept if I were to wear a skirt, but if I'm wearing pants why does it matter that the last three or so inches of my leg is actually a heel? In the end I have been trying to wear flats to get the job. Once hired, those heels would go into the back of my closet out will come the far prettier ones.

I was fine with the whole, save the good stuff for later. Then my aunt sent me this article "Do high heels empower or oppress women?". It does make a few interesting points. After finishing it, I can't say I feel a super need to give up the heels, but at the same time I get very uneasy about the fact that they could be holding me back. There was the usual "women are fashion slaves to men" kind of argument. Know what, I honestly like the way my feet look in those shoes as well as the rest of my body. If it is because I am brainwashed by men in fashion, I can deal with that until they develop something that makes me feel as confident in something like a flat. The best point towards the keeping of heels (even though the article does lean towards a 2.5 incher) is the following:

“Take a look around — you rarely see women in power strutting around in ballet flats,” Goldman said. “Even their ‘flats’ have a small heel of some kind. Flats scream either demure or comfortable. Neither is an image you want to project at work.”

Yes, flats are for woman that are happy with the glass ceiling. (No I have many friends that love flats and do not like the glass ceiling but I couldn't help myself just now. I apologize).

Part of me wonders if the reason that you do see high heels considered a "no" with the workforce is because men are finding it intimidating to stand eye-to-eye (another pro point in the article). I mean, DSW just released the following ad that says just that...

More Workplace News

A friend of mine tweeted this article yesterday from boston.com. It was the article I have been waiting for, it let the world know that employees are not happy. There have been statistics stating that people who are employed are happy. They are happy because they are employed and therefore they are grateful for paycheck. No. They are not happy. Especially if they are young. I hear from peers all of the time now how miserable they are at work. There are fewer people in the office and more work left on the remaining peoples' desks. Longer hours are required to complete everything but there have been nothing but salary freezes and unpaid overtime. Employers are holding back on freebies which, yes does help with the bottom line, but it does not help with moral.

At my employment we had money in our budget for an annual celebration in the last fiscal year before the crunch came down on budgets. Central decided would be in poor taste to throw the small bash. The line item was probably about two thousand dollars, so it wasn't going to be super lavish, but it was what we were all looking forward to after months of uncertainty and crazy work loads. Instead of free food and drinks for 2-3 hours that usually started at about 4 pm, we were sent an evite to meet at a local pub to socialize starting at 5. It was noted that you should remember to bring cash, as drinks were on you not them. Clearly, I opted to not go. If I was going to pay for my drinks I was going to do that with some good friends.

The boston.com article really does hit the nail on the head. If you be nasty to your employees they aren't going to stay. They will bolt as soon as the job market opens up again. Hopefully the workplace becomes more employee friendly.

Twenty-Somethings are just screwed

When home in RI this weekend my mom asked me to read a news article she saw and thought be good for me to read. It was called The Lost Generation and all about how young people are being kept out of the work force.

College graduates can't get jobs which is terrible just on the basic level. These individuals have no income, may be forced to live with their parents, and hope to get an interview let alone a job somewhere.

What is scarier is when you think about what that means for our country on a larger scale. I mean if individuals are having to wait a year (or possibly more) to get a start in their industry that just means there are less young professionals out learning. They are getting behind and employers are not going to want to give them a chance later down the road. Employers should want youth, we think differently, we master technology and we can help make positive changes or simply we are will to WORK. Youth is being underrated right now. The article points out how much young people help not only on technical level but they add to the atmosphere and morale.

Employers are keeping it in the family. They aren't looking for new blood, no matter how cheap they can get it, and because of this young people are being forced to sit tight and keep their futures on hold. When they are ready to open the doors there will be so many pouring in trying to get a spot and frustrations will just get higher. Can you imagine knowing that jobs were finally available and there just wasn't a spot for you? The only comfort that exists right now, is that you know everyone else is just as stuck as you are....

The more I read this article more frustrated I am for me and my peers. Hey employers, please start hiring us. We need the chance.

CNN please stick to real news

So glad that of all the events that are going on in the news the top story on cnn.com is Kanye West's douchebag move of ruining Taylor Swift's moment on the VMAs. Since when are the VMAs something that matter? :P

They are wonderfully amusing, but honestly cnn.com, leave this outrage to perezhilton.com. I feel for poor Taylor. Kanye was such a tool taking the mic and praising Beyonce, but I just don't find the event CNN worthy.

I do love the title of the second video listed: "I was really excited...and then I wasn't".

PS If you don't know what this is reference to, you may need to catch up on your pop culture buzz.

Are we really surprised?

Time Magazine online posted an article about Abercrombie & Fitch. It explains how the company is failing during this recession: "The upscale teen retailer has suffered 10 straight months of double-digit same-store-sales declines".

Are we really surprised about this?? The article also explains how during this economic crisis, the company has refused to lower prices or offer any type of promotion other than their usual annual sale. What parent this time is going to be willing to let their child purchase a torn, worn looking, poorly constructed, over priced t-shirt?

The article claims that one of the biggest problems is that A & F are aiming toward a preppy look and with the emergence of Gossip Girl, funk has become more popular. I'm sure the tv show is the reason.

Maybe they should at least consider cutting the guy that stands shirtless in their doorway. He serves no purpose other than for people to gawk at. I mean the abs are great, but my interest ends there. I still have no interest entering a retail store that will blow my eardrums out with base.

SO COOL!!!!

Below is an excerpt from an email that I saw today about Mars. I am more than just a little excited about the prospect of seeing the Red Planet with just my eye. Go science!!! The best part is you have all month to remember to look up. Unlike the once in a lifetime comet sightings...

In real life, the Red Planet is going to be the closest to earth in recorded history. Earth is catching up with Mars in a close encounter.

Due to the way Jupiter's gravity tugs on Mars and perturbs its orbit, astronomers can only be certain that Mars has not come this close to Earth in the last 5,000 years, but it may be as long at 60,000 years before it happens again.

The encounter will culminate on Aug. 27, when Mars comes to within 34,649,589 miles of the Earth and will be (next to the moon) the brightest object in the night sky. It will attain a magnitude of -2.9 and will appear 25.11 arch seconds wide, at a modest 75-power magnification.

Mars will look as bright as the full moon to the naked eye and will be easy to spot. At the beginning of August it will rise in the east at 10 p.m. and reach it's azimuth at about 3 a.m. By the end of August when the two planets are closest, Mars will rise at nightfall and reach its highest point in the sky at 12:30 a.m.

It is worth being Blue at times

CNN released an article today with the findings that the same color dye used to make blue m&ms can be used to help prevent paralysis from spinal injuries. This has been tested on mice and the results have been extremely promising.

The biggest side effect?

You turn blue...

If I had to choose between being paralyzed and temporarily turning blue, I think I could go with a new pigmentation.

Even the weatherman is a funnyman

Oh Accuweather.com you are so right.

They published an article "Snowy Winter Could Follow Cool June for the Northeast". Basically it looks like we are going to get FEET and FEET of snow this winter. I can't remember a summer this cold. Oooo and they use the term "El Nino" in this article. When was that last uttered? That was so 1990s. Remember Chris Farley's "el nino means the nino"?

Well this post was a bit of a debbie downer. Lets hope the sun comes out soon!!!