Happy Vision Day!
There were several fellows that had the name of Valentine, or Valentinus, several of whom were martyrs. It gets a little confusing, understandably, in regards to who did what. Just maybe, when you are stewing over your lack of a sweetheart, you really ARE celebrating things in the spirit of St. Valentine, merely a different one.
First, there was Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna. This fellow was the first religious officiant to marry a Christian woman and a man who was pagan-born. The was martyred on February 14th, and is general the patron St. of marriage.
And THEN, there was another Valentine, who was a priest in Rome. When Claudius canceled all marriages believing that men would not join the army if they had families, Valentine defied him and married people anyways. He was subsequently imprisoned and was executed on February 14th of 270-ish. Before then, he befriended the jailer’s blind daughter, Julia. In a final message to her, he signed “From Your Valentine,” but not before restoring her sight.
Therefore, one of the most apt gifts for Valentine’s Day would be eyeglasses, right? Or how about shouting “Happy Vision Day!”
Uncategorized | Comment (0)Military Families Lose Provider; Discount Program Available
This post brought to you by Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.
When someone is tangled in red tape and can't get their ketaconazole to pacify their eczema or salicylic acid for their warts, they can't be the most devastatingly attractive Gent or Gent-ette they can be. They still might be, but they won't feel like it thinking they have to cover their faces. All the hassle makes my skin itch just thinking about it.
Whenever anyone makes that challenging family life more difficult, especially to those with family separated by deployment, it really frosts my chain (is that even an idiom?)
Woohoo – a double whammy of button pushing. My quill has been dipped. Where can I scribble off a well-deserved verbal missive? A howler might do. 100,000 military families have already already signed a proclamation. It really was a petition, but "proclamation" has a more colonial-era patriotic nostalgia to it.
Apparently, Express Script, which acts as the middle man to Tricare, the prescription service used by the US Military, has pulled out of allowing patients to fill their prescriptions at Walgreens. With Walgreens and Express Script no longer having an agreement, families will face purchasing their medications at out of network prices or scrambling to find another pharmacy. Express wanted to reclassify medications as brand name that Walgreens offers to everyone as generic. For the latest news on that, "Like" Walgreens on Facebook for postings, follow Walgreens on Twitter.
For the time being, the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club is offered at a mere $5 per individual and $10 per family if you sign up by January 31st. It can help ease the transition, as well as possibly offer medications at a reduced rate, particularly if generics fly your carpet. By the way, the family pet is eligible, too, so long as the medication has a human equivalent.
Plus Size Fashion: Basics and Tips – (USA Made)
While I enjoy the latest fads to walk down the run way, readers know we have a special place in the left breast pocket for vintage goods. Another love is products made right here in the USA. It is easy to find artisan made clothing and items from one-off independent designers, but every day staples get to be a challenge, especially if the T-shirts with “American” in their name, notably still made here, are out of your size range. Clothing, except for plus size pants, which can be made to specific measurements, is difficult to merely just make bigger. In other items, darts, pleats and the overall design must be reimagined.
Blouse House is one of the rare plus size clothiers that manufacture their garments in the US, offering a range of plus size tops, dresses and pants in sizes up to 7x. The styles are fairly conservative. You won’t see any body bearing pinup fashions here, but you will fine staples appropriate for the office as well as patterned tops and swimwear.
Fashion Tips for Sizes 3x and Up:
- Go up a size if the bust, waist or hips are too large for the garment measurements, even if the garment fits perfectly elsewhere. Take the garment in an inch or two at the areas of smaller measurement to avoid volumes of extra fabric. If it is the right measurements but the button pulls very slightly in the bust and the darts don’t lay at the right spot, the brassiere could be the wrong size rather than the shirt
Plus size tunics are more forgiving in the bust and stomach. To carry off the look without looking like you are wearing a tent, the sleeves must be tailored to fit. Hem up cuffs, move a button, or even take the garment in at the shoulder seam. A detailed collar such as a mandarin collar often flatters more than a wide round neckline.
- Horizontal stripes are universally shunned, although a thin pinstripe that does not appear until the viewer is close does not distort the body. A bold woman can pull off wide bold stripes if it absolutely fits a flamboyant personality, but not on top AND bottom…that goes for anyone of any size.
- Even if you are plus sized, don’t fool yourself that you don’t have a basic body shape. Not all plus size women are apple shaped. Follow other fit recommendations for hourglass, apple or pear figures and look for those cuts. A tunic that hangs from the bust may equalize an apple figure or a very straight figure, but does not flatter an hourglass-shaped woman. To create shape, creatively use layers or belts or choose garments with a tailored waist.
Cube, Sweet Cube
This post brought to you by Contest Factory. All opinions are 100% mine.
Ah, the joys of modular living. Issues of Dwell (whoops, I mean dwell) magazine are rife with hip examples of fitting an entire bachelor pad into a broom closet and living in a glass box in the middle of the woods. The art of living in shrunken spaces is old hat for office cubicle dwellers. The cubicle – long bereft of any individuality besides a carefully pinned yellowing Doonesbury or Sally Forth cartoon – is long overdue for a reimagining.
If you are a disenchanted cubicle dweller who has long been depressed by gray carpeted walls and can't help but translate that to clutter and depression, your cries have been heard.
From now through January 31, 2012, enter the Pimp My Cube Contest and take a video of your daytime domicile for a shit at a complete makeover. The grand prize winner receives:
- A smashing new decor theme.
- A comfortable office chair. No duct tape.
- A new desk.
- A high-end computer system.
- Other luxuries such as an espresso machine and a sound system.
If you are not declared the luckiest sod, you could win a $200 gift card if you win the consolation prize. Not too shabby indeed.
To enter, all you need is a webcam or a phone video camera to tell your tragic or witty tale. The odds are really good. As of a few days ago, there was only ONE entry. Hop to it!
Quick Fit Tip from Olukai
A warm wind is blowing across the range, rustling my hair and tickling the gently tilting palm fronds. Too bad its just an overtaxed furnace and a poorly positioned terrarium near the heat register. Even so, this is the merry time of year when mere Northern Hemispherians think about the mukluks they didn’t get for Christmas, yet the clothing industry is fill tilt ahead on showing us their wares of Sandals and Flip Flops. It’s not cruel. The industry just knows we procrastinate in our thinking and must be reminded early, and it takes them awhile to bring to market what we instantly want to see in July.
Olukai Sandals makes a line of thong sandals and shoes inspired by Hawaii, though they are headquartered in California. The outsoles are made from 30% recycled materials and the packaging is made completely from recycled paper and cardboard. What’s puzzling? They only come in whole sizes. What if you wear a half size?
The company suggests that you determine size by the position and fit of the arch piece. Each sandal has an anatomical arch feature. If the arch area on both sizes fit you, choose the shoe that gives you a snug fit, or extra room, depending on what your fit preference is. After all, there is some flexibility of fit in an open sandal that is not afforded in saddle shoes or roping boots. The little toe is not as easily pinched…unless you are not giving other people appropriate personal space. Then, my friend, your toes are on their own. Ouch.
Uncategorized | Comment (0)Jacket
Thanks for the article from Isaiah Gaines
I have been looking for a fleece jacket for my son. He had a blue one that I got on clearance at the end of last winter season and he loved it. However, when I put it on him today, he cried and kept saying that he wanted me to pull his sleeves down. Only then did I realize that it is too small for him.
This afternoon I have been using our Clear Allen internet to find a replacement for his jacket and have found some really good deals on kids clothing, but I have not been able to find the exact jacket I am looking for. My mom works part-time at a department store, so I may ask her to see if she can find him a similar jacket where she works. It is not that it matters that much what his jacket looks like, but I like the weight of the jacket because it is warm enough for cool weather but light enough for a warmer day.
I do not care about name brands. Our son is two years old, so it is not like the other kids at the preschool are going to be talking about what brands of clothing they wear. I guess I am going to just have to take the best deal I can find on whatever similar jacket I can find.
Uncategorized | Comment (0)An Elegant Pen for the Low-Maintenance Age
This post brought to you by Parker Pens. All opinions are 100% mine.
In far more perilous times, which are viewed as "gentler" times to us, a long feather wiggled over letters, Declarations and deeds. The birth of the fountain pen revolutionized correspondence, and the cartridge fountain pen made sending off missives to the king much more practical. After all, the ink splotched pocket was seen as a faux pas and not as the equivalent to a pocket protector for those with a geek fetish.
Now, Parker, who has been collectively keeping it classy since 1988, have tweaked the technology once again with the Parker Ingenuity collection. The cartridge-based pens produce the elegant letters which made you toss your plastic click pen years ago, but with no skips or smudges. In fact, pushing it around the paper has the feel of a roller ball, and the low-maintenance demeanor as a ball point.
What may sell folks who wouldn't normally consider a fountain pen is fashion. All of the Ingenuity styles feature a streamlined, modern look that is not in the least bit stodgy. Although you may think that your 10/$1 models work just fine, imagine that you are inking the deal on a home sale. Would you really want to hand something to them that smudges and runs out of ink on the dotted line? More embarrassingly, I was handed a free pen that advertised another business unrelated to the person that was having me sign. Unwittingly , it was even a competing business. Maybe, I'll have to gift them with a pen to thank them for the rousing endorsement of the other folks.
For updates on the latest, "Like" Parker on Facebook.
Comment and tell me why YOU would like to win or own one.
In Calgary: Breathe in the Fashion
When I lived on the east coast, I had a scheme. My future self was going to sublet an apartment starting the week before the end of the college semester. So many students who lived overseas would dump vintage finds and designer and midcentury furniture and clothes on the curb or in the dumpster. They just could not take them with them. But why didn’t they at least send them to the consignment shop or give them to charity? The budding entrepreneur who would resell the mint condition luxury items was never that daring.
I have run into a few folks that said that Calgary is really where its at. You won’t find the Picasso in the dumpster quite like you would in Boston, but the proliferation of indie designers, vintage clothing and decor shops and neatly edited consignment and thrift stores makes up for it.
Urban Thrift boasts an eclectic collection of vintage finds and modern second hand clothing on 34th Avenue.
What’s in Store on Edmonton Trail is the cow-colored building that stocks clothing spanning from the 1950s through the 1980s.
Divine on 17th is the place to go for vintage T’s, sunglasses and track suits, as well as modernware.
Cat’s Eye is on 10th. Apparently, this shop as moved a few times, but if you can catch it – there is a mix of 1920s through the 1980s. They also do costume rentals.
What other haunts would you heartily recommend? Write in and let me know.
(Still) Having Teeth is Glamorous
This post brought to you by JB1010. All opinions are 100% mine.
Gingivitis Germs. Golf. Yes, lots of golf. The life of a dentist can be a bacteria-filled and solitary existence. Unless your friends are a nuclear nosed reindeer and a gold prospector. Unfortunately Hermie is one of the few screen icons that bring a glamorous spin to the profession. Too many screen dentists are just too depressing or frightening.
Then there's Austin Dentist Lance E. Loveless, DDS, whose life is apparently almost equally famed than the legendary Hermie. After all, not only does he have a name seemingly ripped from a gumshoe tale or a an 80s soap opera (the former I read, the latter…what's that?), but he made the cover of DENTALIFE. With the background defocus setting! He is just "That Guy." Of course, nowadays, instead of causes of anxiety and pain, dentists are magicians who make you magically younger because your teeth are white again, or so the glossy ads in the local Chamber of Commerce magazine say.
It is actually a good move to promote cosmetic dentistry with old school cavity grinding, as leery patients will perhaps equate dental work with a Hollywood makeover. Maybe they won't get made over every time, but teeth could potentially be saved when someone finally goes in after years of neglect.
It's embarrassing to say, but the fashion accessory I most neglected were saved. Yes, admittedly, despite sonic care-ing and whitening at home, I hadn't been to a dentist in a few years and the hygienist commented that I "came just in time" before any serious damage was done. Although in some circles, gold teeth and grillz are inexplicably still acceptable fashion statements, you don't want to adopt any fashion merely to hide what you don't have.
The Windsor: Where Wands/Walruses/White Houses Meet
This post brought to you by Zenni Optical. All opinions are 100% mine.
Just a ponderance: Harry Potter added another reason why the Windsor eyeglass style remains iconic, but are children who wear the style automatically enlisted in the cool club or are they mercilessly teased ** if they are over a certain age?
Now that Harry Potter has put down his wand, at least on the screen, what is to become of the Windsor eyeglasses, trend-wise? We've all seen this before. John Lennon popularized the style in the 60s and 70s, and prior to that President Theodore Roosevelt sported them and so did Ben Franklin. Does there need to be a "cool down" period for folks to expand their associations? It seems like few consider the Windsor merely a classic, perennial style and most merely use them as an excuse to catcall "You are the Walrus!!!" or "Where's your wand?"
Of course, going with the style that best bits your face shape and features is never out of style. Personally, I only think folks poke at them is if, say horn rims, Windsors, or black plastic frames don't fit your face. THEN folks get awfully non-creative.
If you are really looking to try a trend and don't want to commit to $300 + 3 years of your life, you can always go to the costume shop and buy some falsies – some twisted wire Windsor or some glassless Buddy Hollys. Sifting through the thrift store rack is cheap, but you'll have to pop the lenses out. You can also try some places like Zenni, that have cheap eyeglasses and get your prescription. A basic Windsor runs about $19.00 including basic, single vision lenses vs $100+ at the optical store vs $5-15 at the costume shop vs a buck or two at thrift lens-less. I'd take the pair that I could see out of – with the 80+ savings I could afford some clothing to go, or better yet, I'd psyche people out. Have a completely different pair in my pocket. When someone makes a comment, I'd just pop the other pair on and turn around. "What glasses? Oh these?"
**= No, teasing is not bullying! Innocent (notice, I said innocent) teasing is a child or preteen's way of trying to get the attention of another child in an unlearned and ungraceful way. They just lack the social skills to say "Greetings, fellow child. I don't know you, but I want to get to know you and I am a clod," "Or dearest bff, I am a little cranky today. And I am upset that you have an older brother and a dog, and I am envious of that condition."
Standing on the Corner…Watching all the Icons Whiz By
This post brought to you by LG DoublePlay™. All opinions are 100% mine.
Silence used to be golden. Driving to and from was almost a moving meditation. I sat in my car, listened to silence or music and the burdens in the head began to clear. Nothing was really that important that couldn't wait until I returned home or to the computer. Now, I lost several connection opportunities and jobs because I didn't answer my messages.
Then, I started accessing the browser on my cell phone, but struggled with the number keys. Oh well, at least I knew someone was looking for me so could circle back. Then why did I suddenly feel that I had to answer them? Probably because I was making the emergencies of other people my own emergencies.
Where is my keyboard?? Truth be told, I tried a smartphone and it took me a minute to stay in control of my icons that seemed to whiz by me with a slip of the finger, but now I have the hang of it.
I noticed that LG DoublePlay™ that T-Mobile offers has both the Qwerty keyboard and the touch screen format. The keys are microscopic, but you can't compare them to a computer. If one focuses on the qualities of the keypad as a typist's tool, its a major improvement. The fingers are less crowded, as the keyboard is split in half. For the true multi-tasker, or scatterbrain, depending on how you look at it, there is actually more touch screen icons between the split in the keyboard.
Yikes. Things do change at a lightning pace don't they, as far as technology? So glad that the tie, long underwear and the three-button suit evolve at a creeping pace. There is some comfort in stability, at least. I am holding onto my old phone until it becomes "retro." Maybe it will be dead, but it would make a great prop.
Do you think having everything all front and center will affect the way you text and network? How many texts would you say you send, and how much time to you use your phone for social networking, in hours? My last text message was at 1:46 on Thursday the 17th. It was a good friend of mine asking me to call her. Folks don't usually text me unless I don't respond and they want to get my attention while I am on the phone. If you add up all of my time texting from the past six months, it probably works out to one hour!
How would the The LG DoublePlay™ change how you interact with your social networks? I think that for me, it would make things more front and center so more people could text and Facebook message me to call them…because I am not picking up my phone for some reason.
A Brief History of Skincare: New (?) Under the Sun
Tanda Skin Care recently created a chart about the history of skin care. Some of the info I was already intimately acquainted with, laced with tidbits of shocking new. While the madness and illness lead powder left behind is legendary, I had no idea that it was used for spot treatments as late as 1900. The idea of exfoliation and microdermabrasion is actually not so 20th and 21st century. The earliest skin smoothing junkies used sand paper to soften their outer layers and slough away scars. I thought the strigil was abrasive, but at least Romans at first covered themselves in oil so scraping all the dirt away at least would glide more like a razor. It is all conjecture, as of course, strigils are just not something you see at the store these days. If so, they would be mistaken for a personal possession of Captain Hook. You’ll have to settle for a squeegee.
The only thing “new under the sun” might be treating psoriasis with UV lamps and also acne light therapy. Then again, English doctors sent ailing patients to the south of France and Italy to hopefully healed by the sunlight. It is merely the act of going to a professional and receiving blue light in an isolated and concentrated fashion.
What grooming practice today do you think we will look at quizzically ten, fifty, or even one hundred years from now?
.
Via: Tanda Skincare
Uncategorized | Comment (0)My Strange Addiction
Thanks for the guest post by Esteban Vinson
I am a total sad movie addict. I know most people don’t enjoy feeling sad, but could there possibly be anything better than curling up in a warm blanket on the weekends and watching a good tearjerker on Direct TV?
I have a lot of friends who think I am really strange because of this, but to me, it’s totally normal. My mom, sister and I all have this strange penchant for loving sad movies. I have too many favorites to even name. I’m not a movie snob who only watches the Oscar winners either. I love them all, even the bad ones.
I sometimes get upset when I go to the movies to see something that I think is going to let me get a good cry in and then it ends up having a super happy ending. I know most people go to the movies for a bit of fantasy but everything can’t have a happy ending! I guess I like it so much because I’d rather cry about something completely made up than something that really happens.
Uncategorized | Comment (0)Halloween 2011: The Night of the Living Sheen
Trick-or-Treaters can never go wrong with a ghost costume fashioned from a thrifted bed sheet or older brother’s graduation frock and a purchased witch hat. Along with perennial classics, each new crop of Halloween costumes brings a new slew of nods to recently-at-the-movies superheros and topical references.
What is everyone wearing this year?
According to the news on the street, which is every Reuters and AP press release, the guy at the local shoe repair shop and a gent overheard at the local pub, among the top three predictable or unusual trends are as follows:
1) Zombies. Did I even have to mention this one? Zombies are the new vampires–well, not exactly “new” anymore, but these things take time… (Speaking of vampires, you apparently have to have “Team Edward” moussed hair these days. A classic Drac with 1,000 pounds of gel doesn’t seem to cut it anymore. Team Bela! No, kids that is NOT a typo.)
2) Charlie Sheen. Really. No “I have dark brown hair so I am going as myself” cop outs. You really have to “sell” this one. The shirt has to be right, a bottle of Tiger Blood ale and perhaps even a thought bubble to carry around with a Sheen-ism. Sadly, you can actually buy a premade Sheen costume and this wouldn’t merely be among the Adult Halloween Costumes for a grownup party, as your 12 year old is on Twitter.
Lady Gaga would be another choice celebrity getup, because you could dress like Carmen Miranda or a telephone and everyone will think you are going for Gaga anyways.
3) Smurfs. This time, Smurfs aren’t only aKids Halloween Costumes a la 1984, but for adults, too. For toddlers, its adorable. The jury is out on Uncle Sid.
Are you dressing up this year, or are your day to day duds scary enough?
Uncategorized | Comment (0)Hit the Freezer Aisle for the Next Three Martini Lunch
This post brought to you by T.G.I. FRiDAY'S. All opinions are 100% mine.
A few weeks ago, there was no posh piano bar with a WiFi signal at 11:00 at night, so I unspiffed myself and limbered down to the local donut shop incognito to take advantage of those laser beams when my signal conked out. Two gentlemen were talking in booming tones about the inner workings of a new health center opening up. Why would one want to divulge the secret budgets in public like that? Anyway, the consumables included a coffee or two, several scoops of ice cream and half a salad. Way back in the cobwebs, memories of uncles and cousins entertaining customers at three-martini lunches seem like something out of Mad Men. Even ten years ago, it was at least T.G.I.Friday's instead of the Steakhouse or the Shake-It Bar.
Now, the budget is even more paltry if deals are made over donuts. Why not trick your potential business partners? T.G.I.Friday's now has dinners in the freezer section of the grocery store. You could buy Styrofoam take out boxes and meanwhile heat up some T.G.I. FRiDAY’S “Entrées for One” in the back. Simply plate them and act as if you are trying to hide the boxes, and guests will think that you spent a lot of green at the restaurant and took the care to order each person something to their individual taste. After all, you can't get Cajun Alfredo from a can. How very thoughtful of you!
All you thoughtful folks can hurry up and vote inr the Fun Freezer contest. Entrants have gussied up their freezer or entire fridge with a theme – from the post it note mosaics to a head to toe end zone theme. While I don't doubt your 50s Frigidaire or your Harvest Gold from Grandma is cool, these are a lot of fun to look at.
Uncategorized | Comment (0)
