I heart shoes. I heart all kinds of shoes - flip flops, loafers, heels, patents, sneakers, dance, etc. My current obsession is t-straps. I think they're not only stylish but also spunky- it reeks of 'The Great Gatsby.' I recently purchased a pair of blue, patent leather t-straps. I can't wait for the Fall/Winter to wear them with skirts and jeans. Patents have been big over the past few seasons. The new trends in shoes seem to be animal skin and oxford heels (or lace up shoes with heels). I've seen articles on how snake skin is making a come back. I don't know about you but I didn't buy into it in the 80s and I surely won't be buying into it now. Maybe it's because I'm not that daring. I think there's a certain attitude that comes with carrying off animal-print and animal-skin clothing and shoes. I don't got it. I have some croc-skin loafers and heels - it's all one solid color, but that's as far as this girl goes. Animal-print? No thanks....I'll stick with the solids. As for the oxford heels, that really scream 'Bonnie and Clyde,' I don't think I'll be going with that trend either - I'll leave that to the bohos and the preppies.
With colors, I rarely venture into colors beyond black and brown. In the past two years however, I have expanded to gray, light tan, dark red and blue...but it's just one pair in each of those colors - I have to test the waters before I venture out to purchase more. I have to say that the grays have been a big hit with my wardrobe. Even the red strappy sandals I purchased have been great - I learned that you don't have to be wearing the color in the outfit to necessarily match your shoes. That was a big lesson.
I don't normally endorse places to make purchases but I have to say that I have been having LOADS of success at TJMaxx. I think I've purchased my last three pairs of shoes there and they've all been great. I think I'll be paying closer attention to the TJMaxx shoe section from now on. I think the same would go for their sister store, Marshalls.
Anyhow, my favorite website to see all different kinds of shoes and the latest trends is Nordstrom. That's the other place I tend to buy my shoes. I was looking at all these great shoes and some, not so great. I saw the animal prints, the snake skin, even some python skins - they were retailing for about $225. Are pythons harder to skin than snakes? Nevertheless, there were some shoes in there I wouldn't mind owning, but at over $200/pair and being a new homeowner, I think I'll have to start frequenting the Maxx a little more. (sigh)
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Snoozemonster
My name is Amanda. I am a snooze-aholic.
Someday, I am going to find the person who invented the snooze button on the alarm clock. And we will have words. Because the snooze button - it's been a monkey on my back ever since Mom stopped waking me up for school.
I am not your casual snoozer. I know some people can hit it just once or twice and then hop out of bed. Not me. I am actually afraid to admit how many times I can hit snooze in one morning. To be honest, most of the time I couldn't even tell you. I have learned to incorporate the snooze button into my dreams. I am like a snooze sleepwalker. I have tried every trick in the book to make myself GET UP! when I hear the alarm, but nothing seems to work.
My freshman year in college, I slept on the top of a bunk bed. I purposely stationed the alarm clock across the room so I would be forced to jump off the top bunk to turn it off. Sadly, this did not curb my addiction. I would still manage to hit the snooze button five times. After each time, I would simply climb back into my bed for that extra five minutes. Even on the sixth time, I did not completely give up. I would press the button and then, instead of crawling back in my bed again, I would take a little power nap on the couch. Unfortunately for me, I had no roommate to put me in my place - she was a townie who rarely slept in the dorm.
In the years since then, things have not improved. No matter where I put that alarm clock, I will find a way back to my little nest. I have even mastered the art of hitting snooze with my big toe. Many people are baffled by this. They ask me why I don't just set the alarm for later so I can get more time of undisturbed sleep. But to me, the best sleep in the world is "five minutes more . . ."
Someday, I am going to find the person who invented the snooze button on the alarm clock. And we will have words. Because the snooze button - it's been a monkey on my back ever since Mom stopped waking me up for school.
I am not your casual snoozer. I know some people can hit it just once or twice and then hop out of bed. Not me. I am actually afraid to admit how many times I can hit snooze in one morning. To be honest, most of the time I couldn't even tell you. I have learned to incorporate the snooze button into my dreams. I am like a snooze sleepwalker. I have tried every trick in the book to make myself GET UP! when I hear the alarm, but nothing seems to work.
My freshman year in college, I slept on the top of a bunk bed. I purposely stationed the alarm clock across the room so I would be forced to jump off the top bunk to turn it off. Sadly, this did not curb my addiction. I would still manage to hit the snooze button five times. After each time, I would simply climb back into my bed for that extra five minutes. Even on the sixth time, I did not completely give up. I would press the button and then, instead of crawling back in my bed again, I would take a little power nap on the couch. Unfortunately for me, I had no roommate to put me in my place - she was a townie who rarely slept in the dorm.
In the years since then, things have not improved. No matter where I put that alarm clock, I will find a way back to my little nest. I have even mastered the art of hitting snooze with my big toe. Many people are baffled by this. They ask me why I don't just set the alarm for later so I can get more time of undisturbed sleep. But to me, the best sleep in the world is "five minutes more . . ."
The Sub-Par Sports Car Brigade
Sports cars are cool - Even though I don't own one, it's always nice to take a ride in one - like a two-seater convertible - it's a treat for me. When I think about my next car, I always throw into the mix a two-seater - like a Mercedes sports coupe, knowing that for my lifestyle, it's totally not practical (not enough trunk space). Maybe when I retire, I'll venture into the sports coupe world, but for now, I just stare at other people's with some envy.
It's not everyone's sports car that I envy. In the area we live in, there is no shortage of Mercedes, Porsche, BMW sports cars. There are even really nice Mustangs or vintage sports coupes that are really cool. But then there are those that I like to drop into the category of sub-par sports car. These are the ones that either were really nice in their day and just haven't been well-kept over the years or the "enhanced" mid-line sports car that has all the gadgets, rims and custom paint jobs to make them look sweet - think "The Fast & The Furious."
As for the latter, I often wonder why someone needs all those extra gauges lining their driver side window? It's not like they're entering their ride into the next stock car/NASCAR event. I assume that this is just for everyday driving purposes - so what do you really need besides the speedometer, gas gauge and maybe the Hot-Cool meter? I just saw a Honda Prelude that had some iridescent paint job and some Chinese characters etched by the trunk. The driver didn't look Chinese - does he really know what's painted on his trunk? For all he knows, he could have requested 'Dragon' and what it really says is 'Mouse.' How does he know? And I wonder if he knows that they don't make the Honda Prelude anymore...
Then there are those cars that were probably super stars in their day but due to lack of upkeep and TLC, it is now just a clunker. When I saw the Prelude, I saw the clunker - it was a red Porsche Boxster. "Hey Guy - 1984 called...Jake Ryan wants his car back...in mint condition please." It would've still been a sweet car had they not run it to the ground....I mean the Porsche emblem on the hood was even gone.
And it never seems to fail that when you get these sub-par sport cars on the road together, within cars and lanes apart from each other, they all seem to want to race...it's like an unspoken rule - you get the look, the nod and then zoom, off they go. Kind of like when Lane and Monique meet up with the two Asian brothers after Lane fixes up his car, in "Better Off Dead." I see a lot of this on the highways - like when I'm driving back from NJ to VA, on I-95, there always seems to be a race going on as two cars just fly by me, probably at speeds of 100 mph (cause I'm usually in the 70s), weaving in and out of traffic and I wonder, 'Where did this start and thank goodness I didn't want to change into a lane they were racing in.'
Speaking of racing down the highway, I don't even know where to start with those rice-rocket motorcycles that have "gangs" of people racing down the highway...so dangerous...or maybe I'm too old?!
It's not everyone's sports car that I envy. In the area we live in, there is no shortage of Mercedes, Porsche, BMW sports cars. There are even really nice Mustangs or vintage sports coupes that are really cool. But then there are those that I like to drop into the category of sub-par sports car. These are the ones that either were really nice in their day and just haven't been well-kept over the years or the "enhanced" mid-line sports car that has all the gadgets, rims and custom paint jobs to make them look sweet - think "The Fast & The Furious."
As for the latter, I often wonder why someone needs all those extra gauges lining their driver side window? It's not like they're entering their ride into the next stock car/NASCAR event. I assume that this is just for everyday driving purposes - so what do you really need besides the speedometer, gas gauge and maybe the Hot-Cool meter? I just saw a Honda Prelude that had some iridescent paint job and some Chinese characters etched by the trunk. The driver didn't look Chinese - does he really know what's painted on his trunk? For all he knows, he could have requested 'Dragon' and what it really says is 'Mouse.' How does he know? And I wonder if he knows that they don't make the Honda Prelude anymore...
Then there are those cars that were probably super stars in their day but due to lack of upkeep and TLC, it is now just a clunker. When I saw the Prelude, I saw the clunker - it was a red Porsche Boxster. "Hey Guy - 1984 called...Jake Ryan wants his car back...in mint condition please." It would've still been a sweet car had they not run it to the ground....I mean the Porsche emblem on the hood was even gone.
And it never seems to fail that when you get these sub-par sport cars on the road together, within cars and lanes apart from each other, they all seem to want to race...it's like an unspoken rule - you get the look, the nod and then zoom, off they go. Kind of like when Lane and Monique meet up with the two Asian brothers after Lane fixes up his car, in "Better Off Dead." I see a lot of this on the highways - like when I'm driving back from NJ to VA, on I-95, there always seems to be a race going on as two cars just fly by me, probably at speeds of 100 mph (cause I'm usually in the 70s), weaving in and out of traffic and I wonder, 'Where did this start and thank goodness I didn't want to change into a lane they were racing in.'
Speaking of racing down the highway, I don't even know where to start with those rice-rocket motorcycles that have "gangs" of people racing down the highway...so dangerous...or maybe I'm too old?!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
What Say You?
Perhaps you have encountered a bus driver far scarier than the one in Jen's "Wrath of a FCC Bus Driver." Maybe you too have been freaked out by a hovering Sears employee. You might even be sitting there with the perfect list of "Dirty Hot" celebrity men. Whatever it is, we want to know!! Every one of our posts gives you, the readers, the option to comment. As much fun as it is for Jen and me to read our comments back and forth to each other (and those of the select few who have something to add from time to time (and we thank you)), we want to hear from you! Don't worry, we're not going to start stalking you lurkers. We're not going to harass you about it every time we see you. We're not cutting you off if you never say boo. All we're saying is - don't be afraid. We know you have something to say. So let's hear it :)
Wrath of an FCC Busdriver
Driving into work this morning, the roads are a little wet because we haven't seen sunlight for about three days now. I've been driving my regular route to work for the past four years. Even with the move, I pretty much take the same way to work - the main part of my drive is the Dulles Toll Road going west. It's nice because I go opposite traffic so while people out west are trying to battle each other to go east, I have smooth sailing from the east, going out west.
The Dulles Toll Road is divided into two parts, each way. On each side, there is an "express/no toll" route, that takes you directly to the airport and is really for airport and commuter bus traffic only. The other part is where the rest of us joes drive, in four lanes. Every so often, you get buses that get off of the toll road onto the main drive because they eventually have to exit. For the most part, a lot of the buses that I've seen merge onto the main drive have been 'Out of Service' and because they have to merge in from the left, the lane they go into is the 'fast lane' or 'HOV' during rush hour. I have to say that every bus that I've encountered, thus far, has always merged into the fast lane and stayed there for awhile before changing lanes to the right to exit. Not today.
I was coming upon an exit off of the "express side" and saw that there were THREE buses getting ready to get onto the main drive. I moved myself one lane over from the fast lane so I wouldn't get caught behind the slow buses trying to accelerate to keep up with traffic. There was a bus that got into the fast lane just as I was getting ready to pass on the right hand side. There was a pretty big gap between me and the car in front of me, but still, I'm going 70 - I'm not about to slow down because the buses do tend to hang out in the fast lane for a little bit to get their momentum going. This Fairfax County Connector bus driver had other plans. His right turn blinker was still showing he wanted to move into the right lane. I wasn't sure if it was still on from the merge or if he really wanted to change lanes. I picked my foot up off the gas. He still wasn't moving over although he looked like he might. I decided, 'Screw it, I'm going.' So I accelerated and passed the bus. As I'm passing the driver part of the bus, I hear him honking at me. When I pass him completely, I see him move behind me and start flashing his high beams at me in my rear view. I'm sure if I looked closer, I would've seen a fist flying in the air. I have just endured the wrath of a Fairfax County Connector bus driver.
Embarrassing? A little. Regret my decision? Absolutely not.
The Dulles Toll Road is divided into two parts, each way. On each side, there is an "express/no toll" route, that takes you directly to the airport and is really for airport and commuter bus traffic only. The other part is where the rest of us joes drive, in four lanes. Every so often, you get buses that get off of the toll road onto the main drive because they eventually have to exit. For the most part, a lot of the buses that I've seen merge onto the main drive have been 'Out of Service' and because they have to merge in from the left, the lane they go into is the 'fast lane' or 'HOV' during rush hour. I have to say that every bus that I've encountered, thus far, has always merged into the fast lane and stayed there for awhile before changing lanes to the right to exit. Not today.
I was coming upon an exit off of the "express side" and saw that there were THREE buses getting ready to get onto the main drive. I moved myself one lane over from the fast lane so I wouldn't get caught behind the slow buses trying to accelerate to keep up with traffic. There was a bus that got into the fast lane just as I was getting ready to pass on the right hand side. There was a pretty big gap between me and the car in front of me, but still, I'm going 70 - I'm not about to slow down because the buses do tend to hang out in the fast lane for a little bit to get their momentum going. This Fairfax County Connector bus driver had other plans. His right turn blinker was still showing he wanted to move into the right lane. I wasn't sure if it was still on from the merge or if he really wanted to change lanes. I picked my foot up off the gas. He still wasn't moving over although he looked like he might. I decided, 'Screw it, I'm going.' So I accelerated and passed the bus. As I'm passing the driver part of the bus, I hear him honking at me. When I pass him completely, I see him move behind me and start flashing his high beams at me in my rear view. I'm sure if I looked closer, I would've seen a fist flying in the air. I have just endured the wrath of a Fairfax County Connector bus driver.
Embarrassing? A little. Regret my decision? Absolutely not.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
The Balloon That Didn't Get Away
So Happy Belated Birthday to Amanda - I meant to post something yesterday, on the actual day, but the day got away from me. We had a nice little dinner get together at Zengo, in DC, in celebration of all that is Amanda. I'm usually HORRIBLE with birthdays but for Amanda, I started wishing her a Happy Birthday on Saturday....just so I wouldn't have to succumb to my inevitable 'Happy Belated Birthday, sorry I'm late' explanation like I do with other people.
I got held up at the office before heading to DC so I decided to make a quick stop at Wegmans (I love that place) to pick up a little bouquet of flowers and a balloon to bring with me to dinner. I figured I was already going to be late. I ran into Wegmans and was walking at my brisk pace (as witnessed by a co-worker that saw me , but apparently I didn't see her because she said I was walking really fast) to get the stuff and be on my way. It had just started downpouring so I wanted to get on the road. I ended up buying some really cute violet-bell like flowers and a small balloon on a stick - I wanted to get a big mylar on a string but I didn't like any of the choices at the check outs and I didn't want to wait for someone to inflate a new one. So I got a baby mylar on a stick and proceeded to check out.
By the time I was exiting the store, it was a torrential downpour. Thank goodness for golf umbrellas cause I had one with me -I'm no dummy. I walked to my car and started throwing things inside to get out of the rain. That's when I noticed the baby mylar was off the stick. It didn't fall into the bag...OH NO - it fell off and Lord knows where it is now. I thought for a quick second if I should go back and look for it. That would have entailed walking back through the rain and the cars and possibly back in the store to see where it went. I decided, huh, well, it's the thought that counts, I'll just give Amanda the stick and the flowers - she'd get a kick out of it.
I got into the car, sopping wet, and thought I'd retrace my steps with the car to see if I could see the baby mylar from the car. Sure enough, I pulled out to the end of the aisle and there it was, in the middle of the main road, not getting swept anywhere, but instead, getting poured on by the harsh rains. So I drove down the main road going the wrong way, opened the driver side door and did an 'Amanda/Jen golf cart circus stunt' and scooped up the baby mylar from the street (all without getting out of the car) and threw it under the floor vents to get it dried off. Thankfully, there were no oncoming cars, but I didn't care...I saved the baby mylar.
Traffic was great going into DC - the rains started letting up the further East I went and 30 minutes into the ride, I was able to pluck baby mylar off the floor and reattach it to the stick. When I finally made it into DC and got out of the car, I was afraid the winds would blow the balloon away again, so I kept it close to my body so I wouldn't lose it. Thank goodness I didn't buy a big mylar balloon on a string - wouldn't I have looked silly with that, in the rain?!
I got held up at the office before heading to DC so I decided to make a quick stop at Wegmans (I love that place) to pick up a little bouquet of flowers and a balloon to bring with me to dinner. I figured I was already going to be late. I ran into Wegmans and was walking at my brisk pace (as witnessed by a co-worker that saw me , but apparently I didn't see her because she said I was walking really fast) to get the stuff and be on my way. It had just started downpouring so I wanted to get on the road. I ended up buying some really cute violet-bell like flowers and a small balloon on a stick - I wanted to get a big mylar on a string but I didn't like any of the choices at the check outs and I didn't want to wait for someone to inflate a new one. So I got a baby mylar on a stick and proceeded to check out.
By the time I was exiting the store, it was a torrential downpour. Thank goodness for golf umbrellas cause I had one with me -I'm no dummy. I walked to my car and started throwing things inside to get out of the rain. That's when I noticed the baby mylar was off the stick. It didn't fall into the bag...OH NO - it fell off and Lord knows where it is now. I thought for a quick second if I should go back and look for it. That would have entailed walking back through the rain and the cars and possibly back in the store to see where it went. I decided, huh, well, it's the thought that counts, I'll just give Amanda the stick and the flowers - she'd get a kick out of it.
I got into the car, sopping wet, and thought I'd retrace my steps with the car to see if I could see the baby mylar from the car. Sure enough, I pulled out to the end of the aisle and there it was, in the middle of the main road, not getting swept anywhere, but instead, getting poured on by the harsh rains. So I drove down the main road going the wrong way, opened the driver side door and did an 'Amanda/Jen golf cart circus stunt' and scooped up the baby mylar from the street (all without getting out of the car) and threw it under the floor vents to get it dried off. Thankfully, there were no oncoming cars, but I didn't care...I saved the baby mylar.
Traffic was great going into DC - the rains started letting up the further East I went and 30 minutes into the ride, I was able to pluck baby mylar off the floor and reattach it to the stick. When I finally made it into DC and got out of the car, I was afraid the winds would blow the balloon away again, so I kept it close to my body so I wouldn't lose it. Thank goodness I didn't buy a big mylar balloon on a string - wouldn't I have looked silly with that, in the rain?!
Bittersweet
The more press I read about the upcoming Sex & the City movie, the less I want it to happen. I loved the ending to that show; it was one of the most satisfying finales I've ever seen. The movie is undoubtedly going to stir things up, and I fear I will be left sorely disappointed. The way I was disappointed when, at long last, they came out with Back to the Future II. I don't mean to be a naysayer, but I think Sarah Jessica Parker and company are just setting us up for a big letdown.
As I get older, I am realizing that you can't go back. There's nothing wrong with a little nostalgia, but you have to live in the present. I learned this lesson the hard way at my first few college homecomings. Even though I was recently out of school, going back made me sad - because it was so clearly not the same as when I lived there. I met up with my friends, but the whole scene was different. The background people I had remembered, the acquaintances I would see out and about - they were gone. I just didn't live there anymore.
I have enjoyed going back to campus a lot more since then. I take the experience for what it is: a chance to hang out and catch up with the friends I arranged to see there. I have no expectations of running into other people I knew way back when. I'm not planning to be the social butterfly and see how many people I can talk to in a given night. I am fully aware that I am no longer in college. I plan to appreciate the great friends and great life I have now. Besides - was college that great anyway? Okay, sure it was. But for all of those good times in college, there were quite a few that were not so hot. Yet, I often seem to forget those. It's funny how our memories play tricks on us.
I hope I remember this when I'm 80.
As I get older, I am realizing that you can't go back. There's nothing wrong with a little nostalgia, but you have to live in the present. I learned this lesson the hard way at my first few college homecomings. Even though I was recently out of school, going back made me sad - because it was so clearly not the same as when I lived there. I met up with my friends, but the whole scene was different. The background people I had remembered, the acquaintances I would see out and about - they were gone. I just didn't live there anymore.
I have enjoyed going back to campus a lot more since then. I take the experience for what it is: a chance to hang out and catch up with the friends I arranged to see there. I have no expectations of running into other people I knew way back when. I'm not planning to be the social butterfly and see how many people I can talk to in a given night. I am fully aware that I am no longer in college. I plan to appreciate the great friends and great life I have now. Besides - was college that great anyway? Okay, sure it was. But for all of those good times in college, there were quite a few that were not so hot. Yet, I often seem to forget those. It's funny how our memories play tricks on us.
I hope I remember this when I'm 80.
Monday, August 20, 2007
The Lost Art of Customer Service
As much as dismissive/rude/never available store clerks get under my skin, I must admit that the smothering "can I help you??" employees are just as bad. This weekend, I had the great pleasure of embarking on a little Sears adventure. Having been there numerous times, primarily out of laziness (hey - it's close), I should know what I'm getting into. And yet, I am never quite prepared. This time around, my task was simple: I was going to look at an Electolux sweeper I had seen on the Sears website. I knew it was risky, heading down to the Sears appliance section. Almost every time I've been there, the number of salespeople on the floor has at least met, if not exceeded, the number of customers. This day was no exception. As soon as I laid eyes on said sweeper, the saleswoman was in my face. She wasn't asking me if I needed help exactly (her English wasn't pristine); she was just kind of hanging there, making me as uncomfortable as humanly possible. When I picked up a box, she said she could show me the floor model. I reluctantly allowed this, and she did manage to convince me that that particular sweeper did not meet my needs. After I managed to shake her, I hastily grabbed a Dirt Devil and got the heck out of that department. How can these people not read body language? I CLEARLY wanted to be left alone. While still clutching my Dirt Devil, I was drawn to some cheap furniture in the home section. I decided to take a closer look, but it would be tricky. A gentleman in a pin striped suit was wandering around the area, looking for his next victim. I felt like it was my own personal Pac-Man adventure. I would try to find a path to the end table I had noticed, but I would have to keep weaving through the shelves and aisles to avoid Pin Stripe and his friends. Not my idea of relaxing shopping. I, of course, left with only the Dirt Devil in tow.
What is possibly worse is when I find myself the only customer in a boutique store. Unlike Sears, I don't necessarily attribute my discomfort to the pushiness of the store clerk. But there is something about being the only one in a store that stresses me out, particularly when the nice store clerk has greeted me at the door. I feel the pressure of being watched. The whole time I'm in there, I'm planning my exit strategy. I just have to wait for clerk to turn her back for one second, and I make a break for it. Awkward. I think these small stores should have an "undercover" employee, someone not at the counter, not dressed in uniform (if there is one), who just browses while the customers shop. Just that one other "customer" could remove so much pressure. I could shop in relative peace, leaving me time to consider the inventory, and what do you know? I might actually buy something. Just an idea.
What is possibly worse is when I find myself the only customer in a boutique store. Unlike Sears, I don't necessarily attribute my discomfort to the pushiness of the store clerk. But there is something about being the only one in a store that stresses me out, particularly when the nice store clerk has greeted me at the door. I feel the pressure of being watched. The whole time I'm in there, I'm planning my exit strategy. I just have to wait for clerk to turn her back for one second, and I make a break for it. Awkward. I think these small stores should have an "undercover" employee, someone not at the counter, not dressed in uniform (if there is one), who just browses while the customers shop. Just that one other "customer" could remove so much pressure. I could shop in relative peace, leaving me time to consider the inventory, and what do you know? I might actually buy something. Just an idea.
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