Charity Starts With A Handbag

I know you guys love handbags (given how fast everything went during the last Pink Shoe Purse Sale) and I also know what a generous bunch you are so I thought I would pass along this deal

My good friend Jeanne and her husband Chris are running the Seattle Rock 'N' Roll Marathon on June 27th to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. So not only are they in hardcore training but all the while they are raising scads of money for this worthy cause that is dear to many of our hearts, and they need our help!

But wait, what does loving handbags have to do with donating to this cause and helping my friends reach their goal?

WELL Jeanne is hosting a fabulous purse party showcasing the darling designs of Tamara Boston. They have totes and weekenders and hobos and clutches and wristlets and baby bags all in super cute color combos and extremely well made.



See what I mean? And this is only a small sampling.

If you go onto the Tamara Boston website and find something you like (and you WILL find something you like, trust me), you can feel good about purchasing it since 25% of your purchase will go directly to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. So you can look good AND feel good and really what is one without the other?

Read Jeannie's post about it here.

All you have to do is check out the Tamara website, then email your order to sales@tamarahandbags.com and mention the Leukemia & Lymphoma party, or the Jeannie Cappella party and just like that, you will have a gorgeous bag and 25% of the price you paid will go right to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

So let's review. Super cute handbag? Check. Donation to a fantastic charity? Check. Sounds like a good deal any way you look at it!

And even if you aren't in need of a new handbag (sacre bleu!) you can still just donate directly on Jeanne's fundraising page here or her husband Chris's fundraising page here.

Thanks guys!!!

Thank you, Anonymous,Hulking Dog Squished Into the Backseat of a Saab

The first day back at work after a long weekend is always kind of rough.

I woke up with in remarkably good spirits, clinging to memories of our fantastic, glorious, sunny weekend in NH, and was determined not to let the black cloud of Oh Hai Back At Work Today color my attitude.

If only the other drivers on the road got my memo.

Between jerks who forgot they have a blinker, ass hats merging basically into my passenger side. being honked at, cursed at and stalked by some guy who apparently doesn't know what yield means, and truck drivers clearly sharing my Faux -Monday struggle and nearly taking me out in the process, by the time I got to Newton I was in a decidedly bitchy mood.

I was stuck at the light to turn onto the street on which I work. Stuck, might I add, because the person in front of me stopped for an unknown reason while the light was still green and just sat there on their phone while the light turned yellow and then red, unaware or uncaring of the blaring horns behind her. And I felt myself turning sour.

So here I am, pissed right off, when this tiny Saab coupe pulls up next to me. I cast a withering glance it's way and immediately noticed this enormous furry, happy head hanging out of the window. Then I noticed all the fur squished against the back window. This gigantic, super furry, and super smiley Husky was just crammed in the back seat of this tiny Saab. I could not see anything but fur and he must have been incredibly cramped and yet there he was, hanging his head out the window, looking right at me, tongue out looking as pleased as can be. Waving that huge head sporting that ecstatic dog expression shared by dogs with their heads hanging out of car windows everywhere.

I couldn't help laughing. He was ridiculous and endearing all at once. And just looking at him made my crappy commute tumble down the list of things I care about at the moment and when I got to work I was back in a great mood, ready to start my day.

I think it's funny how the most fleeting of moments (and furriest of dogs?) can just turn your day around. It's occurrences like that, that make me try always to, even when in a crappy mood, look for opportunities to snap out of it and not wallow. Had I not seen that huge squished dog I would have arrived at work in a bad mood. Not have said hi to the receptionist. And then not been informed their were Panera bagels out back.

And that would have been the biggest tragedy of all!

Friday

Ok so it isn't really Friday. But it is MY Friday. As in I have the next five (5) days off from work. FIVE.

Bring it the F on.


This is the first vacation day I have used this year. I have been nervous to take time off, given the billion layoffs at my work, and my hours being cut. I thought, what if I take some time off and they realize someone else can do my job? Kind of stupid but never put it past me to be kind of stupid. Anyway I figured, what the H? I've been so stressed at work that my left eye has developed a less than attractive twitch so I welcome the chance to kick off my shoes and relax my feet, party on down to the Xscape beat



This little break brings with it some big plans. Tomorrow I plan on hitting the beach since it's going to be 90 and the past two times I have tried to go spray tanning it has been so humid out that it would have melted right off. I mean I use my SPF like a good partially Irish girl but sitting in the sun for a few hours just makes me feel fantastic. And I still have to finish my book for book club so there you have it.

Friday I'm going to a secret Lebanese bakery with my mom. It's a secret because I dont know where it is and can't be bothered to google it's location. But I would give my eyes for a good spinach pie, some za'taar and some apricot paste so it's f'n on. Then at night is book club and this time we are zip tripping it to Amanda's locale for some delicious dinner at Portobello and some nice somewhat alcohol fueled literary discussion.

Then the remainder of the weekend you can find me in the Granite State. We have tickets to a Fisher Cats game on Saturday, tickets to a tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Zimmerman House on Sunday, a trip to the North Conway Outlets and in there, some other plans that we both hope kick start our much neglected Brew England. The day after I launched that blog, I had my hours cut at work and thus had to begin squeezing 5 days of work into 4 days which is my pathetic excuse for the lack of attention to the beer end of things. But never fear! We have brewery tours planned for the coming weekend and WILL BE BACK. And Ang if you are reading this, please email me your address so I can send off your fabulous tall Redhook Glass.

So that's that. In a few minutes we are off for some celebratory Sushi and maybe some ill advised Karaoke. Enjoy the long weekend!

Interlude from Last Night

At the House of Blues bar, having dinner before the Eddie Money show:

Random Man: Excuse me, ma'am? Do you know where the bathrooms are?
Me: I do but I will only tell you if you promise not to call me "ma'am" again.
Man: Haha well I would have called you sweetheart but I was afraid he would deck me (motioning to Adam)
Adam: Sir if you call her ma'am again I'd be more worried about her decking you.

Then I went to the bathroom with this wife who was one of the runners up in 105.7s Hot Mom contest who later got to go backstage and hang out with the Money man himself.

Good times.

Age Ain't Nothin But A Number

I was recently talking with one of my good friends at work when it became apparent that our friendship was a lie. Because neither of us had any idea how old the other one is.

We found this out via this discussion

Me: I actually did shots at a bar on Friday night. SHOTS! I feel like a gal of 23!
Coworker: You feel like you did last year
Me: What!??
Coworker: Aren't you like 24/25?
Me: No I'm 29. Aren't YOU like 24?
Coworker: No I'm almost 28.

Yikes.

But here is the fact. People always think I am 23 years old. And then when I tell them I'm 29 they are sort of taken aback. Maybe it's because instead of talking about mortgages and having babies I am more likely to talk about gettting crunk and buying shoes? Is it because I'm always cracking jokes and comedy makes you appear more youthful? Or maybe it is my girlish charm. In any case I have been fooling people, through no effort of my own, into thinking I am in my early twenties ever since....I was in my early twenties.

I don't begrudge these people their mistake though. If they think I am that age now, had they known me when I was 22/23, they would have been quite scandalized, I asuure you. Though I may not have reached the societal goals that certain people think a gal of 29 should have reached by now, at least I am no longer hitch-hiking my way home from Landsdowne Street or dancing with my friends on bars in seedy Providence clubs (Well not too much anyway, but then again we haven't BEEN to Providence together in a while)

That has to count for something, right?

Right!

So what about you? Do you usually get mistaken for an age other than your own?

This shit better continue into my thirties. That is all I have to say.

The Definition of Irony (I think....)

You know how nowadays, a lot of people put that little tag line at the end of their email signatures?

"Please consider the environment before printing this email"

For one thing, it annoys me. I know it's a nice sentiment and I do think we should make as much effort as we can to be "green"... but really? I know not to waste paper. And if I have to print the email it's because I HAVE to print the email, not because I want to be wasteful. Do people exist who print emails willy nilly for no reason? These people must not have to walk a quarter mile to the nearest office printer to do so like I do. And in any case, your little tag line, with it's little tree graphic isn't going to make or break my decision to print

But that is neither here nor there. The point of this post is to share with you something that cracks me right up. The point of this post is the irony that exists when you print the email, and that little tag line makes the email run onto a second page, with the second page being a blank sheet of paper, with that only litle tag line with it's little tree graphic at the top all by itself.

Ha!

Cinco Things I am Into Lately

1) Listening to "The Shirelles" station on Pandora (thanks Danielle!).
You really can't hear "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" too many times, if you ask me.

2) Ca' del Solo's Big House Pink

I sometimes feel it is my lot in life to explain to people who see me buying/drinking this magnificent wine that ROSE is not WHITE ZINFANDEL, so often do I see wrinkled noses. White Zinfandel is made only from the zinfandel grape and was created by Sutter Home as a response to the white wine craze of the 80s and their surplus of Zinfandel grapes. Some Muscat is usually thrown in the mix which explains the sticky sweet taste of White Zin which appeals to some, and I am NOT judging (there is nothing worse than a wine snob!) but it does not appeal to me. Rose, on the other hand, can be made from any red grape, not just Zinfandel grapes, and tends to hold onto the characteristics of red wine more than White Zin. It's drier. Fruity without being too sweet. Juicy. I like to think of it like the summer version of the grape it's created from. Love a big purpley glass of Pinot Noir in the winter? Try a Pinot Noir Rose in the summer and try not to love it. DELICIOUS! The perfect summer wine if you ask me. This particular rose has a kind of dry strawberry thang going on and is perfect-o super chilled on a warm night. Oh and it's around $9 a bottle. What's not to love?

3) The availability of free turbo shots at Dunkin Donuts. There was a time when one of these would set my teeth a-chattering all morning long. Now? Totally into it. Sorry caffeine addiction, looks like this is not the year you will be kicked!

4) The Movie "Grey Gardens"

You know when you aren't looking for something good to watch, that's what you find the best thing EVER to watch. I was flipping around on Sunday night and this movie was just starting on HBO. Having heard some critical acclaim for it last year I decided to settle in and watch it and am SO glad I did. What a great movie!!!! It's based on the life stories of the eccentric aunt and first cousin of Jackie Onassis, played by Drew Barrymore and the fabulous Jessica Lange and though we are supposed to feel bad for then ultimately, I spent a lot of the movie wishing I WAS them. And also that I had an accompanist to follow me around and be at all times ready to jump on a piano when I feel like singing. Please go watch it.

5) Vintage hair clips on Etsy.

I have gotten heavily into the low, messy bun. But with an unruly weave such as mine, clips are a necessity and I am loving some of the vintage finds on yours and my favorite addiction, Etsy.

Check out the sellers here , here, here, here, here and here

More Elusive than the White Whale....

....Is the White Nailpolish. The perfect white nail polish, that is.

Having dedicated myself as of late to (fake!) tanning, and been pretty successful (going once a week to Glow Mist On and supplementing with Nivea Gradual Tanning lotion), I am ready to switch my nail coolr from the pinks and mauves of early spring to the creamy opaque beachy color I always try to find and never can.

Here is what it has to be:

1)Offwhitish color
2)OPAQUE. So many colors look opaque in the bottle but you have to do like 4 coats to get it to look right and I cannot sit still long enough or 4 coats to dry.
3)Not Opalescent or pearly or any of that. Just a nice, pretty white/cream solid colored nail polish.

Any reccomendations? Your reward would be me not taking pictures of the color I have on now that I thought was nude colored but in the light of day is a vomitous shade of peach.

Friday in Bullet Points

* Why do I ruin every meat theremometer I get? I have gone through 3 in the past year and they either just plain don’t work (i.e. say a steak is 130 and when I serve it, its bloody and cold) or they crap out after a month or two. Oh and word to the wise, human thermometers are not a good stand in for meat thermometers. Not that I tried that….. In any case I need to step it up and invest in a quality one so I’m not running off to the kitchen supply store (i.e. TJ Maxx) every few months for a new one.

* I heard that song “Touch Me’ by The Doors on my way to work and as usual it made me laugh. It always reminds me of this interview with Dennis Quaid I read in Details magazine (I think..) YEARS ago in which he said he sometimes sings into the mirror “Come on come on come on touch me babe. Can’t you see, that I am Dennis Quaid?” So of course that is all I think of when I hear it now. I miss Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan as a couple.

* This weekend has the potential to be either really packed or really low key. I haven't had a low key weeeknd in a long time so I am leaning in that direction. I was about to write that I will probably head to the beach at some point to lay out and read but apparently its going to be wet and cold this weekend. Curses! The gorgeousness of this past Tuesday has confused me as to what season it is.

* Tomorrow Adam and a few of his hockey buddies are being filmed for a Coors Light commercial. I believe they won't be on the air until later this summer but I will certainly give the heads up when that time comes.

* Food shopping before 11AM on a weekday is my idea of heaven. I had been going in the afternoon which is also good but a coworker informed me going in the morning is even better since there are even LESS people and she was right. I was in and out of Hannaford in 1/2 an hour AND since I didn't feel rushed I took my time, bargain shopped, and got a ton of groceries, more than enough for two people for at least a week, for $65!! Sacre bleu!

* My allergies are out of control and only in my eyes, and the allergy meds I took have made me super jittery! So basically what we have here is All the looks of having a coke habit but none of the benefits. Hmph.