La Vie en Curlsz Part One

Man those nail technicians have to be the most savvy sales people around - little known fact I do believe.

Yesterday I popped into a new nail salon on Burnet to get my brows waxed - let's just say Oprah was just coming on when I came in and Tom Brokaw was wrapping up the news when I left.

It went a little something like this...

- You get brow done? You want lip to? - No no lip thank you just brow.
- Oh lip only $4, it be much better for you- $4 huh? Ok do lip too.
- You want manicure and pedicure - it's 40% off this week - it be much better for you.
- No thanks just the waxing please.
- Oh but it's 40% off and it be much better for you.
-40% off huh? Ok I'll get it.
- You want deluc? - Um excuse me what? You want deluc? Ummm pardon, one more time please. Deluc you want deluc?
- Oh deluxe? Oh no thank you.
-But it 40% off this week and it much better for you.
-Now the customer next to me chimes in - I think she was a plant.
-Really the deluxe is better, they wrap your legs in hot towels and everything.
-Ok I'll get the deluxe.
-You want design on toe? Maybe turkey for thanksgiving.
-My eyebrows quirk up - she and other technician begin to laugh hysterically.

This goes on for a while - I can't understand most of what she is saying but she decides to talk about all kinds of things with me - I fake it and try to have somewhat of a conversation - something about the weather, something about her living in Ohio and something about I really should start waxing my legs... Thank you for that last piece of advice!

Next thing I know it's dark outside - I came in at 4pm and it's almost 6pm and my $6 brow wax has now turned into $40 with a generous tip. But it was "much better for me."

Well it's that time - time to start bashing every political canidate running for President, Congressman and local dog watcher... My inbox has already been inindated with "reliable" material on the various canidates.

Right now the favorite canidates to bash in the good ol Bible Belt are Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton - of course. And yes often times canidates make it very easy for the gossip mill and bashers to get plenty of material out there against them.

Then latest being the "Barack Obama refuses to say the pledge, how in the world can he be our next President?" Just look at this picture - it's worth a thousand words. Well the full story has some worth too.

Well it wasn't the pledge, it was the National anthem - that was butchered by whomever was snging it. And you're also supposed to face the flag - which no one on this side of the stage is doing, at least not the one behind them. So what are they facing - we don't know - the now infamous 1000 word picture doesn't show us that.

But putting this story aside my point is - PLEASE DON'T base your political decisions and beliefs on junk email!!! Rarely are the emails valid or even verified - people are driving on emotion and they just forward it on blindly believing anything that is in front of them- along with some dumb pictures of animals dressed up as vegetables and humans and the latest and greatest inspirational story of the day. If these emails held any validity then the Prince of Niger does indeed need $2000 from you to save his life!

You can view the video here and read a bit more on this story.

Oddball observation for the day. I'm at my office, in the copy room... woman in front of me, very professionally dressed - Navy slacks, light blue blouse - but on her feet are very bright yellow flip flops - not just ordinary flip flops - the ones you wear when you get a pedicure and you are waiting for your nails to dry!!!!

First of all why bother - those have no soles, they aren't going to protect from a grass bur much less anything else remotely harmful - and second of all - woman what is your problem, do you really need someone to tell you that is a common sense much less a fashion faux pas! Where is Stacy and Clint when you need them most?

This is SUCH a great book, as soon as I finished it I started reading again! (The Time Traveler's Wife) Thank you Sherry for the recommendation!















And this little random find... What can I say, it just makes you want to put on the platform shoes and dance!

MySpace Page - The Black Ghosts

I love this!!


I live in heels - for the most part - and often wonder if I could do the high heel race held every year in Europe

But now a men's division!!! Great stuff!

Read it here

What's NOT ok at any party - walking around with your fork and eating off all the platters as if it was your own plate!!!

So we're at the Blanton for the "B Scene" party - great atmosphere, great art, great music, and GREAT people watching.

And I'm sure great food had I not been completely repulsed by the Euro Trash that continually ate from the platters. I very much wanted to seductively walk up to him and say "I've been watching you...." and then hand him a plate and say "how bout you stop eating from the platters"

I have often wished my eyes were cameras. Sometimes, there just aren't words to convey the ridiculousness I see on a daily basis.

Take the last couple of days...

1. Standing in front of Stubb's last night for a CD release party - woman walking towards us looks as though she has a lei on - but as she gets closer we notice it's not a lei, it's a snake - a real live actual freakin snake around her neck... walkin down the public streets with a snake around the neck - and ladies you thought keeping up with your purse was a pain.

2. In a very rough South East neighborhood today delivering some papers for someone else's client (apologies for the side note but it was a bit of a disturbance in my day) and on my way back to my car I am faced with the overwhelming odor of pot - out of no where comes an eleven year old smoking a joint, just out in the open like it was no big deal....

3. So heading back home after that errand - I am now in Tarrytown, affluent neighborhood, worlds apart from South East Austin - and walking down Exposition (a main road, not a side road mind you) are two women in full work out gear enjoying there walk while each holding a glass of wine???? Now mind you when I am walking in workout gear I'm not thinking "man I wish I had a glass of Merlot right now..."!

Now don't you wish I had pictures of all of this!!!

I love the Kimbell and the Ft. Worth Museum of Modern Art - if you haven't been it's a must - particularly the cafe at the Modern, it's one of the best!

Anyway - this year a friend and I decided to purchase season tickets to the Ft. Worth Symphony - they have an outstanding symphony - therefore my Ft. Worth travel's will be quite often this and next year. While there I had to see the Ron Mueck exhibit at the Modern. I highly recommend it!! It's simply amazing!!! To say his sculptures are lifelike is a gross understatement.


To see more - visit this flickr site.

My musts!








or MySpace Page







or MySpace











or MySpace

This lovely surprise popped up in my flower bed over night - it took a while to bloom though and this is what came of it - isn't it great!? Nothing was planted there - it just came out of now where!

For those that confuse Barack Obama with Osama bin Laden apparently you are not alone...

Gag - Fashion Alert, Croc's now invade winter wear!

So at this point - you've just given up on life right? You've said to hell with it, I don't care how ridiculous or bad I look, Micky Mouse has survived all these years in this shoe, so will I. And for the winter maybe I can find some lined with cotton balls or pillow stuffing - I'll have it made all year long!

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Highlights & Lessons from The Canopy Tours

If you are a nature junkie, a heights junkie or just love swinging from the trees you'd love the Canopy Tours - Not only was it beautiful and educational (I sound like I should work for PBS) but it was tons of fun....

Highlights:

1. The 20 something year old guides (male) asking a group of women ages 27-32 "so what school do you all go to?" - wow thanks!
2. In regards to using a outhouse vs peeing behind a tree "If I squat behind a tree I'm liable to have a chicken peckin at my ass" (yes there were chickens running around the property.
3. Originally we had heard about a lake they had on the property and thought it would be fun to swim - after seeing it however it quickly became labeled "Lake Typhoid" and was to be avoided at all costs - our guides did not agree with our label.
4. Upon the guides showing us how to put our harness on - one friend whom shall remain nameless says "oh no worries, I have spent quite a bit of time in harnesses" - the room quickly grew silent, only to be followed by tear filled laughter.
5. The constant banter between our group and our guides
   
6. One friend asking the guide "do you ever zip down with people ?" (she was a bit timid of the heights) - his response "yeah with little girls" - that ended that discussion
7. Lunch at Angels with a red laced bra, scrunchy wearing waitress referred to us as honey or in the plural sense honeies (not sure how to spell that plural form)
   

Lessons

1. Don't wear shorts - unless you love spending the next hour and half digging them out of all your knook and crannies - also this makes for great thigh shots in all your pictures - not flattering
2. Bring your own gloves if the idea of wearing used sweaty gloves makes you want to wretch
3. Our guides told us we were there best group and wished all his groups could be like us - it's only b/c we actually engaged in conversation with them - most groups just keep quite and maintain blank looks throughout the tour - a big boring for them.

Good grief I don't have 8 people to tag - they all tagged each other! Can we retag??

The Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

My eight random facts and/or habits:

1. I am a coffee snob- No fruffy dulce de amaretto de soy de pay out the butt coffee please - just coffee - I know this goes against everything Starbucks stands for and therefore I love it! My favorites right now are Peruvian blends - it's all about the blend, not how much crap you can put in it and no flavoring - a purest you could say.
2. I love Perrier - Lime Perrier - I drink it by the gallons! I also love that it comes in a pretty green bottle.
3. I read constantly - I carry a book with me in my purse, I read while a movie is going on at home - I can't stop.
   
4. I hate theme parks & cruises. They are just obnoxious to me. You can throw malls in on that as well.
   
5. I often (not always) echo in French - meaning when I speak a phrase the French translation echos in my head - I have tried to stop - apparently I can't - the voices won't stop.
   
6. I constantly correct grammar- whether I am reading something or someone says something - in my head I am constantly correcting - I would love to be a book editor - apparently there is a lot going on in my head (I have sense enough not to correct the person out loud)
   
7. I can not spell definitly or resturaunt (I am purposely leaving them mis spelled here for your benefit)
   
8. I love being at home - I crave it - it's my happy place - I take every opportunity to work from home, run home before going to work out, run home just before or after an appointment - home home home - but I was NOT like this growing up - odd.
   

I sit on my big olive green couch writing this blog - preparing to say adieu.... to the couch that is.

Yes today is my last day with the big overstuffed green couch, ottoman and large chair - they are heading to Dallas this weekend - to meet their new owners. Luckily they are going to a good home - I hope my dear friends Brent, Rebeca and baby Caroline will enjoy them as much as I have.

Ok - I am normally NOT sentimental to belongings - and really it's not the furniture itself, but more what they signify in my life. This set of furnitures was the first major purchase after college graduation. It was the newest furniture I had ever owned (I still have the bed frame that my grandparents had from 1930!) and for the first time it was mine - not a hand me down from a roommates uncle's mother - but mine!

To top it off - I paid it off early! I was so proud - I still remember walking in to Star Furniture in Bryan Texas to make a payment thinking I had one more to go, they handed me my receipt with a zero balance - Not wanting to question it but curiosity getting the best of me I piped up stating that I thought I had one more payment. "You have consistently paid on time and therefore have an early payment bonus, you have no remaining payments"

In my heart, I jumped for joy...

But it's time to move on - so farewell old "friend". Unfortunately, I will be without a couch for a week - we're going to have to get creative on this one - it's like college all over again, how fitting.

I've decided when Casey and I venture out we inevitably turn into the old me from the muppets that sit in the balcony observing and making whitty comments on the sights they see below.

We both are self proclaimed people watching experts - it helps that we live in one of the most interesting people watching cities in the nation... But this weekend was an all time best.

I have decided to label it - Fat America weekend...

First a trip to the Round Rock Express game - I have no idea how the game went - but I can certainly tell you what everyone in our parameter looked like and behaved like. Good gosh we have some unhealthy individuals in this country - oh sir please that is your 4th beer, second hot dog and yes now lets top it off with a funnel cake and peanuts- all the while you are sitting on your %&*# just getting larger and larger as the time goes on. Mullet count, 4! And remember when wearing the same color shirt, shorts and shoes was cool? No I don't either.

Next on the agenda is the summer production of "My Favorite Year" at Zilker Park - every summer they do a hillside production, this was my first - very fun! But the people watching and fabulous weather topped the performance.

I'm sure Casey will post the pics that we covertly snapped of the "theater goers" - First we have" momma and pappa extra larger serving" and their new adorable baby that is resigned to the life their parents lead. The first thing I notice is pappa XL has got with him the largest "mug" I have ever seen - It's probably the equivalent of 6 liters - by the end of the night that thing ended up in the stroller!!! They each had giant bowls of pasta that they devoured with chop sticks - the thing was each bowl contained enough to feed a person for a week - no exaggeration - it was easily 4-6 servings in each bowl. Each bite was at least 3 bites in one!!!

Next - Dominoes Pizza family behind us - EACH family member had their OWN medium sized pizza that they finished off separately!!! THERE OWN PIZZA!!!! No matter there are people in the US and abroad dying of starvation - here in American we each have our own pizza that we will finish off in one sitting!!!!

Oh there were others - let's talk about the woman behind us that had an large battery powered fan propped between her legs - The suburban dad that kept his hat bill turned to the side the majority of the night - Mr. Denim no shirt man - that constantly played with his t-shirt debating whether to put it on but "I am too sexy for this shirt, no?"

Oh the list goes on - photos to prove all of this here... In the meantime I am calling the American Heart Association to suggest they start attending all events where there is constant sitting involved, sitting and eating, eating and sitting...

See pics here - Casey's Blog

Imagine for yourself

Beat up old Volvo - flying down Hwy 183 - Weaving in and out of traffic - All windows down - Bat out of Hell

But the bat knows the proper hand signals for changing lanes - I assume her blinker no longer works

So now imagine - Beat up Volvo - flying down Hwy 183 - Weaving in and out of traffic - All windows down - Bat out of Hell- Courteously giving all the proper hand signals as she weaves from one lane to the other....

Title quoted by Spence - King of Queens

I love Last FM - it's a fun little music addition to the ol computer - You play your music library, whether it's through ITunes or what have you - and Last FM compiles your favorite type of music etc. Then you can play what they recommend for you based on what you have recently played. A bit like a personalized radio station.

It's great! Except occasionally it goes a bit wonky.

Today I played ONE Alanis Morrisette song- it wasn't even a man hater song - it was a cover version of Seal's "Crazy". Next thing I know I have a play list of Tracy Chapman, Liz Phair and The Indigo Girls!!!

So my Last FM thinks I'm a lesbian? I quickly started playing some non sexually biased music - just to get the facts straight and all - no pun intended.