Fab 5 Summer Finds

1. Ramen! I just realized that my great big bowl of sodium from my college days has undergone a makeover. Ramen is in Vogue all over the country. Ramen restaurants have become a new destination for a big, healthy bowl of deliciousness. An incredible meal in a bowl, this is not your daughter's Ramen! Now I'm hungry...

2. Nothing says summer like a gorgeous pair of wedge sandals. Simple, chic and comfortable wedges elongate the leg in summer shorts and give you a sexy addition to any outfit. Jeans, shorts, skirts and maxi dresses-the options are endless. Owning even one pair of neutral wedges can take you through an entire summer of fashions! Of course I can never have just one pair..

3. Hot dogs-what is it about a hot dog fresh off the grill on a hot summer night? It just makes me happy. We all know the bad rap that hot dogs have gotten in the past, as far as fillers and ingredients, but there are lots of hot dog brands out there that are made up of good ingredients. Pearl is my favorite. I like my dog old school. Mustard only. Maybe, if I'm feeling adventurous, I'll add some diced onion. Couple that with a Corona and a lime and I can die happy. 

4. This is a new development. I've become concerned about exposing certain parts of my body to the sun without an SPF 50. In the past few years I've always armed myself with SPF 30 for my face, but after a discussion with my doctor this month, we both decided that a woman of my *ahem* age should protect the decollete (chest and neck) and the face with at least an SPF 50. Eve Lom's Daily Protection SPF 50, is my favorite weapon against damaging sun rays and the aging process.It's a 2 in 1 daily product. A powerful anti-aging moisturizer and a SPF protector. Available at The Candy Bar: BUY NOW 

5. I just finished this book and I have to tell you that I may re-read it all over again! Sophia Amoruso is the founder and creator of NastyGal.com, a fast growing multi-million dollar company. I love this girl! She happened upon her success by doing something she was passionate about. She created her FREE advertising buzz on social media that directed her shoppers to her eBay sales. Her concept was simple: BUY LOW/SELL HIGH. Or sell a bit higher. With her eye for style and photography, she built her brand by utilizing social media to create a cult following with her 90,000 devoted My Space followers. Even if you are not a retailer(like I am) this book is a quick and inspirational read for any #GIRLBOSS.

The 5 W's

WHO: ME! That's who! And some great people this weekend on the Island of Nantucket. It was the usual craziness in a beautiful place and it was a great visit. I'm glad to be home...drying out.

WHAT: July 29th is National Lipstick Day! Cleopatra was the first to use color from crushed beetles to stain her lips but it wasn't until 1923 that the first "swivel tube" lipstick was debuted. Since then women all over the world have been hooked on the simplistic beauty of applying color to the lips to enhance their physical beauty. What would we do without lipstick, I ask you?

WHERE: Revere, MA. The perfect storm. Forecasters in Boston spotted a suspect swam of storm clouds over Worcester early yesterday morning. As they were tracking what they believed to be a, rare for these parts, tornado-it disappeared from the Doppler radar. Then at 9:32 am yesterday morning it was back and landed in Revere, MA, full on with winds up to 120 MPH. There was no time for warning because it came so suddenly and it lasted 4 terrorizing minutes, leaving an unbelievable path of destruction. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured.

WHEN: When Pigs Fly, and that means never! My grandmother used to love to say that. "I'll talk to her again when pigs fly!" When that phrase came out of her mouth, you knew it wasn't good.

WHY: I am guilty of too often asking this question. Questioning life's little nuances has become a sport for me. When I was a little girl, my mom told me that WHY was my favorite question. If I got into trouble, I would ask why. If she said no, I would ask why. My mother said I would wear her down with why questions. I haven't changed too much but the trouble is the answers have. I still wonder why?

Assume The Wet Nail Position

 I am a huge fan of the pedicure. Nothing is more pleasing than pretty, well polished hands that are just painted...and dry. Is there nothing worse than waiting for your wet nails to dry? The 15-20 minutes in between wet and dry nails is complete hell for me. Having just got back from a successful trip to the nail shop, I wondered if I was the only one who feels this way?

 Sure enough, the Internet was full of ladies claiming the same "20 minute wait from hell" that I was. These are the things we can all agree on:

• The second your nails are complete, as in freshly painted, undoubtedly you will have to go to the bathroom. The realization that you will not be able to complete this necessary and mundane task until at least 30 minutes after your nails are dry...MAKES YOU HAVE TO GO EVEN MORE!
• Your just quiet cell phone suddenly blows up with texts and calls from your friends and loved ones. You sit there completely paralyzed with helplessness-lest you ruin that $18.00 service you just paid for. In that case, the extreme is in order..IT CAN WAIT!
• After what seems is a reasonable amount of time, you give yourself the "tap test". This is lightly tapping one nail on top of the other. If it's sticky, you are not done. If it's not sticky, you are generally good to go. Armed with a new found confidence that your nails are dry, you reach into your bag for that all important cell phone or car key only to smudge your nails...NEVER TRUST THE TAP TEST!
• If you have successfully retrieved your cell phone so that you can Instagram or Facebook a picture of your freshly painted, gorgeous manicure to share with friends, holding your cell phone for the nail selfie will undoubtedly cause a nick or smudge...NO NAIL SELFIES FOR AT LEAST 30 MINUTES AFTER.
• "Fast Dry Nail Coats" and "Fast Dry Sprays" will work only slightly....DON'T FALL FOR IT.

There are so many methods out there to speed up the process, but do they really work? It would seem that while you are speeding up the nail dry process, you are indeed waiting...amiright?

These look like a genius little tool:

Nail Polish Protectors?

They are supposed to protect those freshly painted nails so that you can get out and into your car, put on your coat or talk on the phone while protecting your new manicure. Not sure if they work or how I feel about them, but it's nice to know they are out there. 

Bottom line: there is no fool proof way to secure a "quick dry"  manicure. Aside from the Gel manicure, that cures on your nails after exposure to UV light, which takes a lot more time and is a lot more $$, there is no magic, quick dry cure. Plan for the time to complete the task. Relax and enjoy the break form your crazy life. Plain and simple. After all, aren't most manicures a "spa" service? 

I say enjoy the spa time. 

Witty Wednesday

The doctor, after an examination, sighed and said, 'I've got some bad news. You have cancer, and you'd best put your affairs in order.' The woman was shocked, but managed to compose herself  and walk into the waiting room where her daughter had been  waiting. 'Well, daughter, we women celebrate when things are good,  and we celebrate when things don't go so well. In this case,  things aren't well. I have cancer. So, let's head to the club  and have a martini.' After 3 or 4 martinis, the two were feeling a little less somber.  There were some laughs and more martinis. They were eventually approached by some of the woman's  old friends, who were curious as to what the two were celebrating .  The woman told her friends they were drinking to her impending  end, 'I've been diagnosed with AIDS.' The friends were aghast, gave the woman their condolences  and beat a hasty retreat. After the friends left, the woman's daughter leaned over and  whispered, 'Momma, I thought you said you were  dying of  cancer, and you just told your friends you were dying of AIDS!  Why did you do that?' 'Because I don't want any of those bitches sleeping  with your father after I'm gone.'

Monday Minutia

• First things first Bloggers! I am going to NYC with Frick today-to return tomorrow night-so I will be away from the Bloggersphere tomorrow, Tuesday July 22, 2014. I thought you'd like to know rather than me say nothing....Considering I was with Frack last Monday and Tuesday in High Point, NC, I'd like to think I am one lucky mama to be able to spend some one-on-one time, alone with each of my kids! Frick's NYC visit is strictly business too! My kids are killing me-becoming adults so fast...

• Interesting things going on here in Beantown-Market Basket, one of the most successfully run, independently owned supermarket chains in the country, is seeing an unprecedented stand of unity for it's former CEO. The company, run by the Demoulas family, operates 71 stores in two states. Long time CEO Arthur T. Demoulas was ousted last fall by the Board of Directors in favor of his cousin and chief rival, Arthur S Demoulas. The two have clashed over how to operate the business started by their grandfather.  The employees are not happy about this. They have staged a strike and  walked out on the job until Arthur T Demoulas is restored to CEO. Get this: On Friday over 2000 employees gathered at the company headquarters in Tewksbury, MA to demand the return of Arthur T Demoulas as CEO. As of today, 8 long time employees have been fired from the company. Talk about loyalty. This is fascinating to me. Market Basket must be one hell of an employer.

• Rory McIlroy wins the British Open at the age of 25! A great story. This his third Major victory on his quest for a Grand Slam title. The elusive Masters in April is the only victory he needs to secure the title and join Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus in the Grand Slam club. The victory was especially poignant for his father, who reportedly placed a bet on McIlroy while he was still a teen on winning the prestigious tournament. 

"His father, Gerry, and some of his father’s friends, who reportedly made a wager when McIlroy was still a teenager that he would win the Open within 10 years. Ladbrokes, a British-based gambling company, confirmed in a Twitter post that it would be paying out 180,000 pounds (about $310,000) to them." 

Nice work Rory! It's nice to see a talented, young golfer do well!

• Why does it already feel like the summer is slipping away? July 21, and its seems like we are rounding third on the summer thing. Am I right?  I dunno bloggers. BBQ's aren't tasting so great anymore and the weather lately has been undecided on summer. It's like it's not quite sure of what it wants. Maybe it's just me. What do you think?

TGIF

It's Friday Bloggers! And that means it's almost the end of a long week for me! Today I thought I would regale you with some fun Friday funnies...

Amen to that brother!

What's the first one again? Oh, yeah, that one...

Adorable...

Did I mention I work weekends?

Did they actually have a kid named Friday? Those crazy Adams..

Off the "cute" charts!

Mmmm hmmmm...Latesha be looking fly!

Bad Decision Juice is always a good decision!

And this one had nothing to do with Friday but I loved it anyway!!

Happy Friday Bloggers! Try and be the ultimate opportunist this weekend!

Insert Foot In Mouth...

Seriously? When are the cavemen of sports going to realize that women sports reporters are here to stay? And when will they realize that they have a responsibility to not spew hate and death threats directed towards ANYONE, much less Erin Andrews when they are on-air?

The latest controversy surrounding Erin Andrews of Fox Sports News happened just the other day in my very own city. WEEI's morning program "Dennis and Callahan" co -host Kirk Minihane inserted his foot right into his mouth alright. Long story short, when in studio, on-air discussing Erin Andrew's interview with pitcher Adam Wainwright about his "about face" admission to throwing an easy pitch to hit to Derek Jeter at bat during the All Star game, Minihane unleashed a most inappropriate tirade concerning Andrews line of questioning. Andrews apparently said when ending the interview, "Don't you just love social media?"

Does it bear repeating here? YES it does so it serves as a lesson to all radio/TV host/journalists that you just can't take your hate that far without consequence. His remarks are as follows:

"I hate her! What a gutless bitch! Go away. Drop dead. I mean, seriously what the hell is wrong with her? First of all, follow-up. Second of all, the guy admitted he did it. He admitted he told reporters he threw a couple of pipe bombs. How is that social media’s fault? I hate her. Don’t you love social media? Yeah…social media is — shut up. shut up. i’m sure she’s a nice person, but she’s…she’s probably a bitch. I hate her."

He immediately remarked ,"I'm gonna get in trouble for this." And he was right!

Minihane, last night, issued an apology on WEEI's  website:

"This morning on the radio I used a series of words to describe Erin Andrews' work at the All-Star Game. My choice of words was wrong; I was wrong to have used them. To all whom I offended -- particularly Ms. Andrews -- I apologize. There is no place for what was said. It was immature and completely uncalled for. I am often critical of media members and their work and recognize here that I've made the kind of mistake I would call out if it was done by another sportscaster or writer. Again, to all involved, I'm very sorry."

Ya think?

I am so tired of this "men are superior" mentality in sports broadcasting and I'm sure I'm not alone in this thinking. As for Erin Andrews? No matter what she looks like, she has worked hard to get where she is and to stay where she is, regardless of what a small minded sports personality in Boston thinks. There are a million pretty faces that are all trying to do the same thing that Erin Andrews is doing, has done, and continues to keep doing. She has earned her stay. When does she get the respect that is allotted to any other sports reporter of her stature?

Blonde, brunette, white, black, yellow or green...I don't care who SHE is. She's got a job to do and if she wasn't good at what she does she wouldn't be there. Period. Fox Sports thinks so too. They issued the following statement about the  controversy:

 “Comments such as these are inappropriate and inexcusable. It is unfortunate that one of the best sports talk radio stations in the country would allow and condone such low-class behavior from one of their on-air personalities.”

I stand behind Erin Andrews regardless of what I may think of her personally. Good, bad or indifferent it's time to end the superiority complex that some men have about women sports reporters. Period.

I'm curious how Minihane's shoes are tasting right about now. Pretty sour is my bet.

Extraordinary!

Hey bloggers! Sorry for the very long break from blogging but it was for very good reason. On Sunday I escorted Frack to freshman orientation at his college in North Carolina. In about 5 short weeks, my son will be attending High Point University in High Point, NC. I can't believe it's already here. I had yet to see the college, as Frack and My Guy went on the college visit together, so I was curious to see what I had only seen in pictures. I wanted to see the place that Frack had decided was the ONLY college he wanted to go to.  Now I know why...

I could hardly believe what I was seeing. My first thought upon arriving to the picturesque campus was, WOW! The pristine beauty of the rolling green hills and immaculate condition of the grounds took me by surprise. This place is beautiful. The pedestrian avenue just outside of the academic and residence halls is lined with benches that have statues of famous and inspiring people. You can have a sit next to William Shakespeare, Albert Einstein or Gandhi, to name a few, and listen to the classical music that is piped through speakers so students can have a more conducive atmosphere for learning.

I always knew I was a saint!

The academic buildings, all impressive, area presented in an incredible manner. Each lobby, with marble foyers, oriental rugs and leather bound chairs are made to resemble corporate America and big business so that the students will be comfortable in that atmosphere. The lecture halls are small, but big enough for proper learning and the student centers, two incredible buildings, are amazing places to utilize.

This is where Frack will be spending most of his time in this academic building.

No LIE! This is the lobby of that academic building!!

 Did I tell you about the state of the art gymnasium? The outdoor pools? The cafeteria and the food choices these kids have to choose from? Subway? Chick-Fil-A? Four different Starbucks? And several bakeries, organic farmers markets and different cuisine dining halls. AND...GET THIS...a full fledged upscale steak house that the students are required to go to (wearing proper dress code-jacket and tie) to learn business etiquette and to enjoy. There is the most incredible game room...all FREE with Skee Ball, video games, karaoke, a photo booth and private rooms for Xbox and Playstation. And there is a full fledged movie theatre, complete with free pop corn and concessions, that plays new release movies that is free for students.

One of two student centers with cafeteria's. The HPU letters are tables and chairs...

Yeah, that's Frack. He can hardly believe "he goes here".

The dormitories resemble hotel room suites, with 4 single rooms, a kitchen, and a big living room area. Each dormitory has its own business center, complete with computer PC's and printers and a laundry room that is free of charge.

This is a mock room, but will be like the dorm room Frack will have. 

One of several TV studios in the communications building. 

All of this is overwhelmingly impressive, but I had to ask Frack how he plans to "learn" with all of this going on? Frack assured me that this was the place for him, and when the newness of being there wears off, he will settle down and do his best to do well at Highpoint. I had to believe him. I wouldn't want to leave there either.

Yeah, we were drinking the High Point kool aid, alright. 

And it was most definitely purple. 

Ballsy Elephant

What do you do with an elephant with that has 3 balls?


Walk him and pitch to the giraffe.

This Accessory Is Not Supported

I recently purchased a new iPhone 5S with an upgrade I had from my wireless provider. I got the 32G too, because I'm damn tired of it telling me that my storage is full. In any case, I love my new phone SO MUCH...that I am ridiculously protective of my week-old device. My smart phone, like most people's, is my life line. It is constantly near me, on my person or in my bag and the separation anxiety I feel when I don't have it borders on dramatic. The pictures and videos I take on it chronicle my life day to day. I've even been known to be talking on my phone whilst furiously looking around for my telephone, only to realized that I am, indeed, talking on my telephone. It's the best mini-PC/tablet on the planet. Period.

So imagine my dismay when I woke up this am to find my new phone plugged into a rogue charger.

Horror and shock, are the two words that come to mind. I immediately went to that "Who Did This?" place in my head until I realized that someone was actually doing me a favor. They couldn't have know that the charger "cross breeding" would offend me. How could they? I keep my original charging device safely enclosed in my purse so that I know where it is at all times. So that the charger thieves that reside in my house can now fight over the other, more common chargers that are left around the kitchen counter. So that I could keep the purest form of my iPhone 5S in near factory condition without the corruption of a black market, miscreant charger.

When I saw the above message on my virginal device this morning I had to accept the truth.

My iPhone 5S is now like the rest of them. Corrupted and flawed, it's eminency has been diminished. It's a shame really, but I decided that my iPhone 5S and I will press on. We will make a new life for ourselves and persevere. I understand that these knock-off chargers are infiltrating society today at breakneck speed. My own home had been tainted. I also understand that only in a dire battery situation, would I even consider the consequences of going over the the dark side of phone charging. Instead I will  try to minimize our exposure to such threats the best I can.

I can't support a accessory that won't support me. I don't even have to like it.

This Or That

Let's play a little game of "This Or That". It's interesting to find out more about people by knowing what they like. We played this all weekend on the beach with family and it kept on going and was so much fun!

Here we go! Bloggers, you type your answers in the comments section.

• White or wheat?  ( I say wheat)
• Blonde or Brunette? (this goes for both men and women)
• Rock and Roll or Country? (Rock...all the way)
• Frozen Yogurt or Ice cream? (Fro Yo baby! It's the only way to go)
• Sandals or shoes? (flip flops?)
• Pool or Beach? (tough one..beach)
• Cookies or Cake? (cake...., duh?)
• Hamburger or Hot Dog? (this all depends on where I am..also a tough one but I'll say hot dog)
• Sports car or sedan? (Now that my kids are all grown....sedan)
• Harvard or Yale? (Haaaahhvard)
• Hiking or fishing? (hiking..no slimy creature touching for me, thanks)
• "The Wizard Of OZ" or "Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory"? (Dorothy beats Willy)
• Baseball or Football? (oohhh...I plead the 5th here)
• Dogs or Cats? (dogs..no brainer)
• Oreo or Chips Ahoy? (neither...believe it or not)
• Hershey or Lindt? (I don't discriminate..I like all chocolate)
• Facebook or Instagram? (Facebook)
• Butter or Margarine? (margarine...it's just easier)
• Blue or Red? (blue)
• Friends or Family? (Family trumps all!!)

I can't wait to find out more about you bloggers!

Happy 4th of July

Have a safe and happy holiday, Bloggers!
And be sure to have one for America!

#LikeA girl

I'm wondering if you've seen this ad for Always? if you haven't it's worth a look:

It's amazing.
It's powerful.
But it's also sad and depressing to think that after a certain age, self doubt and societal mores ruin it for innocent adolescent girls.

Campaigns like this aim to change that, but are the #hashtag campaign and the viral video enough? When it's right in front of our faces it can be ever so ugly, but is that realization enough to abolish the "like a girl" mentality?

I hope so. Because the younger girls in the spot above are the true heroes. If that's what it's like to do anything "like a girl", I want to be that girl.