This Week: Ten Best Things About The Holidays

10. Watching friends and family open presents
9. Driving around to look at Christmas lights
8. Manufacturers release their new wares
7. Christmas music playing everywhere
6. Helping decorate a Christmas tree
5. Wearing a scarf, gloves, and hat
4. Gingerbread latte at Starbucks
3. Holiday movie classics on TV
2. Visiting Santa at the mall
1. Baking holiday cookies

6 comments December 20th, 2005

I need a stylist! Normally I enjoy keeping myself fairly well dressed, but lately it’s been a maddening challenge to avoid wearing the same things each week. My choices are seriously lacking. Every weekend it’s become a ritual to hit the stores to expand my wardrobe, but it hasn’t been to much avail.

In trying to figure out what’s at the crux of this problem, I realized that I don’t even know what looks good on me any more. Furthermore, my personal style has always been difficult to label. My look is largely conservative, slightly contemporary, with a clear feminine bent, but I draw from some strange ends of the spectrum, as well.

Another part of the issue simply has to do with time. Though our taste naturally evolves over our lifespan, sometimes it takes a quantum leap. There were a handful of retailers whom I used to rely upon almost exclusively, and today when I walk inside nothing appeals to me. How funny that when you change a lot on the inside it eventually pushes its way out.

18 comments December 19th, 2005

For those of you planning ahead for New Year’s resolutions of improved health and fitness, here’s a list of items that I’ve found indispensable:

Ultimate Direction Spree — This little pack frees me from the horror known as a locker room. This bag is very compact, yet somehow holds everything essential. With a headphone port at the top, and an awesome water bottle at its side, I could not live without it!

Apple iPod — If you don’t have one yet, it’s not too late to ask (or be your own) Santa. Having a wide variety of music guarantees a more pleasurable workout. Use the iTunes software to your best advantage by creating playlists to match different moods and intensities.

Harbinger FlexFit — Unless you’re a fan of calluses, invest in a good pair of weightlifting gloves. I don’t care who you are, you need to lift! Cardio alone will not cut it, and I promise, weights won’t make you manly as long as you wear gloves. These are even machine washable.

Brawny Cloths — As unglamorous as this may be, fresh towels are a fitness essential. I saw these in the dishwashing supply aisle and picked up a dozen of them, which turned out to be a brilliant notion. They’re inexpensive and made of soft, thirsty, purple microfiber.

DeFeet SpeeDe — This one came as a surprise to me: The right socks are very important! After some trial and error, I found that the best ones are made for cyclists. They’re constructed from better materials. Don’t let thinness fool you. Fluff does not equal long-term comfort.

8 comments December 16th, 2005

Wednesday’s optimism can now officially be chalked up to famous last words. Thursday afternoon my temperature soared to 103.9 and then camped out, despite the best efforts of vast quantites of Tylenol, while I enjoyed the various entertaining effects of delirium.

UPDATE: Is it possible that I’m still imagining things due to my feverish state? Because I could swear I’m getting mad traffic from The Manolo, the master shoeblogger himself… Hello fellow footwear aficionados — Thanks for stopping by!

7 comments December 15th, 2005

I’m nearly convinced that the whole United States is falling victim to this gnarly flu (slash bronchitis, slash croup) that’s going around… And that I’m the last hold-out battling against its malice with all kinds of shit from the hippie food store — PS: Thank you, tree-huggers! It’s nice to know you’re good for something after all.

Even my girl Natalie Dee seems to have succumbed. For all of you in the throes, avoiding, or recovering, I wish you my best. The hippies got me to down this homeopathic stuff called Oscillococcinum and it seems to be working. Plus, I have discovered the magical sweaty wonderland that is the sauna… Stay well, cats and kittens!

20 comments December 14th, 2005

This Week: Ten Things I Want For Christmas

I almost protested this week’s Ten on Tuesday. Even thought about going the altruistic “world peace” route. You see, I hate making wish lists. In reality, my fondest wish is for people to know me so well that it’s a cinch for them to knock my socks off with a perfectly-chosen gift.

But maybe that’s some perverted narcissism on my part, wanting my loved ones to take a deeper interest in getting to know me more fully. So just in case, here’s the makeshift list:

10. Apple 60GB Video iPod – White
9. Narciso Rodriguez Body Cream
8. Chanel Sunglasses – Tortoise
7. T3 Tourmaline Pro Hair Dryer
6. Nanette Lepore – Aubergine
5. Samsung MM-A900 Phone
4. Louis Vuitton Mini Pleaty
3. Thomas Pink 3/4 – Black
2. L.A.M.B. T-Shirt – Blue
1. And a long vacation!

7 comments December 13th, 2005

Hint number one that you might have a mild footwear addiction:
You receive handwritten postcards in the mail from the salesgirls…
Printed with not one, but two colors of ink… AND FILLED HEARTS!
I’m pretty sure that symbol means “Thanks for my paycheck.”

16 comments December 12th, 2005

There’s a universe of difference between being childish and childlike. The former I have in spades, but the latter could use some work. Over the years we suffocate our best childlike qualities, believing instead that our defense mechanisms will protect us, when all they really do is make us weak. It’s a great big lie that we seem to swallow whole.

Children don’t have our pathetic hang-ups. They lack sufficient fear. As such, they’re always ready to play, quick to forgive and forget, and best of all — They don’t understand limitations. It was in that final area that today I saw a glimmer of hope that some day I might finally strip away the mess I built and regain the purity of heart I once had.

Continue Reading 6 comments December 11th, 2005