July 2009 Archives

So my friends thing I'm stylish - specially for a chick my size. Personally, I think I'm stylish for a chick any size - but that's another post. Well, my friends always ask me: "how do you find plus size clothes without breaking your budget?"

I have a secret. I shop voraciously. I shop avidly, I shop incessantly and I shop Vogue, Elle, Lucky, W magazine and Essence magazine...as well as Macy's, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Saks...virtually. Chile, malls give me hives, so I'm on their websites (or reading them at the salon) constantly...lol. I bet y'all thought I was in the stores every weekend (not! life is too short).

Then I find knockoffs. Simple. Now, I'm not talking those Christian Louboutin knockoffs you can find on the interwebs (I want the real things, thank you). But everyone that knows fashion knows that everyone knocks everyone off - or as they like to say in stylish circles - they REINTERPRET. In HipHop-ese, that's biting with a dash of remixing added.

Like, the graphic Tee/glowstick colored kiddies trend. I love graphic tees - but for me, the washed out vintage looks simply don't work. I shy away from glowstick colors, but this lime green shirt's design wooed me. I like simple designs that create lines/shapes - like the strong vertical line created by this Norma Kamali for Walmart T-shirt at left (click the pic to enlarge). I've been a fan of this line since its inception in last year, and I keep finding pieces in it I love. And at $8.00 for a t-shirt (prices range from $4 to about $24.99), it's forgiving to my wallet. I'd easily pair this with jacket for a business casual look (if they allow graphic tees), and ditch the jacket for a night out.

But is it forgiving to my curves? Well, I'm a 20 on top, and a 22/24 on the bottom - and her line goes up to a 2XL (which is an 18/20). I can normally fit the tees, stretch shirts and the occasional dress (with some heavy duty Spanx assistance). And I love that the Tees are tunic length (a good length for anyone with a belly - like me. And it makes me feel fabu (click the pic to enlarge - and note the toenail polish color too ;)

Here's the phone in question. And although I've had my Fuze for months - I just found out it blows.

Yes, I'm a business user - although I bought it because it travels well (my prev. HTC Tilt worked well in South America), it came with video capabilities, etc. Pretty cool....

Or so I thought - until I found out my HTC Fuze blows - courtesy of BlownFuze.org

Ok, an admission - I kinda knew my Fuze blows, because I tweet - and frankly if I see another dayum #iphone hashtag pointing tweeters to new super cool Free iPhone apps, I felt like I'd blow a gasket.

So I was poking around the interwebs, to see if there are any websites for those of us that are Fuzers (wow, lame much?) and looking for cool Fuze apps. I came across BlownFuze - which is a site put together by another Fuze user, who's got a comprehensive list of Fuze applications that he's road tested and tried, and links to all the sites that offer the cab files for installation. Pretty cool, no?

Ok, the site isn't the prettiest -but it's the most functional, with a table of contents, tons of applications, and both his reviews of the apps, as well as tweaks (or "cooks"). And I scanned through them - a lot of the individual cabs/applications that I've installed are there - would've saved me the trouble of searching & reviewing on the dozen or so other sites where I've been searching for HTC Fuze applications.

I <3 my Fuze - even if it blows. And I'm developing a lil crush on BlownFuze (thanks, Doug!)

We should all have a little black dress.

I'm not one to always adhere to fashion advice - because the style circuit has its own pundits, and I look at pundits as talking heads - I personally need to see proof (as in - um, what are YOU wearing, dear?). But the little black dress is a classic, and every woman should be able to snatch that one good, welll-fitted, perfect for just about every occasion dress outta the closet. Sheaths? Yes, of course - add pearls & Louboutins, it's perfect. BUT sometimes you need a dramatic effect...

...as my friend, Miss Princess Dominique does, for the redesign of her fashion blog. So, I've been searching, but I'm not finding a whole lot out there...?

I think designers right now are just way too enamored with Michelle Obama's arms....sheaths, sleeveless, more sheaths,more sleeveless....arms are big right now. Now call me crazy - "oh that crazy Saga", but I want sleeves. Not just any sleeves either - I want BIG SLEEVES. Sleeves with interest like this:

This John Galliano for Dior number was featured in Harper's Bazaar and is listed at $13,890 (click pic to enlarge) - but can you avoid fabulous in this number? The pleating, the satin, the bell sleeves - just add proper jewelry, hair and stillettos and it's a done deal.

This Akris Embroidered Sleeve Dress from Neiman Marcus ($3,990) is also a hottie (click pic to enlarge). Nice sleeve interest, and the fit is that of a classic sheath - form fitting where you want, skimming the body where you don't. Love this. I'd ditch the dark tights and boots, and add a shoe that shows more skin, like the Rhett sandal from L.A.M.B. but that's just me ;)


ah - a late entry. If you can't decide sleeved or sleeveless, how about both? The Akris One-Sleeve Jersey Dress (Neiman Marcus, $2,990) features a flutter-pleat sleeve (you really have to click to enlarge to get the full effect) on a black turtleneck stretch sheath. Futuristic? Yes. Fab? Also, yes.

Now, given that I cannot find a dress with sleeves (ugh - the horrors) - how about neckline interest? I thought about a nice face framing neckline, high-collar etc, but really - we're not going for purely victorian, are we? So instead - a plunge like The Herve Leger Signature Essential Dress from Neiman Marcus ($1,050)(click pic to enlarge). It's very reminiscient of the bandage dress (of which the black version is making its rounds on the red carpet - And Hot Slut of The Day on Dlisted) but with less exposure - both of your skin and of the actual dress (who really wants to wear the dress that everyone else's already had?) :)

Ok, I know it's not black, but since we already know MissPrincessDom is not buying off the rack - she can get her custom noir color.

And bottom line, if she has to give in to designers obsessed with arms, then I'd love to see her do it fabulously. This Badgley Mischka Platinum ($650, from Neiman Marcus - click pic to enlarge) combines the best sheath with the satin, pleats, the bandage effect - it's a beautiful look.

I'm a water baby. I love water, oceans, rivers, streams and lakes. I'm drawn to them, and periodically feel the need to just jump in. So one of the decisions on where to buy my home was its proximity to a body of water. The one you see pictured here.

Now, it's notable that when I moved into my house, the body of water in question is as pictured at left. Pretty, but not necessarily attractive. And not necessarily functional.

Here's where an opportunity meets imagination, and an entrepreneurial spirit. You & I might just see a body of water, a lake that's worthy of fishing, or pondering over. Maybe running around. You & I might think - yanno, it would be cool if I could come down here every once in a while, and chill, read a book or just watch the sun set.

But someone saw something else. Someone saw this:

A waterski park. A modest beach - including sand. But probably more importantly - A recreation area where families new to the area might be glad to pay a fee to boat, waterski and otherwise enjoy an otherwise underutilized lake.

Enter the entrepreneur (and play their theme music ♫ "I'm a hustla,baby" ♫):: Someone saw an opportunity and used their imagination to figure out how they could both provide a service, and charge a fee for it. That, my friends - is the crux of being an entrepreneur. Not just to make a buck, but to find opportunities to meet the needs of potential customers, or create those opportunities. I ♥ this!

I know some of you may be distressed about what said entrepreneur has done to the natural beauty, by shipping in sand and opening this up for litter. Rest assured - this area was already being misused by avid fisherman, runners and random teenagers. I'd hope if this venture doesn't float (pun intended) - that the sand and structures would be dismantled, but even if they aren't - the hustla in me is still admiring the hustla in them.

Are you concerned about your job in this recessionary climate? Concerned about job security? Laid off and wondering what your next move is? Take this as either a cautionary tale - or (like me) as inspiration. And moi? I'm going for a ski...

As Inkognegro put it, I'm playing in the sandbox again (I started dating again). I'm having a minor AUGH moment. But first, a couple definitions:

Dating refers to the act of meeting and engaging in some mutually agreed upon social activity by 2+ people.

DWO (dā-tiŋ ˈwī(-ə)l ˈōld) = dating while old:: engaging in less than fun, mutually disagreed upon, cantankerous, negative and wholly socially unacceptable behavior while increasing in age. See Marion Barry as a reference.

I don't know what happened. Did I miss something? I mean, I took a few months off, and I don't know what I expected - but when did every guy over 35+ suddenly get so, you know....old?

...Don't get it twisted - there's nothing wrong with aging. Getting older (I'm learning) is actually fun - there's a certain amount of respect that's given with gaining a few grey hairs that allows you to do really crazy stuff - like mumble to yourself in public, dress rather colorfully and rattle off anything that pops into your head - and it's attributed to your 'eccentricity'. How cool is that - I can walk up to someone and call them a "poopyhead", and folks will just think I'm getting senile ;)

BUT

there's nothing fun about getting "old". being "old" has connotations of being long-winded, cantankerous, lacking libido and being completely enamored/obsessed with your own ISH (ok yes, I have digestive issues - but that's a whole 'nother post). And this is what I've apparently returned to?


Case In Point #1: Anti-sexy, thy name is Amateur Shrink:: Listen, I want to get at you. Maybe have dinner, a few yucks, spend some of your hard-earned...and if you're lucky - a lil of the old heave 'ho, yanno? But unless your name is Dr. Phil (or even if it is) - if you're trying to date me, I'm not looking to lay down on your couch and be analyzed. So, the subject of my last few relationships, why I'm single, why women like me are single, what's "wrong" with me, etc...etc...ad nauseum, are probably convos you want to have with your friends. Not with me. 'Cause last time I checked - your "highly desirable" a$$ets are single too.

I met this guy, and during the first telephone conversation he started picking me apart. Asking me (what I later figured out) were leading questions - then pointing out the mistakes I've made in the past. Can we at least get to last names before you start charging me by the hour, and explaining how my relationship with my father caused my lastest ex to cheat?

Case in point #2: Guy:: the R&B group, not the noun. I know, the economy is bad. And yes I know, times are tough. But "Let's Chill"? Really?

This guy convinced me to give him my number, albeit reluctantly. His compelling argument included promises of wining and dining, having fun, exciting adventures we'd share together. Ok, maybe not - but he did ask me "out". Why was the 2nd sentence out of his mouth "so, can I come over"?!

It really cannot have come to this, can it? A "date" isn't you hopping your hot heiny on my couch to eat my food and try to get into my drawz?!!! There are plenty of ways to have an inexpensive date or a creative date without spending a ton of money. Can a sista get a walk in the park, or some handholding please? I'll take a gutter dog and a swing on the monkey bars for $2.00 Alex, without having to clean up empty beer bottles and look at my own 4 walls for the millionth time, please - thanks!

Case In Point #3: Dear Abraham (father, can you hear me?):: I'm sure most of you know this already, but I'm northern, and more than a little old fashioned. I like when men are the aggressors - that ISH screams sexy to me. Now, I have no problem going after something I want, once I've decided that I want it. But then, if you've read this blog for any length of time, and are familiar with any of the hurdles I've faced in life and what I did to get past them, you already know this.

So I reconnected with this guy I met a while ago, and we have this conversation about why I hadn't called him - my honest answer was "you never called me, so I thought you weren't interested. I prefer men to be the aggressor". Why did he spend the following 15 minutes "advising" me "that if you ever want anything in life, you have to go for it"? o_O really? Wow - I've never heard that particular phrase before - please, do expound on that one.[/endSarcasm]

Listen Dear Abby - my daddy died 25+ years ago, and frankly - I wasn't really interested in dating him. Unsolicited advice really should come with a pair of reading glasses and a cane, because old people seem to have a knack for dispensing it without listening, based on their "experiences". No disrespect, but I just wanted to have lunch, without the life-coaching session.

Let's put the fun back in dating, shall we? Let's leave the interviews behind, let's put our agenda and goals aside, let's let our hair down, and be honest and open, both about what we want, and who we are. I (can be) an overly analytical blowhard as much as the next person, but the point of dating is to get to know the other person, right? While it is a process of elimination, it's also about gaining some life experiences and knowing that every person we meet isn't just the "Right/Wrong" one, but someone that we can have fun with and enjoy.

Smile. Ask your questions while you're smiling, and see if that feels good. If it doesn't - then maybe those questions aren't appropriate in the "getting to know you" phase, hm? Joke & Laugh. If you're laughing, then maybe you won't be so worried about whether I'm ordering from the "pricey" part of the menu. And maybe I won't be inclined to scan it trying to see if they serve Surf & Turf coated in a Beluga-based sauce, to make up for how annoyed I'm getting, yanno?

Can we go back to the "Will You Go With Me - Yes, No or Maybe" days, please? I know stakes is high, but dayum - is fun completely off the table?

Ok, so my friends that know me think I'm stylish, trendy. Although I tend to agree (and goodness knows I have my fashion obsessions) I feel weird taking credit for that because I, my friends, am a biter.

I don't bite hard, but any fashionista worth their salt knows a few fashion rules (not an inclusive list, but a decent opener):

1. There's nothing new under the sun. For inspiration, know ya history (in other words, interpretively bite).


2. Style doesn't have a pricetag. Kudos to Michelle O's hi-lows, but the rest of us have BEEN mixing Target and Saks. We thought YOU knew?


3. FIT is EVERYTHING. And we have the number of a good tailor on speed-dial.


4. Style has no size (and a size ain't nothing but a number). Stylistas buy clothes that FIT.


5. Yes, fashion rules are made to be broken. Have you ever noticed how AVERAGE the fashion police dress?


6. Classic style is timeless. Oh yes, sure - be "on trend". The rest of us SET trends.

I gush, I know. But I've been a fan of Ellen's style for a while. Check her fashion do's/don'ts (click to enlarge) for the over 50 set:
No miniskirts over a certain age you say? Minimize your accesories? avoid strapless?

Although these rules may seem restrictive - I applaud that she's given it some thought. So many of us just surf through life unthinkingly - and next thing you know we're at a club in a minidress, with our untaught upper thighs/butt just sliiiiiiiding below the hem of the dress, wondering why we feel both breezy and un-fierce at the same time. I dig Ellen.


Another muse is Diane Keaton, who I <3'd their styling in Mad Money, Something's Got to Give, and The Ex-Wive's Club(click to enlarge):

She's always been a style icon, but in these movies - her styling is very sharp, there's a lot of white, they embraced her hair highlights (it has a hint of high-lowlights that resemble platinum/gray hair) - and she's so classically styled, yet youthful. LOVE that.

It may be that I'm a "woman of a certain age" (thank you, Wendy Williams), but I can really appreciate a woman over 40 who is in touch with who she is, and knows what makes her look good.

Honorable mentions here: Taraji Henson who is hitting her stride I think, and will be fierce after she crosses the big 4-0, and Tasha Smith. Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada (wow!). Oh yes, and my girl crush - Kerri Washington. Love women who can be sexy without displaying ALL their goodies.

How could I forget - Dame Helen Mirren in Shadowboxing (click to enlarge) - what a sexxy b*tch she is? You betta work!

6,353 Steps.
22 oz of water.
20 min Zumba ab, butt & thigh workout.

Yeah, I know about the water. I'm working on it.

So, this is the anti-beginning, because the beginning implies there is an end, and in this case - there isn't.

What there is, is an epiphany. Let me set this one up for you.

After the 3,234th conversation about my desire to be in the shape that allows me to "feel good, I ran 3 miles and did 200 situps" (via @TiaMowry on Twitter), I vow to wake up before the buttcrack of dawn rears its ugly head and get in a 3 mile walk. So, Hammy & I suit up around 7AM.

Now, while my mantra is to "get it in", what I'm really doing is trodding along. Slowly. I plod along, knees whining, back chattering and numerous and sundry pains chiming in and out like a poorly tuned orchestra. Yeah, this is the SHYT! Er, not.

But as I'm trying to avoid twisting my ankle on uneven pavement, or tripping over a random snake (this being, after all, Georgia), the weirdest thing happened. As I stumbled back down a hill with Hammy well in front of me, a breeze tossed my my hair, and I thought for a long moment.

This. Feels. Good.

Working out suddenly felt good. My knees suddenly felt, well - used. Not painful, not aching, but like they woke up. Same for the much underused muscles in my thighs, glutes and abdomen. I unconsciously had started holding my stomach taught. I thought briefly about my form - and straightened my back. This. really. does. feel. good.

It's hard to see in this pic, but I was covered in sweat, my hair's plastered to my head & completely soaked through, and I had a visible ring of sweat around my neck, armpits and lower back. But my body, my knees, thighs, abs and butt and the associated muscles were no longer screaming. They were happy. It was as if they'd gotten through a rough warm up, then remembered that they can actually play Bethoven together if I gave them a chance. "Hi, body, muscles, knees & back...sorry I've been ignoring y'all".

It felt good to see my neighbors getting it in too. It felt good to acknowledge their head nods, a silent show of support. It felt good to be up & out and saying "good morning" as they walked sweatily by in the opposite direction. It felt good to wave at their cars as they honked to show they were happy to see me handling biz.

I thought about the next steps. Not the 1,000,000 steps I need to go (really, that's probably 10^1,000,000 power - working out for the rest of the life that's given to me, yanno?). No point in dwelling on that. No, I thought about getting an ab workout in. I thought about how I'd handle the rain (fresh cut = good ponytail & Yankees cap). I thought about the running program I'm due to start in two weeks. And I thought: "I will definitely need to remember how GOOD this felt. It won't always feel this good".

Then I came home and Zumba'd my abs ;)

To come: getting my BeachBody on (gotta pick up the DVD's), Zumba for the rest of me (including working on my Brazilian samba & booty)n, P90X (e.v.e.n.t.u.a.l.l.y.) and running for fun/life.

I must admit, I never thought I'd own up to working on the FitnessJawn here, but that also feels....honest. I'll post periodically, when something major that's worth sharing comes up. Like loss of a dress size. I'll avoid detailing my charlie horses for your benefit.

Yeah, I wrote that I'm trying to get the saga before the saga back, and that is true..but I still love who I am and what I've got...

...a couple of years back, I visited Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. If you're a long-time reader, you remember me writing about this, right?. If not, click the link, or check the Travel Archives.

I thought I brought a lot of things back with me, including a healthy appreciation for other cultures. But two things just popped back up into my head this summer: Color & Curves.

The Curves: I didn't take nearly enough pictures (I felt a lil weird about snapping other women's booties), but the Brazilian appreciation of the body is well documented. But it's not just about some big-bootied perfection. We saw shirtless Grandfathers, and Grandmothers in bikinis. People were really comfortable with ther bodies and their curves, with their cellulite and fat thighs, and non-flat stomachs and it was very freeing. I almost wanted to don a bikini!

Now, here I am rethinking my feelings about my body. There are parts I really am enamored with - namely the parts that still point to the sky ;) And when I think about fashion and think about what's flattering, I know that the sum look - the total package, weighs more than the individual parts. So instead of focusing on the things I should hide and living in MuMu land with big oversized non-fitting dresses and baggy pants, I embrace my curves, my jiggly parts and enhance the parts of my body I really love.

The Color: I am a fan of black, but it's so heavy and so wintry! And when I think about my trip to South America, I think about all the variances with life here in America, about sand & surf and morning runs on the beach, about dancing & living "Da Vida Brasileira" and about embracing color. Bright blue on my fingernails, and yellow on my toes!

Even in clothes - my favorite fashions for summer are the ones that add color! My pretty maxi dress in its varying shades of blue that mimics the ocean, my black cocktail dress with the huge red poppies at the hem, or even simply adding a dash of teal eyeliner for a pop of color on the face. It all reminds me of the costumes at La Plataforma:

Colorful, curvy, beautiful, and deserving of adoration - that's my reminder of my trip to Brazil, and to me that's summer and that's y I luv what I've got. :-)

This post comes with a parental advisory - gratuitous semi-nudity follows:

picture source: Rod Online 2.0 (thanks for the scans!)

I was flipping through the latest issue of Essence Magazine...yanno, the one with idris Elba on the cover? Whew, yeah...that one. Well, in trying to get an eyeful of Idris, I came across Terrell Owen's full page Essence ad for The T.O. Show. Double whew.

Ok, so have I also mentioned my secret addiction to reality TV shows? Um...ok, I have a very plausible explanation. In working on and finishing my MBA, I never had time to actually fully watch TV or read anything but textbooks - anything with a real plot that I had to follow was to much for me to grasp. Enter Flavor of Love 1. Hence, the start of my addiction.

Fast-forward to now, and I swear I've been really trying to wean myself off of them, by trying to read books, or watching the History Channel (sidenote: the reenactments of legendary war battles on the History Channel are fiyah). It's a real struggle, but I'm trying.

So the last thing I needed was to come across that pic, for that show. First impression from the ad: another self-gratifying 22 minute personal ad for some celebrities over-inflated edo. Yes, I said exactly this to my friend, as drool dripped from my chin onto TO's naked left thigh. Mmm....chocolate.....

...nevertheless, I was resolved. I was not watching this show, no matter how high the potential for more nakedness. Until, this:

Get past TO's overinflated ego (well, that was a given, no?) and you have: a reality show version of "The Game" which is one of my favorite shows, friendship drama, relationship drama, male strippers and a grown man crying and referring to himself in the 3rd person. Hm......sounds like it's right up my alley. Not to mention that I am a fan of Da Bills!

Help me please - I need a reality show intervention!

So, I'm a semi-broke blogger looking for low-cost applications for my spiffy smart cellphone device. And unfortunately for me, it's NOT an iPhone. (insert boo-hoos here...) But it's hard out here for a Windoze-based cellphone user :-(

Yes, I have a Windows Mobile device, and yes - I AM managing to find cool applications for my Windows Mobile based HTC Fuze - such as Twikini!

I'd been testing Twikini out since I re-started twittering and FB-ing recently (I won't even talk about my Facebook addiction at the moment). In any event, I wanted a lightweight application, that didn't cause conflicts with any other running applications, integrated with TwitPic, and provided a look similar to Tweetdeck - and all for the lowest price that a broke blogger like me could afford (i.e. um $4.95 seems like a steal).

Twikini delivered - and it worked well with my use of Selective Twitter on Facebook (w00t), looked a lot like Tweetdeck (see screenshot below):

(note: celeb-Twitter game proper!)

just kidding - but that is a much better screenshot than the one I took. Twikini's pretty cool, no? Yes, it works well, no conflicts, no crashing, other apps - more than kewl for a really low price - get your Twikini here.

btw, did I mention you can try Twikini for free? Yeah, you're gonna wanna click here ;-)

Even as I look at these pictures, I'm amazed, astonished and angry.

My best friend in high school was a photographer. Aspiring, yet always with the camera handy. And I was always "camera ready". Well truthfully - I wasn't, but never had the forethought that the pics would resurface. Or that I'd look so different 28 years later, that I could look at them objectively.

As a classmate of mine stated, I was beautiful, wasn't I? So fresh faced, so young, so vital. Please don't get it twisted - I wasn't vain then, nor am I vain now. If you'd asked me back then, I would've answered that I was kinda cute - but there was always cuter. I was always a geek, even back then - and my own skin fit pretty uncomfortably.

The Q & D was that I'd always been valued first for being smart, even smart enough to skip grades, attend gifted programs and special schools, and be expected to outperform my peers. I usually delivered. Only after that was I valued for being cute. And it was right around the time of this picture, 1980, that I became really uncomfortable with the geek role. And feeling some kinda way about the cute role. I wanted fierce beauty, not fluffy, bunny cute. And for me, fierce = skinny.

I know, I know...It's not like I was fat back then. But fat is so subjective and so relative. I wanted a single-digit size, like my high school friends/classmates. I'd been a chubby little girl, and a growth spurt had sent me to healthy young lady, but I wanted model thin. No booty thin. Curveless thin.

I remember summer of 1980, my best girl friend ate nothing but crackers and pickle juice because she wanted to lose weight. While I admired her resolve and her newly size 6 Calvin Klein jeans, I couldn't torture myself. I'd lose 2 lbs, and then gain it back. The fact that she looked like Barbie, her 34DD disproportionate to her newly small lower body, didn't bother me in the slightest. I wanted to weigh < 120 lbs. I wanted to wear a size 8 or less.

I thought I was fat.

And now, here I am 28, 29 years later. 100+ lbs heavier. Truly fat. Knowing how beautiful I am. I mean really - I now KNOW. But I also know that it's trapped in a body that will eventually kill me, if I don't do something about it. And I'm looking at these pictures thinking - I was so skinny back then. Sheesh.

I'm angry at myself for allowing the excuses (reasons) for getting fat & remaining fat cloud my judgement. And my eating choices. Yeah, I have reasons and they seemed good at the time, but damn - how long will I rely on these excuses to comfort me, knowing I need to handle my handle? The body I'm in isn't the body I want to ride out for the rest of my life - it's just not built for the vision I have for the rest of it. Travel, seeing the world, running, hiking, dancing, moving - all just for the sake of moving; this body isn't the one for that. It's like trying to win a race driving a charter bus.

The question (how do I get her back) is rhetorical. Eat more healthfully, exercise regularly - I know the formula. My problem is getting my mind & body on the same track, given the pain involved and time this will take. And conforming to the eating limits required.

The saga before the saga...She's still here...just have to find her.

So, now that you know I love fashion - please know that I read everything/anything fashion related....from Vogue to the JCPenney catalog. I stalk certain clothing lines for new releases, and look for special finds that fit my budget.

So lately, I've been reading Princess Dominique Dishes Fashion, because she...dishes fashion...lol. She posts the latest and hottest looks - including this:

The Eyes on Me Maxi Dress from Eye Candy Buy Candy - which I happened to have won while reading Princess Dominique's blog! Yanno how you enter contests and think "yeah, I probably won't win, but it's fun to play?" Well I can attest - PrincessDom actually gives away her giveaways :-)

Oh, one other lil thing - Eye Candy Buy Candy has some FIERCE fashions, including the Maxi dress above, as well as this little ditty:

I love the Modern Geisha Wrap Dress too - it's too striking.

Ok, I need to refrain my typing fingers from buying a FEW ECBC dresses - but don't let that stop you ;)

I don't think we've been properly introduced. Hi, I'm saga - and I have a fashion obsession.

*watches as men roll eyes o_O, thinking "don't all women have it?"*

Yes, but I've probably hidden my addiction from these pages more than the avg chick. I may...MAY one day post pics of my overstuffed closet. But for now, I'm obsessing a little over this find from Elle Magazine:

This is The Keybag, designed by João Sabino, and can be found at http://www.joaosabino.pt/

Along with being a geeky girl's (like me) dream (where can you find a purse that expresses inner geekiness more chicly than this) - it's also so representative of found art. Not sure if it was the artist's vision, but it reminds me of South America, where everything is recycled and turned into works of art - everything from empty plastic soda bottles to scrap aluminum. Love that!

João Sabino has more wonderful designs, such as glass bottle salt & pepper shakers, sexy pockes, a seat made of wine glasses, and a really beautiful helium lamp - which can all be found on his Blog: http://joaosabino.blogspot.com/

hola! como esta?

I know it's been a while - but life had me hemmed up, and when that happens - I usually don't have much to say. Compound that with SO MUCH going on in the world and in the everyday, that I just can't find time to blog the way I like to blog. No excuses - but as simple an explanation as I can give.

...meanwhile....

I'm redesigning the website and that's a work in progress. As this pans out, you'll see some things appear & disappear (shouts out to Shazza, for pointing out I misplaced my archives....lol).

But along with that change - I need to change my focus a bit. I've probably spent more time blogging about dating than anything else, and it seems more than a little self indulgent ('specially with that last rant - WOW). If I don't date, I don't post and there's more to life than blogging about it, yanno?

so with that - I may (operative word) focus more on what's topical - current events, culture, fashion (love THAT) - anything BUT my boring dating life....lol.

If you have posts you love and want more of - give me a shout. Meanwhile....I missed y'all :-)