Sunday, February 26, 2006
Louboutin Fetish
Sunday, February 19, 2006
STYLE FILE: I'm in love with a Bartender or maybe just where he works.
Can I tell you a secret?
Yes, darlings, at the moment, I'm in love with a bartender who evens knows my name. Now I'm not a silly brunette or a drunk but I have found this lovely black-haired (gasp) and blue eye (lovely) southern boy who makes flawless red raspberry martinis (so why wouldn't I be in love him?). In fact as though this love resume isn't strong enough, once he started to tell me about how he designed his home, I was then star-struck and lust filled with amour.
NOBU
After spending a hide away afternoon at the new Getty Villa, head over to Nobu for the finest sushi you may ever have in your life. Master Nobu Matsuhisa hits the wallet but his food hits the tongue in a way you will never forget. Oh and don't forget about the sake....
EL COYOTE
There never to be a problem with getting it on at one of the booths at El Coyote but, why limit yourself?! El Coyote has always been a place of lively drinks and wild times.
JAVIER'S CANTINA & GRILL
In the swell orange county, there exists the stupendous Irvine Spectrum. The Arabic-inspired outdoor shopping mall is the haven for the Ryan Seacrest-inspired crowd. That aside, there is some real eye candy to be found and I'm not talking about the mojitos! Weekends are extremely packed but who really wants to talk anyway? Phone: 949-872-2101
UPS Delivers A Knock-out!
The sun was glorious as UPS delivered a one-two knock on my front door. Right there, in the midst of suburbia nation, I was ready to put my gloves on and fight. Okay, I was excited about the gloves but I'm no "million-dollar babe."
Just a "Million-Dollar Brunette!"
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Round One...Ah...wait miss brunette needs gloves.
From Lexington, Kentucky to Orange County, California, miss brunette is patiently waiting for her set of TKO TKO 501DAGW All Purpose Women's Boxing Gloves 12oz. My fingers are crossed.
Date Time Location Event Details
Feb 15, 2006 07:31:00 AM ANAHEIM CA US Out for delivery
Feb 15, 2006 07:17:00 AM ANAHEIM CA US Out for delivery
Feb 15, 2006 01:28:00 AM ANAHEIM CA US Arrival Scan
Feb 15, 2006 12:51:00 AM VERNON CA US Departure Scan
Feb 14, 2006 11:18:00 AM VERNON CA US Arrival Scan
Feb 14, 2006 11:08:00 AM VERNON CA US Arrival Scan
Feb 14, 2006 06:57:00 AM VERNON CA US Arrival Scan
Feb 10, 2006 02:19:00 PM HODGKINS IL US Departure Scan
Feb 10, 2006 11:52:00 AM HODGKINS IL US Arrival Scan
Feb 10, 2006 08:59:00 AM INDIANAPOLIS IN US Departure Scan
Feb 10, 2006 08:33:00 AM INDIANAPOLIS IN US Arrival Scan
Feb 10, 2006 04:01:00 AM LEXINGTON KY US Departure Scan
Feb 09, 2006 06:32:00 PM LEXINGTON KY US Shipment picked up from seller's facility
Feb 09, 2006 05:12:01 PM US Carrier notified to pick up package
However, I never thought I'd be the sort of respectable woman who would love throwing punches and kicks at a body bag. Yet, when I joined Bodies in Motion it seemed interesting to try a class different from my pilate and yoga routine.
While I assure you that I'll never make it into the ring, I will be a knock-out by summer time if I can only keep up with the boot-camp style, ranting boxing instructors, and timed boxing drills of the kickboxing classes. Needless to say, every girl has got the drive to want to impress those sea-side under the big orange california sun.
Now, I've got to check the mail!
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Love Cocktails for Lovers
Meet the Players:
FADE IN:
INT: A dark lit bar in which Lover#1 and Lover#2 collide.
LOVER #1: I want to love you.
LOVER #2: Love me, Lover. I like your hair.
Not everybody has great hair but, let me dim the lights & show you a magnificent love world of love cocktails that might just script this scenario by tonight.
LOVE COCKTAIL #1
Bésame (Kiss Me)
Bésame, which translates to Kiss Me, is one of the best cocktails for any romantic occasion. An ultra-smooth tequila called Agavero is the key to getting your date to pucker up. Known in Mexico for centuries as a potent aphrodisiac, the essence of the Damiana flower is infused into the tequila which itself is made from 100% blue agave. Love potion mix by Collen Graham from About.com. If you want "Lover Whispers" to happen in your life, head to the bar tonight & just order it!
INGREDIENTS:
2 lime wedges
5-6 raspberries
1 1/2 oz Agavero
passion fruit juice
dash of Chambord
PREPARATION:
1.Muddle limes and raspberries in a highball glass.
2.Add Agavero.
3.Top off with passion fruit juice.
4.Add a splash of Chambord.
5.Pour this mix into a cocktail shaker with ice.
6.Shake well.
7.Strain back into the highball glass.
LOVE COCKTAIL #2
Amortentia
Even Harry Potter gets it on with his love magic. In the Harry Potter series, Amortentia is the strongest Love Potion in the world. In the first Potions Class in Year Six at Hogwarts, Professor Slughorn has four cauldrons full of potion, all of them clearly identified by Hermione Granger. They were Veritaserum, Polyjuice Potion, Felix Felicis, and Amortentia.
It can be recognized by its distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen, its steam rising in characteristic spirals and how it smells. It smells differently to everybody according to what attracts them. We are told how Harry Potter and Hermione Granger perceive the potion. Harry is reminded of treacle tart, a broomstick, and "something flowery he might have smelled at the Burrow", which the reader can infer by the end of the chapter to be somehow connected with Ginny Weasley (possibly a flower-scented perfume). To Hermione it smells like freshly mown grass, new parchment, and something else unspecified (possibly connected with Ron Weasley).
For Brunettes and Lovers alike, where does this info leave us? If anything its:
So, don't feel like you need to hide your computer screen at work when you venture to Bayou Voudoo Potions. Miss Fannie Bell, age 82 years, is working hard in the deep heart of Bayou Lafourche, Louisiana to pass down family recepies for those in need of a little help. Of course voudoo & love don't come cheap. But, for about forty bucks, you can get Velvet Man Trap, Silken Lady Trap, or a bit of Bedroom Bourdeaux. Better start believing!
LOVE COCKTAIL #3
Sexy Up your Hair
At least for this Brunette, hair is sexy. Sex up your hair with a haircut, blow-out, and some sparkle.Beware of the frauds and cons, Brunette Confidential Readers! Radiate your love energy!
Script the life you want!
More importantly, miss brunette wishes everyone a fabulous Happy Valentine's Day and luck in the game of love. And if any gets any action from Bedroom Bourdeaux-immediately contact me!
Thursday, February 09, 2006
February Book File: Seduction (or how I want to seduce my idols)
I swear this is a list of Valentine's inspired books to get the "unconnected" hooked up. Let's point the direction of a Cupid-esque arrow to:
Lady Chatterley's Lover
by D.H. Lawerence
Banned as pornography until the 1960's, Lady Chatterley's Lover was the book I carried around in my 1990's sexual youth. The impeccable style of Lawrence will bring any lady to her knees.
SYNOPSIS
Bold, passionate, and erotic, Lady Chatterley's Lover is a truly classic novel of the twentieth century.
Trapped in a rigid aristocratic marriage and sequestered away on the Chatterley estate, Constance Chatterley is irresistibly drawn to Mellors, the gamekeeper, whose unihibited sexuality and common touch provide a welcome panacea to her husband's neglect. Lyric and beautiful, D.H. Lawrence's paean to sexual love imprisoned by sterile intellectuality and class consciousness has earned its place as one of the most sensual stories ever told.-B&N
The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists
Neil Strauss
The packaging alone will make one feel as if a new bible had been found. Unfortunately, the information loaded into this book is for thefts of the heart and criminals of the love underworld. Yet, for any Brunette or style agent alike, the information is a great defense against the Pickup Artist. Know the game, hustler!
In another great blog, The Dolly at The Truth about Cocks and Dolls, has a short post on PUA (Pick-up Artists).
From the Publisher
In dozens of cities around the world, men meet in underground "lairs" to discuss tactics and strategies for picking up women. Afterwards, they venture into the "field"-bars and clubs-and practice, questing after the holy grail: the perfect girl. Under a pseudonym, New York Times bestselling author Neil Strauss ventured into this bizarre subculture, traveling around the world and meeting the world's greatest seducers, men who claim to have found the combination to unlock a woman's legs-and her heart. There is Ross Jefferies, a master hypnotist on whom Tom Cruise's Magnolia character was based; Mystery, an illusionist who charms showgirls and celebrities; Rick H., a millionaire who turns straight-laced women into bisexual party girls; and Randall P., a spiritualist so powerful that women actually pay him to learn how to better pleasure him.
The Game chronicles Strauss's adventures (and misadventures) undercover in this clandestine world of men who refuse to let traditional rules of dating doom them to unfulfilled lives. Along the way, there are riveting, and often disturbing, profiles of the men who have dedicated their lives to the game-and disciples who will stop at nothing to learn from them. The Game is a journey into a world that most women fear and most men dream of.
The Sex Life of Food: When Body and Soul Meet to Eat
Bunny A. Crumpacker
Is that a real name, Bunny A. Crumpacker? The book is after it's January 2006 publication. Let your mind wrap itself around why movies like Chocolat, Like Water for Chocolate, or 8 1/2 weeks were so loved and adored. Get your primitive urge cooking!
From Publishers Weekly
Sensual, comforting and "tangled into every human emotion," food has long evoked love in all its forms, and Crumpacker (The Old-Time Brand-Name Cookbook) explores how our two most raging appetites play upon each other to soothe, satisfy and seduce. Dishing out gobbets of gastronomic history candied with sweet-tart musings, Crumpacker slices into provisions from apples to wedding cake as symbols beyond mere sustenance. In her gloss, both what and how we eat are expressions of the psyche, unremitting quests to fulfill our most primal urges. She takes particular pleasure in teasing out food's more piquant associations (such as "dripping, fleshy mouthfuls" of fruit). Parsing the subtexts of American chow, she considers fast food (wolfed down in bites, it reflects our aggressive, anxious national temperament), ethnic food (oozing with "a rich, fatty kind of love") and salad bars (delighting with array and abundance), and also makes a case for the restorative intimacy of cooking. The obligatory list of aphrodisiacs appears, though Crumpacker debunks their mystique, sticking to her thesis that "we are all beautiful when we are well loved and... well fed." Though seasoned haphazardly with purple prose, Crumpacker's clever insights and lyrical aphorisms blend into an indulgent read. (Feb. 7) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
The Art of Seduction
Robert Greene
Know Thyself!
The Barnes & Noble Review
According to Ovid, "The first thing to get in your head,/is that every single/Girl can be caught -- and you'’ll catch her if/You set your toils right."” In this intensive study of the seducer'’s art, bestselling author Robert Greene teaches us how to catch elusive lovers by wooing more strategically. Whether the object of your desire is cold, critical, or simply flighty, Greene'’s comprehensive guide to the power games of love will teach you to draw your lover to your lair.
The first lesson in Greene's passion primer is character; we cannot seduce without understanding our own archetypal roles and those of our swooning victims. "“All we need to do to realize our potential is understand what it is in a person's character that naturally excites people,"” Greene urges. With a sense of our own charms, we become more magnetic -- we begin to draw lovers toward us almost effortlessly. Greene delicately divides seductive types into nine basic categories -- the Siren, the Rake, the Ideal Lover, the Dandy, the Natural, the Coquette, the Charmer, the Charismatic, and the Star -- and instructs us in the fine art of radiating each type'’s enticing charms.
Greene next teaches us to recognize the character type of prospective seducees. With a sense of what our love objects desire, Greene hints, we can easily insinuate ourselves into their fantasies. And once we have matched our own charms to anotherÂ’s longing, we are ready to take them, step by step, into our own desires. "Create a false sense of security,"” Greene urges. "Send mixed signals." The heat of seduction is caused by friction, by the thrust and recoil of emotional intimacies. With Greene'’s advice, everyone can create a delicious drama in which to ensnare some darling object. All it takes, according to Greene, is a tenacious grasp of fundamental laws of seduction: the time-tested steps that we all must take to lure another.
Greene's lessons of love are illustrated with quotations from the great masters: Ovid, Shakespeare, Baudelaire, and others. His laws are shocking, amusing -- and they encourage us to think calculatedly about the spells we cast on others. As in Greene's bestselling 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction teaches us to manipulate others with erudition, style, and finesse. (Jesse Gale)
The Lover
A Novel by Marguerite Duras
A Film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud
I discovered this film on a first date with a boy named George. He picked me up in an old Buick with whitewall tires that went 45 miles on the 405 freeway. It was to be one of the more important dates of my life. Not only did we watch a film that was to remain in my sentimental heart for all the days left in my life, George gave me the second most beautiful kiss of my life. I can still remember the scent of his cologne and looking at the inperfections of his teeth. George was the pick-up artist, the seducer, the teacher, and the lover in one body. In the months to come, George moved to San Fransico and broke my heart when he never returned a single one of my letters. I think I cried for a month. Years later, I was in Santa Monica and I noticed from outside the Z Gallerie where I worked for a nano-second a familiar face. It was George. He was playing bongos on the bench with his eyes closed. I touched his shoulder and he opened his eyes. He knew me in an instant. He wanted to have coffee with me that moment. I wanted to kiss him but my broken heart was too betrayed. I lied to him instead. I told him that I was happily in love and my life could not be better. He told me he was living with a woman that he wanted to leave. He started playing his bongos and stopped to look at me. He said we could still have coffee. I told him I had to go. I have never seen him since but, I've never forgotten our long kisses on the carpet of my family's front room or that date that began it all, a movie in hollywood that was playing The Lover.
On the seduction of Idols
Love is dependent of the nature of connection. Brando can scream his mind out under the elevated trains of Paris as much as Liv Taylor can kiss herself in an Italian mirror. And yet, Bernardo Bertolucci never wrote a book. He's a genius of cinematic storytelling that has graced our cinematic culture with some of the timeless images the world has seen. When I was young and in high school, I had wanted to train with Bertolucci. I spent my days at the beach writing letters to him and talking about the promise of my talent. Those letters have long been scattered into the ebb and tide of the sea but my desire to seduce my idol has never left. Over ten years later and I find myself with limited days in which I have to find him. But, I am planning a trip to Italy this summer and perhaps I may find him walking along the Italian shores waiting for me to arrive. The greatest wonder of love is the ability to dream.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
The Self-Evident Nature of Media
Professional reputation is a constant struggle in any work place. Lawyers, doctors, and used car salesmen have one common thread between their work and their reputation: Believability. Peter Jennings said: “The worth of a journalist is to be believed and that is the greatest achievement of any journalist.” Building trust in a doctor and patient relationship is vital to the act of medicine. Building trust and a reputation of honesty between a writer and a reader relies on the same set of principles. A reader expects due diligence from a writer, a reliable work ethic in gathering materials, and honesty in every last stroke of the key.
“Self-made men are self-evident,” wrote James Frey in his harrowing non-fiction novel on alcohol and drug-abuse recovery. In one of the greatest stories of author betrayal of 2006, James Frey is burning at the stake due to fictional embellishments and fabrications in his “non-fiction” novel. Selected by the most powerful book of the month club, Oprah Winfrey, was at the forefront of the Frey debate when the infamous The Smoking Gun reported January 6th with news that Frey had lied to his reading public. Unfortunately, Oprah was duped and so were all of the people involved with the publication, marketing, and promotion of his book. Frey attempted to ease some of the reputations that he damaged by re-appearing on the Oprah show in a self-styled confessional. In the end, Frey’s agent fired him, the publishers Doubleday and Anchor books has published this apologetic statement to readers:
" It is, however, Doubleday and Anchor's policy to stand with our authors when accusations are initially leveled against their work, and we continue to believe this is right and proper. A publisher's relationship with an author is based to an extent on trust. Mr. Frey's repeated representations of the book's accuracy, throughout publication and promotion, assured us that everything in it was true to his recollections. When the Smoking Gun report appeared, our first response, given that we were still learning the facts of the matter, was to support our author. Since then, we have questioned him about the allegations and have sadly come to the realization that a number of facts have been altered and incidents embellished.
We bear a responsibility for what we publish, and apologize to the reading public for any unintentional confusion surrounding the publication of A Million Little Pieces."
Self-made men may seem to be self-evident but every man or woman must be able to prove their claims. Frey could have easily have promoted his writing career by having sold his novel as anything but non-fiction. In this extreme example, Frey has effected more than his own career. He has damaged his reputation, weakened the credibility of those that he has worked with, and he has momentarily widened the credibility gap between the media and the public. Will Frey write another novel? Most likely he will and hopefully Frey will not place himself at the center of controversy and instead focus on the act of responsible writing. After all, the media reputation is made one writer at a time.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
January Hero: STYLE WORKS
Who has ever believed that style was unaffordable or for the jet-set alone? Not moi! One of the motivating factors that led me toward interior design was that I had the desire to make design accessible at every income bracket. Beautiful streets, well designed homes, and lovely wardrobes should be accessible to everyone. Without heading into current economic theory (as every brunette would love to do), I wanted to highlight the efforts of a unique set of individuals in Brooklyn, NYC that has made style a thing for all.
Since 1999, StyleWorks has been working with individuals that are making that challenging transition from welfare to the work force. Style is the muse of self-expression and self-worth. In order to make clients less intimidated by the corporate work world, an initial appointment consultation is set-up to discuss hair & skin, style overview, and interview etiquette. The second appointment is set at the salon which has been generously donated by the salon. All hair, make-up, and style services rendered to the client are also donated services given to styleworks. After all the waxing, preening, cutting, and make-up applications, clients leave with a goodie bag of products donated by sponsors like Clariol Herbal Essences, Black Opal, Calvin Klein, Kenneth Cole, and PEN American Center (some of these corporate sponsors donate goods, products, or services for a minimum of 6 months). C'est tres wonderful! Afterward the client is eligible to join a mentoring program or a book club (love it!). I'm one brunette that can recognize the absolute worth of this charity! What a wondrous program that should inspire stylists and fashionistas across the country. Once people can get over that "exclusiveness" of fashion and recognize the humanity under the threads, our world might just be a healthier and happy place.
Check out styleworks @ STYLE WORKS
Their website even includes hair & make-up tips, tension & stress buster, and information concerning the book of the month! I'm truly in heaven when I think about all the awesome stuff this organization has got going! When is this organization going national?! I guess its just one hair cut at a time.
Since 1999, StyleWorks has been working with individuals that are making that challenging transition from welfare to the work force. Style is the muse of self-expression and self-worth. In order to make clients less intimidated by the corporate work world, an initial appointment consultation is set-up to discuss hair & skin, style overview, and interview etiquette. The second appointment is set at the salon which has been generously donated by the salon. All hair, make-up, and style services rendered to the client are also donated services given to styleworks. After all the waxing, preening, cutting, and make-up applications, clients leave with a goodie bag of products donated by sponsors like Clariol Herbal Essences, Black Opal, Calvin Klein, Kenneth Cole, and PEN American Center (some of these corporate sponsors donate goods, products, or services for a minimum of 6 months). C'est tres wonderful! Afterward the client is eligible to join a mentoring program or a book club (love it!). I'm one brunette that can recognize the absolute worth of this charity! What a wondrous program that should inspire stylists and fashionistas across the country. Once people can get over that "exclusiveness" of fashion and recognize the humanity under the threads, our world might just be a healthier and happy place.
Check out styleworks @ STYLE WORKS
Their website even includes hair & make-up tips, tension & stress buster, and information concerning the book of the month! I'm truly in heaven when I think about all the awesome stuff this organization has got going! When is this organization going national?! I guess its just one hair cut at a time.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Down with work, Up with Love
A dizzy morning of organizing my book shelves. Though, exactly why I'm wasting my time organizing my magazines, catalogs, and interior design books is beyond me. I certainly wasting time and putting off the real work that is ahead of me. Namely, I am fifty something pages away from finishing my newest novel. Yep, I don't believe that I've mentioned the fact that I have a personal passion for fiction. But, this morning I think I need a wee-bit of caffeine in order to get the passion kick started. If my book gets published, I've promised myself to return back to the above pen shop in Florence to pick a new pen for the new book. Of course, I'll be back at Cafe Pitti across from Boboli Gardens to get one very special cappacino made for me again!
This could all be the result of drinking microbrew beer (which I never do-I love a great martini) and a date that well..went sour at the end. I met Mr. Golf two weeks ago at a bar in Dana Point. I thought he was a bit blitzed but kind of attractive and perhaps even intelligent. As it turned out last night, we was a combination of all those things. In fact, I even liked him. It seems like things are on the up for Miss Brunette (even though he called me a blonde-I'll forgive him). We meet at red robin inspired restaurant called BJ Brewery. My first taste of the the chain-restaurant ambiance in Irvine. He was a kinda of quiet talker that spoke in spurts of conversation. He loves jazz and alfred hitchcock movies! Some of my favorite things. So what exactly went wrong? This one is a biggie... At the end of the evening, we had come to that awkward point of having to part paths. He put his arms out for a big hug and leaned in for the big kiss. I had no means of thinking, as it should be, and I turned my head and gave him a cheek hug! Whoops, dude, I'm just not that in to you. I laughed afterward because I was embarrassed but who wants to be smacking it up in the front of BJ's brewery? Ah, but, everyone knows a fool in love. I thought I had been attracted to him but when it came right down to it, I had wasn't. That's why one should date. As I said that I looked forward to playing tennis with him, I swung off the possibility of ever getting involved with him. A girl needs a lover and a friend in the boys she that picks. Or at least, a lover!
Yet, all is not lost, I have met someone that is a real possibility but I'd rather not go into that one yet. Suffice it to say that he a beautiful guy that I know I'm definitely spice & chocolate over. And we kissed only hours after meeting in the middle of a crowded dance floor playing hard rap music! Nothing is ever sensible with love.
So what about this book? I have only a couple of hours left to write until I have to hit the job that is paying my bills. At least my hands are warmed up-yes, I've written my book by hand-and I'm going to head out for a coffee. Perhaps I should have titled this quick blog entry as Down with Love and Up with Work. I'll get things right one of these days.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Room or Board
As the holiday for lovers awaits all of us in the near future (see your calendar date: February 14), I've been hearing many of my attached ladies bring up some important smack: To Room or to board. What exactly do I mean? What is that single Brunette that is waiting for her hot bubbly bath talking about? I'm talking about living with your boy. I'm talking about girls that feel that something in the relationship may just move forward if they shake or nod their head in one direction or the other.
Perhaps all of this is coming out of the wood work at the same time time because for many February is still in the that bubbly start of the new year. For many that have been dating for the year or two years, or what ever your mark may be, then it may be a question that is in your near future.
Let's take a look at the few things that are involved:
1. Space planning
I had just graduate from the Art Institute of Chicago and I wasn't ready to return to the california. Unfortunate for my sake, my then boyfriend hadn't told his out-of-state parents when they made an unscheduled appearance the morning after I moved in. The kitchen had a palm tree and all of my clothes strung about on the table, chairs, and the stove. I had spent that night, lucky old me, in my old lofted-dorm apartment that looked down to Marshall Field's and was directly across from the wonderful Louis Sullivan facade on Carson Pirie Scott.
A side note to this story as it pop into my mind is that I where I lived was directly across from the Carson Pirie Scott bed department. I had ample time to watch young, new, and old couples kicking back on the model floor display. I also watched the single ladies and men roam in a more absent way through the same department. Of course, there were many times I realized that they were watching me back and I had to hit the deck and crawl to my bathrobe. But, that's another story.
I had borrowed my boyrfriend's apartment key when I walked in and saw his parents standing in the kitchen who knew better than that there son had started to wear pink undies. Yep, slightly embarassed. But, planning room in any situation can be strained and it has to be done.
Once his parents left, I realized that his Cost Plus Havana style couch was going to stay. And it being made of bamboo and a few too many years old made it an eye sore. I had told myself as a young girl that I would never cross that line of being unmarried and living with a guy. Yet, I also realized that my prince charming wasn't going to defeat an evil army to steal me away from my locked castle room nor did I think that I would marry Mr. Right as a virgin. Some childhood dreams crash and burn with age. Okay, what was I talking about? Oh yeah, if you move in with a guy, you are going to make some sacrifices.
2. Sort the Bills
I knew an old grumpy photographer in Chicago that had a partner. I had thought he was gay for like four months until I met his partner that was a women. They had been living together for over seven years which I believes means that the couple is automatically married (Common law marriage is the quiant term I think, I'm not going to look this one up because I want to take my bath). That's beside the point or maybe he was grumpy for other reasons. For instance, I learned that he had never bought his partner a meal. He had split the cost in half ever since they dated. Strange in my book? I love to buy people drinks and meals. I love it even more when I have my loved one buy me lattes and chocolate! I couldn't imagine the strain of a living realtionship being cut so severe;y down the middle. Couples have to set up their financial agreement before moving into the same place. This can led to disagreements or unhappiness and cause relationship strain until a settlement occurs. This is one of the least romantic moments in the whole process of moving in together. Later in my working relationship with this photographer, I had other friends that were close to him explain to me how taxing the whole arrangement was for him and his partner. I was told that he was always bitter about some portion of a bill that his partner hadn't paid. I think the other lesson is: Don't move in with a cheap-o.
3. Romance
Baby, we all want some afterglow! We're loving each other like we do in order to find a slice of peace and heaven under the oak tree. Oh and romance. I've dated relationship phobics (why? don't ask me? just too darn good looking to stay away!) who had constantly recited to me something along these lines: Take a jar and put a penny for each time the afterglow is in effect for the first year of marriage. As the saying goes, all the pennies in the jar at the end of the year will be the amount of loves sessions left for the entire marriage. I didn't date him for long. But, keeping the love motion exciting is a dilema. The only boy that I did live with ended up in complete afterglow melt-down.
OVERALL
A short conclusion. Don't do it. Okay. Maybe you wondering how such a level-headed blog entry got to this conclusion. Like I said, I have a bath to take & it just doesn't work. If you're considering to room alone or board with your boy, this brunette says keep your room. Virigina Woolf will side with me.
Perhaps all of this is coming out of the wood work at the same time time because for many February is still in the that bubbly start of the new year. For many that have been dating for the year or two years, or what ever your mark may be, then it may be a question that is in your near future.
Let's take a look at the few things that are involved:
1. Space planning
I had just graduate from the Art Institute of Chicago and I wasn't ready to return to the california. Unfortunate for my sake, my then boyfriend hadn't told his out-of-state parents when they made an unscheduled appearance the morning after I moved in. The kitchen had a palm tree and all of my clothes strung about on the table, chairs, and the stove. I had spent that night, lucky old me, in my old lofted-dorm apartment that looked down to Marshall Field's and was directly across from the wonderful Louis Sullivan facade on Carson Pirie Scott.
A side note to this story as it pop into my mind is that I where I lived was directly across from the Carson Pirie Scott bed department. I had ample time to watch young, new, and old couples kicking back on the model floor display. I also watched the single ladies and men roam in a more absent way through the same department. Of course, there were many times I realized that they were watching me back and I had to hit the deck and crawl to my bathrobe. But, that's another story.
I had borrowed my boyrfriend's apartment key when I walked in and saw his parents standing in the kitchen who knew better than that there son had started to wear pink undies. Yep, slightly embarassed. But, planning room in any situation can be strained and it has to be done.
Once his parents left, I realized that his Cost Plus Havana style couch was going to stay. And it being made of bamboo and a few too many years old made it an eye sore. I had told myself as a young girl that I would never cross that line of being unmarried and living with a guy. Yet, I also realized that my prince charming wasn't going to defeat an evil army to steal me away from my locked castle room nor did I think that I would marry Mr. Right as a virgin. Some childhood dreams crash and burn with age. Okay, what was I talking about? Oh yeah, if you move in with a guy, you are going to make some sacrifices.
2. Sort the Bills
I knew an old grumpy photographer in Chicago that had a partner. I had thought he was gay for like four months until I met his partner that was a women. They had been living together for over seven years which I believes means that the couple is automatically married (Common law marriage is the quiant term I think, I'm not going to look this one up because I want to take my bath). That's beside the point or maybe he was grumpy for other reasons. For instance, I learned that he had never bought his partner a meal. He had split the cost in half ever since they dated. Strange in my book? I love to buy people drinks and meals. I love it even more when I have my loved one buy me lattes and chocolate! I couldn't imagine the strain of a living realtionship being cut so severe;y down the middle. Couples have to set up their financial agreement before moving into the same place. This can led to disagreements or unhappiness and cause relationship strain until a settlement occurs. This is one of the least romantic moments in the whole process of moving in together. Later in my working relationship with this photographer, I had other friends that were close to him explain to me how taxing the whole arrangement was for him and his partner. I was told that he was always bitter about some portion of a bill that his partner hadn't paid. I think the other lesson is: Don't move in with a cheap-o.
3. Romance
Baby, we all want some afterglow! We're loving each other like we do in order to find a slice of peace and heaven under the oak tree. Oh and romance. I've dated relationship phobics (why? don't ask me? just too darn good looking to stay away!) who had constantly recited to me something along these lines: Take a jar and put a penny for each time the afterglow is in effect for the first year of marriage. As the saying goes, all the pennies in the jar at the end of the year will be the amount of loves sessions left for the entire marriage. I didn't date him for long. But, keeping the love motion exciting is a dilema. The only boy that I did live with ended up in complete afterglow melt-down.
OVERALL
A short conclusion. Don't do it. Okay. Maybe you wondering how such a level-headed blog entry got to this conclusion. Like I said, I have a bath to take & it just doesn't work. If you're considering to room alone or board with your boy, this brunette says keep your room. Virigina Woolf will side with me.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Bravo!
If you're like most commuters in Orange County, then the freeway traffic gets tiresome. Maybe you got dinner via your favorite drive-thru, and damn, you're home with only few hours before its time to sleep. What's a brunette got to do have some fun? How about rip some lace, wear a Venetian-styled mask, or let your stomach hang out?! Bravo! Have fun indeed at somebody else's expense. Project Runway has set the stage for creative drama. Don't think I'm just an Orange County Blogger typing about reality TV shows (okay, sometimes it seems that way!) but, I've graduated from the best art institute in the country & these tiny episodes kinda of scratch up those old competitive memories.
So, No, darling, this Brunette isn't loosing her edge, I'm sharpening my shears! I might not be able to cut a flawless pattern, tailor a sleeve, or embellish a suit with roses but, I can get inspired to be fashion forward. And that's what a brunette really wants...to undercut the competition!
PS If season two is happening for you, then click here to place a bid in the auctions for the designs seen on TV. Whoa...Does that dress come with that little red "Made for TV" box? I don't know but hand's off Zulema Ice Skating costume. It's mine!
So, No, darling, this Brunette isn't loosing her edge, I'm sharpening my shears! I might not be able to cut a flawless pattern, tailor a sleeve, or embellish a suit with roses but, I can get inspired to be fashion forward. And that's what a brunette really wants...to undercut the competition!
PS If season two is happening for you, then click here to place a bid in the auctions for the designs seen on TV. Whoa...Does that dress come with that little red "Made for TV" box? I don't know but hand's off Zulema Ice Skating costume. It's mine!
Monday, January 16, 2006
January's Most Wanted List
If over indulgence during the holidays has left you feeling guilty, then don't fret. You can keep the indulgences up without the risk.
1. My Milkshakes are Better than Yours
Shake it up in an hot Italian style bath by Aquolina. The scent only will make you wish that calories were a thing of the past. The hydrolyzed milk proteins that will richly hydrate your January skin will make you the tasty sweet. 5 bucks at Sephora.
2. Retreat
Is it already too early in the year to want to escape? Not if the winter blues have got you wishing you were anywhere else. Of course, you can always just take a web visit and join the Chic Retreat Club to be inspired for the year!
3. Turn the Heat Up
Ladies, you don't have a man to buy these sexy little shorts! No! You can just visit the UK figleaves website and dream about the hotties waiting to meet you. Gentleman, these shorts will turn the heat up!
4. Help Your Soul
Got issues? Want to change your life? Need a mental boost?
Oprah's, O magazine, had spent an entire issue on helping lost souls find the path to making things happen. There is no reason to have a glum year. So go ahead, get happy, for about the cost of a coffee.
5. Make it
Do something with those talents! Make a sculpture, shoot a film, or practice your viola. January is the best month to practice to make perfect. Get inspired by watching a movie or visiting a movie. The world is limitless if you only understand it to be that way.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
A Killer New Beginning
Leaving Orange County via freeway, I found the start of my year headed on a lonesome highway to a beautiful remote farm community on the flip-side of Palm Springs. Like most things beautiful and wild in California, developers know where people want to live. Farms were quickly being bought and developed. I had trouble finding the location of the new model home tract. But, I made it.
I spent the first week working from 7:45AM to 10:30PM without a ten or fifteen minute break, food and water was what I managed to sneak into the construction site. This brunette was in the mood to kill.
Most of the work consisted in managing the moving company by placing all the furniture, lighting, and accessories into four models homes. My project manager, which had me selecting furniture (her job) and ordering the furniture (my job) from the first week of working with the company, became a monster. It was tragic to watch my project manager enjoy the crass power of mistreating people. Every piece of furniture that was built or placed was always the fault of the moving company. Her attitude was something I had grown acquainted with over the months. Yet, when I had a member associated with the project install that was outside of the company ask me why my project manager treated me so debasing and rudely, I had several loose elements of thoughts clicked into place. But there were a few perks when my project manager forgot about the tasks she assigned to me.
Determined to stay at a safe hotel, the firm had bought hotel rooms at the South Coast Winery in Temecula. Since they weren't giving us breaks or even a proper thirty minutes to lunch, I felt it was fabulous staying in villas that were sprinkled throughout wine country. Not that any of the girls were enjoying it.
On Wednesday evening, I was exhausted. It was 10:45PM and we had yet another day of illegal work hours. I was exhausted. The project manager went to use the restroom and I asked the rest of the team when we might be wrapping up. My room mate back at the hotel, who happens to be 20 weeks pregnant, perked up at the idea leaving. She made the suggestion that she would ask the project manager when she returned. The project manager returned back to the model home kitchen and pulled another Bud Light from the 24 case. Her nose was red and rosy like a holiday lush. My room mate politely asked "What time we were expecting to wrap up?" The project manager flipped the beer can open and said, "When we're done."
I have the bad habit of falling asleep when I drive too late and I felt it wasn't appropriate for me to take the chance of crashing the company van. Since it was still a thirty minute drive on a dark two-lane highway, I told her that I wouldn't be able to continue working for the evening. Oh, the disgruntle and sour faces from all of team members. But, hey, since the owner of the company told me that I was "getting paid as a professional and salaried creative employee at a non-living wage" I knew that meant that I wasn't getting paid over time. I was back at the hotel by 11:30PM. I took a bath and I went to sleep.
The remaining team mates returned back to the hotel by 1:30AM.
The alarm buzzed at 7:00AM the next morning.
The passive-aggressive nature of the business was already in effect. As a subtle means of further pushing me outside of the group, I was told to sit in the hotel room and wait for a package to arrive. I asked twice for information concerning the parcel like who was sending the package and what were its contents, but I was told to just wait. A brunette always like a little mystery even if its before breakfast. Next on my agenda was, of course, breakfast. She told me to eat before returning to the construction site. Hmmm...My exile-esque punishment sounded too good to be true. I pulled the drapes back and it revealed double French doors and patio furniture. A good girl always enjoys a bit of punishment! South Coast Winery is akin to a five star hotel! You couldn't keep the grin off this Brunette.
Let's make a long story short.
I had the hotel forward any calls to my cell phone. Outside the villas, there were several hot air balloons over the vineyards that were so low that you could almost touch their wicker baskets and lift into the sky. The morning sunshine was preparing for eighty degree weather. I took breakfast at the lodge, received impeccable service, and leafed through Travel Savvy Magazine while staring at Villas in the vineyard. On returning to the hotel without a single interruption, I changed into my bathing suit and lounged in the patio furniture and watched the morning mist burn off in the distance. I spent the next three hours working on my novel and soaking up a tan. I didn't get a call until 11:30 to return back to the installation. As it turned out, the package had been delivered to the hotel at 7:00AM but to a different office. Sometimes, life does you little favors.
I spent the rest of the week working hard and diligently like every day in which I work at the company. On the final days of the installation, I detested that everything that was ordered into these homes were promptly destroyed in order to prevent theft. I didn't enjoy working illegal and non-paid hours. I really was angry that the passive-aggressive nature of the company environment would allow a pregnant woman to work long and hard hours without rest, food, or water. Mostly everything about the company, wasn't inline with my values and my work ethics. I finished the work week.
Monday morning I handed in a four-page resignation letter.
My project manager had told me that my sweet and dear pregnant room mate/colleague had worked herself to the point of being bruised and swollen and it hadn't helped her situation that she was already carrying her child in a low position. She was at the doctor while I was packing my things.
Darling, if I can communicate anything, its this: Create your Dreams. I thought back to the vineyards of Temecula. I could remember in my childhood listening to neighbors talk about the ambitious vineyards outside of Riverside. The idea of vineyards in Inland Empire never seemed as poetic as a drive up the coast to Napa. I watched the adults scoff at the concept and laugh at their endeavors. But, as I had walked through the scraggly thin vines of this emerging vineyard, I came across a cluster of delicate and petite green grapes. The urge of life and growth was in the soil and it was seeping into me. The vineyards are an attestment in faith. A bird I had never seen before with a bright yellow chest flew to a nearby fence. Birds never question the future. They work hard to prevent hunger and the deal with the environment. I had not spent my first adult years to work at environment such as this. That single morning supplied countless ideas and dreams that I intend to create.
I took my things at lunch and I left the interior design firm. Most of the people at the company had told me that they were extremely disappointed I had chosen to leave.
But, they are more beautiful horizons to journey forth and see.
I spent the first week working from 7:45AM to 10:30PM without a ten or fifteen minute break, food and water was what I managed to sneak into the construction site. This brunette was in the mood to kill.
Most of the work consisted in managing the moving company by placing all the furniture, lighting, and accessories into four models homes. My project manager, which had me selecting furniture (her job) and ordering the furniture (my job) from the first week of working with the company, became a monster. It was tragic to watch my project manager enjoy the crass power of mistreating people. Every piece of furniture that was built or placed was always the fault of the moving company. Her attitude was something I had grown acquainted with over the months. Yet, when I had a member associated with the project install that was outside of the company ask me why my project manager treated me so debasing and rudely, I had several loose elements of thoughts clicked into place. But there were a few perks when my project manager forgot about the tasks she assigned to me.
Determined to stay at a safe hotel, the firm had bought hotel rooms at the South Coast Winery in Temecula. Since they weren't giving us breaks or even a proper thirty minutes to lunch, I felt it was fabulous staying in villas that were sprinkled throughout wine country. Not that any of the girls were enjoying it.
On Wednesday evening, I was exhausted. It was 10:45PM and we had yet another day of illegal work hours. I was exhausted. The project manager went to use the restroom and I asked the rest of the team when we might be wrapping up. My room mate back at the hotel, who happens to be 20 weeks pregnant, perked up at the idea leaving. She made the suggestion that she would ask the project manager when she returned. The project manager returned back to the model home kitchen and pulled another Bud Light from the 24 case. Her nose was red and rosy like a holiday lush. My room mate politely asked "What time we were expecting to wrap up?" The project manager flipped the beer can open and said, "When we're done."
I have the bad habit of falling asleep when I drive too late and I felt it wasn't appropriate for me to take the chance of crashing the company van. Since it was still a thirty minute drive on a dark two-lane highway, I told her that I wouldn't be able to continue working for the evening. Oh, the disgruntle and sour faces from all of team members. But, hey, since the owner of the company told me that I was "getting paid as a professional and salaried creative employee at a non-living wage" I knew that meant that I wasn't getting paid over time. I was back at the hotel by 11:30PM. I took a bath and I went to sleep.
The remaining team mates returned back to the hotel by 1:30AM.
The alarm buzzed at 7:00AM the next morning.
The passive-aggressive nature of the business was already in effect. As a subtle means of further pushing me outside of the group, I was told to sit in the hotel room and wait for a package to arrive. I asked twice for information concerning the parcel like who was sending the package and what were its contents, but I was told to just wait. A brunette always like a little mystery even if its before breakfast. Next on my agenda was, of course, breakfast. She told me to eat before returning to the construction site. Hmmm...My exile-esque punishment sounded too good to be true. I pulled the drapes back and it revealed double French doors and patio furniture. A good girl always enjoys a bit of punishment! South Coast Winery is akin to a five star hotel! You couldn't keep the grin off this Brunette.
Let's make a long story short.
I had the hotel forward any calls to my cell phone. Outside the villas, there were several hot air balloons over the vineyards that were so low that you could almost touch their wicker baskets and lift into the sky. The morning sunshine was preparing for eighty degree weather. I took breakfast at the lodge, received impeccable service, and leafed through Travel Savvy Magazine while staring at Villas in the vineyard. On returning to the hotel without a single interruption, I changed into my bathing suit and lounged in the patio furniture and watched the morning mist burn off in the distance. I spent the next three hours working on my novel and soaking up a tan. I didn't get a call until 11:30 to return back to the installation. As it turned out, the package had been delivered to the hotel at 7:00AM but to a different office. Sometimes, life does you little favors.
I spent the rest of the week working hard and diligently like every day in which I work at the company. On the final days of the installation, I detested that everything that was ordered into these homes were promptly destroyed in order to prevent theft. I didn't enjoy working illegal and non-paid hours. I really was angry that the passive-aggressive nature of the company environment would allow a pregnant woman to work long and hard hours without rest, food, or water. Mostly everything about the company, wasn't inline with my values and my work ethics. I finished the work week.
Monday morning I handed in a four-page resignation letter.
My project manager had told me that my sweet and dear pregnant room mate/colleague had worked herself to the point of being bruised and swollen and it hadn't helped her situation that she was already carrying her child in a low position. She was at the doctor while I was packing my things.
Darling, if I can communicate anything, its this: Create your Dreams. I thought back to the vineyards of Temecula. I could remember in my childhood listening to neighbors talk about the ambitious vineyards outside of Riverside. The idea of vineyards in Inland Empire never seemed as poetic as a drive up the coast to Napa. I watched the adults scoff at the concept and laugh at their endeavors. But, as I had walked through the scraggly thin vines of this emerging vineyard, I came across a cluster of delicate and petite green grapes. The urge of life and growth was in the soil and it was seeping into me. The vineyards are an attestment in faith. A bird I had never seen before with a bright yellow chest flew to a nearby fence. Birds never question the future. They work hard to prevent hunger and the deal with the environment. I had not spent my first adult years to work at environment such as this. That single morning supplied countless ideas and dreams that I intend to create.
I took my things at lunch and I left the interior design firm. Most of the people at the company had told me that they were extremely disappointed I had chosen to leave.
But, they are more beautiful horizons to journey forth and see.
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