Hair Scare

Tonight at dinner my one of my clients was describing a crusty old co worker of his that had very scary, wiry chest hair that sprang tentacle like from his shirt. I know you know the type.. the medusa like hair that has a life of it's own and jumps out at you like a wooly mammoth from below. I also know you are probably thinking, 1) What an odd conversation to have at a business dinner and 2) Eyew! I am with you, but it did get me thinking about weird hair.

Case in point.. whenever you stay in a hotel, why is there always some random, weird hair lurking in the shower? Creepy. Reminds me of a condo my friend S and I once rented. Our landlord was a local tv personality and rather, um, hirsute. Anyway, there was this hair of his that was permanently stuck in the grout of our shower that we couldn't get out for the life of us. VERY creepy! At least we knew where it came from.

The other random thing about hair that I have to spout about it is the weird stuff that pregnancy does to your hair that nobody tells you about. One cool side effect was that my leg hair totally stopped growing. Not that it's a big deal since I'm blond, but still, I have to say that it was nice to not have to navigate my girth to shave! The other freaky after effect is the hair loss. I'd heard about it but it still freaked me out when I started shedding like a cat in spring.. hair EVERYWHERE. Big ol hunks coming out. It's like, gee, mother nature, not enough that I have to deal with the post partum moods, hormonal sweats etc etc.. but now I'm losing my hair?! I think it's mother nature's way of making you cut your hair so that when your baby gets the grab reflex going you've hacked off your locks in desperation.

I hope I haven't throroughly grossed you out at this point.. just the random thoughts of a tired brain.

Fun in Faketown

Had a fun evening tonight with my dear friend B. I'm in FL on business so it was a great opportunity to see a great girlfriend and have a fun evening sans bebe guilt free! She took me to this beautiful new outdoor mall near her home. I call them fake towns because they simulate a main street with shops and outdoor cafes.. they are truly a marvel to behold, especially as they spring up on former ranch, prairie and otherwise barren land. This was, by far, the best fake town I've been to. Being FL, there is a heavy Disney influence so of course their Christmas tree is bad ass.. huge, with multi color lights, and an amazing sound and light show set to the TransSiberian Orchestra. Very cool!
Anyway, B and I had a great time.. mind you.. we could have a great time anywhere. We work together, and as such have had some interesting adventures.. on a live firing range in CA.. in a very scary bunker in VA, and in the hood of DC. No matter where we go we make it fun and see the humor. Today's fun outing, after copious amounts of food and some wine for good measure, was to Forever XXI. Mind you, I recognize I am well past the demographic but with some strategic shopping there were indeed treasures to be found. This was, bar none, the most amazing version of this store I had ever seen.. two stories, with crystal chandeliers and beautiful sparkly diamantes in the floor.. a teenage girl's fantasy! We were oohing and ahhing over the accessories, every so often emitting squeals of delight.. "Can you BELIEVE this amazing necklace is a mere $3.80?!!" The pair shopping next to us giggled and said they were saying the same thing. I repeated what I had just told B, that if I were 15 I would be in heaven. The girl replied that she WAS 15, and indeed, it was celestial. I was very envious. My 20 year younger self would have gone ga ga for the leopard bustiers and sequined shifts. My pushing 40 self indulged in some fun accessories that will rock.

From there, we went to visit B's new object of affection.. a glorious, shiny red purse at Dillard's. Hands down this is the hottest purse ever. She shimmered at us, winking her patent leather smile at us from a few shelves up. I literally got a chill. B modeled her and we both decided it was meant to be hers. Even when we wistfully bid her goodbye as she won't be coming home with B till payday, she still glowed like a beacon of gorgeousness from accross the store.

A good girlfriend, a glass of wine, and $20 on faux bling.. it doesn't get any better!

The Clothing Collector

I have always loved clothes. As a young girl in Europe my mom used to take me shopping on Saturdays and taught me the fine art of feeling fabric- the lust of a good wool gabardine or the delight in a shimmering taffeta. Her sister (my favorite aunt), with whom I would sometimes spend summers with, furthered the love of frocks as we would troll the racks of Loehman's in Connecticut looking for a deal. Therefore, it's not wonder that my life long love of beautiful clothes and a good deal came to pass.
Standing in my overstuffed and woefully disorganized closet a moment ago I realized I love to collect clothes. It's ironic, because most days find me in jeans and an Old Navy tshirt since I work from home and have a drooling baby. When the occasion does present itself to look hip and pulled together, invariably I panic despite having such a variety to cull from.
In my early twenties, I developed a propensity for shopping for the life I didn't have but would like to have. I would buy sassy little outfits perfect for sunset cocktails in San Tropez or ball gowns for god only knows what. My late twenties were all about cute little club clothes the better with which to impress my friends as we hit the Austin scene. Just like the line in the JC Mellencamp song goes, "All the girls walk by, dressed up for each other".. men are often so oblivious to clothing but your girlfriends can appreciate the cuff on a sleeve or the nap of your velvet!
Interestingly enough, when I met my husband on the cusp of 30, he later told me that the only negative factor he viewed in me is that I always wore pants and no dresses or skirts. Ha! Clearly he didn't delve deep enough into the dark recesses of my wardrobe.
Amusingly enough, now that I am in my late 30's I actually have occasion to wear ball gowns several times a year for work events, but of course all the ones I snapped up in my twenties don't fit my rubenesque mama figure so of course more shopping must occur.

My closet is an interesting jumble of maternity clothes, business suits, mom clothes and of course the whole wistful section of my prebaby size winking at me. I love it all and someday hope to have it organized and all wearable. Meanwhile, it languishes awaiting it's next adventure. Onward!

Creepy Toys

If you know me well, you know that I am a big kid at heart.. I still buy kids books for me, actually LIKE the shows on Noggin, and consider watching cartoons a treat. So, it's really no surprise that the Pumpkin gets a lot of cool toys. Case in point, a few weeks ago we were at the grocery store and were playing around with the Elmo Live doll. Pumpkin thought it was great, and so even though Mommy was rational and didn't buy it on the spot, she ended up getting it on Amazon allegedly as a birthday/Christmas present. The temptation, of course, proved too great, and I had to open it up. This thing is amazing.. it's animatronic and actually interacts with you. Today, I was doing something in the house and all of a sudden it just started randomly talking to me.. "Excuse me, Elmo fell down.. can you please help me?" A little freaked out and annoyed, I ignored him. He persisted for a few more times before finally saying " Elmo thinks this would be a good time to take a nap." You do that buddy. I just hope you don't come back to seek revenge on me for not helping you up while I lay sleeping a la Chucky...

The LadyBugs Have Returned

Last year, in the weeks leading up to the birth of our daughter, we had the most random thing happen...literally HUNDREDS of ladybugs found their way into our bedroom. This is especially odd because of the fact that it was December, and also because they managed to get in past the window screens. It's almost like they were making a statement of some kind. I took it as a good omen, as in German lore ladybugs are considered a sign of good luck and good fortune. Being the kind hearted people that we are, my husband would use our bug vaccuum to suck them up and release them out into the wild. Those tenacious little critters were undaunted, though, and kept coming right back in! Finally, we just learned to live with it and smile, and lo and behold- our daughter was born on Lady Bird Johnson's birthday!

Right around the 1st of December I noticed that they've started coming in again. I wonder what auspicious things are coming our way?? Meanwhile, I will just enjoy them and smile at the jolie coccinelles.

This is what a heroine looks like..

Every year our local paper has a wonderful campaign called Season of Caring. They profile families and individuals that are going through challenging times, and tell their stories along with the things they could use to get back on their feet.
They are all compelling, but one of the women they profiled truly stood out to me this year. Her name is Ala Jacobson, and you can read her story here:
http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/interactive/season_for_caring/index_2008.html?COXnetJSessionIDbuild127_prod=3mtpJ1hch3nXPRMJhXzlP6V9BKPhXfF2R2LXZ6n21nbFRt5CGKVT!-1261596753&UrAuth=aNcNUOcNVUbTTUWUXUaUZTZUaUWU\UWUZU`UbUcTYWVVZV&urcm=y
I am truly in awe of this young woman.. her start in life was clearly challenging, and she's had horrific things happen to her. Somehow, though, despite this, she has managed to perservere and refused to become a victim. Her love for her daughter is breathtaking, and the fact that she is so willing to sacrifice for her speaks volumes to me. She is a model of quiet strength and grace, and an example of what pure love is.

Should you be thus inclined, a donation for her would be wonderful. I share this with you because many times I've wanted to help, share and give and haven't always been sure of the cause. Even if it is the cost of your lattes for a few days it all adds up to make a difference. Clearly, this woman is going to make a difference in this world and I am honored to help be a part of that. Thank you for reading her story.

Random Cheese

I promise I'm not flying high on a triple shot of Starbucks or a shopping euphoric high.. just have a lot of random thoughts in my head that I haven't been able to blog after being in the hinterlands of the south these last few days. ;o)
Plus, after my last soapbox stance I figured something light was in order.


The Pumpkin's latest trick is high fiving. Very cute, and harkens me back to my first job out of college. I worked for a rental car company that is known for hiring only college grads, luring them with the promise of a management career. Given that the economy was crappy in 1992 when I graduated and my dreams of becoming a fashion buyer didn't pan out I begrudgingly took the job. My days consisted of driving people back and forth from the auto mall to our office to rent them cars. We were told to wear skirts, encouraged to go drinking with the service writers, and spend a day a week "marketing" meaning dropping off donuts in short skirts at the dealership. Really pretty pathetic. The cheesiest part of all is that we all had to constantly high five each other, because "Team players high five. A lot. "
I promise you I am not making this up. Needless to say it was a humbling hell hole, and I was a little more than slightly relieved when I got fired on Halloween by a boss in costume for having one too many fender benders. Ever since then I refuse to high five, but ironically my daughter has decided it's the BEST thing EVER, so now I find myself high fiving her. A lot.

Love Thyself

I just got an email from my beautiful friend M. She is a gorgeous, petite dynamo who is in excellent shape due to good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. She's also pregnant with twins. She's shared with me over the last month that some of the women at work make snippy comments about her weight, and say weird random stuff about how huge she is. Mind you, I've seen pictures of her and even almost 5 months pregnant, she's still sleeker than I am after a big meal! I truly wonder, what is it about people that makes them feel compelled to take something so beautiful and attach all sorts of odd, inappropriate labels to it?! Why can't we say something encouraging like, " You are blossoming!" or " You are full of life!" Why does it have to be
" You are as big as a house" or "You look like a whale"? Clearly, these people are obtuse but it just makes you wonder about society in general. I used to be all for the snarky celeb magazines as a fun outlet but lately I'm just so turned off. It's all about bumps and lumps and over examining peoples weight. There's so much more in the world to focus on. Maybe I'm in the minority but I relished being pregnant. Sure, I gained 40 lbs,a bunch of varicose veins and some stretch marks, but the end result was a wonderful life. To me, there is nothing more gorgeous than the feminine swell of a belly. I can't wait to experience it again. ( the heartburn, nausea and insomnia, not so much. ;o))
SO, to all my fellow sisters, I say celebrate yourself. Embrace your curves, and validate your fellow women. The world is a hard enough place without all the silly insecurites society tries to place on us.
Order the cheesecake and savor it. Life is too short!