Random 10

I'm going to copy my buddy James today and post the Random 10 songs from my iPod. Today it did a very strange thing - it skipped to the same CD - twice. Not overly random, but I was happy to hear Used to Love her as it is one of my favorite G N' R tunes.

I also have to insert the disclaimer that I ripped a bunch of random CDs from a friend with very questionable taste in music. As penance, I forced myself to listen to the entire song. But hey...at least I didn't buy a pair of her boots. ;)

Here they are:

You're Crazy - Guns N' Roses (acoustic version from G N' R Lies)
Used to Love Her - Guns N' Roses
Everyday See You - Jessica Simpson
Rapsodia - Andrea Bocelli
Saint Joe on the School Bus - Marcy Playground
The Right Profile - The Clash
See You - Depeche Mode
Something - The Beatles
The Line Begins to Blur - Nine Inch Nails
Romanza - Andrea Bocelli

Praise (insert deity here)

I was having a mini freak-out today....I thought I lost HotPod! I'd best explain...HotPod is what I named my video iPod. The spousal unit originally bought me the iPod photo, which I christened MyPod. That puppy fritzed out less than a month after the warranty expired. Fortunately the folks at Apple were very generous, and replaced it anyway - with a refurbished video iPod! I was so thrilled that I had to give this one a sexier name...hence, HotPod.

Fortunately, a search unearthed HotPod in the glove compartment of my car. Phew!!!!!

Might be moving further east...more on that after this Friday.

Home again, jiggity jig

I'm back. The drinking streak has been extended to 8 days, and will continue tonight. After that I'm shutting it down - my poor body needs to recuperate.

Wicked bad hair

Oh, the joy of being a tech geek. This is what I encountered in one of my conference sessions today. Man, my cell phone camera sucks. But this is a balding, curly, red-haired mullet in a ponytail. So much ugliness all rolled up into one!

Oyyyyyyy

I've been drunk for the past 6 days. Ouch. My dear friend chelene is right - alcohol should not be free. Especially when you're expected to "work" the next day.

On the plus side, I may have E. Coli.

Crossed legs, bulging toes, and jiggly bellies

I ran across this story yesterday. Colombian wives and girlfriends of criminals are imposing a sex ban on their men to try to get them out of the gangster life. I think this is a fresh, fabulous approach that just might work if the women maintain a united front. The catch is that I think there will always be women out there drawn to that sort of man.

Speaking of crossed legs, I've come up with a poll. Which do you think is worse - camel toe or muffin top? If you're confused, I've included pictures of both.


I call this masterpiece "Kim-el Toe"


The NY Daily News hates muffin top too!

Personally I vote for muffin top. Not because it has a higher ick factor, but because it seems to be much more rampant and because actual flesh (that should be hidden) is exposed.

Oh, and you gotta check out cameltoe.org. It's heeelarious as well as equal opportunity for men and women. And as Kimmie illustrates above, they've got some classic celebrity shots. Who knew Dick Cheney should really be called Balls Cheney?

New yoga

So the yoga instructor I'd been going to for the past 2 years no longer teaches at my gym. She claims it's because she's going to massage school and doesn't have time, but I suspect that she's picking up more classes at the yoga studio she also teaches at and is making more money. And I can hardly blame her. I'd follow her there, but I ain't driving all the way down to Cherry Hills, even if John Elway might show up.

So this meant I needed to find a new studio. I kicked the idea of Bikram around, but am a little hesitant as I tried it once and found it very intense. As luck would have it, I found a flyer at work on our discounts table for a studio nearby that would let me try my first class for free. I went tonight, and it was great! I think I'll go back.

But I'm still bummed about having to shell out extra money to continue to practice. I got spoiled having such a good instructor at my gym. Pout.

OK, it's kitschy, it's teenage, and it's a little bit silly. But I have to admit...Justin Timberlake rocks my world. I've preordered his latest CD from iTunes and am anxious to go download it this evening.



I think that JT's falsetto crooning evokes memories of swooning over Michael Jackson during the Thriller days. I used to watch MTV vigilantly, awaiting the next time they would play the Thriller video. Thank heaven the voice is where the similarities end. Trying to picture Cameron Diaz dating MJ - nuh uh!!! Well, maybe MJ as he was on Thriller - pre super-freak (though just barely).

The Barney's warehouse sale

First off...the timing. This sale happens twice a year every February and August. I understand that the most excellent goodies get picked over the first day - there was a Will & Grace episode about it and from what I can tell it probably wasn't too far off - people snatching things out of each others' hands, etc. It was winding down when I got there on August 31st. The good news about that? Additional markdowns.

Next...the location. It's not at the main Barney's uptown on Madison but down in what is normally their Co-op store on 17th in Chelsea. It really did look like a warehouse to me, so I have a hard time picturing what the Co-op normally looks like. We were guided in by employees who handed us flyers reminding us that shoplifters would be prosecuted. The womens' stuff was upstairs and the mens' in the basement. The spousal unit went down to the basement but was quickly overwhelmed and adjourned to a nearby bar where I would join him for $1.50 celebratory happy hour beers (never EVER did I believe we'd find such a bar in oh-so-gay Chelsea). I never made it out of the womens' department.

And now the best part...the goodies. Upon entering the womens' section, one descends upon racks and racks of shoes. Oh, glorious shoes! Upon finding my size, I quickly noticed lovely pairs of Christian Louboutin, Marc Jacobs, Manolo Blahnik, etc.... Alas, even at half off the prices still seemed too steep. As I simpered away towards the clothing section, I noticed the sign that would forever change my shoe-owning experience - additional 50% off all shoes! Glory be. I rescoured the racks and piled up a pair of Louboutin pink metallic heels, Casadei pale blue and tan kitten heels, and Manolo Blahnik pink ankle strap ballerina flats. Even at $90 I couldn't talk myself into ANOTHER pair of pink metallic shoes that were quite as high as the Louboutins, so those were the first to go back. This left the Manolos and the Casadeis. Even though they were a deal, I had just arrived in NYC and decided that other bargains likely awaited me and that the Casadeis were not quite snobby enough, so I abandoned them as well. This left me with my sole purchase of the day - my very first pair of Manolo Blahniks, at the bargain price of $130. Carrie Bradshaw would be so proud of me!

I did move on to the clothing, where my size had been pretty well picked over. I was feeling very envious of you petite gals out there, especially when I saw all the glorious bargains to be had on Blue Cult, Chip & Pepper, True Religion, and Seven for all Mankind jeans in smaller sizes. I managed to find a Marc Jacobs top and a Diane von Furstenburg dress that piqued my interest, and decided to try them on. I had been warned ahead of time that the warehouse sale has no dressing rooms, so I retreated to the most remote corner of the store, where mirrors, madly disrobing female shoppers, and salesclerks who shooed away men wandering into the area were congregated. As they say, when in Rome.... I stripped off my top, but these designer duds were not destined to accompany me back to Colorado.

Upon meeting up with the spousal unit I informed him of the additional markdowns. He seemed bummed that a pair of Armani slacks he'd admired were not actually $200 but $100. I think he's still upset we didn't go back for them.

(Mis)adventure at the VMAs

So whilst in NYC last week, we discovered that we had arrived on the day that MTV was holding the VMAs at Radio City Music Hall, which happened to be a block from our hotel.

After spending some glorious time at the Barney's warehouse sale in Chelsea (a shopping Mecca that is fodder for its own thread entirely) and downing a couple $1.50 beers (I didn't think they were that cheap in Manhattan, ever) at a nearby happy hour, we headed back to the room to change before meeting a friend for dinner and noticed that the limos were starting to arrive. The spousal unit wanted none of it, and I didn't need to shower, so I decided to go on the prowl while he got ready.

The best part happened before I even got past the first barricade - I saw Nick Lachey drive by in a Town Car. Everyone was screaming and leering - the teenage boy next to me lamented not shouting out "dude, you had sex with Jessica Simpson!" I bet Nick wished he'd gotten the Town Car with the full tint. He was sure a little hottie in his white t-shirt.

Upon encountering the first barricade, I noticed that it was barring the entrance to a Barnes and Noble. I asked the police officer if he would let me past to go to the bookstore, and he obliged. Ha!

After purchasing a tabloid rag (I didn't want to be accused of not really wanting to BUY anything there), I darted out the door in the opposite direction of the barricade towards the street onto which all the limos, Escalades, etc. were turning onto to release their precious celebrity cargo.

I got as far as the end of this block and hit another barricade guarded by a less naive civil servant. However, he was allowing people to linger outside the barricade. Luckily some of my fellow gawkers were significantly younger than me, or else I'd have had no idea who was going past me. I managed to see:

Panic at the Disco (cheeseheads had a huge sign on the front of their white old-style limo)
John Legend
Russell Simmons
Steve-O from Jackass (again, thank you youngsters)
Usher
Beyonce. Well, not really. But I did see the side of her black SUV.

At this point I decided I was on the wrong side of the streed to get a decent view, and decided to cross. This led to the demise of my adventure. The cops on the other side were much less tolerant and shooed me along. I then decided to dart into the Kenneth Cole store in the corner, and ogled a bit from inside, but after strange looks from the salespeople and a less than satisfying view I again decided to move on. I continued North on 5th Avenue and walked past another barricade, behind which I could actually see the red carpet. Oh, so close!!! There was actually a gap in this barricade, but when I attempted to step through, one of the tragically hip youngsters standing on the inside of it cried out "Oh no, honey, you can't come in HERE". I think I could have talked my way past this fashionista/bodyguard, but since I was wearing neither haute nor street couture I opted to again keep going.

At the end of that block, I was told I had to turn around and go back the other way. So I did. But halfway BACK down the previous block a female police officer told me I couldn't go that way either. Frustrated and ready to end my VMA misadventure, I not-so-politely informed her that her colleague at the end of the street had informed me otherwise. This caused Ms. NYPD to get all up in my grill. Sigh. Not wanting to see the inside of a Manhattan jail, I decided to obey Ms. NYPD and headed back in my original direction and ultimately back to my room.

But it was fun while it lasted.