For Real?
I just received an e-mail from a PR person asking if I'd like an interview with a 'text expert'. Followed by these important texting tips:
Texting is not just for kids anymore as more and more parents are climbing out of the dark ages and embracing the communication method of the future. This ‘new generation’ of texters may pride themselves on finally catching up to the 21st century, but they still have a lot to learn before their texting forefathers (i.e. their kids) will fully accept them into their texting community.
Below are a few helpful tips from Predicto Mobile (www.predicto.com), the leading online and text message based survey company, for parents looking to successfully integrate into the texting community:
1) Learn the lingo: There are pre-established acronyms like LOL, TTYL and BRB. Not every sentence is meant to be written using only the first letter of every word.
2) Don’t invade their tech space: Don't text your kids until they text you, otherwise your kids will think you’re a poseur
3) Use but don't abuse: Don’t be the next of victim of text addiction.
4) Make it all inclusive: Make sure you have an all inclusive rate plan so you aren’t like “OMG” when your cell phone bill arrives
5) Just Say No: “Sexting” is inappropriate at any age
6) Don't text and drive: Texting accidents are becoming increasingly common. Recent studies have shown that drivers who text are four times as likely to crash.
“Texting is an appealing way for parents to reach their kids while simultaneously boosting their “coolness” factor,” says Eyal Yechazkell, CEO of Predicto Mobile. “But parents also need to be careful they don’t over do it. Kids are pretty astute and can sense when their parents are trying too hard.”
Thanks for the tips, I think.
WTF? (now there's a texting acronym I'll likely use!)
-Steph
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Starting the Reinvention Process
Since this issue of Wink South is all about reinvention, I thought I'd share what was 'my first stop on the road to reinvention'. It happened in 2006. You can read about it in this article that ran in The Boston Globe.
http://tinyurl.com/lo6udj
http://tinyurl.com/lo6udj
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Sunrise
I’ve seen so many sunsets in my lifetime, and each time I’m enamored by that big orange ball descending ever so gracefully into the end of an earthy backdrop. I’m usually sitting on a beach, or a pier, somewhere in Florida or the Caribbean, when I witness this ethereal act of God and nature. I’m always awestruck.
But just a week ago, I witnessed something even more spectacular.
I wasn’t surrounded by the peaceful presence of surf crashing against the rocks, I didn’t have a cocktail in hand and my best friend by my side, rather, I was sitting in the Sarasota airport. It was 6:30 in the morning, and I was waiting to board a flight back to Boston—exhausted, and yes, hung-over--- after a weeklong business trip. I was too tired to even sip my coffee, and barely managed to make chit-chat with two company acquaintances sitting nearby. All I wanted to do was go to sleep. And, then Mike, a colleague, said, “Take a look at that.”
I followed the direction of his finger and couldn’t believe my eyes. “Is that the sun? Rising?” It was nothing I’d ever experienced before. Never. Hard to believe, especially for my traveling companions who promptly responded, “Oh, c’mon, you never pulled an all-nighter in college?”. Well, I did, but I gather at the time I was not interested in the rotation of the earth.
I sat and watched the sun ascend. It was, is, the best thing I’ve witnessed since the birth of my kids.
I don’t know why I was so taken by what is an everyday occurrence, but it was one of those moments when you put your life in check.
On my flight down, I sat next to an engineer. We talked about construction and building automation, and that little black box that holds all of the secrets of a plane in flight. He knew, because he built those boxes. He was also a retired army officer: A former Commanding Officer in Iraq. He told me stories of his mission, which included bombs, fatalities, fear, and, purpose.
From that point on I noticed the kids in army garb walking through the airports. Where were they going? Where had they been? What had they seen? I was just a mere mortal, on a business trip. They are heroes.
Sometimes I don’t think I get it. I read the paper, I watch the news, I hear of the horrible stories of the world. And, yet, I go about daily life not worrying about what’s happening anywhere else. That sunrise—for whatever reason—grounded me, connected me, and more importantly, brought me back down to earth and made me appreciate all that I have: All that we have, safe and sound on the South Shore.
-Steph
But just a week ago, I witnessed something even more spectacular.
I wasn’t surrounded by the peaceful presence of surf crashing against the rocks, I didn’t have a cocktail in hand and my best friend by my side, rather, I was sitting in the Sarasota airport. It was 6:30 in the morning, and I was waiting to board a flight back to Boston—exhausted, and yes, hung-over--- after a weeklong business trip. I was too tired to even sip my coffee, and barely managed to make chit-chat with two company acquaintances sitting nearby. All I wanted to do was go to sleep. And, then Mike, a colleague, said, “Take a look at that.”
I followed the direction of his finger and couldn’t believe my eyes. “Is that the sun? Rising?” It was nothing I’d ever experienced before. Never. Hard to believe, especially for my traveling companions who promptly responded, “Oh, c’mon, you never pulled an all-nighter in college?”. Well, I did, but I gather at the time I was not interested in the rotation of the earth.
I sat and watched the sun ascend. It was, is, the best thing I’ve witnessed since the birth of my kids.
I don’t know why I was so taken by what is an everyday occurrence, but it was one of those moments when you put your life in check.
On my flight down, I sat next to an engineer. We talked about construction and building automation, and that little black box that holds all of the secrets of a plane in flight. He knew, because he built those boxes. He was also a retired army officer: A former Commanding Officer in Iraq. He told me stories of his mission, which included bombs, fatalities, fear, and, purpose.
From that point on I noticed the kids in army garb walking through the airports. Where were they going? Where had they been? What had they seen? I was just a mere mortal, on a business trip. They are heroes.
Sometimes I don’t think I get it. I read the paper, I watch the news, I hear of the horrible stories of the world. And, yet, I go about daily life not worrying about what’s happening anywhere else. That sunrise—for whatever reason—grounded me, connected me, and more importantly, brought me back down to earth and made me appreciate all that I have: All that we have, safe and sound on the South Shore.
-Steph
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Port Charles
We Love! Port Charles (Not the daytime soap, the dipping sauce!)
I had the honor of being one of the first to try a new sauce for steak, chicken, pork, burgers, etc. It's called Port Charles, named after the creator of this concoction (Charlie) and an important ingredient (port wine). Read my review.
And then order some of your own. It's FANTASTIC!
-Steph
I had the honor of being one of the first to try a new sauce for steak, chicken, pork, burgers, etc. It's called Port Charles, named after the creator of this concoction (Charlie) and an important ingredient (port wine). Read my review.
And then order some of your own. It's FANTASTIC!
-Steph
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Print is Not Dead! ....yet.
With the Boston Globe newspaper sitting on shifting sands and unsure of its sustainability as a print product, the debate continues on the state of the newspaper industry.
Print vs. electronic news is not a new debate, however.
We (journalist/newspaper/magazine people) have been grappling with this for several years. We saw it coming with the advent of the Internet-- not its early roots as a network for government and academia-- but, more specifically, when business began to embrace it. That was, I would say, in the mid-to-late 90s.
Back then, I was a cub reporter at a weekly technology newspaper, called PC Week (later renamed, eWeek to reflect, what else, the ‘electronic’ age). Software companies would come in to brief us on their new application that would give businesses a presence on the Web. We’d nod, and smile, and ask poignant questions like, “Why does a retailer need to sell their merchandise on the Internet?” “Who is going to shop that way?” “What’s the return on investment expected to be?”
Fast-forward ten years: It’s the only way I shop.
About five years ago, I took a class at Harvard Extension School on local journalism taught by two editors at the Boston Globe. They were fantastic teachers, and, it was because of them that I later got my chance to become a Globe correspondent (thank you Dave and Mark!). During one class, they brought in the Globe’s online editor to discuss how news writing works on the Web—a fairly new concept for mainstream media at the time. It is meant to be a dynamic, real-time platform that can be interactive and proactive, it was explained.
The question I had, however, was, “Will you just repackage stories from print to the Web, and vice versa? And, if not, and the Web is so dynamic, how do you make sure the print product doesn’t become stale as a result, in which case, readers and advertisers may lose interest?”
The three editors looked at each other as if I had just exposed a horrible secret. Turns out, they had been having those conference room conversations for months already. It was an unresolved question…And, it appears that it still is.
As a journalist, and someone who loves to sit at the table every morning with her Boston Globe newspaper, scanning the stories, turning the pages, leaving it open to come back to later, I don’t want to see the demise of print news. But as someone who actually reads the major news stories on the Web first (when I log on at 6:00 a.m.), and has watched major shifts in technology—and business-- unfold in front of my eyes, I know you can’t stop the inevitable.
Print, I hope, will never go away completely. But when I look at my kids, and how they get their information—even textbooks are repurposed on the web—I do imagine there could be a time when information is 100% electronic.
Now is the time to figure out the news formula of the future.
-Steph
Print vs. electronic news is not a new debate, however.
We (journalist/newspaper/magazine people) have been grappling with this for several years. We saw it coming with the advent of the Internet-- not its early roots as a network for government and academia-- but, more specifically, when business began to embrace it. That was, I would say, in the mid-to-late 90s.
Back then, I was a cub reporter at a weekly technology newspaper, called PC Week (later renamed, eWeek to reflect, what else, the ‘electronic’ age). Software companies would come in to brief us on their new application that would give businesses a presence on the Web. We’d nod, and smile, and ask poignant questions like, “Why does a retailer need to sell their merchandise on the Internet?” “Who is going to shop that way?” “What’s the return on investment expected to be?”
Fast-forward ten years: It’s the only way I shop.
About five years ago, I took a class at Harvard Extension School on local journalism taught by two editors at the Boston Globe. They were fantastic teachers, and, it was because of them that I later got my chance to become a Globe correspondent (thank you Dave and Mark!). During one class, they brought in the Globe’s online editor to discuss how news writing works on the Web—a fairly new concept for mainstream media at the time. It is meant to be a dynamic, real-time platform that can be interactive and proactive, it was explained.
The question I had, however, was, “Will you just repackage stories from print to the Web, and vice versa? And, if not, and the Web is so dynamic, how do you make sure the print product doesn’t become stale as a result, in which case, readers and advertisers may lose interest?”
The three editors looked at each other as if I had just exposed a horrible secret. Turns out, they had been having those conference room conversations for months already. It was an unresolved question…And, it appears that it still is.
As a journalist, and someone who loves to sit at the table every morning with her Boston Globe newspaper, scanning the stories, turning the pages, leaving it open to come back to later, I don’t want to see the demise of print news. But as someone who actually reads the major news stories on the Web first (when I log on at 6:00 a.m.), and has watched major shifts in technology—and business-- unfold in front of my eyes, I know you can’t stop the inevitable.
Print, I hope, will never go away completely. But when I look at my kids, and how they get their information—even textbooks are repurposed on the web—I do imagine there could be a time when information is 100% electronic.
Now is the time to figure out the news formula of the future.
-Steph
Monday, May 4, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
NudiEnomics
So it seems that stripping has become a lucrative career path. Yes, I mean taking off your clothes and dancing around a pole. Apparently, women impacted by this incredibly crappy economy are shaking their money-makers—literally. And, they are making huge bucks!
I found the news reports about this latest trend interesting and somewhat entertaining. White collar working women are making extra money on the side-- which in some cases can be six figures! I didn't put much more thought into this latest trend until recently when a friend mentioned she was checking out the 'adult entertainment' industry as a potential path.
At first, I thought it was a joke. But she was serious, she had already done some research. Research? Like, finding out the average salary range, the credentials required, and who’s hiring? I listened. I understood the points she made. And, then, when she said, “But, I don’t think I can do it”, I let out a sigh of relief. “I don't think you should do it,” I said.
Was I right to insert that opinion? I’ve been thinking about it a lot since that conversation. Who am I to tell another person what she can or can not do? Desperate times call for desperate measures. I guess…I don’t know. What would I do?
After much thought, I would have to say, if I were in need of money I would shy away from taking center stage as a pole dancer. Mainly because the thought of being naked in a crowd feels more like a bad dream (you know the one, you are standing in the train station or sitting in a class and realize you forgot to get dressed-- or, am I the only one that's had that dream?)The other big reason pole dancing is not in my immediate future is because I can't dance-- which I believe is a prerequisite.
So, as you can tell, I've already put some thought into this. My question to you is: How do you feel about the “from jobless to topless” trend? What would you do?
-Steph
I found the news reports about this latest trend interesting and somewhat entertaining. White collar working women are making extra money on the side-- which in some cases can be six figures! I didn't put much more thought into this latest trend until recently when a friend mentioned she was checking out the 'adult entertainment' industry as a potential path.
At first, I thought it was a joke. But she was serious, she had already done some research. Research? Like, finding out the average salary range, the credentials required, and who’s hiring? I listened. I understood the points she made. And, then, when she said, “But, I don’t think I can do it”, I let out a sigh of relief. “I don't think you should do it,” I said.
Was I right to insert that opinion? I’ve been thinking about it a lot since that conversation. Who am I to tell another person what she can or can not do? Desperate times call for desperate measures. I guess…I don’t know. What would I do?
After much thought, I would have to say, if I were in need of money I would shy away from taking center stage as a pole dancer. Mainly because the thought of being naked in a crowd feels more like a bad dream (you know the one, you are standing in the train station or sitting in a class and realize you forgot to get dressed-- or, am I the only one that's had that dream?)The other big reason pole dancing is not in my immediate future is because I can't dance-- which I believe is a prerequisite.
So, as you can tell, I've already put some thought into this. My question to you is: How do you feel about the “from jobless to topless” trend? What would you do?
-Steph
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Word Up
We all know what a ‘Cougar’ is by now: “A woman in her 40s on the hunt for a younger man”. But do you know what a ‘Googar’ is? “A Grandma cougar. A hot lady in her 50s or 60s that is on the prowl for a younger man.”
I got that definition straight from the Urban dictionary, an online resource for all things slang. It is filled with definitions of words and phrases-- most of which you’d never find in Webster’s-- that are informative, funny and, yes, sometimes very offensive. Overall, it’s rather entertaining.
Here are some examples of my expanding vocabulary: a ‘sargasm’ is a sarcastic exaggeration, the end-all of sarcasm, a sarcastic climax, so to speak. “Flirtexting” is the art of flirting through your Blackberry or phone, and “déjà moo” is the feeling you’ve heard this bullshit before (among other definitions, this is not a G-rated site).
I stumbled upon this site after trying to figure out what the hell “make hay while the sun shines” means. A quick Google search and I found out, but then I got ‘googledrift’ (to drift aimlessly between subjects of interest by finding them accidently on the web), and I got sucked into a new world of words.
So, I’ve just wasted an hour clicking around and laughing. But, finding new words can be fun. And laughing, I just realized, is never a waste of time!
L8r ladies (l8r: a chat expression for ‘later’).
-Steph
I got that definition straight from the Urban dictionary, an online resource for all things slang. It is filled with definitions of words and phrases-- most of which you’d never find in Webster’s-- that are informative, funny and, yes, sometimes very offensive. Overall, it’s rather entertaining.
Here are some examples of my expanding vocabulary: a ‘sargasm’ is a sarcastic exaggeration, the end-all of sarcasm, a sarcastic climax, so to speak. “Flirtexting” is the art of flirting through your Blackberry or phone, and “déjà moo” is the feeling you’ve heard this bullshit before (among other definitions, this is not a G-rated site).
I stumbled upon this site after trying to figure out what the hell “make hay while the sun shines” means. A quick Google search and I found out, but then I got ‘googledrift’ (to drift aimlessly between subjects of interest by finding them accidently on the web), and I got sucked into a new world of words.
So, I’ve just wasted an hour clicking around and laughing. But, finding new words can be fun. And laughing, I just realized, is never a waste of time!
L8r ladies (l8r: a chat expression for ‘later’).
-Steph
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Hard Time Hovering
I just read a really interesting article in the Boston Globe on “helicopter parents”. It caught my eye only because I just heard that term for the first time while chatting with a friend a few weeks ago. It seems there’s a helicopter movement out there that I was completely unaware of. And, after reading the article, I understand why.
I am NOT a helicopter parent. I don’t ‘hover’, and I definitely don’t over-parent. As a single mother, with a full-time career, a budding business, and a small side job, I depend upon my 13 year old daughter and my 15 year old son to be responsible and make the right decisions. To be clear, they don’t always make the right decision. As teens, 8 out of 10 times they make the wrong decision. And I will be there to guide them, to show them the way, to allow them to learn from their experiences—and mistakes-- and grow into a competent young adult. But, I won’t hold their hands the entire time.
I’m more like an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter kind of parent.
The F-35 JSF is an affordable, supportable, and survivable craft designed for the battlespace of the future. A product of the Department of Defense, there are nine nations collaborating on the multi-year development and demonstration of this product.
If you don’t get the analogy, let me explain:
First, while I so loved to coddle my kids when they were young, now it’s my job to prepare them for the future. It’s a tough world out there and they better be ready to fight for themselves, because I can’t do it for them. I’ve got my own battle. I’m moving at warp speed every day to keep this family going.
Second, I know I can’t do this alone, so I enlist my family and friends to help me raise these little freedom fighters-- much like the DoD has done by inviting nine nations to help with 'development'.
Don’t get too caught up in the military lingo, here, as I’m definitely not looking for my kids to ship off overseas into another—more literal—battleground. I’m just raising them to be independent, strong-willed, likeable, empathetic human beings, whom, I hope, are directed by an ethical moral compass. And, eventually will learn how to support themselves, and not live off of Mommy until they are 30 years old. This family is affordable, supportable, and survivable and ready for the future.
I hope that doesn’t sound like tough love. It’s not. I love my kids with all my heart. I give them everything they need and want. I don’t want to see them hurt or in pain or struggling. But I challenge them to challenge themselves.
No more handholding. It’s time to take to the sky and learn how to fly!
-Steph
I am NOT a helicopter parent. I don’t ‘hover’, and I definitely don’t over-parent. As a single mother, with a full-time career, a budding business, and a small side job, I depend upon my 13 year old daughter and my 15 year old son to be responsible and make the right decisions. To be clear, they don’t always make the right decision. As teens, 8 out of 10 times they make the wrong decision. And I will be there to guide them, to show them the way, to allow them to learn from their experiences—and mistakes-- and grow into a competent young adult. But, I won’t hold their hands the entire time.
I’m more like an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter kind of parent.
The F-35 JSF is an affordable, supportable, and survivable craft designed for the battlespace of the future. A product of the Department of Defense, there are nine nations collaborating on the multi-year development and demonstration of this product.
If you don’t get the analogy, let me explain:
First, while I so loved to coddle my kids when they were young, now it’s my job to prepare them for the future. It’s a tough world out there and they better be ready to fight for themselves, because I can’t do it for them. I’ve got my own battle. I’m moving at warp speed every day to keep this family going.
Second, I know I can’t do this alone, so I enlist my family and friends to help me raise these little freedom fighters-- much like the DoD has done by inviting nine nations to help with 'development'.
Don’t get too caught up in the military lingo, here, as I’m definitely not looking for my kids to ship off overseas into another—more literal—battleground. I’m just raising them to be independent, strong-willed, likeable, empathetic human beings, whom, I hope, are directed by an ethical moral compass. And, eventually will learn how to support themselves, and not live off of Mommy until they are 30 years old. This family is affordable, supportable, and survivable and ready for the future.
I hope that doesn’t sound like tough love. It’s not. I love my kids with all my heart. I give them everything they need and want. I don’t want to see them hurt or in pain or struggling. But I challenge them to challenge themselves.
No more handholding. It’s time to take to the sky and learn how to fly!
-Steph
Friday, February 20, 2009
Sweet Tweets!
If you haven’t jumped on the social networking/blogging bandwagon, let us give you a push onto the platform, ‘cause the train is leaving the station and it’s moving at high speed! What am I talking about? I have no idea, and its okay, I don’t have to know what I’m talking about, I’m a blogger!
Today, however, I’m going to try to educate SSW/Wink readers on the latest technology time-stealer. It’s called Twitter. And while I’m still trying to figure it out, I’m starting to get the hang of it, and I think I’ve got the Twitter bug!
Twitter is a micro-blogging service that allows you to send out short messages (146 characters) called “tweets”. You send the tweets to your peeps (oh, this is way too easy!) who sign up to follow you. You can get the messages on the website www.twitter.com or you can request to have them sent to your phone (like a text message).
The types of messages you receive will typically be uninteresting activities that friends think you ‘must know’. For example, “Just finished lunch” could be a typical tweet. Which, nobody really cares about. But, say you are following Kathleen Sullivan, our Wink South fashion correspondent, who is at Fashion Week in NYC and tweets this message to the world: “Hold on to your 80s outfits, shoulder pads are back en vogue!” Now that might be an interesting tidbit, no? Timely information that you can really use!
Or, I’ve heard stories like this: A guy gets off a plane in Chicago, sends a Twitter message that he’s, “In O’Hare with 4 hour delay”. He gets a tweet back that his friend is in the same airport. They meet for a drink at the airport bar. So, it turns out, Twitter is not a complete waste of time!
In fact, I’m here to tell you that in the world we live in, social networking via the Web is the only way to go. If you don’t get it, I suggest you try to figure it out. Not only does it keep people connected while juggling very hectic lives, but our kids are growing up with this. To them, communicating via instant message and Twitter is second nature. They blog, they post YouTube videos, and they create Facebook communities.
We here at SSW/Wink South are doing the same thing. We started with the Wink South Blog (which you are reading!). We established a presence on Facebook (join the South Shore Woman group to plug in with crafty SoB women-- that’s South of Boston). And, we created Daily Cravings-- which gives you easy access to menu and daily specials from local restaurants—in which the restaurant members also get their own blog—check out The Chef’s Table blog, and chime in to get the party started.
Blogging is the best way to find out what’s really going on because there’s no journalistic integrity associated with it whatsoever, it’s all about your opinion with a dash of personality!
So blog, and follow us on Twitter! (see link to the right). Whether you’re just nosey, or you are interested in finding out about some of the cool stuff we see and people we meet each month as we are updating the SSW/WinkSouth site, you can’t beat the tweet! We’ll fill you in. And, as always, we’ll have fun!!!!!
-Steph
Today, however, I’m going to try to educate SSW/Wink readers on the latest technology time-stealer. It’s called Twitter. And while I’m still trying to figure it out, I’m starting to get the hang of it, and I think I’ve got the Twitter bug!
Twitter is a micro-blogging service that allows you to send out short messages (146 characters) called “tweets”. You send the tweets to your peeps (oh, this is way too easy!) who sign up to follow you. You can get the messages on the website www.twitter.com or you can request to have them sent to your phone (like a text message).
The types of messages you receive will typically be uninteresting activities that friends think you ‘must know’. For example, “Just finished lunch” could be a typical tweet. Which, nobody really cares about. But, say you are following Kathleen Sullivan, our Wink South fashion correspondent, who is at Fashion Week in NYC and tweets this message to the world: “Hold on to your 80s outfits, shoulder pads are back en vogue!” Now that might be an interesting tidbit, no? Timely information that you can really use!
Or, I’ve heard stories like this: A guy gets off a plane in Chicago, sends a Twitter message that he’s, “In O’Hare with 4 hour delay”. He gets a tweet back that his friend is in the same airport. They meet for a drink at the airport bar. So, it turns out, Twitter is not a complete waste of time!
In fact, I’m here to tell you that in the world we live in, social networking via the Web is the only way to go. If you don’t get it, I suggest you try to figure it out. Not only does it keep people connected while juggling very hectic lives, but our kids are growing up with this. To them, communicating via instant message and Twitter is second nature. They blog, they post YouTube videos, and they create Facebook communities.
We here at SSW/Wink South are doing the same thing. We started with the Wink South Blog (which you are reading!). We established a presence on Facebook (join the South Shore Woman group to plug in with crafty SoB women-- that’s South of Boston). And, we created Daily Cravings-- which gives you easy access to menu and daily specials from local restaurants—in which the restaurant members also get their own blog—check out The Chef’s Table blog, and chime in to get the party started.
Blogging is the best way to find out what’s really going on because there’s no journalistic integrity associated with it whatsoever, it’s all about your opinion with a dash of personality!
So blog, and follow us on Twitter! (see link to the right). Whether you’re just nosey, or you are interested in finding out about some of the cool stuff we see and people we meet each month as we are updating the SSW/WinkSouth site, you can’t beat the tweet! We’ll fill you in. And, as always, we’ll have fun!!!!!
-Steph
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Resolutions I Can Actually Keep
Every January 1st it’s that same stupid promise I make to myself to lose ten pounds. I’m really going to do it this time, I tell all my friends. What a load of crap. I’m lying! I might lose five here or there, but it all comes home to mama—that is, back to my butt-- in the month of November and December.
How about some resolutions I can keep, like, this year I resolve to:
-Buy the right bra size.
-Stop shopping online after having a few cocktails.
-Make an appointment with a threader on the south shore (read the last blog if you have no idea what I’m talking about).
-Find that cute yoga instructor guy who popped into the hot yoga class one day to help us with our ‘positions’. While in my downward facing dog, he ‘positioned’ himself behind me to ‘fix’ my pose. Now that was hot.
-Go to a tarot card reader to find out my life’s destiny.
-Talk to strangers.
-Spend more time at the beach this summer.
-Eat salt and vinegar potato chips when I crave them.
-Shower every day.
-Bring my dog to the vet to finally figure out what that thing is that’s growing near her butt.
There! That’s ten things that I can actually do this year. Much better than “losing weight”…who needs it!
So, what are you gonna do?
-Steph
How about some resolutions I can keep, like, this year I resolve to:
-Buy the right bra size.
-Stop shopping online after having a few cocktails.
-Make an appointment with a threader on the south shore (read the last blog if you have no idea what I’m talking about).
-Find that cute yoga instructor guy who popped into the hot yoga class one day to help us with our ‘positions’. While in my downward facing dog, he ‘positioned’ himself behind me to ‘fix’ my pose. Now that was hot.
-Go to a tarot card reader to find out my life’s destiny.
-Talk to strangers.
-Spend more time at the beach this summer.
-Eat salt and vinegar potato chips when I crave them.
-Shower every day.
-Bring my dog to the vet to finally figure out what that thing is that’s growing near her butt.
There! That’s ten things that I can actually do this year. Much better than “losing weight”…who needs it!
So, what are you gonna do?
-Steph
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Brow Beating
Sometimes waxing should be left to the professionals.
As the holidays approached, I took a good look in the mirror and realized that my Italian heritage was catching up with me. Hairy arms, hairy eyebrows, hairy lip…ugh. And, it’s the middle of the friggin winter, so no hiding behind a tan. I didn’t have the time to go to the salon for a facial and professional waxing so I decided to take it on myself.
Over the years I’ve become quite good at fixing the lip-stache. I remember years ago calling up my best friend, Tracy, in total embarrassment that I had a “lip problem”.
“I’m a freak! Oh, my God, I have to take care of this ‘situation’…what do I do?” I pleaded.
She laughed, because, although she and I are the same age (okay, she’s six months younger than I), she is far more worldly than I.
“Honey,” she laughed, “Go get a wax job. Everyone does it!”
“Do you?” I asked in amazement.
“Of course!” she confirmed without flinching.
Oh, so, I’m not a freak? That was an enlightening moment. And one that I look back on with complete admiration (I love my friend for telling me the truth), fascination (why had I not thought of this myself), and humble-ation (I am what I am).
Wax, since then, has become a close and personal friend of mine (lip, arms, bikini)…Hallelujah!
My eyebrows, however, are unchartered territory. I find that to hurt the worst (I know, go figure). And, therefore, I avoid it. But, there I stood looking at that ‘almost unibrow’ in the mirror, and I had to act fast.
I heated up the wax in the microwave, plastered on the stickers from the box that show you how your brows should be, and started slabbing on the goo above the left eye to get rid of that ‘mess’. This is gonna be great. Oh, how wrong was I?
Okay, well, the slab-on was painless, the pull-off was not only painful but took most of my brow with it! I couldn’t stop it. That yellow wax had adhered itself to almost every follicle and the yank off not only made me scream in pain, but when I looked at the clump in my hand I was holding what appeared to be a creepy caterpillar. I looked at my eyebrow. Not a lot of hair left with a couple of bald spots!
Okay, so now I have a bald brow and a hairy brow, the only way to fix it is to have two bald brows…right?
Well, as I’m applying the same procedure to the right side I notice that the wax is dripping…On my damn eyelashes!!!...That is the only part of my face that I actually want hair!!!!!! Stop!
I stop, and start trying to pull it off my eyelashes but it’s already adhered itself. (Mother F-er!!). That’s what I yelled (in full). I finished up the right brow and had to call it a night.
I had yellow wax hanging off of my eyelashes for at least three days. Thank God for mascara. It’s gone now, taking a few more of my lashes with it, and from now on I’m going to the salon for the brow wax. Unless someone has a secret to this that they can share…Cause I can’t figure it out.
-Steph
As the holidays approached, I took a good look in the mirror and realized that my Italian heritage was catching up with me. Hairy arms, hairy eyebrows, hairy lip…ugh. And, it’s the middle of the friggin winter, so no hiding behind a tan. I didn’t have the time to go to the salon for a facial and professional waxing so I decided to take it on myself.
Over the years I’ve become quite good at fixing the lip-stache. I remember years ago calling up my best friend, Tracy, in total embarrassment that I had a “lip problem”.
“I’m a freak! Oh, my God, I have to take care of this ‘situation’…what do I do?” I pleaded.
She laughed, because, although she and I are the same age (okay, she’s six months younger than I), she is far more worldly than I.
“Honey,” she laughed, “Go get a wax job. Everyone does it!”
“Do you?” I asked in amazement.
“Of course!” she confirmed without flinching.
Oh, so, I’m not a freak? That was an enlightening moment. And one that I look back on with complete admiration (I love my friend for telling me the truth), fascination (why had I not thought of this myself), and humble-ation (I am what I am).
Wax, since then, has become a close and personal friend of mine (lip, arms, bikini)…Hallelujah!
My eyebrows, however, are unchartered territory. I find that to hurt the worst (I know, go figure). And, therefore, I avoid it. But, there I stood looking at that ‘almost unibrow’ in the mirror, and I had to act fast.
I heated up the wax in the microwave, plastered on the stickers from the box that show you how your brows should be, and started slabbing on the goo above the left eye to get rid of that ‘mess’. This is gonna be great. Oh, how wrong was I?
Okay, well, the slab-on was painless, the pull-off was not only painful but took most of my brow with it! I couldn’t stop it. That yellow wax had adhered itself to almost every follicle and the yank off not only made me scream in pain, but when I looked at the clump in my hand I was holding what appeared to be a creepy caterpillar. I looked at my eyebrow. Not a lot of hair left with a couple of bald spots!
Okay, so now I have a bald brow and a hairy brow, the only way to fix it is to have two bald brows…right?
Well, as I’m applying the same procedure to the right side I notice that the wax is dripping…On my damn eyelashes!!!...That is the only part of my face that I actually want hair!!!!!! Stop!
I stop, and start trying to pull it off my eyelashes but it’s already adhered itself. (Mother F-er!!). That’s what I yelled (in full). I finished up the right brow and had to call it a night.
I had yellow wax hanging off of my eyelashes for at least three days. Thank God for mascara. It’s gone now, taking a few more of my lashes with it, and from now on I’m going to the salon for the brow wax. Unless someone has a secret to this that they can share…Cause I can’t figure it out.
-Steph
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