Animal Hats - Roar

On my way home today (on the bus), I noticed a gentleman waiting at one of the stops.  Nothing terribly distinctive about him that I can recall except for the animal hat.
You've seen these hats I'm sure particularly on toddlers and some teens.  I think it's becoming a little overdone since I see so many little kids wearing them on a daily basis at the zoo.  But I can't accept adults wearing them.  This guy's hat even had a tail, so you could see him coming or going.  Yuk.

I Keep Thinking I've Posted This...

Because I have told so many people about it:

On the bus.
Older, silver-haired man, in his late 50's, early 60's.
White tee shirt.
Black leather vest.
Black slacks.
Vibram 5-finger shoes.

When I am Old I will not Wear Purple...but I will Wear a Pink Pith Helmet

I really wish I'd been able to take a photo of that gal I saw this morning at the coffee shop down the street from work, because words really can't do justice to it.

Need I say more?

Tips I Pick up from Fellow Bus-riders

The conversations you overhear on a bus are pretty varied.  People tend to talk really loudly when they're riding Metro and so you can't help but listen in as they pass on the wisdom they've accumulated.  This could probably be an entire blog...Eavesdropping on the Bus...I may consider it.  The other day I was on the #5 travelling along Greenwood/Phinney and was sitting behind 3 riders who were all sitting in separate seats, and then were turned towards each other as they conversed (picture knees, legs, feet in the aisles).  The topic was where the best food banks were located, and what kinds of products they each offered.   My ears perked up, because this isn't something I would necessarily be looking for in one of my millions of Google searches.  And I think it's the kind of thing that you really need that 'word of mouth' reference to find out about.  I felt lucky; lucky that I don't have to use the services of a food bank, and also lucky that I had the opportunity to listen in on their advice, because you never know what the future will hold.  One of the gentlemen was already diving in to his supplies, eating Fage yogurt (one of my favorites, and expensive as hell) with his fingers (which was a little disturbing to watch).  The gal (who had a fabulous leather coat on, long duster-style with a patchwork/hobo design, definitely vintage, blue and red thread in the stitching, I almost complimented her on it but held back) was finishing up some doughnuts (which I was a little jealous of since I'm on a fairly strict no carb/no sugar eating plan right now).  OK, now back to my description of how they were seated...legs, knees, feet in the aisles.  If you ride the bus, you've probably encountered this, riders talking to each other across the aisles, so you have to kind of scooch your way around them.   Here's what I thought was interesting, though: one of the guys in front, as a rider was exiting and had to scooch around him, said out loud: "Can't you say 'excuse me'?"  Now, I would think that it's up to the folks who are spread out in the aisle to excuse themselves and get out of the way...but not, apparently from their perspective.
I still wish I'd commented on that woman's coat....

Again with the Slippers???

I can remember being mortified as a teenager when I would go to the grocery store with my Dad and notice once we were already there that he was wearing slippers.  "Dad, why didn't you change into shoes?  This is sooooo embarassing," I would wail.  He would just shrug his shoulders and respond with "What's the big deal, Jennifer?  At least these look like shoes....sort of...".  Looking back, he was right, his slippers did pretty much look like shoes, and they were hard-soled, so fairly appropriate for walking out of the house.  The slippers I see people walking around in now?  Not so much appropriate.  They are fuzzy, often-times in the shapes of animals, and definitely don't have hard soles (which just seems gross, especially in this town where it's so often damp).  Now this trend often goes hand in hand with the people who are also apparently just wearing their pajama bottoms out and about (see previous posts) but I've also witnessed this phenomena where people are wearing a fairly typical outfit and then have topped it off with slippers.  Don't get me wrong, I like to wear slippers, they're very comfy and snuggly...when you are at home!  Out in public?  That seems very strange to me, particularly when you think that most of them don't have soles so I would think they would become very uncomfortable after a fairly short amount of time.  Oh well, I'm sure there's more to come in the world of slipper-wear...perhaps stiletto slippers?  Or hiking boot slippers?
And Happy Father's Day, Dad...I miss you every day.

Springtime,and the Weather is not Fine

I think I have finally succumbed to the crappy weather blues.  As a native of Seattle, I thought I was immune, but I think it's taking hold.  I am tired of carrying an umbrella everyday, I am tired of seeing people in rubber boots (even though some of them are very stylish and I know I for one am getting new rain boots next year!).  I was hoping that that few days here and there that we have had of really nice weather would shake me out of it (and riding my bike to work does help, I feel like I'm really getting a chance to experience and enjoy the nice weather when I'm on my bike), but I just feel blah.  Someone on the bus this morning had moccasins on; I hope she isn't somehow, inadvertently, doing a rain-dance in them as she walks to the bus in the morning.  Is there a dance for good weather?  The Hustle?  The Samba?  The Twist?

Seattle Style Snark: When I am Old I will not Wear Purple

Seattle Style Snark: When I am Old I will not Wear Purple: "Or at least I don't plan to. After observing an older gal the other day in Costco who was attired head to toe in various shades of purple, ..."

When I am Old I will not Wear Purple

Or at least I don't plan to.  After observing an older gal the other day in Costco who was attired head to toe in various shades of purple, I think I will plan to leave this one at the door when I hit my Golden Girl stage. What first caught my eye was her purple purse...I had a similar one when I was eight.  I was actually very proud of that purse...purple leather and I think it was the first one that I ever bought for myself.  She had what I would refer to as lilac-colored pants and a darker purple top.  In addition to her top was a cardigan in yet another shade of purplish magenta.  And of course, not to be forgotten, was her hair: silver with just a tinge of lavender (almost like a purple halo around her head).  It was a bit much overall.  Now, I'll admit, that I love the color purple, particularly in nature: flowers, tropical fish and birds....there is something about purple that tends to make things seem more exotic.  And, purple has played a hefty role in history, being the color signifying royalty (think King Henry VIII draped in purple velvet, or George Costanza on Seinfeld when they dressed him up as Henry VIII).  I don't think, though, that it does anyone justice to be dressed completely in any one color, no matter how many different shades are combined....unless it's black....isn't gray a shade of black?

I Hope you Weren't in a Fight with a Tiger

Some of the most interesting fashion I see is when I'm waiting for my bus in downtown Seattle.  Lately I've been seeing a lot of ripped up stockings...and I don't just mean a runner in a pair of pantyhose but full-on shredded, torn, slashed stockings.  My first thought was that she'd been dragged behind a bus, but then I realized she wasn't nearly dirty enough to warrant that (she was dirty, but in a 'hey look at me I don't care if I'm kind of raunchy way').  Seriously though, if she had been bruised or bloodied, it would have been pretty easy to think that she had been mauled by a tiger or runaway wildebeest (wouldn't that be interesting to see tearing through the streets of downtown...).  Bottom line: fine, wear your ripped up tights, stockings, whatever, but can you wear a little sign that says "I'm OK, I wasn't beat up, taken away and held for ransom, I'm just being fashionable".
Bravo if you know what song part of that last sentence is from.

I Love Kids, But...

I don't really like the kids I see out in public.  As an employee at a public venue, I get the opportunity to observe all kinds of kids, some visiting with their parents, some visiting with chaperons/caregivers.  There aren't that many that seem to be behaving themselves, and while that's probably not that surprising, what is surprising is how the parents/chaperon/caregiver reacts to the unruly/out-of-control behavior.  More often than not, there's no reaction at all, and a blind eye is turned toward the child.  Other times it's laughed at and even, perhaps unintentionally, encouraged.  Yesterday I was at the exhibit that features the Sloth Bear (one of my favorites) and a group of 5 or 6 boys and their 'adults' (these guys looked to be in their early 20's) came running up to the exhibit, screaming and yelling.  While I understand that kids will yell and scream when they're excited and having fun, I think it's important for their 'adults' to remind them that not every place is OK to scream in.  The zoo is one of those places, as the animals are sensitive to noise.  The kids all took a look at the bear, and then headed out...but not before one of the boys THREW something into the exhibit...at the bear.  I was so appalled, both at the child's actions but also at the lack of concern shown by the caregiver...I think he was more concerned that the kid was wasting whatever he'd thrown into the exhibit, rather than concern that the boy had thrown something at the bear.  It is going to be really interesting to see what this generation grows up to be..I, for one, am more than a little nervous.

Open Letter to the Gentleman in the Sweaty Wifebeater at Yoga

If you've been reading my blog, you know that I love my hot yoga classes, and at times I feel the need to vent about manners/style (or lack thereof) at yoga classes.  This is one of those times.
Dear 30-something in the Sweaty Wifebeater:
I'm not sure if this was your first time at hot yoga class or not (you didn't look familiar to me but I don't always go to the same classes each week), but I need to let you know that your tank-top undershirt, which I would assume you'd been wearing all day as a first layer under your clothes, isn't appropriate for yoga class.  You may be surprised at my lack of appreciate for your choice in athletic wear, but it's a pretty clear-cut case to me of mistakenly wearing one's underwear to exercise in.
1.  Wifebeaters, when they get sweaty, tend to become see-through, if not almost completely transparent...no one wants to see that unless your are in absolutely fantastic shape...and even then, it's a maybe.
2.  A garment that you've been wearing all day next to your skin tends to take on a certain aroma; combine that with a room heated to 114 degrees filled with other sweaty people, and you become a complete stink bomb.
The fact that the gentleman in question was right behind me for 90 minutes, heavily mouth-breathing and groaning with pain didn't help either.  But, the relaxing benefits of my yoga class are still with me, so I shall just say, Namaste.

It's a Slumber Party, Didn't You Get your Invite?

No matter where I go these days, inevitably I find myself staring at the backside of someone who appears to be wearing their pajamas in public (or at least pajama pants). My first thought is typically "Weird", but my thoughts tend to turn almost immediately to "Gross, they're wearing their pajamas in public....is that what they were sleeping in just a little while ago?"  I'll admit I like to be comfortable and the first thing I usually do when I get home at the end of a workday is change into my 'comfies'...but I don't wear them in public because I don't think the public really wants to see what I sleep in, sweat in, and roll around in bed in.  This partners really well with the people I see on almost every flight I'm on (or in the security line at the airport) wearing the above-mentioned pajama pants and carrying a pillow....not a travel pillow, but a pillow from their bed.  Yuck.  I really don't want to be near your bed pillow that you insist on carrying around the airport because you have some fear of being uncomfortable on the plane.  Everyone is uncomfortable on the plane these days, deal with it!

Nordstrom Nightmare

As a Seattle native, I have been shopping at Nordstrom since I was just a little girl...my mom and I would go there for school shopping, and we even had a Nordstrom in the Shoreline area at the time (remember Aurora Village, northenders?  It's where Costco is now located.)  Going to Nordstrom was a treat; they gave you 'Nordy' balloons in the children's shoe department and when I was in junior high and high school the Brass Plum was the place to shop for that season's must-have trends.  Nowadays, if I do find myself at Nordstrom, it's the downtown 'flagship' store between 5th and 6th avenues, and I've really started to notice what Nordstrom is all about.  It's all about my feeling completely out of place and completely under-dressed.  Quite honestly, I can't tell which people are the employees (ladies in impossibly high heels, chunky bangles clanking) and which are the shoppers (ladies in impossibly high heels, chunky bangles clanking....and maybe a coat).  While I know that I'm far from being trendy or even fashionable a lot of the time, I can't believe how high-end things have become at Nordstrom.  And how snooty everyone seems to be when you walk in the door.  Has it always been like this?  And I just didn't notice for all those years when I was a regular Nordstrom shopper as a kid and a teenager?  I feel out-snarked by the snarky/snooty ladies at Nordstrom (is there a word that combines snarky and snooty? if there is, that's the word I need right now).  Oh well, maybe I'll check out Macy's next...if nothing else there's always excellent people watching at the downtown store...

Over the Mountains and through the Woods...

If you are a native Washingtonian, and especially one who has grown up on the west side of the Cascades, you are probably aware of the great divide between Puget Sound style and the style of our Eastern comrades.  Having just spent a little more than 48 hours in the vicinity of Leavenworth (which is, I know, just barely over the mountains) I did pick up on a distinct change in the style over there. First thing to note: Reeboks.  They're everywhere, and not current Reeboks, but the Reeboks that I remember from middle school (white leather anyone?).  Another thing to note:  if it's pushing freezing levels outside, and you feel like taking your toddler out for a walk with the stroller, by all means, get dressed up!  I did an absolute double-take when we arrived in Leavenworth and saw two youngish moms pushing their babies along the main drag all dolled up...I felt like I was in some weird Bavarian red-light district (and not in a good way...).  Don't get me wrong, I love Eastern Washington, it has been a summer destination for my family and friends for most of my lifetime, after all, where are all of us pale-faced, rain-soaked Western Washingtonians going to go to dry out and warm up?

Public Bathrooms aren't Private...Or Have I Missed Something?

Do you ever feel as if public restrooms have turned into some people's private salons?  More and more often when I enter the restroom at my office (which is down the hall and shared with the other businesses that are on our floor) there are one or two people huddled near the sinks talking (sometimes in hushed tones, but often in 'normal' tones) about anything and everything.  I'm left feeling as if I've interrupted them (I haven't, remember this is in a public bathroom!), and now they're going to be able to hear me doing my business (and I have a shy bladder so when I know people can hear me....you get the picture).  I've walked in on people talking on their cellphones in the restroom too, and it's equally as awkward; I mean, would you want the person on the other end of the call to know that you're in a public restroom talking to them?  That's not how I like to picture the people I'm talking to when I'm on the phone.  It seems to me that there are a plethora of other places people can go if they want to speak in private....and the public restroom isn't one of them...especially if I'm in it!

Your Pants are falling Down...and what if there are Zombies?

I know you've seen them, and asked yourself "How can that be comfortable...or even safe?"  I'm talking, of course, about the young gentlemen sauntering around town with their pants (I'm going to start calling them dungarees just to add to the ridiculousness).  I always want to ask them if it's fun to have to walk down the street holding up their pants with one hand...but they're usually talking on their phone with the other hand, so I don't want to interrupt and seem rude.  The real treat is when not only can you see that their pants are at mid-thigh level, but that you also get the privilege of an eyeful of underwear.  Nothing excites this newly minted 40-year-old more than a glimpse of some punk's plaid boxers hanging over his low-riding jeans.  But, even if you don't like how they look, I'm always wondering: how will these guys get out of the way quickly if a car almost hits them?  What if they hit a slick patch of ice?  And what about the zombies that may or may not start to take over our civilization? (and I'm referring to the fast zombies that are cropping up in a lot of movies, TV shows and video games, not the slow-moving zombies of yesteryear)  What about the zombies?

Just Breathe it in....and Sweat it Out...and Stink it Up...Part Deux

Ok, I went to yoga on Friday, and I'll admit, it was me who stunk...no denying it!  Now there were other people there who were definitely stinky and sweaty, as well as this one guy who was so bendy it made me a little nauseous to watch him. But, just thought I ought to step up and admit, that yes, I was a little rank at yoga the other night.  (but still not as much as some of those other people, yikes!)

Starbucks Style

Ever notice that there is a distinct look on the weekends at Starbucks (or any of the mass market espresso/coffee places we have here in Seattle)?  It's distinctive: not too dressy, not too casual, a little bit athletic, but still pulled together so as not to look as if they've just tumbled out of bed to get their morning cup of joe.  I always feel a little under-done when I check in at Starbucks...as if maybe I should have taken a few more minutes with my hair, or my make-up or even re-thought my entire ensemble before I shuffled out the door.  Coco Chanel always said before you walk out the door stop, and remove one piece of jewelry, accessory, etc.  But perhaps, before you walk into your local coffee shop, you need to add something...a little pizazz maybe?

Black and Brown...Yes? No?

Black wool coat, brown boots. I have always struggled with this. Sometimes I think it looks good; sometimes not so much. I'll read in one years magazines that it's a fashion 'do' and the next year it's a don't. Thoughts? Rules? Better of it was a brown coat and black boots?

Am I in a National Geographic Photo shoot?

The other day (well let's be honest, it's every day) when I was getting coffee, I turned to briefly look at the person next to me and almost vomited....through the enormous holes in his earlobe.  I think one of the weirdest body adornment practices which is popular right now is the 'discs in the earlobe' thing.  We all remember (I do at least) looking through the National Geographic magazines as kids and marveling, wide-eyed, at the mainly African peoples with the lip discs, ear discs, and my favorite, the ladies with all the brass rings around their necks in order to lengthen them like giraffes (I'm waiting for that practice to become popular).  I have pierced ears, and a small tattoo, and I'll admit for years now I have toyed with the idea of getting more ink and even a possible nose pierce.  But I think when you start to adorn yourself in a way that is mainly associated with a particular ethnic group, something gets lost, and the tradition can be disrespected.  More often, though, I just wonder what all these young hipsters are going to look like when they're 80 and they have earlobes down to their armpits...what a sight that will be.

Just Breathe it in....and Sweat it Out...and Stink it Up

I love my hot yoga classes. I've been practicing hot yoga (or Bikram yoga) now for about 5 months. I love how the 26 different poses make me feel, how it moves/stretches/exercises every bone and muscle in my body. But there are a lot of things that I don't love about hot yoga too, mainly that it smells, or better put, there are a lot of people in the class who smell. Now, of course, when you have a room heated to 114 degrees with 25 people in it, there will be a bit of an aroma. I'm cool with that. But some people come to class and it's like they've already run a marathon and then not showered for 3 days, and they are typically the person who lays their mat right next to me...when there's plenty of room on the other side of the studio! I probably don't smell like a bed of roses, but I do bathe regularly and usually have clean yoga outfits on. I also make sure my towel is full size and clean so that I'm not contributing any more than necessary to the overall funk. None of these nags are enough to make me stay away from yoga, but if someone had told me how gross it can be, I may never have started.

Just Button it Up...Man

I am becoming increasingly aware that there are a growing number of gentlemen who insist on wearing their dress shirts with an additional button unbuttoned. IT LOOKS WRONG. There's really no other way of putting it. I find that in my observations most of these gents are in their upper 50's or early 60's, so my thought is that they are still recovering from the 70's era disco styles, and are slowly working their way into buttoning up their shirts to a proper look. And when you think about it, it makes sense: in the 70's, they probably had their shiny, satiny, blousy ensembles unbuttoned to their navels, chest hair blowing in the wind, the sound of gold chains rattling away as they boogie-oogie-oogied their way across the dance floor. In the 80's, they buttoned up one or two, put on their Hugo Boss suit and pondered the immortal words of Gordon Gecko. As the 80's became the 90's, they probably buttoned one more, traded in the dress shirt for flannel, threw a thermal undershirt on as a base layer (remember these were the 'grunge years'), and felt like they were 'with it'. Then you have the new millennium, and I almost think that the buttoning went backwards (maybe a binary glitch with the turnover to '00?) and they unbuttoned again, because now in 2011, I am still seeing men with their dress shirts opened up to a degree that seems off-putting....maybe in the 20's we'll get some standards back.

Clomp, Clomp, Clomp

You've heard it before, and I don't mean when you've been at a parade or downtown when the horse cops come trotting by. I'm talking about hearing the unmistakable sound of someone wearing shoes with heels that they apparently can't handle. The person in question last night had a pair of high-heel wedges (I think with cork detail), but man was she ever loud. I mean, you could hear her coming from the other side of the bar, and since she was a smoker, she crossed the room a number of times while David and I were having dinner. I am a fan of high-heels; I like how they look, I like how they make me look (hey look at me, I'm over 6 feet tall in these!), but what I won't wear are heels that I can't walk in properly. I don't think there's anything more unattractive to the eye (or the ear) than someone plodding along in shoes they can't really maneuver in easily (Herman Munster anyone?). I've tried on shoes in the store that were 'iffy', bought them, gone out in them, clomped around in them, and taken them back, even though I loved how they looked....I'm just not going to be the person that everyone has to listen to as I cross a room, or patrol Westlake Park in the summertime (oh wait, that's the Seattle Police Cavalry).

This is probably less about style, and more about simple presentation and manners when one is in public. WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE SO DAMN LOUD? (yes, all caps on purpose). I have never been able to fathom why some people find it necessary in a public place (in a restuarant, on an airplane, in the restroom, etc) to talk so loudly. Do you want people to hear every tidbit of your conversation? Do you not realize how much your voice is carrying to every nook and cranny of the room/space you're in (and expecially into the ear canal of the person lucky enough to be seated next to you)?

Aaarrgh, Matey, Pirates in Seattle!

Ok, I get it, everyone loves boots, especially us ladies here in the Northwest. I myself have 5 or 6 pairs of boots, and I enjoy wearing them to work, or out with my friends. But this new trend of over-the-knee boots? I really don't get it. Particularly in the 40+ crowd (and I am a member of this group now ). I spied a gal the other day waiting for the light on the corner of 7th and Pike, most likely on her lunch break, wearing a pair, and it just looked wrong. Don't get me wrong, I am not the most fashion-conscious person out there (ask my friends, they'll tell you) but I think I do know when something is right, and appropriate (and don't think that because I'm 40 I now automatically think that everything that is trendy is too young for me, because I don't). All I can think when I see people (and I use the word here on purpose, because I've seen some gentlemen in the over-the-knee boots too) striding down the sidewalk in these get-ups is that Seinfeld episode where Jerry didn't want to wear the puffy shirt...he didn't want to be a pirate...but perhaps in 2011 he would want to be.