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Shop my AVON store!: Here's a sneak peak at some of the latest products available at Avon. Be sure to click

Shop my AVON store!

Shop my AVON store!: Here's a sneak peak at some of the latest products available at Avon. Be sure to click

Woodland Park Zoo Impact-Driven Giving Campaign: Give Ten for Tigers!

Woodland Park Zoo Impact-Driven Giving Campaign: Give Ten for Tigers!

Open Letter #2 to Sweaty Red-faced Gentleman at Hot Yoga

I took a long (unintentional) break from Hot Yoga this past year, but have just recently started back up.  It's something I truly enjoy (which is rare for me when it comes to any form of exercise) and one of the best things about for me is that it follows a set routine and there are general rules that you follow when you're in the studio (silence, no shoes, staggered mat set up so everyone can see themselves in the mirror, etc).  The studio I've been going to for the past week or so is a newer one, and caters to a younger crowd compared to where I have been going for the past year or so.  Nevertheless, I expect the same rules to apply at every studio, since it's such a strict form of yoga.  Last night, I was proved wrong.

Dear Sweaty Red-faced Gentleman at Hot Yoga,

Did you ever wonder why the students at the hot yoga studio are all lined up in front of each other on their mats?  It's so we can see ourselves in the front mirror and work on our form.  It's also extremely helpful when we're doing the floor exercises.  I spent the last half of class last night looking right up your caboose, and not in a good way.  Do you know how frustrating it is to be trying to improve your technique in this hellishly hot room only to have someone planted in front of you so that all you can do is stare at the sweat dripping down their beet-red scalp, neck, back, etc?  Please look around you next time you come to class and take a moment before you plop yourself down for the night.  I, for one, will greatly appreciate it.

Moon Boots and Snow Days

Well, Seattle has made it through our 2012 snowstorm.  With it came power outages, downed trees, major commuting challenges, and flooding.  It also brought some fantastic footwear choices as Seattlites braved the wet, cold streets on their way to wherever they happened to be going.  I saw lots of hiking boots and rain boots, and even a vintage pair of moon boots.  Now these brought back memories of late elementary and middle school (I wanted a pair of these so bad!).  If you grew up in the 70's/80's you remember these too, and if you went to ski school, like I did, you saw a lot of these (they were popular on the bus for the way up/way back from Stevens Pass).  I couldn't believe a pair of these babies still existed, much less would be seen out in their element...but welcome back moon boots, your presence here in Seattle's snow is welcome!

Flip-Flop Flurry (of snow)

I'm not necessarily someone who likes to look at feet, nor am I repulsed by them like some people I know.  But I think in the summertime, we become fairly numb to the fact that people all around us have their feet out on display 24/7, whether in flip-flops, sandals, open-toed shoes, or just plain old bare feet.  But in the winter?  Especially on a snowy day in Seattle (few and far between as they are)?  In Starbucks...that last bastion of social modesty? Where everyone typically looks very 'Starbucksy'?   Feet out on display in the wintertime are not good, especially when you figure that a lot of people neglect their usual foot upkeep in the colder months.  This guy's feet certainly weren't horrible, but I was really taken aback at seeing them out in the wild at all.

SOPA and PIPA

This isn't my usual type of blog (I do have a new one in the hopper though) and I realize that my blog is not a huge platform from which to shout.  But, everyone needs to be informed of what SOPA and PIPA mean to the freedoms of the internet and how it will affect all of us on a daily basis.

These bills will have huge, negative impacts on publicly driven websites (think Wikipedia and CraigsList, just to name a few) and stifle the creativity of so many of us who enjoy using the internet as a way to express ourselves with writings, drawings, videos, song and more.

Read the actual bill here:

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:h.r.03261: 

From Google's site:

https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/ 

CNET's take on how SOPA would affect you:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57329001-281/how-sopa-would-affect-you-faq/ 

Pass it on!

Oink, Oink (Ok, this is about Pig Tails)

If you have dark hair and excessive gray roots, I don't recommend wearing pig-tails.  I'm not someone who thinks pig-tails are only for 7-year olds; I think older gals can pull it off and look very cute/sporty.  But, if you're sporting a lot of gray, and you have put the tails in haphazardly (as the woman I saw on the bus yesterday had) then it looks terrible.  She had bangs too, which was just another place on her head to show off her roots.  The purple puffy coat and pink converse just added to the entire ensemble, a definite 'no'.

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!