Back in skinny jeans

The Saturn SKY: A luscious lipstick mobile

You know that confident, sexy feeling you get when you put on fire engine red lipstick and adorable strappy heeled sandals for a Girl’s Friday night out? Well, that’s what it feels like when you get behind the wheel of a Saturn SKY convertible. This car is hot, and you too, will look dubiously dee-lish in it as well.

I went to the BlogHer conference this weekend, and GM was a big sponsor. I have to tell you that I have a newfound respect for GM marketing, and was really impressed with the way we were treated by their staff, and by the cool schwag they gave us. I was equally impressed that they “GET” that women influence 80% of new car purchases. To market to a bunch of lady bloggers holed up in a ballroom for 2 days with nothing to do but post away into the blogosphere was a sign of pure genius.

Personally, I have an affinity for Saturn cars. The first car I ever bought by myself with my own money from my first “real” career job out of college was a Saturn SC in blue/black. I went to Saturn first because I loved the idea of no haggling and fear of being ripped off. I loved that car, and drove it for 7 years. During that time, I mostly loved the service from my local Saturn dealer. They really did have those barbecues like in the commercials.

But back to THE SKY! GM brought a bunch of cars for attendees to test drive and the most popular of all the cars was the SKY convertible. Every woman I met at the conference who had taken the SKY for a spin said the same thing, “Wow! That was sooooo cool!” They let us drive the car outside the hotel parking lot into the streets of San Jose by ourselves. No joke! As well, no one from GM sat in the car with you, to slam marketing schpeal down your throat, as you swirled out of the hotel parking lot with your hair flying in the wind. There was a waiver to sign of course, in case you decided to drive and keep going.

I took the car hard around a corner and stepped on the gas. I wanted to see if this baby had some oomph besides looking gorgeous, and for a small car with a 4-cylinder engine, it sure had more pick up than I expected.  I was told that a Turbo version would be out in a few months. Can they make the SKY any more delicious?

The best part of this glamorous car is that it is affordable. The starting MSRP is around $24,000. You’re able to have a dream car now instead of years later when you make Partner or Director at the firm. It’s totally fabulous!

Walk, fly, run to your nearest Saturn and take a SKY for a test drive. And, you must drive it with the top down to get the best affect. It really will be one of those experiences that are joyful and fun, and make you want to whip out your checkbook.

Disclaimer: I was just so excited and blown away by the whole GM experience that I had the urge to lather on the kudos here about the SKY. If it's a bit thick, that's the marketing DNA in me talking. I too, will only rave about something I personally would buy or use myself. See what some wooing and focus on awesome customer experience can get you ;-)

More on Pam Anderson wedding attire

I can't quite let go of the Pam Anderson wedding "attire" just yet. Enough about the French. So far, there's been no mention of whether the kids were there at the St. Tropez affaire. Pam has two, and Bob (Kid Rock) has one. My righteous, repressed, Catholic side hopes to g*d No!

If Pam were your mother, what you think of her wedding "outfits"? Pam has two boys and no girls. As a boy, odds are all your (guy) friends and their dads would most likely think, "You mom is HOT! MILF all the way. That Kid Rock is one lucky S.O.B."

As a girl, odds are, all your (gal) friends and their moms would most likely think, "Your mom is a slut. Why can't she accept the fact that she's 40 (next year but close enough) and that women her age shouldn't be acting like 20 year old's anymore. Only whores where barely there bikinis to their wedding reception."

Mind you, the opposite could be true for each gender where the boys think PamMom is skanky, and the girls think PamMom is a hot tamale regardless of age. If I were Pam's daughter, I think I'd start calling her "Mrs. Ritchie" instead of Mom like Charlotte (Winona Ryder) did with her Mom, "Mrs Flax" (Cher) in the movie Mermaids.

Fuel for French fire: Pam and Kid’s wedding

I just have to have some fun with this. It’s no secret that the French think Americans are crass, uncultured, and vulgar. Pam Anderson’s “wedding” to Kid Rock in St. Tropez on Saturday just added fuel to that fire. Rednecks and Stripper-wanna-be’s huddled on a yacht with beer kegs galore just must have made those Frenchies squirm in disgust as they dined on their Saturday night dinner of Coq au Vin with Tomates à la grecque with a fine Appellation Bourgogne Contrôlée.

Now, I’m all for brides wearing whatever the hell they want on their “big” day, and I’m all for non-traditional ceremonies especially when it’s your umpteenth time around the altar. But did ya have to look like this in France, of all places. I'm sorry, but my judgmental thermometer broke 100 degrees on this one. Can you just imagine what the editors at French Vogue are smirking about? You’re just asking for a fashionista smackdown.

How would I describe this look to a friend? …hmmm… Rich, famous, and raunchy show-off their wanton, Hillbilly roots. The trailer park would be so thrilled.

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At BlogHer Conference Day #1

Today, I'm going to be attending the BlogHer Conference in San Jose. I'm very excited to be hobnobbing with other lady bloggers, and to be as absorbent as a heavy duty sponge.

There will be so many cool things to see and learn, and lots of very fabulous people to meet. I cannot begin to tell you how cool it is to be going to a technology related conference where the women dominate both in attendees and as speakers. There's even day care, which you NEVER see at a regular old tech event. Joy!!!

There will be WiFi so, I will blog details through the day if I can.

Why are you obsessed with your weight? My deal with this question

Last post, I wrote about a writing exercise to help you begin letting go of your obsession with your weight. This writing exercise is what I did when I began my journey to healing the parts of me that were in pain. For me, it just wasn’t an obsession with body image, but a whole gamut of things including self esteem, what’s my purpose in life, self loathing, and perfectionism. At the time, I hated where my life was, and I hated the destructive things I was doing to myself. I was not on a good path, and many times before I made the, “I’ll start on Monday” promise to change things. Many Mondays came and went, and I ended up not doing anything because it always somehow came down to feeling like some BIG project. By starting with writing, it was a small thing to do, yet very powerful. I learned of this writing exercise from one of my healers. 

The first time I did this exercise I bawled and hurt. Initially I couldn’t even look at what I wrote, and then I got pissed off to no end and ripped the paper up in a fury. Because things were out of control in my life at the time, I did it as an exercise with my therapist and with a women’s group that I joined. As much as I hated doing this writing project in the beginning, it did play a significant part in helping me heal. I would not be where I am today, happier, healthier, and freer without it. 

After the initial storm and denial, I began to write all the time. I could not stop writing. Part of that was because I have a tendency to bottle up everything, and now that I had uncorked the bottle everything was pouring out like gushing soda from a dropped can. I cursed and swore. I called many people idiotic, mother-fucking assholes, something I could never do out loud to their face. I lashed out at old boyfriends, bosses, and friends who betrayed me. As I wrote and let stuff out, new things I never knew existed came out. It’s like one big onion. 

After a year, it came out one day, that I hated God and really did not trust him. I felt like he had been the ultimate betrayer in my life. This was a shocking revelation for me because up until then I always thought I had only loving feelings toward God. Turns out the hatred was buried underneath blankets of fear. Fear that you will go straight to burning hell if you admit that you hate God. But by exploring those feelings and facing them, the issues I had with “people” were really a reflection of my distrust of God, and my anger at him for abandoning me when I needed him the most. When I healed that pain with the big guy, my relationships with humans took on a better tune especially in the dating area.

One of the reasons I recommend blogging to people is that not only is it creative expression, and a way for you to be free with your thoughts, values, and beliefs, but it is a way to heal yourself, and others. By expressing what you’ve been through and experienced, you are helping others who are just starting their journeys or are alone in their experience. When you write, you heal.

Why are you obsessed with your weight? Try this exercise.

If you think about your weight 24/7, make life decisions based on your weight situation, or put joy on hold until you lose weight, and want to break out of those patterns, a good place to start is by asking yourself and answering, “Why do I obsess about my weight?” Get a piece of paper, your journal, or even your computer, write down the question, and brainstorm.

 Write everything that comes down. Allow yourself to do this exercise without judgment, without punishment, or without “what am I supposed to, should, or nicely say.” Be free, and let the pen flow. This is about letting your feelings out. This is about you putting yourself in the power seat of your life. This is about you making the first steps to letting go of your obsession with your weight. By writing down what’s going on inside you on paper, you can start to see the picture. You have a visual that will help you get a better understanding and grip on what you need to take action on, and where to get help.

This is not an easy exercise to do. It will take bravery to be totally honest with yourself, and for you to look at what you have written, but it will be a very loving thing to do for yourself and a very freeing thing. The physical act of writing down your feelings puts it out in the open. And the more you put it out in the open, the less power these feelings have over you. If you have some very intense things going on in your life, it is best to do this exercise with the support of a therapist, healer, your doctor, or group related to your particular issue(s). It’s also less scary and lonely when you have people supporting you.

After you’re done with this exercise, a cathartic thing to do is to shred the paper, delete the file, or burn the paper. I personally enjoy shredding. The act of shredding, burning, deleting is symbolic for you letting go of those old feelings that no longer serve you.

Next, what happened when I did this exercise….

"Bag 'em, Tag 'em, & Drag 'em to the Altar"

I saw this tagline on a newsletter I enjoy. The post was about spells and curses. This one stuck out because I know many women who are so anxious to get married that they will resort to casting spells or having someone cast a spell on their targeted beloved to get him to the altar. “He” just doesn’t realize yet what a catch he has in you, so a little spell to help him “see” the light won’t hurt anything.

Now, I’m not bagging on anyone who has tried the spell tactic or even thought of it. I sure have read up on some those “Love spells” myself. If anything, it’s interesting. But, if you put the glass sipper on the other foot, how would you feel if you found out that you ended up marrying some guy because he put a spell on you. I would gather that it would piss you off. Love and marriage is something that should happen in its natural course. And, nothing that is created through coersion, trickery, or  deception will end happily ever after. As an example, ask any woman who trapped a man by getting pregnant.

As you get older, and love hasn’t found its way to you yet, the desperation and anguish get more consuming. I know all about this. You start becoming more open to things like spell casting because you want so badly to have a special someone. Everyone you know is getting married, and there are people you know who are even on their 2^nd or 3^rd marriage, and you haven’t had your first. Damn frustrating! But in the end, the real challenge is having faith that your true beloved does exist and that you two will find each other, and you will not have to resort to trapping, bagging, or dragging the man to the altar. It may take longer than you had planned or wanted, but trust me; it will be worth the wait.

Aussies crackdown on obese kids

In an effort to get a handle on the growing obesity problem in children, the Australian government is conducted a national nutritional survey with about 4,000 kids. In this study, the kids will be weighed, measured, and interviewed about their eating and lifestyle habits. Currently:

"Up to a quarter of Australian children aged between seven and 15 are overweight or obese, causing rising rates of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, the health department said."

The results will be available next year. I hope that the U.S. government, or some major U.S. health institution is doing some kind of similar survey. Although, you could almost guess what the the results are going to say. Kids are eating lots of junk food, not exercising, and have sedentary lifestyles. With the Internet and cable, kids are spending more time sitting in front of a computer or a TV. With the cut backs in schools, there are many kids who don't even have P.E. because physical fitness is not deemed as crucial as test scores. And, with a fast food restaurant on every block, and parents who are constantly busy, there is little time and sometimes money, to cook healthy meals.

When I was a kid, we didn't have the Internet or the Playstation. We frolicked outside in the playground, and I remember P.E. where we had to do those presidential fitness tests. I could never get that ONE pull up that was required for girls. Today, it would seem that kids are spending more time pulling up their laptops and dollar value meals. Not to say that, that is a bad thing. It's just making life more sedentary. Do the kids even do the presidential tests anymore?? Modern technology and convenience is making our lives easier, and in another way making us fatter.

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Mattie wins 1st place in first kayak race

This weekend Mattie paddled in his first "official" kayak race, and took 1st place in his category. It was really cool, and I was soooooo proud of him. The best part for me was to see the excitement and bliss in his eyes. Matt loves being in the water in his kayak, and has met a new group of friends he loves to hang out with. The guys were in the race as well, in different categories. They all won ribbons too.

Not only did Mattie win a first place ribbon, he also won a THULE kayak rack ($400 value) for his SUV in the raffle. You couldn't have asked for a more perfect day!

Jack in the Box: Women want salad

Have you seen the new commercial from Jack in the Box for their new Acapulco Chicken Salad where Jack is asking a woman what women really want. The conversation goes:

Jack: Ellen, what do women really want?
Ellen (looking thoughtfully at Jack): Love, a shoulder to cry on....a soul mate.

Ellen pauses to relish in the idea of Prince Charming.

Jack: I meant, on our menu.
Ellen (snaps out of the magical dream back to reality): OH!...salad.

It's oh so about the magical skinny dream life.