22 September 2008

She Gets What She Wants

So in times of major financial crisis (shout out to Lehman Bros!) I do what any girl who's on the brink of brokedom does ... I window shop, or in my case Windows shop (It's so much easier and less tempting to look for stuff on the internet. Honestly, taking the time to fill in all your shipping and credit info is a big deterrent for me). For your perusing enjoyment, what I crave:

Vintage Christian Dior sunglasses from Barney's - So unnecessary and yet so cute. And a "bargain" at only $265.00. Charge it! (To my non-existent Black Card).

Cashmere from Bluefly.com. Probably the most affordable of my choices if I had any money to spare. I've always thought of cashmere as a very indulgent fabric and I would love indulge when the winter rains hit.


Mental stress may be getting me down but the physical repercussions are worse, I think a trip to Bliss SF is just what I need to get myself back on track. Lately my body has been a mass of aches and sores and the blissage 75 and reflexology sound like the solution. Some kinks you can't work out by yourself.


The Elsinore Buckle Flats from Le Train Bleu are another item that won't necessarily break the bank but I can't justify them either. Le Train Bleu is easily one of my favorite sites for shoes and discounted dresses. One day I will have the money (and the justification) to purchase on of their luxe coats.




I have an extensive wishlist at Anthropologie but right now I'd just settle for their Koi blouse.


Dahl by Alison Kelly (one of my favorite Project Runway designers) is a great line with some highly covetous pieces. One of my favorites is the Melinda top with its knit neckline. Though I wouldn't be ashamed to own the Blossom dress either.



Although I thought I'd left this stage of my life behind, lately I've been drawn to the more structured, slightly preppy clothing of my boarding school days. Following that, my new obsession is this short-sleeved peacoat from the Gap. It has just the right amount of structure with some sexiness and it will go right from the Bay Area's warm fall into its rainy winters.

And finally the biggest thing I covet: a trip out of this country. I love America but I could definitely deal with a vacation from it. Points of interest are Italy and Greece though with the current financial craziness (what's up, Bear Stearns?!!) I think I'll take my falling dollar to somewhere a bit more profitable ... Tijuana anyone?

15 September 2008

One Big Interruption

So lately I've been feeling more than little dissatisfied with The Boy. His recent actions (or inactions, really) have been driving me up the wall. After the whole exclusivity conversation, a lot of the advice was: dump him, move on or fuck someone else. Being who I am, I considered those options carefully. To be honest, the thought of ending things with him makes me physically ill. My chest kind of constricts when I think about it. But I did consider "fuck someone else" to be a viable option.

Recently, an old friend/lover/hook-up has reappeared in my life. The timing seemed fortuitous. He'd called me up a couple of times and even invited me to the club where he works to hang out. Then yesterday, he called to see if I wanted to go to dinner. Because I've had a very hectic couple of weeks, I'd planned on staying in last night, so I invited him to come over for dinner. He came over with wine and salad fixin's while I'd cooked some fish and potatoes. The stars were aligned.

We talked, watched some television and snuggled a bit before the wine took its toll and I suggested heading to bed. Now as he'd clearly spent the night at my place before and I could tell he was interested it seemed like everything was lined up for a casual night between friends ... with benefits. From the moment of the first kiss, it felt off. But I was determined to power through. I figured it was fate. I wanted to hook up with someone else but I didn't want it to be about getting back at anyone. I wanted it to happen naturally and here some higher power had dropped this situation in my lap. This was no time to turn back. But clearly, that higher power has a sense of humor. Though I was determined and eventually started to get a bit into the mood, my partner was having a down day. Way down.

I'm not exactly sure what this means. I was originally hoping that last night was a sign that things were shifting away from The Boy. Now it seems I'm right back where I started.

14 September 2008

I Will Remember You

Every year I avoid 9/11. I either spend the majority of the day in my house watching television (something completely innocuous) or I turn off the tv and avoid major news outlets, etc. I don't like to remember that day. And it's actually a lot easier to do in California. But today I woke up and they were airing an episode of Iconoclasts* on the Sundance Channel which featured Renee Zelleweger interviewing Christian Amanpour.

They talked a lot about the news media's role in the world as truth-tellers. Obviously Amanpour is a shining example of that. They discussed Rwanda and Amanpour's personal guilt about the media not stepping in and eventually they talked about 9/11. They walked throughout the construction site for the new tower and memorial park and they discussed how the media, in deference to the experience we'd all gone through, tempered their reporting and only now were they slowly building back to the way it had been. That really made me think. Amanpour said that there was an Edward R. Murrow quote that she uses as her mantra:


This instrument [television] can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire, but it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box.

This quote means everything today. I think the reason why I avoid 9/11 every year is because I get so sick of seeing politicians using this medium to capitolize on a tragedy. At the same time, I'm conflicted because sometimes I use that "box" to avoid hearing or seeing anything of any significance. To be honest, I don't think the news media is getting better. I think that if The Daily Show wasn't funny (and therefore didn't pull in ratings), we wouldn't have a true unbiased news outlet. The media is supposed to act "without fear or favor". We always want to talk about how Americans have freedom of the press but do we have an unbiased press? No.

I'm not sure where or what I'll be doing next September 11th but I'm going to try not to avoid it. I hope that this country will have progressed and that journalists will be holding our government leaders accountable but mostly I hope that it won't hurt so much to remember.


*If you've never seen it Iconoclasts is a really great show that pairs celebrities with their idols to conduct an interview. One of my favorite episodes is Alicia Keys & Ruby Dee.

09 September 2008

When You Least Expect It


When I come to update my blog, I'm always unsure what to write about. There's some personal stuff on the backburner I've held off on writing about because I want to digest it myself. And then there's television, something I could go on and on about but I don't want this to become all about my entertainment obsessions. But one issue I really felt I had to address was the choice of Sarah Palin for vice presidential candidate.

I have to admit, when I first heard about Palin's candidacy, soon followed by the breaking story about her daughter's pregnancy and then capped off with her hockey-mom/pit bull quote, I was just outraged. I was caught up in the debate. Is this woman a feminist? Is she a hypocrite? Is she a victim of sexism? Et cetera, et cetera. But now that things have calmed down a bit, what I'm seeing as the biggest issue is her qualifications. Most politicians (and an extrememly high number of Republicans) are hypocrites. Whether she is or is not a feminist is a moot point. (Although I personally feel that while Palin has benefited from feminism, her policies are clearly anti-women) What is the point is that while we are being mired in these questions, no one is asking can this person (female or male) do the job? Is she qualified to hold the second highest position in this NATION? That is not something to be taken lightly.

Palin attended numerous schools throughout her college education, moving with seemingly no reasoning. She was supposedly a journalism major but no one remembers her working with any campus publications. She's had little experience at the state level, being governor for only a year and half and no international experience whatsoever. These are all issues that the Republican Party took Barack Obama to task for. She's currently in the middle of an ethics investigation for abusing her position to get a local officer fired for "mistreating" her family. And I'm not saying that her experience as a mother is irrelevant but I don't see how it's supposed to make up for obvious shortcomings. If that's the case than Hillary Clinton must have been
overly qualified for president being a successful mother, with a strong educational and political background.

And many people are questioning if McCain's choice shows how much of a "maverick" he is or whether his campaign did not properly vet his choice for VP. I personally think the choice of Palin was a shrewd and calculated move. While we get caught up in the pregnancy scandal and Obama has to sidestep issues of sexism, McCain has created a situation where he gets to sit back and watch the drama unfold and the onus has moved away from proving himself a worthy candidate.

Part of it is the media's attempt to make politics "sexy" and "entertaining". That's why we're watching this year's election unfold the same way we watched Britney Spears' breakdown or followed the Brangelina baby news. We all want our politics served to us in soundbites. Hell Vogue is even doing a story on Palin (which I find ironic since the Republican Party is largely responsible for the economic downturn that is hitting the fashion industry but I guess Anna Wintour would rather Palin than the ever stylish Michelle Obama. Maybe Italian Vogue will give her the cover). So while we're caught up in the USWeekly style coverage, John McCain may sidle right into the White House ... when we least expect it.