Of course one Thing I Love is the Olympics!! Who doesn't enjoy the world coming together to watch men on skates spin while wearing ruffles and sequins, then two minutes later watch Shaun White fly to the moon?!
Some people say that figure skating and snowboarding are examples of non-sports that are in the Olympics. Granted, snowboarding is one of the rare sports where the athletes get to listen to their iPods while competing, but other sports use music to help them out, so who am I to begrudge them that right? I happen to think that these are sports. They happen to have some artistry involved and are subjective, but they require athleticism in order to be successful. How does this make figure skating different from ballet? Well, ballet isn't really judged, now is it? They have auditions, but their performances aren't judged. Start judging ballet and I'll be happy to call it a sport as well.
I love the Olympics for moments like Lindsey Vonn winning the gold medal last night. She had me in tears with her excitement and the sheer joy that winning the gold medal brought her. To put on a run like that with her bruised shin and the amount of pain she must have been in was incredible to say the least. It may not be the smartest move, but most people push through things they shouldn't in order to work towards something that has been their life goal.
And Shaun White. There are no words. I have never watched snowboarding before in my life and I just cannot believe how incredible he is! He must store some jet packs in his bindings somewhere to go that high! His conservative run was miles ahead of all the others. It's just amazing!! I'm also jealous of his gorgeous hair.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Pancake Day!
I had an English boyfriend for about three years. In those three years, we had a few of our traditions that we had blended together, and kind of made out own. One tradition that I still want to carry on with myself that came completely from his culture is Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Day. When the Americans are partying it up for Mardi Gras, and other countries are also partying it up with Carnival, the Brits are partying it up with pancakes! Yes, very tame in comparison but delicious nonetheless.
My first Pancake Day was when my ex and I were in a long distance relationship. I had gone to visit him during one of my school vacations and his family was talking about being excited for Pancake Day. I knew not of this holiday, but I'm all for holidays especially when they involve yummy food, so I was excited for pancakes. Well, the day came and Lee and I were going to travel into London to do some sight seeing and everyone was about to head out the door to work and school. I asked Lee when we were going to have the pancakes. He laughed and felt badly because apparently in England they don't eat pancakes for breakfast. Shortly after I overheard his little brother (8 at the time) ask his mom for pancakes and Lee's mom responded "You know we don't have pancakes for breakfast!" I felt his pain. I really did. Lee then explained to me that English pancakes are different from the American type. In England theirs are more like crepes and they roll them up and sprinkle them with lemon and sugar. I'll admit, I didn't like them at first and found them to be bland. I now love them.
Lee and I started a tradition of having American style pancakes for breakfast (he's half-American and was born in the States) and English style for dinner. It just works out that in America we usually eat ours for breakfast and in England they usually eat theirs for dinner. We got the best of both worlds.
I carried on that tradition myself today since we are no longer together. I had American style chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast (although now I feel like I should have made my apple streusel ones!) and English ones for dinner.
Party hearty my friends.
My first Pancake Day was when my ex and I were in a long distance relationship. I had gone to visit him during one of my school vacations and his family was talking about being excited for Pancake Day. I knew not of this holiday, but I'm all for holidays especially when they involve yummy food, so I was excited for pancakes. Well, the day came and Lee and I were going to travel into London to do some sight seeing and everyone was about to head out the door to work and school. I asked Lee when we were going to have the pancakes. He laughed and felt badly because apparently in England they don't eat pancakes for breakfast. Shortly after I overheard his little brother (8 at the time) ask his mom for pancakes and Lee's mom responded "You know we don't have pancakes for breakfast!" I felt his pain. I really did. Lee then explained to me that English pancakes are different from the American type. In England theirs are more like crepes and they roll them up and sprinkle them with lemon and sugar. I'll admit, I didn't like them at first and found them to be bland. I now love them.
Lee and I started a tradition of having American style pancakes for breakfast (he's half-American and was born in the States) and English style for dinner. It just works out that in America we usually eat ours for breakfast and in England they usually eat theirs for dinner. We got the best of both worlds.
I carried on that tradition myself today since we are no longer together. I had American style chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast (although now I feel like I should have made my apple streusel ones!) and English ones for dinner.
Party hearty my friends.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Kindle
You know something I don't understand? In so many countries (like in Europe) they have those long license plates that don't state which country the plate is from. Here in the US the plates say which state it's from so the police could look up the driver by state then plate number so Joe Schmo from Wisconsin doesn't get stuck with a speeding ticket that Jane Doe from California got. What do they do in Europe if something like that happens? Are the plates not tied to the driver? How do you not accidentally get stuck with something that's not your fault, especially when you consider that driving to another country over there is akin to driving to another state here? I was just watching a Samantha Brown episode that takes place in Europe and it reminded me of this problem I ofren thought about when I was with Lee.
Aaaaaanyway, that is not what this post is meant to be about. This post is meant to be about my Kindle! I got one for Christmas after drooling over one for over a year and I love it! I didn't originally think I'd want one since I love real books so much, but after my mom got one for her birthday last year and I saw it in person I fell in love with it. It won't replace real books for me, especially since there are some books that won't be available in the Kindle format, but it's great for travel. I also have the iPhone app, so I can sync it through the wireless connection and pick up the book right where I left off on my phone when I don't have my Kindle with me, and vice versa. There are also loads of free books, and books are very inexpensive.
The only downfalls for the Kindle? With my mom's I had trouble reading it at the beach because of the bright sunlight, although Amazon says you're supposed to be able to read it in bright sunlight. The other downfalls are you can't share books (or at least you have to use loopholes to share), several books have strange formatting and/or typos, and it doesn't come with a case.
Aaaaaanyway, that is not what this post is meant to be about. This post is meant to be about my Kindle! I got one for Christmas after drooling over one for over a year and I love it! I didn't originally think I'd want one since I love real books so much, but after my mom got one for her birthday last year and I saw it in person I fell in love with it. It won't replace real books for me, especially since there are some books that won't be available in the Kindle format, but it's great for travel. I also have the iPhone app, so I can sync it through the wireless connection and pick up the book right where I left off on my phone when I don't have my Kindle with me, and vice versa. There are also loads of free books, and books are very inexpensive.
The only downfalls for the Kindle? With my mom's I had trouble reading it at the beach because of the bright sunlight, although Amazon says you're supposed to be able to read it in bright sunlight. The other downfalls are you can't share books (or at least you have to use loopholes to share), several books have strange formatting and/or typos, and it doesn't come with a case.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Zoya Harlow
Zoya is quickly becoming my favorite nail polish brand. They have gorgeous color that has staying power. I even tried a color I didn't think I'd like from looking at it in the bottle and ended up loving it (more on that another day since it's on my toes and I'll wait until I wear it on my fingers to do a post about it).
I had heard about matte nail polish and wasn't too thrilled with the idea since I love the sparkle and shine from wearing nail polish. However, since I was placing an order from Zoya for the Remove+, I decided to order some nail polish and try some from the Matte Velvet collection. One of the polishes I ordered from that collection was the Harlow polish. This polish has some matte shimmer in it and is a gorgeous color that Zoya describes as a Gunmetal Rose.
Even though you can't wear top coat with it, the matte formula is fast-drying and I didn't feel like it really dried much slower than when I use the Poshé.
I had heard about matte nail polish and wasn't too thrilled with the idea since I love the sparkle and shine from wearing nail polish. However, since I was placing an order from Zoya for the Remove+, I decided to order some nail polish and try some from the Matte Velvet collection. One of the polishes I ordered from that collection was the Harlow polish. This polish has some matte shimmer in it and is a gorgeous color that Zoya describes as a Gunmetal Rose.
Even though you can't wear top coat with it, the matte formula is fast-drying and I didn't feel like it really dried much slower than when I use the Poshé.
Chloë
One of the Things I Love most is my cat Chloë. She is my little buddy and loves to follow me around. She's also my little protector; if I'm upset or frustrated she doesn't want to let anyone near me (this can be a nuisance, but kind of cute!).
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Zoya Remove+
I am falling in love with Zoya. I have tried about five of their nail polishes so far and have loved every one. The colors are gorgeous, they go on easily, and they don't need many coats to become opaque. I'm not a big fan of sheer nail polishes, so I love when colors don't need many coats to become opaque.
One Thing I Love from Zoya? Their nail polish remover called Remove+. (Click on the link for picture and pricing.) It smells wonderful, and unlike the fragranced acetone remover I bought at Sally Beauty Supply, it works. I was wearing the Absolutely Alice nail polish by OPI, which is a glitter and very difficult to remove. I tried using the acetone remover from Sally's and it was taking forever (and forget about trying non-acetone, that's a joke!). I tried using the Remove+ and it still took a while, but it worked so much better. Remove+ not only removes polish, but it cleans and preps the nail without drying it out. My nails were starting to peel from the other polish remover, so I'm glad to have a polish that doesn't dry them out.
You know what else I love about this polish remover? I love the flapper cap on the 8 oz. bottle. It's spill-proof!! I turned the bottle upside down and shook it. No polish came out. I didn't want to actually throw it or anything, but shaking it upside down helped me believe it wouldn't spill. Then I had to figure out how to get the remover out. Well, all you have to do is press the cotton ball on the handy-dandy lid and there it is! I'm always so worried about spilling polish and the remover that I'm happy to have this security!
I went with the 8oz. bottle. $4 more for 4 times the product in the smaller size. It's a no-brainer to me. I also spent just over $50 and got a free 2oz. bottle of Remove+ for free.
One Thing I Love from Zoya? Their nail polish remover called Remove+. (Click on the link for picture and pricing.) It smells wonderful, and unlike the fragranced acetone remover I bought at Sally Beauty Supply, it works. I was wearing the Absolutely Alice nail polish by OPI, which is a glitter and very difficult to remove. I tried using the acetone remover from Sally's and it was taking forever (and forget about trying non-acetone, that's a joke!). I tried using the Remove+ and it still took a while, but it worked so much better. Remove+ not only removes polish, but it cleans and preps the nail without drying it out. My nails were starting to peel from the other polish remover, so I'm glad to have a polish that doesn't dry them out.
You know what else I love about this polish remover? I love the flapper cap on the 8 oz. bottle. It's spill-proof!! I turned the bottle upside down and shook it. No polish came out. I didn't want to actually throw it or anything, but shaking it upside down helped me believe it wouldn't spill. Then I had to figure out how to get the remover out. Well, all you have to do is press the cotton ball on the handy-dandy lid and there it is! I'm always so worried about spilling polish and the remover that I'm happy to have this security!
I went with the 8oz. bottle. $4 more for 4 times the product in the smaller size. It's a no-brainer to me. I also spent just over $50 and got a free 2oz. bottle of Remove+ for free.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Poshé
I never really used to paint my fingernails. I always have my toes painted, and by always I mean I cannot remember the last time I did not have my toes painted. I just do not like unpainted toes on women. Sorry to the ladies who don't paint their toes, but I just don't like it. I think feet don't tend to look pretty so the nail polish helps to make them a bit spiffy looking. For myself, I don't even mind if the nail polish is bumpy because I don't have the time to remove the polish and need to touch it up, but they must be polished.
I digress. One Thing I Love that I discovered in December is Poshé Super-Fast Drying Topcoat. Don't be scared by the price if you follow the link. I did not pay this much for the Poshé. I bought my first bottle at Sally Beauty Supply, and you can get it even cheaper at a nail polish site such as Trans Design or Head to Toe Beauty.
I have not tended to be one to paint my fingers because of the dry time. When I would paint my nails, I would usually paint them when I was doing a drive that took over 1/2 hour. I would get in the car, buckle up, turn on the car, and then paint my nails before driving and figure the polish would be dry by the time I got to my destination. If I didn't do that I would usually mess up the polish before it would dry. With Poshé I don't have that problem. The Poshé dries the polish very quickly. Those "fast-drying" polishes from Maybelline? Even those weren't fast enough for me. Poshé blows it out of the water and I can use the nice brands such as Zoya, China Glaze, and OPI. Poshé makes it dry to the touch in about 5 minutes, and the polish is completely try in 10-15 minutes, depending on how many coats of polish you have on.
The Thing I Don't Love about Poshé? I am now painting my fingers a couple of times per week, which looks nice, but means I am starting to develop a larger nail polish collection. Thank goodness I found those websites listed earlier that sell the nail polish at a discount!
I digress. One Thing I Love that I discovered in December is Poshé Super-Fast Drying Topcoat. Don't be scared by the price if you follow the link. I did not pay this much for the Poshé. I bought my first bottle at Sally Beauty Supply, and you can get it even cheaper at a nail polish site such as Trans Design or Head to Toe Beauty.
I have not tended to be one to paint my fingers because of the dry time. When I would paint my nails, I would usually paint them when I was doing a drive that took over 1/2 hour. I would get in the car, buckle up, turn on the car, and then paint my nails before driving and figure the polish would be dry by the time I got to my destination. If I didn't do that I would usually mess up the polish before it would dry. With Poshé I don't have that problem. The Poshé dries the polish very quickly. Those "fast-drying" polishes from Maybelline? Even those weren't fast enough for me. Poshé blows it out of the water and I can use the nice brands such as Zoya, China Glaze, and OPI. Poshé makes it dry to the touch in about 5 minutes, and the polish is completely try in 10-15 minutes, depending on how many coats of polish you have on.
The Thing I Don't Love about Poshé? I am now painting my fingers a couple of times per week, which looks nice, but means I am starting to develop a larger nail polish collection. Thank goodness I found those websites listed earlier that sell the nail polish at a discount!
OPI Thanks So Muchness!
Last weekend I went to Ulta and bought some of the Alice in Wonderland nail polishes from OPI. (For those of you who don't know, I learned recently it's called oh pee eye, not Opie like from the Andy Griffith Show. I should have known from the all caps and the bullets between the letters, but such is life.)
I didn't get "Off With Her Red" because I just didn't really like that shade of red. It was more orangey, and while I love red nail polish, I prefer it to be either a true red, or a red with either a purple or blue hue to it. I did buy "Absolutely Alice," "Mad As a Hatter," and "Thanks So Muchness!"
I love "Thanks So Muchness!" It is a beautiful true red that shimmers a bit. It went on easily and removed easily as well. I think this will be my go-to red when I'm not feeling like having the glitter of China Glaze's Ruby Pumps. The picture was taken at night, so it does not do it justice.
I didn't get "Off With Her Red" because I just didn't really like that shade of red. It was more orangey, and while I love red nail polish, I prefer it to be either a true red, or a red with either a purple or blue hue to it. I did buy "Absolutely Alice," "Mad As a Hatter," and "Thanks So Muchness!"
I love "Thanks So Muchness!" It is a beautiful true red that shimmers a bit. It went on easily and removed easily as well. I think this will be my go-to red when I'm not feeling like having the glitter of China Glaze's Ruby Pumps. The picture was taken at night, so it does not do it justice.
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