Into the wild

Today was a lovely day. And if that sounds sappy, please consider that my Saturdays are usually spent running errands and cleaning. Instead, let's revisit what happened today:

Good stuff:
- I went to the movies with my daughter Sarah.
- I bought a cute pair of boots on sale.
- We went to see the Holiday Boat Parade at Stamford Harbor.
- I got a great adjustment at my weekly chiro visit, which got rid of my backache.

Not-so-good stuff:
After the great adjustment I found out that the stupid insurance company kept my lovely chiro waiting for 5 months before ultimately declining coverage for the last 5 months of treatment. If it wasn't for the fact that I try to keep this blog PG13, I would share a few colorful adjectives that go with said insurance company in my head.

Still, you can't make one thing ruin your entire day, so I choose to look more closely at the first list (which is longer, anyway).

My favorite part of the day was definitely spending time with Sarah. We never get to do stuff, just the two of us. Today Stella stayed home with daddy so Sarah and I could enjoy some time together, and we went to see Madagascar 2. We are huge fans of Madagascar, so I was just as excited as she was – in fact, I even attached some Madagascar character dog tags to my bag, while Sarah refused to go out wearing them, concerned that she might look ridiculous. I obviously had no such concerns.

We loved the movie – it reminded me a bit of Shrek, the way the humor appealed sometimes to the kids, other times to adults, and most often to both. Sarah of course had a better idea than I did about the movie before we even entered the theater, since she has seen the preview and played the game several times already.

Yes, she played the game before watching the movie. Originally I had planned on going to the movies first and giving her the game after, but she had a stellar couple of weeks at school, getting three good grades in a row; and then, the day before Thanksgiving, she went through her very messy room and re-organized and worked until it was perfectly tidy. So come on, she deserved a reward – hence the Madagascar 2: Return to Africa Wii game!
And she really loves it. All weekend she has used her TV time/PC time to play the game, and is still super-excited about it. I think it's perfect for her age. It consists mostly of mini-games, which I think are better to keep children interested; and of course being a Wii game, it isn't exactly stationary :-)

It contains lots of action but no violence, and because it revolves around cartoon characters it keeps those watching entertained as well – Stella seems to think so at least! She just sits and watches her sister play, and laughs and laughs. I tell you, I don't know many things that can keep them BOTH entertained for a while, and anything that accomplishes that is a plus in my book ;-)

If you got this far despite not knowing what the heck I am talking about because you have never seen Madagascar, I gotta tell you, I am truly flattered that you find me this interesting, but really – you need to get off the pc and go rent Madagascar. Go on. Especially if you are a New Yorker. Just go. I know very well it's a cartoon, thank you very much – but don't let that stop you. Otherwise I'll send Gloria to sit on you.

And if you don't get that, it's because you haven't seen the movie yet ;-)

Nonsequitur (or just random, if you prefer)

Boy, was I crabby yesterday. Not totally over it, gotta say. Hey, it happens. Today of course the flu came back, and of course despite it being Sunday I couldn't stay home and sleep it off, instead I went to run some errands in the morning and then to a birthday party in the afternoon. It was lovely. Except for the screaming children and the annoying music. The cake did make it much more bearable, though. I tell you, chocolate cake cures all ills (especially the bad mood variety).
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Just finished Julie & Julia. Didn't really like it. But maybe you will. Come get it before I leave it on a park bench ;-)
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Read an interview on Entertainment Weekly with Robert Pattinson, the actor cast to play Edward in the much-anticipated Twilight movie. Apparently when the choice was first made public, there was an uproar from fans, who complained he wasn't good-looking enough or something. I though he was cute already in the Harry Potter movie, so I don't really get the problem – but then again, I haven't read the books. Anyway... I thought the interview made him sound like a bit of a twit. I wonder if that was the goal of the interviewer/EW correspondent or whatever, or if he really is like that. But then again, he is 17. Been there, seen (and dated) that. 90% of 17 years old boys are stupid at least some of the time, so we shoulnd't expect famous ones to be any different, right? It would be de facto discrimination, politically incorrect and all kinds of other bad stuff ;-)
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I haven't been doing so well on my 100-Day Challenge Goals. I think I need a buddy. Or a coach. Someone to boss me around and tell me to get off my butt and get cranking on my goals. Because really, I can still make progress, even though the 100 days are now down to 45. Hey, 6 weeks is the perfect length of time for a makeover! And the makeover shows, they concentrate on houses and appearance, right? Well, actually I am ok with my general appearance, I would just like it to be less... round, I guess :-) The period approaching the Holiday Season is probably not the best time to start a new fitness/weight loss plan, but hey, there's no time like the present right? So... would you like to be the one bossing me around?
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I have been thinking of changing my blog template and layout. I'd hire someone, except: a. I am a control freak and I may just drive that someone crazy; b. the best designers charge hefty sums for their work; c. I get bored fairly quickly and I'd hate to get bored quickly of something I was charged a hefty sum for. Much better to get bored of something I wen totally batty to make myself.

Tips? Input? All welcome (though I can't promise I'll listen). In fact, would you do me a favor and vote in the following poll? I know, I am a loser, posting polls about this stuff. My excuse if that I am feverish (barely) and out of it (often). Just vote, will ya? Come on, who doesn't like to tell people what to do? And now I am actually asking for it. You know you want to :-)

Online Surveys & Market Research

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Let's talk about Barbie

In the immense universe of toys that have been produced since the beginning of time there's one doll that has aged gracefully: Barbie.

There is always some kind of controversy about Barbie: it used to be that her outfits were too outrageous, then it was that the pregnant Barbie gave a wrong idea of how babies are really born; now the main controversy is that Barbie, according to many, promotes an unhealthy body image. True, she may not be anatomically correct, but people, she is a doll. And not any doll, either: she is the one doll that has passed the test of time. Probably because she appeals to the spoiled princess in all of us: she has cars, pools, airplanes, and lots and lots of clothes and accessories. I love Barbie, even now, at 32. And I hate imitations. I am a Barbie snob.

For me, one of the cool things about having two daughters is all the Barbie time we can score. Sarah owns several Barbie dolls, and her dolls came with a horse, a nursery set, a kitchen and a playschool set among other things. They currently reside in the playroom we have in the basement - her Barbie paraphernalia is (barely) contained in a large plastic see through toy/storage box, and Stella LOVES to dig through it and take out all the Barbies, the accessories, the horse. She can't dress a Barbie on her own yet, but she can put shoes on the dolls, and she thoroughly enjoys picking out a pair of shoes for each doll (of course).

Sarah, on the other end, at the ripe old age of 9, doesn't play that much with Barbies anymore. I think it might have something to do with one of her obnoxious ex-schoolmates teasing her, because she used to always ask me to "play Barbies" with her. She still remains faithful to the Barbie movies though, and I can see why: they are pretty much fairy tales in movie form, and they feature really pretty clothes, cute pets and catchy songs among other things. If you ask her which Barbie movie is her favorite she will have a hard time deciding, but she has no doubt who her favorite sidekick is: Bibble, from the Fairytopia series. He is pretty cute, if a little annoying (I can only take baby talk in small doses, and only from babies).

Right now, all she can talk about is the new Barbie movie, Barbie and the Diamond Castle - where she heard of it, I have no idea, since we are one of those weird families who don't have TV connection and only watch DVDs, so she doesn't see commercials. Be as it may, she knows about the new movie and she really wants to see it, so much so that the other day, while we were discussing our upcoming trip to Disney World, she asked if there was a Barbie-themed park somewhere - no doubt hoping that she'd get to see real-life Barbie movie characters walking around, and perhaps score some cheesy cool bag along with a free copy of the movie.

She doesn't know, but she will be getting it soon, as long as she keeps up her grades. Or maybe she does know - you never know with girls, really. And she is my daughter, after all. You never really know what she is thinking.

The 80s are back - RUN!!

I'm a child of the 90s. That is, I was actually a child in the 80s, but my "coming of age", my teen years, my oh-that's-how-the-world-works moments, all happened in the 90s. I'm quite proud of that - afterall the 90s had better fashion, better dance music, better hairdos and makeup - what else is important to a teenager?

Don't get me wrong, I do look to the 80s with fondness in some respects, precisely:
- cult movies: Back to the future, E.T., Roger Rabbit, Indiana Jones, and oh, remember when Star Wars movies didn't suck?
- dance movies (that didn't involve tap dancing): Footloose, Flashdance, Dirty Dancing
- the creation of the modern romatic comedy (I know, movies again, but it does deserve its own category): When Harry met Sally, Say Anything - I love John Cusack!)
- music: The Police, The Bangles, The Cures, Duran Duran (sorry boys, not the same since)...

However in other respects the 80s fall squarely in my "things I'd rather not see again, like, EVER" category: I literally cringe when I think of the big hair, flashy eyeshadows, fluorescent clothing and accessories. I mean, seriously - already just a few years into the 90s I looked at 80s fashion and style (or better, lack of style) and thought "wow, that was a mistake - glad it's over". Except it isn't. Except the 80s have been worming their way back into fashion, thanks to some nostalgic or simply out-of-fresh-ideas designer, and now they won't leave.

It started slowly, a few years back, with some leg warmers worn over t-strap heels. Innocent enough, we though, and while I would never wear that, I though it looked sort of grungy-cool, sort of Kate Moss, sort of "it's so uncool it's fabulous", sort of "I don't care but I look fabulous anyway".

Then the skinny jeans came back, and those stuck. Fine, with a modern twist they sort of look ok. (Note: leggings do not get the same pass.)

Then the ballet flats - and I shivered because I had hated them back then too, but then some designers came out with such cool styles I gave in too - afterall a fabulous pair of flat is the best pick for everyday wear for a busy (but always trendy!) mom.

Then it was the toys: Care Bears, My Little Pony, Cabbage Patch kids - I was actually happy about that, not in a nostalgic way, mind you, but more in a "aha! I can afford them NOW!" way (which is kind of sad, I know). My little one loves them, so it's all good.

Then it was Lacoste's turn: after undergoing an apparent overhaul, they came back with a bang. And brought with them the polo, except more colorful, younger, more hip (sort of). And suddenly you see people wearing polo shirts, not just golfers and my dad. Fine, bring them on. Unbuttoned, they are more flattering than t-shirts and look more polished, unless you overdo it and start falling a bit too much on the preppy side (sorry, Ralph Lauren aficionados).

But I draw the line at big hair and tapered pants. That's just too much. I'm not giving in, that's just unflattering, ridiculous and just plain ugly.

Unfortunately not everone agrees. Rihanna has been sporting them often, out shopping and at awards shows - granted, she looks adorable either way, but the pants really should be ditched. Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks so - Gap had decided to make tapered jeans part of their collection, calling them "classic jeans", but they didn't sell well and now they are on sale for 9.99.

Why uncover perfectly buried ugly trends? Been there, worn that. Ok, now I feel old. But at least I dress well.