Lets Get Green

I am totally a fan of GreenDimes and Tonic. They have cute products that actuall make a difference. Sweetie and I used GreenDimes to remove unwanted catalogues in the mail, and plant some trees. Everyone should go to their site and sign up.

Then I discovered Tonic. They sell T-shirts ($45) but each shirt sold provides money to one of their environmental projects. I am torn between the Mosqueto Nets in Africa and Trees in America, I may do both. They also will proive education in India and fresh water somewhere else.

At any rate, buying environmentaly sound products and supporting companies who do something (really anything) for the environment is important. I dont want future generations to look at us and determine that we were simply too lazy to do anything with the knowledge we now have.

Little Black Skirts Redux

Ok the experiment is over. I was able to not repeat an outfit for 20 work days over the past month, and shockingly I still have about 5 more outfits to go. It helps that I have lost 7 pounds in the 40 by 40 program so I could wear a few new things that I haven't worn in a while.  Next program I am going to try is either wearing or donating everything in my closet each season. I found things that I forgot that I owned. Not that all of my clothes reside in one place, it is time to use it or donate it. I also plan to donate all of my big girl clothes each time I loose a size. This way I can help other big girls wear nice (nearly new) clothes, and I can make room for a new wardrobe!

Football Widows

As I have posted before, Sweetie is a huge sports fan. 

Today was the Super Bowl. His team, the NY Giants won. Yeah. I wanted them to win for several reasons, one because they were up against the NE Pats. I don't like anything about Boston, including their sports teams. If my team (the Steelers) are not in the Super Bowl then I always route for the underdogs.  The Pats had a perfect record going into the game and NY took them down and prevented a perfect season. 

Overall I am pretty happy that they won.

 

I can see, however, women can tune out football and their men while they watch it. After all men do that to their partners when they are watching the game. I actually was reading at some point and tuned out the game and Sweetie. I suppose when something has your attention, with a little bit of focus you can turn out even your friends, and loved ones.

Maybe Sweetie is somewhere explaining  on a blog that he is a "book" widdower.

Obama The First Black President

Ok. I am am Obama supporter. I am a little late jumping on this wagon, but now I am about to do something I have never done before, I am actually going to give money to his campaign. This will be my first donation to ANY politician, so you know I am in it for real. I have several friends, who have given time, money and even created organizations to support Obama, and I am ashamed to be so late in joining in. Now, February in any normal presidential election cycle isn't really late, but for this one I feel as though I am behind the curve.

His win in Iowa, his speech after that win, helped bring me to this point, but, sadly, what really brought me here was the nasty, racial campagining of the Clintons.  Billary was a kinder gentle version of the Clintons, but HillBilly is just horrid.

If Hillary can not control Bill in her campagne-- to the Democratic faithful, no less, how is she ever going to control him in a the White House.

Bill Clinton (who I used to love and defend) has shown his ass to his black supporters with his tacticts in late January in this race. His Jessie Jackson cracks, his attempts to marginalize Obama, his claiming to be the first black president. All nasty, undignified, crackerish, and typical of a white man who sees that he is loosing to a black man.

With respect to the black president claim, this came from an article written by Toni Morrison in the New Yorker magazine at the hight of the blow job Lewinski scandle.  She stated that Bill was being persecuted as though he was the first black president, as white men generally do not face such harsh censure and punishment (impeachment for infidelity) as black men do (death penality for rape of a white woman) for the same "crimes."

I find it interesting that Hillary has joked that she is in an interracial marriage, not. And that they tout this "title" out of context all of the time. Lets get real. 

I am not trying to discount any work that the Clintons have done for civil rights, but the welfare bill that Billary signed was not universaily good for the black folk on welfare, and their treatment of old friends, Joycelyn Elders and Lani Gunier was nothing short of shameful. Where were the black cabinet memebers, Even W has/had two.

At any rate, the disgusting recent activities of the Clintons (not to be confused with disgusting earlier activities) have really caused me to sit back and take stock. Not of Obama, who I supported before, but they caused me to really think deeply about being a stronger supporter. So I suppose I should thank HillBilly.

40 by 40

Ok. Enough.

I turn 40 this July and I want to loose 40 pounds by then. This seems reasonable, I have 6 months, and if I loose 8 pounds a month I more than meet my goal. This is 2 pounds a week, though 7 pounds a month can also work.

I decided to revisit an old friend-- Atkins. I did this diet a few years ago, and it really changed my life. I had beautiful clear skin, lovely shiny hair and lost a bunch of weight, so why not try again. Also it is pretty easy to find things to eat no matter where you are.

Today is the 5th day and I am now 37lbs away from my 40 by 40 goal. I cant wait to weigh in next week to see how much I have lost by then. (I am a little bloated right now).

When I start a new diet, I have to give my self little treats for motivation. This week was smoked salmon. Next week (the beginning of work out week) is a new I-pod shuffle. It just clips on and holds 200 songs. I cant wait to load it up and start working out.

No worries dear reader, you will be kept up to date on each and every ounce lost. Or not.

Monday Melee

This is my first participation in a Monday Melee but it seems fun. If you are confused please click the Monday Melee title of this posting.

The Monday Melee: Ideas by Fracas; Answers by me.

1. The Misanthropic: Name something (about humanity) you absolutely hate: I learned today that just when we humans need to be at our sharpest (in a critical conversation-- one filled with emotion, a difference of opinion and high stakes) our bodies revert to our reptilian minds and send much needed to our limbs to prepare for a fight. What good does that do me now when I am trying to have a discussion. I don't want to run I want to discuss!

2. The Meretricious: Expose something or someone that’s phony, fraudulent or bogus: The head of BET made the most absurd excuse/explanation about a slur that he levied against Obama, stating that when he was using unclear language about what Barak was doing while HilBilly was fighting for civil rights, that he was not making reference to drug use, rather he was talking about community organizing. For the love of all that is holy! Please.

3. The Malcontent: Name something you’re unhappy with: I am un happy with not having my mother and favorite aunt alive, now.

4. The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something and name it if you can: I give my mother and my aunt credit for helping me shape my strong personalty.

5. The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it: I have really pretty hazel/light brown eyes.

6. The Make-Believe: Name something you wish for: I wish to live a life of peace and grace. I have a long way to go.

Girls Night Out

I took a trip for work the second week of January. I was back in NY, and I was able to meet my "girls" for dinner and drinks. I really love my friends. Actually one of my favorite people in the world (not one of my girls) was also able to meet us for dinner. He is a former co-worker and just an all around fantastic person. 

Its nice to spend time with people that you have a history with. Someone that has see the best and the worst of you and still loves you. I am starting to make friends like that in Michigan. I met a few women from work, and my awesome real estate has also become a friend. 

There is something about the company of women. The rarely if ever suggest that you are asking too many questions, or wonder why you want to know something. We just know. Its easier to be open about painful lessons learned, family issues and the dread weight issue. We laugh and cry together. 

I didn't have a sister, and although I am very close to my brother and my male cousins, there is just something different, cool and fantastic about female friendships.

Hair

I have returned to my sports roots. Sweetie is a sports fan. He watches football, even if it is not one of his teams (the Giants or Jets) and watches the Yankees (even on the Internet), as such, since I like spending time with him, I too watch sports.

I have seen a lot of football this season. This is fine. One of my fondest childhood memories is learning the rules of football while watching a game with my Father. I am from Pittsburgh and came of TV watching age in the 1970s. The Steel Curtain. One for the Thumb in '81. I have a terrible towel, and I am in some sort of team photo with the Steelers that was taken at my Jr. prom as they were in the same restaurant we were eating in before the prom.

So me watching football is not that odd. I also like golf and hockey (again I am from Pittsburgh and they still do not have a professional Basketball team).

What I am finding somewhat interesting about current day football, is the hair of the black players. Where did they get such long hair that it hangs outside of their helmets in the back? Being a black woman my entire life I understand how black hair grows. I can not imagine that these football players have long enough hair to hang outside their helmets. So this means one of a few things. Either they are getting a relaxer to straighten their hair and then having it braided, and or they are getting extension. Either option leaves me wondering about the extent of their vanity to sit in a beauty shop chair and have either process done.

Then again, I do recall Frenchie Fuqua's shoes with goldfish in the clear Lucite heels, and other 1970s football players and their full length man furs, so maybe the vanity is something that has been present in football all along.

I am not against metrosexual tendencies in men. I like a man who cares for his skin, his hair and wears cologne and nice clothing. Sweetie is not a metrosexual but for him rugged and jeans wearing works. As explained in an earlier post, I find Johnny Depp and Prince sexy with their makeup and androgynous beauty. But I have a problem when you blend the image of a professional athlete and a beauty chair. Be rugged and have callouses on your hands, or be a metrosexual and use hair product and a hint of eyeliner, but don't blend them. Please.

Just admit that you don't know

Ok. It is finally over, the results are in and Hillary won the Democratic primary in New Hampshire. By 3%. I am not thrilled as I am an Obama supporter, but hey it was close and there are 48 other states to vote.

What is currently ticking me off, is the pundits and the 24 hour news cycle. It seems to me that the biggest looser in this whole thing, other than the American public, is the truth. Polls showed Obama winning by double digits, and he lost by 3%. The pundits and the news teams took the polls as the gospel and declared Obama the winner in NH before a single vote was cast. These same pundits are the ones who determined that this race was Hillary's to loose. Shockingly, not, they were wrong both times. I would rather have them be off the air from time to time, than filling the air with their speculation and desires. On MSNBC the hosts were nearly filled with what looked a bit like religious fervor when discussing the Obama rallies that they had attended. What happened to impartial reporting. Now, being a fan of Obama, I did not mind, but really.

This morning, at least on the Today Show, they are admitting that they were totally wrong, and that they actually can not predict what is going to happen. I am sure that as the day lengthens that too will change, and they will start to blame the polls or the weather, or some other totally unrelated issue.

Sigh, only 300+ days until this is over.

01.21.08

Today is a travel day, I am going to wear jeans and a sweater. No overlap, day 2.

Primary Season Is Far too Long

I am sitting here looking at the New Hampshire returns. Now more than ever I am regretting the 24 hour news cycle. Since 6:00 pm MSNBC has had moment by moment coverage of the returns, even though they were not allowed to talk about any real returns until the polls closed at 8:00 pm.

Who are these people who demand such coverage. I would be more than happy to see returns once they were all in. I don't need to know the returns with only 10% of the precincts reporting. I think CNN even has a real time counter. How are they doing that, more important, why are they doing that?!?

We as a nation are over informed, over stimulated and I am thinking about unplugging from the news cycle. The problem is that Sweetie is a news junkie, he watches CNN, C-SPAN, and the weather channel. If there is a good, well written TV show he will watch that, but as you can imagine they are few and far in between. The Office, Scurubs, David Letterman and Curb Your Enthusiasm are favorites. I also like the Daily Show, all Law and Order shows are also my favorites. Sweetie watches TV in the same way that some people only read non fiction. Oh yes, I totally forgot, he is a huge Yankee's fan, and loves football (The Giants). When I am at home I like to spend time with Sweetie, so he does watch some things that I am sure are not his preference, like the shows I like on HGTV (I like the designer shows, and the house transformation shows, he prefers DIY with This Old House and any wood working shows). All in all it works well, as I do like being informed, though not as informed as Sweetie likes to be.

You Tube is also a phenomena that I don't understand. Sure some of the videos are funny, but to me they are similar to chain letters and the jokes that people forward. Again, I am not part of that wave. I am far from a troglodyte, actually I am very nearly an early adopter (I would be one if I were not so cheep) but there are levels of information I choose not to participate in. Over stimulation, over informed and subject to people's personal lives on video are too much for me.

Dear reader, you can call me to task as I do have a blog, and it is filled with my personal musings, but it isn't that easy to find and I hardly ever tell people where to find it. I think that counts.

By the way, I did not go to work today due to a stomach ache, so I did not get dressed, so I have not repeated an outfit yet.

Little Black Skirts

Once my mother told me that the well dressed woman can put together twenty different outfits (one for each work day of the month) without repeating in that month. I didn't think to ask her if you could repeat parts of each outfit during that month. I am going to try to do this (clearly I need a hobby) and I think I am going to only repeat shoes (though I could probably do it without repeating shoes).

Ok, today (day one) I wore a black skirt and a black and cream top with a 60's inspired design, black stockings and black wedges. It was nearly 60 degrees today, in January in Michigan, and right now we are having a thunderstorm of all things.

Tomorrow I am going to wear something else, but it will involve a black skirt, as I also discovered that I have nearly 25 black skirts. I am going on a business trip Wednesday and returning Thursday. I was going to try and travel with one small bag, only changing the top I was wearing, but since I am on this 20 day program I am going to have to pack a little more.

We have casual Fridays, and can wear jeans. I have never understood why Jeans are supposed to be a treat to wear, they only look good on the young and firm, and they are not really forgiving. I think it would be better if we had sweats Fridays, but luckily I have more than one pair of jeans, so I wont have to repeat those outfits. I actually got my first pair of jeans my freshman year in college, so me having more than one pair of jeans is shocking. I went to private school and we were not allowed to wear jeans, and until high school we were not really allowed to wear pants, except if it was under 20 degrees, so in reality it has taken me a long time to even think of wearing pants, let alone jeans.

I am going to have to keep some sort of log to make sure I make my 20 outfits without a repeat. Clearly the need for a hobby grows.

Firsts

Hooray for Iowa

I have secretly been a fan of Obama since he started in the race. I am so very happy that he won in IA and that he is increasing rapidly in NH. I am watching "Meet the Press" and something some pundit said captured my thoughts, thoughts that I had not voiced. Black Americans were waiting to see if white Americans will vote for him. When asked I always said I want him to win but I am not sure that America is ready. Well, judging from the results from IA, parts of the country are ready. I will wait to see, while I support him, out loud and financially.