Stacy and Clinton have done it again.

Lately, I've been feeling like I'm in a little bit of a fashion rut. I can't quite put together exciting and fun looks on a regular basis and I'm just grabbing for what I know is safe. There's nothing wrong with my outfits - they just need a little oomph.

Enter Stacy and Clinton. Last night, I watched an episode of What Not to Wear and cringed in horror at the 28-year-old woman who wore fairy wings (huge, Tinkerbell wings that she wore on her back in public, no less) and glitter eyeshadow because it was fun and cute. Aauugh. When they showed her some ideas of outfits to buy, the wheels started turning in my head. I had a couple of different ideas of what I wanted to wear today and decided to go for it.

So I wore a burgundy trapeze shirt with a brown belt around my middle, dark denim trouser jeans and a pair of muted silver and gold kitten heels. I felt great that I'd tried something new (for me) and that it looked so cute. And I didn't have to buy a thing!

Once again, Stacy and Clinton have helped me with fashion inspiration. So I'm off to go run and watch another episode. Who knows what will inspire me tonight?

A few things that I am not ashamed to admit.

• I got drunk for the first time 2 weeks ago and I am 31 years old.
  
• I eat my dinner between 4:30 and 5:00.
• I go to bed between 8:45 and 9:15 (keep in mind that I'm up by 5:30).
• Sometimes foul language embarrasses me.
  
• I positively adore Justin Timberlake (see previous post).
  
• Whenever I eat at Fresh Choice, I get a big pile of whipped topping with sprinkles for dessert. It's deeelicious.
• I loooooove Saturday afternoon naps.
• I check People magazine's website every day for the latest scoop on celebrities.
• I sometimes sleep until almost 10 on Sundays.
• I have chocolate in one form or another every single day.

I'm finally at a point in my life where I can admit these things because this is me and I love every one of these things about me.

Pure bliss from the mailbox.

Wouldn't it be awesome to get mail like this every day?











You know it would be.

Interesting and kind of sad.

I found this article tonight and it struck a chord. It's so true! I really wish I didn't hate the camera so much, but I just can't stand to see all my imperfections. I always scrutinize my image way too much.

You never see men looking at themselves in a photo the way women do after it's taken. I noticed when we went on vacation that after a picture was taken, most of us girls wanted to see it right away and make sure it was up to our standards.

It's really too bad that most women think they take terrible pictures, when in fact, most of us take pretty good pictures. As far as I'm concerned, I do have several really bad pictures of me that I wish I could burn, but my mom won't let me. Any of the ones that were taken around the time I was 12 or 13 can easily be erased and I would be fine with it. In fact, I would delight in it. No one needs to see what puberty did to my hair or skin. It does not need to be a permanent record.

Thankfully, I don't hide from the camera as much as I used to. I still do when I don't feel quite like me or pretty enough to be captured on film. But just like most women, I need to stop worrying so much about my picture. It's really not a big deal.

But I'm sure the next time a camera comes out, I'll feel the urge to run again.

Hooray!

My car problem turned out to be a coolant leak, which was easily fixed and only cost me $175.

This is why I love Frank's Automotive!

My car is bleeding!

Or, it's leaking transmission fluid. One of the two.

I took my car in to Frank's Automotive on Folsom Boulevard tonight (awesome place, by the way - they never overcharge people and are completely honest) and left it there to be worked on tomorrow. Even though I knew it was in good hands, I still felt weird walking away and leaving my car behind. It always feels like I'm leaving a piece of myself.

So I'll be driving my husband's car to work tomorrow and crossing my fingers all day that I don't need a new transmission.

Please send some good car-ma my way!

Shark Week is back!

I am terrified of sharks. They are the number one reason why I will never set foot in the ocean. I occasionally have nightmares about being attacked, and I can safely say that running into one is my greatest fear. Hands down.

However, I am also fascinated by them (I think because I'm afraid of them). One of my favorite movies is Jaws (got it on DVD), and I also own Open Water on DVD. So you can imagine how excited I get during the last week of July when Shark Week returns to the Discovery Channel.
Seven days of shark shows and so awesome.

This is one of the things that makes me happy about coming home from vacation.

I really need help.