Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Men only need 7 pairs of shoes...yep you read it right!

Ok, this one technically is for the guys, so ladies seriously, help your men out here. Yes, gentlemen, it is true, you only need 7 pairs of shoes with an optional 8th pair. And I know some of you are saying, SEVEN! That is a lot. And then there are others of you counting your shoes, I can see you with your fingers right now. Let's see I have those and that one. So take it from me...the recovering shoe-aholic (last count wasn't bad at 60 pairs). Hey, that's not bad, I just saw in In Style Magazine that Christina Aguilera has over 300 pairs. Wonder how many of those she actually paid for? So GUYS, drumroll please, here it is:

1. Black Dress Shoes. Dressy enough for a suit. Preferrably tie up style.
2. Black or Brown Sandals. To be worn with shorts. If you have gross toenails, please make them closed toe.
3. Black COOL Loafers. To be worn with jeans or khakis.
4. Brown COOL Loafers or Tie Up Shoes. To be worn with jeans or khakis.
5. Casual Sneakers. I am thinking Pumas, Skechers, something to wear with jeans.
6. Gym Shoes. ONLY to be worn at the gym, PUHLEASE!!
7. Boots. Uggs or Cool Timberlands. ONLY applicable for those in living states where it snows.
8. OPTIONAL. Flip Flops. ONLY if you have decent toes, if not, gentlemen seriously, don't wear or even own flip flops, which is why this is an optional category.

See, that wasn't so hard. Women need a minimum of 7 pairs of just BLACK SHOES, that doesn't count all the other colors and styles.

And I know, this is a bit shallow and one of the many reasons why I am still single, but BAD SHOES on a guy are a deal breaker for me. Show up to a date with jeans and gym shoes...she cringes, NOPE, it will not do. Well honestly, bad accessories in general are a deal breaker for me. Quick funny story, one friend of mine had a date and when the bill came, she heard a weird noise. HMMM, what is that? OMG, he just opened his VELCRO wallet! Don't get me wrong a velcro wallet is fine...for my 5 year old nephew, I think he has a Spider-Man one.

Anyway, ladies seriously, just having a little fun for the guys. Some of my posts get too serious, life is too short to be serious all the time, especially in these crazy times.

Cheers and CIAO BELLAS.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Exercise does not help you lose weight!

COMO SAY WHAT? Yes, ladies, according to a Time magazine article, exercise does not help you lose weight. The premise of the article is that basically only limiting your calorie intake will help you lose weight and when you start to exercise, you burn more calories and therefore, are hungrier and HENCE may take in more calories. Which KINDA makes sense...but let me throw some facts out there:

Obesity rates in adults in the US has risen from 13% in the 1960s to 32% in 2004 and are projected to be as high as 41% in 2015.
The number of people in the US with type II diabetes has DOUBLED between 1990 and 2005.

WHOA!! Do you think we have a problem in the US? Fast food, pasta, bread, potatoes, rice, cookies, candy, ETC ETC are all part of the regular American diet these days. Of course, I know that many of you know this, but here is my problem with ANY type of article like this...the average JOE SCHMO is going to read it and go, YEP, GOOD, now I don't have to get off the couch as he/she eats another potato chip.

Let me boil it down to the regular Americans TV vocabulary, if exercise didn't help you lose weight, do you think they would feature it on The Biggest Loser?

Exercise is hard and yes, guess what you sweat and probably hurt, but to tell people that it doesn't help lose weight is just alarming. I am sure that you can ask any athlete or dancer if their physical activity helps them lose weight/keep weight off and they will all give you a resounding YES! I personally have been teaching Jazzercise for almost 12 years now and recently when I increased the number of classes I was teaching (and didn't really change my diet) I....WAIT FOR IT.....I lost weight.

MEDIA PEOPLE, seriously, stop writing articles like this, it sends the wrong message. And as I wrote in a a VERY early blog, there is only one way to lose weight/keep weight off! EAT LESS, EXERCISE MORE. Not just eat less, not just the Atkins diet, not just Pilates. Americans are always looking for an excuse not to exercise, articles like this one are simply one more reason.

This has been a public service announcement from JZZRGRL. Cheers and CIAO BELLAS.

Monday, September 14, 2009

There is no excuse not to be cute!

Hello LADIES!! I know, I know, it has been a while, geez, over 2 weeks since my last post. You know, the mood had not struck me for a while. But last weekend was my last hoorah before the Fall sets in and I have to start traveling to Gamma Phi Beta chapters. During my VERY social weekend, I did have an opportunity to go to the U2 concert at Soldier Field in Chicago. Great concert, but for my $100 ticket, I could have used a little less Bono waxing poetic about his political views and little more singing songs like New Year's Day, Pride and Bad, but all in all good concert. BTW, someone told me that they had to re-sod Soldier Field because the stage ripped up the field. HA, that one made me laugh, GOOD ONE BONO.

Anyway, I found myself making this statement to the red head as we were leaving the concert. UMMM, there is just NO excuse not to be cute and it doesn't take a lot of money to be cute. Here is what I mean, ladies, if your outfits/clothing are any of the following: dorky, faded, out of date or don't fit right, please don't wear them. And I don't mean that you have to be a fashion plate or spend thousands of dollars, but there is just no excuse not to have some cute clothes, no matter what your body type or age. I have seen countless attractive women in dorky clothes, like mom jeans or shorts with socks and gym shoes. FIRST, my mom doesn't even wear mom jeans, and they don't need to come 1/2 up your chest. SECOND, leave the shorts with socks and gym shoes for the gym. If you are going to a sporting event or something of that nature, wear shorts with cute (but comfortable) sandals.

Our friends at In Style and Glamour can help with you some ideas of clothing that is in style. Notice, I did not say Vogue, Women's Wear Daily or Elle, I find that those magazines have such haute couture that it doesn't appeal to everyday gal. OR do some google searches, OMG, there is so much information out there. So, first step, pick out some styles you like in the magazine or online. Second step, go to Target, Kohls, TJ Maxx, Marshalls (if you have patience), Off Fifth Saks, Last Call Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom Rack, etc and pick out some clothing. You don't have to spend a fortune, make sure you set a budget. Third step, take a friend with you for opinions (or the sales person can help), make sure the style works on you. No buttons or zippers should be pulling or gapping. Make sure you have the appropriate bra and underwear for the outfit and if you don't, you might need to buy them. Make sure it does not extenuate a "problem area". OK, done shopping? LAST step, put on your new sassy clothes and go out, be cute and sassy.

Ladies seriously, this is not rocket science, find a few cute pieces and go with it. And if you have stuff hiding in your closet (like I do), pull it out, maybe an older fashion just needs a new belt or shoes to be a new fashion. I just HATE to see some of you out there looking dorky, take it from it, it doesn't take much to cute and fabulous. FIND your inner fashion maven!

CHEERS and CIAO BELLAS.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Be Our Guest...Be Our Guest.....

Hello, ladies! It has been a while since the mood has struck me for a post but then LO and BEHOLD...I had brunch with a friend on Sunday and she pointed out an issue that needs to be addressed. What happened to manners and common courtesy in the good ol' US of A? Have we stopped teaching this and expecting this of our children and our adults? I mean, ladies seriously, if you are guest at someone's home, either spending the night or just for dinner, do you treat them like it is a hotel or restaurant, UM NO, you are a guest and should treat your hosts like you have some class. Here are some basic rules from JZZRGRL:

1. If you are spending the night at someone's home, please offer to make the bed or strip the sheets in the morning. Also, do not leave your wet towels on the floor after showering, offer to take them to the laundry room.

2. If you are going to someone's house for dinner, offer to bring something, a dessert, an appetizer, drinks...and if the host refuses, STILL bring a bottle of wine or coffee OR SOMETHING. Do not show up empty handed.

3. If you are eating at someone's house and they serve something that you don't like (for example, I don't like tomatoes or onions), take a few no thank you bites or eat around the part that you don't like. Don't sit there and refuse to eat. I mean, unless you have an allergy, is it going to kill you? AND if you do have an allergy, let your host know ahead of time.

4. If you have stayed at someone's house, when you return home, it is nice to send a written thank you card or send a small gift. I have had guests leave me candles or chocolates, which is such a nice gesture.

5. If you are eating a meal at someone's home, offer to clear your plate from the table after dinner or offer to serve dessert, you shouldn't expect your host to wait on you like you were at a restaurant...unless you are going to tip them ;).

6. If you are staying at a friend's house for multiple nights, all of the above applies, but you also might want to offer to take them to dinner or lunch. Or buy them a gift certificate for a restaurant.

And here are a few more common courtesy, classy things we can do:

1. If a close friend or relative has a birthday, GO to the store, buy them a nice card and send it, don't send an email, TXT or FB message. You can do that as well, but put some thought in the card, it means a lot more.

2. If someone buys you a gift, SEND A THANK YOU CARD!!! Wow, my mother would have never let me get away with not sending a card. In fact, my sister makes my 7 1/2 year old niece and 5 (on Sunday) year old nephew write thank you cards and they can't really write sentences yet.

3. If someone close to you has a baby or a death in the family, send a note, flowers, a gift...offer to go to their house and make a meal or clean...you don't have to spend money, but it is a classy gesture!

Here is one more note, if you have asked someone to housesit, petsit or babysit and stay at your house, this person is a guest in your home...don't leave the house without any food. If the sitter needs to take the animal or the child to an appointment or for a meal, leave money for them. Also, don't expect them to clean or do laundry unless this is something that you have set up with them prior to your departure. It is a nice gesture to stock the kitchen with food and possibly alcoholic OR non-alcoholic beverages that the sitter likes. When you return home, bring a gift or send a thank you note to the sitter!

WOW...it is really upsetting to me that people don't follow these common courtesy steps. Ladies (and gentlemen) seriously, have some class, a little bit goes a long WAY. The golden rule does apply here...treat people like you want to be treated, period. Take that advice to the BANK!

Cheers and CIAO BELLAS!!