Tuesday, August 30, 2011

An impressive and fun evening...

Hello ladies and gentlemen. Hope that you are enjoying the end of summer and for those of you on the east coast, hope the back to back punch of an eartquake and a hurricane wasn't too much for you. Doesn't sound like fun to us...but of course, our 24 inches of snow in February probably doesn't sound too good either. Since I tend to focus on the recommendations for people to be MORE classy, I thought I would tell you about an evening where everyone was classy and it was just an all around good time.

My good friend and I attended a pop up dinner on Saturday night. Now this is a bit of a new idea where chefs in the area create a small little dinner party at various places around the city. John, the FAB chef at this event, is without a restaurant right now and I think wanted to cook for everyone. Not only was the event well run, food came out in a timely manner (5 courses), the food was FABULOUS (South American/Spanish style), the people was so nice. It was truly like having a dinner party at someone's house. Everyone was seriously dressed appropriately. Every person we met was nice and wanted to talk about interesting stuff. It was so great.

My favorite bartender was there mixing drinks for each course (and he rocks). My lead singer from my favorite band was there (yes, Poi Dog Pondering's Frank Orrall). He was trying to bus tables (so cute) and was super, super cool and kept spinning great tunes all night. And I got to wear my beautiful red Tahari dress and Badgley Mischka shoes, and yes, I know that sounds silly, but I have these fabulous clothes in my closet that I never get to wear...so there.

All in all, everyone was classy and it was a great evening. So hats OFF Chicago, well done (thanks John, Justin and Frankie and of course, my date, Levy). I was completely impressed. And you know I don't say that very often!

On a personal note, still trying to get past my break up. As most of you know, I was dating someone (HT) that I really, really liked (hell, probably loved) and he broke up with me at the end of June (via email). Man, when we were together, I was SOOO happy. Sadly, I had waited quite some time for someone like him that met all of my requirements (so picky) and sadly, I think I will be waiting a long time again. Some may say I am too picky...heck, many of my friends say that, but I am not settling (for anything less than everything, thanks Sugarland). So keep your eyes open for Mr. Perfect for Jzzrgrl if you will. In the meantime, I am going to continue to enjoy my friends and family.

Labor Day Weekend is upon us...and as I have discussed with many of my friends multiple times in the past week or two, we all seem to just be in a funk, people are angry, the economy stinks, morale is horrible. So hey, let's buck up ladies and gentlemen seriously! Enjoy yourself this weekend, spend time with friends and family, go out, drink, eat, be merry, celebrate the positives in life (I KNOW you can find some).

Hey I am in the worst financial situation of my life, I am single (AGAIN), not enamored with my job and hey let's face it, my business is not growing like I need it to.... But I intend on seeing my Huskers win their first game as a part of the Big Ten, see some family and hang with friends...and I JUST MIGHT have a glass of wine or two (or 12). And I am not going to worry about how to pay my bills this weekend. :) So I suggest you follow suit, cuz that's what classy, intelligent, fun people do!

BONSOIR, CHEERS AND CIAO BELLAS!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

How classy are you at the office?

So as I sit here in my office and listen to the huffing, puffing, sighing and yelling from the other offices, I am starting to think about behavior and actions at the office. Ask yourself this question...does my personality at my job reflect who I am really am? Do I act and dress appropriately at the office?

Ladies and gentlemen seriously, how you dress at your job is JUST as important as how you act. You want people to WANT to work with you, right. And yes sometimes, our jobs require us to be the "bad guy" or do things we don't really want to do, but there are ways to do those things with classy and integrity.

CASE IN POINT...last week I had to call the IRS, yes, JZZRGRL owes some taxes and needed work out a payment plan. NOW, I was calling the I-R-S...I already had an attitude about it, assuming I would get some really mean, uninterested, jerk on the phone. MUCH TO MY SURPRISE!! (after waiting on hold for 40 minutes), the woman I got on the phone was SOO NICE. She was helpful and kind and I gotta say completely changed my attitude about the IRS. She was handling her job with class and integrity. I LOVED IT.

And I have to be honest, even the customer service people at AT&T handle their job with class. SO ladies and gentlemen, I am guessing your job is better than having to deal with rude customers at either AT&T or the IRS...if they can be fabulous, so can you.

One of the best studies in sociology is to work at a job with a group of people. EVERYONE works differently, is motivated differently, has a different background, set of standards and morales. And it is your job to figure out how to work with these people. You notice, ladies and gentlemen, I SAID it is your job. You need to adjust your approach to best work with the people that you need crap from... And as much as we want the other person to change to our way of working, it works better for you to figure it out.

Another JZZRGRL example, I worked with this gentlemen many years ago, whom was gruff and angry and most people in the office didn't like him and didn't want to work with him. Well guess what, he was the procurement person for my stuff...so I had to figure it out. I killed it with kindness and figured out how he wanted things sent to him...and he loved me for me. We worked well together for many years and in fact, he would reference me and ask others why I couldn't just do it that way.

So here's the point to the story, don't yell and huff and puff...act with class and professionalism. Understand your work environment, the people you work with, their personalities and work with them. Everyone will be happier in the end. You will make mistakes, you will get angry and that's OK, just learn from it and move on. OH BOY, did I make some mistakes at my jobs!! And while some of you are saying DUH...I already do this, many of us do not. Work is work and you should be working to live. So smile, be merry and at the end of the day, you get to go home and not look at those people anymore.

As for me, things are statu quo, nothing new to report, having tons of fun with my friends and the fabulous city where I live. But no dates, not really interested honestly. Thought I had that whole dating thing figured out...HA, guess I was wrong. :( Very excited to do my first pop-up dinner this weekend.

Keep it classy and professional at the office (or WHEREVER your job is). BONSOIR, CHEERS AND CIAO BELLAS.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Hot weather doesn't mean...no underwear!

Hi ladies and gentlemen, it's been a while since I have posted and since I have been home for several days, I thought I would share some thoughts with you. I have been home due to a short little surgery that I had to have this week. Don't worry, it was outpatient and I am healing very quickly. Hats off to the classy ladies and gentlemen at Northwestern Hospital, the whole process was VERY impressive. My doctors and nurses were fabulous. And a special thanks to all of my friends and family that were supportive. I even got flowers delivered to me at home! First time in like 4 years, of course, not from a man, from my company, but hey, it was really nice.

So it's just been VERY hot everywhere in the US, right? That means that our ladies out there are dressing to beat the heat. Cooler fabrics, cute shorts and summer dresses are a great way to do this. I like to wear dresses on hot days, because hey as a lady, they are cooler and look cute. But I always remember that I should wear appropriate underwear and a bra with them. Case in point, last Friday, I met the redhead and some of my boys from the Vegas trip AND we saw a "lady" wearing a short skirt and NO UNDERWEAR. EWWW, gross, right? And how do we know, well, she walked up some stairs...that were open to the downstairs. Come on ladies, that is just yucky, wear underwear, it is unsanitary not to. And on a side note, don't wear a thong under a short flowing dress either, a nice pair of boy shorts. Concerned about panty lines? There is under that has a sticky strip along the edges so that you don't see panty lines. Personally, I have like 5-7 different styles of underwear for each outfit. They should be like shoes, pick the appropriate pair for the outfit.

And again, I feel like a broken record saying this, ladies, wear the right bra with your summer outfit. Many of the cute sundresses are strapless or have skinny straps. Ladies seriously, there are bras that work with all of these types of dresses, you just need to find a few key ones. If you have a dress without the appropriate bra, don't wear it until you have the right bra. Trust me, no matter what size your chest is, your boobs ALWAYS look better when supported and covered. I think I have said this before, but UP and OUT ladies!

So it has been a less than stellar two months for JZZRGRL! Between my health issues, my business issues, my work stuff and my break up, I haven't been the happiest of girls. Here's hoping that everything comes up back around in the next two months. I hope that all is well with all of my readers. Keep your chins up, you are beauitful, wonderful, smart ladies. Keep it classy and enjoy the rest of your summer!

BONSOIR, CHEERS AND CIAO BELLAS!