Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Another Halloween....more hoochies on parade!

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.  Well, yes, I know Halloween is actually tomorrow, however, the unofficial Halloween night out in Chicago was last Saturday.  And of course, my girl, the redhead...now the blonde and I did go out, it was a bit tamer than most years, but all in all, still an excellent night out.  And as you know from previous posts, my girl and I are ANTI-slutty costumes for Halloween....well we are ANTI-slutty anything honestly.

Me, well, I had my cute Dorothy costume on, with my red shoes with the bows.  And no, it wasn't a slutty Dorothy, the skirt came to my knees.  My girl, the blonde, should have won a costume contest with her "pop art", Lichtenstein costume.

So I know I say this every year, but WHY ladies WHY do we use Halloween to dress like HOs?  The blonde and I watched woman after woman walk into the fine drinking establishment dressing like they were working for the evening if you get my drift.

So I have decided that these are the rules of thumb for dressing for Halloween, MAYBE just MAYBE if we all follow these rules, we can cut down the slutty Halloween costumes....

  1. If you can see the SPANX, tummy control lines from your tights, your costume is to short.  PERIOD
  2. If more than 25% of your boobs are showing, OR if you have to use fashion tape so that people can't see your nipples, your costume is too low cut.
  3. If you are so cold in the bar you have to wear your coat, your costume is too skimpy...it's October ladies and for most of us, that means it is 40 degrees outside.
  4. If you couldn't walk into a family party in your costume, DON'T WEAR IT.

And BTW, can we stop making out at the bar?  I can't tell you how many times I saw that happen. Ladies and gentlemen seriously, clean up your act!  You can be classy and still have fun on Halloween....SIGH.

So short but sweet post this time, I have said the same thing a thousand times.  Perhaps if we stop dressing and acting slutty, gentlemen (some of them) might start treating all women with respect.  Of course, there are those that are a lost cause...but hey if we can help one or two....

That's all for now.
....Keep your chin, your heels and your standards high!
BONSOIR, CHEERS AND CIAO BELLAS!

Monday, October 1, 2012

Sometimes all you have to do is make up your mind...

Good evening ladies and gentlemen.  I know, I know, you probably think I fell off the face of the earth.  NOPE, just had a lot going on in my life.  And I thought it was time to chat to you all about this classy lady's last few months.  Well, it started last December, when I attended a Pathways Seminar (thanks to some friends who begged me to go).  SO I DID...and I am not sure if it was the message of Pathways or just the kick in the butt that I needed, but I decided it was time to make some changes in my life.

First things first, at the beginning of the year, I decided it was time to get out of the Jazzercise Fitness Center owning gig.  I was tired and it wasn't fun anymore.  And honestly, I wasn't doing a good job.  So I put all three locations out to sale and I am HAPPY to say that I have sold all three.  Two of them went to associates and one of them went to a former associate and sorority sister.  I bought this business over 6 years ago and I was able to sell for almost double what I paid for it, so at the end of the day, it is a win.  I still have some financial stuff to settle, but I am now officially a Jazzercise Sub Associate and I plan on going to class as a student tonight.  UMMM, the location is 0.9 miles from my house.  And the woman who owns it and teaches, is a former associate of mine as well.

Second, I decided it was time to make a career change...well, BOY, did I change careers.  After 20 years in wireless and technology, I am now in sales and marketing for a luxury boutique travel company.  I work for an Aussie, who is 38 and awesome.  Small company.  We don't punch a time clock, we can travel when we want, it is a dog friendly office and oh yeah, we have wine on Fridays in the office.  In November, we are moving upstairs to a loft space with a huge window over looking the river.  And yep it is about 10 minutes from my house.

Third, you know how I used to moan about not having a boyfriend?  And I kept trying match.com and various other dating sights and the bars, etc?  Well when I finally started to change my life and let go of trying so hard, I met RCH Jr. at a restaurant in the burbs.  The man literally lived three blocks from me, dresses better than I do, is a huge sports fan....And I am happy to say that we are still together after 6 months.  Things are going great!

SO, while this blog post doesn't specifically address fashion, it does address how to be classy.  And that means, stops boo-whooing about your life.  If you are unhappy, change it (as my district manager says change what you want or change what you do).  You have the power!  You all do.  Happiness is something that you create ladies and gentlemen seriously.  Is my life perfect now, HELL NO, and yes, I still have a lot of stuff to deal with.  You can imagine that by changing careers, I have to work on making that paycheck bigger.  And it took me 9+ months to get to this point, but here I am.  And as I like to say, thank god I'm pretty because I am not very smart.  And if I am not very smart, and if I can do it, you can too.

So I will try to be more regular with my posts moving forward.  As you can imagine, I have more time on my hands now.  :)  So thanks for your patience, my dear readers.  Keep sending me fashion offenders....I mean we need to talk about a few of the fashion trends out there....like the mullet skirt...YUCK.

...keep your chin, your heels and your standards high...
BONSOIR, CHEERS AND CIAO BELLAS!

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Don't be the ugly American....

G'day ladies and gentlemen.  I realize that I have been a bit silent for a month.  Let's just say it has been a bit cra, cra around here.  Lots of family and Gamma Phi Beta travel for me.  This upcoming Friday will be the first Friday that I have been in the office since June 22nd!  But things here are still going well. I am happy to say that I am close to not being a Jazzercise business owner much longer.  It was time for a change in my life and I will be honored to hand my facilities off to very capable, wonderful women who have been associates of mine.  Sometimes in life, it is time to reflect and realize that you are no longer doing a good job.  And I had reached that point with Jazzercise.  That is when you need to find someone who will and I know that I have found those women.  Don't worry, I will still be JZZRGRL but as an instructor only.  :)

So updates from this side, since you heard from me last, I have been in Denver twice for Gamma Phi Beta.  Once for our Convention, where I did get to teach two MINI Jazzercise sessions to about 800 women and once for a department meeting.  I was also in NYC with my family for the 4th of July and in Kansas City last weekend for my brother in law's surprise 40th BDAY party.  My sister contracted Carbon Leaf (one of his favorite bands) to play the party.  Talk about a classy group of guys!  Hats off to Carbon Leaf for playing an awesome concert and just being super cool.

So in the spirit of addressing the goal of my blog, I thought it was time for us to speak about the Olympics.  I don't know about you, but I LOVE the Olympics.  I have always been a big fan as I love the fact that these athletes from tiny little countries get to compete with all other countries.  Case in point, the TINY little girl from Kazakhstan who won a gold medal by lifting over 228 pounds over her head.  She was adorable.  But I think it is time to speak to the arrogance of some of our US athletes.  You know how we get referred to as the UGLY Americans...because we act ugly in many cases.  I am pretty sure that no one country had their media covering the reaction to the Opening Ceremony uniforms like we did (and yes, I know I like to talk about fashion, but I thought the uniforms were FINE....they were designed by all American designer Ralph Lauren AND the shoes were designed by American company Allen Edmonds, yes I know they were made in China, but sorry folks, it is cheaper to make them there).  And let's talk about the arrogance and POUTING of Michael Phelps.  I am about done with him and his attitude (oh BOO WHOO, you didn't win the gold, well perhaps if you would trained like the rest of your teammates, the outcome would have been different).  And to the men's basketball team, well, there are no words for their arrogance.  Ladies and gentlemen seriously (speaking to our US athletes), have a little class and grace and just be thankful to be there representing our nation.  Be gracious, be thankful and keep your crappy comments to yourself.  And most of all, be a gracious and classy loser, should you not get the gold medal.

Well, that is my classy girl soapbox for today.  I know you are waiting for an RCH Jr update.  Well, all is still going very well.  It has been four months now and we still seem to like one another.  His BDAY is this upcoming weekend, so that will be fun.  Stay cool ladies and gentlemen!

...keep your heels, your chin and your standards high!
BONSOIR, CHEERS AND CIAO BELLAS!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Ladies seriously! They will measure you for FREE!

Well hello ladies and gentlemen!  It has been too long again since I have had a chance (or a good topic) for my blog. I trust that you are keeping it classy now that the summer fashions have come out.  Things in this girl's life have been quite busy as I reported previously, I do have a new FABULOUS job.  Which I love!  I mean who wouldn't love planning amazing vacations to Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti and Fiji.  I did just get back from a "work trip" to Antigua.  Yes, that's right, I said work trip.  As a travel consultant, we get to stay at wonderful resorts so that we can familiarize ourselves with them and then recommend the places to clients.  Currently, we don't do much in the Caribbean but watch for my new itinerary on our website.  The only unfortunate part was some of the people that I traveled with...let's just say this, I never heard so much complaining, bitching and moaning in my life.  Man, it must be horrible to be that unhappy!  ANYWAY, great trip, lots of fun, great properties, great food!

So one my wonderful sorority sisters gave me the topic for the blog post this week.  Thanks dear!  I have spoken about this in the past, about the importance of wearing the proper undergarments...you know, ladies, the girls should be covered, up and out.  Well, how about this?  Ladies seriously, make sure you are wearing the properly sized bra.  I mean, really, they will measure you for free in ANY bra store (doesn't have to be Victoria's Secret or La Perla...Macy's or Kohls will do it).  Your girls should not be spilling out of the side or top of the bra.  Please see the attached picture.  Now I have hidden her face, she is a CUTE girl, but you are totally distracted by her boobs being pushed out of that bra.  Ladies, don't let a bad bra make your cute outfit look bad.  As my favorite gay guy on Fashion Police says....everything is better with a good tailor, this includes your bra.

Well, as for the rest of my life, things are very good all the way around for JZZRGRL, job is awesome, still teaching, working on perhaps selling my business and RCH is still awesome.  We are having a great time, he makes me laugh, he opens doors, brings me dinner, and all around just takes care of me.  And amazingly he still wants to hang out with me.  So life is good.

So ladies, drop by the local store, get measured, and make sure you are wearing the right size bra.  And ladies and gentlemen, keep in classy this summer.  I was just at the Cubs game, and other than some bad fashion, everyone kept it pretty classy.  So eat, drink, be merry and keep it classy ladies and gentlemen.

...Keep your heels, chin and standards high!
BONSOIR, CHEERS AND CIAO BELLAS!

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Ladies! When you try to be girls gone wild...you are just embarrassing yourself.

G'day ladies and gentlemen (or Fijians say BULA)! Yes, the Aussie in my office is wearing off on me in a good way. Well I have been in my luxury travel agency job for a little over two months now and I am still having a blast. I mean who wouldn't love having an office that 10 minutes from your condo and a place where we do wine on Friday afternoons? I just booked my first clients for a two week trip to Australia. So nice to love your job again. And let me tell you, it is a classy way to live your life!

 And well, there is an actual boyfriend, YEP, you read it right, JZZRGRL has a boyfriend. RCH JR, this one might actually stick around for a while. Can't believe I could meet someone who meets all of my ridiculous requirements PLUS never married, no kids. You know I love certain little people but am not planning on being responsible for little people in my life (besides the 18 year old geriatric, diabetic, arthritic cat). He is also very classy, knows how to dress, loves shoes as much as I do and most importantly is good to me. Opens doors, takes care of me...good guy. Too bad his girl doesn't cook, clean or grocery shop. Oh well, take the good with the bad (I am quite a catch, huh :) Well, on to the subject of my blog post today. You know the ongoing trend for high school, college and even young adult women over the past 7+ years is this whole "girls gone wild" theme. Binge drinking, skimpy dressing, kissing on other girls, sleeping with men whom they just met 5 minutes ago, grinding and stripping on the dance floor, or EVEN worse, combining the last two in the list. Girls beating each other up, using a multitude of cuss words, posting nasty pictures...you get the drift. Given my position with my sorority, unfortunately, I have seen this continue on our college campuses across the nation.

 And I guess I must be old fashioned...BUT SERIOUSLY? When did this shift happen? When did our young women decide that this was hot? When the young men started telling them that? Ladies seriously, can we have a little more class than that? When did your behavior start to be dictated by what silly boys think? It is simply disgusting to have sex on the dance floor or in a bar bathroom with some guy you just met. Binge drinking does nothing but make you forget everything for a night, act like an idiot and then feel like crap the next day. Seriously, that is the course of action if you think about it.

 And let's not even start on the pictures that you take and post on Flickr, Facebook, etc. Guess what? those are going to turn up later in life and it won't be pretty.

 So here is my Ladies Seriously soapbox message, Ladies (and gentlemen) Seriously, you can still have a great time without doing the girls gone wild thing (plus it is SOOOOO late 90s, passe, it's over). Stop embarrassing yourselves, dress appropriately (see COUNTLESS Ladies Seriously posts from the past), don't drink until you pass out and don't just have sex with any guy (it's dangerous and gross). Have some respect for yourselves, and your friends. And GENTLEMEN, stop encouraging the behavior, seriously, you want to take one of these wild girls home to your mother (or grandmother).

Well I am off to market luxury travel.  Eat, drink, be merry and keep it classy this upcoming weekend.  NO girls gone wild!

....Keep your heels, chin and standards high!
BONSOIR, CHEERS AND CIAO BELLAS!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Change what you want...or what you do!

Well ladies and gentlemen seriously!! It has been too long, over a month. I know you have been missing your updates from JZZRGRL. So I do apologize. I actually do have a very good excuse. It was time for a MAJOR change in my life and so I did it...it has taken me about 6 months to pull it all together and I am still working on parts of it. So here we go.

First things first, I have a new job which I absolutely LOVE, LOVE! I have finally left wireless (this time, I hope for good) and I doing sales and marketing for a fabulous luxury travel agency in the city (only 10 mins from my condo). We specialize in the South Pacific, so when you are ready to travel to New Zealand, Australia, Tahiti or Fiji, you let me know. I work for a wonderful, classy Aussie who is just on the same page in life as me. And we just determined that Friday afternoons we are going to try new wines at the office, reverse AA as the Aussie likes to say :). The office is a blast and I get to take my first trip to Antigua in June as a travel consultant. LOVE IT.

Next thing, I did sell one of my Jazzercise locations. I have decided that I probably need to cycle the Jazzercise facility owning business out of my life. I am still working on some of it, certainly not going to happen overnight but hopefully in the next year. NEVER FEAR, I am still teaching and always will. I mean I have been teaching 14 years and lost 40 pounds recently from Jazzercise, can't give that up. Plus I LOVE teaching.

Lastly, I think we may have a winner in the date department. RCH Jr. You don't have many positive dating stories from me, so indulge me a bit. Met him at a restaurant/bar in the suburbs, sit down next to him, start chatting with him (I was with my Mattie). Find out that he lives three blocks from me in the city. RCH Jr...45, never married, no kids, dresses better than me and UMMMM...manager at a high end shoe store. And yes ladies, he is bald (you know I love that). So after I left the restaurant, I had given him my card (to "prove" I lived where I did). He actually CALLED me the next day and the rest as they say is history, calls or texts every day. Classy, kind, honest, smart, sports fan (did go to LSU, I don't about that SEC), good lookin, doesn't let me open any doors (I get in trouble) and he actually loaded the dishes in the dishwasher at MY condo last night. OH boy, his mother taught him well. So, here's to hoping you hear more about RCH Jr.

And just HOW does this update tie to my recurring theme of the blog, keeping it classy? Well, what is more classy than taking your life and turning it upside down for the better? As cliche as it sounds, change what you want or change what you do. I wasn't happy with what I was doing (nor was I making enough money in wireless), so it was time for a change! I found a whole new career doing international travel! Selling wine trips! Finally feel like I am making some headway in my life and found what I wanted to be when I grow up (at ALMOST 41). It wasn't easy (took about 5 years total), but here I am. And if I can do it, you can certainly do it (I am SURE I am not as smart you all).

So ladies and gentlemen seriously, it is classy to be wildly happy. So find it and DO IT. Oh yeah, and when you get a little money, you can buy new shoes. :) Change it up, keep it classy and be happy. Next week I am going on my birthday trip to SNOBSdale to see my favorite parents. So happy birthday to me.

BONSOIR, CHEERS AND CIAO BELLAS!
...keep your standards, your chin and heels high.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Happy St. Patricks Day - Keep it Classy!

Hello ladies and gentlemen. If you are in Chicago, I HOPE that you are enjoying the weather today, RECORD HIGH in March at 79 degrees. Seriously, don't tell anyone about our weather, people might start to move here (or spend the winter here ;). The three things that make Chicago less desirable are the weather, the traffic and the prices. IF the weather improves, people will start moving here and the other two things will get worse! ;)

So one of my favorite holidays is around the corner. And no it is not because I recently dyed my hair red or because my first name is the same as the famous river in Dublin, Ireland (and I am not a DROP Irish BTW). It is because well...I love a holiday that is basically about partying and having some drinks (I mean, Thanksgiving is the best). UNFORTUNATELY, it is also known as one of the biggest binge drinking holidays of the year. And since it falls on a Saturday AND it is really nice outside, the rookies will be out in force. Word to the wise, if you live in Chicago, you MIGHT want to steer clear of the Loop, Old Town, Lincoln Park (otherwise known as the LP) and Lakeview on Saturday.

And why do I say that...well because young men and women have a tendency to drink starting at 8 AM on St Patrick's Day and then continue drinking all day. And let's think about this, do really DRUNK men and women act like classy gentlemen and ladies? OH HECK NO. There will be hordes of them falling in the street, throwing up, cussing and just generally being belligerent. OH lord, it is a mess.

And ladies and gentlemen seriously, can we refrain from wearing the t-shirts and hats that say things like F*^& Me, I'm Irish or any other crass unclassy phrase like that. Since when did it become appropriate to wear that type of thing. My dear sweet Grandmother would be spinning in her grave (well she might be spinning because of my tattoos and belly button piercing as well...). I cannot think of anything less classy than a woman who is totally in the bag wearing a shirt like that. JUST YUCK!

So ladies and gentlemen seriously, I hate to sound like a beer commercial, but celebrate responsibly and remember it is a marathon, not a sprint. If you are going to drink for the majority of the day, space those drinks out, drink some water, have some food, maybe go home and take a nap, come back out and most importantly have fun. Won't you enjoy the day more, if you can remember it all?? And once again, if you are a collegiate member of my sorority, please head this warning...PLEASE PLEASE I don't want to visiting your chapter for an issue in the future. SMILE.

So Happy Patty's Day from this non-Irish, Irish named girl from a VERY Irish city (yes, we still die the river green). Eat, drink, be merry and keep it classy!

BONSOIR, CHEERS AND CIAO BELLAS!
....keep your heels, your chin and your standards high!

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

We have new terminology at Ladies Seriously!

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. It has been a while, I hope that you are keeping it classy! Lots of good things have been going on in this classy girl's life. SO first things first, I have a new job! A completely new industry, travel and tourism. I will be doing Sales and Marketing for Down Under Endeavours, a fabulous luxury boutique travel agency in the city specializing in travel to the South Pacific. My new office is 10 minutes from my condo. I start next week, so I am ready to open a new chapter in JZZRGRL's life! I am also in the process of changing my Jazzercise business, so more to come on that one.

Over the weekend, I had the honor of presenting to 20o collegians and alumnae for Gamma Phi Beta. We had our annual Academy which is a training and networking program for our chapter presidents and advisors. Always an amazing weekend to interact with classy, wonderful college women. And for the most part, our women were pretty good, but we did have some UFCs (unfortunate fashion choices). Ladies seriously, let's make sure we are wearing skirts that are the appropriate length. And if you have heavy upper thighs, don't wear super short skirts, it is NOT flattering at all. My upper thighs are not heavy per se, but I have to tell you I am SUPER self conscious about it. And VERY careful. SO, yes, UFC is a new term, feel free to use it in a sentence. Thanks Mike Malony for giving me the term.

So another UFC that I need to address is aimed at you gentlemen...what is this thing with wearing flip flops with jeans and a button down shirt or a SUIT for that matter. I have flown three times in the past month and ugly man toes are running RAMPANT in airports. I understand that it is easier to use flip flops through security, but SERIOUSLY??? Flip flops are fine with jeans and a t-shirt on a weekend for errands or with shorts on a beach, but not with a button down and jacket. Gentlemen seriously...VERY few of you have decent toes, we don't want to see them. Take the extra 5 minutes at security to put your loafers back on.

So of course, I need to address the Oscars. My SuperBowl Sunday is Oscar Sunday. And there wasn't a lot to talk about...most dresses were just fine...nothing to exciting. But I need to address the husband stealer (Angelina Jolie)...Seriously? With the leg, annoying as heck and I simply don't like you...yuck! And to my dear sweet Emma Stone (NORMALLY LOVE YOU), HATED the huge bow...it was bigger than your head and that awful Nicole Kidman wore the same dress like 7 years ago...sweetie, you are cute and fun, wear something that shows off your bod and let's see your face, not the big bow. Hats off to Meryl Streep (Ladies Seriously Hall of Famer) and Octavia Spencer for the classiest, most gracious acceptance speeches of the night. All in all, a fine Oscars, but not spectacular.

Well I am happy to report I am home for the month of March. I did have a good date this week, which should turn into a 2nd date...so we will see. He is a spinning instructor, HMMM, someone who might be able to keep up with me :) Have a great weekend ladies and gentlemen seriously. Keep it classy.

BONSOIR, CHEERS AND CIAO BELLAS!
...keep your chin, heels and standards high!

Monday, February 13, 2012

At least a post it note is better....

Hello ladies and gentlemen, Happy Valentine's Day. Trust that you all kept it classy over the weekend. It was quite the social weekend for me. Date Friday night, Saturday night was the annual Anti-Valentine's Day pub crawl and Sunday was my Jazzercise team staff party. All were fun...I have nothing super exciting to report from the pub crawl, everyone was in control, we had a good time...powered through five bars in about 6 hours. Not bad.

Yes, I know you are wondering about the date, and it was fine. We had a great time to start, talked a lot and it was going well and let's just say, it didn't end well and not sure if I will be seeing him again....not going to get "physical" on the first date. It was an online thing and here's the thing...dude, I am not sleeping with when tonight is the first time I am laying eyes on you. Nuff Said.

So on Sunday AM, one of my best guy friends was staying on my couch with another friend. We were at the pub crawl and it was NOT a good idea for anyone to drive home. He had been seeing this woman for about 2 months, they had been out several times. It had been going OK, but she had gotten a bit weird about texting, saying he never had time for her and he never responded to her, blah, blah...kind of taking the crazy female route (you know the one). Well, on Sunday AM, she "broke" up with him over text. SERIOUSLY? Over text? That is simply not cool. Rule of thumb, if you have been out with someone more than 5 times, the text break up is not cool.

Ladies and gentlemen, in this day of technology, it is NOT COOL or acceptable to break up with someone over EMAIL, VOICEMAIL or TEXT MESSAGE. And this is coming from someone who had her heart broken by having her boyfriend break up with her on email...Be courteous, have some guts and call the person or if it is someone that you have been dating or who just happens to be your boyfriend or girlfriend, tell them in person. You owe it yourself and the other person. I mean at least Burger wrote Carrie a note...albeit a post-it note.

I mean it almost like technology has made us sooo lazy that we can conduct a entrie relationship over text or email. And then can hide behind the technology and not actually have to have the confrontation when you want to break up. And on a side note, online dating shouldn't be used to find hook up dates (at least in my opinion).

So there you have it ladies and gentlemen, have some class and go out in style. Tell the person know either on the phone or in person that you don't want to see them anymore. And let that person move on.

Enjoy your Valentines Day! Oh yeah and I have been broken up with on Valentine's Day as well, so if you want to break up, can you wait until Wednesday?

BONSOIR, CHEERS AND CIAO BELLAS!
....keep your chin, heels and standards high!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Curse Words...Cussing Excessively....NOT CLASSY

Hello ladies and gentlemen! I trust that you all keeping it classy and you stayed in control for the Superbowl. It was a pretty good game. The commercials were NOT up to par and Madonna...well I thought she was great, but I know she lip synced and her dancing was off. But hey, she is 53 years old and she kept it classy, everything was covered and appropriate! So the subject of this blog post is a request by a classy sorority sister and little did I know that it would be appropriate after Gisele's little tirade after the Superbowl. Apparently her jerko of a husband can't catch and the throw the ball and it is the Patriots receivers' fault for the Superbowl loss. She did add an F word in there. She should probably have checked to see if there were cameras on her...DUH!

So the request has to do with young ladies doing excessive cussing in front of men. Ladies seriously, you don't need to drop the F bomb every other word to get men to notice you and if you do, well then they aren't the right men. I mean gentlemen don't even cuss as much as some of these young women today. It simply not classy to be dropping vulgar language continuously. AND it is really NOT classy to post it in a tweet or on facebook. You want your grandmother OR your future employer reading that?

Now, I am not saying that you can't drop an appropriate 4 letter word every once in a while to put emphasis on your point, but that should be used sparingly. Really ladies, do you need to use that language?

Gentlemen, the same applies you...I mean if you are with your boys and there are no children or ladies around, fire away...but be careful. Case in point....sporting events. If you are drinking at a Cubs game, there is a good chance there are children within shouting distance, just check yourself. Simply not cool.

Well it was a short but sweet message today, but I have to give my fans what they want, right? So that blasted Valentine's Day is around the corner once again. SIGH!!! Those of you in a couple, enjoy...but remember to tell your significant other that you love him/her the other 364 days of the year as well...not just on V Day. I will be hosting the 3rd Annual Anti-Valentine's Day Pub Crawl once again...Love Stinks, Let's Drink. So I am sure I will have stories for you next week. So eat, drink, be merry and keep it classy.

BONSOIR, CHEERS AND CIAO BELLAS!
....Keep your chin, heels and standards high!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

It's a pretty easy equation....

Hi ladies and gentlemen, it's been a bit since I have been inspired with a post with words of wisdom from JZZRGRL! It is that time of year when everyone is doing their New Year's Goals...correct? You know when you go to the gym and have to park in the North 40 because everyone is back working out. And then you say to yourself, don't worry it will clear up in a month, all these people will gone...RIGHT?

Well, I posted on this subject quite some time ago and I felt compelled to talk about it again. It seems like everyone is looking for that quick fix...you know the newest fad diet, the newest exercise that make you lose weight and look like Jennifer Aniston. Well, guess what, ladies (and gentlemen), Jennifer Aniston works out every SINGLE day to look like that. So a month of pilates is probably not going to get you there. If your goal is to lose weight, there is ONE VERY SIMPLE equation. Eat less, exercise more. If your body burns more calories than you take in every day, you will lose weight. And short of starving yourself, which simply is not healthy, you will need to do something to burn more calories.

And guess what that means?? Exercise. And I am not just talking abot Yoga and Pilates, which are amazing exercise programs and should be a complement to your AEROBIC exercise. Yes, you need to get that heart rate up and you need to sweat a little. So you need to pick something you LOVE to do...for me it has been Jazzercise since 1993. One of the best favors I ever did myself was when I graduated from college, I started Jazzercise. I worked during the day and went to Jazzercise at night, so I got in a routine of going to class after work. I never got used to going home first and so now if I go straight home after work, I am not quite sure what to do with myself...it is a good habit to have.

So this isn't an advertisement for Jazzercise, you do what works for you, even if it it that Z-Word...our competitor. But hear me now, if you want those six pack abs and a great buns, you have to work for them. No diet or pill will get you there.

As far as food goes, it DOES matter what you eat. My recommendation is find a diet that works for you, Weight Watchers, South Beach, Atkins, whatever. I chose to start with Isagenix, which is a nutritional cleanse diet. 18 months, 38 pounds, 58 inches over all, 8% decrease in my Body Fat and BMI AND went down 2 1/2 dress sizes. BUT I will tell you that I count my calories every day STILL.... I use a calorie counter in my iPhone and at the end of the month, the goal is be under overall calories...and that is how I maintain. And you also see it took 18 months.

What worked for this classy lady may not work for you...BUT here is how to be classy and get to your goal, stop complaining about how you look and get off your bootie and move it. Watch what you eat and have patience...it usually takes 6-12 months to see big differences. Remember, you didn't put on the weight overnight and it will take longer than overnight to take it off. And when you do hit that goal weight, CELEBRATE! Buy something fabulous for yourself and let others compliment you....you worked hard for your new body, flaunt it and say thanks.

Well, that's what I have today. Eat, drink, be merry and keep it classy...here is a new one that I LOVE...Keep your head, heels and your standards high...nice.

BONSOIR, CHEERS AND CIAO BELLAS.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Facebook as your relationship advertiser?

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I trust that the new year is going well and that you are continuing to keep it classy. How are those New Year's goals coming? Still working on mine, but I have been GOOD...I swear! SO in the last couple of weeks, this subject has come up and I felt VERY compelled to address the issue after seeing some recent facebook posts that were very upsetting to me.

So yes, we all use facebook, some of us more than others. And of course, there is a whole section where you can publish your relationship status to everyone...single, in a relationship, married, it's complicated (HUH??), in an open relationship (yeah, right, does she know that?), widowed, separated, divorced, in a civil union, OR in a domestic partnership. Well, being PC, facebook seems to have covered everything. And then if you are in a relationship or civil union, married, etc, you can TAG your partner.

SIGH!!!! If you are compelled to profess your relationship to others on facebook that is your prerogative.

In this classy girl's opinion, unless you are married, engaged or in a civil union (I get it, you have made a commitment in front of god and all of your friends and family), are you REALLY sure you want to announce that relationship to everyone? Not this girl...I will always be single on facebook (doesn't mean I can't have a BF) until Jason Statham marries me....When I was dating HT, I never once tagged him in a photo or attached my facebook page to his, because well, would I have really wanted to go through my heart breaking breakup on facebook? Not this girl, I can't imagine it. But hey if you want to pronounce your love in a public way, just be prepared if it goes south...what you are going to do and say....do you want to explain what happened, because REST ASSURED people will ask when you change your status.

And let me just say this...if you are going through a divorce, probably not a great idea to announce it all over facebook. I have been through a divorce and even though it was amicable, it was still HORRIBLE and why would you want to go through that on facebook? And further, ladies and gentlemen, if you are not YET divorced, please, please don't announce your NEW relationship on facebook, sorry, it's just tacky! What about your kids and your relatives? You want them seeing that?

There is a time and a place for everything and social networking, while fun and a great way to keep in touch with friends and family, should not be the place to announce personal details...PLEASE, your friends don't want to see it. THANK YOU, SIGNED JZZRGRL.

BONSOIR, CHEERS AND CIAO BELLAS!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

All is fair in love and college football?

Happy New Year ladies and gentlemen. I trust that you had a fabulous time during the holidays and kept it classy as always. My New Years was awesome, great dinner with one of my favs, my Mattie, on NYE, hung with the family on REAL New Years Day and hung with my friends on pretend New Years Day. Of course, pretend New Years Day was not real happy since my Huskers got their butts kicked....wonder when the hothead coach (he may need to learn some class) is going to pull it together and figure out how to get our team to play four quarters of football...ANYWAY!

Just had a friend tell me a story that I thought I would share because it got me to thinking about being a sports fan and acting classy. So a friend of mine and her family were at the Rose Bowl game the past week. At halftime, her husband went to the bathroom and was wearing his team's colors (his daughter works for the team). An opposing team fan was also in the bathroom and perceived that the husband had "cut" in line and proceed to throw him to the ground. The husband had a concussion, a huge cut on his head and had to be taken out in an ambulance. The whole family missed the second half of the game. WOW...really? Now that's the way to be a classy fan. And the husband was wearing green and yellow...I will let you figure out the rest.

Ladies and gentlemen seriously, your class and grace do not get to go out the window while watching or participating in sports. When your team wins big, it is simply not classy to be in the face of the opposing team or to yell things like "this is the Big 10" to the losing team. Have some class. As you know from reading my blog, I am HUGE sports fan and yes there are teams that I don't like AT ALL, but I would never say or cheer horrible things about that team. Who you are and how you act at a sporting event SHOULD reflect how you are everyday...your class and personality. And hey, if you happen to be a jerk, then go ahead and act that way, but I don't think there actually that many jerks out there.

There is a way to be an intense fan for your team while still being classy. And yes, I may be biased, but I think if you went to Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, NE on football Saturday, the Husker fans will show you how to be intense and still be classy. Just ask the Penn State University football players and fans who wrote a letter to the university after their game against the Huskers (yes, we won) thanking us for the class that we showed in the wake of the controversy at the school. Hey I am proud to be a alumna of the school that is considered to have the classiest fans in all of college football.

So the season is almost over, take it to heart and next fall when the GameDay starts up again, let's have a little more class....SO upsetting. It's college football, ladies and gentlemen seriously, we are not curing cancer! Geez, if everyone had that much intensity about cancer like they do sports, cancer would be GONE!

Ok, JZZRGRL is off her soapbox for today! How are those New Years Resolutions coming? I like to call them goals and give them dates...might help with the follow through!

BONSOIR, CHEERS AND CIAO BELLAS!