Now I can retire
I received this e-mail today. All I had to do to win was be an internet user. I’m so excited and just in time for holiday shopping!
Dear Internet User,
This Email is to inform you that you emerged a winner in Category (A) with the sum of $2,500,000.00USD on our online lottery draws. Your email address is identified with Batch Number: (I need to leave these numbers out so you don’t try and steal my prize!) and Ticket Number: (Oh no you don’t! I’m not telling you my winning number!) in Category (A) and your claims portfolio is filed with Ref Number: (Shhh it’s secret until I claim my prize.)
For further Information about your Winnings, contact our Lottery claims agent with the following contact Address. (Please note random grammatically incorrect capitalization.)
CLAIMS AGENT.
Name: (Names withheld to avoid lawsuits)
Tel: (Same with the phone numbers)
Email:r_____.w______ (at) yahoo.com.hk (A Yahoo account based in Hong Kong. Always trustworthy.)You are advised to provide him with the following information:
First name:
Last Name:
Telephone/Fax number:
Nationality:
Age:
Occupation:Congratulations!!! And thank you for being a user of the World Wide Web.
Yours Faithfully,
Mrs. M_____ L______
Lottery Coordinator.
Thank you and congratulations!!!
That’s it. I’m moving to Belize and getting myself a cabana boy. Maybe I should also send them my passport number, my social security number and a picture of my cat just to make sure they know it’s me. What do you think?
Actually, I used to keep a file of letters like this one, people offering me millions from African leaders with Swiss bank accounts, people claiming that the CIA is reading their thoughts, etc. Fun times.
Team-up and shop together
sannanina (Hoe gaat het?) a European reader, recently wrote me with this question:
I was just wandering if anybody from Germany or the Netherlands other than me reads this and is interested in getting items from IGIGI. The international shipping fare is unfortunately extremely high ($40), however this would be reduced if we could share fares (even if some additional shipping in the Netherlands or Germany will be necessary). Also, for any order above $150 will be shipped for a fare that is reduced by $15 - again a possible plus for ordering together.
Anyone in the Netherlands or elsewhere in Europe interested in team shopping? This could be a new sport. Or maybe an event on Amazing Race? If you all get together and a network offers you a reality show I expect to be offered a producer position or at least be an adviser. Bollywood here I come!
Remember, today is your last day to take advantage of the Igigi Cyber Monday Sale. Everything on sale and as much as 80% discount on the entire store.
Sale Continuing at Igigi
This just in! Hot off the press! 
This gorgeous Empire Waist Gown with Jewels in Bijou Blue now $196.00 marked down from $280.00. Available in other colors as well.
If you’ve been drooling over a fancy schmancy jewel draped gown but it was just out of your financial reach now may be the time to indulge. Me? I’m gonna buy up some of their tailored looks for the office. Now get out there and stimulate the economy!
Who Needs Help? Learning to be more loving and less condescending.
I just finished reading a recent post at TwistedBarbiesRevolution. She is a grad student (working on a Masters in Social Work in both Clinical Social Work and Policy and Advocacy) and she is currently working in a drug treatment facility. I found her post very inspiring because she clearly cares about the well-being of her patients and also about the well-being of her profession.
In her post, she talks about the insensitivity of professionals working in the facility with regards to conversations about weight. Constant talk about diets, weight gain=bad, weight loss=good, “tsk tsk she used to be so pretty, too bad she gained weight,” etc. Sometimes the staff are speaking with each other and sometimes they are talking to patients.
TwistedBarbie, in case you are wondering if anyone is listening I want you to know that I am. You have a lot to offer your field, and I really believe that they are lucky to have you, with your specific life experiences and your specific viewpoints. You have an advocate’s voice, something that you don’t always find, even in therapeutic fields.
The stories told in this blog post made me sad. Here are people working in a drug treatment facility, a place where people have come hoping to be helped, with no understanding that some of the patient’s seeking treatment may also have eating disorders. Clearly their good intentions to have everyone stay thin (because we all know that’s ultimately everyone’s goal right?) not only fall short of being helpful but may actually be harmful.
I am also going to admit, although I am not proud of this, that TwistedBarbie’s post made me realize some of the ways that I do this myself. I speak quite passionately about body image and having strong self-esteem no matter what your weight. Lately, I have begun to notice that some of my friends are sounding defensive about their diet goals when I am in the room.
I know that some of my friends are feeling like they have to defend themselves and justify their decision to diet, and this makes me sad. No matter how well-intentioned I may be, my crusade to have them love their bodies at every weight and to see that it is possible to be healthy at every size, may be costing me some intimacy.
It is true that I want some of them to see that becoming Vegan just to lose some weight is ridiculous because it’s not a style of eating that they will maintain and they may very well gain more weight when they return to non-Vegan eating. But they want to hear, “Oh my god you look so thin and beautiful, congratulations!” I know that they are full of pride because it feels like they are working hard to achieve an important goal. And the honest bottom line is that their goals are their own to determine.
I could show them medical research that shows that being Vegan risks brain atrophy and they will show me medical research that screams “fat kills!” OK, it’s really a B12 deficiency that makes your brain shrink and those “fat kills” studies are highly suspect for accuracy. My point here is that one way of eating, no matter how healthy it may seem, isn’t for everyone and everyone needs to make their own decision about what they eat.
I believe that you only offer to help people when you think that they are in some way incompetent, or if you think that they can’t do it themselves. You might instead ask to join them if what they are doing looks like fun. Perhaps you would say, “Can I be of help?” or “Do you think you can use me?” But saying, “Do you need help?” feels rude to me. I am beginning to see that I have been giving unasked-for body image and diet advice. I have been offering to help people who really don’t need me to tell them what to do with their lives.
When I tell people that I love that instead of having weight loss goals, they should consider instead health and fitness goals, understanding that they may not even lose any weight, this probably sounds crazy and may even seem to them that I am trying to stop them from accomplishing something important, even life saving.
I feel very uncomfortable when I am with my dieting friends. I want to scream when I hear the constant praise for choosing to not eating something “bad,” and praise for being “good” when someone brags about what they didn’t eat. But I am beginning to see that perhaps they are just as uncomfortable about my health and body image viewpoints as I am with theirs.
They never asked for my help in improving their self-esteem and for the most part my friends are a very self-confident bunch. There is just this area around weight and body size where I see an enormous amount of self-doubt. In their minds this increased interest in eating less in order to lose weight is about improving their health and feeling good.
I may want to help someone love their body, and to see that beauty comes in many shapes and sizes, but judging them negatively is not helping in any way. They really are just doing their best to feel good, be healthy, and enjoy their lives. This is the particular path that they are taking and truthfully I don’t have to be victimized by the presence of diet talk.
As TwistedBarbie may be finding out, I think that sometimes people are drawn to working in a psychology based field because they really need some psychological help themselves. Perhaps I am drawn to blogging not only because I want to be heard, but because ultimately, I want to learn to listen.
Fundraiser for Big Moves New York
I am thrilled to announce that Big Beautiful Bargains is coming to New York! This is a fundraising event for Big Moves NY, a non-profit dance company promoting size acceptance.
If you have never been to one of their shows, I highly recommend going to see them. The dance troupe is extremely talented and a whole lot of fun. I also hear that the dance classes they offer are great and I’m planning on checking them out one of these days.
New and Used Plus-Size fashions for Less!
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 29th and SUNDAY NOVEMBER 30th
From 10AM until 5PM
This extraordinary shopping event takes place at The Knitting Factory, 74 LEONARD STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10013.
MORE INFO: BIGBEAUTIFULBARGAINS2008@GMAIL.COM
Please check this website for more details: Big Beautiful Bargains on My Space.
I will be at this shopping event so please comment and let me know if you’ll be there too. Maybe we can have a Celebration of Curves meet-up? I’d love to meet you!
Leaving for Mexico
The hubs and I are at JFK about to board our flight for Cancun. Thank you Jet Blue for the free internet service!
We will be staying at a resort in Playa del Carmen. This week we will be snorkeling, parasailing, and visiting Chichen Itza! I’ll update as I can depending on internet service.
Asta la vista baby!
National Men Cook Dinner Day Means That I Ate Very Well Indeed
Did you know that yesterday was National Men Cook Dinner Day? Yes, it’s true. All across the land, men cooked dinner for their wives. Really. All of them. I’m sure of it.
If you read Elastic Waist then you already know how well Weetabix ate last night. Until I get an invite over to enjoy some of Esteban’s cooking, I’ll just have to take her word for it. Weet? Call me k?
I too can brag that my husband has several dishes that he does particularly well. My personal fave is his Chicken Parmigiana.
Seriously, it’s the best I have ever eaten in my entire life. Yes, I know that I am biased but OMG it is so seriously delicious that I don’t let him cook it for my single girlfriends when they come visit. I mean it - back off bitch I saw him first.
What does he do to make this amazing meal? I’ve stood by his side assisting and I can tell you that it’s nothing different from what anyone else would do, but I do think that there is something to say for the details. He begins with fresh ingredients and he hovers over those cutlets through each step until they are absolute perfection. I’ll give you the step-by-step directions but honestly, I believe in my heart that the ingredient that he adds, the one thing that makes his Chicken Parm the bestest ever of all time is the one thing that I adore about him the most - his love.
Step 1. He buys boneless, skinless chicken breast and slices the cutlet thin. Then he pounds the cutlet even thinner.
Step 2. He dips in egg, let’s excess drip off, and then dips in breadcrumbs. He uses 4 Seasons Bread Crumbs. We’ve used other brands and keep coming back to 4 Seasons. It’s fresh and has loads of herbs so it’s very flavorful.
Step 3. He places breaded cutlet in a frying pan with about 3 inches of vegetable or canola oil and he watches it carefully. As soon as a cutlet starts to brown, he flips it over. And as soon as the other side is brown he gets it out of the oil and onto a plate with paper towels to cool, allowing excess oil to be absorbed.
Step 4. While the frying is happening, he preheats the oven to 400 degrees. The breaded cutlets go into another frying pan and he covers each with a liberal amount of marinara (either some that I’ve made or in a pinch - Prego), and thick slices of mozzarella.
Step 5. Because he gets the cutlets out of the oil as soon as they are brown and then out of the oven as soon as the cheese melts, nothing is overcooked.
The result is a melt-in-your-mouth ohmygodthisisamazing chicken-sauce-cheese-breading piece of heaven. My husband seriously makes the most tender, scrumptious, delicate chicken parmigiana on the planet. Lucky me!
Michelle Obama: Election Night Style in Plus Sizes
I thought that Michelle Obama looked great on election night in the Narcisco Rodriguez wearing a tasteful variation of a more revealing version seen recently on the runway.
The First Lady Elect has been getting quite a lot of attention for her sense of style in addition to being a wonderful mother, partner to her husband and obviously for being a very smart woman. For more information on just how smart Michelle is, and for one well-written feminist viewpoint on all this fashion talk, please read Shakespeare’s Sister.
I am a feminist my friends. But I’m also a fashion loving feminist and right now, I’m gonna talk dresses.
Personally, I am thrilled that Barack will be our next President and that the Obama family will be living in the White House. Not only because he has a beautiful family, with a fashion savvy wife (which isn’t really all it takes to win my heart but it certainly helps), but because I believe that great things will happen for our nation and the world. The eyes of the world on you Barack, and perhaps even more will be expected of you than other Presidents. Now get to work.
I love this picture of the family together. So perfectly coordinated in black and red. Check out dad’s tie!
I’ve done some scouting, looking for something similar to the red and black dress that Michelle wore on election night. The dress is so new that similar dresses have yet to be found, although I am certain they are coming. Until then, here are my choices for wearing Michelle Obama’s style, just in case you have an acceptance speech to make in the next week or two.
The fabulous Sophie dress from Igigi.I really like this dress and I think I’ll be getting one for myself. I think that the overall line of the dress, and the way it is drawn in a bit at the waist does a good job of emulating the Rodriguez red and black dress.
And of course shades of purple and lavender are still very hot this season. Be careful the next time you dine at the White House, you might upstage the First Lady in this piece!
But if you must have black and red (again from Igigi) I chose the Brigitte Mod Dress.
This lovely dress captures a bit of the color block look of the Narcisco Rodriguez dress, but without the speckles and the fade, which received some negative reactions from fashion bloggers. Personally, I like it. I think it looks like champagne bubbling over a glass.
I love the Brigitte and I’m glad they didn’t go all huge flare with the hemline. I would wear this dress in 1967 with knee high, high heeled boots and then I’d ride around town with Steed kicking butt all over London.
The neckline of the Alexis more closely resembles that of Michelle’s dress, than anything I found, but of course it is lacking a burst of color. Perhaps coordinate with a hot pair of red heels and a red scarf?
Stretch Gabardine Wide Leg Trousers - $ 98.00
From: Kiyonna Klothing. And from Kiyonna, this is for those of you looking to dress up in black and red but refuse to show your legs.
What did you think of the black and red dress that Michelle Obama wore on election night? Yay or Nay? And if you find other pieces that are similar please post a comment.
Autumn Sales
You know that I like to get fancy with the sales. I like to put together a Look Book, or at the very least choose specific items from each sale. But I just can’t get it together this week.
I still have to show you the great pics I took on vacation two weeks ago when the hubs and I were in Phoenix to visit family and then drove to California to visit friends. This coming Sunday the hubs and I fly to Mexico, south of Cancun, to snorkel and then swim with Dolphins, lay on the beach and dance on the sand. This means that I will be checking out this big sale: Swim & Save at SwimsuitsForAll.com! Top Swimwear Styles $29 & Under! Shop Now!
So more vacation pics soon and another Look Book is being created. But for now, have a good time while you stimulate the economy!
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Get up to 70% off with our End of the Season Sale at Kiyonna.com!
The Funniest Election 2008 Videos
In my own not so very humble opinion, these videos are the cream of the crop. I voted today, did you?
My very good friend Margret is playing the role of mom in this first video from The Onion.
Precocious Youngster Sells Cookies To Buy Attack Ad
