Oh, I’m Supposed to Blog Here

That is enough of a break for you; I’m back and I’m posting. Let the nonsense begin!

Some of you noticed that I was not around; it makes me feel good to be missed. Some days I feel like the Internet redirects my rambling to a black hole somewhere. Oh yes, Pity Party for one, please—at a table near a fireplace lest I freeze to death in January rendering me unable to continue whining. (I did the whole Cut & Paste dance with this paragraph too many times to count until I figured that I should leave it in as it accurately represents my current mood: full of self pity with a huge helping of disgust from said self pity.)

So, where have I been? Work has been uncharacteristically busy for January. (Shhhh…I mostly blog at work.) Also, I’ve been practicing (bowling) a lot and working out a lot and all of this effort is bound to pay off at some point, right? Like maybe with a strike or five and a visible waistline? But mostly I’ve been avoiding my blog because I’ve been less than chipper recently and I didn’t want a post like this to happen. But, I’m here. People emailed. And Books said it was OK if I got fired for blogging at work as long as she was entertained.

Luckily, I ignored my blog when a decent post was left on the main screen. Had it been one of my less than stellar posts, perhaps I wouldn’t have stayed away for quite as long, though. And I completely thought about updating you all on how antioxidants almost killed me: I challenged pomegranate seeds to a cage match and those little tarty-sweet seeds kicked my arse but were disqualified for causing an allergic reaction, making my digestive system revolt. The lesson in all of this: enjoy new foods, but eat them with caution!

I really didn’t intend to take 10 days off, but this week has just gone by so quickly. (see Busy At Work above) I have a couple of articles to use as writing prompts (no worries, they are not time sensitive at all, in fact I’m certain they are both old) and some pictures I intend to post as soon as I find my camera. And I am not as crabby in person as I am in black and white. I’m fine—really. In fact, my cute pearl earrings arrived today from Blue Nile and they look great with the pearl pendant necklace from D and the combo perfectly compliments my light blue cashmere turtleneck today. That and a new coffee mug are certainly enough to make this girl smile!

No Fun Latte

I love today. I've told you all before about my love of Wednesdays; so what makes this Wednesday stand out from the rest, you ask. For starters, I'm having the skinniest day I've had in months, I'll credit that to the sweat and tears I left on the elliptical last night and the lack of pop for several days. I'm also wearing a simple yet fantastic outfit, if I do say so myself: lovely ivory cashmere with just a bit of holiday bling and my favorite BCBG pumps (the ones you like Books). So basically, I feel like a million bucks and that's enough to make any one's day I'd wager. So the secret of today's marvelousness lies again in simplicity: I came in to work to find a Sbux gift card on my desk from a generous office Secret Santa. (We do not do Secret Santa in our office, but there are a few people that leave gifts around all the major holidays so I've narrowed it down to a few possibilities.)

Upon finding the gift card, I immediately planned out my day with a trip through the tunnels to the nearby Sbux. Not only are delicious goodies awaiting me at my destination, but just the break from the office is a treat in itself. As always, the barista was just the right amount of flirty and professional and prepared my Tall Decaf, Sugar Free Vanilla, Nonfat, No Foam Latte without mentioning that what I'm drinking is very far removed from actual coffee. Oh, I'm trying to give up caffeine by the way, or limit it at least. My favorite chai lattes are now going to be a rare treat.

On my way back to work with my No Fun Latte, I cherished the elevator ride up. The few moments of solitude--eyes closed, fingers laced around the cup, palms soaking in the heat--resting my body lightly on the hand rail were (and are always) completely rejuvenating. I might not have the caffeine buzz, but just the act of going to get coffee is sometimes all I need to feel relaxed and energized all at once.

Even though I love my 'coffee' drink, the Oracle does not agree. Behold the Oracle's wisdom:

Personality type: Freak
No person of sound mind would go to an EXPENSIVE COFFEE SHOP to get a drink WITHOUT CAFFEINE. Your hobbies include going to ski resorts in the summer and flushing $5 bills down the toilet. You are a menace to society.

Also drinks: Non-alcoholic beer

Can also be found at: Pools with no water

Not really accurate, but funny.

New and Exciting but Mostly Random

Yesterday's Blog Share (marvelous idea, -R-) was a success, and I was productive at work in spite of all the intriguing mystery posts. It was certainly a first for me--I'm still new to the world of blogs and all--but I thoroughly enjoyed participating. I had a few other firsts this week that I'd like to share with you:

1. D confessed to checking my blog. I never really told him I had a blog. I wasn't necessarily hiding it from him, but I didn't necessarily want him to know either. I've made entries in his presence and even talked about presents from bloggy friends, but I never really said, "I have a blog. It's called Muse on Vacation. You should check it out." Well, I guess I didn't really need to tell him, he knew, he checked it out. I don't think he'll be back often, but it might make me rethink some of my future entries.
2. I'm wearing a gray wool blazer today with a great pair of jeans. This is a first for me and I'm really proud of myself. I didn't think I could pull off this look and so far I'm very happy with it. It's Casual Friday and I've embraced that concept while still looking polished and pulled together. (Thanks, Mom, for letting me shop in your closet!)
3. I had my first volunteer training at the Animal Humane Society last night. I'm really excited to actually start volunteering so that I can accrue hours and move into different volunteer positions. I will start out on the Adoption Floor, which will be fun, but I'd really like to work with the obedience classes and especially with the dogs that have not yet been adopted. Beyond just dog walking, volunteers can go through additional training and start obedience training with dogs that are on the adoption floor and looking for homes. The thought is that the more well behaved the animal is, the easier it will be to place them in a forever home. This is something that I am very passionate about and I cannot wait to get to work!
4. Last night I also tried Garden Salsa Sun Chips for the first time. These are amazing. I highly recommend them. I mean, it's not so good for my Healthy Eating Plan, but it could be worse. And they are soooooo good. "It's a fiesta in your mouth. With a Mariachi band!" Who can resist that?
5. Lastly, I received the fabulous gold bubble necklace from BR in the mail. It's a bit larger than I thought (I was picturing it as the size of a quarter. It's bigger than that. A lot bigger than that.) but I do like it. As it is slightly flashier than I had imagined, I wasn't prepared to wear it today. I think I have an outfit in mind that could use a little flair (well, more than one, but one in particular for this accessory) and plan to wear it next week. Quite possibly I will post a picture.

The Real Gunn Show

PROJECT RUNWAY PREMIERS TONIGHT! I am so excited I cannot contain myself. I cannot wait to see all of the designs and my beloved Tim Gunn.

While I did watch a few episodes of Tim Gunn's Guide to Style, it just wasn't the same. There was no "Make it work" and Veronica just got on my nerves. But tonight, I will gleefully watch PR and then whine and pout that I have to wait so long for the next episode.

Although I am only allowed 1 hour blocks of fashion frenzy at a time, I will use the down time wisely--by catching up on the snark at Television Without Pity and Pink Navy.

Some Gold & Wool Will Make It All Better

As I continue on the Quest to Create an Interesting Wardrobe, I become more and more frustrated and confused. The set above is from Banana Republic. Not that I would wear these pieces all together, but maybe the necklace on its own when a neckline calls for it or just the earrings or the earrings and the cuff bracelet on occasion. I'm trying to find accessories, but I really want diamond earrings and a diamond necklace. (Interesting? Not really. Beautiful, timeless and functional? Absolutely.) Also, diamonds are a bit out of my budget right now. I wear gold, not silver, so this further complicates things; so many gold/golden things look tacky to me and I'm afraid that all of the above just might fit in that category. I want something interesting, but I'm just not sure if these pieces (even on their own) will work for me. If you have any ideas, please send them my way!!!


On to the next. I feel pretty confident, in general, about picking sweaters, but I would appreciate some advice. Please give me honest opinions about the below styles and colors. The first two are from Ann Taylor and the third is from Gap.

I LOVE the red buckle sweater, my only concern is that it will look frumpy on me. Also, I have a great red zip sweater, but it is a bit more casual. What do you think of the red one?

The oatmeal shawl collar sweater is OK. I think I like it, but I also think it looks a little old lady for me. (Not actually like a 'little old lady' but a little like something an old lady would wear.) They also have it in black, but do I really need another black cardigan? Quite possibly I do, but I'd like to branch out in the colors just a bit, even if I'm still in the neutrals.

The oatmeal crew collar sweater is, I don't know. It's just calling me. I feel like I need it. I obviously don't need two new oatmeal cardigans, so which would you choose if you had to pick one?

Do you like any of these sweaters at all? If not, I usually have better taste--I swear! For proof, I offer you my word that I have received two compliments on my sweater dress/calf boot outfit today. And no, I do not look like a hooker.

Pillowcases Full Of Butterfingers

First off, no, I am not wearing a costume today. I thought about purchasing a pair of spider web like tights, but I really didn't want to spend the $8. Cheap? Yes I am. I'm in all black, though. I'll pretend it's for Halloween.

I don't remember the last time I dressed up for Halloween. Last year we went to a costume party but D didn't tell me it was a costume party until about 10 minutes before we were leaving--I had just returned home from bowling and was racing around the house trying to find something decent to wear, I didn't notice his overalls and straw hat...anyway, I ended up wearing a black turtleneck with great jeans and my glasses. I called myself a 'city girl' to contrast his 'country boy' although I'm not sure what he was really supposed to be. Yes, I realize it wasn't really a costume and that there was nothing innately 'city' about my outfit. Whatever.

I'm going to assume that the last time I dressed up for Halloween was in 7th grade. It was during the Halloween Blizzard of 1991 (And why is the news still talking about this? The last 3 mornings all I've heard from the morning news is about the weather patterns back in 1991 and how this year Halloween will be nothing like it. Is that really news?) and my costume actually worked for the weather quite nicely. I was a baby. Lame, I know; but my pastel pink footy pajamas actually allowed for long underwear and I put on a silly ghost hat. I was like a baby on Halloween--even more creative! Or lame. Again, whatever.

Tonight I am bowling. I think I will dress up as a bowler since I've been so bad lately that I can't really call myself a bowler. It will be an awesome costume complete with bowling shirt, shoes and ball(s). I even have a wrist brace.

I remember having a lot of fun on Halloween with all of my friends going door to door, saying the traditional 'Trick or Treat' and then returning home with my pillowcase full of candy. The only thing I like better now is that I don't have to sort out all of the chocolate and try to trade for Smarties, Sprees and Starburst--now I can just buy the candy I like. And tonight one of my teammates promised me a bag of candy corn, so I'm set.