Project Runway: The Spoilers Were Wrong.

Wow.. I had come across the rumored spoilers that were on the Internet for this season of Project Runway... BUT THE SPOILERS WERE WRONG!!!

The person that was supposed to win actually got kicked off... And the person who was supposed to lose actually won.

Hmm... So this is obviously not accurate.

It Feels Weird...

Not having done yoga today. And I would go tomorrow, but I am trying to really stick to my new schedule of yoga on Monday, Wednesday and Friday... And gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Still, I feel a bit unaccomplished today for not having gone to yoga.

Hayden-Harnett Does Tar-jay.

I wish I had a Target near me. Sadly though, I have not lived within reasonable commuting distance of a Tar-jay store in over eight years.

The reason I wish I lived closer to one is because of all the designers that have begun putting together collections to sell at the store. In the past few years we have had Botkier, Luella Bartley, Behnaz Sarafpour, Proenza Schouler, Gryson... And now, the latest is coming from Hayden-Harnett.

According to Fab Sugar, "details are still in the works." But this will be very exciting. Hayden-Harnett is good stuff.

I'm Saving My $5 Too.

Not sure if you all caught this article on the Boston.com website earlier this week... It's about a writer who decided to start saving every $5 bill she received a few years back. And now she has over $12k from saving them.

I think it's a great idea! And I have started doing it myself.



I agree with the writer in that I'm not going to miss spending $5 bills when I have them. It's a small-enough denomination that you won't miss it, but it's a substantial-enough denomination to really pack a punch when you begin saving them.

So I am now hoarding $5 bills.

I Sliced My Ass.

Ouch!

Had a mishaps with the razor this morning while shaving my legs in the shower.

I went to turn around and rinse my razor under the running water, and I wasn't paying attention and dragged the blade across my skin by mistake. So now I have a four-inch long (but not deep) cut across my right cheek.

Ouch!

It's really just a scratch, but it did hurt quite a bit. From now on, though, I will only shave my legs while taking a bubble bath. No shower-shaving. I have demonstrated that I can not be trusted to be coordinated.

Day 30: Let The Healing Begin!

Okay...

So I am now done with my 30-Day Bikram Yoga Challenge. And I won't lie, tonight was one of my worst classes from the entire challenge. For some reason, my body insisted on running much hotter than usual. Don't know why... But with many postures, it just felt like my body was moving through molasses to get into positioning.

But tomorrow is a new day (or rather, Friday is a new day... Which is when I'll be in class next.) And I can now begin "healing" my body rather than focusing on getting all the major blocks and toxins out of it.

These 30-Day challenges are great for getting your body ready to begin healing itself. You spend 90 minutes a day, for 30 consecutive days, preparing your body... Loosening it up... Learning proper strength techniques and to focus your mind... So now, at the end of the 30 days, you are prepared to establish a regular practice and can begin allowing your body to really heal itself.

This was my fourth 30-Day challenge in 20 months. A lot of my postures have come along way in the past two years... Believe it or not. Some haven't progressed much though, and it's okay.

After all, it is a "lifetime practice." Et, Rome n'a pas été construite dans un jour.

So it will take much more time. But at least now I have a good foundation on which to renew a solid practice.

South End: We're Walkable!

So pretty much everyone knows that Boston is a walkable city. In fact, it's the third most walkable city in the U.S. (Yet, it still boggles my mind that people are so car-dependent here.)

As I looked deeper into the data available on Walkscore, I noticed that the South End was listed as being the one of two of the most walkable parts of the city. We have a "walkable" score of 97%.



The other part of the city that ranked with us for "walkable" factor was Backbay/Beacon Hill.

Yet... I still know of people who work in Downtown Crossing and drive to work from their home in the South End. And I know of people in the Beacon Hill who work in Cambridge and drive to work out there as well.

What a waste... You can T or walk, people! I myself have three options (not counting a cab) to get to work in the morning... From my apartment in the South End, I can ride the 43 bus, take the Orange Line or walk. I realize not everyone may have as many options as I do... But one of the three is enough to discourage car-use, I would think.

Give up your cars people! You don't need them. You only think you do! (Unless you work outside the city where the T doesn't go, then maybe you do need them. But most of us do not.)

Day 29: One To Go!

Hooray!

Only one day left in the 30-day challenge. It'll be weird (as it always is) to not have to go in on Wednesday. In fact, with this 30-day challenge, I am trying to set up a regular schedule for yoga... Rather than my previous "casualness" with my practice. I'd like to go every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and (sometimes) Sunday. So it'll be weird not to go in on Wednesday...

But I have a massage scheduled. So I can't... At least not after work.

And speaking of work... I felt really sick this afternoon. I had sudden heat wave come over me as I was sitting at my desk. And I had felt kind of pukey all day already. So I decided to go home, and was planning on skipping yoga. But on the cab ride home, I had the windows open... And the heat wave disappeared, along with the nausea. I guess all I needed was some fresh air.

So, I finished my work at home and hit the 5:30pm class anyway. It was a tough class, as I still am having stomach-compression issues... But I did every pose, and went further in a few.

So despite it being really humid and feeling sick, I made it through.

And there's only one class left! Yay!

Jean Therapy Sale!!!

Um.. Yeah... I know where I will be at 8am this Sunday morning...



Because I am on a swearing kick today (it being "Asshole Monday" and all), I am gonna exclaim, "SUPER-FUCK-YEAH!" (Thanks Jenn, for teaching me that word.)

I can't wait!

Kai Perfume Oil.

I love the smell of gardenias. And really... Who doesn't? (If you don't, what's wrong with you???)

A co-worker of mine walked by a few minutes ago, and a wonderful gardenia fragrance trailed after her.

"I love your perfume!" I told her.

She thanked me and said it was Kai Perfume Oil.



It has notes of gardenias and "white exotic flowers." And the site says because it's an oil, "a little bit goes a long way."

I'm totally thinking about ordering some. It smells heavenly.

Fucking Fail Whale.

I had to take my Twitter stream down from the side column of my page here because it wasn't updating properly.

I attempted to try to fix the problem this morning... But I got the fucking Twitter "Fail Whale." You know who I mean... This guy...



Did you know the bastard has his own Twitter page? Hilarious!

Monday Is When All The Assholes Come Out.

Yeah... You read that right. it's a hot, rainy, muggy Monday here in Boston... And that brings out the asshole in all of us. I, myself, have encountered a few major assholes this morning.

The first few were at the bagel shop across the street. I decided to hit it on my way into work. Once inside, the line wasn't too long, but there were a few people taking extremely long in line. I pegged them as "a little asshole-ish." They kept changing their order and asking questions from the bagel experts behind the counter. Then they would decide, after the cream cheese had already been put on, that they wanted their bagel toasted. Or that they meant "light" cream cheese instead of the regular kind.

Then the line to pay for bagels took forever. People were slow with getting their money out. They would decide that they in fact did want coffee, after they had already paid. These were just assholes who didn't have their act together. And I can kind of understand, it is Monday morning. Sometimes we are all slow on Monday mornings.

Then, I encountered the major asshole of my day.

As I was walking from the bagel shop to my building, I had a crowd of commuters walking towards me. This often happens, as my building's entrance is small and on a busy walkway. So, to get out of their way, and still be able to duck into my building, I moved all the way to the left... Walking up against the wall. right as I was about to turn left into my building, this big fat-assed mother fucking piece of shit asshole in a blue and re-striped polo shirt decided he wanted to come and stand in front of me... Blocking my way into the building.

Apparently, he wanted to walk against the wall too... But with people walking on my right in the opposite direction, and him blocking my way, I couldn't get around him to get into my building. He kind of nudged me to move. That's when I punched his arm and shoved him. He moved around me and just kept walking. I screamed at him...

"Excuse you... You mother fucking piece of shit asshole! Watch where the fuck you're going piece of shit!"

I was not in the best frame of mind to come up a better response, other than spewing cheap swear words.

I am glad I pushed him back and punched his arm though. (Not that I could do much damage.)

I hope the asshole encounters stop for today. However, it is not even noon yet. So there are many more asshole opportunities for today.

Day 28: Freezing In The Middle Of Summer.

I am caught up now with my Bikram classes. I did my double today... And now I just have two classes left over the next two days. Yay!

When I was finished with class, and had showered... I headed outside to catch my bus. As soon my body hit the outside air, I got a little chilly. Then, when I got on the bus with its air conditioner going, I froze.

All the way from Harvard Square to Tremont Street, I sat in my bus seat with my arms wrapped around my body, just trying to keep warm.

This is what happens in Bikram. You sweat in class. And after class you keep sweating. And that sweat, when you are put in the presence of air conditioning, makes you colder.

Good class this afternoon. Day 29 tomorrow.

Day 27: One Down, One To Go... Today!

Today is my "double day." I hot the 9am class in Boston, and am going to hit the 4pm class in Harvard Square.

The 9am wasn't bad. I just now have to rehydrate for the 4pm.

Three classes left to do in the challenge!

Day 26: Teacher Sandwich.

REALLY, REALLY tough class today.

I got there early, but as it got closer and closer to 9am, the class started to get packed. So packed, that just before class began, two teachers walked in... They were looking for spaces to practice. The only two spaces left??? To my right and to my left.

That put me in a teacher "sandwich."

When you find yourself practicing near a teacher in a Bikram class, you tend to push yourself even harder. So hard, you exhaust yourself. You exhaust yourself in the standing series that you can barely make it through the floor series.

My stomach was in a lot of pain in the floor series... Any pressure I put on it, it began to ache. But these kinds of classes will happen from time to time. It's part of what makes Bikram yoga so much fun.

Day 27 & 28 tomorrow!

A Petition To Save Newton "Train Station" Starbucks.

It is official... Starbucks announced that one of the Massachusetts Starbucks closing will be the Train Station location in Newton Center.

The creator of the petition, Denis Goodwin, started an online petition to save the Train Station location and, instead, close the one on Center Street (which is the newer and smaller location).

He also has some words for Howard Schultz, chief executive of Starbucks...

"Mr Shultz, please be advised that I will NEVER spend a dollar at the Center Street location, nor any other Starbucks for that matter. There is a Peets Coffee and Tea location in Newton Center as well, and they will be getting my daily business going forward if you proceed with this closing."

Right on! To me, it doesn't make sense that they would close the more popular location. I guess, since it is bigger, it costs more money to run... But it makes me wonder...

For many years, I have seen Starbucks as the kind of place you go to to sit down, have coffee and relax. If Starbucks is closing some of the bigger locations, do they realize they will be eff-ing with the way many people have grown to like Starbucks in the first place? I mean, let's face it...

The coffee at Starbucks isn't the best. But it's stronger than Dunkin Donuts. And Starbucks are very convenient to find and get to... But if I can't sit down, bust out a book or hack away on my laptop... What's the point?

I'll just go to Peet's in Downtown... Or The Buttery in the South End. Starbucks has the ambiance thing going for it. You take that away... All you got is shit-tastic coffee and stale pastries.

Day 25: Tough Way To End The Week.

Totally challenging class today.

It didn't seem to matter that I hydrated very well prior to coming to class... It still kicked my ass. Of course, every pose was attempted and completed... But it was an exhausting experience.

I have noticed in the past week though, that my hips really get sore when doing Triangle pose. The teacher pointed out tonight that I am opening my legs too wide for the pose. (Most people have the opposite problem.) So my body is not aligned properly. I'm not able to work my leg muscles as deeply by not keeping them closer together and pushing my hips forward and out.

Tomorrow is Day 26... I have a chance to correct it then. ONLY FIVE MORE CLASSES!!! The healing challenge is almost done. Then I can go back healing maintenance with four classes a week.

New Word Of The Day: "Blorgy."

In this day and age, running around on the Internet is like running around in the neighborhood when I was a kid... It's where you pick up new terms from other kids (bloggers) who you play with (whose blogs you read).

Today I learned a new word courtesy of Ben at No Ordinary Rollercoaster... "Blorgy."

Now, I'm not 100% sure of the definition of the term... But I am assuming that it combines the terms "blog" and "orgy." And I am deducing that the definition of "blorgy" is:

When more than two bloggers get together and blog at the same time... And with each other.

This is a great word. I plan to use it far, far more often. Here's my first go...

"I would like to get together and have a crazy drunken blorgy with some of the local Boston bloggers at a bar that has Wifi and strong cocktails."

Who wants in on this action?

"It's Called Muscle Fatigue."

The trainer showed today. (Hooray!) And the gym was nice and quiet for the first 35 minutes... As no one else was up and training at that time.

The new trainer is different from the old trainer. For one, he has boy parts, not girl parts. (Not that it matters... I was just noting the differences.) And, also, he works me out differently than the old trainer.

Old trainer and I used to do lots of reps of various exercises. But there was little muscle fatigue. There was lots of "tiring out"... But My muscles rarely ever got so exhausted that I just couldn't hold something up anymore. It was a different type of training with her.

The new trainer, though, strongly believes in fatiguing my muscles. We do only 10 reps of each exercise, three times. But the weights are much heavier. Before, for example, my old trainer used to have me lay on my back and press up weights over my chest while keeping my arms tucked in... But she used to give me 10 or 12 pounds weights to do them. New trainer though, he hands me the 20 pound weights and tells me to "get to it."

After the first two reps in the second set, I couldn't press my arms up. So he "helped" me a little. And in the third set, he made me use the same weight. No changing.

We also did various lunges and step-ups on large steps... And again, he complimented me on my "perfect form" and explained to me why my arms felt stiff after so many reps.

"It's called 'muscle fatigue,'," he said. "You're really fit... But you just haven't been challenged."

And it's so true. I have not lost a single pound in the year that I have been using a trainer twice a week. Not that I expected to, though. I just wanted a reason to get me to the gym a few times each week. And I have gained a lot of muscle than when I started. But I have a feeling the new trainer will actually have me dropping pounds in a few months. Not that I particularly care one weigh or the other. (Hee-hee.)

Good session, though. And he super-duper promised he won't miss Monday's session.

Day 24: Have A Bad Class To Have A Good Class.

Solid class tonight. And a much emptier class tonight!

We had only about 12 people in the 5:30pm class tonight. Don't know why that was... As all the other classes this week have been fully packed... Sold out even.

Anyhoo... It was a very good class tonight. My recovery time between poses was well used by me. So I was able to kill myself in poses and then recover and move to the next one quite easily. I think this is because I killed myself in last night's class.

And I think that's how yoga works for me. But not just for me, for many people. You're going to have bad classes and then good classes... All one day to the next. A bad class yesterday equaled a good class for me tonight. Hopefully tomorrow night's class won't be too bad, but I will kill myself just as hard in that one.

Bikram is always challenging. This is why I like it. It's never easy.

Six more classes to go!!!

The $5590 McQueen Scarf.

Sometimes, I really don't understand the audacity of designers.

I mean... I am one of those people who will pay a pretty penny for a designer item. Before I do though, I will research and investigate as to why it costs what it costs, whether or not I think I can get it cheaper someplace else, and if it's truly worth it. But Alexander McQueen's latest scarf creation? I just don't understand...

I don't understand why McQueen's scarf costs $5590.



Can someone please explain?

I get that it is hand-embroidered and made of pure cashmere... But so the fuck what? The design work isn't that intriguing. So why does this thing cost so much money?

It makes zero sense. At least, to me.

It looks like a blanket to me. Nothing special. Thoughts?

Thinking Of Getting Rid Of My Pinky Toes Too.

Um... Yeah...

So, I was reading some of the "Vacations from Hell" stories on a travel forum I frequent... And some woman submitted a story about a blind (travel) date gone bad.

Her horror vacation story is pretty awful... And a little bit questionable. The gist of the story is that the woman (a single mother of two) decides to fly to Auckland, New Zealand to meet a man she has been Internet dating. The kids are under five years old... And when she gets there, disaster ensues...

Things went down hill from the time we arrived at the airport! One little bitty car for himself, his 2 daughters, me and my 2 children and 5 HUGE suitcases. We had to hire a taxi just to get the luggage to his house. At dinner one night I just happened to notice his bare feet and that they looked odd. He spoke up and told me his little toes were missing. I asked what happened thinking it was an accident. No, he replied, no accident, he had them removed because they were in his way!!

Yeah... So I have to ask... What kind of woman takes her two young kids along on a trip to meet a man for the first time? Was she really surprised that things didn't exactly turn out to be as romantic and wonderful as she thought???

And I'm sorry... The toes? Her own fault! She should have asked for a full body shot before she flew over there... And it should have included pictures of the feet.

I hope she didn't pay for the airline tickets to go there. This whole things smacks of desperation. It's one thing, if you're single and have no kids, to go on an adventure like this... But when you have TWO SMALL CHILDREN????

What the hell was she thinking?

Finally! SOMETHING Is On TV!

SPOILER ALERT!

DO NOT READ THIS POST IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS WEEK'S EPISODE OF PROJECT RUNWAY AND DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED AS TO WHO LOSES.

Lately, there are weeks where I don't watch more than a few minutes of TV lately. Between having movies and TV shows on my laptop I can access, I just don't have time for TV's selection.

Here's the problem... All the shows I do watch on TV are on Summer hiatus currently. (LOST, Gossip Girl, 30 Rock, House, Office, Ugly Betty...) And all that's really on TV right now, other than re-runs, are bad reality shows and game shows.

I'm sorry... But I just can't get jazzed about whether or not some thinks "They Can Dance." And I don't care is someone thinks "They Are Smarter Than A Fifth Grader." And I really detest all the reality TV crap VH1 and MTV have been spitting out. It's just trash. None of these people have interesting lives. All they have is drama, 75% of which they create themselves.

So you can imagine my delight when, last night, something I love came back on TV... Project Runway.

Sure, Project Runway is reality TV... But it's with truly talented people. People who are under a lot of stress perform. And what they churn out in their performance is amazing... Or, often awful. But you get to see their process for their creation. And it's amazing to get to see the finished project and whether or not it lived up to their vision.

This fifth season of Project Runway came about with nearly no fanfare. Bravo didn't run its usual type promos like in seasons past. And, at least to my knowledge, there were no print ads anywhere. (Usually I see them in the fashion magazines I read.)

This, from whispers on the Internet are saying, is because Bravo is retaliating against the production company that puts Project Runway together. Bravo was peeved that the company is moving the show to Lifetime for the sixth season. So they just decided not to promote it in the usual way.

Shame on them.

I can understand them being bitter... But this season's cast is very promising.

In fact, I already have one person I can not stand...

BLAYNE!!!!

Did you see his creation last night?

And the way he carries himself... So much ego!

And I'm sorry, I really feel like he was/is on crystal meth, coke or crack. The way he kept sniffing... And the way he looks... It reminds me of people in high school whom I knew to be druggies.

Ultimately, I am glad Jerry got kicked off though. I do not know what he was thinking with the raincoat and cape.



How could he think he could get away with using a shower curtain? He did deserve to go.

One final note... As I am writing this post, I am of course perusing the Bravo website... And I notice that there are very few surprises in terms of what's to come in this season... I mean, they've already got every episode and it's description listed on the site for this season. WTF???

FYI, next week, Natalie Portman is the guest judge. And it'll be a "green" challenge.

Thanks Bravo, for being assholes. If I knew any of you, I would kick your ass.