Things I miss...

As much as I adore the little wiggle worm in my tummy, I'll be awfully happy to cuddle it in my arms instead.

In the meantime, I miss...

- Not having to do a little jig just to get my pants over my butt
- Doing dishes, or walking past restaurants without gagging
- Vacuuming without needing a nap afterwards
- Having a belly button
- Laying on my tummy if I feel like it
- Laying on my back without feeling crushed
- Having energy
- Pants with buttons and zippers
- Walking up stairs without breathing like a fish out of water
- Reaching my legs to shave them
- Reaching my toenails to paint them
- I miss SLEEP
- I miss normal clothes
- I miss brushing my teeth without throwing up in the process
- I miss not having a ton of saliva and snot
- Being able to breath with my mouth closed
- The occasional espresso
- Staying up past 10 PM without feeling like death the next day
- Peeing like a normal human
- Feeling like I was in control of my bladder and bowel system
- Walking for more than 5 minutes without feeling dizzy
- Bending over to pick something up
- My memory
- My abdominal muscles (this refers to sitting up, rolling over, getting out of bed without help or groaning)
- My small boobs
- My favorite bra that no longer fits :(
- My underwear fitting correctly
- Feeling cute when I get ready in the morning
- My favorite pair of jeans
- Having an appetite and room in my abdomen for food
- Taking a very hot bath
- Not being in constant pain
- Not being able to smell absolutely everything
- Being able to bend over!
- Being comfortable for more than 10 minutes at a time

End rant.

GILTY!

Sooo... last week Gilt Groupe* featured an M.J. sale.

What began unassumingly at 9:00 PST, was by 9:01 a virtual bloodbath of page refreshing, cart adding, sale-starved, shopping frenzy. It took me a good 15 minutes of said frenzy to finally get my greedy paws on the style I wanted in the size I needed. I think I probably refreshed the item page 200 times- waiting for availability.

For those unaware... once an item is added to your cart at Gilt Groupe, the buyer has 10 minutes to either make their purchase, or see it thrown back into the feeding frenzy- thus rendering it "available" to other shoppers once again. The tick tocking countdown clock sits ominously alongside any item in your cart. And that clock is not messing around. It's f'ing scary. Seriously... a sale like this one is the online equivalent to the rib elbowing, passive shoving, and outright tugging hysteria of a showroom sample sale. Hideous. But in Gilt's defense, at least these items haven't been molested for months by grimy, cranky buyers. *shudder*

Ok, back to the sale...

I've got my cart up and ready to go. I have two items in it, because in the chaos- I kept vacillating between two dresses, hoping to catch at least one of them and then luxuriously decide between the two at my (10 minute countdown) leisure.

Miracle of miracles!!! I land BOTH OF THEM! IN MY SIZE!!!



The Marc Jacob's "Looking Back Logo Law", which beckons "TO MATERNITY and BEYOND, dummy!!! HELLO?!?!", and the "Looking Back Logo"- which screams "You will love me and wear me forever! I'm freakin' JERSEY COTTON, YO!".

Decisions, decisions... Ok, now it's crunch time. For real... Anyyyy second now...
CHOOSE!
DELETE!
Edit, Coral, EDDDITTT!!!!

Back and forth, back and forth, clicky click.

Ticky tock...

Damn that little clock.

Damn it to hell.

My two new friends.

Aaaand... a Gilt Groupe invitation for anyone needing and lacking. xo

*They should really just do us all a favor and spell it with the "u", because really it's a guilt group.

Trying to keep this in mind...

Now I want to read a book dedicated to shopping like a Japanese girl. They always look comfortable, but never in a frumpy way. Heck, even the loony "FRUiTS" girls are weather-appropriate! And their ability to play with color blocking and pattern mixing while maintaining some dignity... I'm kind of in awe. But that's a whole other story. This post is dedicated to the unparalelled mentality of French women when it comes to dressing and stocking their closets. They manage to skirt that beautiful line between classic and unassuming, while never blending in completely. Can't you just pick them out of a crowd?! The way they hold themselves... as though everyone nearby is blessed to be in their orbit- and yet, it's with the most subtle sprinkling of "I might be in love with one of you"; so you can never quite fault them for arrogance, as you're too busy either winning favor or taking notes.

"the way to shop…

If she can’t afford it, she won’t buy it. If it doesn’t fit (or make her feel good, or flaunt what she’s got), she won’t wear it. If she can’t find it, she won’t compromise. If she loves it, she won’t toss it. She reuses it, rethinks it, lets it age.

When a French girl shops, it isn’t a solitary act of buying something new. It’s part of a lifelong process of editing her environment, making small but meaningful additions to her home, her closet, her life.

When you shop like a French girl, you buy only one of anything – and make sure it’s the best quality you can afford."

- from Entre Nous: A Woman’s Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl

The Manifesto of Encouragement

This is such a refreshing way to think... and a really lovely way to start the day. And yes, I'm shamelessly including a picture of my little alien friend too because lately I associate all happy, hopeful things with my baby.



The Manifesto of Encouragement, by Danielle LaPorte

Right now:
There are Tibetan Buddhist monks in a temple in the Himalayas endlessly reciting mantras for the cessation of your suffering and for the flourishing of your happiness.
Someone you haven't met yet is already dreaming of adoring you.
Someone is writing a book that you will read in the next two years that will change how you look at life.
Nuns in the Alps are in endless vigil, praying for the Holy Spirit to alight the hearts of all of God's children.
A farmer is looking at his organic crops and whispering, "nourish them."
Someone wants to kiss you, to hold you, to make tea for you. Someone is willing to lend you money, wants to know what your favourite food is, and treat you to a movie. Someone in your orbit has something immensely valuable to give you -- for free.
Something is being invented this year that will change how your generation lives, communicates, heals and passes on.
The next great song is being rehearsed.
Thousands of people are in yoga classes right now intentionally sending light out from their heart chakras and wrapping it around the earth.
Millions of children are assuming that everything is amazing and will always be that way.
Someone is in profound pain, and a few months from now, they'll be thriving like never before. They just can't see it from where they're at.
Someone who is craving to be partnered, to be acknowledged, to ARRIVE, will get precisely what they want -- and even more. And because that gift will be so fantastical in it's reach and sweetness, it will quite magically alter their memory of angsty longing and render it all "So worth the wait."
Someone has recently cracked open their joyous, genuine nature because they did the hard work of hauling years of oppression off of their psyche -- this luminous juju is floating in the ether, and is accessible to you.
Someone just this second wished for world peace, in earnest.
Someone is fighting the fight so that you don't have to.
Some civil servant is making sure that you get your mail, and your garbage is picked up, that the trains are running on time, and that you are generally safe. Someone is dedicating their days to protecting your civil liberties and clean drinking water.
Someone is regaining their sanity. Someone is coming back from the dead. Someone is genuinely forgiving the seemingly unforgivable. Someone is curing the incurable.

Idée fixe...

EF - Live The Language - Paris from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

Who says you can't be in love with a City? I want to send Paris love letters and Valentines every single day. You've heard of istockphoto.com, right? I'm totally starting istalkparisphotos.com.

:)