Item of the Week: The Wide Patent Leather Belt

Ugh, so sorry for being a lazy blogger! I've been a very lazy, tired person in general, lately, what with the new job and all of the partying a newly single person does on the weekends!

Anyhow, I thought I would take this time to praise a very simple item that has really added a lot to my wardrobe as of yet. It is the wide patent-leather belt from J. Crew in Dusty Rose, $55:



Normally, I hate spending money on belts. Or accessories in general. I would rather spend the money on a shirt or something. I'm slowly but surely starting to see the light, however. This recent purchase has already done a few useful things for me. On a sort of casual night out on Friday, I used it to cinch in the waist of a simple, flowy black tank top from Old Navy. Not to brag, but I got several compliments on this outfit. I love how the right accessories can add a bit of interest to otherwise cheap and boring items.

I also wore the belt on Saturday to a wedding with my Watercolor Floral Madison Dress from J. Crew. The almost neutral color of the belt worked well with the deep blues and aquas of the dress. I pulled together the look with some patent-leather platform pumps in nearly the same color as the belt.

One of my favorite things about this belt is its lack of holes/grommets. This means you can always adjust it to fit you perfectly. I always seem to have issues with belts that are made to go around your waist; they are usually either too big or too small. Problem solved with this belt. I am so pleased that I am going to pick one up in black as well. I think it would look great to tailor the look of a bulky grey cardigan. Besides, I'm such a sucker for black patent leather!

A Case of the Mondays

I was planning on a fun, superficial, shopping-related post (finally), but this whole day just turned out awful. The fall allergy season has not been kind to me, causing sleepless nights spent hacking up boatloads of post-nasal drainage. And I got rear-ended on the way to work this morning. By a deaf woman with whom I could not communicate. It was rainy and dark, which made the situation even worse, so I ended up only getting her license plate number. I think this is just going to end up going on my uninsured motorist coverage. Why is it that the only people who run into and/or damage my car(s) happen to be uninsured or unwilling or unable to fork over information? Grrr. My poor, poor car. I think I have lost count of how many times stuff has happened to it. And it is only 4 years and 33,000 miles old. Sadness. I am so cursed when it comes to cars. I'm starting to think it is because I never name them...

Boys are Idiots, Part III

Okay, so remember the idiot who thought so highly of himself that he thought I was going to sleep with him after only minutes of knowing him??? Well, a few days after breaking the news to him that I didn’t want anything to do with him anymore, I received this e-mail at 12:27 am. It was a freaking novel. Some of the things he said are just so unbelievable, I had to share. It kind of reminds me of the infamous “Dimitri.” Here are a few choice excerpts:

Next, I am confident in myself. I am not immediately concerned with what happens between us, beyond that we stay in contact. You have a life to live as do I and if something develops it does. If it does not, it does not. I am in no place to judge you or become upset if you go on a date or whatever. What you do in Dallas is your business. I am confident that if this is meant to be it is meant to be. If not we will both go on with our lives separately. But, one thing I will not do is let something slip through my fingers with out exploring it.

He won't let me slip through his fingers? Sounds like a bit of a control freak to me.

Maybe we will end up as friends, as lovers, as a fling, as a life experience or a love like no other. Who knows? It is far too early to tell. But, whatever it is we won’t know if we run away before we explore it. I don’t like talking on the phone either. And I’m not looking to take up all your time. I’m not looking to pressure you into anything. But I won’t allow myself go off into the sunset with out articulating my thoughts. We had a damn good night, and I think we could have a lot of fun.

A damn good night?? A drunken conversation that took place over a few hours at a blackjack table?? And I hate when people use the word "lovers." It conjures up images of frolicking in rainbows, playing with kittens, and riding in hot air balloons. Barf.

I have lived a life like few others. Some of it good. some of it bad, but all of it lead me to be the person that I am today. I may have come on a little strong, but I wasn’t going to go home wondering, “what if?” I won’t allow myself to live a life under a cloud of, “what if.” I make my own destiny. I won’t dwell on things but, I won’t allow myself to sit idly by and be a person who didn’t act. In my line of work we have a motto, (a bit cliché I know,) “Lead, follow or get out of the way.” I’m not much for “B” or “C.”

This dude is a walking, talking cliche.

We only get one time around on this ride and I won’t look back and see tons of regret or missed opportunities. I will look back and see one Hell of a story. The question is, are you going to write yourself out of it before we know what your role in it is?

Gag. Me.

Look, I had a great time and I think you did too. You said you were looking to explore what you wanted out of life and see what it was that you wanted. I am an excellent chance at that. I am looking to do the same. I think being as that we are going through similar things at the same time we may be a good balance for each other. Not too close and no too far. There is plenty of breathing room.

Uh, so he thinks that HE is what I want?

You have piqued my interest. But your decisions are yours to make. Don’t pass up a whole lot of fun and self discovery, when there are no expectations and no pressure from me. We hit it off pretty well as was evident by the evening in Vegas. I think you should look into this just a little before closing this door. And if you do decide to just know it isn’t locked. You can walk through it again whenever you like. I am not mad and I do understand, but why not have some fun?

In the words of Nancy Kerrigan, "WHY ME?"

Boys are Idiots, Part II

I think I might have to change the focus of my blog to the adventures of being single, because this is what my life has come to!

To further drive home the point that it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to have a simple, friendly conversation with a guy, and to further prove that guys never just want to be friends: A few weeks ago I was hanging out having brunch, when a friend of a friend showed up who was new to town. I, of course, being the friendly girl that I am, talked to this guy. We got on the subject of triathlons and marathons, and he mentioned that he needed someone to do some muddy buddy race with him in a few weeks. I said that I might be able to, but I wasn’t sure, but maybe we could at least get together sometime and go for training runs. He told me that he was just looking to meet new people, blah, blah blah, and I believed him. Well, after a week or two of texting and trying to figure out a mutually agreeable time to go for a run, I finally came to the conclusion that I am really too busy for all of this at this point due to the demands of the critical care nursing residency program I am in right now (and this is completely true), and told him this.

WELL, what do you know, he sent me a text back that he understood if I was too busy, but that he would like to take me out for dinner or drinks sometime. SERIOUSLY? Do I just need to stop talking to members of the male species all together? This is getting ridiculous. And I really thought this guy just wanted to be workout buddies. I can still be so gullible sometimes.

Boys are Idiots, Most of the Time

Notice how I used this word “boys” and not “men.” Anyhow, this is not consumerist-related, but I think it is worth discussing, because this is something that continues to amaze me. I have barely been single a month and already I have had to tell TWO guys the following, albeit a little bit sugarcoated:

“NO, I do NOT want to be in a relationship with you. Hello? Have I not told you that I JUST got out of a VERY long relationship? NO, I do NOT want to date you. NO, I do NOT want to just hang out or talk, even as friends. Please leave me alone.”

Somehow, it seems that guys get the impression that if you are not a complete bitch to them and if you talk to them for more than 2 minutes that you are so OBVIOUSLY into them and cannot wait to hang out with them again, have sex with them (YES, one of these dudes thought so highly of himself that he assumed that I would totally sleep with him if he had the proper protection on him that night. SERIOUSLY???????????), or go visit them in New Orleans. After only having known each other for half an hour, tops. Whoa, buddy, get a hold of your ego, there!!

Okay, so maybe in these two instances I might have given out my phone number when asked, but it was only out of not wanting to be perceived as being mean. Well, I have learned my lesson now. No more Miss Nice Girl from now on. I simply don’t have time for that crap anymore. Life is too short to spend parts of it talking to or dealing with people who irritate you or add no value to it.

It was already a step in the right direction for me to tell these two idiots point blank that I don’t want to be friends with them or talk to them anymore. This, by the way, is completely necessary, because if you agree to hang out with a guy under the pretense of “friends,” it is only a matter of time before he tries to make his way into your pants. I am of the school of thought that it is a rare occurrence that a straight guy will actually want to be platonic friends with a woman and nothing more. Feel free to disagree, but this has been my experience.

So now I just need to practice not giving out my number, as this will prevent me from suffering through future unwanted phone calls or text conversations in the first place. I have already figured out my line next time an idiot asks for my number: “Sorry, this just really isn’t a good time in my life for this right now,” or something to that effect. Do you think it will work??

Vegas Adventures: Tiny Indulgences

I passed by this store twice before at the Forum Shops in Las Vegas, but didn’t dare step inside due to the fact that I was with my mother both times. It’s just underwear, you might say. But this isn’t your everyday underwear. Agent Provocateur carries the sexiest, prettiest underpinnings you will ever lay your eyes on. Luckily, the third time I saw this store, I got to finally go in and see for myself.

The items at Agent Provocateur range from sweetly demure to all-out raunchy (WARNING: Picture below is NSFW! Scroll down really fast!) . But the most high-end raunchy you could imagine, trust me! You will even find things to fulfill your naughty fantasies, such as whips, blindfolds, sequined pasties, even nipple balm (which me and Lesli proceeded to test out, but that’s another story).


















If you are planning on trying on items at Agent Provocateur, you need to leave your modesty at the door. A sales associate, dressed in a cute pink satin 1950s waitress-style dress will pull the items you are interested in and go in the dressing room with you to assist you in trying on. She will measure you to make sure you are wearing the correct size, and will show you how to properly position the “girls” into the bra. The girl helping me, Amber, was a sweetheart, and was helpful in letting me know which styles fit and flattered my body the most.

After trying on several lovely styles, I ultimately ended up purchasing items from the Francoise collection. The bra and knickers are made of a pink floral lace with black Chantilly lace overlay. In a word, GORGEOUS. The quality is impeccable, and the fit of the bra is perfect. Let me tell you, as someone who is slightly challenged in the chest area, it is difficult, if not impossible to find a pretty, well-fitting bra that doesn’t have padding. It’s as if bra manufacturers just assume that if you are under a certain cup size, you shouldn’t leave the door with out at least 2 inches of foam in your bosom.



The price of owning such beautiful lingerie? Not cheap. At all. But still not as expensive as La Perla (the pretty La Perla, not the basics), and certainly much more inspired. This was a complete splurge for me, but after this experience, I am a firm believer that every woman should go out and buy herself some super pretty, quality underthings that she will be able to treasure for a long time to come (or at least as long as she still fits into them). Something that will make her feel sexy and beautiful every time she puts it on, even if no one else sees it but her. Those knickers may be expensive, but that feeling that they will give you is definitely priceless.

Vegas Adventures: Off the Beaten Path

I have been to Las Vegas several times and absolutely LOVE it every time I go. It truly is the adult Disneyland. As a simple person, I am easily attracted to and distracted by the bright lights, ringing noises, crowds of strange people, and the lure of hitting it big. It is definitely a party city. However, as I recently found out, it is also a place where you can truly relax once you get the initial partying out of your system.

After spending the first few days at the Venetian, I was fortunate enough to try the Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa. It is only a few miles off of the strip, but the experience feels worlds away. The whole place exudes modern luxury, with red-tinted glass doors and sleek, sparkling crystal light fixtures. As the name implies, there is a casino there, but it is not as migraine inducing as the ones you would find on the strip.




You can choose a room that has either a view of the strip or of the stunning canyon. I was lucky enough to have a room with a canyon view, although I didn’t get to spend near enough time enjoying it. The beds are to-die-for, and I swear the thread count of the sheets had to have been at least a million! The toiletries are also larger-sized than what you normally expect from a hotel, and have a clean, refreshing scent.



One of my favorite parts of the resort was the awesome pool area. Modern lounge chairs with brightly colored cushions surrounded the circular main pool. Smaller, rectangular pools fanned out from the main pool like sunrays. Since I was there on a weekday, the pool area was not at all at capacity, making for an extremely relaxing experience. Our waitress was also friendly and attentive; making sure I always had a fun cocktail in hand.



Equal in awesomeness is the spa. I haven’t been to many spas, but out of the spa at the Bellagio, Bliss Spa at the W Dallas, and the spa at the Hotel Crescent Court, this one is by far my favorite. Instead of being bright and airy, it was dark and lulling, which I definitely enjoyed. When I want to totally unwind, I don’t want bright lights in my face! The treatment I opted for was the Hydrating Full Body Wrap, which consisted of light massage, an exfoliating scrub, a warm hydrating wrap, and a final application of moisturizing milk. My technician, Shelly, had wonderful hands and made me feel totally at ease. Next time I go there, I will book a massage with her!



Don’t get me wrong, I really like the strip, but if you want to try something new in Las Vegas, you should definitely give the Red Rock a try. I certainly hope my first experience there won’t be my last!