The Long Weekend.....

I hope you all enjoyed your extra day off from work (for those who had it!) I actually had a nice relaxing weekend. I didn't plan much, I think this might have been one of the first Memorial Day weekends when I didnt go out to a club (well, Friday night happy hour doesn't count, right?) There was this big music festival at the park near my house and a friend of mine and I just planned to go to the park every day. It was great! The weather was really nice. I augmented my little Jamaica tan and I didn't cook one thing all weekend!

Well, truth be told, the first day of the festival you should have seen me and my friend, walking up the street pulling two coolers with wheels packed full of premixed mojitos and sangria, crackers, cheese, chips etc, chairs and an umbrella. (Premixing drinks doesn't count as cooking does it? Even if they do have fresh fruit and fresh mint in them?) We found out spot at about 2pm and didnt leave until aftern 11pn when the last act left. The next day, we decided to be lower maintenance and just drink our leftover stuff from the day before and bring wine. (this turned into champagne mojitos but lets not talk about that!) We did get there until 5:30pm that day but stayed until the end. The last day, I went to a BBQ at a friends place and then met up with my friends in the usual spot at about 7:30pm.

All in all it was a cool relaxing weekend........ I used to feel like I had to be doing something all the time, to take full advantage of time off but more and more I am learning to enjoy just relaxing and taking everything in....Yay! :-)

My lack of hair (posts)

So, I am sure that you all have noticed that my posts are less and less about my hair. Well, there weren't all that many to start with. I have had my locks for 12+ years and to be quite honest, I don't think about it all that much. But isn't that all our goal?

• To have hair that we don't have to worry and fret over...


• To have hair that you are proud of


• Not to have the watch the weather forecast with trepidation hoping for dry skies so that there will be no frizz....


• To not be constantly searching for hair products to make your hair behave... (Well, that was my goal... can't say it was the same for Brunsli!)


• To be freed from the constant wasting of time at the salon.... (I have a good friend who goes to get her hair done every Saturday at 12:30pm -- that is just not for me!)

So I guess I have acheived that! I only think about my hair about every two weeks when I wash it or on the occasion when I get in a conversatiion with someone about it... So increasingly I am concerned with other aspects of my life, and my posts reflect that. I don't find that my hair gets in the way or anything that I have tried to accomplish. I mean, after 12 years, I have interviewed with it (many times and at various stages, not all of them that cute!), worked with former government officials and ambassadors with it, gone to grad school with it gotten 3 jobs with it.

I am basically free of hair angst (except for the occasional worry about the new little locks that are starting along my hair line), and it feels great!

But just because I don't talk about it much doesn't mean I don't love it!

What we all have been waiting for!

There is nothing like a comfortable pair of jeans. But, if you are like me then you HATE shopping for jeans. It is a painful experience because they rarely fit right and, can we just forget about the skinny jean trend..... I didn't even try!

Typically, if I can get jeans over my calves, then you have to get past my thighs.... then, the hips (and I don't have the biggest hips). Oh yeah, and lets not forget the length. It is just painful! Often I leave feeling like all jeans are made for skinny, short, narrow hipped white girls!

Now, this has gotten better over the years. A lot of companies have caught on, offering a variety of cuts, lengths, etc of jeans and there are even companies like Baby Phat and Apple Bottom that celebrate our curves. But I am already traumatized. And, now, it is almost more intimidating because there are so many more styles to try on and narrow down.

So I was intrigued when I heard about Zafu.com

At Zafu, you fill out a simple but detailed survey about your shape and preferences when it comes to the fit of your jeans and it gives you suggestions based on those answers. And then you can narrow those results down by a number of factors like fit rating, length, brand, fabric etc...

I have gotten my results and I am feeling like this is doable. I know where to start. We'll see how it all turns out. And, please let me know what you think of the results you get.

Cute little things....

Undoubtedly, if you have traveled around or lived in Europe you have noticed these cute little cars driving around... They are tall but short and seem to be a parallel parkers dream, able to fit into all those just too small spaces you runinto when searching for parking around the city. They are called Smart cars and here is a picture of one that I snapped while in Paris a couple years ago.....

Well, the Smart car is coming to the US in 2008. There are 3 models, one is a convertible and you can reserve yours now for just $99 with a credit card. Starting this month, Smart will be touring the country, demoing the cars and providing test drives.

History:

Ironically, the concept of the Smart car developed in the early 90's through with a Joint Venture between Mercedes-Benz and Swatch, the makers of Swatch watches known for their wide array of colorful designs. Nicolas Hayek, the inventor of the Swatch watch brought his ideas for an “ultra-urban” car to Mercedes-Benz.

Price/Features:

The models start from $12,000 to $17,000 and the convertible the fortwo passion cabriolet comes with an upgraded soundsytem with mp3 player connection. Leather seats are also available for an additional cost. Other innovations like the selection of energy efficient and recyclable materials, the removable door panels (you can change the color of your smart as you desire) and a high driving position for great visibility in a small car combined to make smart a true revolution in driving style.

Safety:

So I have this personal mindblock that small cars are dangerous, there is just not enough metal around me for me to feel safe. Apparently, the Smart is stock full of safety features usually reserved for high end cars incuding a protective “tridion safety cell”, electronic stability program (esp), anti-lock braking system (abs), Electronic Brake-Force Distribution Control, Acceleration Skid Control, and four airbags.

Fuel Economy/Speed:

The vehicle is designed to achieve 40 plus mpg under normal driving conditions and current standards. The car can achieve top speeds of approximately 90mph.

Size:

The cars are:

• 8.8 feet long (you can usually fit two smart fortwos in an average parking space!)
• 5.1 feet tall (the smart still has as much headroom as most luxury vehicles!)
• 5.1 feet wide (two six foot, five inch plus people can sit side by side with plenty of shoulder room to spare!)

Also, the fortwo has 8 cubic feet of storage space – 12 feet if you load up to the roof line. This area can accomodate commonly transported items such as numerous bags of groceries, gym bags and other items , including golf clubs. For trips to the airport, the trunk can also accommodate many sizes of luggage. The front passenger seat also folds down creating additional space for other long items such as skis.

So, I don't know if the Smart is right for you but it will be an interesting and refreshing entry into the American market. It would be a cute, soot around the city car.....

For more info, check out www.smartusa.com