For anyone getting married, or for those who just like pretty visuals, there is this site:
http://offbeatbride.com/
The colors and designs are eye catching and pretty exuberant.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Economize Me
Last night, I went to a networking event for women at a swanky Midtown bar. While walking to the downstairs event area, I noticed the groups of cliches, er, men in suits chugging down shots. I guess that happens in happy hour bars all over NYC, particularly in Midtown. I felt as though I was in a movie though. A cheesy movie.
The networking event was actually painless and everyone was quite nice and articulate. I met women in all types of industries with all types of personalities. But one thing was dauntingly clear. The economy has hit us all. IS HITTING, I should say. It's affecting me, but it's also affecting lawyers, analysts, human resource administrators, and well, even Mary Kay representatives! (I know, that last one isn't exactly the shocker of the season).
It can be very discouraging, but I know that we all need to be resourceful and positive.
I sure as hell am trying.
My first story of economizing me is trying not to spend so much $$$ on meals! The East Village Taunts one with sights and smells (some not so good, admittedly), and I am weak! My average lunch is $10 ranging up to $15 which is too much for an unemployed lady. I am vowing to eat at home more and shop in the grocery store for things on sale. (and not just go back to my cheap staple, ramen...variety is the spice of life...and nutrition...)
Send me your stories of economization at chevytothelevyfilms@yahoo.com.
The networking event was actually painless and everyone was quite nice and articulate. I met women in all types of industries with all types of personalities. But one thing was dauntingly clear. The economy has hit us all. IS HITTING, I should say. It's affecting me, but it's also affecting lawyers, analysts, human resource administrators, and well, even Mary Kay representatives! (I know, that last one isn't exactly the shocker of the season).
It can be very discouraging, but I know that we all need to be resourceful and positive.
I sure as hell am trying.
My first story of economizing me is trying not to spend so much $$$ on meals! The East Village Taunts one with sights and smells (some not so good, admittedly), and I am weak! My average lunch is $10 ranging up to $15 which is too much for an unemployed lady. I am vowing to eat at home more and shop in the grocery store for things on sale. (and not just go back to my cheap staple, ramen...variety is the spice of life...and nutrition...)
Send me your stories of economization at chevytothelevyfilms@yahoo.com.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Everyone Should Dance
I do believe that everyone should dance. It's exercise, fun, with technical aspects and artistic aspects, as well as a social "thing".
I definitely do not do it enough.
There was dance class, a seemingly obligatory little girl activity. I quit after about 6 years because I just couldn't do that split that became more an more mandatory every year. Still can't.
Then there was the college years when dancing was a really fun accompaniment to the almighty social lubricant that is alcohol. But I realized over the years of trolling gay bars - the best music - and diver bars, that I enjoyed the high of dancing more than the alcohol. I was in every possible situation - dancing alone in an empty, pre-late crowd club; dancing alone in a crowded club; dancing with a group of friends; dancing with strangers, both sexually alluring and well, not so much. It's body language without a doubt. I felt as though I explored that language, learned it, perfected it.
These days I'm slightly older and go out a lot less, particularly to dance clubs. The future looks bleak on this front - the days of that granny on roller skates being cool are over. I guess that went out with disco and the coke spoons.
So what do I have to look forward to in the near future? I know that my body wants to dance and possibly even more than the standard bar/club gyrations.
I have decided to take dance classes. Of all sorts.
I'll update you on how that goes...
I definitely do not do it enough.
There was dance class, a seemingly obligatory little girl activity. I quit after about 6 years because I just couldn't do that split that became more an more mandatory every year. Still can't.
Then there was the college years when dancing was a really fun accompaniment to the almighty social lubricant that is alcohol. But I realized over the years of trolling gay bars - the best music - and diver bars, that I enjoyed the high of dancing more than the alcohol. I was in every possible situation - dancing alone in an empty, pre-late crowd club; dancing alone in a crowded club; dancing with a group of friends; dancing with strangers, both sexually alluring and well, not so much. It's body language without a doubt. I felt as though I explored that language, learned it, perfected it.
These days I'm slightly older and go out a lot less, particularly to dance clubs. The future looks bleak on this front - the days of that granny on roller skates being cool are over. I guess that went out with disco and the coke spoons.
So what do I have to look forward to in the near future? I know that my body wants to dance and possibly even more than the standard bar/club gyrations.
I have decided to take dance classes. Of all sorts.
I'll update you on how that goes...
Monday, March 2, 2009
How To Be Emo in Ten Minutes
Take hair, part it on the side and brush it over one eye. Muss up the back of it.
--image to come
Put a short sleeve shirt over a long sleeve shirt. This will work with any shirts, even your grandfather's. At this point, everything is "post" - post-emo, post-punk, post-grunge, so everything implies an inherent irony.
--image to come
Get any piece of metal and wear it on your body.
--image to come
If you are wearing sneakers, take out the laces. I don't know why this works, it just does. If you are wearing high heels, take them off, put socks on, then put them back on.
--image to come
Listen to any Smiths album. Yes, this is cliche and will complete your emo transformation, but don't be surprised if something about this music just changes your life.
For the Future:
Get a face piercing, any face piercing.
--image to come
Put a short sleeve shirt over a long sleeve shirt. This will work with any shirts, even your grandfather's. At this point, everything is "post" - post-emo, post-punk, post-grunge, so everything implies an inherent irony.
--image to come
Get any piece of metal and wear it on your body.
--image to come
If you are wearing sneakers, take out the laces. I don't know why this works, it just does. If you are wearing high heels, take them off, put socks on, then put them back on.
--image to come
Listen to any Smiths album. Yes, this is cliche and will complete your emo transformation, but don't be surprised if something about this music just changes your life.
For the Future:
Get a face piercing, any face piercing.
Friday, February 27, 2009
old wives tales?
Being sick is horrendous. No one can really argue that.
Some things floating around about "cures":
-soup (of course)
-sleep with socks on
-take 2,000mg of Vitamin C
-shot of whiskey
-drink a lot of water
Any more tips? Please send them to chevytothelevyfilms@yahoo.com, and I'll post them here.
Some things floating around about "cures":
-soup (of course)
-sleep with socks on
-take 2,000mg of Vitamin C
-shot of whiskey
-drink a lot of water
Any more tips? Please send them to chevytothelevyfilms@yahoo.com, and I'll post them here.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Top 10 Ways to Feel More Beautiful
1. Look in the mirror just once a day.
Look at yourself just before you leave the house to make sure you look the way you want. Any more than this is unnecessary. You know what you look like and any tweak to this throughout the day will be too minimal to change your beauty fundamentally.
There's that funny scene in Bridget Jones' Diary where she goes on a "mini-break" in a convertible and arrives with her hair in a tangled beehive. This, of course, may warrant a look in the mirror but ultimately just adds to a charming sense of adventure.
2. Smile.
As a woman, I cannot count the amount of times some man - mostly a stranger on the street - says "smile!" to me. I always found it condescending, but now I just find it annoying in this ever-evolving haven for perverts known as NYC. Ultimately, what it comes down to is that smiling changes your inner mood as well as your outer "vibe". There are undoubtedly countless scientific studies, but try it and feel your beauty pulsate.
3. Shave off all your hair.
This one can be tough for any women, particularly heterosexual women since men are so visual generally. A woman may feel hideous at first, but I have seen this action free so many women that it's impact cannot be denied. Think about the rapunzel, long-haired, beauty cliche and then think of being freed from that. Lesbians often chop all their hair off when "coming out" as one of the biggest outer statements that they can make - hey world, hey men, check THIS out! And it works, tenfold. I advise any woman to do it when she feels in a rut or finds herself feeling inferior to other women. All of a sudden she is at a level playing field. The pressure's off, so to speak. It really puts a woman in a vacuum for all intents and purposes. Sure, she is still a woman and is still attractive to people -- which is precisely the point. Her beauty can now shine and grow from a very pure place, as outside from society's boundaries as one can get without moving away and living in a cave.
4. Exfoliate.
Snakes shed their skin. We are not snakes, but we are constantly attempting to shed dead skin without even being aware. Doing it manually with a scrub in the shower just intensifies the process and your feeling of beauty.
5. Do yoga.
I am not a guru or someone selling a yoga video, I swear. I just cannot allow this one to be left out. Do a sun salutation for five minutes and tell me you don't feel like a source of light, or at least permeated by it.
6. Accept a compliment.
7. Go out for a walk in the sunshine.
Yes, even the most vampiric of us all benefit from a little sun and a little stroll. Imagine you are taking a carefree stroll purely for your amusement, that it was a hundred or more years ago - and now you can go out unchaperoned and everything! Really feel the independence that generations of women have fought for and feel your own beauty through them.
8. Talk to yourself.
I know this may make you feel like an old crazy lady with 8 cats, but really voice something that you wouldn't otherwise tell anyone. If you voice your taboos or your fears, you empower and free yourself.
Stay tuned for 9 & 10...
Look at yourself just before you leave the house to make sure you look the way you want. Any more than this is unnecessary. You know what you look like and any tweak to this throughout the day will be too minimal to change your beauty fundamentally.
There's that funny scene in Bridget Jones' Diary where she goes on a "mini-break" in a convertible and arrives with her hair in a tangled beehive. This, of course, may warrant a look in the mirror but ultimately just adds to a charming sense of adventure.
2. Smile.
As a woman, I cannot count the amount of times some man - mostly a stranger on the street - says "smile!" to me. I always found it condescending, but now I just find it annoying in this ever-evolving haven for perverts known as NYC. Ultimately, what it comes down to is that smiling changes your inner mood as well as your outer "vibe". There are undoubtedly countless scientific studies, but try it and feel your beauty pulsate.
3. Shave off all your hair.
This one can be tough for any women, particularly heterosexual women since men are so visual generally. A woman may feel hideous at first, but I have seen this action free so many women that it's impact cannot be denied. Think about the rapunzel, long-haired, beauty cliche and then think of being freed from that. Lesbians often chop all their hair off when "coming out" as one of the biggest outer statements that they can make - hey world, hey men, check THIS out! And it works, tenfold. I advise any woman to do it when she feels in a rut or finds herself feeling inferior to other women. All of a sudden she is at a level playing field. The pressure's off, so to speak. It really puts a woman in a vacuum for all intents and purposes. Sure, she is still a woman and is still attractive to people -- which is precisely the point. Her beauty can now shine and grow from a very pure place, as outside from society's boundaries as one can get without moving away and living in a cave.
4. Exfoliate.
Snakes shed their skin. We are not snakes, but we are constantly attempting to shed dead skin without even being aware. Doing it manually with a scrub in the shower just intensifies the process and your feeling of beauty.
5. Do yoga.
I am not a guru or someone selling a yoga video, I swear. I just cannot allow this one to be left out. Do a sun salutation for five minutes and tell me you don't feel like a source of light, or at least permeated by it.
6. Accept a compliment.
7. Go out for a walk in the sunshine.
Yes, even the most vampiric of us all benefit from a little sun and a little stroll. Imagine you are taking a carefree stroll purely for your amusement, that it was a hundred or more years ago - and now you can go out unchaperoned and everything! Really feel the independence that generations of women have fought for and feel your own beauty through them.
8. Talk to yourself.
I know this may make you feel like an old crazy lady with 8 cats, but really voice something that you wouldn't otherwise tell anyone. If you voice your taboos or your fears, you empower and free yourself.
Stay tuned for 9 & 10...
My top singers of ALL TIME
My top singers of ALL TIME:
# 1. Billie Holiday
# 2. Rufus Wainright
# 3. Morrissey
# 4. Bessie Smith
# 5. Michael Stipe (and the rest of R.E.M. ain't too bad either)
# 6. Patti Smith
# 7. Nina Simone
# 8. Frank Sinatra
# 9. Johnny Cash
# 10. Tracy Chapman
# 11. Louis Armstrong
Subject to change in case I forgot someone. ;)
# 1. Billie Holiday
# 2. Rufus Wainright
# 3. Morrissey
# 4. Bessie Smith
# 5. Michael Stipe (and the rest of R.E.M. ain't too bad either)
# 6. Patti Smith
# 7. Nina Simone
# 8. Frank Sinatra
# 9. Johnny Cash
# 10. Tracy Chapman
# 11. Louis Armstrong
Subject to change in case I forgot someone. ;)
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