FUN – Page 65 – Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION.

F.R.I.E.N.D. =

Forgiving, Reliable, Inspiring, Encouraging, Nice, Dedicated

The below was taken (slightly condensed) from a blog I follow – Garance Doré. She’s an amazing illustrator & photographer who hangs with the fashion crowd. Originally from France, she now makes her home in New York City and blogs mostly about….you guessed it – fashion. Her “Pardon my French” videos are very entertaining and her interviews have included established designers such as Stella McCartney & Diane Von Furstenburg. There’s no doubt in my mind that if I lived in New York ~~I would be stalking her~~ we would become best of friends. Her photographs and video clips of any fashion week will make you feel like you’re a little ~~jealous~~ part of it. Aaaagh! I couldn’t say it better myself therefore.….

While discussing friends one day at the studio she and her team came up with the following conclusions…

1 – You don’t need to have a plan when you get together with a friend.
You don’t need to have a party, an activity, or brunch you’re supposed to go to together. You can see a friend with nothing on the agenda, just wanting to get together and decide what you’ll do after.

2 – A true friend:
… Doesn’t judge you, but also has the right to not approve of your full body tattoo.
… Is ready to drop everything she’s doing and come to your rescue if you have an emergency, but also knows when to tell you when you’re overreacting.
… Has the right to be pissed at you when you overreact, but not for too long.

3 – A true friend:
… Doesn’t make a move on your ex.
… Doesn’t make a move on your boyfriend!!! (even crypto-moves).
… Doesn’t steal your friends!!! (Unless you encourage her to do so).
… Doesn’t lie to you.

4 – With Friends You Don’t Have to Prove Anything to (which is the essence of true friendship, by the way).

Best thing to do with friends, the international renown crème de la crème friend activity:
Party the night before and spend the morning after having tea and recapping all the night’s events.

5 – A true friend would say…
“Yeah, okay, maybe you’re right. You’ve gained a few. We’ll stop our Ben & Jerry’s x couch parties for three months.”
“You look amazing in that photo!”
“That outfit just doesn’t work on you.”
“I saw your man with another woman.”
OR
“Your boyfriend is amazing. Stop creating stuff in your head.”

6 – Sign that it’s a true friendship:
Your friend is with some people who are magnificently cooler or amazingly more important than you (yeah, it happens)(all the time in New York) and introduces you as if you’re the greatest thing since Mac and Cheese.

7 – Some friendships die, but it doesn’t mean they weren’t beautiful and true.

8 – Stupid Problems that can Kill a Friendship if not Kept in Check:

Jealousy: Jealousy stems from desire. Before you hate someone because she has everything you want, you usually start by loving her from everything she has. Keep yourself in check.
Money: In friendships, as in love, everyone gives what they can, whether that be affection, money, intelligence, experience, contacts, what ever it is… You have to be generous, and let others be generous too, even if it’s just paying for coffee.
Distance: You have to pick up the phone and call. Skype, text, whatever it is. I’m the worst at this and I can’t even get it together to respond to e-mails. Friendships have suffered… That said, I’d never hold it against a friend if they are too busy and don’t have time to call – I know they are busy, I don’t think they are forgetting me… Which maybe explains my behavior. But I know, it’s not enough.

9 – Sign of a true friendship: After three minutes of no one saying anything in a conversation, no one feels embarrassed.

10 – Unidirectional Friendships, A Problem More Frequent Than You Think.
Asking, “how are things for you?” (+ 15 minutes listening without checking your Twitter feed) is not a superfluous act.

11 – Some profound friendships can be formed in three minutes, other superficial ones can take years.

12 – With a true friend, you can be completely yourself.
You don’t need to be the girl who’s “cool with tons of friends, a great job and an awesome boyfriend, wahoooo!” You’re just you.

13 – Sign of a true friendship: Even after not seeing each other for three years, you feel like you’re picking up a conversation you didn’t quite finish the day before.

14 – Sign of a true friendship: after 35 years of friendship, you still laugh together like teenagers (my mom and her best friend, so awesome).

That’s all for now! There are many other things (including a theory on ~~my living vicariously through Garance~~ jealousy) – but for the moment, that’s what appeared to us as the base of the base of the base. Big kisses my friends !

WAIT, wait! I want to feel a little bit like the team so I came up with a few of my own: A true friend…

1) Will let go of SNL misunderstandings (silly, nonsensical, little) .

2) Won’t drain you with listening to “only” their problems/issues for hours on end.

3) Know that intentions are always well meant.

4) Accept your flaws and celebrate your fabulousness.

5) Accept you moving on if #’s 1-4 don’t really matter (but hoping they matter).

6) Above all must love watching Chelsea Lately.

The PERFECT friend: Funny, Real, Intelligent, Empathetic, Not too Needy, Divine.

http://www.garancedore.fr/en/

FUN

INtrigue INsider – April in Paris

Not the City! I meant Paris-Amour from blush lingerie – from the Spring/Summer 2013 collection.

A very brief history: a dedicated entrepreneurial family from Montreal, an expert design team and more than 50 years of experience in the world of STYLE have culminated in the successful brand known as BLUSH.

Luxury which is flirtatious and affordable with a flair for playfulness. What more can you want?

Available at http://www.intrigueimports.com

FUN

Style – Timeless Textures & Pleasing Prints

Pretty or Princely in Paisley.

It mostly reminds me of wearing flannel pajamas.

It’s a print pattern that dates back to ancient times, appearing on fabrics all around the world.

The Beatles popularized it as psychedelic on their 1968 pilgrimage to India, where it was everywhere, but in fact paisley derives from the “town of Paisley”, in central Scotland, a centre for textiles where paisley designs first were produced.

The New Oxford Dictionary defines paisley as ‘a distinctive intricate pattern of curved, feather-shaped figures based on a pine cone design from India‘ .

While many people may dislike paisley, the new look of this pattern with different style and color combinations works winningly for everyone. The current paisley is vibrant and epitomizes spring with its lush colors.

Whatever its origin, wearing curlicued teardrops makes a woman or man stand out wherever they go.

It’s nice to know some things never change….or maybe change if only slightly.

FUN

Why GOOD will always outweigh EVIL – Re BOSTON Tragedy

Many celebrities took to the Internet yesterday in response to the Boston Marathon tragedy, but it was comedian *Patton Oswalt who seemed to strike the biggest chord.

On Monday, Oswalt took to Facebook to post his reaction to the bombings. His thoughtful and beautifully written message has been “liked” more than 260,000 times and shared nearly as much. So I’m sharing it again just in case you were not one of the many who read it. I find it quite touching.

After noting the “darkness” of the tragedy, Oswalt wrote, “The vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute and weaken and eventually wash away the evil doers and, more importantly, the damage they wreak. This is beyond religion or creed or nation. We would not be here if humanity were inherently evil. We’d have eaten ourselves alive long ago.”

As he did in a tweet earlier in the day, Oswalt noted, “You watch the videos of the carnage and there are people running TOWARDS the destruction to help out.”

He concluded on an uplifting note, stating, “So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, ‘The good outnumber you, and we always will.‘”

*You may not know Oswalt by name, but the 44-year-old comedian just happened to be the voice behind Remy in “Ratatouille” and also starred as nerd Spencer Olchin in “The King of Queens.” And apparently he has a knack for writing, too.

Taken from Soraya Roberts article on The Juice

FUN

Seen in New Mexico – Money, money everywhere.

At Cowboy Cafe in Roswell where customers write their names and state on $1 bills and stick them all over the restaurant walls, windows, ceilings….wherever they can just for fun.

Kind of cool actually and nobody seems tempted to remove any of them. Especially since in about 6 months (the time it takes for them to naturally fall off the walls, etc.) they’ll all be donated to a local charity. What a great idea!

More restaurants should take note(s) – I really meant that!

FUN

B Well – B Motivated

HOW TO EXERCISE WHEN YOU’RE TRAVELING:

Photo Credit Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images

An Interview with David Kirsch, fitness expert and author of “The Ultimate New York Diet” (McGraw-Hill). David owns the Madison Square Club, a private training gym in New York City, and has worked with Heidi Klum and Liv Tyler. This is an excerpt from his interview with Courtney Balestier.

Kirsch equates exercise with brushing his teeth or talking a shower. It gets the day going. If you have that attitude, it’s easy to take fitness on the road.

Get motivated bright and early: Here’s a universal truth – if you’re not working out in the morning, you probably won’t do it later in the day either. You’re going to be tired from meetings, buzzed from the wine at lunch, later for your dinner reservation, and so on. Whether you’re on a vacation or business trip, get 30 to 45 minutes of cardio out of the way first thing, and it’ll energize your day.

Use your hotel: Predictability is a good thing at the hotel gym. Don’t fool with machines you’re not familiar with – stick with the treadmill or elliptical. If you’re in a country that’s on a metric system, be less concerned with speed and more dialed into pushing yourself.

Improvise: But you don’t need a gym – or a vacation’s worth of free time. My Hotel workout includes Spider-Man push-ups (feet on the bed and hands on the floor) and hand-offs with a pillow (lie on your back with arms stretched overhead and legs in the air, hold a pillow between your shins, then pass it from legs to hands and back). You can do lunges and step-ups using a chair or ottoman. Do three sets of 10 reps each for the push-ups, 10 to 15 reps for the pillow hand-offs, and 10 to 15 reps per leg for the lunges and step-ups.

Be adventurous: Travel is the perfect excuse to change your routine. If you usually run three miles, bring a great pair of cross-trainers (I like Brooks) and power walk for an hour around a new city. If you’re a fitness-class-person, ask the concierge about great classes nearby. This is often entertaining too – a body-sculpting class conducted in French can be pretty funny.

Also – **Don’t miss listening to “Transforming Health” with host Brad King for the most evocative and informative up-to-the-minute interviews with leading health professionals – Live every Wednesday @ 12PM-PST/3PM-EST on VoiceAmerica.com – #1 internet radio station in North America.

Here’s the link: http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1686/transforming-health

FUN

Drugstore Diva – Product Review

Delightful Drugstore Deals for LIPS:

These two products work wonderfully and are a fraction of the price of other name brands. For under $10.00 you can’t beat them.

These can be mix'n matched — **A nice color selection for spring/summer which can be mix ‘n match.**

Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede Lipstick – did almost everything the ads suggested. They provided a velvety texture with moisturizing shea butter & aloe and lasted “almost” all-day which for me was enough. All in all it’s a great lipstick without the big price tag and rates right up there with much higher priced lipsticks.

On a softer note: both Revlon “Just Bitten” balm stain and Covergirl “Jumbo Gloss Balm” are excellent.

They’re very moisturizing and depending on which shade you choose can provide a nice sheer color. In my opinion they rate right up there with the Clinique Chubby Sticks which are at least double the price.

That’s not to say we can stop shopping at Sephora or other department stores but it’s nice to have an option. I’ll be reviewing more finds in the weeks to come as I’ve become somewhat of a drugstore junkie. Stay tuned….

FUN

AWay with Wine – Words of Wisdom

“Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle.” ― Paulo Coelho, Brida

“Give me books, French wine, fruit, fine weather and a little music played out of doors by somebody I do not know.”
― John Keats

Being Ernest:

“As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans.”
― Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast

“Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.”
― Ernest Hemingway

“Beer is made by men, wine by God.”
― Martin Luther

“Wine is the most healthful and most hygienic of beverages.”
― Louis Pasteur

“I like my coffee black, my beer from Germany, wine from Burgundy, the darker, the better. I like my heroes complicated and brooding, James Dean in oiled leather, leaning on a motorcycle. You know the color. (“Ode to Chocolate”)”
― Barbara Crooker, More: Poems

“Wine makes every meal an occasion, every table more elegant, every day more civilized.”
― Andre Simon

FUN

B well – Booze clues to help take the edge off.

Little healthful tidbits that go a long way.

Vista d'Oro Winery, Langley — Pretty girls sample wine at the Vista d’oro Winery in Langley, B.C. Fun!

We’re all guilty of social indulging especially during the holidays or while vacationing.

THE GOOD NEWS: A month or so is unlikely to cause any lasting damage, according to internist David Katz, director of Yale University’s Research Prevention Center. As long as you’re not drinking to the point of absolute obliteration (anyone?) or you’re unable to stop topping up when the festivities end.

THE BAD NEWS: some minor issues to overcome from the night before – puffy eyes, sallow skin, a pounding headache, a more snug waistband. Ugh!

Little TIPSy that won’t make you feel the worse for wear:

PACE yourself before hitting a party. If you know you’ll be going out more than usual then it makes sense to try to be as healthy as possible the rest of the time. Get enough sleep, eat well and take care of your skin. Do not drink on an empty stomach because you will get very drunk, very fast. Eating protein like eggs, nuts & cheese are good choices beforehand because they’re digested slowly so the alcohol won’t be absorbed quite as quickly into the bloodstream. Oh, and if you go for a peel or microdermabrasion make sure to do it well before your event. Alcohol can increase bruising.

EAT (again) while Drinking. If you didn’t eat enough or at all – match every drink with something containing fat and protein. Since half the pain of a hangover is dehydration then water it down with a glass of water or seltzer to tame the alcohol. Studies show that clear beverages like gin, vodka or rum are less likely than darker booze to leave a drinker in discomfort. And the tannins in red wine increase blood vessel dilation which leads to ruddy, inflamed skin. Also calories to consider – you cannot drink a lot and eat a lot and stay thin. Something has to give and hopefully it won’t be your waist. That means that mixed drinks like margaritas can count as both a drink and a dessert.

POST PARTY – consider heading off a headache by taking an aspirin (non acetaminophen) and drinking a cup of coffee. In a 2010 study, rats were given both a dose of caffeine and an anti-inflammatory and were spared the production of acetate – the compound associated with hangover headaches. Another study found that a vitamin B6 supplement can reduce symptoms by 50 percent. The endorphins from a brisk walk can also go a long way toward making you feel good immediately. And ultimately, the bottom line with savvy drinking is similar to that of savvy dieting, it’s not about willpower, it’s about strategy.

Info. taken from an article by Liz Krieger about simple holiday drinking strategies that will help you enjoy the party season. And let’s face it shouldn’t life be party most of the time?

Also: Don’t miss listening to “Transforming Health” with host Brad King for the most evocative and informative up-to-the-minute interviews with leading health professionals – Live every Wednesday @ 12PM-PST/3PM-EST on VoiceAmerica.com – #1 internet radio station in North America.

Here’s the link: http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1686/transforming-health

FUN

Personal Post – What’s the Point of Wineing?

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy a nice glass of wine ~~everyday~~ now and then.

So have you ever wondered how wine is rated and how they (whoever “they” are) set the criteria for arriving at a certain number to determine how good a bottle is?

There are basically three respected wine point rating systems:

1) Wine Spectator – a lifestyle wine magazine whose editors review more than 15,000 wines each year in blind tastings held at their offices in Napa, New York and in the vineyards of Europe. So how do I get a job? I like both wine and traveling & don’t even mind being blindfolded sometimes.

85 – 89 very good, a wine with special qualities

90 – 94 outstanding, a wine of superior character and style

95 – 100 classic, a great wine

2) Wine Advocate – a bimonthly wine publication that features consumer advice and ratings from wine critic Robert M. Parker Jr. and other reviewers from specific wine regions around the world.

80 – 89 an above average to very good wine displaying various degrees of finesse and flavour as well as character with no noticeable flaws.

90 – 95 an outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character. In short these are terrific wines.

95 – 100 an extraordinary wine of profound and complex character displaying all the attributes expected of a classic wine of its variety.

3) Wine Enthusiast – a lifestyle wine magazine whose ratings are based on tastings by the magazines editors and other qualified panelists from around the world.

87 – 89 Very Good

90 – 93 Excellent

94 – 97 Superb

98 – 100 Classic

I’m thinking of starting my own club called “The Enthusiastic Wine Aficionados“. A lifestyle club, whose ratings will be based on tastings from me and a select group of ~~complex characters~~ friends with serious drinking ~~problems~~ expertise. We’ll drink to anything so we’re already way ahead of the game – just haven’t figured out our point system yet. It will probably go something like this:

80 – 85 that’s not bad

86 – 95 pretty darn good

96 – 99 doesn’t get much better

100 – it got better

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