The Air Up There

I have something really cool to show you guys. But first, let's talk about what I ate for lunch yesterday. I don't know if these sandwich shops are everywhere, but we have them here in California.

It's like Subway, which I like, but I like Togo's better. I had the Viva Veggie Wrap - hummus, feta, roasted red peppers, tomato, lettuce and balsamic vinagrette. Then it's wrapped in a spinach tortilla and toasted.

Deelish, but extremely drippy and messy. Onto my surprise. I guess everyone has heard about the Ebola outbreak. Well, my specialty is infectious disease, and I have a weapon that I use when I have to see a patient with a horrible infectious condition.

This helmet is called a PAPR - Personal Air Purifying Respirator. It blows lovely cool air down over your face so you can breathe easily and work for a long time without having to wear an uncomfortable N-95 mask when working with an airborne infection. Here is how I look in my PAPR.

Here's a view from the side angle. It has a battery pack that clips onto the outbreak suit which covers my clothes.

So I needed it yesterday, and I thought I would show it to you as long as I had it on. It's actually a very nice device. And none of the little heebie-jeebie germs can get to me. I can also talk easily, and the patient can see my face, instead of a big orange mask. When I am actually using it, I can wear my glasses inside, and I stuff my hair up into the shroud portion of the helmet. Then the outbreak suit (called a bunny suit) covers me all the way up to the shroud, which tucks inside, so I am totally sealed off from the environment.

So onto my outfit. Here it is - it's a white eyelet shirtdress that I got at a church rummage sale. Underneath it, I am wearing a gold lace trimmed camisole. This allows me to unbutton the frst couple of buttons for more room and comfort.

The gold cami also makes this dress work well with my mango colored Old Navy shoes that I love so much. Of course, a white dress would work with any color. To punch it up a little more, I went with contrasting accessories. First, my blue and green floral statement necklace.

This shot gives a better look at the texture of the dress and the cami. On my left arm, I have a plastic stretchy yellow bracelet and an enamel ring with a green stone in the center.

This mixes the yellow, green, and blue all together nicely. On my right arm, I have a blue and gold enamel cuff, and a faux turquoise costume ring.

Today, it seems like all my jewelry is costume. Inexpensive pieces like these are one way to really have a lot of fun with accessories.

Well, i hope you enjoyed the unveiling of my outfit, and my PAPR. For more cute looks, I am linking up with www.thepleatedpoppy.com for What I Wore Wednesday. Hop on over and take a look- I'm willing to bet that no one else is wearing a PAPR this Wednesday!!!

Hot Fun In The Summertime

Hot is right. We are having a little tropical episode here. It's pretty hot, in the mid-80s, but it's really humid. Of course, my main concern is my Sideshow Bob hair. My hair is naturally super curly - when it's short, it's pretty much a 'Fro. But I haven't had short hair in forever - I also haven't had uncolored hair in forever, so I'm really not sure what color it actually is. I'm guessing that it's brownishblondishmostlygray. The point of all this is that my hair looks exceptionally awful these days. So I feel compelled to counteract that with exceptionally cute outfits. But I don't think I succeeded today. Take a peep :

The skirt is a 100% silk number, made by Studio M. That was (maybe still is) a Macy's brand. I'm going out on a limb and saying that I do most of my clothes shoppping at Macy's. They have a sale almost every weekend, and then if you use your charge card, they keep taking off 20%, until things become very affordable. The Tshirt came form Hawaii, in some souvenir shop over there (although I have been to the Macy's at Ala Moana many times). Since this outfit came off a little grandmotherly, I decided to spice it up with accessories. I went with my Leopoldo Giordano butterfly shoes.

That helped, but still not a bullseye. So I guess I am going to have to comfort myself with the thought that at least it feels like pajamas. For my necklace, I went with my garnet blossom and the matching earrings, which you can't see.

On my left hand, I have a cool and very sturdy leather wrap bracelet with big pointy studs. I have had this a long time. I also have a diamond solitaire, under which I have put a band that is a trio of fire opals.

You can see that I'm still using Concrete Evidence by Ulta on my nails. On my right hand, I have a Brighton bracelet that was a gift from my coworkers for my birthday a while back. I wear it a lot in the winter, but not so much in the summer, although I don't really have a reason for that behavior. The ring is silver and onyx.

Well, that's it for today. My outfit is ultra-meh, but you know, after a day sweating in this humidity, probably nothing would look all that great. So I will try harder tomorrow. I got sucked up watching Investigation Discovery last night and didn't put a lot of effort forth on my appearance. I am a huge fan of Lt Joe Kenda, the Homicide Hunter, and he was on last night, so Elli and I were glued to the screen. I love Joe. Today, I am linking up with www.pinksole.com for How I Summer. Apparently, I summer like a grannie.

Wait - You Mean the Sixties are Over ???

So we had an interesting weekend over here in HB. First of all, we may be involved in something very bad, that has to do with some sleezy people defrauding seniors. You can bet that I am going after these awful people with both guns blazing. More to follow. Other than that nasty business, we also had some progress on the home front. First of all, we donated our 1979 VW van to Cars for Causes. I think it may have been kinda traumatic for Doc. Here he is, being comforted by Elli while waiting for the car tow company.

Well, that ended up with Elli falling asleep and sunbathing her pathetic little belly.

So this is how it looked when the good old bus was up on the trailer.

We had a lot of fun in that bus. I will miss it, and I know Doc will miss it even more. But it died, more than once, and could no longer be resuscitated without major effort, time, and $$$$$. So, since the Bus is no longer living in the driveway, we have a new tenant.

My car gets the prime spot. This is The Silver Fox (AKA Silvy), my Cadillac CTS. He lives there now. Before, he kinda bounced into whatever parking spot was available, but now he has a home of his own.

So that was bittersweet, but this morning started out better. First, Doc made a delicious gigantic omelet -eggs, cheese, chorizo, and many many veggies. We had sliced avocado and sour cream to put on the top. Doc is like most men - he makes a killer breakfast, but the more delicate jobs like cake and dinner are best left to me.

The other weird thing is what happened this afternoon. We went down to the beach to look at the crowds that were there for the World Series of Surfing. I love to people watch. A major event like this has awesome people watching potential. Last year,a lot of people from out of town came, and there ended up being a riot, and some stores got damaged. One day, on my way to art class, I stopped and made a donation to help out a bicycle shop in downtown HB that sustained a lot of damage from the meelee. This year, the crowd seemed mellower, and the police were out in visible force. I hope there is not a repeat of that disaster. Then, there was an alert on the TV from the National Weather Service, saying that there would be a flash flood warning in the county that is inland to us (Riverside). This is what the clouds looked like here in HB at the time. And then, this morning, it was sprinkling (we are having extreme drought here, so that's good - look how brown the lawn is.) And a poor 20 year old man was struck by lightning and killed in Venice Beach. So sad.

W

So we had a weird, humid weekend that wasn't all that relaxing. Onto better things, like Visible Monday. This is hosted by Patti at www.notdeadyetstye.com. She is so pretty, that I'll bet she is always visible. As far as I go, this is what I decided to wear today.

You have already seen these printed pants, previously referred to as the "growing pants", since they stretch and grow once I put them on. I have a weird figure - I carry all my weight in my lower body, like a lot of women. But my waist is disproportionately smaller. So I have a tough time finding pants that fit well. The best one I have found are Levi's Extra Curvy, but I can't wear jeans to work. Here is a closeup of the print on the pants - they are really cute.

Today, I went with my Vince Camuto shoes.

For accessories, I wore my black coral necklace. The top I am wearing is by Joseph A. It is a thick knit with a lot of spandex. In this shot, you can also see the rectangular sequins that trim the V yoke.

On second thought, the necklace doesn't really work with this top. It hits at the wrong point. I'll do better next time. As for my arms, I think you have already seen everything, but we will recap.

On my right arm, a diamond and sapphire ring and two gold bracelets. On my left, a gold and diamond dust bangle and my YSL Arty in lapis. So that's about all for today - have a good (visible)Monday!!!

Freaky Friday

I'm going to hold you all in suspense until the end of this post (because I can). Then I will reveal the logic (?) behind the title. But first, another outfit discovered in the bowels of my closet post deep clean. I bought this little dress in a consignment shop for a family wedding. It's silk, and it's made by Julian Taylor. The little cardi is by Ideology, which I recognize as a department store brand.

Here is a view of the lace back on the cardi, which makes it different from the other ivory waterfall cardi that I own, and thereby justifies the purchase.

These shoes are a favorite of one of my office mates. They came from Payless. Upon looking at the full length picture, I think that nude/pink shoes really do elongate my stubby little profile nicely. Up close and personal:

The lacing trim on the shoes is black. Both parts are patent, but they are not leather, they are man made materials. My necklace is pretty cool as well, even though it's twisted at the moment. (I just fixed that.)

It's made by Joan Rivers, and my mom got it for me as a gift. It comes apart, and there are four color choices for both the larger and smaller pieces. I put it on a piece of paper so you can see how it comes apart.

A few years ago, I lost the very center piece with the pearl in the middle in a parking structure at work. So I called Joan Rivers and told them, because her jewelry has a lifetime warranty. They sent me another one. Then, 4 days later, I was back at the same hospital. I tend to always park in or near the same spot, wherever I go. And guess what? The little piece was still laying there in the parking spot, so now I have an extra in case it happens again. But now, I am always very careful to fasten the pieces together securely when I wear this thing. On my left hand

I have the INC cuff that I got in Fort Lauderdale, and the pale amethyst ring that Doc had made for me in lieu of a patient paying his bill. On my right hand, I doubled up two identical little rings on one finger - one is garnet and one is peridot. The leafy bracelet came from Stacy's Closet. I think you have already seen all of these pieces.

I took a close up of the double ring situation, so I can take a good look and see if I really like the way it came out. It's not uncomfortable at all.

And, last but not least, the reason for the title of this post. As my firend was taking my pic, this happened. If this isn't freaky, then I don't know what is.

This must be how I will look when I become a ghost and haunt people. Have a nice, unscary weekend. Boo!!!

Ahoy Matey !!!

Since today is supposed to get up to the mid-80s at the beach (that's hot for Huntington Beach), and since I weeded out my closet (thus discovering forgotten treasures), I decided to go all nautical on you guys. So today I am wearing my sailor style pants. They are medium blue, almost a denim color, with a white pinstripe. And they have a little yoke with 8 buttons. I yanked my top up a little bit to show you.

But this part is covered by my top in real life. My top is white with a blue ribbon that runs through these eyelets made of crystals. It's a babydoll style, and made of the softest knit ever. It's loose and flowy and good when it's hot out. The brand is Cristina V, and I got it at Stein Mart. As I was cleaning the closet, I saw it, and remembered how comfy and cute it is.

These pants are longer in length like my ivory ones. I like a longer length because it gives a nice, smooth, sleek line all the way down. But it does require a higher heel if I don't want my pants to drag on the ground.

So I picked these very high Mossimo raffia wedges. They are 5" tall with a 2" platform. I got them for an incredibly low price at the Target near Century City in LA. I was up there for a seminar, and went for a walk during the 2 hour lunch. I stopped at Target to get something to drink and saw them. So I returned to class with a huge Target bag. At least I wasn't the only one who went shopping during the break - lots of the other attendees had bags also. Girls will be girls.

For my necklace today, I did the double strand thing. The top one is an opal cross that Doc got me from Southwest Indian Foundation. The other one is a moonstone and amethyst that I got as a souvenir in Big Sur, near San Francisco.

On my left arm, I have a London Blue Topaz ring, and two silver bracelets, one with a pale blue topaz.

On my right arm, I have my seraphite bracelet from Southwest Indian Foundation, and a David Yurman pinky ring that someone gave me. It's super tiny, so I can only wear it on my pinky. The small size is the reason it was given to me - my friend couldn't wear it.

So that's it for today. Hopefully, I won't be so inspired by my nautical outfit that I run off and join the Coast Guard. Actually, I would NEVER do that. They have to wear uniforms (shudder). I grew up going to Catholic school, and wore a red and gray plaid jumper for 8 years. I use that as an excuse as to why I have so many clothes now. Hey, it could be true, right? P.S. I never show my handbags. There's no valid reason for this, I just forget. But this one is kinda cool. It was the grab bag gift at a fashion show I went to a couple of years ago at Neiman Marcus. It's denim, with gold metallic pleather trim. It's big and roomy and has a little luggage tag with the NM logo on it. Best part = free !!!

To see other things that people have gotten, go to www.pennilesssocialite.blogspot.com and see "Look What I Got". It's fun!!

Workin' In A Coal Mine, Goin' Down, Down, Down

Well, this morning, I have a deep, dark confession to make. This will start with a multiple choice quiz.

What is Rosie's terrible sin?

A) She stuck up a liquor store.

B) She put Kenni in an unmarked package and mailed him to Timbuktu.

C) She has so many shoes that she could not find the pair she was looking for.

I wish the answer was B, but alas, it's C. On Monday night, I was looking for my Sole Society sandals. I could not find them. I became irrtated and agitated. So last night, I did a closet purge. I took out every box, opened it, and assessed the contents. Then I made piles - black, brown/tan, metallic, colorful casual, colorful work, and espadrilles. Then I tossed out the ones that I would no longer wear, and put them all back in a nice orderly arrangement. I gave 6 pairs to my son to sell in his EBay store. I threw away 5 more that were damaged or crusty. The good news? I am wearing a pair of shoes that haven't seen the light of day in a looonnngg time. Behold:

This also allowed me to wear a dress that I haven't taken for a spin for some time as well. The label says Explosion. It seems to be pretty good quality because it's fully lined and has the little snaps to keep your bra straps in place. Would you like to see a close up of the shoes? Okay!!!

Oh, look, you get to see my purse as well. These are made by Wild Diva, which is an inexpensive brand that they sell in the little strip mall stores here. I feel no guilt about buying shoes that are weird if they are made by Wild Diva. Fast fashion should be fun.

Let's take a look at the necklaces I have on today.

The longer one is a ceramic apple made by Juicy Couture that I got at Nordstrom. I'm not sure they still make these, but about 10 years ago, JC made a ton of necklaces, key rings and such, that were all little ceramic depictions of fruit, animals, and other things.I have a bracelet that is a big strawberry with crystals for the seeds. The shorter one is garnet and diamond. On my left hand,

My gold and red leather cuff from INC, and a little garnet ring. On my right hand,

I have a garnet and diamond ring, and two garnet bracelets. I also have a nice hole in my pantyhose on my right knee that I have plastered down with hairspray.

So that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. By the way, if you guessed C as the answer to the pop quiz, you are a winner!!! The first prize is a slightly used MinPin who likes to be called Kenni. No returns accepted.

Semi Precious and Shiny!!

Today's mission = comfort. I am back to the grind, and since that is very depressing (not really, my job is super cool), at least I don't want to be yanking and tugging at myself all day. So last night, I dug through my collection of tunics to see what I haven't sported in a while. I found this top by Bob Mackie. It has a self belt, but sometimes I wear it with a different one. The self belt is the most comfy, so I picked that. Also, I am giving my ivory trousers one more try. If they bug again, like they did on Hobo Day (see June 26), out they go. Forever.

Well, it seems as though the trouser problem was related to the shoe choice that day. These pants are really long, so unless I wear high heels, they pool uncomfortably around my feet. So I whipped out one of my highest pairs - the Merona wedges.

That was the answer. I probably still need to redo the elastic on the pants waistband. That'll be a nice project for a TV night this weekend. Here's a closeup of the silky, satiny top.

The two faux turquoise necklaces you see here were my other gift to myself from Vegas. I got them in Forever 21. It was a huge store. Sometimes, I feel bad shopping there, because everything is made in China, and I get visions of sweatshops in my head, instead of sugarplums. I took them off and put them on white paper so you can see them better. I also put my earrings there, because I never show my earrings, even though I wear earrings every day. I have two holes in each ear. If I use the second one, I only put these beautiful diamond solitaires that Doc gave me in there. But that is a rare occurence.

The shorter necklace is a lariat style. The longer one has two strands, one with turquoise beads, and one with turquoise beads and little gold bead spacers. They fit together perfectly. On my left hand

I have my Swarovksi Nirvana in Indolite, along with a pale blue topaz bracelet and a gold bracelet. There were two Swarovksi stores in Vegas, so I went in to see if they had any new colors in the Nirvana style. Luckily (for my Amex bill) they didn't. On my right hand

I am wearing a little gold band with a chalcedony cabochon. It's very delicate and pretty, and compliments this top beautifully.

So that's about it for today. I suppose I won't be tossing the pants out, at least until I find a replacement. They really have served me well, for several years now, so I can't complain. Well, I hope your Tuesday is sparkly and shiny also!!!

ADDENDUM : Maybe the pants won't look so baggy after I fix them. They are just so pajama like and comfy. I hope they don't die, and I can fix them. Sniff.