Social time with New Year's resolutions

It's New Year's Eve, and The Modern Gal wants to hear all about your resolutions. Please share.

And cheers to a happy and prosperous new year!

Face off, 2008

Ok, it's New Year's resolutions time, and The Modern Gal is making a weird one this year. Oh, I'll definitely be pledging the annual "lose weight, get healthy" resolution, but since that one's a given, I try to make another pledge or two each year just to keep it interesting.

This year, after netting two speeding tickets within a two-month window last year, I managed to quell my habit of going 10 mph or more over the speed limit at all times. The year before I cut back on the number of F-bombs dropped, though I think I may need to revisit that resolution sometime soon.

But I've decided 2008 is going to be the year I kick my acne problem in the arse. Or face.

I know that's weird, but I've been battling acne for about half my life now, and I'm sick of it. I get zits like a 14 year old. The big, painful kind. And I get skin infections, and it's just not something a modern gal likes to be worrying about. I wash my face. I go to the dermatologist from time to time. I use certain creams and washes and this and that, but nothing I do works.

So now I mean business. I'm going to try several different regiments as recommended by various doctors/experts/famous people until I find something that works.

I've stumbled across a NY Times Fashion and Style article about taking care of one's face. And to kick things off a day early, I've raided a nearby Walgreens and replaced all my cheap Cover Girl makeup with new cheap Cover Girl makeup.

Here's to hoping 2008 is a clearer (and thinner/healthier) year than 2007.

2007: U.S. Tour

Because I'm on quasi-vacation/work excursion right now in Tampa and I've got my annual ski vacation to follow immediately, I'll take this opportunity to share with you the best cities and towns I saw in my travels this year. I know you probably don't care, but I'm offering these places as suggestions of where you should consider visiting in '08.

1. Chicago
2. St. Louis
3. Vail, Colorado
4. Oxford, Ohio
5. Lake Martin, Alabama
6. my perpetual Tennessee road trip
7. Tampa (it has yet to impress me)

And on that note, because of the extensive travels The Modern Gal blogging might be thin over the course of the next week and a half. I apologize, but will do my best to keep you engaged.

Heroes get remembered but a Vinny Testaverde never dies

This is a sad day for true football fans everywhere. A man upon men, a legend, is retiring.

Behold, Vinny Testaverde:


Vinny Testaverde is 44 years old. At 43 he became the oldest starting NFL quarterback to win a game when he took over the starting position for the much-injured Carolina Panthers. He's thrown a touchdown pass in 20 consecutive seasons, more than any other QB in history. He's played for seven different NFL teams. He's also thrown TD passes to a record 71 different players.

He won the Heisman in 1986. Many NFL players weren't even born then. About half of the guys who have won the trophy since have already retired from pro football.

His Carolina teammates call him "Dad."

You know six degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon, but have you tried six degrees of separation from Vinny Testaverde?

Sad day, modern peeps. Sad day.

Postscript: Ironically, Vinny's last game will be Carolina's visit to Tampa Bay, the place where he started his NFL career.

You get what you pay for

The Modern Gal currently is sitting in a miserable little place called the Birmingham (Ala.) International Airport, trying to get to Tampa for a little business soiree, though it's starting to appear that's not in the stars today.

And to make matters worse, I'm sitting across from a frumpy middle-aged lady who has, laying on top of her polka-dot carry-on bag in the seat next to her, ... wait for it ... THE green coat.

(For those of you who've forgotten THE green coat, you may read the backstory here and here is the photo:)

For those who weighed in on the decision of whether to keep or return the coat, I have not once regretted my decision and the coat has been by my side, or rather on my side, for three weeks since. I did, however, leave it at home today as my final destination today is a very balmy Tampa.

But we have reached the part of the program where we realize when that we get what we pay for when we shop at ubiquitous clothing chains like Old Navy, and that is a frumpy lady sitting across from you at a miserable airport with YOUR beloved coat.

There's also a girl standing up by the check-in counter with the same crocheted tunic top that I bought at Target to wear on Christmas night, though at least she's in The Modern Gal's age range and her top is cream rather than brown.

Oh wait. There's a youngish, modern-looking gal approaching the frumpy lady and she's picking up THE green coat and laying it in her lap as she sits down. PHEW, close call on that one. I was worried for a moment that my modern gal instincts were way off base and more in line with a middle-aged frumpy lady.

Of course, the newly discovered owner of the green coat is wearing a cable-knit top just like my J.Crew cable-knit sweater and holding a pink Katana cell phone like my own and wearing imitation Uggs like the ones sitting at home in my closet.

Sigh.

2007: Not much here to see

As I mentioned in my 2007 books list posting, my movie-watching habit suffered a bit this year because of how many books I read. Which is to say I saw one movie at the theater and watched one-half of two movies from the ol' Netflix subscription that have been sitting on my shelf since ... January. In my defense, during the time those DVDs have been sitting there I've also moved into a new house and spent half my waking hours traveling for work.

So, here's my short, sweet and to-the-point ranking of the best movies I saw in 2007. Enjoy.

1. Hairspray

Candidates for the list if I ever finish watching them.

1. Thank You For Smoking
2. Over the Hedge

I'll try to do better next year.

Resolve to be healthy

Now is the time to be deciding on your New Year's resolutions, and since most people resolve in some way to either lose weight or get healthier, I thought I'd point out this article from Real Simple which illuminates the habits of people who are skinny. I don't particularly like the title "Secrets of Thin People" as it seems to encourage the stereotype that thin people hold some sort of secret knowledge and, therefore, are better than the rest of us. But, the habits described in the article are good practices. So just remember, skinny shouldn't be your goal, but rather HEALTHY is what you should aim for.

Real Simple also has a nice article on tips in caring for your skin during the dry winter months that's worth a look.

2007: It rocked and hip-hopped a bit too

The following is a list of the best music I discovered in 2007 ... and maybe a little from 2006 just because my memory isn't that organized. Because I like to be somewhat arbitrary and it is my blog, I'm going to include both albums and individual songs on my list.

1. "New Shoes" by Paolo Nutini
2. "Say it Right" by Nelly Furtado
3. "Ain't No Other Man" by Christina Aguilera
4. "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse
5. "Fidelity" by Regina Spektor
6. "These Streets" album by Paolo Nutini
7. "Walk it Out" by Unk (the version with Andre 3000)
8. "Hey There Delilah" by Plain White T's
9. "What Goes Around/Comes Around" by Justin Timberlake
10. "Back to Black" album by Amy Winehouse
11. "Irreplaceable" by Beyonce
12. "1234" by Feist

2007: The Year of Book (well, for The Modern Gal)

We've entered the black hole between Christmas and New Years during which few people seem to work (The Modern Gal being an exception) and nothing seems to happen. Soooooo, guess what that means. It's the Best of 2007 List Week at The Modern Gal! It's like fashion week but not quite as in demand. Get excited.

Anyway, I'll be making lists of arbitrary length quantifying what I found interesting this year for your consumption/enjoyment/debate because I love lists, people seem drawn to lists like moths to a flame, everyone else does them and because I really don't feel like working too hard this week. One caveat: The things that I list don't necessarily have any connection to 2007 other than I discovered them all this year.

I begin with books, because they're the easiest for me as I can just open up my Goodreads list to easily recall what it was I read, which turned out to be a lot this year and is inversely proportional to how many movies I watched.

2007 was dominated by Harry Potter, who was definitely worth every minute spent on him. I almost ranked the three books as one, although I felt the last one wasn't quite as good as the few before it other that it nicely wrapped things up. If you've been holding out or trying not to give in to the Harry Potter craze, well, you're seriously missing out.

If you want an individual review of any of these books, just ask.

1. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
5. Bitter is the New Black : Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office by Jen Lancaster
6. Family Romance: A Love Story by John Lanchester
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
8. How to be Good by Nick Hornby

Dear Santa ...

One of my favorite little things about Christmas is the reliability with which one can depend on favorite movies and stories always finding their way to the TV or newspaper. Like "A Charlie Brown Christmas" or "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus." As a child growing up in Memphis, I always looked for the publication of "Clarabell the Christmas Cow" in The Commercial Appeal on Christmas morn.'

So here is my own annual story, or rather blog post. I posted it on my myspace blog two years ago, and I smile evertime I re-read it. I hope it makes you smile too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Santa ...
Original posting date: Friday, Dec. 23, 2005

As I was cleaning a year's worth of e-mails out of my inbox the other day, I found two that made me smile. My 86-year-old grandmother who died earlier this year was a goofy old lady with a very large family. She was also pretty techno-savvy: she was good with the computer, e-mail, IM, scanner, sending photos, Web sites, cell phones, you name it. She could probably do it better than, say, your parents can (I wouldn't quite put her on the level of a young adult or adolecent, though). She mainly used it all to keep in touch with her 11 kids, 18 grandkids and 10 great-grandkids.

I'm posting an e-mail she sent to Santa last year right before Christmas. Following that is Santa's response to her by way of my Aunt Ginny Belle. It's probably more funny to people who knew her, but I thought it was cute nonetheless. My wish for Santa is that she's up in heaven keeping an eye on her mischevious family, though I know I don't really need to ask, because I know she is ...




Dear Santa: I am so disgusted with this darn computer. It leads me on and then says I made a mistakes and kicks me off for no reason. It won't print my pictures, for some silly reason like i don't have enough space on something or other, but the worst part is it is so darn slow. Take forever to get on line. I guess it is all my fault, but I could surely use a new one. How about dropping one down my chimney on Christmas. Surely would be appreciated. I have been a very good girl!!!!! Love, Mom Smith



Dear Mary Jane,

I received your email last night while checking my list of who's been good and who's been naughty! Isn't it amazing how these modern conveniences like email can make a job for an old coot like me easier!???? I can certainly appreciate your slow pc issues....mine tends to get bogged down at times too...especially with all the letters this time of year from those obnoxious kids who want me to think they've been good all year when I know they've really been rotten!! But you can't fool ole Santa---HE KNOWS!!!!

My report on you from the SSSP (Secret Santa Spy Police-- former CIA members who left after new director took office), says you have been pretty good this year...with a few exceptions...I had a letter from Jake, a neighborhood squirrel who said you ran him off the bird feeder in your side yard...............now, Mary Jane..he's one of God's creatures and needs food too!!! The squirrel also said the hard rapping on the window is getting old--he's heard it before--need new approach! I thought a .22 might get his attention--what do you think??

Your landlord claims that the squirrel's revenge was eating holes in your roof and allowing the roof holes to leak into the living room. Although, the initial damage was caused by "Squirrel Revenge", the SSSP feels the roof is the landlord's responsibility, but we'll add that to your list of "Christmas Wants".

So if I get my list right, at the top of your list is:
--a new computer and printer,
--a new roof
--a repainted living room ceiling
--a stair lift chair
--a new knee
--a person to visit daily or stay with you in that great big house
--a .22 to eliminate "squirrel revenge"
--more visits from family members from out of town
--a cheap yard man to rake leaves and mow grass
--a chauffer
--a miracle drug to fix arthritus that doesn't involve pills.

Well I am good, but I'm not a magician...so I'll see what I can do.....but you do need to continue to be good! Take the medicine's the Drs prescribe, get the exercise they recommend, continue your work at the church, and keep that big family in line! That's the hardest job! And I'll see what I can do.

I think a nice visit to the sunny shores of Southwestern Florida this spring would feel great on those 86 year old bones! Maybe sit in that whirlpool and let the warm water do it's thing? Don't ya think???

Be good and don't forget to feed the squirrels! They'll rat on you every time!

Keep those emails coming...even on that old pc--Santa loves to get them!

Be Good!

Love,
Santa and the SSSP

Happy holidays from Team Modern Gal

The following members of The Modern Gal household would like to wish you a Merry Christmas:

Lucydog and Bailey

The Snowman

Matilda the mannequin
And The Modern Gal hopes your days are merry and bright!

When good donkeys go bad

The animals in those living nativity scenes aren't the angelic little beasts people think they are. The living scenes are also pretty dang expensive to put on.



(Cheers to Noodles)

The airing of grievances

I know this might be an exercise in futility as everyone is out shopping right now or spending time with family and NOT at work, but today is Festivus, and The Modern Gal is hosting one of the many important traditions of Festivus right here on the ole' blog. I invite you to use the comment section to air your grievances against anyone who's disappointed you in the past year.


For feats of strenth, I challenge you all to eat dinner with Angie,* party with the Crazy Ohioan,* and then have Michael Kors and, worse, his mother approve your outfit at the end of the night, regardless of what shape it's in. If that doesn't work, we'll just beat up one another.

*References here and here.

A poll-ivus for mo' of us.

Ok, so I guess not as many of you share The Modern Gal's love for Project Runway, or you just haven't had a chance to catch one of the 5 kajillion reruns of last week's episode, so you didn't feel it appropriate to vote in the last poll. Fair enough, I can live with that. So this week I'll give everyone a more universal poll to vote in.

But first, the results of the four people who did vote in this week's poll assessing your feelings about last week's PR episode and this season in general:

Three out of four people thought Chris should have stayed eliminated, questioned why Bravo described the episode as shocking and something that might change the runway forever and thought this PR season was good, but not great. One in four was so glad to see Chris back and found themselves shedding a couple of tears over the challenge.

On the other hand, no one said they would miss jack, but they also didn't say they wanted him gone. No one questioned the quality of this season's challenges, but no one thought this has been the best season PR had to offer. They also didn't think it the worst.

Ok, on to this week's question. I know it's Christmas and you're all hella busy, so I'm going to keep it as easy as possible. What's your favorite thing about Christmas. I'm thorwing out the baby Jesus with the bathwater to prevent you from feeling obligated to choose him.

Chia pet achieves new high

Ok, I know I said no more commercialism before Christmas, but I couldn't resist when I saw that the quintessential tacky Christmas gift has been elevated a notch.

Chia pets and heads now come with a bonus gift inside, either "a mini-Chia cuddly orrrrr a Chia alarm clock."

I shit you not. A Chia alarm clock.

Behold:

A Festivus Eve message

The Modern Gal is taking a vow of anti-commercialism for the remaining three days before Christmas. If you haven't figured out what you want to get/do for your loved one by this point, you are beyond my help. Plus it's time to focus on things more important, which according to the Christmas icebreaker activity is eating, boozing, partying, gambling and tacky Christmas lights. I love the festiveness of this crowd.

On that note, it's time to start preparing for tomorrow's Festivus activies. Have you got your pole yet? Be prepared to air your grievances right here on The Modern Gal blog! I'm not sure what feats of strength will be performed, but I'm imagining something that involves dinner with Angie at the Waffle House*, partying at the Crazy Ohioans' place* and (just to shake things up a bit) Michael Kors and his mother.

The Modern Gal has a very high strength-to-weight ratio.

*See aforementioned Christmas icebreaker for reference

Tip Drill

Don't forget to give a holiday tip or gift to those service professionals whom you depend on regularly. I like to ensure the fact that my newspaper shows up on my stoop everyday, which I've found in the previous cities I've lived in might be too much to ask for.

Don't know how much to give? Check out Real Simple's Guide to Holiday Tipping for some ideas and spending limits. It's worth noting that postal carriers, who are probably most deserving of a gift, can't accept cash or gifts worth more than $20. The Modern Gal's hairstylist, newspaperwoman and mailman all got Target gift cards. I'm tipping myself this afternoon with lunch at McAlister's Deli for all the fine dogwalking work I've done this year.

JibJab's 2007 year in review

It's that time of the year again, and JibJab has outdone itself:

In 2007 Funny Jokes at JibJab

Spotted in The Modern Gal's inbox

The internets are going crazy with last-minute gift ideas for all the procrastinators out there. Some linkage found in my inbox:

--CB2's funky-cool stuff, all for under $30
--World Market tries to outdo, keeping its last-minute gifts under $25
--Target is hawking eGift Cards and will do express shipping for one more day
--Not to be outdone, the Pottery Barn offers rush shipping too
--Hungry Girl's guilt-free gifts
--MyRecipes isn't quite as healthy with their candy and cakes

And don't forget:
The U.S. Postal Service says get the letters in the mail today if you want them to make it to their domestic destination before Christmas. Priority mail deadline is today too, and you've got until Saturday for the extra-expensive express mail. If you wanted to do parcel post or send oversees, well you're already screwed.

And if you're already done with all that, Everyday Food has what they claim to be easy holiday baking recipes, but because mother Martha is behind the site, I'm sure its definition of easy is more on the level of moderately difficult for the rest of us.

The top 100 songs of the 90s, as determined by VH1 viewers who think they're smarter than you

In lieu of Project Runway last night, I watched VH1's Top 100 Songs of the '90s. I'm surprised that it's taken seven years removed from the '90s to come up with it, but I have to say I have fewer beefs with this list than I have with most aggregate "best of (fill in the blank)" lists. I usually don't bother pointing out the gaffes, but I will say this:

WHERE THE HELL IS INTERSTATE LOVE SONG, NO RAIN, RUNAWAY TRAIN AND ANY SONG BY THE GIN BLOSSOMS?????

In an effort to give those songs their due:

Price adjustments, a short story

Once upon a shopping trip, in an attempt to drag my father kicking and screaming into the 21st century, I bought him his very first DVD player for Christmas. I wanted to make the transition for him both easy on him and on me, so I found the cheapest DVD-VCR combo by a known brand that I could find, which turned out to be a Phillips player for $79.99 at Target that I bought on Monday a week ago. Of course I was dismayed when I discovered in Sunday's Target circular, a Phillips player that looked disturbingly similar for $59.88.

Fortunately for the Modern Gal, she reads a column by Ms. Cheap, who once taught her about price adjustments, a rarely publicized policy at many chain stores. If you find an item you've recently bought goes on sale rather quickly, you can take your receipt back to the store within 14 days of the sale and get the difference refunded.

So, I marched back to Target today over my lunch break, trying not to get my hopes up in case my purchased DVD player wasn't the same as the advertised one or in case the price adjustment policy turned out to be an urban myth. The cashier confirmed that indeed, the price adjustment policy exists and it was worth testing out. I crossed my fingers and closed my eyes until she said "yup, it's the same one, here you go, $20.10 back on your Target card."

I celebrated with a "yes!!!" and a prompt purchase of Hairspray for my mother. Easy come, easy go. But I still lived happily ever after.

Celeb relationships gone awry

Teen pregnancy is no laughing matter, so The Modern Gal is not going to make fun of or shame Brit's 16-year-old little sis Jamie Lynn Spears for being pregnant.

She will, however, make fun of the fact that T.O. and the rest of the Dallas Cowboys hate Jessica Simpson for ruining their quarterback. Rightfully so.

Blogrolling, revisited

Currer Bell at The Daily Beacon just brought this blog to The Modern Gal's attention, and it's such a fine blog, I felt it warranted its own shout out.

The Park Bench is self-described as "a gathering place for nerdy women and nerdy men of discerning taste." The snark value is deliciously high, and since we modern gals and guys are a little bit of everything, I believe we're a little bit nerdy too.

And let me apologize for the sluggishness of The Modern Gal blog right now. I've been caught under a hundred-pound lode of work at work and am feverishly working to take care of my holiday repsonsibilities when off. I promise to feed the beast a bit more soon. Cheers!

Get to work, sleepy head

If you're like The Modern Gal, trying to balance work with all the demands of the holiday season, you probably feel a bit like this in the morning:



I'm already on my second cup of coffee this morning, but I'll be testing out some of Health magazine's quick stress-busting tips aimed at helping you get through the work day with a bit more ease. Tea break, here I come.

The Modern Gal's tips on finding gifts

The Modern Gal is so done with her holiday shopping. It only took me three days' time to lop off a list that included several gifts for my parents, stuff for friends and, of course, the gentleman friend.

As it would be unfair to allow my shopping genius go to waste, I present you The Modern Gal's tips for finding awesome or at least good gifts for most anyone on your list.

1. When I don't have an idea for someone, I think of all the stores I know and identify stores that person loves or should love. I then go to that story and scour everything they have until something strikes me as a great gift. You'd be surprised how often this works. If you can't find anything, get 'em a gift card there and pair with some small item like a pair of socks if you're at the Gap or a tool if you're at Home Depot.

2. Regional gifts are great for people who don't live in town. I claim Memphis and Nashville as my homes. Elvis is my homeboy, and he's a great source for gifts now that Elvis Presley Enterprises has gone so frickin' commercial. I got Elvis wine for a party I attended and Elvis hot chocolate for a certain sweet tooth I know. The Grand Ole Opry shop has fantastic gifts as well. Every city and town has it's own local flavor, and there's always a shop that sells that unique flavor.

3. Events. Many people in this day and age have more stuff than they need or can fit into their living space. So give them an experience. Tickets to the theater, movie passes, restaurant gift cards, dancing lessons, whatever. Give them something that doesn't take up space.

4. On that same note, fancy fixins' for foodies. Food items are also good for the people who have everything because food can easily be consumed. Go to your local fancy grocery like Whole Foods or World Market and get specialty sauces, spices, snacks, etc. World Market is actually my go-to gift store.

Try to get your shopping done now before this coming weekend. It will be hell out there come Saturday. I'd rather gouge my eyes out and listen to "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" than be stuck with a shopping list on the 22nd. And plot out your route before you go!

P.S. I'd love for you to share your clutch gift shopping tips and go-to spots!

Now playing: Yo Moma's Big Fat Booty Band

The A.V. Club has posted what it deems the worst band names of '07. Most of them are so bad they're damn funny. Like The House that Gloria Vanderbilt. Or The Rape Ape. (What is it with all the rape, pregnancy, abortion band names?) The Modern Gal is pretty sure her friend KG will like Pistol Whipping Party Penguins, which by the way is missing a hypen between Pistol and Whipping. Just sayin'.

P.S. Also brought to you by the A.V. Club, a list of movies that use violence to enforce the holiday spirit. Enjoy.

Icebreaker

Ok, I've noticed that with the recent increase in readership of The Modern Gal, the commenting has gone down, so I've decided it's time for a group activity.

Since we don't all know one another, I think it'd be a good idea to go around the room and have each one of us say our name, where we're fun and our favorite food.

No?

Icebreakers AND Comments?? Wow!

Ok, seriously, I'd love for everyone to share their favorite (or maybe least favorite or most unusual) holiday season tradition with everyone because I bet there are some good ones out there. And I'm not just talking Christmas, I mean whatever it is you do between Thanksgiving and say MLK day.

And who knows, I might just come up with a prize for the most creative comment, that is, if it's something I can either do easily or for free (now isn't that some motivation). And while you're at it, comment on another post and vote in the poll if you watch PR. If you don't watch it, come back next week for a different question.

Sunday morning gridiron chat

Chris Berman posed a thoughtful question this morning on ESPN's NFL report, and I now pose it to you:

Who do you trust more, Bobby Petrino or Bill Belichick?

Yo, why you gotta hate?

P.S. Bonus points to anyone who can provide me with a photo of Keyshawn Johnson's plaid suit w/ orange scarf.

All the time in the world to contemplate PR

Ok, The Modern Gal took it upon herself to close the weekly poll a little bit early because she just won't have the chance to deal with it later as a couple dozen drunken revelers take over her house. Sigh.

I'm fairly pleased with the turnout of the first poll. I mean double digits are good, but a dozen would have been even better, but I'm just glad y'all are paying attention!

The results are:
45% or five people said they loved SATC and will go see the movie but are a bit apprehensive about it.
27% or apparently the three straight dudes who read this blog so no way in hell they'll go.
18% or two of you are practical and will probably go see it after it's been out a while so you don't have to fight for a seat at the theater.
9% or one person is totally obsessed.
And no one was living in a hole or is going to allow themselves to be dragged to the theater.

Now, for the new poll:
Bravo TV hyped the hell out of last week's Project Runway. Turns out it was probably because they're not going to have another fresh episode until after New Year's. You know what The Modern Gal thought about it. What do you think?

What? No PR for the next two weeks?
Now, Elisa, you're just going to have to make it work.

Saturday afternoon matinee

The Modern Gal, like you, has seen the Juno trailer on TV over and over again. And she's hooked and is plotting time this weekend in between all the Christmas parties to sneek off to the theater.


According to Look: the Movie, "there are now approximately 30 million surveillance cameras in the U.S. generating more than 4 billion hours of footage every week." And while there aren't nearly that many theaters carrying the film, it still sounds like one you should go see.

Project Runway lovefest

Wow, the Modern Gal is out of pocket for one day and in that time the ol' blog gets a shout out from Project Runway observers extrodinaire, Blogging Project Runway. Maybe I should go away more often.

So to all the new visitors, a big hi! Come get a taste of what being a modern gal (or guy) is all about and please come back by later for more. And to all the old friends, go visit Blogging Project Runway as a thank you. And while you're at it, visit the lovely Hélène, Marthe and Maud at Project Stunway, because I just love them.

Pier 1 sale: Cheap, cheap, cheap last-minute gifts

Ok, this weekend is probably the last time most of y'all will seriously have time to finish up your Christmas shopping. Still in a crunch with all those holiday festivities on the schedule? Check out Pier 1's sale on some gifts and decorations. They've got some really cool un-Pier 1-like stuff, such as these slightly unnecessary gem paperweights (but hey, they're still fun) and beautiful slippers.

What was lost has been found

Remember the final scene of Lost in Translation when Bill Murray whispers what we could only assume to be a sweet nothing into Scarlett Johanssen's ear? And for a couple days after you saw the movie it bugged you that you didn't know what he said? And that it still kinda bugs you when you think about it now?

Well, allow it to bother you no more. Someone has taken it upon themselves to digitally analyze the scene to determine what he's actually saying. If you want in on the secret too, you can watch/hear it here:

(Cheers to Pop Candy)

Overreacting, are we, Bravo?

Dear Bravo,

I am extremely disappointed in your overhyping of what you described as "something so shocking" that would happen on Project Runway.

Sincerely,
The Modern Gal

Ok, was anyone else let down by the lack of drama in last night's episode? We knew something would happen to Jack and we knew he was probably gone. Not to minimize his health concern, and I'm very, very glad he's OK and opted to care for his health rather than go on, but I assumed this was going to be something to do with AIDS (again, glad it's not and he's OK) or another contestant. And the thing is, we all know Jack's alive, doing well and dating Dale of the previous Top Chef season. So there really wasn't much alarm except for the fact that we'll never know if Jack would have made it to Bryant Park. Of course, it wouldn't be unheard of for Bravo to put Jack back on the show either in this season or another in the future. It's happened before (see below.)

Alas, we will miss you Jack. It wasn't quite your time.

Point is, stop overdoing it on the promos, Bravo. Seriously! That kind of "shocking" promotion should be reserved for times when a contestant cheats, a la Keith from last season, or comes close to assaulting another contestant as seen on Top Chef, season 2. If you keep it up, I'm going to have to punish you by waiting til the first or second rerun of the show before I watch.

Moving on. As soon as Jack said he was auf'ing himself, I said to myself, "Lawd, they're going to bring back Chris." Because they'd done it before. On Top Chef, season 1, when Cynthia chose to leave to be with her dying father, the producers brought back kumbaya Andrea. And last season on PR, producers brought back crazies Vincent and Angela. And you know what happened to all of those people who returned? They got the boot sooner or later. And here's a not-so-surprising surprise. It will happen to Chris, who despite his adoreableness, couldn't design his way out of a paper bag.

Ok, I've said my piece.

I loved, loved, LOVED this challenge. It was reminiscent of the mom challenge of last season, which incidentally has been the only challenge ever that made me tear up a bit. I would have loved to offered the Modern Gal's own mum for this, as she would have fit in beautifully, having lost 60-something pounds and not having much of an eye for fashion.

Heidi, is that a bun in the oven, or are you just really happy to see me?

Loved Christian's outfit. He definitely won that one. I kinda felt like Steven got shafted a bit being stuck with a wedding dress, but I'm sure some of his peers could have made that outfit sing if they wanted to. Hated Elisa's outfit. Like Chris, I love her personality, but it's obvious she won't be showing at Bryant Park. I'm ready to get down to the nitty gritty with the following designers: Christian, Jillian, Kevin, Kit, Rami and Victorya. And we'll keep Sweet P around for comic relief.

Oh, and can I get a shout out for this guy? He is my hero. He is the head designer for The Gap. Swoon.
You may proceed to dress me, sir.

Bobby Petrino = biggest a-hole ever?

The answer, I believe, is a very emphatic YES. Not eight months into his NFL coaching career, Mr. Petrino ditches the Falcons to coach Arkansas. His aggressions of the past 48 hours include: lying to his boss in Atlanta, not telling his team face-to-face that he was ditching them and actually smiling while participating in his first calling of the Hogs.


That definitely stinks of some pig sooie.

P.S. Third Saturday in Blogtober has determined that Mr. Petrino's nickname shall now and forevermore be "Pignocchio," and the Modern Gal is committed to adhereing to that pledge as well.

Spotted in The Modern Gal's inbox

Because A. We're getting closer to Christmas, which means the retail e-mails are flooding my inbox and B. I haven't shared any good shopping finds lately and C. We need some pretty pictures to look at, I bring you the following fun items:

Anthropologie's adorable monogrammed mugs which come in both male and female version.
The he-mug:

The more delicate and cuter missus mugs:
World Market's candle-based diffusers with a myriad of scents to choose from:


And for this Modern Gal, a sharp-looking green shirt from The Gap (it will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine):

Blogrolling

For reasons that I'm keeping to myself, I'm banning Wonkette from The Modern Gal blogroll indefinitely and perhaps permanently, which means The Modern Gal blogroll has an opening for a youthful, fun, sassy, smart and fairly balanced politico blog. Politics are not my forte, so I'm open to suggestions from those of you who know better than I.

While we're at it, I've also been searching for a fabulous health-related blog to add to the 'roll -- something with a positive spin on staying healthy maybe with a dose of personal stories of struggles with health.

Oh, and green blogs which aren't inherently snobby about being eco-smart and are useful to an eco-rookie. I'm finding those are lacking (potential blog idea, anyone?)

Send your suggestions modern gals and guys! Even if they're not on the topics of politics, health or the environment, I'm still open to any new and fabulous blog.

She dates younger men

For some reason Bravo TV has only posted photos of one subject and one subject alone for this week's Real Housewives episode, and that's Lauri doing her wedding dress shopping, which is all great and good in promoting former PR contestant turned bridal designer Austin Scarlett, but makes it especially difficult to reminisce about the episode. I guess it's no biggie since it was pretty freakin' boring.

The way it plays out in my head is as follows:
Bravo announcer guy: There's a new housewife in town
Quinn the new housewife: I like to date younger men!
Quinn's date, so what are we doing tomorrow night?
The slutty Quinn: Nothing, I have another date with a younger man!
Other date: You're pretty hot.
Dr. Quinn, margarita woman: I'm a cougar, ROAR!
Other housewives: Just how old are you?
Quinn: Ha ha, I'm kinda a big deal, younger guys date me!
Lauri: I hit the sugar daddy jackpot. I win.

Snoooooore.

Next week looks fun, though. Jeana finally gets rid of her uncool hubby, Jeana and Vicki tiff and Quinn dates a younger man. If Bravo decides to post more pictures of this week's episode, then I might update, or I might just save myself for next week. Or Wednesday's Project Runway. (What is going to happen? They've been teasing this for so long that it better be the most scandalous/unpredicatable thing to hit reality TV.

In the mean time, a video about Quinn and how she dates younger men:

Such a pretty book tour

For those of y'all who have indulged in the works of Jen Lancaster as the Modern Gal has, you should be aware that she and her publicist are plotting her upcoming book tour to promote her upcoming book "Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest To Discover if Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, Or Why Pie is Not The Answer" (due out in May).

And on her blog she's giving YOU the reader a chance to make a case for your town to be part of her tour. Hurry before she closes the comments section, as she's apt to do.

Here's to you, Mr. Hopeless Notre Dame Fan

If you haven't seen this, you need to watch it as it brought tears of happiness and joy to my eyes.



(Cheers and a Bud Light to HW, one of the two known male readers of this blog, for the tip)

The Modern Gal's Christmas soundtrack

Spinner has posted its opinion of the 12 worst Christmas songs ever made. Some of the songs are apparently so bad that the Modern Gal's never heard of them. For example, did you know that Cyndi Lauper made a song called Christmas Congo in 1998? Neither did I. But I do agree with Whitney Matheson over at Pop Candy, who thinks Paul McCartney and his synthesizer are ranked way too low at No. 11 with "Wonderful Christmastime." And they totally ripped the Boss' "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," which is a big no no in my book.
Spinner's 12 best Christmas songs are mostly crap too (Elvis excepted). I guess you shouldn't expect much from a website which has the letters AOL plastered all over it, and I should thank the morons anyway for compelling me to create my own top Christmas song list.

My least favorite that I can think of off the top of my head are any version of "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, the aforementioned "Wonderful Christmastime" and most current covers of classic holiday songs.

My Christmas soundtrack (I know the idea is to go with 12 in keeping with the 12 days of Christmas, but since there are 14 days to go, I'm going with 14, and the 12 days of Christmas are actually referring to the days which follow Christmas anyway):

1. "Celebrate Me Home" by Kenny Loggins
2. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Judy Garland
3. The "Barenaked for the Holidays" album in its entirety by the Barenaked Ladies
4. "The Christmas Song" by Nat King Cole
5. "All I Want For Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey
6. "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby
7. "Blue Christmas" by Elvis
8. "Please Come Home for Christmas" by the Eagles
9. "O Holy Night" by Michael Crawford (aka the Phantom of the Opera)
10. "Winter Wonderland" by Ray Charles
11. "Christmas in Dixie" by Alabama
12. "Here Comes Santa Claus" by Gene Autry
13. "Frosty the Snowman" by Leon Redbone and Dr. John
14. "Merry Christmas Darling" by the Carpenters

Oy vey, now "siiiimply haaaving a wonderful Christmas time" is in my head again. On that note, what are your most/least fave holiday songs?

Self-esteem for the body

The ladies at Seventeen magazine have started a Body Peace Treaty to encourage teens to maintain a healthy attitude about their body. Seventeen may sound a bit juvenile to we elder modern gals, but the practices encouraged by their body treaty are good at any age.

Pink signed it. So did Katharine McPhee, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Osborne and Fergie. Currer Bell over at The Daily Bacon signed it and so did The Modern Gal. You should sign it too. You do have to register at Seventeen to sign it, but it ain't no thang to do so, especially if you make sure not to check any of the special offer boxes.

I know you've probably already seen the Dove Evolution video, but just in case you need reminding why it's important to keep a healthy attituded about our bodies, here's another video from Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty:

Dogs who rock and smile and sleep

Dogster recently posted the winners of their annual "World's Coolest Dog Show," and I have to admit, there are some pretty cute/awesome dogs who won (not to mention some photographically talented humand). The Modern Gal's own pooch was too lazy to have her photo shot, or else she would have won.

Here is a sampling of the winners. Enjoy the excessive cuteness.


Zazzle is a Best in Show



Rocco is Worlds Coolest Ball Player



Dakota is Worlds Coolest Purse Dog



Best Best Friends



Otis has Worlds Coolest smile



Sandi has Worlds Coolest costume



Pedro Leaftroff Bodagendogg is Worlds Coolest sleeper



Goldie is Worlds Coolest water dog

P.S. The New York Times had an opinion about people like the Modern Gal whose pets have their own social networking pages on sites like Dogster. I think it's making fun of us a little.

Peyton Manning will sell out for anything

Birthday Cake: $30
Helium-filled balloons: $10
Store-bought card: $2.80
A birthday peptalk from Peyton Manning? FREE ... I mean priceless.

There are sometimes you don't have money to buy, and that's why there's MasterCard's customizable Peyton Manning peptalks website.

Brace yourselves, it's going to be a long month

UPDATE: Tim Tebow has been awarded the Heisman. Rather than discuss it myself, I'm leaving it to EDSBS, which said it best: Tim Tebow wins Heisman, is condemned to mediocrity.

We've been without college football for one week, and already The Modern Gal is noticing the toll it's taking on us all. My friends and I don't seem to know what to do with our Saturday night. My mother was online earlier complaining of being forced into leaf-raking service by my father who no longer is distracted by college football. Sigh.

I guess without any pigskin to watch, all we can do is anticipate the coming bowl games and, more importantly, Ohio State takes on the South v2.0.

My cousin and I were discussing this over beers (in the rotating bar) just the other day and he shared with me a website that represents the Ohio State v. the South attitude, or rather, the other way around. And with apologies to my friends who call Ohio home, I'll share a little piece of it with you. And before you Ohioans get angry with me, know that my cousin too is an Ohio native.


(Cheers to Go Back to Ohio)

I fear I may be starting a mini Civil War with this post. Just remember, emphasis on civil, people.

Turning over a new leaf

Ok, modern gals (and guys), I'm trying something new, but I need your participation if it's going to be a regular feature here at The Modern Gal. I've posted a poll in the right column above the links that I plan to sub out weekly with a new question about a topic we're discussing. If after about a month I find no one's participating in the weekly polls, then I'll likely do away with them.

The inaugural poll is in reference to the blog entry below, Sunday matinee a day early.

It took me a loooong time this morning to get the HTML code written properly so that you would be able to read both the question and the choices clearly, so I hope you find it entertaining, whimsical yet relevant, with an underlying revisionist conceit that belied its emotional attachments to the subject matter ... I just hope you didn't think it sucked.*

*Ok, somebody better pick up on that last reference. Please don't leave me hanging there.

Sunday afternoon matinee, a day early

BREAKING NEWS: The Sex in the City movie trailer is out. The Modern Gal stayed up late to ensure she got this on the blog, so you may thank her by discussing it here amongst yourselves.

And here's something else to discuss (besides the trailer itself, which really doesn't tell you anything, and honestly? it doesn't have to because you know you're going to go see the movie with all your girlfriends on opening night anyway): I hate most sequels besides Ghostbuster II, because they usually are worse than the original flick and sometimes even ruin them. I consider Sex in the City the movie to be a sequel, and therefore am more than a bit apprehensive about it. I absolutely loved the way the TV series ended, and I'm not sure I want to see beyond Big sweeping Carrie off her feet in Paris. It just might ruin the moment.

But I'll go see the movie on opening night with my galpals anyway, because I'm just that dedicated to Sex in the City and would never dream of missing any moment of it.

And now, the trailer:

Kids' gifts by the crate and barrel

It's hard not to come up with ideas of what to get little munchkins for Christmas, but just in case you're plum out of 'em, Crate and Barrel has a wonderful assortment of gifts for kiddies at their Land of Nod website. There's some gresat stuff on there -- stuff that I think I'd be happy receiving. (Just in case you're lookin' to send something.)

This dog won't get into the garbage when you're not looking.

The etiquette of flying

Delta Airlines is proving it has a sense of humor by offering four short animated videos on You Tube about the annoyances we all encounter whilst flying. They're intended to encourage better passenger behavior on planes, and we all know that the best method of motivation is shame. Cheers to Delta.

My favorite is definitely Kidtastrophe. The Modern Gal is at a stage in her life where she absolutely cannot stand kids, so she completely identifies:


Brats. But I'm sure yours are angels and not anything like them.

And another:

Personally, I think the middle seat should be outlawed.

True colors

First of all, who let Nina out of her cage?

Tim, why would you do such a thing?

Now is always the time in a reality contest when you start seeing people's true colors. Take for example Ricky and Victorya. Queen and bee, I'm sorry cow. Moooooo. Give me some screaming! Some face slapping. Something. You're not living up to your billing as catty fighters.

No comment here.
Someone is always sacrificed to the team challenge gods.

Space cadet or likes to wing it.

[Twilight Zone theme plays.]

This guy is a sleeper candidate to be funny guy of the year. Don't underestimate him.

Designers, you are all screwed. Carry on.

Needs to lay off the prozac:

I'm in the same realm as Elisa, I just don't like to talk about it.

Mixing it up

The Modern Gal thinks it smart to learn from the experiences of others. So this advice I offer to you: beer/cocktails and rotating restaurants don't mix.

Worlds collide

Who's excited about the Top Chef Holiday Challenge? I know I am! Although I'm a bit upset at Bravo for holding me hostage to my TV for three nights this week.



Having a hard time thinking about Top Chef while Project Runway is still airing? Here's a little tidbit to help you make the transition: Jack, contestant on PR season 4, and Dale, a la Top Chef season 3 finalist are dating. Seriously.

They met over MySpace. He's cute, he's adorable, blah, blah, blah. Just as long as you keep your hands offa dreamy Harold. He's mine. Brian too.

You looked hotter on MySpace.

Seriously, Sun Chips?

The Modern Gal made what she thought was a fabulous discovery when she approached the snack machine at work today: Cinnamon-flavored Sun Chips. Yes, please!

It is true that I love anything with a cinnamony flavor, but these remind me very much of my childhood love for Taco Bell's Cinnamon Twists. I've long since given up on Taco Bell but these seemed like a fabulous substitute for the twists.

After some research, I found that the 1.5-gram bag of cinnamon Sun Chips I ate registered 200 calories, 9 grams of fat and 3 grams of dietary fiber. That's 4 points on the Weight Watchers scale. Not horrible, but the Taco Bell treat has fewer calories and fat grams but also less fiber -- also 4 points. Generally more than you want to spend on a snack. The upside is there are allegedly some 100-calorie packs of these things floating around somewhere. If you find out where, let the Modern Gal know!

Wrestling. Right.

The excellence in reality show editing award goes to ... Bravo TV and the Real Housewives of the O.C. for editing sexual tension into video of Brianna and Colby's karate practice.

I get it. Y'all haven't had sex yet. You're saving yourselves for marriage.

News flash: This kid is lazy.

Lazy? You think?

Pull out your yarmulke

Your soundtrack for today:

Yes, the Festival of Lights begun last night at sundown. Happy Hanukkah to God's chosen people and for everyone else, catch up on your Judaic traditions at Beliefnet, whose Guide to Hanukkah includes a Hanukkah starter kit and "How to Light Hanukkah Candles" video.

The Modern Gal's guide to chick-lit and beyond

Because making lists is my modus operandi and because my lovely modern gal friend Hélène du Blonde over at Project Stunway requested it as she needs something to fill her time on the Metro, I present to you The Modern Gal's Top 10 Chick-Lit Reads. Consider it a teaser to all my 2007 Top 10s to follow soon.

A caveat: I'm pulling from all the things I personally have read. There are some good ones out there that I haven't managed to hit, like say, The Devil Wears Prada. I know. Modern gal sin not to have read it. I own it. It's staring at me right now from my bookshelf. I will get to it soon, I promise.

1. Bitter is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or, Why You Should Never Carry a Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office by Jen Lancaster. Ok, this is a memoir and a bit different than your typical chick-lit, but I'm telling you it's a must-read for any sassy gal. Jen is hilariously mean, but she struggles with issues we all know well: stupid people and overspending.
2. Just Friends by Robyn Sisman. This will tug at your nostalgic heartstring if you've ever fallen for a guy friend. Not that I know this from experience.
3. City Chic: An Urban Girl's Guide to Livin' Large on Less by Nina Willdorf. If you like lists, you'll love guides, and this one I think tops the chart for a modern gal. Fantastic tips like the necessesities you need in your cupbord and when's the best time to find the biggest discounts on particular items..
4. The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. Never saw the movie, but I hear the book is way better anyway
5. Real Simple magazine. I know it's not a book, but it is The Modern Gal's bible. And a very good option for the Metro.
6. Just as Long as We're Together by Judy Blume. Ok, ok, I know that's totally middle school fare, but I loved it then, and I still go back and read it on occasion now. And Judy Blume is the quintessential chick-lit author.
7. Mr. Maybe by Jane Green. This was my introduction to the chick-lit world. It's a bit more heavy on the sex side, if that's your thing. Jane's got quite a few other books out, though I've not ventured to any of them.
8. Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. This is quasi-chick-lit, but it's so endearing. You'll find yourself saying outloud, "oh my gosh, I know exactly what she's talking about."
9. Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who Are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me? by Jen Lancaster. Jen again with short stories for the big-city gals.
10. The Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella. I read the first one and thought it was OK. The prose and conversations were a bit trite, but I'd take it to the beach or anywhere else where all you want is to be mindless for a few hours.

P.S. For a good way to keep track of the books you have read, check out Goodreads.com. You can also check out my Goodreads widget in the right column of this blog to see what I've been reading.