My best friend Neema

Here are a few things you should know about Neems (aka Neema) :

1. The way to her heart is through candy (Swedish fish, gummi bears..) you name it she'll take it.

2. She's fiercely loyal to all her family and friends


3. But her honesty can always be trusted


4. She was immensely disappointed when Chipotle decided to scale back hard shell taco orders from 4 tacos to three......and she hasn't quite recovered since

5. Although she may give me grief for posting this - she is a real sensitive person at heart


6. She's allergic to fruit but somehow this does not apply to chocolate covered strawberries or lychee martinis

7. The bigger the rings  - the better

8. Wine v. Beer? Beer

9. She's pretty much gorgeous

10. She just celebrated yet another awesome birthday at Chicago's Theory bar.

Happy Birthday Neems!

And we're off!

This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit Arlington Parks RaceTracks on a beautiful Chicago afternoon. I sometimes forget how a quick hop skip and jump (read: 45 minute car ride) outside the city would take you to a whole new arena. Literally. The beautiful landscaped park played a subtle background the to crowds chanting for their horses. We had the luxury of being in a suite so the sweltering heat was a minor annoyance and not nearly as stifling as it could had been. The manicured lawns - and manicured dirt for the matter - was such a picturesque background, a part of me couldn't help transporting back to a time where polo matches were played to impress ladies in waiting, folks drank with their pinkies up and chocolate covered children, roaming the balconies, were unheard of.

Here are some of my other favorite shots:

And some of my favorite people:

{that's Loria - she has found something she said to be very funny}

Chanel Love

Be still my beating heart.................

Unanswered Questions

One of my pet peeves are answers to requests/questions that never really answers. Here are a few examples I have accumulated in today alone:

"May I see these in a size 6 and a half?"

"Sure - let me check in the back"                             

"We have a 8 and a half"

"What would you like?"

"May I have a chocolate chip bagel?"

"We got onion...?"

"Would you like me to email this to you or fax it?"

"Yes"

"Does it really matter if I don't take my allergy medicine every day?"

"Well yes and no"

Online Shopping hiatus

Every year I have roughly two huge blitzes (although now it seems like its more an ongoing thing) - where I go nuts with shopping. It is generally around Christmas and my birthday since they are a very nice round 6 months apart (roughly). Christmas because, much as I try not to, with all the festive window displays and cheerful ambiance, I subscribe to the one-for-you, one-for-me method of shopping. And once again on my birthday since there are such a slew of coupons that come for my birthday I feel the need to take advantage. In addition sales are generally starting around this time and if I purchase items, I generally get my size and can price adjust 10-14 days later when the masses come. (I know - ghetto).

Anwayz, my birthday has long been over and there is not really a drawn out excuse I can use so I decided to go cold turkey and see how long I last. In the meantime - here are some ideas of what I can do keyboard free:

1. Build a fort with all my recently received shipping boxes

2. Create a cartoon flip book

3. Photoshop all my poorly taken pictures

4. Categorize my books by the authors taste in clothing

5. Make Rice Krispies treats

6. Get acupuncture on my carpal tunnel laden right forearm

7. Hang with the Grannie

8. Create audio soundtrack for #2 above

9. Watch old movies....er...Clean house

10. Make Rice Krispies treats

Eye of the beholder....

Now this post may be a tad bit...achem...inconsistent (read hypocritical) for me. But there are simply some items whose prices I just don't get.

{Calvin Klein Collection - originally $1795 now $1256.50}

Isn't this just this?

{BA&SH at Yoox.com was for $120 now $72}

Plus this:

{Asos was $47.35 now $30.44}

With a little of this?

{Free}

I heart Elizabeth & James

I know I was not alone with my skepticism in the uprising stardom of the Olsen twins and their fashionista status. Perhaps its because every slack, top, dress and shoe I saw I always heard the chant "You got it dude {insert thumbs up here}" in the back of my mind.* But I have long since jumped onto the bandwagon and like all addicts - fell hard for this upscale, simple yet evocative line of adult clothing. Its graceful silhouette's seen here:

1. Cheyenne shirt - Bloomingdales - $295
2. James blazer - Bloomingdales - $395
3. Mondrian blouse - Bloomingdales - $245
4. Juliet dress - Shopbop - now $245
5. Aimee blouse - Netaporter - $295
6. Flared shorts - Bergdorfs - now $164
7. Crochet Sandals - Saks - now $157
8. Elise blouse - NO WHERE TO BE FOUND - $98

Anyone know where I can get my hands on a #8 please email (candidsense@gmail.com)... hook a sister up.

* I believe I have mentioned being a child of the eighties.

When are you comin' to pick up your chicks?

Ever have an event in your day where at the end of it you were like - whhhattt?

Enter my day.

So it was fairly normal work from home day. I was making some progress when I decided to stop and visit my grandma. She and I were having a pleasant time chatting when there was a ring of the phone. No one uses the land line since they everyone in my family knows how to get in contact with each other via cell (my grandma has a cell and whenever I find out who programmed my number as speed dial #4 on it they will be made to pay) The land line is there merely for the Internet I think. Anyways - the phone is very old and not in the best condition. I pick up

"Hello?"
"Is this the home of {insert our residence address here} ?"
"Why?"
"Well is this {repeat address}?"
"Who's this?"
"The is the United States Post Office"
"May I help you?"
"Yeah - you need to come and pick up your chickens"

Click.

Raised in the city, I was not in the mood to be pranked or harassed. Until the phone rang again with a woman on the line. An aggressive sure of herself type of woman. She claimed that the chickens I ordered - excuse me, the chicks I ordered - needed to be picked up. Given the age and quality of the phone I said something to the likes of "I'm sorry, but I could have sworn you told me to come pick up my chicks." She confirmed.

Now I have ordered alot of things online but I am positive I have never ordered chickens. I have also inadvertently ordered some items internationally but I am fairly certain none of them marketed poultry. Reassured by the open tone in my voice the woman told me that there was a box of chicks at their post office that has been waiting to be picked up for a couple of days. She was worried about them because they hadn't had food or water in those few days and she didn't want them to get hurt. I'm no animal hater and I actually have raised a chicken before ('nuther story) but I was waiting for her to clue me in on why this was my problem. She said the box had my family's name on it (last not first) and they have given several notices for it to be delivered. I guess the level of confusion simply overpowered me...I laughed and laughed and laughed. Hard.
Here I was. Anxiously awaiting my Jeffrey Campbell booties, my large Topshop order, my fun Forever21 tops and here they were - offering me chicks. I guess my laughter was infectious cause the lady started and could not stop as well. She did, after awhile, cut us off short with a "This is serrrioussss (drawn out in a 15 year old voice trying to convince her parents for new kicks). They haven't had anything to eat or drink. They could be suffocating. They're probably malnourished by now!"

And off I started again.

When I calmed down, we resolved that someone was expecting these and had come looking for them on Monday. They mentioned him being a young man and in my Angela Lansberry kind of way I deduced my freak of a brother must have sent away for them. So like any other sibling used to conflict and resolution - I called my parents to tell them that their freak of a son sent away for some chicks to be delivered form Missouri and they better do something about him. And the chicks. Well when I called my dad and he heard that the post office was calling in a frantic about these chickens (at this point everyone involved failed to maintain the distinction), he asked:

"They alive?"

And I guess all the confusion and multiple phone calls caught up with me because I answered "What difference does it make - did you send away for some comatose chicks?" To which my ftaher replied "OK, OK I'll go pick them up".

The End.

Ibette Bravo - at Sea

Several years back, my best friends and I embarked on a memorable cruise upon the Royal Carribean - Adventures of the Sea. This was the second cruise for Ibette and myself but the very first for our friend Jackie. We take our vacationing time very seriously as three hard working women who know that these vacation days and the travel costs are muy-expensive. We made a slew of new friends with the staff and had a great time dragging each other through our selections of excursions (we each got to pick two that the others had to do no matter what it was). This system has always worked out in the past (on prior mentioned cruise I chose kayaking and snorkeling with stingrays while Ibette chose a tour through Old San Juan and a more important tour through the Bacardi Factory). We were having such a splendid time that I have to admit we were not prepared for what came next.

Well they say it was not food poisoning, but rather someonebroughtontheshipthestomachflu-breathe-RoyalCarribeanwasnotresponsiblefortheillness. Well, in truth I guess no one is ever ready for this. But alas, Jackie was the one that got hit hard. She had felt uncomfortable the entire day, as we were traipsing through the islands and when we got back to the ship we had heard the news of how there was something aboard. Being the doting friends we were, Ibette and I made a big stink of how they HAD to take care our friend-no expense spared. That was until we (or me rather) found out that whomever was ill was to be quarantined. ALONG WITH THEIR ROOMMATES. I was devastated. I did not come on a fantastic boat, to some gorgeous islands, to be on lock down in case we got ill. I had just made an entire case of why we all shouldn't have to be on lock down in a friggin 2 x 2 room*, all the while keeping an eye on Jackie mind you, when I felt a big gust of wind fly by me. I turned around to see what the sudden wash color was that had gone by and there was Ibette sprinting up the stairs (the stairs she who claimed gave her Charlie's horse on the first day) nearly pushing people aside to get to our room. While Jackie and I calmly settled into what was a final edict - 48 hours/no chance for parole - we came to the room only to see Ibette half way changed into her Rainbow Brite - like pajamas (it was 4 in the afternoon)

and looking through the room service menu. I was morosely looking around our prison with no bars when I heard Ibette exclaim with full gusto "This vacation is GREAT! Something for everyone. We all got to do exactly what we wanted and now we even get to go on total lock down! No 'touring/walking miles' through cities. No working out in the mornings. No making me burn calories by walking up and down the stairs, like idiots, instead of taking the elevators, like normal people. No nothing but the movie channel and room service. What do you guys want to order???"

....And that is one of the better ways to introduce you to my best friend Ibette Bravo, whose birthday we celebrated today and with whom anyone would be lucky to be on lock down with at sea..........

* size mentioned is is merely an approximation

I don't think I'm ready...for this jelly

Among all the flats this summer that have inspired a sense of nostalgia are the oh so once-upon-a-time-jelly shoes. If you were ever a preteen in say - achem - the 80s you may have owned a pair of Sparkly.Purple.Caged.Jelly Shoes. As an adult I now I can see its attraction to parents as it could dry almost immediately when accidentally splashed, they were fairly inexpensive (at least I never broke out Miss Piggy for a pair) and the plastic/rubber soles provided a slip proof protection. I can also see where they may have appealed to a young primadonna with all its shade of fun and its affinity to low low low lady like heels.

These days the thought of sticking my feet into a pair of prone of overheat and become smelly sandals gives me the he-bee-gee-bees. I have rounded the prettiest pairs out there below but...mmmm dunno -what say you?