I'm Not Sorry I Bumped Into You

In my opinion, Elton John had it right when he sang "Sorry seems to be the hardest word".  It should be a word used sparingly because it means so much more then we think.  According to the Oxford Dictionary, it means "pained, regretful, penitent..."  I don't like to apologize much and try very hard to avoid things for which I would have to apologize.  So, it is truly annoying when people (mostly women) go around saying "I'm sorry" for the smallest of things like accidentially bumping into someone or blocking your view in the grocery aisle.  I'm sorry, but it's annoying (see how I wasn't really apologizing?).  These two little words have so invaded our everday vernacular they mean something other than what they were intended to mean.  When you accidentally bump into someone, are you really expressing pained or regretful feelings?  No! Of course not (unless you accidentially bumped someone off a staircase or a bridge).  When you bump into someone, you say "Excuse me," not "I'm sorry".  Save your sorrys for those times that it actually pains you to utter those two little words.  When you are literally choking on the words, then you know you are using them correctly. 

Smooches,
Letty

Aging Gracefully

I saw a picture of Heather Locklear on the internet today and she looks FABULOUS!  She is going to be 50 people!  Reminds me of the SNL skit with Molly Shannon as Sally O'Malley.  I often run around crying out "I'm fifty!  I can kick, I can stretch.  Fifty 5-0!"  When my friend turned 50 last year, we couldn't get enough of it.  But now, as I am creeping up on 50 myself, I think about how I will look and feel over the next few years.  I want to look like the Heather Locklears, the Christy Brinkleys, etc. of the world but truth be told, I am not that dedicated to a healthy diet, exercise, blah, blah, blah.  I also don't live their lifestyle with access to the beauty treatments, products and luxury of focusing on how you look.  I mean, that's their job-job, right?  I schelp bankruptcy petitions & lawsuits for a living!  So, here's my simple plan for trying to look as good as Heather Locklear when I turn 50 (it's too late to marry a rocker):

1)  Drink more water - dehydrated skin shows your age
2)  Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize - see #1 above
3)  Stay out of the sun
4)  TRY to stay away from alcohol/red meat/processed sugars & food (or at least cut down)
5)  Be happy with myself

I read about a lot of tricks and gimmicks (the "Instant FaceLift", yea, right!) but none of these will keep me/you young and honestly, I wouldn't want to be any other age but my age right now.  Otherwise, I'd be that unsophisticated 20-something wearing bad shoes who can't hold her booze.  Who wants that?  So focus on what you can do now to look great later.  Small changes go a long way and although not all of us will look like Heather or Christy when we're fifty, we might still be able to stretch and kick. 

Smooches,
Letty

Grooming in Public

Well, you would think it wouldn't have to be said out loud, but no, sometimes it has to be said (or blogged as the case may be).  There is nothing more disgusting than people who groom themselves in public.  True story - my husband was at a IHOP and a woman sitting with her family a couple of booths away was clipping her TOENAILS!  She then proceeded to clip the children's toenails.  I thought maybe it was a reality show, like that show "What Would You Do?" but no, it wasn't.  To this day, I can't eat at that IHOP and I can still hear the unmistakable clip, clip, clip of the clippers in my head even though I wasn't actually there (he replayed the scene and he is an excellent re-enactor). 

Another true story.  I was in the sauna at the gym and a women brought out her loofah and started to EXFOLIATE in the sauna!  And, it wasn't a soft scrubbing - it was a full on scrubbing of nooks and crannies that no one, and I do mean no one, should be loofahing in public.  I literally threw up in my mouth a little.  After giving her the stink-eye to no avail, I left and demanded that the management put up a sign that said "Please do not exfoliate your parts in the sauna, thus sharing thousands of dead skin cells with other sauna patrons who don't want them all over their body."  They refused.  I never used the sauna again. 

Of course, these are extreme examples but that they actually exist got me thinking about what is acceptable and what isn't.  In my view, anything that involves an implement  (clippers, hairbrush, loofah)  or involves the loss of any cells, should be done in private.  Yes, this includes filing your nails!  On my flight the other day, a woman was filing her nails.  Where does she think that dead nail dust goes?  In the air.  My air on the plane.  Why not just sneeze on me? 

So, basically, to be safe, practice most (if not all) grooming habits in private.  I would even say that putting on lipstick is preferably done in the ladies room when out in public and not in front of everyone.  I know, I know, the experts are split on this one but for me, it's personal.  Checking your make-up, putting a few stray hairs back in place, these types of grooming habits are acceptable in public.  Anything beyond this is simply too much sharing...literally, keep your dead skin cells and nail clippings to yourself. 

Smooches,
Letty

Big City Fashion

Just got back from a few days in Boston.  It was a great trip and I really enjoyed the big city and all the attractions and the food.  I noticed as we were walking about, trying not to stand out as tourists, that there was a lot of good fashion in the metro area.  Women were dressed in adorable skinny jeans with cute ballerina shoes, short dresses that were accessorized perfectly, cute tops layered just right (the weather could be a little cool).  Now, there was a lot of "fashion don'ts" as well but overall, the big city urban look was great.  I did notice that the later the evening, the shorter the dress!  And I mean short, short dresses with high, high heels.  And, these girls were taking the subway.  They take their fashion seriously in the big city. 

Some suggestions for getting that big city urban fashionista look:

Skinny jeans with ballerina flats
T-shirts layered with thin sweater or a scarf wrapped around your neck
Cute short dress with wedge heels

Most of all, it's an attitude towards fashion and wanting to look your best.  Women of all shapes, sizes, age, etc. were on it in Boston and I was impressed.  I probably spent more time people watching than learning about the history of our country but hey, I can always google anything I need to know.  Fashion was living history that was happening all around me and I couldn't help myself.  That counts, right?

Smooches,
Letty

Lemonade & Letiquette

Funny story on how the name "Letiquette" came to be...I was at lunch with my girlfriend (who shall remain nameless) and she decided that she was going to make lemonade at the table out of the water with lemons she had asked for, using the sweetner on the table!  As you can imagine, I was aghast!  It was sooo something my mother would have done (Dolores has a reputation of making lemonade at the table and taking sweetner home).  I told her I would never eat lunch with her if she ever did that again.  Her response was "Well excuse me...what's that "Letiquette"?  Thus, the term Letiquette was born.  We still laugh about that today.  She doesn't make lemonade at the table anymore when we are eating lunch together...but I do sometimes take sweetner back to the office. 
Smooches,
Letty

Closet Envy

I have a severe case of closet envy.  Watching "House Hunters" on HGTV is the reason.  My closet is just too small for all my stuff and when my dog Lola decides that it is her "doggy den", I am really crowded out!  I wish I had a big, huge closet where each pair of my shoes had their own space on a large wall and I could organize them by style, color and season....sigh.  A girlfriend of mine even has a washer & dryer in her closet!  That's serious closet design.  Since I am not going to get a new closet (no House Hunting for us) nor is there any opporunity to make my closet bigger (it's backs up to the kitchen), I try hard to keep it clean and organized to make it feel and look bigger than it really is.  First, I switch my clothing from one closet to another for each season.  Since we only really have two seasons in Texas -Hot, Hot Summer and Kinda Cold Winter- I only have to do this twice a year.  I keep my out-of-rotation items in the guest room closet.  I'm not a packrat and I don't save a lot of "sentimental" things so that I have this extra closet space and it comes in handy.  Second, I get rid of items I haven't worn in more than 1 year.  If it hasn't made my rotation in 365 days, then it's just not necessary and I probably can't fit it anymore...another sigh.  Third, I color coordinate all my clothes (light to dark for spring and dark to light for winter).  Makes me feel like I have more room since everything is nice and neat.  Fourth, I put all my shoes (except flip-flops) in plastic shoe boxes.  They stack nicely.  Fifth, I use the space beneath the lower hanging items for my boots, sweaters and scarves neatly tucked away in clear plastic containers that lay flat.

One day I will have the closet of my dreams...unfortunately, it will probably have to be extra wide for me and my walker to move around in it but I'll get there one day. 

Smooches,
Letty

Dinner Party Trifecta

There are three basic components of a successful dinner party - drink, company and food (in that order) perfectly combined.  This perfect combination is sometimes hard to come by but one thing that makes it more likely is to ask your guests to B.Y.O.B.  Yes, I said B.Y.O.B.  I was recently invited to a dinner party/barbeque that was B.Y.O.B.  Although some etiquette snobs might say this is a social faux pas and I once agreed, I have changed my mind and am now a HUGE fan of B.Y.O.B. at a dinner party, mostly because my husband is simply the best bartender I know and since we've been together over 18 years, he knows exactly what I like to drink.  B.Y.O.B. will ensure that your guests are drinking what they like.  No point in drinking something at the party you don't like if you are there to have a good time.  And, if everyone is drinking what they like, they will continue to drink and become more interesting as the night progress.  Thus, meeting the second component of the DPT.  You might even have some new BFFs before the night is done.  This frees up the hosts to focus on the menu to meet the third component as they don't have to worry about what they will serve to drink (other than the typical white/red wines).  This was certainly the case at this particular DP.  The food was AMAZING!  I brought my blood-orange soda and vodka mix (my husband was out of town and couldn't make my drinks so this was the best I could do) and that was good enough for me.

So, if you're throwing a dinner party, don't be afraid to ask your guests to bring their favorite cocktail/wine - it will keeps your costs down and let you focus on your menu.  But be sure you wow them with your food.  You can't get away with asking them to bring their own booze and then serve a mediocre meal!  If you are not known for your cooking, then you should plan on having a well-stocked bar for your guests so they won't notice. By the time dinner is served, it will be the best food they ever ate.  Of course, dinner parties are supposed to be about the good company, conversation, etc., but Letiquette requires that you have the trifecta:  good drinks and good company and good food.  If you ask your guests to bring their own drinks, this is perfectly acceptable for the reasons stated above, so the only thing left is good food....and if I'm invited somewhere for dinner and asked to bring my own drinks, then the hosts better not be serving me crap on a cracker.

Smooches,
Letty