I love it

Thanks Suzanne!

Post Secret Favs of the week

For once, a happy Monday!!

So I went back to suburbia this weekend which was fantastic. Wendy (My mother- who I only refer to as Wendy when speaking about her...and she hates it) and I spent Saturday spending money that I don't have at the outlets. It was great- I got some great things that were on sale because of the holiday. We found a dress for my cousin's wedding at BCBG. I got great professional clothes at Banana. Brown and black pumps that I have needed forever at Aldo. A couple sweaters/cardigans from JCrew. All necessities I might add...including this from Coach:

What?!? I needed a black purse!?!

Then, I later got this second piece for my Halloween costume at Forevs:

It is starting to come together!

Today is great because we actually got work off! I am going to do laundry, which is always exciting. And interview dog walkers...don't ask. And maybe going with Carrie to the grocery store... don't be jealous.

Ohhh Halloween...

Alright so its a terrible picture but this is piece #1 of my Halloween costume. It arrived today and I am very excited! Its an elegant black faux fur jacket from an equally exquisite website. I am going to keep my really creative costume a secret, but I'll let you know as I find pieces to add to it. I am going to do some major hunting this weekend.

I ONLY like Halloween when I have a costume planned. Usually what happens is that I wait until the last minute, and get totally stressed out. You can't just decide not to wear a costume, but then if you have to wear one, it needs to be somewhat cute. Its a battle every year.

I also don't enjoy when people wear masks. I'm pretty much scared of all things clownish/mascots/masks etc. so this isn't my favorite holiday of all time.

Last year I was a sailor girl...

(I'm going to go out on a limb and say this wasn't the best picture we've ever taken... Well K2 looks good but Carrie will kill me for putting this up.)

And this was my first costume of the night while at Club Med 2 Halloweens ago:

(I was some kind of 80's thing...and that's Ed-he was actually the security guard)

And...let's not talk about what I had to dress as for the end of the night:

I was SO mad. I couldn't get that shit out of my hair for days.

Missed connections

Alright, am I the only one who reads "Missed Connections" on Craigslist? Yes, that's right. I am still waiting for the day when someone notices my beauty as I scowl the whole way to work on the train. No, not really. But they are really entertaining to read. In fact now that I'm thinking about it, there really aren't any websites 100% dedicated to "missed connections". Hmmmmm alright don't steal my idea- I'm going to be rich.

I came across this little love post today:

"Cute Braces - m4w"
I saw you at The Fucky Buddah.
You were with a few friends.
You had dark hair and braces.
We talked briefly but it was loud...
I think your name was Nicole.
Do you remember my name?


Uhmmm I'm not sure what to say about that. Braces? Mrs. McAuslan? But that does remind me of the time that we wanted to have a girls night and go to a cool lounge. We found Funky Buddha on Metromix and thought that it would be great to go there. FALSE. I do not enjoy.

Compulsive Shopping

So I don't know if its the weather or what the deal is, but lately when I get down, I feel the need to shop. I know- sooo not girl-like at all. Since I have negative money, I have somehow been able to suppress the urge. HOWEVER yesterday was a really bad day and I peer pressured myself into buying something.

It all started when my greatest friend in the land Courtney, Gchatted me about a coat Elle (She also has to maintain strict secrecy about her real identity) had posted on her blog. Then I decided to take a look at the website where she got it, and wanted to buy everything in sight. I ended up with this:

Its over :(

Well after much speculation about Holly Madison f*ing Criss Angel and Kendra Wilkinson apparently engaged to Hank Baskett and poor Bridget getting nothing... Holly confirmed to TMZ that her and Hef are no longer together. I don't know how I feel about this.

Celebrity Sighting!

So I'm minding my own business pretending to put out fires on my Blackberry when who do I see crossing the street but "Kiss From a Rose" Seal! You know, that singer who is married to Heidi Klum. He crossed the street and then walked across the street right besides me! Some Greenpeace chick was harassing him about saving the planet and he just kept saying "Save yourself" "Save yourself". He did stare at me, obviously because he thought perhaps his wife had come to Chicago to surprise him...but no, it was just me, the Heidi Klum look alike. He went into the Apple store on Michigan while I continued on to the dermatologist.

PINK!

While cabing around last night to somewhere WAY out of my comfort zone- I noticed the "PINK" lights on the Sears and Hancock towers. Which reminded me that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. Breast cancer is near and dear to my heart since it is very prevalent in my family history...sweet.

I was watching Oprah the other night and she had Christina Applegate on, talking about her breast cancer. I learned some very interesting facts, which really only increased my paranoia.

Some breast cancer facts:

• Excluding cancers of the skin, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among U.S. women, accounting for more than 1 in 4 cancers.


• Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer.


• One out of eight American women who live to be 85 years of age will develop breast cancer, a risk that was one out of 14 in 1960.


• 2.4 million women living in the U.S. have been diagnosed with and treated for breast cancer.


• An estimated 182,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in American women during 2008. About 1,990 new cases of breast cancer are expected in men. In addition, an estimated 67,770 cases of in situ breast cancer (both DCIS and LCIS) are expected, with 85 percent being DCIS.


• An estimated 40,930 breast cancer deaths are anticipated this year (40,480 women, 450 men).


• The greatest risk factor for developing breast cancer is gender (female) and the second is age. During 2000-2004, 95 percent of new cases and 97 percent of breast cancer deaths occurred in women aged 40 and older.


• The risk of developing breast cancer increases for women whose parent, sibling or child have had the disease.


• It has been estimated that 5 percent to 10 percent of breast cancer cases result from inherited mutations or alterations in BRCA1 and BRCA2.


• Women who begin menstruating before age 12 are at increased risk of developing breast cancer. The more menstrual cycles a woman has during her lifetime, the more her risk increases.


• Other risk factors include inherited mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, a personal or family history of breast cancer, high breast tissue density, high-dose radiation to the chest wall, long menstrual history, never having given birth or giving birth for the first time after age 30, and biopsy-confirmed atypical hyperplasia.


• After decreasing 16 percent from 2006 to 2007, the estimated number of new cases of female invasive breast cancer is expected to increase slightly in 2008 to 182,460, up from 178,480. The estimated number of new breast cancer cases in men is expected to continue to decline slightly, with 1,990 new cases in 2008, down from 2,030 in 2007.


• Female breast cancer incidence rates continuously increased for two decades, but have leveled off since 2001.

Some ways to prevent breast cancer:

• Limit alcohol/NO Smoking. A strong link exists between alcohol consumption and breast cancer. The type of alcohol consumed — wine, beer or mixed drinks — seems to make no difference. To help protect against breast cancer, limit alcohol to less than one drink a day or avoid alcohol completely.


• Maintain a healthy weight. There's a clear link between obesity — weighing more than is appropriate for your age and height — and breast cancer. This is especially true if you gain the weight later in life, particularly after menopause. Excess fatty tissue is a source of circulating estrogen in your body. And breast cancer risk is linked to how much estrogen you're exposed to during your lifetime.


• Stay physically active. Regular exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight and, as a consequence, may aid in lowering your risk of breast cancer. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week. If you haven't been particularly active in the past, start your exercise program slowly and gradually work up to a greater intensity. Try to include weight-bearing exercises such as walking, jogging or aerobics. These have the added benefit of keeping your bones strong.


• Consider limiting fat in your diet. Results from the most definitive study of dietary fat and breast cancer risk to date suggest a slight decrease in risk of invasive breast cancer for women who eat a low-fat diet. But the effect is modest at best. However, by reducing the amount of fat in your diet, you may decrease your risk of other diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke. And a low-fat diet may protect against breast cancer in another way if it helps you maintain a healthy weight — another factor in breast cancer risk. For a protective benefit, limit fat intake to less than 35 percent of your daily calories and restrict foods high in saturated fat.


• Exposure to pesticides. The molecular structure of some pesticides closely resembles that of estrogen. This means they may attach to estrogen receptor sites in your body. Although studies haven't found a definite link between most pesticides and breast cancer, researchers have learned that women with elevated levels of pesticides in their breast tissue have a greater breast cancer risk.


• Unnecessary antibiotics. Scientists recently found a link between antibiotic use and breast cancer — the longer antibiotics were used, the greater the risk of breast cancer. Researchers caution, however, that other factors, such as underlying illness or a weakened immune system, rather than antibiotics themselves, may account for the elevated cancer risk.


• Retinoids. Natural or synthetic forms of vitamin A (retinoids) may have the ability to destroy or inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Unlike other experimental therapies, retinoids may be effective in premenopausal women and in those whose tumors aren't estrogen-positive. Research is ongoing.


• Flaxseed. Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring compounds that lower circulating estrogens in your body. Flaxseed is particularly high in one phytoestrogen, lignan, which appears to decrease estrogen production and which may inhibit the growth of some breast cancers.
  

It doesn't hurt to change a few things in your life, to be a little healthier. I, personally, am going to work on my morbid obesity ;) Jk...

Good News/Bad News

Good News:

-I went to the dentist and for ONCE have no cavities!

-Lost 2 whole pounds since the last time I weighed myself (Suck on that, Michael!)

-Just deep cleaned my whole room in hopes to not find any more centipedes

-Bruiser went to Vet for his annual shots etc. and he's healthy :)

Bad News:

-The vet cost me $233...

-I am accidentally watching Life in the Fab Lane again...Its like a car crash- I can't stop staring