Ms. v. Mr.

The man and woman in me both agree that this one is just too easy:

Red

(Done Right)

Ugh, we can't hate you in this gorgeousness:

Call me crazy, but me likey:

Yeah, I'm a little scared, too, but it is still rockin':

(Gone Wrong)

You are so hot, why are you doing this to yourself?:

You think you are so hot, why are you doing this to us?:

Floral

(Done Right)

(Gone Wrong)

"Hi, Grandma!":

I actually think this dress is really pretty, she is just annoying me right now:

One-Shoulder Dress

(Done Right)

(Gone Wrong)

Most Improved Player

Wow, V-Huds actually looks like a nice person in this photo:

She almost has me convinced that she's not a total slut.

50/50

Pros: Shoes, sweater
Cons: Olivia Palermo

Sweet Tooth

I must try Humphry Slocombe ice-cream.

Jake Godby’s intention when he opened Humphry Slocombe in December 2008 was to create a challenging ice cream store. He has succeeded. The physical plant is straight-up soda-fountain retro: black-and-white tile floor, chrome-and-red-leather stools, simple Formica bar. Then there is the art, which tends toward food punk. Across from the front door hang four knockoff Warhol paintings, Campbell’s soup cans labeled Secret Breakfast, Salt & Pepper, Hibiscus Beet and Fetal Kitten. (The first three are Humphry Slocombe ice cream flavors; the fourth is Godby’s stock response to the question “What crazy new flavor are you making next?”) A mount of a taxidermied two-headed calf protrudes above the bar.

The three hipster-geeks started squirming and making frat-house jokes. “Dude, you need to eat that!” one said to another, picking a lard caramel off the counter. Godby’s palate favors salt, booze and meat. Each day he scoops 10 to 12 of his hundred-plus ice cream flavors, favorites including Jesus Juice (red wine and Coke) and Boccalone Prosciutto. Godby also produces novelties in the what might be called the nose-to-tail dessert paradigm: duck-fat pecan pies, foie-gras ginger-snap ice cream sandwiches, treats that incorporate odd animal parts. On occasion, next to the register (cash only), he sets out a glass-covered cake stand filled with brownies. Nobody buys them. As Godby, in his uniform of long green shorts, blue apron and white Chuck Taylors, explains, “I can’t sell cupcakes to save my life.”

Word of the Day

nitid \NIT-id\, adjective:

Bright; lustrous.

Intolerably, I dreamt of an exiguous and nitid labyrinth: in the center was a water jar; my hands almost touched it, my eyes could see it, but so intricate and perplexed were the curves that I knew I would die before reaching it.
-- Jorge Luis Borges, The Immortal

"What!" exclaimed Sir Norfolk, almost shuddering at the inadvertence he had committed; "a waiting-man in such costly and nitid attire."
-- William Harrison Ainsworth, The Miser's Daughter

Nitid is related to the Latin nitidus, "glistening."

Print

(Done Right)

Yes, yes, yes:




(Gone Wrong)


The print itself is not bad, but the outfit kills it:

Coral

(Done Right)







(Gone Wrong)

Puppy Love

What Pets Can Teach Us About Marriage



Do you greet each other with excitement, overlook each other’s flaws and easily forgive bad behavior? If it’s your pet, the answer is probably yes. But your spouse? Probably not.

In an article on PsychCentral, clinical psychologist Suzanne B. Phillips of Long Island University explores what our relationships with pets can teach us about our relationship with a spouse or romantic partner.

“What is interesting in my work with couples is that although couples may vehemently disagree on most topics, they usually both soften in manner and tone to agree that the dog, cat, bird or horse is great,” Dr. Phillips writes.

She argues that we all have much to learn from the way we love our pets. People often describe pets as undemanding and giving unconditional love, when the reality is that pets require a lot of time and attention, special foods and care. They throw up on rugs, pee in the house and steal food from countertops. Yet we accept their flaws because we love them so much.

Dr. Phillips suggests we can all learn how to improve our human relationships by focusing on how we interact with our pets. Among her suggestions:

Greetings: Even on bad days, we greet our pets with a happy, animated hello, and usually a pat on the head or a hug. Do you greet your spouse that way?

Holding grudges: Even when our pets annoy us by wrecking the furniture or soiling the floor, we don’t stay mad at them.

Assuming the best: When our pets make mistakes, we don’t take it personally and are quick to forgive. We give them the benefit of the doubt. Yet when our spouse does something wrong, we often react with anger and blame.

“The old expression ‘you get what you give’ may apply here,” writes Dr. Phillips. “Maybe you give something very positive to your pet that invites the unconditional love and connection that makes you feel so good. Maybe it has potential to enhance your relationship.”

(Happy 7th Birthday, Charlie!)

Pearls of Wisdom

Street Chic

I don't particularly love any individual article, but like the ensemble:

Go visit the Lincoln Memorial at night. :)

The Word

Matthew 5:11-16 (New International Version)

11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light
13"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Ms. v. Mr.

The woman in me thinks it would be nice to see both of Claire Danes' hands:


. . . the man in me thought that mermaids had tails on their legs, not their arm.

Blush

(Done Right)




(Gone Wrong)



Love the dress, but not on her:

Love It or Hate It?

Are these absolutely necessary?:

Light Blue + Shades

Definitely stylin' and profilin':

Warm Weather Blazer

(Done Right)

Very sexy:



The proportions are all right:




(Gone Wrong)

The proportions are all wrong - what a hot mess:

Street Chic