Check out my horoscope today:Everyone's got an opinion (or two or three) about what you should do next, but only you know what's best. Ignore everybody's input (which you didn't ask for anyway) and connect with yourself as you revamp your game plan.
Hey guys! Hope you had a great weekend! Mine was... interesting. As you know from my prior post, I attended a bachelorette party in Vegas. I did lots of fun things, like pool time at Mandalay Bay, spa time at Spa Mandalay, club time, and lots and lots of champagne, but the guest list included a bunch of girls that are sort of my secondary group of friends. In the end, I figured out that about 85% of them are totally narcissistic, substance abusing, crazy bitches - including the bride. Especially Bridezilla, in fact!! So in the end, I uninvited myself from the wedding and have decided that I'm going to stop hanging out with the "B Team", as I have always called them.
my tote bag, and my entire makeup case as well as my jewelry pouch was MISSING! GASP!!! I was sooooooooooo upset, but had a long weekend ahead of me, and tried not to let it ruin my weekend. I thought I had lost it along the way, perhaps at the airport or in the plane, and backtracked all the lost and founds along the way - nothing. When I got home last night, I scoured my room - nothing. Then what do you know? When I got to my desk this morning... it was sitting right here! Yippee! That was a close one. Thanks, makeup and jewelry angels, for looking out for me!
Hey guys! I'll be outta town for the next few days, but if you need to reach me, call me on my cell! I'll be at TheHotel at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas for a three day bachelorette party.
Oligo 25 Eyes – refresh and stimulate the eye area, reducing under eye darkness and bags; great to leave in your purse for rough days, since it’s refreshing, hydrating, and beautifying! Apparently the secret of this little stick is Manganese to reactivate micro-circulation responsible for the blueish color of under-eye circles and Escinine to stimulate drainage of accumulated toxins and to reduce eye contour puffiness. I’m telling you guys – it is amazing stuff! www.vichyusa.com
Neutrogena Sesame Oil – this is my MOST FAVORITE beauty secret. I put this on after my shower every morning and not only does my skin smell fresh and clean, but it feels super soft and lasts all day long. Since I started using this, I got rid of those pesky little red bumps on the back of my arms (girls – you know what I’m talking about!), so I’m beginning to think those had something to do with dehydration or clogged pores…
Long shorts – I wore some for the first time yesterday and got some serious compliments. Black ones that extend right past the knee are flattering even for short girls. I wore mine with black patent peep toe heels and felt very retro sexy!
you name it and they’re hot this year!
Fabulous sunglasses – my faves are Diors and Guccis, but as long as you find some big, plastic-framed glasses that look fabulous on your face, they dress up any outfit!
collection of bikinis and covers is mandatory. I’ve been buying all my suits lately at victoriassecret.com and am always pleased with my purchases. I borrowed Natalie’s terrycloth Juicy Couture swimsuit covers, too, and they’re so fashionable and functional! I saw some at Target this year, too, that are similar – check out the photo.
Well, it was definitely a great weekend, per normal when Lauren comes to town! We must be finally growing up (a little) because we really weren't that bad... No one got ridiculously ill, in trouble, fought with their boyfriends, or did anything they forgot about the next day! (We think...) :)
Wow. We got up early the next day and lunched at our other fave restaurant in Little Italy, Buon Appetito. Kati joined us and we ended up having a great amount of food and a few bottles of wine. (And one hilarious digital camera-related incident that must remain undisclosed indefinitely...)
their hair, and I decided I wanted to, as well. The only other time I've ever tried to dye my hair was in March 2005 when I stayed with Shannon and Petri for a couple of weeks and Shannon and I tried to dye my hair a dark auburn. When we pulled the towel off, it was.... dark brown with a few grays, just like before!!
the hair dye! Thanks, Ker, for being my beautician this weekend! So now my hair is just a shade lighter than black and all the grays have washed away (not that there were THAT many...)! Don't tell anyone, but all three of dyed our hair the exact same color, so we're pretty much the Bobsie triplets now!
later to Nunu's - my fave dive bar in San Diego. I was pretty proud of us for having closed it down at 2:00 a.m.
Of course, we taxied over to La Posta and ordered some Crazy Chips, and headed home for a late night pig-out session. Sunday - hangovers on the couch and Miss Cilman had to ree kee kee all the way home.
Love you girls more than I love crazy chips and having no gray hairs combined,
OMG, I'm so excited!!! Tonight is the 2 hour premiere show of Dancing With the Stars!!! I'm not sure why I love this show so much, but I just DO. :) It's so fun and the professional dancers are so beautiful to watch. I guess I've always been fascinated with performance arts, given my 14 years of gymnastics, many years of dance training, and 7 years of cheerleading...
Top o' the morning to ya, friends! I have an olde Irish prayer for ya today.
Guess who's back? Back again? It's Slim Shady herself, Miss Lauren Cilman, AKA DJ Chola, Spanish Gonzo, Slutty Face, etc. Add Lauren plus Natalie plus Kerry plus Mer? Oh boy. I woke up this morning with a photo of nachos sent to my cell phone with a notice that there's a new sheriff in town. And she arrives at 7:00 p.m. tonight. Again, oh boy.Regarding the photo, these are
the famous nachos from La Posta in Hillcrest. They are usually consumed in the taxi around 2:00 a.m. after downtown closes... My girls and I have dubbed them "crazy chips" and usually the one ordering them shakes her goodies at the dude accepting our order while requesting the crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrazy chips! The reception is always quite positive.
This is the kind of weekend I'm expecting. I hope you surround yourselves with great people and have a wonderful time, as well.
Love, Mer
This is pretty cool! I'll have to check this out:CAIRO, Egypt - A new reality TV show in the Middle East has a familiar set-up: Take a group of young adults, put them in an RV and film their every move as they drive across the United States.
But producers threw out out the formula of partying, petty fighting and outrageous physical competitions and instead focused on a loftier goal — trying to bridge the cultural gap between Arabs and Americans.
"On the Road in America" debuted earlier this year on the Saudi Arabian-owned satellite channel MBC. It follows four young Arabs — three men and a woman — as they travel from Washington, D.C., to California to discover the "real" America.
It was produced by a nonprofit company backed by a string of Washington heavyweights — Republicans and Democrats — including former President George H.W. Bush, who aim to fight negative stereotypes of America in the Arabic-speaking world.
The company, Layalina Productions Inc., has a board that boasts such names as former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and James A. Baker III and former U.S. Representative Lee Hamilton.
But unlike the Bush administration's attempts to win over Arab hearts and minds through radio and TV stations here, Layalina, which means "our nights" in Arabic, is privately funded.
Layalina founder Richard Fairbanks, a U.S. ambassador-at-large under President Reagan, said he hopes shows such as "On the Road in America" have something the U.S. government-financed programs do not — credibility.
"I thought the best way to do it was with the private sector and have it appear on media outlets in the region and appeal to people there," Fairbanks said. "I hoped we could produce programming ... that would have a positive impact on critical thinking and show a different view of the United States."
During filming of the 10-week road trip, the show's quartet — an Egyptian, Ali Amr; a Saudi, Sanad Al Kubaissi; a Lebanese, Mohamed Abou Ghazal; and a Palestinian, Lara Abou Saifan — met with politicians, blues musicians and church leaders as well as ordinary Americans while riding horses in Yellowstone National Park, playing softball in Chicago and touring Universal Studies in Los Angeles.
In the last two episodes of the 12-part series, they returned to visit their home countries.
The show is not an American lovefest. The foursome freely express their opinions — both positive and negative — about America and its relations with the Arab world.
During one radio station appearance in Washington, for example, Saifan, a Palestinian who lived in Lebanon, declared her support for Hezbollah, which the U.S. considers a terrorist group. Her opinion drew objections from the radio host.
Haynes Mahoney, a public affairs officer at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, said the show fills a void because it shows Arabs and Americans in way not often depicted in the news or movies.
"We believe that peace and our country's security in the long run really depends on having a mutual understanding between people ... This kind of program helps to do that by humanizing both sides," Mahoney said.
Series creator Jerome Gary carefully selected the show's cast, knowing he needed outgoing young adults who were skeptical about the U.S. — but who also wanted to see the country for themselves.
He hopes the show will find a U.S. distributor and be aired in America.
"There is a big colossal misunderstanding between Arabs and Americans," Gary said. "And I want us to understand one another."
Before visiting the United States, Amr disliked the U.S. and worried everyone would think he was a terrorist. But said he was surprised that most people were friendly and interested in learning more about him.
Now that Amr is home in Cairo, he is trying to share his new optimistic American perspective with friends and family.
But some remain unconvinced, he said.
"My picture of the country has changed," Amr said recently at a Cairo coffee shop. "I hope this show lifts the gap between American people and Arab. I know my mind is open and my eyes are open."
Good morning everyone! Hope everyone is swell today. I was pretty grouchy yesterday, but am feeling a whole lot better today. I have a couple of interesting little nuggets for you guys today.
Hi guys. I hope all is well! This was a very interesting weekend for me. I spent a lot of time in the sun (it's 80 degrees here right now), talking with people that are important to me, getting to know some better, sharing secrets with others, and even made a new friend who just moved on to my floor in my building. It was an intellectually and emotionally stimulating few days and I liked it.
It's time to start concentrating on this:
