Mrs. Obama has great arms but ...

Mrs. Obama is know for her sculpted arms.

Her inaugural gown was beautiful and showed off her great arms. But her posture was distracting. Mrs. Obama is tall for a women, and it looks like she is uncomfortable with that height by her posture. I can imagine she would be uncomfortable with her height, but her shoulders roll forward.

You can stand very straight but the shoulders need to be addressed in any good posture. Drawing your shoulder blades together is the first step to get the shoulders out of that rounded look. Its a simple exercise but to remember to do it and make it a habit and then your regular look will take effort and time.

When you have your shoulders in the correct position along with posture you look more elegant. Just putting on an amazing dress is the first start. With a beautiful dress like Mrs. Obama's you would also do you hair, make-up, pick the perfect shoes, handbag and wrap, but dont forget the posture. How straight is the spine? Is the hip bone in line with the ankles when standing? Are the should blades back (remember "chest out")? The neck, are the ears in line with the shoulders and the head isn't jutting out? Stand with you heals against the wall, your shoulders, elbows and back of the head should all have contact with the wall.

Posture is the one of the pieces of elegance that doesn't cost anything.

So, here we are redefining elegance, the first lady in an interview wearing a sleeveless shirt. For years that would be considered a 'no-no'. So what does Mrs. Obama have in common with the female news anchor on Fox news? The sleeveless shirts. For years sleeveless shirts / dresses were considered either for formal wear or for casual summer wear. Now you see the first lady doing an interview in one and the Fox news anchors, with a snow storm going on behind them, wearing sleeveless shirts. Is this style business like? Our world is changing fast, and what is acceptable is changing also.

For a long time and actually even now, fashion experts will tell women to put a jacket or sweater over the sleeveless shirt when your in a business environment. I would like to agree with this. Mrs. Obama on vacation or working in the garden in the summer show off those arms or at an evening formal. But during interviews and daytime events please dress more business like. The same goes to the female Fox reporters. We all know that female journelist on TV have to be attractive, but Fox takes it to a new level. They have intelligent and smart women, that for some reason, dress unprofessional. Low cut shirts, sleeveless shirts (seeing that during the NYC snow storm was funny and inappropriate) and mini skirts are common attire for these women and I've never been able to figure out why so overtly skimpy clothing on such intelligent women on a 'conservative' news channel. But times are changing, I guess its ok for the sleeveless fashion to occur as long as the men dont pick it up as acceptable fashion during work.

Seattle, Don't outsource our safety

In my zeal and anger, my post as a few factual errors.
The first error was there were 3 not 2 "security"guards. Second, these workers are employed not by the city but by a private agency. Third, the 2.7 billion dollar shortfall is not Seattle but the state of Washington.
Now that I fixed those errors my point still stands. 3 adults could or were told not to step in and help a young girl. How do these people sleep? Behavior as displayed by the security guards and the friends of the people charged with theft are poster children for what has gone wrong in our society. Friends of the attackers or alleged attackers claim we dont know the whole story. I dont need to know the whole story. This was a cowardly attack, multiples on one! Then to continue the beating when she was down shows no moral character. So I dont need to know the rest of the story what I saw is enough. What did this girl do that could be so horrible to beat like that. She insulted your ego?
I am mad, very mad at this behavior. Seattle now has police officers in the tunnel. In the mean time we who take public transport have to be fearful with the knowledge that if some punk takes a liking to our watch or bag or phone, we have no helper in the security guards or other passangers. Things dont mean anything, give them what they want, but we still must be concerned if this thug for his jollies will now commence on beating us. There is a much bigger problem that has presented itself - safety. Robberies happen but beating after wards, the security guards we placed there for a reason but they were left impotent by the mandates of the company that hired them.
Seattle save the some money FIRE that company, HIRE trained police officers. How about cadets for the state police? These minimum wage jobs are not effective. No one in their right mind would step in as their job to risk their life. People risk their lives to help others because they are great people you cant pay for greatness but you can pay for complacency.

Step Up

I love Seattle. So when watching the news yesterday I see a story about a beating in the bus tunnel. I don't like riding the bus in Seattle. Every time I have ridden the bus it was frightening. I know of someone who reported a disturbance on the bus and the driver made my friend who reported the disturbance get off the bus. The person causing the disturbance was a metro worker. Well, now the city has another problem with city workers.

These "security" guards stood and watched as a young girl was beaten to the ground then had her head stomped. What did these workers do? Noticed I called then workers because their behavior was inhuman. These workers WATCHED the beating. To be fair the one worker, after at least three kicks to the girls head walked over and told her to stop. Oh big deal.

The majority of people in Seattle are kind and wonderful people, this is not the general behavior. This is a sub culture. The scary thing is this sub culture now seems to have people working in the metro.

Fights have always happened remember "West Side Story"? The difference now are the camera's and a 24 hour news cycle.

These workers, yes two of them, had the security vests on. What good is it to pay these people. Seattle has a 2.7 billion dollar budget problem, here's an idea, their job is just symbolic so who needs metro security. Extreme yes, but those two workers, showed what kind people they are and as a citizen I don't want to pay people salaries that wont help another person when they are "civil servants".

Something is wrong with Seattle Metro, my friend reported the bus driver to the metro for his improper behavior and just like the "security" guards, customer service did nothing. Yes with the budget short fall - lets take a look at the metro and see how many people we really need and how much money we can save by getting rid of those non-workers.

Kindness, Loneliness and "Haters" in society

You will notice that I have added a link to a URL. This is a blog that I follow. I found Kandee on YouTube. Today I watched her video entitled "This is NOT a video about makeup". It really touched me. She makes a point about people, you can ask people to say 10 negative things about someone and they have no problem doing that, but ask them to say 10 nice things about that same person and they will have trouble.

We have so many stresses in our lives simply with getting everything done we need to in the time available. Now, we who are trying to live our life to our best, have to deal with people commonly know as "haters". We all can think of other adjectives to call these people. But they take more from us then they are due. They take our time and they take our confidence, they take our happiness and even if it is for a short time it is time they are not due. How do to deal with these viruses, no clue, really no clue. With the Internet we cant hide. They post to YouTube, they send emails, etc..
No matter what we say to ourselves to work through the mud they throw at those who are being productive in society we still have to clean off that mud.

The only thing we can do is to make a vow never to join in that behavior. That also means that if we know of someone who is a "hater" and is spewing their vomit on others put an end to it. If that person if your friend reconsider quickly if you want to keep them as a friend. Someday you will irritate them and they will throw their trash your way.

These "haters" cause damage, sometimes irretrievable damage, even death. They must not be allowed to remain in your world.

Empathy, that is what we must have. Empathy for the people who are innocent of everything except that this person thinks they are better and more important then everyone else and especially the one they are tormenting. If we don't say or do anything to stop these people we are guilty of complicity. We can not control the behavior of others, but we can make it know that their behavior is sick and something we want nothing to with. Yes, their venom can turn on you and it will take strength and integrity but you are helping in keeping this contagion limited.

The best case scenario is that the good people leave these "haters" to each other and then they can turn on each other.

The most ironic portion of this is" haters" think everyone hates them because they think they are so wonderful, but in reality we don't hate the "haters" we hate their behavior. On YouTube the "haters" we identified and it was suggested to give them negative comments. You might feel that is the only recourse you have but that is what they expect and you know the comment that they will be making. These people don't like themselves anyway so adding fuel to that fire means they will only keep up. Fire needs oxygen and we cant give them any oxygen. What is the worst thing for a "hater"? Being ignored, isolated, the same thing they are trying to do to others. They like the audience. We all have much more important things to do like helping up someone "hit" by the trash of a "hater". Don't focus on the hater focus on the victim of the venom.

Kindness is what we need, kindness to ourselves, you are not stupid, fat or unlovable. You would never say that to anyone so why say it to yourself. The fact that you know you would never say it to another person shows that you are a kind, caring person and are currently in a situation that you don't feel supported. All things change.

We may be physically lonely in our fast pace world and "talking" to a computer isn't the same, but we do have that ability to reach out to people and be kind to them through our technology.

Be kind to all. You find a "hater" just turn and walk the other way they should have no portion of your time and life.

This sounds simple, and when being harassed by "haters" this post really does sound simple. You may understand that your not alone and that everyone is not against you, but the unparalleled weight in your heart wont go away. Support those in this situation, take action - legal, what ever it takes. Your life is to valuable to continue in this. Reach out for help, it will be there. Just ask.

Mani (cont.)

It seems Brooks did not like the last post. Brooks felt it was to long and that I missed the point. So, why doesn't Brooks post? To many projects, so its now up to me to take another shot at mani's.

Basically, its not the French Manicure, but it's when you have acrylic nails that are not formed beautifully or have not been maintained and are to long. The color or design isn't so much the point.

We had seen a women sitting near us this weekend and Brooks and I had the conversation about her manicure. She had acrylic nails that were so built up and not formed they almost looked more like eagles talons. The white section of the manicure looked wider then the natural finger and longer then the nail bed. You could also see that she hadn't been to salon in weeks because of the nail growth. People do notice these things. Having your nails manicured shouldn't draw attention to your hands it should be a compliment to your hands.

Brooks - I hope that this post is more precise and to your liking.

Mani Pedi

Manicures and Pedicures have been popular for at least the last 15 years. Your hand are visible to everyone, taking care of your nails on you hands and feet is good style. In the summer, showing the toes is just going to be your everyday fashion. Do you have to go to the spa to take care of your hands and feet.? No and it doesn't have to be that expensive, you can do this maintenance at home.

There are a lot of fun colors for your nails or there is the natural manicure. So, what is up with the French Manicure? It looks like your trying to combine natural nails with showing off your manicure. I have seen women with tasteful French Manicure's, but there are some with the nails in an unnatural shape and the white is just not natural for any nail. Then this French Manicure has now taken hold on the toes. This is not a natural look, either. It looks pretentious. What statement are you trying to make with this nail effect? The oddest look is to see a women with her French Manicure on hands and toes, showing her style, but then the rest of her look belies the idea that she really cares how she looks.

Elegance is not to draw undue attention to yourself. Unduly long or unnaturally shaped nails draw attention to the nails as quickly as chipped polish on either hands or feet.

What is in your food?

“How do the ingredients in my food have anything to do with being elegant?” you might ask. Simple, the food you eat impacts your health, the amount of food you eat impacts your weight. Its simple calories in versus calories expended in activity, no magic.

The ingredients in your food are very important. Have you look at a label lately? Depending on the food and how processed it is you need a PhD to decipher what really is in there.

We are all in a hurry these days and cooking food as close to how it came from the farm can be hard, but well worth it in the long run. All of these ingredients that we can’t pronounce – how many times have they been processed and what ingredients were added during the process.

New York City is trying to ban salt, or at least lower the amounts we consume. Take a look at the condiments in your fridge – look at the salt content in ketchup, mustard even hot sauce. Want a TV dinner – beware of the salt. We know the health implications of to much salt and trying to control how much we take in if were not cooking the food ourselves is very difficult.

What prompted this posting? Watching Food Network I was this commercial by the Corn Refiners Association, touting that high fructose corn syrup isn’t bad as long as it’s in moderation. I have two issues with the commercial. The first is; HFCS is in so much of the food we eat, how can we eat it in moderation? Secondly, they make the people who are saying “Don’t eat HFCS” look like idiots. This people when questioned as to why not consume HFCS can’t answer the question. I can, how about this, yes it is corn when it started its life but now it’s closer to Frankenstein then corn. HFCS is a way of sweetening food, a very cheap way. Have you ever had Coke from Mexico or one of the boutique sodas? These sodas use pure cane sugar and the flavor of these sodas is amazing in comparison to the Coke in the cans in America. Do you know why HFCS can be labeled ‘natural’ ? Because there is nothing synthetic in it, but I’ve never seen a HFCS plant, I do know what cane sugar looks like. One more thing, don’t confuse corn syrup you cook with, with this HFCS. Our world is controlled by marketing firms. We must be aware as to who is behind our commercials and news stories. We must look out for ourselves and not let someone in an office or conference rooms in NYC or LA tell us what we should eat, wear or think.
We have been taught that cheaper food is better, to expect big portions, portions that are 2 – 3 times more then should be consumed. We think we are getting our moneys worth. This just isn’t true. Ever see the portions of food we should be eating? Food, when left on its own has flavors that are so satisfying and our digestion systems knows what it is and what to do with it.

Controlling our portions and being aware of what we are consuming will help in controlling our weight and help those who are trying to lose weight. Again, calories in versus calories expended.

I believe in better living thru science, except when it comes to the ingredients in my food.

Charity for Haitians

Our hearts are full of love and concern for all those who have been directly and indirectly affected by the earthquake.

When donating please use your wits and do not fill the pockets of the lowest part of humanity. Those who would take advantage of this situation to enrich their own bank accounts are below and beyond contempt. Personally, they should be hunted down and dealt with. Donate to reputable agencies. Most of the news organizations have a link; even Google has a link where you can feel safer about giving money.
When donating money thru texting, be aware that it could take almost 90 days for that money to make it thru the channels.

One more item, do you know of someone in your community with relative in Haiti? These individuals have been affected also. They have a place to lay their heads, but can they even sleep? Are they eating? How is there family? Are they still looking for family? These people need your emotional support. If you work with them, can you help with the work load that they might not now be so able to complete in a timely fashion? Do they need someone just to listen to there worries? Reach out to these people, they are feeling lost right now. Imagine if you were the only member of your family in a foreign land.

As a world community, please put aside politics and religion that normal separate us.

Classy or Elegant?

Most people use these words interchangeably. The question is, are they? Not really.

Consult dictionary.com and you’ll see the difference. Defining class by about the 8th definition you get “the system of dividing society” and the following one is “social rank esp. high rank”. Class just makes you think of someone wanting to place themselves above another person. Elegant gives you a different definition: tasteful, graceful, and excellent. Those are adjectives that everyone would wish to have applied to there reputation.

Class makes you think of do’s and don’ts

Elegance is something you learn by example.

There have been some high profile books out in the past few years from women with social standing. For some years now this is how class and elegance have been presented to us, as something automatically obtained by the wealthy and privileged, and if you didn’t have this blessing then you were condemned to a life of tackiness. Interestingly enough, in the late 1930’s there was a home study course on personal experience, with chapters dealing on charm and etiquette, for every woman. In our era these books now make is seem that if you are not born with a role model or with the money for classes your only hope is to be uncouth, unlearned, part of the great “unwashed”.

This might be the case if we only had the examples of women from reality TV, “celebutants” and those who married into the aristocracy, which must be making the founders of the United States rolling over in their graves that we still have this odd fascination with titles. George Washington didn’t need any title, nor did Thomas Jefferson. The wives of the presidents (if alive) didn’t ask for nor required a title. These were people that did some amazing things and they were humble enough to realize that their accomplishments were for the betterment of human kind, not singularly a personal betterment. A lesson we all need to remember. We can build better lives for ourselves, but not at the detriment to others, are you listening Mr. Madoff?

The best thing any women can do for a daughter is to be elegant and let her follow your example.

Introducing Brooks

As you see there is a contributing blogger Brooks Forrester. Brooks is the ying to the yang. Brooks will contribute differing views points at times and other times there may be a comment from Brooks pertaining to something particularly irritating that the rest of us can contribute a comment.

Two voices can make for a much more interesting read and multiple view points make a lively community.

AA

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Greetings,

I am not sure if I am the ying or the yang. We hope that we can share what we have seen that is just, how should I say it, not kosher to be seen. Like those sweat pant clad, fake blond, plastic manicured "women" going to the store for milk. puh-lease!!! Astor and I may or may not see things eye to eye, though we hope we can shed light on being more elegant. So, enjoy elegance in this era.

BF