Read

One month mark.

When I used to work at a library I loved to shelve the biographies. Interestingly, I think it is the genre of book that is least checked out because there were never many to shelve. I loved sliding the books of the shelf and looking at the pictures inside. Little frozen moments in the lives of the famous and infamous.

One in particular I will always remember. It was Isabella Rossellini's Some of Me. Rossellini is the daughter of actress Ingrid Bergman and famous Italian director, Roberto Rossellini. The book was put together more like a magazine spread including pictures on every page. In the forward she said that her first book would be titled Some of Me, and if she wrote another it would be called More of Me, and the last, All of Me.

This is my Some of Me.

Buy

I was watching an Oprah back when Oprah was a little more OPRAH! and she was having a fashion show of some sort. I don’t remember who the designer was or whether it was a Fall or Spring line, but they gave one piece of fashion advice I resoundingly agree with: the one wardrobe item most women do not have, but should is an evening coat.

I am not talking a cute pea coat, or a really nice tailored wool jacket- I mean a real and true evening coat.

About five years ago I saw one that I fell in love with. It was from a store called Arden B. that I really should not have even walked into because of the prices. It was cream brocade cut in a military style, the material, elegant and the pattern floral and feminine, yet the cut gave it edge and kept it interesting. I had to have it.

I cannot even remember how much it was, but it was enough that come Christmas it was the ONLY present I got from my husband that year. This single gift coming from a man who bought me a cell phone, Tiffany’s bracelet, a load of clothes, and a $100 gift card to Anthropologie for our first Christmas together. We had only been dating three months, he got a sweater.

Even given the price I have never once regretted its purchase. In fact, it really and truly is a wardrobe staple of mine. It 100% enhances my outfit when I put it on. You know when clothes can make you feel a certain way? Well this coat makes me feel and it does so every time I put it on, it makes me feel like I have my act together.

Shortly after that Christmas we went to The City to see The Producers with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. While we were standing in line outside my coat was complemented and for some reason that random act of kindness meant the world to me. Possibly because it was such an extravagant purchase at the time- so wherever you are young, hip, female NYC theater worker, thank you for your shared impeccable fashion sense.

Do

When I was very young my father gutted our upstairs bathroom in order to create a grand master bath. However, as it is with my dad for some reason or another projects were never, really, well… 100% finished. It is not that he is not a handy guy. He single handedly built a deck off our house. The problem is the deck around the pool has posts, but no rails. Then there is the deck off the garage he built that is just a shell (the idea was to create a slide into the pool). Or the fact that most of the house is painted, but the too high parts (in effect creating a four color motif). My personal favorite is the very becoming ‘French Country’ faux brick in the kitchen- all aside from the fact that he ran out of bricks and therefore the last two bricks were never placed.

As a result of the bathroom redesign three fourths of my life were spent deprived of a bathtub. It was not until my 27th year in this world that I bought a house with a tub- a crisp, white brand new tub.

There is something about soaking in the bath. When the almost too hot water encases you. That moment is gold. I love taking baths. But there are problems:

1) The environmentally conscious part of me always feels guilty for wasting the worlds water supply
2) You can never really wash your hair. It just does not look the same when washed in the tub. If I later stood up and washed it in the shower I would be using even more water
3) What do you actually do once you are in the water?

Maybe it was because I was deprived as a child, but after the initial- and totally worth it- submersion what are you supposed to do in a bath? Inevitably it becomes a fight to keep as much of your body under water as possible or your knees start getting cold and then you rotate yourself like a rotisserie. You start to fight physics and the laws of buoyancy. I’ve never heard of physics ever loosing.

My cousin and I once had a conversation about bathing and she, like me showers every other day, but she then informed me that she takes a bath the in-between days. Her rational: she does not feel right unless she washes her derrière at least once a day. I was shocked and torn between being appalled (I had just found out that she may be responsible for the lack of drinkable water in third world countries) and embarrassed (how can you fight that kind of logic? I don’t mind a dirty butt?).

The picture of women relaxing in the bath is part myth. Who really reads a book in the bath tub? Do you always bring candles with you? Do you wear a facemask, cucumbers on your eyes and a towel in your hair? Who wears a towel when they are IN the water!? I have tried everything including the cucumbers and excluding the towel.

I will tell you this though: After a long day, when the house is very quiet, and I am aching- the simple pleasure of lowering myself into that almost too hot water is momentarily sublime.

Then I start the rotisserie.

Listen

Because, "You're a dumb ass, I'm just moody today" just would not have sounded as lyrical.

This is perfect for a Monday. If you forgot about this song, shame on you.

I remember first hearing this song and instantly connecting. It is an anthem. When Monica comes in the beginning A Capella and then the beat kicks in, it is an instant connect.

I think this song is genius.

Artist: Monica
Song: Don't Take it Personal
Album: Miss Thang
Year: 1995

Eat

I have no idea what Goulash really is, however this is my world famous Goulash dish. Wikipedia says it is Hungarian, however the pictures look nothing like my dish or anything I would ever eat. Even though the dish's origins are in dispute, what Hungary did give us for sure is the Rubik's Cube, from Hungarian sculpter Erno Rubik.

I have no way of proving that this is delicious, but generally any pasta dish toped with a load of baked mozzarella cheese is bound to be at the very least, satisfying.

1 lb box of Cellentani Pasta
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 LB Ground Beef
Diced Onions & Peppers (cut up 1/2 or more of each vegetable)
1 Tbs. Minced Garlic
Large Can Tomato Soup
1/2 Container Sour Cream
1 1/2 Tbs. Italian Herbs
Mozzarella Cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Bring the water to a boil, add salt and pasta, cook until it is al dente.

Cook the onions and peppers in a small amount of olive oil until soft in a large skillet. Add beef and cook until brown. Add garlic and stir for about 30 seconds.

Add Tomato Soup, sour cream and herbs. Simmer together for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. This way all of the flavors can blend. Add cooked pasta, stir until coated. Transfer to a casserole dish, top with mozzarella and bake until cheese is golden brown.

Invite people over for this dish because it gets RAVE reviews. Do not use too much olive oil with the vegetables because the meat creates its own oil. I usually use 90/10, but that is just me. If you use 80/20 you may have to drain the pan a bit. If you like spicy food you can put red pepper flakes in the sauce at the same time you add the herbs.

I actually stopped using a casserole dish. I dump the pasta into the skillet and then transfer the skillet to the oven. This saves on dish duty.

Buy

There are every few products on the market that have so dominated an area that even generic forms are called by its competitor’s name. When is the last time you used a facial tissue, indelible marker, or an adhesive bandage. Have you ever asked to borrow a Kleenex, used a Sharpie, or needed a Band-aid? Do you In-line skate or do you Rollerblade? When is the last time you have been given an affronted look at Burger King or Wendy’s when you asked for Chicken McNuggets?

This Buy is in homage to one of those products that has such brand power that its true name is a generic as well: ChapStick. It is a product I love, but for some reason rarely buy. Most likely because I have made a pact with myself to never again allow Danny Wegman to take half my paycheck. Therefore when I go to the grocery store I only pick up grocery items. I do not impulse buy- hence waiting two years before purchasing the Hunter boots. Instead I steal my husband’s ChapStick and then blame him for his irresponsible spending habits and the $1.95 budget deficit.

Unfortunately, he never buys Cherry.

Back to the point. ChapStick cannot be beat. Burt’s Bees feels absolutely disgusting your lips, gloss never lasts long and despite the range of brands I have tried it is always sticky. Soft Lips is a close second, but you always know it is on. ChapStick is like second skin, lasts forever, and does what it says it will.

Next time you are at the store give into perfection and the marketing ploy of the end cap impulse buy… but get the Cherry kind.

Product: ChapStick
Place: Just about anywhere
Price: $0.99 at Target, you'll have to put out more cash for the three pack

Do

Pilates

There are only three things I own that once belonged to the coveted 3:20 A.M. timeslot of infomercials: The Magic Bullet, Proactive, and Winsor Pilates.

Mari Winsor has been making appearances in my living room for over six years now. I have to say that although she cannot perform miracles (I have already admitted to eating pie for breakfast, a before dinner snack, and dessert), they allow me to maintain. Normally, I treat Pilates the way most Catholics treat mass. I throw the DVD in every now and then and it is only when I start to notice that I am in trouble that you will find me parked on the floor for about two weeks straight.

Pilates are great for two reasons:

First, with Pilates you really truly do not feel like you are working out (if you are a ‘feel the burn’ person, this is not for you). You are literally lying on the floor in a prone position for 95% of the workout.

Second, you start to notice results quickly. It may not be weight loss, but you notice more (and in some cases new) muscle definition within the first week.

Even though at this point Winsor Pilates are a maintenance strategy, they are also excellent for crisis management. If you plan ahead and really do them every other night or so for three weeks to a month you can drop a dress size. For me those times are weddings, reunions, major holidays, and bathing suit season.

Note: screw the band (tried it), the ‘Sculpting Circle’ (tried it), and the ball (just looked like too much work); just get the original Pilates and you’ll have enough. The 20 minute really does work, and the longer one is for the odd night that you are feeling ambitious. For real bang for your buck though NOTHING beats the Buns and Thighs Sculpting DVD, it is only 20 minutes and it is spot on.

Place: It is tough to find the original, try Amazon and Ebay
Product: Winsor Pilates Basic 3 DVD Workout Set
Price: $50+