Image of the Day

My friend Sarah was telling me how she has taken up doing Hot Yoga. Curious to learn more, I googled it and THIS image pops up. This didn't answer any questions, but rather created new ones. Such as 'Is he going for the Jesus crucifix pose?' and 'Why is everyone else in the class just as freaked out as I am?' as well as 'Does he always match his headband to his speedo?'

Take that Ann!

After reading about my friend Kelly's experience with a fabulous velvet blazer, I was more than a bit wary of purchasing a velvet blazer for myself. But then I happened across this little number on sale from $175 to $98 at Ann Taylor's pad. Not only that, but the nice little sales lady was handing out 40% off coupons like candy. I've been wanting a blazer and am a complete sucker for anything involving a bow so this was a pretty easy sell when the saleswoman told me how incredible I looked in it. I liked it so much that I wasn't even deterred when my husband informed me that I looked like a Hobbit in it. Hey for a fantastic deal like this, I can put up with a few hairy feet references.

Let's review shall we?
Originally $175.00
Purchased for $60.40
= Savings of $114.60 or 65%

Hey Ann, now we are even for that blouse I bought at full price, wore to my company's holiday party and then you put on mega sale the next day.

POTD: Coyote Hat

I can't really explain this coyote fur mountain man coyote hat other than than they must've gotten so tired from hunting down and killing the coyote that they just couldn't muster up the energy to finish it. Kudos to this male model though, who is really trying to make it work. In fact, this company puts him to the test with all their products and he gets to show his amazing versatility.

POTD: Awkwardest pose ever?

Now I've watched my fair share of AMNTM which I feel has given me some insight into the fashion modeling industry. For example, I've learned that as a model you want to capture people's attention, but you don't want to steal attention away from the garment you are trying to sell. With that in mind, I'm having a really hard time picturing how this photo shoot went.

Photographer: Ok, now for this dress, let's just go for awkward.
Model: Ummm, ok, so like this?
Photog: Oh no, definitely not awkward enough. Try jutting out an elbow at a funky angle. Yah, yah, ok, now try looking...more constipated.
Model: Like this?
Photog: Perfect, that's exactly what I was looking for. This is definitely going to make women want to buy this dress.

POTD: Posh Spice!

Today Andrea discovered that in our Pronto data we have very thorough data representation for The Spice Girls. Thank goodness right? Then I found this 6" Posh Spice Doll. I'm so glad they chose to take a picture of this doll from behind. It really allows you to see the striking resemblance to Victoria Beckham.

Stuff I Want: WEEZER SNUGGIE!

My friend Mel broke the news to me today that Weezer has their own line of Snuggies. It's some kind of cosmic collision of two of my favorite things! Like Rivers Cuomo says in this NPR article "Well, like Weezer, Snuggies are just this weird, cool product that everyone seems to like, they're really popular, and you can't really figure out why. So we figured it's a good match."

They even have their own commercial! This just shot to the top of my Christmas List since they are doing a promotion with their new CD Raditude which was already on my wish list.

POTD: Missoni

This "Missoni" person needs to be stopped. Who the hell is paying $1,900 for these? And more importantly, WHY?

POTD: Mummy Leggings

For only $913.84 you too can look like a mummy*! This is either the most expensive Halloween costume I've ever seen, or just a great example of designers trying to pull the wool over people's eyes. Ha! Get it? Wool? Ok, yah, I agree, not that clever.

*Note, this price includes the leggings only, you will have to shell out another $810 for the matching top.

Crate & Barrel

Now I like Crate & Barrel just as much as the next yuppie, but 20 bucks for a leaf? We've got to draw the line somewhere.

SIW: SodaStream

I'm not a huge fan of plain old tap water, so I wind up drinking a lot of sparkling water, which is why the SodaStream Soda Maker is a perfect solution for me. It will save me a lot of effort hauling seltzer from the grocery store to my apartment as well as drastically reduce the number of plastic bottles I am sending to the recycling center. Would I absolutely love the adorable Penguin SodaStream? Yes of course! But I just can't justify the extra $100 cost on cuteness alone.

POTD: Mer-MAN!

Really? This was the best model they could get? You know this dude tells chicks at bars that he's a model.

POTD: Believe Tree Skirt

Really? None of the good folks at St. Nicholas Square thought red text on a red background wasn't perhaps the best design element here? Don't stop eli ve-ing guys.

POTD: Upside Down Christmas Trees

Occasionally I'll run into a product like these upside-down Christmas trees here which is just different for the sake of being different. Dear guy who came up with this, I know you probably think you are clever, but I've got a newsflash for ya buddy: You are not.

Life of Marie: Office Mates

You're probably not a very good office mate if your office mate wears ear plugs. I'm just sayin...

POTD: Tap Master

"If your have the drinks you have the power. With the Party Tap Drink Dispenser, you'll be right in the middle of the party. You'll have plenty of new friends soon, ones you'd . Fill up the back tube with your beverage of choice and your ready to start the party. The party Tap Dispenser also comes with a mesh pouch so you'll always have extra cups at hand. And remember, the guy with the party tap is always invited to the party! Be the life of the party for $19.95!"

Usually the Product of the Day is something I consider completely ridiculous, and while this does rank on the ridiculous scale, I'd be lying if I said I didn't think it was cool. I'd also be lying if I said I wouldn't instantly try to become friends with someone sporting one of these. Another great example of money buying popularity.

Life of Marie: Deep Thoughts

I've been posed two unrelated yet deep questions in the last 24 hours that I felt the need to share:

Cristina: What exactly is a cobweb? I mean, is it a cobweb if the spider is actively living in it or only if it's abandoned?

Andrea: Do baby unicorns have horns?

Savvy Shopper: Gap Family

Today through Sunday the Gap Family is having a Friends & Family sale which I am "authorized" to share with you. For 30% off at Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, or Athleta shoot me an e-mail and I will hook you up.

What did I do with my 30%? Well since summer time I've been looking for a pair of tan, high-heeled sandals and looky, looky what I found on sale at The Banana. Originally $140, on sale for $59.99, then 30% off brought these beauties down to $52.62 (with shipping). Another deal over 60% off. Now I just have to patiently wait until Spring (or maybe just my next trip to Austin) to take these beauts for a spin.

SIW: Amazon Wishlist

Christmas wishlist update: I am putting everything I can onto my Amazon Wishlist to help streamline things. Also, Mike and I are keeping our Amazon and BB&B registries open through Christmas to try and help make holiday shopping as easy as possible for people. Sorry for anyone who finds any of this tacky, since it's intended to be helpful to my family. I now return you to your regularly scheduled blog.

Savvy Shopper: Menswear Bow Pumps

I personally don't believe in paying full retail price for apparel. I mean, with all the reward cards, sales, markdowns, and coupons out there, it's too easy to snag a great deal. Since I spend time collecting coupons and scoping out sales I figured I would share these great deals with the world via my blog.

Today I bought the Ann Marino Menswear Bow Pumps at DSW.com. They are on sale, then I used their free shipping code (SNOWMAN), a couple of coupon codes I found on retailmenot.com (KCPROMO and NOVPKG), and a rewards certificate. This all brought the price down from the original $65.00 to a whopping total of $32.20 delivered to my door. That's right people. That's a tad more than 50% off!

Update: Unfortunately these pumps ran big and were such a hot item that I wasn't able to trade them down for the next size down since they were sold out. Major bummmer.

Is he serious with this?

When there was a Broadway star on American Idol last season I should have been instantly sold. But then I watched this Adam Lambert fellow and couldn't stand him. Was it possible that he was TOO theatrical for MY taste? I didn't think that was even possible. Disappointed, I continued to not watch that season and to ignore and avoid the Lambert kid as much as possible. That is, until he did this. Is he serious with this album cover? I mean, who is the target audience here? Wasn't Clay Aiken considered a little too gay for good album sales in America?

SMW: Across the Universe

Here's another request from Mike that I am pretty excited about reaping the benefits of (you know, since half of it will be mine now). We watched Across the Universe recently and I was pretty surprised that he really enjoyed it, so much so that he'd like to own it on Blu-Ray. I'm so proud.

SMW: Bowie

It seems easier to manage our Christmas wish lists in one place, so I am going to go ahead and add a 'Stuff Mike Wants' section to my blog. His first request is the Best of Bowie CD, which I will fully enjoy as well and am shamed to admit I don't own (although I do have a pretty decent percentage of the songs on here).

SIW: Glee Soundtrack

As a Westwood Show Choir alumn, you shouldn't be surprised that I am completely head-over-heels for Glee, the TV show about high school show choir. There's not much to say here other than I can't wait to rock out to this soundtrack!

POTD: Chess Hats

I just don't have many words for this page of chess hats I found. My basic reaction is pity for this poor girl used as a model in at least 20 different poses and angles. Something tells me she is home schooled. Oh and did you notice the whole set is only $599? Wow, now that's a small price to pay to make 32 kids wish they were dead.

POTD: Chair Salsa

I guess this is the time to make the disclaimer that although I call this segment 'Product of the Day', there can be more than one product per day and not every day will have a product. With that in mind, I introduce you to Chair Salsa!

Life of Marie: Halloween Costume

While browsing around for some last-minute Halloween costume ideas I found this pig costume in an about.com article about making costumes. This mom was so proud of this creation that she wanted to share it with the world. In other news, her daughter is looking to be emancipated.

POTD: Very Curious George

Today's Product of the Day is this very, very Curious George footy pajama. I really have to question the placement of the graphic on this item.

WW: Pumpkin Ravioli!

I felt like branching out from my normal frozen meals of Lean Cuisines and Smart Ones, busted out my iPhone, opened the awesome new Weight Watchers app, and started hitting the Healthy Choice section of the freezer. I calculated the points of a few entrees, but then my eye locked onto something on the bottom left-hand corner of the back of the box. Wait a tic! Can it be? No, surely! Yes! Yes! Healthy Choice has the WW Points on the back of their boxes. A whole line of new frozen entrees have opened up to me! (Because yes, standing at my supermarket freezer calculating points isn't high up on my favorite-things-to-do list). Without hesitation I grabbed The Pumpkin Squash Ravioli entree. Well my friends, today I ate this for lunch. It was pure pumpkiny, autumnal goodness in my mouth. I highly recommend to any fellow pumpkin fanatics out there!

Life of Marie: Patrick Swayze

Whilst honeymooning in Hawaii we listened exclusively to local radio to really put ourselves in the island spirit. The added benefit of these stations was there wasn't a lot of annoying DJ chatter either. We missed out on a lot of news while we were there, but one of the DJs was apparently impacted enough by Patrick Swayze's death to make an exception. She ended her mini-tribute with: "We'll miss you Patrick Swayze, but your movies will live on in our hearts. 'Nobody backs baby into a corner'".

Hmmmm...maybe you want to watch Dirty Dancing one more time?

SIW: Cooking Classes

The more success I have with cooking, the less I hate it. Since I'm all about preparing fresh, home-cooked meals for my family, I am on a mission to gain more confidence and better technique in the kitchen. I pass The Culinary School of the Rockies every single day going to and from work and they offer a Basic Cooking workshop that has 5, 5 hour classes and I've been wanting to take it since I've moved to Boulder. So far it's been a little out of my budget, but as each day goes by the more and more I see myself shelling out the cash. So if you're looking for gift ideas, they sell gift certificates and I would love to soften the blow of tuition.

SIW: iTwinge

Another iPhone gadget I read about on popgadget.net is the iTwinge which is a little number that goes on your iPhone to simulate a proper keyboard. The awesomeness of this is two-fold a) I hate that the iPhone keyboard isn't tactile so you have to stare at it to type and b) for some reason it doesn't always recognize my fingers. This is actually an issue I have with a lot of electronics, such as those motion sensor paper towel dispensers in bathrooms. I don't know if my hands or too cold or if technology is conspiring against me personally or what, but anyway, this little device would be super useful.

SIW: MovieWedge

Read about this cool little invention on popgadget.net. It's called a MovieWedge and it's basically a pretty simple little bean bag sort-of thing that lets you prop up your iPhone. May sound silly, but as someone who watches a lot of TV shows on her iPhone, I would definitely shell out ten bucks for this handy little sucker.

POTD: Superhero Boots?

When I came across these boots on ProntoStyle I was really, really hoping that they were intended as part of some kind of superhero costume. Upon further inspection, it looks like they are serious about these as actual boots. *sigh*

Life of Marie: Pet Snuggies

This is a little segment I've chosen to call 'Life of Marie' which will mostly consist of things I see or hear in my day to day life that I find interesting or amusing.

Today we were in good old Bed, Bath & Beyond snagging up some more home goodies with gift cards from our wedding when I came across a display of "Snuggies for Dogs". Now I'm one of the few people in the world who doesn't think Snuggies are absolutely ridiculous to begin with, but I absolutely draw the line here. I mean, when was the last time your dog was sitting on the couch wearing a blanket and thought "Gee I really wish I had my paws free so I could type on the computer/hold a baby/drink my tea!"? The answer is NEVER. Who is buying these and why???

Stuff I Want: Michael Buble

Introducing the 'Stuff I Want' portion of my blog, although for this particular entry it would probably also work as "People I Want", but that's another story. I get a lot of "What do you want for your Birthday/Christmas" questions from my generous loved ones and on the spot I can never think of things. If you find it tacky, I apologize, but I hope that most of you find it useful or at least just interesting.

Without further ado, Michael Buble has come out with a new CD "Crazy Love". Since I crazy love him and his voice, would not mind adding this to my collection.

Emma Pillsbury

Emma Pillsbury from the TV show Glee is pretty much my new idol. She's cute, she's got red hair, a preppy look, and she's got OCD. So today I am wearing my J. Crew flower cardigan that she wore on the show in an attempt to be 1/100th as cool as she is. Unfortunately, mine is not pink (shocking I know!), probably because navy was on sale. Which leads me to the question: how does she afford so many adorable J. Crew outfits on a teacher's salary?

POTD: Halloween Contacts

These Halloween contact lenses are really freaking me out, but I guess that's the whole idea, so well done guys, well done.

POTD: Mr. Wiggles

I'd like to introduce you to a concept called "Product of the Day", these are some highlights of the wacky/scary/funny products that I come across doing my Data Quality work for Pronto.com. For today's POTD, please let me introduce you to Mr. Wiggles. Apparently he is "everyone's favorite pill-popping, trash-talking, living room-defecating teddy bear". Proving once again that there is just something undeniably funny about adorable teddies who go bad.

There's Beauty in the Breakdown

Ach! I have a blog! What am I doing with a blog? What am I going to do with this blog? Well I am currently planning on filling it with products I find at work (from the actually useful to the completely absurd), great recipes, and what I hope are funny tidbits from my life. As always, I'm a slow adapter to new trends and technology, but for those of you who have been hitting this dead URL daily just wishin, and hopin, and thinkin, and praying, I hope it was worth the wait.