Miss Attitude

I moved!

2008-07-31T22:03:00.003-04:00

If you still want to follow my blog, which I'm sure you do, please follow me on my new and improved Website.

How rude!

2008-07-22T13:39:00.011-04:00

No matter how you explain it, it’s rude! I’m talking about potential employers who don’t let you know whether you got the job or not. As most of you know, I’m back to the world of the working. But it’s amazing to me, I still haven’t heard back from several places where I interviewed. Today, one of my friends sent me an e-mail that clearly showed someone was hired for a position I applied for more than three months ago. Not only did the woman who interviewed me fail to call or e-mail to tell me she hired someone else, she also failed to respond to a follow up e-mail I sent last month. I know she’s probably busy, we’re all busy. But really it’s just plain rude.

I’ve been a supervisor before, I’ve hired people and I just can’t imagine ignoring a candidate’s feelings and leaving them in limbo. It’s a terrible feeling when you’re waiting to see if you get the job, it can make you very antsy. But to realize you don’t even come up on the person’s radar enough to solicit a “We chose someone else” e-mail is impolite, inconsiderate and unmannerly (okay you get my drift!)

For many of us, whether you get hired affects your entire life. If you're unemployed, you need a paycheck. But you also want to make sure it's a good choice for you. If you're underpaid or in debt, you may need to find a higher paying job or you'll lose your home or your car. And in both cases, you may received another offer and need to decide.

But above all, you deserve to know the employer's decision. If they bothered to take the time to bring you in for an interview, it should show they found you qualified. And if that's the case, you should not be punished simply because they liked someone else better. It's 2008, sending an e-mail is not difficult. While of course I'd prefer a phone call if you and your colleagues spent a few hours grilling me about why I'm the best person for the job or why I left my last job, I'll take what I can get!

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

P.S. I want the record to reflect that I did interview with some very considerate employers who did call or e-mail to let me know their decision, even if it wasn't what I wanted to hear.

Say it isn't so...

2008-07-21T01:00:00.013-04:00

In less than a week I'll be celebrating my birthday. While I'm looking forward to party time with my friends, I'm not looking forward to turning another year older. Although, I'm sure I'm not alone, I can't help but have mixed feelings about this year.

34 is a tough age to swallow for me. When I was younger, 34 sounded so old. I had certain expectations for my life and seemed well on my way to achieving many of my goals. Then I had a few setbacks and had to reevaluate. I've picked myself up several times and kept on moving. So now instead of looking back, I want to look forward. Here are 34 things I want to do this year to make 34 a fabulous year:

1. Start saying no without feeling guilty
2. Get my finances back on track
3. Make money off of my website

4. Stop obsessing about my site's traffic stats
5. Get my writing published in a national publication
6. Write more honestly about my life experiences
7. Work through unresolved issues for closure
8. Travel more
9. Try dating again (like real dinner dates with interesting conversation!)

10. Finally put an end to drunk dialing (and drunk texting!)
11. Leave boys, who've been deleted from phone contacts, deleted
12. Develop a crush
13. Turn my loft into an office
14. Balance my checkbook (last attempt at writing down transactions didn't last long)
15. Read more books (sadly reading has taken a backseat to social media addictions)
16. Remember to take my vitamins every day (or at least almost every day)
17. Exercise more
18. Lose weight
19. Eat less fast food

20. Get more sleep
21. Pamper myself with more manicures/pedicures/massages
22. Buy another Coach purse (no, you can never have too many and I had to refrain during unemployment!)
23. Start writing a book
24. Reevaluate my relationships and spend time only on fulfilling ones
25. Donate blood more frequently
26. Be more Eco-friendly
27. Learn how to cook more dishes without needing the recipe
28. Learn how to build a website
29. Meet someone famous
30. Take more photos
31. Keep the condo cleaner
32. Donate more to charity
33. Buy another pair of Manolo Blahniks

34. Get married in Vegas (this one's been on the list for more than 10 years, but it still sounds fun!)

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Too Flugtag'n hot for me!

2008-07-20T00:08:00.009-04:00

So Tampa's first Flugtag was a lot of fun, but I gotta tell you 90+ degrees, alcoholic beverages and sleep-deprived week did not equal Gasparilla-like fun! There's a reason Tampa hosts Gasparilla in January. It's not this blazing hot! And speaking of hot. What the hell was this dude thinking?

Not only was this hot ridiculous, it's not 9 degrees out, but he was a jackass on top of it. There was an older guy sitting in front of us who had an umbrella. You can see him below in the bottom left corner.

Umbrella man was trying to avoid getting too much sun (probably impossible) and hat boy went up to him a hard time. And told him to ditch the umbrella or go home. Now did get me wrong, people with their umbrellas were blocking the view. But all hat boy needed to do was go move. Instead he kept cursing and complaining about the stupid umbrellas.

Then there was this bunch who tried to beat the heat in an unintelligent way.

I'm surprised they didn't drown! Oh and the Coast Guard crew kind of frowned upon it. So at the start of the event the parachutists, if that's what they're called, propelled down to the FlugTag staging area.

I also tried to take some pictures of the crazy contraptions trying to take flight, but my camera doesn't have quite enough zoom and we weren't right up front.

It was kind of crazy, only the first flying machine actually seemed to take flight going more than 100 feet. And then some of them, like this one went less than 20 feet.

So the heat got to be too much. We were all sweating like pigs, I know, not pretty! After a couple of hours, I went inside my condo for a bathroom break and to sit in the AC for a few minutes with one of my friends. Then, a few minutes later more of the gang came in and we wound up watching the rest of the competition on TV. At one point, I thought we might be kind of lame watching it inside when we were just feet away from the event. But hey, it was too Flugtag'n hot out there!

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

What the Flugtag?!?!?!

2008-07-18T17:26:00.007-04:00

Right now I should be napping, in fact I need to be napping. I still have to clean my condo for the 20 or so people who are showing up to party at 9:30 a.m. for Tampa Bay Flugtag 2008.

I think I've mentioned it before. The hype is definitely starting to pick up. All the local TV stations have been previewing it, and even the CBS Early Show was here live this morning.

Last month, when the first signs went up, I asked WTF is a Flugtag? Well now I know and it sounds like a lot of fun. People are going to be launching their handmade "flying machines" off a ramp by the Tampa Convention Center, and land in the water. I know I'd never try a silly stunt like that, but it's going to be fun to watch. Here are some highlights from last month's Flugtag in London:

(Everything's better with an accent!) Or there's this one from two years ago:

I can't wait to take some pictures! And hopefully no one will get hurt! I'll keep you posted and look for tomorrow's blog.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

P.S. I don't think this event will even come close to Gasparilla, a.k.a. my favorite day of the entire year, but I'm going to party like it does!

You mean it wasn't true love!?!?!?

2008-07-17T15:45:00.013-04:00

What do you mean Brett Michaels and his Rock of Love 2 broke up? I thought she was his "like of love", "rock of lust", and "rock of love"! Okay, I confess I heard there was going to be a Rock of Love 3 a couple weeks ago. But unfortunately I couldn't confirm it, and it wasn't on VH1's site. Then it appears while I was sleeping last night and working early this morning, the truth came out! (Thanks to my friend Katafer for passing this along to me today.)

According to Access Hollywood:

"Bret Michaels is heading back to VH1 in hopes that his third search will find him lucky in love.

Poison frontman Michaels has spent two seasons trying to find his soulmate on VH1’s popular series 'Rock of Love', and after splitting with Season 2 winner Ambre Lake, he is coming back for a third attempt."

Oh and wait.. there's a new twist:

"For Season 3, Michael’s tough tour schedule will become a focus as they’ve christened the new show, 'Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michaels.'

Premiering early next year, Season 3 will find Michaels on the bus with his lady suitors. The bus will cross the country, pitting the girls in various challenges to win the rock star’s love."

And The Superficial.com's headline: "Bret Michaels gets a third chance to bang more strippers on national television"

Plus, my favorite source for celebrity news People.com reports about Brett and Ambre's split: "Their tour together ends here.

'It’s really sad,' says Lake, who explained that conflicting schedules ultimately worked against the couple. 'Bret and I truly love each other and support each other. But with him touring so much and me trying to travel and work, we just didn’t have a lot of time to dedicate to our relationship. It was mutual. We’re both bummed.'

In a release from VH1, a rep for the rock star confirmed: '[Bret] and Ambre Lake really tried to make it work and although they still remain close friends, between his tour line-up and her work schedule there’s no time for a relationship.'

Lake adds, 'It’s a lot of pressure. We were dating and taking it day by day. We never put a label on us saying, ‘We are boyfriend-girlfriend.’ But when a budding romance is happening like that and you don’t have a lot of time to see each other, you’re being pulled in so many directions.'

She also says there were no third parties involved."

As if I believe that! It's not like he slept with Daisy the night after he slept with Ambre. Or like rockers would never cheat on their girlfriends, right? Or maybe Brett's just waiting to meet Miss Attitude. Sign me up!

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

I'm going to try not to cry

2008-07-16T00:00:00.004-04:00

One of my closest friends is moving more than 600 miles away this week. I'm having my goodbye lunch with her today. I can't begin to tell you how sad I am. Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy for the opportunities she's going to have, but I'm incredibly sad. We've been through a lot together during the last several years. We've been through bad dates, bad relationships, losing jobs, getting new jobs, moving away and moving back. We've gone through different dress sizes, different hair styles, even different hair colors.

Yesterday she told me how she didn't cry once during her last day of work. She wanted to share because she knew I'd be proud of her. But I'm not sure I can do the same at lunch. I know we'll still be good friends, that won't change. But it's hard to imagine my life without her living nearby. The last time she moved away, heck the last time I moved away, I think we both knew in our hearts we'd move back to the Tampa area. This time, I'm afraid, she's leaving for good. And I don't know what to say. I know, I'm rarely speechless.

During the past few months I've been encouraging her to make the best career and lifestyle choices for herself, never once thinking about what I'd be losing. Then I've spent the past few weeks in denial. Today is the reality. She really has been there for me more times than I can count. She's always refreshingly positive and makes me see the silver lining without making it so cliche or pukey sounding. When I lost my job in March she never said anything as trite as everything happens for a reason. Instead we ate ice cream and started brainstorming what my next opportunity would be.

I have so many great things to say about her, but know I'm not doing her justice in my sad, sleep-deprived state. Hopefully I'll have something more poignant to say when we go to her all-time favorite Tampa restaurant for lunch. I have so many memories of our times together and honestly have a hard time remembering life before I met her. She's one of those friends who will literally drop everything she's doing if you need help. She's the one on the sidelines saying "you can do it" when you just want to quit. There aren't enough words to express how lucky I've been to have her in my life. So for now, I'll just tell you how fabulous she and I'll miss her.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

This just in... Courtney Courtney's dreams come true

2008-07-15T14:18:00.005-04:00

Courtney Dempsey and Gary Courtney won their dream wedding from US Weekly. I want to thank all of my readers who voted, and voted, and voted!

Click here to watch their thank you video.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Deal with it!

2008-07-15T00:00:00.006-04:00

I'm cranky, tired and PMSing. Oh, and I have to work two jobs today. I owe this inspiration to my Pleep cajunvegan. If it's good enough for her, it's good enough for me. I try not to use the Memes too much, but you're going to have to deal with it!

I do promise I have a much better post brewing for tomorrow or Thursday. It's actually quite sad and happy all at the same time. So bear with today's post and maybe you'll learn a little bit more about me. Many of my friends know I never answer these e-mails when I get them. In fact, I never responded to this one when I received it weeks ago. So here it goes:

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? I don't think so, my mom just liked the name.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Can't remember, but sure it wasn't that long ago.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING No, has the worst handwriting ever. It's quite embarrassing. Maybe I should have been a doctor!

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Boar's Head roast beef

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? No

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Of course, I'm freaking fabulous! Oh, and famous:)

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? No, never! (What do you think?)

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yep.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Hells no! If I jump off a bridge it's not to come back up!

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Fruity Pebbles or Cocoa Krispies. Though I love me some Wheat Chex and Cheerios. (My dad wouldn't let me get sugary cereal as a child.)

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Most of the time, though the only shoes I have with ties are sneakers for working out (which get worn less and less these days.)

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Nope. I need to start working out again.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Ben & Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Probably their shoes.

15. RED OR PINK? Pink

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My big butt!

17. WHO OR WHAT DO YOU MISS THE MOST? That's a tough one. I have several friends who've moved away (or I've moved away from) I miss dearly. Plus, I don't see my family nearly enough.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? I would be a hypocrite since I never reply.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? I'm not wearing pants! I'm in a tank top and boxers. Blue and blue and white stripes. Woo hoo!

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Spaghetti with whole wheat pasta.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Is watching TV, not listening to music.

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Fuschia

23. FAVORITE SMELLS? The beach, strawberries and chocolate.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Miss Sassy

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Yes, BrwnGirl is an amazing woman who's been so kind and generous to me. She allowed me to live with her in Washington, D.C. when I freelanced. I can't wait to see her this weekend when she's in town.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Football in person or on TV. Baseball is best to watch in person. But been watching more on TV recently. Go Rays! (Let's ignore losing streak and remember they went from last place last year to first place up until two days ago.)

27. YOUR HAIR COLOR? Is not sure. Sort of an unnatural brown with red and a little blond sneaking in there. Thank goodness I'm going to see my hairdresser Friday. I had to confess I dyed it myself due to lack of funding.

28. What kind of email do you like to receive? I love to get updates from friends I don't see very often or funny WTF-type e-mails from my closest friends. I also enjoy getting the comments from this blog forwarded to my e-mail. Y'all crack me up!

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes

30. FAVORITE FOOD? French fries

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Give me a chick flick over a horror film any day!

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Baby Mama

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer, hello I moved to Florida for a reason.

35. HUGS OR KISSES? Depends on the person. I'm not a very affectionate person.

36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Mike's Pies Key Lime Pie or ice cream.

37. PERSON MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? N/A since I'm posting

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? N/A since I'm posting

39. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING NOW? Wish You Were Here by Steward O'Nan (though I'm not getting very far!)

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? No mouse pad. I'm on a laptop.

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? The Big Idea With Donny Deutsch (to see who beat me for the satellite video slot.

42. FAVORITE SOUND? The sound of the ocean or the gulf.

42a. Least favorite sound? The sound of the phone ringing when I'm sleeping

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Stones

44. Your Favorite Movie Of All Time? Gone with the Wind (please don't judge me)

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? That's for me to know and you to find out;)

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Baltimore, MD

47. Where Is Your Favorite Place To Shop For Home Decorations? Crate and Barrel online since we don't have a store or Pier 1.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

P.S. I do believe that took more work than writing an actual post! WTF?!?!?!?!

So much for fame and fortune!

2008-07-14T00:00:00.008-04:00

I thought I was going to make my national TV debut tonight. I was asked to be a guest on The Big Idea With Donny Deutsch on CNBC. I'm was going to be talking about how I got burned by being an alpha female. I can't tell you how excited I was to be a guest on this show.

The talent producer contacted me yesterday. She read about me in Marie Claire and thought I'd be perfect for the segment. It's interesting because I've tried to be very PC when talking about being let go from two different TV stations in less than three years. Then I shared my story with a national magazine, remaining very diplomatic. So could I remain that way on cable news?

I started telling my friends. Then after two phone conversations with producers, several e-mail exchanges, submitting an 'in my own words' and two tips for other women, I found out I wasn't going to be included after all. Here's the e-mail I received.

"Thanks for all your cooperation, but I don't think we'll be able to fit it into the show. We only have time for about 2 minutes and he said he would want to hear the whole story...not just a quick hit. So hopefully, we'll be able to have a bit more lead time, next time and I can contact you for a show that has a bit more breathing room. Thanks again.."

Easy come, easy go I guess. Maybe I'm too alpha female for Donny too!

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Imaginary Bitches.. what would my friends think?

2008-07-13T12:42:00.008-04:00

Have you seen Imaginary Bitches on Youtube yet? If you haven't, you should check it out.

This episode cracked me up! While it's not quite Sex and the City, it's definitely entertaining. I wish I'd thought to do something like this. (Produce these for YouTube, not have imaginary friends!) Though I do wonder what some of my friends would think if I had two imaginary bitches to keep me company while they're with their husbands and boyfriends. Probably that I lost my mind. But wouldn't it be cool to blame all your evil thoughts or actions on an imaginary friend, like you did when you were three or four?

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

The "Honey-do" list

2008-07-12T14:41:00.009-04:00

For the most part, I'm content being single. There are times, though, I wish there was someone to share with. And I'm not just talking about sharing the good times and the bad or my deepest darkest secrets. I'm talking about sharing the chores! It's no fun to make a "Honey-do" list for myself!

This week was so crazy most of the chores did not get done. The dry cleaning never got picked up/dropped off, laundry still needs to be put away, the sheets still need to be washed and the dishes are sitting in the sink mocking me. Embarrassingly enough, one of my friends came over last night before dinner. I can't believe I allowed her to not only come in my disorganized mess, but I actually allowed her to see my bedroom. Something I never do when it's in this state. I usually keep the door closed and my closest friends know that's where I shuffle the piles when I'm having a party. (Heck it's a party trick I learned from my mother! Why mess with it?)

Guess what? Next weekend I'm having people for a little pre-party for the FlugTag . It's very clear to me there won't be any time during the week to clean, so it must happen this weekend. And in my opinion, it's not a fun way to spend a weekend. I hate cleaning! Who does?

So this brings me to the fact that being single I have no one else to ask to help with the chores. Several of my married friends have recently complained their husbands don't help without being asked. I guess I'm not the most sympathetic when it comes to this cause. Heck if he still does it, what's it matter if you have to remind him? I've never been married and can't even begin to ask someone else to help me with the dishes or go grocery shopping. Imagine if on my next date I ask a guy if he'd mind folding my laundry or taking out the trash? Wait maybe I'm on to something....

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

TGIF and go enjoy a free Slurpee!

2008-07-11T00:00:00.006-04:00

I am so relieved it's finally Friday. This has been an extremely long and exhausting week as promised.

I know I've seen this pic on several other blogs, but it makes me smile and boy do I need to do that! I've had a very productive week. I just can't help but laugh at how it's always all or nothing with me. I went from being unemployed and bored out of my mind to working more than 50 hours this week. Not to mention a crazy sleeping (or lack thereof) schedule and teaching my first college class! Overall, I'd say it's been a success. So after a nap tomorrow, it may just be time to celebrate.

And speaking of celebrating. Today, 7-11, is 7-11's 81st birthday. The company is celebrating with free Slurpees.

I hadn't had one in years, but had one at the beach a couple weeks ago and it was such a refreshing treat. Free makes it even better! (BTW-- did you know Slurpee has its own MySpace profile?)

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Did he lie or just change his mind?

2008-07-10T00:00:00.003-04:00

Dear Miss Attitude,

I am writing to in the hope that you will be able to give me some advice.

I have been married for 5 years and this July I will be 32 and my husband will be 29. We met and fell in love very quickly but our courtship was long-distance so we talked and email a lot... We talked extensively about all the major issues and we both agreed that we wanted to have children - not right away but it was certainly something we both wanted.

As time has moved on, my desire to have children has grown and grown... We have discussed when to start a family and what started out as 'I need a bit more time' from my husband has turned into 'I am not sure I ever want children'. He feels bad because he knows it is important to me. I feel betrayed that he has changed his mind and I feel bad because I know I definitely do. We have been discussing it (and then shelving the discussion) on and off for about 18 months-2 years. Our relationship has suffered because of this but we have both made efforts to improve things and at the moment, things are pretty strong.

I have considered that he is younger and perhaps he will change his mind - how long do I wait to see? Do I just decide to stay with him regardless? If I do this, will I resent him? I have suggested we see a therapist to try to talk things through since he can't seem to make sense of his feelings. He refused initially but since I raised the issue again recently, he seemed more open to it. I am not sure it will help (or at least, get me the answer I am looking for).

This seems to be a very common problem (having Googled it quickly) but there seems to be no real constructive advice or support for this.

I look forward to hearing your take on this even if it is not what I want to hear.

Dear Reader,
I've been giving your problem some serious consideration and you're right, there is no simple answer. The best advice I can give you comes from what you're already thinking. I definitely believe seeing a therapist is a step in the right direction.

It's important to figure out if your husband is simply not ready or doesn't ever want to have children. There could be reasons behind his change of heart or he may not have been completely honest to begin with. Your husband may be more frank with an impartial third party, and conversations like this are often better mediated with a licensed therapist.

I don't think you have to rush to make a decision since many women who are older than you have children every day, but I wouldn't suggest waiting much longer to have these conversations. If you know being a mother is simply something you aren't willing to give up, then you can't afford to simply hope he's going to change his mind. You have to know for sure and make an educated decision about your future.

In the end, only you can know for sure if it's worth staying with him regardless. But if you give up your dream of having children, it's a pretty good bet you will resent him.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

P.S. Don't forget if you need advice, you can e-mail me at missattitude@missattitude.us

(Reader e-mail has been condensed and name removed for anonymity.)

What I wish for Wednesday

2008-07-08T23:44:00.004-04:00

It's my blog and I'll wish if I want to.. no crying here! I warned you it was going to be a rough week for me and tomorrow is going to be even crazier. So I'll amuse you with the top 7 things I wish for today.

1. To eat a meal somewhere other than at my desk or in my car.
2. To wear comfortable shoes that don't disappoint my fabulous shoe reputation. (13 1/2 hours in 3 inch heels was not a wise choice for Tuesday!)
3. For one of my closest friends not to be moving away. (I'm very happy for her, but in denial about her leaving me.. again!)
4. To keep my mouth shut in meetings even though I have tons to say.
5. To ignore the manager voice in my head. (That is not my job anymore!)
6. To have more time to take bathroom breaks.
7. To get a good night's sleep because tomorrow will be the longest day of the week.

Wish me luck!

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

It's try a Wordle Tuesday

2008-07-08T00:00:00.002-04:00

Wordle is a pretty cool application where you plug in your Website's URL or you type in some Website copy, a poem, a speech, etc. and it generates a word cloud.

I had never heard of a Wordle until I checked out fellow Plurker AmberCadabra's site The Brand Box.

So after making one for Miss Attitude, I plugged in my favorite poem "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allen Poe. Here's what it looks like:

Wordle allows you to use the image you create however you like. You can print it out, save it to the Wordle gallery or post it to your blog. I'm not sure what I'd really use it for, but it's fun. So try it out!

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Do boys call anymore?

2008-07-07T00:00:00.009-04:00

Here's what I want to know, do boys bother to call you anymore? Or do they really think texting is the only way to communicate? A few months ago, I ran into a boy I used to work with several years ago. For some bizarre reason it seemed like we were both interested in each other now, when it had never really been an option or possibility before. Okay, maybe it's not so bizarre. He's very cute and a lot of fun. He was married and I used to be his boss. Guess that's why. Anyway, after an exchange of phone numbers and text messages it seemed to me like we would never actually get together in person. And while frustrating, I'm not going to beg a boy to ask me out to dinner. Then a few weeks ago, while in Key West with my friends, I received a text message from him on a Saturday night. "What are you doing?" it read. I didn't respond.

Here's the deal. I was out with my friends. And honestly what was the point of responding? I hadn't heard from him for weeks prior to that and the last time when I actually (gasp) tried calling he only texted back. So I figure ignoring it was my best bet. Then while on vacation in Ocean City, MD one of my friends sent me an e-mail saying he was asking her about me. He told her he'd been trying to get in touch with me for some time now to have dinner and our schedules never match up, etc. He mentioned the ignored text and asked if I was mad at him. She told him she didn't think so and that I was out of town for the week. Then the following day he told her he'd checked out Miss Attitude and wanted to know what the blog was all about. I'm not sure why I'm telling you this part, except I guess to recognize it's possible he's going to read this blog entry so I'm choosing my words carefully!

Anyway, more than a week later I still hadn't heard from him. I knew I should just let it go. But the attitude in me just couldn't, so I e-mailed him. (Wait, before you criticize me for e-mailing and not calling, I have to confess I no longer had his phone number.) Within a few hours, he e-mailed me back with an included "I figured you were mad at me." And still no invitation for dinner. I don't know why I expected anything different. It's obvious this just isn't going to pan out. So the answer my friend is no, I'm not mad at you. I'm just no longer interested in playing the game. If you ever want to go out to dinner, I'd love to go. All you have to do is call me and ask.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Can you say stress?

2008-07-06T00:00:00.022-04:00

This week is going to be a doozy! I'm not quite ready to share all of the details, so I hope you'll respect my privacy. People who know me well aren't used to me keeping my mouth shut (EVER!) or not returning phone calls. I probably owe a hundred apologies already and it may just get worse. But we all deal with stress and anxiety in our own ways. And I've tried to cope with mine as best as I could.

During the past few months, I've been very blessed with supportive family members and friends. I've also been very lucky to make some new friends through Miss Attitude. I want each and everyone of you to know how much I appreciate it. For me it's been challenging at times to remain positive. It was easy at first to put that spin on it and soldier on, but after a few months with no full-time job you start to lose a little faith. A little faith in yourself and in others. How could an employer not want to hire me? I'm fabulous! Didn't you read the Marie Claire article about me? Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But seriously, things are finally starting to look up for me and I couldn't be happier about the possibility of paying the bills with an income instead of the little that's left from my IRA. Yet, life is never quite as easy as we want it to be. And for once in my life I really feel like I don't have the answers. I know you're probably saying, "Who does have all the answers?" But honestly, I've always been good at knowing exactly what I want to do with my life career-wise and how to get there. And the not knowing is definitely unsettling for a type-A personality.

I'm very appreciative for the new opportunities I'm about to have. And I hope with a little time, my focus will become clearer. As I've often said, "If patience is a virtue, then I'm not virtuous!" And that is the honest to goodness truth! Sometimes I worry about every little thing and have a difficult time just going with the flow. I like to be in charge of everything. Yes, my friends and former employees alike can probably share some clear examples. But instead of feeling in charge lately, I've felt like I've been at the hands of others. It's a feeling I don't enjoy and find difficult to digest. And telling the stories of rejection over and over again, do not make you feel any better about yourself or where your life is headed.

I've had to remind myself, that I'm not alone in this feeling. In fact, the folks at Marie Claire wanted you to get that from the feature. I'd like to quote from the Editor-in-Chief Joanna Coles:

"Closer to home, the pink slips are flying as mass corporate layoffs are becoming the norm. The good news is, if it happens to you, there's a very good chance you'll weather it in style, just like the women in our package 'Surviving a Layoff' (p. 94). As Carrie herself put it, after taking a memorable tumble on the runway, 'When real people fall down in life, like they get right back up and keep walking.' Amen to that!"

If you only read the article online, you missed this part. For me it was a pleasant surprise to be compared to Carrie Bradshaw. I know she's a fictional character, but she's also someone women across the country can relate to. She's an intelligent, successful and stylish woman. The woman you want to be, the woman you want to be friends with. And you know she has flaws, but you cheer for her too. So this was the highest compliment you could pay me. Well that, and the compliments from young women like a recent college graduate who e-mailed after reading about me in the magazine.

Dear Miss Attitude,

I'm a loyal Marie Claire reader and after reading about you in the latest issue I decided to check out your website. You seem like a successful woman with a great head on your shoulders and I could use your advice at this point in my life.

She goes on to talk about how she quit her job to re-locate back home. And then six months later found herself still out of work despite intense job search efforts.

I happen to think I have a pretty impressive resume for someone my age but I am starting to feel as if all my hard work and determination were for nothing. Some days I feel as if I have been stripped away of all my pride and confidence. To me, the worse part is knowing that I put myself in this position.

I responded to her e-mail with some advice, including something I needed to remind myself as well.

The one thing I have learned is you have to remain confident about your abilities. You have to remind yourself that all of that hard work did matter and be proud of what you've accomplished so far....
Use that determination you have to stay focused and eventually you will find another job. And keep in mind you may have to accept a position that isn't quite perfect. Sometimes we have to take smaller steps to reach a larger goal. Good luck with your search and keep me posted.

The other day I received an e-mail update and was excited to learn she's found a new job as an assistant to the mayor in her hometown. So perhaps having some faith in yourself is really all you need at the end of the day. And taking your own advice doesn't hurt either! So I know I'll get through this week just like I've gotten through everything else and come out better for it in the end. Just don't get upset if I don't return your phone call;)

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Now that's customer service!

2008-07-05T00:00:00.011-04:00

I finally heard back from Colgate this week about the Eco-friendly dishwasher detergent that wasn't friendly to my dishes. And I have to say, I'm extremely pleased with the response.

The enclosed was a check refund for the amount I paid for the detergent and coupons for several different Colgate products. I'm very impressed with the company's quick response and offer to back up its products or give you your money back. Right on Colgate!

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

P.S. Click here if you missed the original post.

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-04T00:00:00.006-04:00

It's 4th of July and hopefully you have the day off to celebrate and watch the fireworks.
But before you head out the door, I want to know how patriotic you are. Do you know who wrote the Star Spangled Banner? How many stars and stripes were on the original United States flag? Who the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence was? Take this 4th of July trivia quiz.

And for an Independence Day smile, how about we rock it Muppets style?!?!?!

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

It's a clean sweep!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-07-03T00:44:00.010-04:00

(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay fans brought the brooms and their team spirit. And the Rays did not disappoint. When the hometown team swept the Boston Red Sox with a 7-6 victory, the fans left Tropicana Field with the excitement of a playoff win. Let's face it, it's a nice feeling to be in first place AND beat the Red Sox three games in a row.

I actually wound up watching the game at Ferg's with my friends because we couldn't get tickets to the game. Well, we could have paid $50 a ticket, NOT! We made a last minute call to go, despite hearing it had been sold out. I thought for sure that was just hype. But, it wasn't. I'm not complaining though, I just love seeing the fans this excited.

It's amazing to watch a team go from having the worst record in the league last year, to the best this year. Plus, my neighbor pitched. Oh yeah, Scott Kazmir lives in my condo building. Okay, I still haven't run into him yet. But some of my friends who live here see him all the time! Then there's Rookie Evan Longoria, he was on fire with three runs. And of course, B.J. Upton who made an amazing catch in center field in the ninth inning which helped hold off the Red Sox.

And some fans had to work, but they still came out to celebrate as everyone left the Trop.

We passed these three firefighters with their brooms on our way out of downtown. Go Rays! I see playoffs in our future.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Please help make her number one!

2008-07-02T06:00:00.005-04:00

Please vote for Courtney Courtney again. This week will be the last time I ask. Courtney and her fiance made the top three finalists for the $100,000 dream wedding by Us Weekly. Voting starts today and runs through next Wednesday. You can vote once every 24 hours.

If you don't remember me mentioning Courtney Courtney before, here's a little brief from the Website:
"I'm going to be Courtney Courtney - I love it!" jokes marketing rep Dempsey, 33. The Tampa resident has battled melanoma, breast cancer (she's had a double mastectomy plus reconstructive surgery), thyroid cancer and a lung condition — with insurance analyst Courtney, 37, by her side. "There's life after cancer and you can find somebody to fall in love with," she says.

You can read more about the happy couple in the issue of Us Weekly on newsstands now. And please don't forget to click here to vote for Courtney Courtney!

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

I know I shouldn't laugh at this...

2008-07-02T00:00:00.007-04:00

My friend Brooke posted this one on her blog and I couldn't resist "borrowing" it! It's freakin' hysterical. If you offend easily, you may want to skip this one. But keep in mind while it may be wrong, there's really nothing technically offensive about it.

Oh, come on! Definitely worth a giggle:)

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Oh yeah! Thrasher's french fries!

2008-07-01T00:00:00.022-04:00

Have you ever had Thrasher's french fries? If you haven't, you don't know what you are missing. These are simply the best french fries you'll ever have. And you can only get 'em on the boardwalk in Ocean City, MD. Thrasher's has been around for nearly 80 years. There are three locations on the boardwalk and the one closest to the inlet is always packed. People stand in line for Thrasher's all the time. Though to be honest, Thrasher's employees have the system down pat. And customers who don't, learn very quickly. Think Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. There are only two items on the menu, french fries and soda. And three sizes: small, medium and large. You order, you move down quickly and by the time you pay the fries and drink are ready. (The only complaint I've ever had is Thrasher's serves Pepsi products, not Coke!)

So just in case there was a long line though, we headed to the one on 2nd street where there never is. I know I've already mentioned these fries in my blog twice, but seriously these are amazing. Before we even got to the stand, we spotted a toddler in a stroller eating Thrasher's. But unfortunately I couldn't react quickly enough to get a cell phone picture! A few minutes later, we'd ordered a medium and were set. As I stood there about to take the fries a guy came up to grab more vinegar,yes, you must put vinegar on them! He said to me, "Oh yeah!" then asked, "Do you need vinegar?" When I told him I already put vinegar on there, he seemed skeptical. As if I would skip that part! By the way, Thrasher's only offers salt and vinegar as condiments, no ketchup. You simply can not destroy the taste of these peanut oil-fried deliciousness with ketchup. And don't even think about asking for it.

My mother and I finished a medium in ten minutes. And I'm not kidding. My dad checked his watch. I remember when I thought a small was plenty, but now I only get those tasty fries once a year.

Stylishly (& thoroughly stuffed) yours,
Miss Attitude

P.S. The reason I didn't include a link, is Thrasher's doesn't even have a Website. They don't need it!

I'm really having trouble with this mouse!

2008-06-30T01:00:00.003-04:00

My grandmother had her first spin on a PC the other day. The motivation: online slot machines. First, I should tell you my grandmother loves the slot machines at Dover Downs. When her 80 year old friend told her she could play the slots online for free, my grandmother just had to try. So my mom set her up and here are a few things I overheard:

Grandmother: "I'm really having trouble with this mouse!"
"Can I just tape it down?"
"That's where I have trouble getting it down there."
"See I lost that thing again. get down there!"

Then last night when she came over for dinner with my grandfather and her friend, the first thing she asked was to play on the computer. Here are a few more things I heard as she clicked away:

Grandmother: "I'm trying to get the hang of the mousy mousy"

"Oh, I have more trouble with this guy."

"I don't understand it, it's not doing anything."
Grandmother's 80 yr old friend: "Are you out of money?"

gm: "I don't know what I'm betting, but those credits go fast"

gm's f: " I don't know what you're betting either."

gm: "Now I lost it (mouse) completely."
gm's f: "Move it, you'll find it."

Now my mom will have to let her play everytime she comes over. Somehow I think that's all she'll ever learn online. So I won't hold my breath for an e-mail, though her 80 year old friend does e-mail me.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

How many people share your name?

2008-06-29T17:52:00.009-04:00

I've always known there are more than a few people with the exact same name as me. But I couldn't tell you exactly how many until now. According to howmanyofme.com there are 16 in the United States. And here are 1,418,815 people with the same first name, which isn't all that surprising since I know I have a common first name. In fact, statistically it's the 21st most popular first name. Click below to try your name:

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
16
people with my name in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

And just for fun I tried Miss Attitude. Guess what? It looks like I might be the one and only. The site says there are one or fewer people in the U.S. named Miss Attitude and there are fewer than 335 people in the U.S. with the last name Attitude. There's also a spot on this fun little site where you can check famous names too. For instance there are only 5 Brad Pitts, only 1 Angelina Jolie, 1,129 Sarah Parkers (no way to check middle name) and only 1 Chris Noth (Mr. Big).

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

P.S. I'm sorry I couldn't do better than a Meme today, but I went to the beach earlier and now it's hard to concentrate with the family here for dinner;)

I'll have a Corona cowboy hat please!

2008-06-28T13:38:00.004-04:00

Have you ever seen one of these?

It's a beer box cowboy hat. Last night when I walked into a bar, I spotted this woman wearing one.

I had never seen one before. And then when I looked across the bar, I spotted more people wearing them.

We asked the bartender and found out some guy was selling them for $25. One of my friends really wanted a Corona one. So she went over to ask and found out all they had was Coors Light and Miller Lite. No dice. She was set on the Corona.

So today I went online and Googled it. I was surprised to see there are several sites that sell these beer box hats and apparently $25 is the going rate. There's Beer Hats Online and Gags and Goods. but still no Corona. Maybe she'll just have to build her own on this site. You get an eBook and beer box hat templates for only $9.97!

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

The boardwalk

2008-06-27T00:22:00.007-04:00

I just got back from the boardwalk in Ocean City, MD. The ocean breeze was nice considering it was still 85 degrees outside at 10 p.m. It's been quite a while since I've walked the boardwalk at night. I have such fond memories of the boardwalk from my childhood, again in my teens and again in my early 20's when I lived here (and of course was legal drinking age.) If you've never been here before, there are tons of bars, restaurants, stores, arcades and rides. My cell phone pictures unfortunately don't do it justice. Since I still didn't get my Thrashers french fries (see post "OC here I come!" for yummy details) yet I know I'll be back again during the day and will snap a few more pics. But one of the things I like to do the most, well besides eat, is people watch. To be honest the crowd was pretty tame and not too many crazy people. This was probably the most amusing group we saw on the boardwalk.

Why would you do that? Have you never been on vacation before? Then there was a store offering henna tattoos. Too bad they don't know how to spell tattoo. Would they misspell the one you pay for?

If so, at least it's not permanent, right?

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Am I just rubbing it in?

2008-06-26T00:30:00.009-04:00

So this is where I spent six hours yesterday, on the beach in Ocean City, MD. The weather was perfect. In the low 80's with a nice breeze, which is refreshing after the 90's and humidity in Tampa. Though today is supposed to be hotter. I didn't actually go swimming because the ocean is a little chilly for this Tampa girl. The gulf is like bathwater already. But did walk up along the water with my dad.

After a couple of hours, I had lunch with my parents at a tiki bar along with a few refreshing cocktails including a pina colada. Then my mother and I hit the beach again to get in another hour. This is the life!

One thing I love to do on the beach is people watch. The best one I saw today on the beach was a guy with a Mohawk. It looked like he had just shaved his head and the first thing I thought was "are Mohawks in style?" The second thing I thought was "I have to get a picture of this." Unfortunately the cell phone camera just wouldn't zoom in close enough. So when I saw him get up and go down to the water, I decided to follow. I figure with a camera phone people can't really tell what you're shooting. But I was too late, he'd already gotten it wet. And the zoom still wasn't enough, but this is him.

Sorry, you can't see it. But this guy was whiter than white so all I could think was his head was going to get sunburned! Well that and wonder if
Mohawks are in style. Or are Fauxhawks (Mohawk minus the shaving) more stylish? Or is stylish not a factor because you're trying to be a rebel? Either way I know I'll pass.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

True Floridians Know...

2008-06-25T05:00:00.001-04:00

I don't usually forward these things, let alone post 'em on my blog. But I couldn't resist this one.

True Floridians Know...

1.. Socks are only for bowling.
2..You never use an umbrella because you know the rain will be over in five minutes.
3..A good parking place has nothing to do with distance from the store, but everything to do with shade.
4..Your winter coat is made of denim.
5..You can tell the difference between fire ant bites and mosquito bites.
6..You're younger than thirty but some of your friends are over 65.
6..Anything under 70 is chilly.
7.You've driven through Yeehaw Junction.
8..You could swim before you could read.
9..You have to drive north to get to The South.
10..You know that no other grocery store can compare to Publix.
11..Every other house in your neighborhood had blue roofs in 2004-2005.
12..You've gotten out of school early on Halloween to trick or treat before it got dark
13..You know that anything under a Category 3 just isn't worth waking up for.
14..You dread love bug season.
15..You are on a first name basis with the Hurricane list.
They aren't
Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances...but Charley , Frances ,
Ivan and Jeanne.
16..You know what a snowbird is and when they'll leave.
17..You think a six-foot alligator is actually pretty average.
18..You were 12 before you ever saw snow, or you still haven't.
18..'Down South' means Key West
20..You think New York drivers licenses should only be valid in New York .
21..Flip-flops are everyday wear.
22..Shoes are for business meetings and church,
23..but you HAVE worn flip flops to church before.
24..Sweet tea can be served at any meal.
25..An alligator once walked through your neighborhood.
26..You smirk when a game show's 'Grand Prize' is a trip or cruise to Florida
27..You measure distance in minutes .
28..You have a drawer full of bathing suits, and one sweatshirt.
29..You get annoyed at the tourists who feed seagulls.
30..A mountain is any hill 100 feet above sea level.
32. .You think everyone from a bigger city has a northern accent.
33..You know the four seasons really are: hurricane season, love bug season, tourist season and summer
34..It's not soda, cola, or pop.
it's coke, regardless of brand or flavor:
'What kinda coke you want?'
35..Anything under 95 is just warm.
36..You've hosted a hurricane party.
37..You go to a theme park for an afternoon, and know when to get on the best rides.
( Space Mountain during the Electric Light Parade!)
38..You understand the futility of exterminating cockroaches.
39..You can pronounce Okeechobee, Kissimmee , Ichnatucknee and Withlacoochee
40..You understand why it's better to have a friend with a boat than to own a boat yourself.
41..Bumper stickers on the pickup in front of you include: various fish, NRA, NASCAR, Go Gators, and a confederate flag.
42..You were five before you realized they made houses without pools.
43..You were 25 when you first met someone who couldn't swim.
44..You've worn shorts and used the A/C on Christmas.
45..You recognize Miami-Dade as ' Northern Cuba '.
46..You not only forward this joke to your friends but you understand it

Come on, you had to admit some were pretty funny!

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

P.S. Since I'm actually from Maryland and up here this week, I want to share what I had for dinner last night. All you can eat steamed crabs.. yummy!

Less than 26 hours left

2008-06-24T22:16:00.007-04:00

If you haven't voted for Courtney Courtney to win her dream wedding, please vote now. If you voted last week or even yesterday, you can still vote again. She and her fiance are currently in 3rd place, but we need her to get to first!

Click here to vote now.

Thanks for trying to help make this amazing young woman's dream come true.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

It's like waiting for a date to the prom...

2008-06-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

As most of you know I've been major job search mode for the past three months. And while many of the people around me fortunately have not been laid off like me, several either know their jobs are not necessarily safe or are just looking for another challenge. It's hard to explain what the job search can do to your morale and mental health. And my intention here is not to get too serious, but to share that it's a delicate balance of handling rejection and still feeling confident about your abilities. And it's all about the waiting game. A couple days ago I received a job search update from a talented young woman I briefly supervised. I want to share one of her comments that made me laugh, but was also right on:

"I feel like I'm waiting for someone to invite me to prom or something. I have decided I don't really like job searching..it's quite annoying."

I also think I'm in rough shape if my job search is anything like my dates to the prom. Yes, I said dates. Let me explain. My first date was supposed to my boyfriend of several months, but he broke up with me a month before the prom. Then my second date was a friend of a friend. He turned out to be a little crazy and I had to cancel on him despite the fact he'd already ordered his tux. A girl's gotta protect herself. So my third and actual date was another friend of a friend. And to say it was a disaster was an understatement. My dad called him by the wrong name, I spent most of the night avoiding him and let's just say he went around the after-party telling all of my friends how I didn't like him. So please, let's hope my job search is more fruitful than my prom date search.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

OC here I come... before the ocean evaporates!

2008-06-23T00:00:00.007-04:00

Tomorrow morning I'm heading to Ocean City, MD for vacation. I'll be spending a week going to the beach,

eating steamed crabs,

hitting the bars/restaurants including Seacrets

and of course hanging out with the family. I love Ocean City. I grew up going there for the summer as a kid, went to college about 45 minutes away and lived there for a while after I graduated. I think it's a pretty special beach resort. But I think the mayor has lost his mind. When my aunt told me about OC's new tourist campaign I thought she was kidding. Take a look:

All I can do is laugh. Does the mayor and his city council seriously think telling people the ocean is going to evaporate in a billion years is going to get people to head to the beach this summer? This may be my last chance? I think I've got about a billion more chances to go. But it did get the commercial on YouTube, so maybe the publicity is working. Either way, I plan on enjoying my vacation in OC. Bring on the steamed crabs and Thrasher's french fries!

I'll try and post some pics this week. And don't forget to check out my Twitter and Plurk updates for all the vacation fun.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Does the environment want my dishes to be dirty?

2008-06-22T05:00:00.003-04:00

The other day I bought Eco-friendly dishwasher detergent. I'm still a long way from tree-hugger status, but I try and do little things here and there. I use my "green" bags when shopping and I recently bought the energy saving light bulbs. But this recent purchase was a bust.

Palmolive's Eco+ Gel Dishwasher Detergent is a dud in my opinion. Not only are the dishes still not clean, it left a film of soap on everything. The first time I ran the dishwasher I thought maybe it was a fluke. So I've run two more loads since then. Nope, it just doesn't work. So I did something I rarely to. I went online and filed a complaint. In my submission I stated I wished I had never purchased the product as it was a waste of money. Here's the auto-response I got:

Thank you for contacting the Colgate-Palmolive Company with your feedback or question. We have received your e-mail and it is being forwarded to the appropriate parties. You can expect a reply from us within a few business days.

Sincerely,

Colgate-Palmolive

I want my money back. I wonder if that will happen. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, if you've found an Eco-friendly detergent that works please let me know.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

(update 6/23/08) I received the following e-mail from the consumer affairs department:

Thank you for contacting us over the Internet about Palmolive Automatic Dishwasher Gel Eco+ Lemon Splash. Your interest in our products and company is greatly appreciated.

Your response involved material we wanted to send you, therefore the response has been sent via regular (postal) mail and should reach you within three weeks.

If you do not receive this response through regular mail, or have any questions about this, please contact us again by email, or by calling us at 1-800-468-6502, and provide the number appearing after my name below.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to contact us. We hope this information is helpful.

Mosquito home remedy update

2008-06-21T21:15:00.006-04:00

Okay, I think all the itching has caused me to lose my mind. Some of my Pleeps (Plurk Users) suggested Windex in the last post. And I tried it and thought it was working. But alas, the relief only lasted a few minutes. So I decided to try the baking soda & water paste suggestion. (I wasn't going to waste money on meat tenderizer and had baking soda in the fridge!)

And here I'm embarrassingly going to share a picture of me putting it on one of my legs, which BTW has 26 bites!

I know I should be embarrassed for this post, like I said I think all this itching has gotten to me. It seems to be working *fingers crossed* So what's your home remedy for mosquito bites?

Stylishly (& covered in baking soda) yours,
Miss Attitude

P.S. You can read what my Pleeps are saying about the Windex idea here and here and finally the baking soda paste here.

I hate mosquitoes, why do they love me?

2008-06-21T01:43:00.006-04:00

So I'm over my friend's house out by his pool. He invited a few people over, threw on the grill and we had a few beers. I'm having a good time, enjoying the night. And suddenly I see a pesky mosquito on my arm. I swat it away and don't see any blood, so I figure I'm safe. I ask him if he has any citronella candles because mosquitoes tend to like me. Maybe because I'm so sweet! Anyway, he lights two tiki torches and I head in the house to put on my swimsuit. Immediately I notice nearly a dozen mosquito bite son my left leg. Then I glance down to the right leg, there's another half dozen. Then I look at my arm. There are at least three bites. Guess that darn skeeter got me after all. Along with an army of his pesky friends.

So I head back outside and get in the pool because I figure I'm safe from any more mosquito bites in there. But the itching has already set in. One of the people there says I should go home and put meat tenderizer on the bites. What? I think I need more information.

She says you take meat tenderizer and add a little bit of water to make a paste. Then you put it on the bites. She says that just like on meat, it will break down the enzymes and relieve the swelling. I've never heard of it, but think I'd be willing to try it. I'm one of those people who can't stop scratching and makes it worse and the bites swell and last for more than a week.

I've repeatedly tried rubbing alcohol, aloe vera, Benadryl itch relief spray, etc. So I'm thinking a home remedy doesn't sound so bad. Of course it's too bad I don't have any meat tenderizer right now. I guess steak seasoning isn't the same, huh? So I wonder what else I may actually have at home that could do the trick? So I quickly Google Mosquito bite remedies. (What did I do before Google?) And here's what I come up with:

* Nail Polish
* Strong tea mixed with rubbing alcohol
* Toothpaste
* Mouthwash
* Vinegar (apply directly to bite or take a hot bath with 2 cups of vinegar in the water)
* Honey
* Underarm deodorant (solid or roll-on) - apply directly to bite area
* Rubbing Alcohol
* Ammonia
* Bleach
* Tea: Use a hot tea bag or a cotton ball soaked in hot tea to dab on bite area

Pastes: Mix these fresh then apply to bite as soon as possible. The consistency should be nice and thick so it won’t run, yet will still stay in place on the affected area. You could also spritz bite with water then apply grains/powders directly (generously) and rub them in.

* Baking Soda & Water
* Meat Tenderizer & Water
* Salt & Water
* Epsom Salt & Water (could also do this as a foot soak if it’s the ankle/foot area affected)
* Tums Tablets: crush and add a few drops of water
* Aspirin: crush then add a few drops of water
* Aspirin - crush then apply a few drops of rubbing alcohol

So I think I'm going to try the salt & water combo. I think it may do the trick. Because my friend's pool is salt water, not chlorine, and I already feel a little less itchy. We'll see how it works. If you've got a better home remedy, let me know.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Vote for Courtney Courtney!

2008-06-19T15:30:00.001-04:00

Please help an amazing Tampa woman win her dream wedding. Us Magazine has a contest underway for a couple to win a celebrity fantasy wedding worth up to $100,000. I want all of you to vote for Courtney Dempsey and Gary Courtney.

Why you ask? Well first of all, her name will be Courtney Courtney. I love that! The second reason is she's from Tampa. The third reason is she's a friend of a friend of mine. But here's the most important reason: She and her husband deserve the wedding of a lifetime.

Courtney Dempsey & Gary Courtney, Jr.

How did you meet?
"We were introduced through a mutual friend at a networking event. He was in a relationship, but I gave him my business card and told him to call me if things didn't work out. He called me the next day. Three years later, and we are still together."

Tell Us about your engagement.
"He surprised me with dinner on the beach while on vacation in Jamaica. After the salad course, he proposed. I cried for a solid 20 minutes before he said, 'You haven't looked at the ring or said yes!' He had our dessert plates say 'Mr. and Mrs. Courtney.'

Have you overcome in obstacles?
"I was told four years ago that I only had one year to live, as I was diagnosed with stage IV malignant melanoma. I have since had a double mastectomy with reconstruction, thyroid cancer and am currently under treatment for a lung condition. He has been with me throughout the pain, sleepless nights, constant medication and side effects — as well as the $39,000 in debt I have incurred from having cancer. Most men would run, but he is one in a million."

Which past celebrity wedding is your favorite and why?
"The one's that last! But I loved Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmond's family theme."

Describe your Dream Wedding.
"On a beach, somewhere warm. A celebration of life: a big party with family and close friends. We'd want it to be laid back with the little things in life that make you happy, like cupcakes and French fries!"

Why should people vote for you?
"Because my name would be Courtney Courtney, for one reason! And it's nice to hear of a good, old-fashioned love story with all the stuff going on in the world. We have the 'for richer or poorer thing' as well as 'in sickness and in health thing' down pat. We remind people that their problems are not that bad and that you don't need material things to make you happy."

They've already beat out 4,000 other couples and need your help to win.
Click here to vote for the soon to be Mrs. Courtney Courtney. And please tell your friends. The leading three couples as of June 25 will be featured in a story in Us Weekly and advance to the next round!

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Mother- in-law problems

2008-06-19T00:00:00.003-04:00

Hey don't forget Miss Attitude loves to give advice. Recently I've received quite a few difficult problems from some loyal readers. And today I want to share this one:

Hi Miss Attitude,

I have a problem. To make a long story short my mother in law is on disability because she has bipolar. She receives a check each month for around 600 dollars. She lives in a government place now for people with disability. Anyhow she is always coming to her kids and asking for money. The thing is her rent is only 100 a month plus utilities and she also receives food stamps. She absolutely refuses to get a job because she is scared she would lose her disability. She takes a lot of prescribed drugs and I believe she is hooked. But that is another story. The place she lives in is kicking her out because she has complained for 2 years that she doesn't like the rules so they have had enough and she has to move out. We found her a little trailer to move in. But now she is asking for money for her application. This is getting between my husband and me. I try to tell him that he is not teaching her responsibility by handing money to her every time she asks. She has 4 days until the beginning of the month when she gets her disability check but she will not wait. When she wants something it has to be now on her time. Then recently because of all this she calls her daughter and says she feels like killing herself. I take it as she will do anything to make everyone feel sorry for her and wrap all her kids around her finger. Help me am I just being mean? I told my husband if I took the check to her I am going to make her get dressed and go find a job. There is nothing wrong with being a greeter at Wal-Mart. But she refuses she would rather live in a trashy mobile home and feed of the government than get a job.

Dear Reader,
I’ve really done quite a bit of thinking about your mother-in-law problems, and no I don’t think you’re just being mean. But the answer is simply not as cut and dry as me saying, “Heck ya! She needs to get off her butt and get to work!” She is your husband’s mother and telling him how to treat her could possibly cause problems in your marriage. So you really need to ask yourself is it more important to make her earn her own money, which she probably isn’t going to do at this point, or keep the peace with your husband? If the money he’s giving her is money you don’t have to spare, then you do need to discuss a budget or allowance type situation for her, so she’s not constantly asking for me. There’s also the prescription drug problem which should not be ignored. If you think she’s addicted, then living on her own will most likely make it worse. It sounds to me like she needs professional help. You should discuss your concerns with your husband and suggesting she see a counselor or a doctor. I don’t think getting her to be a greeter at Wal-Mart will solve your problems if she doesn’t address her problems, whether they’re psychological or physical.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Don't forget if you need advice, Miss Attitude can help. Send me an e-mail to missattitude@missattitude.us. I promise you will remain anonymous.

Cobert mocks Pasco County "Wizard" teacher

2008-06-18T00:00:00.003-04:00

I read a story about a substitute teacher in Pasco County (that's here in the Tampa Bay area) who had been suspended for so-called wizardry last month. I thought the story was a little bizarre, but didn't think too much of it because hey it's Florida. Then yesterday a friend of mine sent me a clip of the Cobert Report's version of the story. I have to admit it's pretty amusing. Take a look:

And yes, that soundbite of the father in the hat is pretty common around here. "I don't want some guy teaching my kid wizardry. My kid needs to be learning, learning education in the school system." Yes, I'm sure a substitute teacher showing your kid a magic trick with a toothpick is the biggest worry of your life! Seriously?

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Welcome to the wonderful world of Plurk!

2008-06-17T00:26:00.012-04:00

Ahh, Plurk! This is where I've been spending a lot of time during the past two weeks. Many of you have noticed the Plurk widget on my blog and want to know what it is. In fact, when I asked one of my friends a question in an e-mail yesterday she said, "i will tell you, if you tell me what in the sam hel* is plurk?"

So that's what I'm going to do. Before I go any further, I want to warn you this is addicting. Very addicting! In fact, I'm having such a hard time tearing myself away from Plurk just to write this blog. And I apologize to my Pleeps (Plurk users) if I don't quite capture the essence of said addiction. I know what some of you are saying right now, but you've already told us about your addiction to Twitter.

Plurk is better. I haven't quite abandoned Twitter yet, but it kept crashing and sent me on the search for a new social media site. And I couldn't believe my luck when I first read about Plurk. I actually sent a Tweet (a message on Twitter) asking if anyone was Plurking. And one of my friends saw it and signed up too. In fact, I really have Steven Russell to blame for my Plurk-aholism even though he gave it up.

Plurk is an acronym for Peace, Love, Unity, Respect, Karma. It's also an amalgam of Play + Work: Play-Work. Like Twitter it's a microblogging site where users send 140 character messages. But it also combines an IM feature which makes it highly interactive and entertaining. When you send a Plurk you have several options in how to write it.

There's a drop down menu of verbs to choose or you can freestyle. Plurk also has tons of cool emoticons.

Although, many you have to earn more Karma to get. What is Karma you ask? I call it the K-word.

Tons of people on Plurk are obsessed with the K-word. As you can see my score is above 56. That's pretty good for now. Here's a break down of how the K-word works.

If I've confused you so far, don't worry. It's really easy to use and if you get confused other Pleeps will help you out! That's one of the things I love most about this site. I've met a lot of really cool people on there. People who have taken pity on a poor soul like Miss Attitude who's not quite tech-savvy enough to get everything right the first time.

So have I sold you yet? Do you want to try it? I hope you will. Just click on this link . Or you can send me your e-mail address to missattitude@missattitude.us and I'll send you an invite. (I get cool emoticons for that too!)

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

P.S. When you look up Plurk-aholic in the Plurktionary, you'll find my name!

What a nice surprise!

2008-06-16T00:00:00.010-04:00

This weekend I received the most beautiful flowers from my friends at Skirt! I'm a featured blogger on the magazine's national website, known as a Skirt!setter. It's a lot of fun and many of the other bloggers, including Skirt! editors, read and comment on my blog frequently. And I truly enjoy reading the other blogs too. Last week I blogged about the feature in Marie Claire , just as I did here on my Website.

So to my surprise, Skirt! added a congrats to Miss Attitude on a slideshow on the homepage.

I was flattered to say the least. And then the flowers came. Here's a closer look.

The card read "Congratulations on being featured in Marie Claire! Good luck with your future endeavors.. your Skirt! friends are rooting you on!" I want to take this opportunity to thank them for the support. It's amazing how people I haven't even met in person can be so caring and generous. I see that a lot on the comments on this website too. I think that's probably one of the best things to come out of this difficult time. So thank you all and I hope you'll keep reading.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

What my dad taught me

2008-06-15T00:00:00.011-04:00

To honor my father on this Father's Day I've decided to honor him with a list of some of the most important lessons he taught me when I was growing up.

1. If a girl pulls your pig tails, pull hers back.
2. Girls can do anything boys can do.
3. Always be respectful to your elders.
4. Play to win. If you don't win, be proud knowing you gave it your all.
5. Always do the right thing.
6. Work hard to get what you want.
7. Be independent.
8. How to drive a stick shift.
9. If you're going to argue, make sure you're right.
10. The basic rules of football.

Thanks for teaching me these things Dad! Happy Father's Day.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

P.S. My dad also taught me how to change the oil and a flat tire, but unfortunately I can't say that I remember how to do either of those. So I have Fix-A-Flat and a credit card.

P.P.S. The real gift is in the mail.

Bling Fling

2008-06-14T03:30:00.003-04:00

Welcome to Bling Fling, well sort of. I hosted girls' night at my place last night and we had a blast. Wait, did you ask what is Bling Fling? Let me show you.

I asked everyone to gather up their unwanted & gently used accessories (i.e. purses, bracelets, rings, necklaces, scarves, etc.) The idea is you trade the items you don't use anymore for "new to you" accessories. Because let's face it ladies, must of us have accessories we've barely worn and won't wear again. Some probably still have tags on 'em. We actually had quite a few like that.

When I first suggested the idea someone asked, "What happens if two people want the same thing?" I hadn't really thought about it. Most of my girlfriends are easy breezy. I couldn't imagine a catfight. But she persisted that I would need rules. So here are the rules I came up with:

Bling Fling Official Rules
1. Each participant must write explanation for why she thinks she should be the one to receive a particular piece of Bling instead of other the other women.
2. Please keep submissions brief and as entertaining as possible.
3. Submissions will be anonymous and must be placed either a cup in front of item or inside large items.

4. After all submissions are completed the group will vote by a show of hands.
5. Winner must receive a majority of the votes. In the event of a tie, there will be a Bling-off.
6. In the event of a Bling-off, each woman will have 30 seconds to express why simply must have the item. Participants can use words, songs, charades, etc.
7. In the event certain items are ridiculously out of fashion, participants must limit mockery to a minimum.
8. At the end of the event, all unwanted items will be donated to The Spring of Tampa Bay.

Of course my friends were extremely nice and accommodating. If one of the girls really wanted something, the others would bow out. I actually had to encourage them to fight for the prize a little more. So we did have a few Bling-offs, which were very entertaining. They included the Gator chomp, sibling rivalry comments and me playing the "I'm unemployed" card. BTW, I won that round and a very cute makeup bag.

I'd say we all made out pretty well with our accessories. And I have a bunch of stuff to donate for a great charity. What a great way to spend a Friday night! I think you should try it sometime.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude
www.missattitude.us

Tim Russert Remembered

2008-06-13T16:06:00.013-04:00

WASHINGTON - Tim Russert, NBC News’ Washington bureau chief and the moderator of “Meet the Press,” died Friday after a sudden heart attack at the bureau, NBC News said Friday. He was 58.

Russert was recording voiceovers for Sunday’s “Meet the Press” program when he collapsed, the network said. He and his family had recently returned from Italy, where they celebrated the graduation of Russert’s son, Luke, from Boston College.

No further details were immediately available.

You can read more about Tim Russert and live coverage on MSNBC.

On a personal note, it's hard as a journalist to believe that one of the greatest political journalists of our times is no longer with us. I always admired Tim Russert for how he reported without bias and aggressively went after the truth. I had only one opportunity to work with him, and it was an amazing experience. I helped produce a live debate for during the Florida's senate race between Mel Martinez and Betty Castor in 2004. He was so impressive. So sharp, so fair in his moderation.

And who can forget the presidential debacle in 2000. I'll never forget Russert sitting there with his dry erase board when the country had no idea who was going to be the president, Al Gore or George Bush. For hours upon hours he sat on that anchor desk and made sure, we the American people, could follow the votes going back and forth. He broke it down in a way we could understand. This is truly a sad day. Please keep his family and friends in your prayers.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

P.S. NBC is airing a special from 10-11 p.m. (EST) on Tim Russert's life. Tom Brokaw will anchor. (rev. at 4:54 p.m.)

Dating deal breakers

2008-06-13T00:00:00.006-04:00

A couple weeks ago a guy I'd been hanging out with walked into my condo wearing Crocs and a camouflage hat. I was stunned. Speechless. Anyone who knows me knows me, or anyone who's read my blog enough, knows I simply can NOT tolerate fashion no nos like that. Now before you're too quick to judge me for saying that's a deal breaker, I want to disclose he proceeded to talk about hunting and I think what they call "Muddin!" Yikes! All deal breakers.

I've been thinking a lot about dating deal breakers. Some people who know me will say I'm too picky. But my close friends will tell you it's really more about refusing to settle. After all, I've ignored some deal breakers and kept dating some less than appropriate men because I didn't want to write them off too quickly. Let's see there was the guy with the unibrow, the nearly 40 year old who still slept in a twin bed (!), the guy who had the same toothbrush for 13 years (could I really make that up??), and the list goes on.

So I began to wonder what other people's ideas of deal breakers are. I asked around online this week and here are some of the responses I got:

Can't deal with smokers or people that don't care about their bodies.

Too many to list, im picky! Right off the top, promiscuousness, inability to communicate, no job

a nose ring

mine are very simple. Cheaters. and...baggage in bed.

just emotional/intimacy issues in general, both big time deal breakers.

it would be teeth. When you can tell someone doesn't brush. Sickening.

asking to go dutch on the date. You pay or I pay; I hate the dutchness.

men that display ANY KIND of temper on the 1st date

if he is full of himself, then I'll pass.

someone who talks about themselves too much and doesn't ask about me

bad gas and facial hair

bad teeth/bad breath/bad manners

So what are your deal breakers? Inquiring minds want to know...

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

I love my heels, but this is disturbing!

2008-06-12T00:00:00.004-04:00

Did you know there are high heels for babies? While I love my heels, this is beyond ridiculous.

The shoes are called Heelarious. The company offers this definition:

hee*lar*i*ous [he-lair-ee-uhs] - noun:
extremely funny, completely soft, fully functional
high heel crib shoes for babies.

Not intended for walking (heel will collapse with weight).

Not intended to harm children in any way.

WARNING: May cause extreme smiling and hysterical laughter when in use (this is completely normal).

Oh, and did I mention one pair costs $35. Seriously? I first read about the baby heels on the Website, Menstrual Poetry, and agree with the blogger when she says, "High heels are most commonly known as the “sexy shoe” and they most importantly do not belong on a small child."

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Summertime feels good!

2008-06-11T00:00:00.010-04:00

I couldn't resist posting the latest NKOTB video. One of my friends sent me this e-mail:

hey girl - have you seen the nkotb new video? i've heard the song a few times and thought it was really gay but after seeing the video this morning i may have changed my mind lol...it could have been the fact that donnie was looking pretty good so i was distracted from the music...but there were a bunch of whores all up on our men...

This is my friend who I went to all of the concerts with when I was a teenager. So as soon as I read this e-mail, I had to log on and find it ASAP. Then while I was online I started jamming to the old favorites.

I can't wait for the concert in November. In fact me and about seven of my friends have been e-mailing back and forth for two days debating what seats and how much we want to spend for this show. One said, "Depends on how close you want to be to the boys. Section XXX will be right on top of them :)" Which brought this response, "Oh, I definitely want to be on top of them. (That's what she said!) : - )" Then we proceed to debate about which boy belonged to which girl. And one of my friends thought she was going to get Jordan from me.. haha!

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

P.S. For those of you anti-New Kids readers out there, yes I know I'm acting like a teenager again. Sorry, I'll try and find another subject tomorrow.

Advice for husbands

2008-06-10T00:00:00.019-04:00

This blog is for the husbands out there. I think the advice could apply to some boyfriends too. As you know Miss Attitude is single and quite content to live alone, but I couldn't help but laugh when one of my married friends told me this story.

She was on out of town for six days. She was on a job search so she and her husband can possibly relocate. So it's not as if she went on vacation or something without him. So she gets into the airport where her husband meets her. Before she got much further into telling me the story, I interjected that I thought that was nice since no one ever meets me at the airport. She said that's what husbands are supposed to do. But I digress...

So she's pulling her luggage, which he hasn't offered to help do and she says, "Baby, can you help me?" He says sure and grabs the bag. Then she asks for a kiss, which he gives her. Not exactly a romantic homecoming, is it? But wait, the story gets a lot better. So then when they get the car she asks her husband if there's food at home because she's hungry and doesn't want to stop for fast food, which is the only thing open that late. He tells her there isn't anything at home. "You didn't go to the grocery store for six days?" she asks. He admits he did, but only got stuff for him including beer and soda. So needless to say, she's not happy about the return so far.

So exhausted, and I should also mention also sick, she walk into her house and is overcome with the stench of ammonia. If you have cats, you know what I'm talking about. They have three cats and apparently her husband didn't change the litter box the entire time she was gone. Not once. So, still in her interview suit, she heads to the cat box to empty it, lifts off the lid and can't believe what she sees. Flies. Yes, Flies.

After that disgusting task she heads into the kitchen, where of course the dishes haven't been done either. And don't quote me on this part, but I think she mentioned clothes on the floor in the bathroom or someplace as well. (I have to admit I couldn't really concentrate after hearing about the flies.) Finally, she pats her husband on the back and says, "You're batting a thousand, aren't you?"

I had to laugh, because her husband is such a nice, easy going guy. And after three years of marriage she admits she rarely has anything to complain about. He works hard and loves & adores her. After finishing the story she laughs and says, "The moral of the story fellas is clean the fucking house when your wife is gone."

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

I'm famous! (part 2)

2008-06-09T01:07:00.013-04:00

I figure if I can give Twitter Tease 3 posts, I can write about the Marie Claire article again. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, I'd love it if you did.

I want to thank everyone for their kind words and support. I'd like to share a few of the comments I've received so far.

"congrats on the article!"

"'It is a scary time for me, but I'm good at picking myself up and moving on.' - I so know how you feel. But as you noted in the article, you can walk into any newsroom and instantly make it better. Not a lot of folks can do that - and deliver."

"That is so exciting! Both the article and the pic are excellent. Now all we need is for it to lead to dream job..."

"very coooooool!"

"Awesome. I loved the article on you. You are such an awesome girl. Just want you to know that. And something good is going to come out of this."

It's definitely been a challenging three months without a full-time job. But I'm very lucky to have such amazing friends and family.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

P.S. The magazine should be on store shelves Tuesday. If you get a chance, pick up a copy. I think it looks better glossy, plus SJP is on the cover.

Twitter Whore Part 2

2008-06-08T22:09:00.000-04:00

OMG! She's at it again. LOL.

Twitter Whore

2008-06-08T12:00:00.005-04:00

I couldn't resist posting this.

While it appears Lisa Nova has too much time on her hands, she cracks me up! Wait, is that the pot calling the kettle black? Anyway if you still haven't used Twitter, you should give it a try. I have to warn you though, it is addicting.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

P.S. If you missed Twitter Tease, scroll down to Friday's post.

I'm famous!

2008-06-07T16:07:00.008-04:00

The Marie Claire article is now available online. You can read Surviving a Layoff and let me know what you think.

I want to thank the photographer, Lisa Wiseman, for making me look good even though I hate having my picture taken. I really appreciate it.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Stupid boys, one night stands and kids who ride the short bus

2008-06-07T00:00:00.016-04:00

I love David and Goliath products. I've been a fan for years. I have a few t-shirts including this old standby.

And I happen to think the sayings are amusing and not hard-core male-bashing as some people have claimed. In 2004, I read about a father who launched a campaign against "Boys are Stupid" products. His campaign had the opposite effect on me. I went online right away and my love of these t-shirts was instantaneous. I bought two. And forgive me if I laugh but "it's natural that many boys feel the deck is stacked against them." was one of his arguments. Hello! Welcome to being a girl or a woman! Besides these products are meant to be humorous and entertaining.

Last weekend when I was in Key West with my friends, three of us hit the David & Goliath store. We were laughing so hard in the store, I almost peed my pants. Take a look at some of the ones we spotted:

Sadly for the clerk who kept following us around re-folding the shirts we barely touched, we didn't buy anything. But it was definitely free entertainment.

BTW-- this one is my new favorite.

My only major complaint with these products is the shirts are made so teeny tiny. Please, some of us have boobs and can't fit in what you call a large! I also personally happen to think the tank tops are too long (because that's what I wanted to buy.) I know that style seems to be in, but some of us are petite! Make 'em shorter please.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Twitter Tease.. is this me?

2008-06-06T16:54:00.005-04:00

I've already told you about my Twitter addiction. Now I'm know I'm not the only one. Check this out.

I think I'm just a Twitter hoochie.. not quite a Twitter tease or Twitter whore.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

P.S. Props to biznickman who shared this on Plurk.

P.P.S. I'm not quite addicted to Plurk yet, but I just learned about it earlier this week. You can read more about it here.

Am I jinxing myself?

2008-06-06T03:28:00.003-04:00

Do you ever feel like you're tempting fate by getting too excited about something? Well, I do. I don't consider myself a hugely superstitious person, but sometimes I really think I jinx myself. For years I've felt that it's best not to talk about anything until it's a done deal. And whenever I don't follow my gut about that, I usually don't get what I want. So that has me asking, is it possible to jinx yourself or was it just not meant to be?

When it comes to dating, I've always tried not to talk about a guy I'm interested in until I know it's going somewhere. When you get too interested too soon, you wind up having to tell everyone it didn't work out. Or when you think he's about to take you on a romantic date, you rush out and buy a new outfit only to learn a short time later he's cancelled. So now the feeling is magnified when it comes to the job search.

I know everyone means well when they call right after one of my job interviews to see how it went. I know they're just being supportive. But quite frankly I don't like talk about it over and over. I don't want to get my hopes up or jinx myself. In the past three months I've probably only interviewed for a couple of jobs I actually wanted. But after each interview, I left with a feeling of incompleteness. During the course of my career, I've always known when I nailed a job interview and the interviewer is going to hire me. At my last job, my boss offered me the position right in her office during the middle of the interview. So I'm a pretty confident person. And intellectually I know that talking about how an interview went didn't lose me the job, I really never had it to begin with.

But still, there's just something about the feeling I can't explain. Maybe it's not actually an issue of jinxing myself, but of convincing myself my gut feeling isn't accurate. Because in all of these interviews my gut feeling was I didn't get the job, despite the fact that I was extremely qualified. So I think I'm going to learn to keep more of this process to myself. It's not that I'm not interested in sharing or that I want to hurt any of my friend's or family member's feelings. I just need to do this for myself. Besides it really is difficult enough to be unemployed as it is without worry about explaining yourself to everyone else.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

I think I'm going to officially name my booty...

2008-06-05T10:30:00.002-04:00

I was cruising Mixx and came across the funniest submission. Did you know you can Name Your Wang or your boyfriend/husband's? Of course I'll read just about anything for an interesting blog, so I checked out the Website immediately.

The site claims to be "the first and only certified site to register and receive a 'Certificate of Authenticity' of ownership of your wang name." I immediately clicked on the Q & A section and it was quite entertaining.
Is this for real?
This site is for real. We are the only authorized site to issue certified wang certificates. All copy cat sites are a joke and should not be taken seriously. According to Government regulations their can only be one issuing site. Nameyourwang.com was chosen above all the rest.
Seriously? Oh and in case you were wondering it's not limited to your private parts. You can name a booty, chest or even big toe. It's just not as common.

No before you start naming your wang or other other body part, you have to check and make sure the name isn't already registered. There are also a few rules. You can't use cuss words or vulgar words. And that's about it. So in the name of research I chose Princess Sophia. Ladies if you love chick flicks, you know I got this one from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. So I entered the name and it's available. So the next step in the registration is where I stopped. (I don't think I can write this off on my taxes.) It costs $17. $2.50 is for shipping and handling. I'm assuming that's for the certificate...

Okay, this is a joke, right? Please tell me no one has really done this. Although I guess it wouldn't be a bad gag gift for a bachelor/bachelorette party. I'm not sure what else to say except that I couldn't resist checking the weird facts section and did you know "60% of males name there wang" Are you sure you didn't mean their? How can I trust you'll spell the name of my booty right if you can't get that right?

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Dear Miss Attitude (part 2)

2008-06-05T00:00:00.002-04:00

So here's the update the reader I told you about yesterday.

Hi Miss Attitude,

So I bit the bullet and asked Nick out on a date, rather than continuing to wait for him to ask me out. We set a breakfast date, as we are both really busy and it seemed that that was the only time both of our schedules would correspond.

The breakfast was wonderful. As usual, we had tons to talk about, plus there was great chemistry between the both of us. When I am around him or talking to him, I just can't wipe the smile off my face. It is so cheesy. At the end of the date, he was a complete gentleman, as usual. He walked me to my car, gave me a hug and gave me two kisses on my cheek.

That was on Sunday. I have not talked to him since and we haven't set a third date. He keeps saying how interested in me he is, but yet he doesn't take the initiative to pursue me. I know he is really really busy with work and school. School seems to be consuming him right now. And I want to be patient and not pushy. But I don't want to be waiting around being dangled on a string either.

I think part of it is he is very much out of practice. He is a very handsome and successful guy. But he hasn't had a real relationship for 6-7 years now. He hasn't hardly dated in that time period at all either. It's like his career has always come first, so I think he is still in that pattern, no matter how much he says he is ready to meet the right someone.

So do you think I just need to chill out? Or how can I get him to put a little more effort into the dating game?

Dear Reader:
I've been giving a lot of thought to your e-mail and the best advice I can give you is, and forgive the cliché, don't put all of your eggs in one basket. I'm very proud of you for asking him out instead of waiting for him. That takes guts and it sounds like you had a great time.

Now speaking from personal experience when you start making excuses for a man, whether it's how busy he is or he hasn't had a serious relationship, you're really making those excuses to make yourself feel better. That being said, I'm not saying you should give up just yet. I am simply saying you shouldn't sit around and wait for him. You should get out and date more, or if you're not ready, stay busy with your friends.

It is still okay to ask him out again without being too pushy. But unfortunately, you can't really make a man put more effort into the dating game if he doesn't want to, despite what The Rules say. You also need to be honest with yourself. If you're willing to wait a little longer to see if he's willing to make some more time, than go for it. If it's going to drive you crazy, then maybe you need to back off and see if he comes around all on his own. I can't make that decision for you. Remember you deserve someone who wants to be with you.

Hi Miss Attitude,

You are so right!! I am making excuses for him. And even though the times we had been on dates were great, if he isn't ready or willing to give me what I want, I need to move on. I have often times given that exact same advice to my friends. I guess I just needed to hear it from someone else this time.

We will just see how it goes, but I am not going to continue to wait around for him. If it is supposed to happen, he will make it happen. :)

I'll keep you posted on what happens with her and Nick. And don't forget if you need advice I want to hear from you. You can e-mail me at missattitude@missattitude.us. Don't forget you will remain anonymous.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Dear Miss Attitude

2008-06-04T00:00:00.002-04:00

I really want to share the story of one of my readers. She first wrote to me in April. Her e-mail and my response are part of my column which appear in June's issue of Attitudes Magazine. However, due to word count restrictions I couldn't include her entire e-mail. Plus, she's written me an update on her situation since then.

Reader:
Nick and I met two years ago online, thru a website we were both using to meet people with similar interests. Right away we hit it off. Even though there was a bit of chemistry (or as much as you can tell via the internet) he was always very respectful, and in a way, kind of withdrawn. It was a confusing mixture since he always spoke about how much he liked me and was interested in me.

Thru-out the two years, I dated other people, but I always came back to him.

Three weeks ago, Nick and I finally went on our first date. He was a complete gentleman, which I am definitely not used to. I tend to attract the men who want only sex or are married. He came to my house, picked me up, took me to dinner and a movie and then brought me home. When we got back to my house, he walked me to my door, gave me a hug, and kissed my cheek. It was the sweetest thing. But no second date was set.

A few days later, we talked online. He mentioned how much he adored me, how he had such a wonderful time and he can't wait to see me again. But still no second date was set.

Nick is very wrapped up in his career (he is a high-end executive) and he also is pursuing his Master's Degree. So he is very busy. I understand that, but if he was truly interested, wouldn't he want to see me again?

How do I know to wait patiently (without making it another two years before another date) or should I move on to greener pastures?

Miss Attitude:

I've given a lot of thought to your question because on the one hand it appears Nick may be interested in you, on the other hand after two years it shouldn't be that difficult to set a second date. It has also been my experience, busy or not, if someone wants to be with you they will find the time. But before you make any decisions, you should ask him for that second date. This is 2008, not 1958 and a woman should have no problem asking a man to go out with her. If he makes excuses then yes, it's time to move on. You deserve someone who treats you well and wants to be with you.

Tomorrow I'll share her update. And don't forget if you need advice I want to hear from you. You can e-mail me at missattitude@missattitude.us. Don't forget you will remain anonymous. I promise to never use names unless you want me to.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Please take me off your mailing list

2008-06-03T01:19:00.009-04:00

I got another one in the mail. I don't know what it annoys me so much, but it does. And as usual I just tossed it in trash by my mailbox. I don't even bother bringing these into my condo. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. I'm talking about baby magazines.

Somehow I've gotten myself on a mailing list that shows I should either have a baby or want to have a baby. For months now, I've been getting magazines, free diaper samples, free formula samples, etc. And I don't want any part of it. I'm 33 and maybe most women my age have kids or want them soon, but my biological clock is definitely not ticking. And it doesn't help that I'm not a baby person. I'm just not. Don't get me wrong, I like kids. Well some kids.

I like them more when they're about 3-6 years old. I like when they can go to the bathroom for themselves and have conversations with you. Like this weekend there was this adorable little girl in the Coach store on Duval Street in Key West. She was probably about 3. She was carrying around a little white Coach purse and petting it. She was so cute I couldn't help but watch her. I told her mom "She's starting a little young for Coach." I probably watched her for 5 minutes or so and was contemplating taking a picture, but I 1.) Didn't want to seem like a wierdo in the store 2.) Got dragged over to the $20 wristlets by one of my friends. But I digress.

Anyway, you get the idea. I don't dislike children, but I'm not in any rush either. So why should I be feeling pressure just because I landed on the wrong mailing list? I guess they don't know they're just wasting their advertising dollars on me.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Vacation or not, you can't wear that!

2008-06-02T13:10:00.008-04:00

I had a great time in Key West with my friends, but it's great to be back home and to blog again. I've been waiting to tell you all about the fashion no no's we saw up and down Duval Street. I realize people are on vacation, but it's still no excuse to wear Crocs. And boy did we see a lot of Crocs, even horrendous camouflage ones. And speaking of horrendous camouflage, how about this? Black and white camouflage man capris!

Wearing those should be illegal. Then there are these pants.

Not much of an improvement, huh? Then there was this guy.

It's not really the outfit per se, it's definitely appropriate for Key West. But please, please don't wear your pants so high! Speaking of high, wearing your socks pulled up almost to your knees is never acceptable.

Then there's this outfit.

And he's a local. Apparently this outfit is kind of tame for him.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Sex and the City.. no spoilers here!

2008-05-30T03:17:00.006-04:00

I just got back from the midnight showing of Sex and the City. All I'm going to say is I thought it was fabulous!

I won't give anything away because I'm sure many of you are going to see it later today or this weekend. I will say though, if you saw all of the trailers, you've seen a good portion of the movie.

I'm off to Key West for the weekend, so when I get back I'd love to read what you thought of the movie. So please submit your comments. I'll be back to blogging on Monday. Have a fabulous weekend.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

P.S. If you're a man who's reading this, it is okay to take your girlfriend/wife to this movie. There were tons of men there tonight, and as one of my friends pointed out to me earlier, it's a great way to score points with her.

Please tell me you aren't wearing a scrunchie!

2008-05-29T00:00:00.022-04:00

This post is in dedicated to one of my friends in Memphis who still wears scrunchies.
Now, I've been teasing her about this for two years now, and have finally decided to write about it because it's a great tie-in to Sex and the City. In all fairness to her, I need to admit that when we first became friends in college I wore scrunchies too. But that was in the early 90s. Now it's 2008, time to throw them away and move on to something a little more stylish.

Now my friend wouldn't wear a holiday themed scrunchie, but she does wear the plain ones all the time. She has long hair and I understand the need to pull it back, but can't you just use a rubber band or a hair clip
like the rest of us? Plus, most of the time it's on her wrist and not in her hair.

When I moved to Memphis two years ago, I tried to show her the light. I even referenced the SATC scrunchie episode from Season 6, but that argument didn't work because she doesn't watch SATC! While I didn't really like the Jack Berger episodes, and thought he was a jerk right from the start, those episodes were very cleverly written. I loved when Carrie told him no woman from NYC would be caught dead wearing a scrunchie. She told him it was the only flaw in his beautifully written book, "You have your leading lady running all over town wearing a scrunchie (smacks him on the head).. a scrunchie!"

Berger says, "Uh, the hair thing? What's the wrong with that?" Carrie replies, "Well nothing, unless you're writing about women on the island of Manhattan, in which case, where do I begin?" Of course not only does that hurt his ego, it sends him on the defense. And he thinks he's finally won the argument, when they're at a restaurant and spot a woman wearing a scrunchie.
Berger says, "Okay, I'm sorry to have to do this, but I do believe we are in the presence of a scrunchie. I also do believe, and correct me if I'm wrong that we are in New York City proper. This woman does not appear to be washing her face. She appears to be standing online at a hip, downtown restaurant. So kind kills your New York Woman theory." Carrie whispers, "She's not from New York." So Berger asks the woman what part of New York she lives in. And the woman responds with her thick Southern accent, "Gosh, I am from Macon, Georgia! But thanks, you made my whole day!"

I rest my case about the scrunchie!

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

P.S. This episode is also the "He's just not that into you" episode. It's called Pick-A-Little, Talk-A-Little (episode 4) on Season Six Part One in case you're watching up for tomorrow's big movie release.

If men are from Mars.. where are boys from?

2008-05-28T20:38:00.004-04:00

One of my friends in D.C. just e-mailed this to me.
"This is one of the cutest, funniest parodies ever. Watch the credits until the end so you can see "scenes" from next week. Really, really cute and just in time for the movie this weekend."

Six and the City is hysterical! These girls are perfectly cast as the younger versions of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte & Miranda.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Why do I still have...

2008-05-28T00:00:00.015-04:00

This week I decided to clean out my loft (finally my friends will say!) I've been talking about doing it for months. It's the place where I throw everything when I need to get it out of the way. I took all the Christmas stuff up there months ago and couldn't put it away in the closet because of all of my mess.. yikes! Now to defend myself just a little, I don't have any storage space at my condo and only one bedroom. Okay, enough with excuses and enough of being a packrat! I spent several hours up there and found tons of crap I definitely don't need.

So here are 10 things (in no particular order) I found in my loft I shouldn't still have:

1. A manual (and extra bag) for a vaccuum I haven't owned in two years
2. Maps for cities in Spain and Portugal from a trip I took in high school and maps of Memphis, where I only lived for 7 months
3. A cell phone from before texting even existed

4. Dozens of greeting cards I received for birthday, Christmas, going away, etc
5. Power cords and cables for electronics I'm pretty sure I don't own anymore
6. Boxes of business cards from old jobs
7. Bag for an air mattress I had to throw away because it leaked
8. South Beach Diet book

9. Hundreds if not thousands of bills, receipts, pay stubs etc. from more than two years ago
10. Old wedding invitations

So I trashed, shredded & shredded (actually overheated my shredder)

or put most of it in my donation pile, except for the power cords and cables. I just couldn't because you never know when I might need one again. I'm pretty sure my mom will say that's something I get from my dad.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Five important lessons I learned from my college boyfriend

2008-05-27T00:00:00.001-04:00

Whenever things aren't going the way I want them to in my life, I play this dangerous game of "what if?" But I seriously don't second guess too many of the decisions I've made along the way. I like to live my life without regrets. So the only regret I tend to think about is "the one" that got away. My ex-boyfriend is married (I try to assume happily) and has a daughter (a beautiful one according to his mom) and I hate that I even know that. Now you'd think an intelligent woman in her 30s would know better than to tread in this deep water, but unfortunately it's just something I do.

So instead of feeling bad about this destructive behavior, I've learned to put a positive spin on it. And ladies I'm going to share some of the most important lessons I learned from him. You probably already know most of them, but some are worth hearing again. While I try and keep this blog relatively PG-13 most of the time since my parents read it, Mom & Dad you may have to skip past this one (or at least number 3!)

1. Men communicate differently. Don't assume they don't care.
While they may not always tell you how they feel, a lot of times they show you. Be sure not to overlook it because it's not always obvious to women. If he knows you hate to pump gas, he may take your car out and fill up your tank. If nachos are your guilty pleasure, he may surprise you with Taco Bell. Maybe not your idea of romantic, but he is showing you he cares.

2. Don't play dumb. Real men like intelligent women.
You don't have to play the ditzy girl role, and if you do, he's not the right man for you. A real man wants to be challenged. The same goes for competition. You don't have to throw a game. While he probably doesn't want to lose, he'll respect you more for your skills than if you let him win.

3. When you're naked, he's not looking at your fat. He's just happy you're naked.
Women are harder on themselves about their bodies than men are. Most of them don't expect us to look like supermodels or even want us to. While they enjoy looking at those women, they wouldn't change anything about us. So stop stressing about the cellulite or your big butt and have enjoy yourself!

4. When a man decides the relationship is over, don't waste your time trying to convince him otherwise.
Don't try and have 50 conversations about the breakup. Talking his ear off isn't going to change his mind. It's a bit cliche, but if you love something set it free. If it comes back, well you get the idea.

5. He probably does still think about you from time to time, but that doesn't mean he wants to get back together.
Men still think about their exes, especially ones they loved. So take some comfort knowing he likes remembering the good times too, but don't think about it too much or ask him if he does. Just move on.

And now, I need to go take my own advice on the last one.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Why would a man wear underwear under his bathing suit?

2008-05-26T00:00:00.002-04:00

I just don't understand this. While at a pool party this weekend, I noticed several men there wearing underwear under their swimming trunks. I don't think I've ever seen this before and I don't understand it. Okay, the one guy had on white trunks, so of course they would have been see through. But, there's a solution for that. Buy a different color. There's a reason you don't see too many women pulling off a white bathing suit!

But seriously, several of the men. It seems pointless. Is there something I don't know about? So after I got home I tried to do a little research. Kind of hard to find the answers, no pun intended. But I did find an online gay forum where a man asked the same thing. Here were some of the answers:

"Because str(a)ights are getting weirder and weirder"

"That's bizarre... maybe they were borrowing a friend's and didn't want to catch something."

"It took me two years to convince my dad that briefs under the bike shorts and a tucked in jersey is very, very bad. I think it's how straight people identify each other."

"Not too weird. Seems like a lot of swim suits these days; especially board shorts, don't have any liner or support built in. What are you gonna do?"

"I wear boxers briefs under my swim trunks all the time. I ...don't know why. lol. I guess I'm scared to actually get a hard on and won't be able to hide it very well."

Okay, well that may answer that! Seriously, is that it? Hmm... then why is it this is the first time I've noticed men wearing underwear under their bathing suits in my entire life? And I grew up going to the beach all the time and live in Florida. Someone clue me in.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Maybe I should have stuck with my shoe addiction!

2008-05-25T00:15:00.008-04:00

My newest addiction may not last as long as my love affair with shoes. At first I was so excited. It's new and immediate and, the best part, free! I'm talking about Twitter. If you haven't heard of Twitter before, Wikipedia has this description: Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send "updates" (or "tweets"; text-based posts, up to 140 characters long) to the Twitter website, via short message service (SMS), instant messaging, or a third-party application such as Twitterrific or Facebook. Earlier this month, Business Week published an article about why Twitter matters.

It's kind of funny how a couple of months ago I didn't even know what a tweet was, now I can't stop myself from sending them. You can follow me on Twitter from my Website or my MySpace page. I'd like to think I'm amusing, entertaining even, well sometimes. But some of my fellow twits are much more entertaining with the tweets. They post links to stories, videos and pics before I see them anywhere else. I even get great ideas for my blogs this way.

But there is a major downside, now nearly impossible to ignore, to this new addiction. Twitter goes down a lot. The traffic has exploded and the technology can't keep up! So sometimes there I am ready to go and I can't get on the site. Or I get a lame message like this:
Something is technically wrong.
Thanks for noticing—we're going to fix it up and have things back to normal soon.
But just a short time ago it got worse:
Twitter will be short some features while we recover from a database crash. See our blog post for the whole story. And I'm not the only one ready to give up this Twitter addiction. Some of my fellow Twits are sending tweets like this:

"Well. With the way Twitter is going, I am just trying to prepare for life after Twitter"
"Dear Twitter, Please stop barfing on me or I'll have to break up with you. Thanks, Jeff"

And they're venting away on the blog too:

"A computer keyboard, in a moment of anger, turns a law-abiding citizen into a criminal."
"Guys...don't go the Friendster way! I love Twitter a lot and would hate to see that!"

While some of the posts remind us it is a free service, that doesn't help me witht his disappointing feeling. I feel so let down, something that's never happened with my shoes. Maybe I need those Betsey Johnson shoes afterall.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

7 Ways to save

2008-05-24T13:20:00.004-04:00

Your budget forecast for 2008 may be a lot like your horoscope: Proceed with caution. Living on less doesn’t sound like much fun, but with a slumping housing market and increasing property taxes you probably don’t have much of a choice. Here are 7 things you can do to cut down on your expenses that aren’t too much of a sacrifice:

1. Make your own coffee: Who doesn’t love that latte at your favorite coffee chain? But stopping there daily adds up quicker than you can say Grande Non-fat Caramel Macchiato. Make your coffee at home every day and save the expensive beverage for a treat once every few weeks.
Annual Savings: approx. $1,400

2. Save trips to the nail salon for special occasions: Give yourself manicures and pedicures at home every two weeks instead. Admittedly it’s not as glamorous, but no one but you will know the difference. Go ahead and splurge for a good nail polish though like the ones your favorite salon uses.
Annual Savings: approx. $2,400

3. Buy less expensive beauty care products: Prices on hair care products sold at salons are often 7 times higher than brands sold at discount stores. If you really like the shampoo, go ahead and buy it. Then buy a less expensive brand and alternate using the two instead of using the expensive one daily. The same goes for facial cleansers, lotions and makeup.
Annual Savings: approx. $1,400

4. Skip the personal trainer: This doesn’t mean stop going to the gym or working out altogether. But you don’t need a trainer to keep that New Year’s resolution. Take the free sessions offered and use what you’ve learned to workout. Get a gym buddy or join a running group, they’ll motivate you to keep moving for free.
Annual Savings: approx. $4,800

5. Clean your own house: It’s definitely not a lot of fun and it’s time consuming, but an easy way to save cash is to skip the weekly maid service. If you’re hosting a big party or need that one time intensive spring cleaning, go ahead and splurge. Plus there’s an added bonus. Cleaning burns calories.
Annual Savings: approx. $2,400

6. Don’t buy books: You can check out books from the library for free. Though you may have to wait a few weeks for the best sellers, you can even reserve books online. If you have children, not only will you save tons, but the library is a better learning environment than those bookseller chains. Save buying for a book you know you’re going to read more than once.
Annual Savings: approx. $960

7. Sign up for subscriptions: If you buy magazines, don’t do it at the checkout counter every month. A subscription will often save you 60% or more. If you rent movies, get an online rental subscription. You can get an entire month’s worth of movies for the same price you’ll pay for one at the rental store.
Annual Savings: approx. $550

TOTAL ANNUAL SAVINGS: $13,910

*Savings only estimated and can vary depending on product pricing. Savings not calculated in a scientific manner, instead calculated with estimated product pricing from company websites.

(As published in Attitudes Magazine)

Pork and Beans

2008-05-23T14:06:00.004-04:00

You've got to watch this great new Weezer video featuring some familiar YouTube faces, plus K-Fed.

**Thanks to TwitStew on Twitter for sending this one out! It made my Friday.

Less than a week away!

2008-05-23T00:13:00.014-04:00

Ladies, this time next week I will be watching the Sex and the City movie. I've already bought the tickets for the midnight showing for me and three girlfriends. We're still waiting for a few more of the girls to get on board. I have to admit almost had a SATC crisis. I'm going to Key West Friday morning and wasn't going to be able to see the movie on opening night. But now thanks to midnight showings, we're all set!

I just watched Sarah Jessica Parker on the Late Show with David Letterman and they talked about her son, traveling, bird calls. She actually did a bird call! I don't care about any of that. Let's talk about Mr. Big. Or should we say John James Preston. Why is it we're just learning Mr. Big's full name in a movie trailer? I mean it took six whole seasons just to learn his first name. I guess I figured they'd save the entire name for the movie. But I'm glad they stuck with Mr. Big for the show. I'm not sure we (the fans and Carrie) would have fallen for him with that pretentious rich guy name. Then again, Chris Noth is pretty hard to resist!

Okay, Letterman finally asked SJP about the hat from the London premiere!

Letterman said, "And you've called in a bird and it's landed on your head. What exactly are we doing there for heaven's sake?" SJP responded, "You know I heard nothing but kind things when I was in London where people are sophisticated and wear hats." She added, "And no, I didn't lose a bet!"

Now I know I dissed her hat last week, but I did get a few comments from my skirt.com readers supporting the hat. One one even sent me the funniest link to a commentary by the Fug Girls. It's too funny, you have to read it.

Anyway, back to the movie. SJP and Letterman went on to tease about one of the characters dying, leaving us to still wonder if someone really does die. I still can't believe people who've seen the movie already haven't leaked it. No one can keep a secret anymore, can they? So do you have your tickets yet? Any fun SATC parties planned? I want to hear all about it. E-mail me at missattitude@missattitude.us.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

I want one!

2008-05-22T09:06:00.010-04:00

I love tigers and what's cuter than tiger cubs? This is video from the Associated Press of Five endangered cubs born at the St. Louis Zoo.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Five rare tiger cubs have been born at the Saint Louis Zoo.

The zoo says the critically endangered Amur (ah-MOOR') tigers were born April 28 and are in an off-display indoor den.

The zoo says the first-time mother, Kalista, is busy nursing and caring for her babies.

The normal litter size is two or three cubs. The five weigh 4.5 to 7 pounds each.

The species used to be called Siberian tigers. They are at risk because of habitat loss, human encroachment and poaching.

If I could, I'd take one home. I say that knowing that even cubs can be pretty dangerous. I love to tell the story about how I was mauled by a tiger cub when I was a kid. I was at Cypress Gardens with my grandparents and a trainer was walking "Tasha" around the park. I stopped to pet the tiger cub and the cub apparently thought I was playing. She proceeded to swat at my legs, leaving me with some pretty big welts. Though my grandmother kept saying, "They wouldn't have it here if it could hurt you." HELLO! It is a tiger!

Later on we saw the cub with a different trainer. He was telling a group of people they shouldn't pet the cub like a cat, instead pat the tiger on her side. He said when you pet the head, it thinks you want to play. And that Tasha did. Ouch!

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

The Rays are like superheroes

2008-05-22T00:00:00.006-04:00

So my Dad said the past few blogs have been "too girlie" for him. So how about some sports action? There's no doubt the Tampa Bay Rays are the baseball story of the season. The Rays are only two games back from Boston and over 500. Even Sports Illustrated can't ignore the newly found power of the Rays. Check out this week's cover: "Bizarro Baseball"

That's a comic book version of Rays Leftfield Carl Crawford sticking it to Derek Jeter of the last place Yankees. Yes, you heard it right the last place Yankees! Gotta admit it's pretty cool!

But I do have a question about the Rays no one's been able to answer so far. What does the new slogan mean? We are one team? What does that mean? I just don't get it. We the fans are part of the team? Or the Rays are finally playing like a team? If you have to explain your slogan, it's probably not a good one. That's all I'm saying. Oh and go Rays!

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Why is it so hard?

2008-05-21T00:00:00.008-04:00

I don't understand why I have such a difficult time getting rid of clothes that no longer fit. I cleaned out my closet two months ago. Despite the generous "2 year rule" or less generous "6 month rule", I simply can't toss out clothes I like, even if I haven't worn them in 2 years. And who cares that I still can't fit in them? I just might lose those few extra pounds, right?

I was on the tread mill yesterday afternoon reading an article in In Style about the dreaded closet clean-out. It basically said you're torturing yourself to keep clothes that don't fit, either too large or too small. It said instead of punishing yourself for your flaws, you should toss em all out and buy something flattering that makes you feel good about yourself. So I got motivated.

A few hours later, I decided to clean out my dresser drawers. Sorry, I still can't bring myself to toss out some of those cute tops in my closet. So I hit the workout clothes first. I have tons of cute little shorts and tanks that seriously haven't fit me in six years. It was a time when I was obsessively working out 6-7 times a week and following my trainer in the gym and the kitchen word for word. So why do I torture myself? And if even if I do lose more weight like I'm trying to do, why should I wear clothes that old?

So out those workout clothes went. Next went tons of t-shirts. It's not that the tees don't fit, it's more like they're just not my style. I have Bucs Super Bowl tees, Ravens Super Bowl tees, an Orioles tee, etc. Not the cute girlie tees, but the ones your brother, boyfriend or husband would wear. I even had a few several left from college. So even though I don't wear those shirts, why can't I toss them? It seems so silly. So I put them in the donation bag for The Spring of Tampa Bay, well all except for one or two nostalgic ones.

Then went the shorts. But when I got the drawer with my jeans, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Jeans are pretty expensive and when you find some you love you never want to get rid of them. Plus, I have this amazing pair of Paige Premiums I'm going to get myself back into if it kills me.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

New Sex and the City trailer

2008-05-20T11:46:00.004-04:00

Only 10 days ladies! I hadn't seen this trailer before. It was labeled as a "spoiler" but I think we all know Big and Carrie are getting married in this movie, right? On Oprah SJP tried to allude to the possibility it's a dream sequence. But Oprah said she saw the movie and fans wouldn't be disappointed. And I know many of us would be very disappointed if Carrie doesn't finally marry Big. What do you think?

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Do men read women's magazines?

2008-05-20T00:00:00.013-04:00

I was recently reading Cosmo.. or maybe it was Allure.. hmmm.. no Cosmo.. Anyway, I was reading an article about tips to flirting. It said a woman should gently touch a man's arm during conversation to show she's interested. Not exactly brain surgery, but I could have sworn I'd read it in more than one women's magazine in the past few months. And to be honest I didn't think a lot about it, until this weekend.

I was at a party with one of my friends, and I'm not exaggerating when I say at least six guys touched my arm at some point that night while they were talking to me. After the first few times I began to wonder, are me reading these magazines too? Is that where they're getting their dating advice?

I even pointed this fact out to my friend and she laughed and thought the idea was definitely blog worthy. So last night, at book club after we were done discussing the book (because we actually do that), I told some of the girls. I just knew they'd be just as amused.

But the first thing one of them said was "What were you wearing?" When I answered, she said it wasn't a surprise men were touching my arm. This is the dress:

But I guarantee you, I don't quite look like that in this dress. Plus, I'm short so it's longer on me. Definitely to my knees. And you guessed it, I'm not thin like that or leggy. But, I do admit I fill out the top pretty well. Nonetheless, I still think the coincidence is peculiar.

For most of the party I was just sitting on a bar stool at the bar. I wasn't doing anything to attract any of the men's attention. Just being myself, talking to my friend and some of the people at the party. Well, maybe that was the key, not that they'd read the article too. Maybe by not being interested I seemed more interesting. Wait, I'm sure that's a tip in one of those articles too, right? So if the men read that, did they just think I was playing hard to get? And how do I find out if men's new dating techniques are to use our own weapons against us?

I'm not sure many of the men talking to me that night would admit to reading Cosmo, even I asked and they did. In fact, one so entertainingly told all of the women standing around he'd hook up with all of us, but wouldn't marry a single one of us. He said, "I love myself too much." Touché.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Dear Miss Attitude

2008-05-19T00:00:00.003-04:00

(From my column in Attitudes Magazine)

Dear Miss Attitude:
I'm a married 32 old man. I have been married for 7 years now. Our marriage has been through a lot of ups and downs. It has come to the point where our finances are killing us.
My wife has been talking to another guy for a year and a half. She talks to him on and off and tells him her problems.
I don't think she has ever done anything with him, but I'm not sure. I have been interested in my wife's best friend for a few weeks now. She is beautiful, smart, funny and very smart when it comes to money.
The other day I left her a stuffed animal at her door with a letter that said from your secret admirer. She told my wife about this, and my wife knew right away it was from me. Of course, my wife is so mad. She has always said she thought I had a crush on her friend. Now the friend has no idea I have a crush on her or that I have feelings for her.
My wife has done a lot for this girl and they are loyal to each other. So what do I do? I'm torn.

Dear Reader:
The answer to your marriage problems is definitely not to cheat on your wife. I want to stress, I am not a licensed therapist. Before you have any other conversations with this woman, I would advise you to seek professional counseling. It’s very common for couples to argue about finances, but it appears you may have other problems if your wife is confiding in another man and hasn’t stopped when you asked her. Since money is tight, you may not want to spend it on counseling, but I think it would be a wise investment before you make a decision you may regret. You may want check with your employer. Many offer free and confidential counseling services. Or if you belong to a church, many offer free counseling services as well.

Dear Miss Attitude:
“I can tell he's more interested in me than I am in him. But I really enjoy his company, even if I am not interested in seeing him naked. Is it wrong of me to want to hang out with him, knowing this?”

Dear Reader:
I don’t think it’s wrong if you’re honest with him and with yourself. But if you’re leading him on, allowing him to believe the possibility the relationship will become more when it won’t, then that is wrong. Think about a time when the role’s been reversed, when you really liked someone, but he didn’t like you romantically. How did you feel when he kept hanging out with you, but didn’t want to be your boyfriend? When you think about it that way, the answer is simple. You should always treat other people the way you would want to be treated.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Need advice? Send your e-mail to missattitude@missattitude.us

The sand beneath my toes

2008-05-18T05:00:00.011-04:00

I believe in the sand beneath my toes,
The beach gives a feeling,
An earthy feeling,
I believe in the faith that grows...

There's just something about the song "Semi-Charmed Life." Minus the drug part, it reminds of a carefree time in my life. I had recently graduated college and I lived at the beach. I worked at a restaurant in Ocean City, MD with a bunch of my friends. It was a time full of laughs, friendship, boys, partying, no responsibilities, etc. Every time this song comes on the radio, I think of that summer and my friends. And I think of a stress-free me.

The other day I was suffering from a "flat spirit." (I read that phrase on a blog I love and hope ReneeCK won't mind that I borrowed it.) Anyway, I decided the best thing to treat it was a few hours on the beach. Ah, beautiful St. Pete Beach.

Did sitting on the beach and swimming in the already 80 degree Gulf of Mexico fix my problems? Certainly not. But it did inflate my spirit. (Well, that and dinner & drinks with two great friends the night before.) You should try it sometime.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

I don't think I could sink this low

2008-05-17T05:00:00.013-04:00

So while reading the latest issue of Cosmo, I came across this interesting blurb:
Women who are tired of looking for the perfect guy are ordering up virtual boyfriends. Sites like sergioboyfriend.com allow you to interact with and be wooed by a cybersweetie.

Seriously? I may be be in my 30s and still single, but do I really need to create a virtual boyfriend to fulfill my life? I don't think so. But for the sake of the blog I decided to take a closer look at what's up with this virtual boyfriend thing. So here's what the Website says:

Welcome to the world of Virtual Humans. SERGIO 3 is the third step in developing virtual humans for personal companionship and entertainment. SERGIO is not simply another chatbot but a program designed to mimic human awareness. One of its main features is knowledge aquasition. Everytime you talk with SERGIO he learns, remembers, and understands.

Ok, having a boyfriend who learns, remembers and understands can't be a bad thing, can it? The only thing my last boyfriend understood was beer, football and trivia. And he never remembered anything I told him while any of those three things were involved. So go on Sergio...

Creating virtual humans with SERGIO is very easy. There is no programming or complicated procedures... you just talk! By talking to a new personality he begins to understand more and more - devouring every piece of information and creating relationships between them. A new personality is like an empty brain ready to discover itself. You can teach your SERGIO to be your best friend, your lover and soulmate, or a philosopher, or just the one you come home to after a hard day's work. There is no limit with a good imagination.

Okay, this definitely seems a little creepy. How can this fake creation be your friend, lover and soulmate? That's just too bizarre for me. But as any good blogger and advice columnist would do, I kept looking through the site. So my next question, putting the creepiness aside, is how much does it cost? Because I know what I spent to try online dating and there were real, well supposedly real, men on the other end of the computer.

Aha, you can't really tell how much it costs. Apparently you have to pay $24 for a license to register Sergio. WTF? You have to register your virtual boyfriend? It's not he's going to vote or drive a car. The site says it's active immediately after payment. So how much does he cost to build after that? There was a place to download Sergio and I decided against it. I don't want a computer virus from this faux boyfriend nonsense.

How could a woman convince herself this thing is her boyfriend? And how do you explain it to your friends when they want to invite the new couple over for dinner? And let's dig a little deeper here, what would make a woman turn to electronic companionship? We've all had bad boyfriends, bad dates, but is creating a pretend boyfriend the answer? No thanks, I'll take my chances with real men, even if no one's knocking on my door right at the moment.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

New Kids.. do they still have the right stuff?

2008-05-16T14:43:00.012-04:00

Okay, I guess there's proof I'm not as die-hard of a New Kids Fan as I was as a teenager. I forgot to watch this morning's concert on Today Show. And I forgot to record it. Which in the late 80's/early 90's was a punishable offense. Without embarrassing myself too much I will tell you I recorded every single show they were on, even if it was for 60 seconds. I was that bad. But now...

Now, I just don't know. I wanted to be as excited as I was then, but I'm just not. There's something missing. Maybe I'm more cynical and not as easily excited. I still think Jordan can sing (yes, he's my favorite), Donnie's still got a great stage presence, Jonathon still looks uncomfortable, etc. All of them men still look good and they can still dance. But the songs just didn't send tingles up my spine like the used to. Maybe if I'd been there and seen it live? But I know I wouldn't stand in line 48 hours ahead of time. I didn't even do that then!

So thank goodness for the internet. It's wierd Joe was saying how in a way it seemed the last 15 years didn't happen and I guess in a way many of the fans feel that way. I still know the words to all the songs and Jordan's dimples still make me smile. But I'm definitely not going to cry to "I'll Be Loving You Forever." Yes, again with the laughing at me, I was known to do that. And maybe I just expected to feel like a 16 year old girl again, but I don't. What I do wish is I'd been a smarter NKOTB fan.

Several years ago when my parents sold the house I grew up in, I got rid of all of my old New Kids paraphernalia. TONS of it. My cousin, who I mentioned earlier this week, told me I should sell it on eBay. But did I listen? No. I figured who would want that crap? Big buttons, posters, trading cards, VCR tapes of all of their performances, etc. Silly me. Apparently if I'd waited a few years, I would have made a killing! BTW-- my cousin took the tour jacket, one I won in a magazine but never worse since I too old to wear to be seen in it. I hope she still has it, that's all I can say. Maybe she can make a few bucks.

Okay, I'm sorry I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade. I'm sure many New Kids fans feel differently about this comeback. And maybe I will when I see them in concert. Because let's face it, I'm definitely going if they stop in Tampa. I mean cynicism aside, I still have a crush on Jordan. And I loved those days. I was so carefree, no responsiblities. I had all the time in the world to know which day which new magazines came out with the New Kids in them. I apparently had a ton of spare cash to buy all that crazy New Kids stuff. I honestly didn't know anyone who had as much as me. I clearly I enjoyed those concerts. I stood there screaming and crying with the best of them at least five concerts, six if you include Jordan's solo show in Ybor City a few years ago (but I promise I didn't scream or cry at that one.)

I want to hear what you think about the concert? Ladies, please comment because I know you watched it. And if you didn't, I've included all of it right here on this blog.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

What is SJP wearing on her head?

2008-05-15T00:00:00.007-04:00

This is a picture of the SATC gals at the world premiere of the movie in London. I know Sarah Jessica Parker likes to take fashion risks, but isn't this hat a bit much? Green roses and yellow butterflies!

Rumor has it SJP had 81 costume changes during the filming of the movie. I just hope Carrie doesn't wear any hats like this one!

And why was the world premier in London and not New York, the city where it's set? SJP had a very PC comment despite the fact that her character has a love affair with New York through all six seasons of the show.

According to the Telegraph Cynthia Nixon tried to placate American fans saying, "We're having a kind of smallish premiere here; we're having a smallish premiere in Berlin. We're building to the New York premiere which is enormous and happens just before the film opens worldwide."

The movie opens Friday, May 30 here in the U.S. So get ready girls!

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

I'm actually surpised this doesn't happen more often

2008-05-14T16:10:00.007-04:00

Warning: do not watch this if you're offended by the f-word.

WNBC longtime anchor Sue Simmons dropped the f bomb during a live primetime promo. She apologized on the 11 p.m. newscast, but is that enough? Or is it just an honest mistake? According to the New York Times Simmons aimed that remark at her co-worker in “mock derision” and she thought the segment was being taped. Others have been fired for doing less.

I have to say it's surprising this sort of thing doesn't happen more often. I've worked with tons of anchors who say inappropriate things, including curse words and crude comments, right up to the very last second before coming back live from commercial. And to be honest, that always made me uncomfortable as a producer. Don't get me wrong, I've been known to curse in the booth, but I also never signed up to be on air.

Now the story on the New York Post is a little saucier. It says former colleagues say Simmons enjoyed liquid dinners in between newscasts and sometimes she was tipsy on air. While those are pretty serious allegations, it's not all that uncommon in TV news. I've worked with a few of those anchors in my time as well. Ones that reeked of alcohol after returning from dinner, but believe it or not those aren't the ones I ever heard cursing during commercial breaks. At least not while I still worked with them.

WNBC is keeping tight lipped about the situation, saying the station doesn't discuss personnel issues.. leaving people to speculate if the long time veteran anchor will be suspended or fired.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

If patience is a virtue, I'm not virtuous!

2008-05-14T00:00:00.016-04:00

According to Dictionary.com, the definition of patience is the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like. And I, by my own admission, am not patient. I remember my first lessons in patience. When I was in elementary school one of my cousins and I were nearly inseperable. Whenever we wanted to do something really badly our mothers would always say, "Good things come to those who wait." I remember cringing every time I heard that phrase. I didn't understand why we had to wait for what we wanted. And now more than 20 years later, I still don't understand why I have to wait.

As a young TV news producer, I didn't have a lot of patience. I wanted that video now, I wanted the reporter to answer her phone right away, I wanted the director to take that graphic immediately. At times I even lost my temper a little bit. I was known to slam the phone down and hang up on people. I even threw a few pens, nothing really serious, but enough to show I wasn't a patient woman. Then I became an Executive Producer and didn't have any choice but to change. In the beginning I had to fake my patience. Eventually, I actually grasped the concept and on most days was able to remain calm and not get annoyed. On most days. Then by the time I became an Assistant News Director, I thought I had the patience thing down pat. Until I got laid off that is.

Now after more than two months of looking for a full-time job, it's become increasingly obvious I'm not really a patient woman. I knew it would take some time, especially since I'm not looking for jobs in TV news. And I'm not unappreciative of my accomplishments and the wonderful things I've been able to do with my free time. Afterall, I launched my own Website and I'm being featured in a national women's magazine. I'm getting ready to teach college classes in two weeks. I'm done some freelance writing. I've also been able to spend some quality time with my friends. Something I hadn't been doing when I was working 70-80 hours a week. I'm also enjoying this beautiful Florida weather, one of the main reasons I moved here in the first place. I'm also exercising more and eating healthier. All great things.

But, and yes, there's a but. I'm bored. The workaholic in me just can't stand sitting around and waiting much longer. It's difficult to wait for employers to get back to me about my applications. It's difficult to wait after what you think was a successful interview. Then there's the concern about money. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about the fact I won't be able to afford to pay my mortgage after the summer is over. It's actually almost terrifying. I've tried my best to remain positive about this situation. And though I know people mean well, I'm tired of hearing "Everything happens for a reason," or "Something better will come along." Again, I try and stay positive, I really do. But my patience is definitely wearing thin.

If you've ever been unemployed, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, I highly recommend coming up with a plan in case it happens to you. I'm not trying to scare anyone, but in this economy it makes sense to prepare. I often think if I'd had a plan maybe I wouldn't be so impatient. So for now, I'm working on a new plan and focusing on the things I can control. And maybe, just maybe good things WILL come to those who wait.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

P.S. If you've had a similar problem, I'd love to hear from you. You can e-mail me at missattitude@missattitude.us.

Hit me with your best shot!

2008-05-13T00:00:00.003-04:00

Did you know about this?

MySpace Karaoke is the ultimate online karaoke experience. Sing along to your favorite songs in all genres. New songs are added every week!

MySpace Karaoke is by far the most amusing thing I've seen on MySpace. I had no idea it even existed until someone sent a Twitter about it. So the Twitter addict me went to check it out right away.

If you think you can sing, or even if you know you can't, you can pick your song and record it. Then other people can rate you and submit their comments about your singing. What I've heard so far is absolutely horrendous. And the comments are laughable. People are writing things like you sound great, way to go girl, I love the way you sing, etc. I guess most of the people listening are the same people who think they can sing! But, I must admit it is entertaining.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Yes, I'm an addict

2008-05-12T00:00:00.023-04:00

My friends, I am a shopaholic. But I'm not just any shopaholic. I'm addicted to shoes. I guess this isn't a new revelation, but it became more obvious I had a problem when I was at the outlets the other day. I met a friend for lunch. He lives in Sarasota and I live in Tampa. We agreed to meet in between in Ellenton, which for those of you who don't live in the Tampa Bay area is where the outlets are. Yikes!

After lunch I headed straight toward Off 5th. I often find really good deals on name brand shoes there. I also had an idea of what I wanted. I need a pair of black sandals that I can wear with jeans and with dresses. I know, I know. My friends and family are thinking I have so many pair of shoes, how could I possibly need another pair? Let me explain. I do have two pair of black strappy sandals. Both are several years old and not in style anymore. Wait before you judge me, let me just tell you the last time I wore one of them out a guy noticed they were out of style, a straight guy. I rest my case.

So anyway, I immediately found a perfect pair. Kate Spade.

I actually don't own Kate Spade anything. It's typically too expensive for me. The shoes (above) were more than $200, but still a great price for Kate Spade. So I texted a few friends, "I guess buying Kate Spade shoes are bad if you don't have a job?" One of my friends, who's also an admitted shopaholic, replied back it would seem so. But she asked me to send a picture anyway. After I did that, I kept looking. I figured there had to be a less expensive pair. And then I found these.

Betsey Johnson. For $78. Now if you don't already know this, that's a pretty good deal for Betsey Johnson shoes.
But I put the shoes down and walked away. Now if I'm being honest, I went back two more times and tried them on again. But no matter what rationale I tried, I couldn't justify $78 shoes when I don't have a full-time job. I know those of you who don't have a shoe addiction like I do are saying it's a no brainer. But it's not for an addict.

Let me explain why shoes are so addictive. I've never had a pair of shoes let me down. Now on occasion I've had an uncomfortable pair, but nothing a little breaking in wouldn't fix. Shoes always fit. Through the years as I've gained weight, lost weight and gained it back again, my shoes always fit. They are also very versatile. A great pair can complement your favorite jeans AND your favorite skirt. Shoes also make you taller if you want. I'm 5'1" so that's very important to me. Plus, a fabulous pair can also give you the extra boost of confidence you need on a first date or a job interview. How many items in your life can you say the same about? Just think about it.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T11:21:00.008-04:00

Today is Mother's Day and I've been thinking a lot about how lucky I am to have a great mother. I just called her since I won't see her (I live 990 miles away.) As far as moms go, mine is pretty cool. She had me when she was really young, so we've always been close. I can talk to her about almost anything and we like a lot of the same things, well except her brief mistake with buying Crocs!

No flowers or chocolates or anything motherly for her gift this year. I bought her Sex and the City Season 6 Parts 1 & 2 on DVD this year. I figured she can catch up on those episodes before the movie comes out at the end of the month. The funny thing is the day I ordered the present, she was telling me how much she hates the episodes with the "Russian" and "Berger." Oops, those are the ones you're getting, I thought. And she keeps telling me she can't believe they're showing so much of the movie in the trailers and often asks, "Why do they have to do that?"

Of all the men Carrie dated in SATC, my mom likes Mr. Big best, just like me! The main thing we disagreed about when I was a teenager was who was the best member of New Kids on the Block. She liked Donnie. And I was obviously right, Jordan was the best one. She even went to several NKOTB concerts with me and my friends. See, I told you she was cool!

The only uncool thing I ever give her a hard time about is when she wouldn't let me go to a Rick Springfield concert when I was in 5th grade. And this year when I met Rick Springfield I told him the story he said, "Your mom's a smart woman." He and his manager agreed the things that went on backstage made it no place for a 5th grader, as if I would have gotten backstage! So my mom says now that Rick Springfield himself agrees with her, I have to let it go.

Sylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Rise and shine for the 5K

2008-05-10T00:00:00.003-04:00

I hope I fall asleep soon. I have to get up at 6 a.m. for the Miles for Moffitt 5K. And you know how I've been having problems sleeping. Last night was the worst yet! I went to bed about 3:30 a.m. after watching Grey's Anatomy and 1/2 of Ugly Betty on the DVR and nearly drifiting off on the couch. Then I woke up at 6 a.m. with a blinding headache. I took ibuprofen, put a cold rag on my head, etc. and nothing worked. Finally I feel back asleep, but woke up several hours later, but still had the headache.

Hopefully tonight will be better. My friend is picking me up at 6:30 a.m. to head over to the USF Sundome for the race. Wish me luck.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

www.missattitude.us is up and running!

2008-05-09T18:02:00.003-04:00

My fabulous new Website www.missattitude.us is now live. Please log on and let me know what you think! As I mentioned earlier, please tell your friends and your family.

I want to give a special thanks to Chad Ferguson with Fergusonto Media for his amazing work on the site.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Miss Attitude's makeover

2008-05-09T00:00:00.006-04:00

My new Website is almost ready. You may have noticed the blog already looks a little different. I hope you like my new style. I'll let you know when it's ready to go, but for now please bookmark the new site: www.missattitude.us. And please tell your friends.

Also, I have some great advertising deals for anyone who has a business and wants to advertise very inexpensively. If you're interested, send me an e-mail at advertise@missattitude.us.

Now is also a great time for your feedback. If there are topics you really want me to discuss, please speak up. If I'm writing too much about one thing or not enough about something else you love, let me know. I'm very grateful to all of you who have been reading & writing comments and for those of you who are sharing my blog with friends and family. This has been an amazing experience so far and it's only going to get better with the new Website and Marie Claire feature coming out in July.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Tell me it isn't so!

2008-05-08T16:46:00.004-04:00

I couldn't wait until tomorrow to post another blog. My mother told me she read what I wrote about Crocs. She said it was funny, but she had a confession. My own mother bought a pair of those heinous things! Unbelievable. She certainly knew what she was doing was wrong if she didn't tell me until after the fact. Am I right or am I right?

She said she got the idea to buy them from watching Regis & Kelly. She said the a fashion stylist said don't ever buy them, but Kelly said they were so comfortable. "I figured I'd give them a try," she confessed, "but I never really took to them." She also admitted they're in the closet and she knew she should have just returned them. "They were expensive too, like $30. Not cheap!"

So readers if you don't believe my advice, please take my mother's. Just say no!

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Why do incompetent people get ahead?

2008-05-08T00:00:00.008-04:00

Just the other day one of my friends told me I should blog about why incompetent and lazy people always seem to succeed. I think at first I brushed her off. It's not that I haven't seen my fair share of that in the workplace, but it's a challenging thing to write about without naming any names. It's also challenging when you know you've lost your job and others absurdly less competent than you remain for years to follow. So I'm going to try to keep this from sounding like the rants of a bitter woman. Remember, I'm trying to stay positive! So here it goes.

Sometimes I think upper level managers surround themselves with the "yes" men and women instead of hiring people who might challenge their views or judgement calls. Let's face it, most of us want to be right. I also think some managers don't want their employees to be more talented than they are. This is something I don't think I'll ever understand. I love having competent employees, I love having employees who think for themselves, I love having employees who take my suggestion and then improve it. Instead of finding it intimidating, I find it exhilarating.

Then there's for lack of a more tasteful term the "ass kissers." You know who I'm talking about. They probably sit near you at work or maybe you're one of them. Now I'm not suggesting all employees who suck up are incompetent, but some of them are. And for some reason their lack of skills seems to be camouflaged by all that kissing up. I tend to think these people can ride the wave of success for quite a while, if that's what the manager wants. Now what I've told myself, because I could never bring myself to be one of these people, is hard work and being good at what you do is better than this disguise any day.

Lastly, there are the incompetent or lazy people who appear to have some special connection to the boss that always saves them. Sometimes you hear the rumors they've slept with the boss. Or maybe they're related. Either way, avoid messing with them or wasting your energy worrying about why they appear to be doing better than you. One day when they have to work somewhere else, someone will catch on to them.

I want to hear from you. Do you have problems with lazy or incompetent coworkers? Send your e-mails to miss.attitude7@gmail.com.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

What a rip-off!

2008-05-07T00:00:00.005-04:00

So I went to Blockbuster last night for the first time in years. I couldn't believe how much the prices have gone up to rent a movie. $4.50 for one DVD for two days? That's ridiculous! And I grabbed two, so nearly ten bucks later I walked out of the store and got in my car and sent a text to Twitter to share with everyone who follows me.

A little while later one of my friends, "gabizmom", Twitters back "You gotta try NetFlix!" I'm sure she's probably right since that's only $4.99 a month and you get them by mail. I guess I never really considered doing that before because I never had a lot of time to watch movies. I was a workaholic and my job was pretty demanding, leaving me with little free time during the week. In fact, my one friend joked, "You didn't have time to watch movies," but then added, "I take that back. You could've watched movies in your sleep!" And once the weekend hit, I wanted to either relax or spend time with my friends. Movies weren't really a top priority.

And when I did watch them, I watched them for free. I found this really cool Website based out of the U.K. that had tons of movies and videos for free. Of course I had to watch them on my laptop, but free was free. Then the site got shut down for pirating issues and that was the end of that. I recently found Hulu which seems very similar. But all of the movies I wanted watch only had trailers online. So with that, I went to Blockbuster.

Now to give you an idea of how long it had been since I went in there, I don't even have a membership card anymore. And the cashier had to change my address and ask me for another credit card because the last one they had on file expired in 2001. Yikes! He said, "Just to let you know the prices have gone up a bit since the last time you've been in here." Isn't that an understatement?!?!?

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Suicide and the news

2008-05-06T00:00:00.011-04:00

With the suicide of the D.C. madam, TV news outlets across the country have been updating the story daily including yesterday's release of the official cause of death and suicide notes. After working in a newsroom for 13 years, I can easily count the number of times we've covered suicides on the air and the Web. And as you can guess most of those stories were about high profile people who killed themselves.

Al Tompkins at The Poynter Institute will tell you while it's one of the leading causes of death, journalists usually avoid covering suicide. As a producer in several different newsrooms across the country I was told "we don't cover suicides." And in almost every single one of those newsrooms, there came an opportunity to ask why and what about this one?

One of my friends and former coworkers killed himself last April. Many of you who read this blog from the Tampa Bay area remember John Winter well. When I first came to Tampa I produced the morning show at WFLA-TV, and for the seven years I worked there John Winter remained one of my favorite people at the station. I no longer worked there at the time of his suicide, but I received a lot of calls to make sure I didn't see it on TV first. I was shocked, sad, angry, confused and more. Then I talked to my boss at my TV station and she asked if it was okay for us to run it. They wanted to be respectful.

A year later, I still have a hard time believing he's gone. While many of us will never understand how someone like John Winter could commit suicide, someone does it every 16 minutes in the U.S., according to the CDC. The CDC also says, "Suicide is usually a complicated response to overwhelming problems as opposed to a simple, unplanned reaction to one life challenge. In others words, it is not as simple as saying “he was unhappy with last week’s game” or some such explanation." And that's what makes it so difficult to understand. When one of your friends commits suicide you can't help but wonder if there were signs you should have noticed, if there was something you could have done, etc.

I learned this lesson two years earlier. My ex-boyfriend from high school and his twin brother both killed themselves within five months of eachother. When my ex-boyfriend's brother, who was also one of my friends, committed suicide I knew in my gut his brother was next. I just knew it. I even sent him a letter. I hadn't talked to my ex-boyfriend in years, but I thought if he could just know someone cared then perhaps he'd get help and avoid following in his brother's footsteps. In my letter I acknowledged we really didn't know eachother any more, but we used to care about eachother and I still wanted to do anything I could to help. I knew he must be devastated by his brother's death and gave him my phone number and e-mail address in case he ever wanted to talk. I never heard from him.

Just a few short months later, I received a phone call from their sister. She found my phone number programmed in his cell and assumed we'd been talking again. She wanted to let me know about what happened. I couldn't say I was surprised, but I was still so very sad that he couldn't find another way to deal with his problems. I booked a flight to go home for the funeral, but things beyond my control kept me from actually making it there. For some reason I thought there would be some answers at the funeral, though the thought of seeing his family in such pain after two suicides was almost too much to think about. I eventually spent time with their mother and sister a few months later and couldn't believe how amazingly they were coping. I stayed in touch for a while, but I haven't talked to either woman in a while. But I still think about them all the time. And I still think of both of the men who were once a part of my life and how I'll never see them again.

It's tragic that two men in their early 30s didn't think they had enough reason to live. Every once in a while I tell people about the twins and how they both committed suicide. And I'm not sure what I'm looking for people to say. Maybe I just want to share the story so I'm not holding it all inside. Maybe I just wish someone else will hear these stories and realize there's help out there, that life is not that hopeless. I also wish we talked about suicide more on the news instead of acting like it's so taboo. I wish we always followed the stories with a link to the National Suicide Prevention Website and the hotline number 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

D.C. Madam's suicide note

2008-05-05T11:33:00.008-04:00

The Tarpon Springs Police Department just released Deborah Jean Palfrey's suicide notes. For the person who found the body she wrote "DNR" and "do not feed under any circumstance." In two notes she apologizes for any harm she's caused her mother and sister. And she tells her mother she left her money in a bank account for funeral arrangements and other account settlements.

I have a copy of the letters and have been working diligently to figure out how to post it on this blog.. standby..

(update) Okay, clearly Miss Attitude needs a little lesson on how to convert something from Adobe Reader to my blog. But thanks to TBO.com you can read it all for yourself.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

I don't think they're hearing me..

2008-05-04T11:22:00.005-04:00

My one woman mission to get Crocs off the streets isn't having a lot of success yet. I love the comments I'm receiving, but most of them are from the stylish readers who would never be caught dead wearing those hideous excuses for shoes.
Here's the only comment I got from someone obviously misguided enough to think Crocs are okay dispite my advice:

I think you are being a bit tough on Crocs. They feel like velvet vaginas on the feet! I dont care how they look... but they make my feet feel great. I have them in like every color made.
I intend to wear them for many years to come - if they are good enough for Mario Batali - they are good enough for me :-)

Seriously? I don't even have a dignified response to the "velvet vaginas" comment. And since when is Mario Batali someone you want to dress like? I remember watching Molto Mario on the Food Network years ago and never once did I say well if he dresses like that, it's good enough for me. Maybe you want to cook like him, but why would you want to dress like him???? It's not like you're saying if they're good enough for Kate Hudson, they're good enough for me.

The rest of you seem to understand what I'm saying.

I hate crocs. They are the speedos for feet, a massive fashion faux pas that should never have been created.

I agree with you miss attitude! I think crocs are awful. Have you seen there are now new designs of crocs. They're better, but they're still plastic! They're still not good to wear out in public. The only reason to wear them would to work out in the yard or walk somewhere your feet would get wet. I don't think this style makes it any better. keep posting!

So help me spread the word. Get rid of your Crocs, those shoes are never okay to wear in public! Ever!

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Just say no!

2008-05-03T00:00:00.004-04:00

The other day I saw a teenager wearing a pair of Crocs and it made me want to shout "What the hell are you wearing? You're old enough to know better!" I really hoped people would stop wearing these horrible excuses for shoes. But since they aren't, I'm on a one-woman mission.

If you own a pair, please just get rid of them. Do NOT wear them ever again! And no, putting those dumb plastic flowers or whatever the heck those gadgets are does NOT make them look any better. And do me another favor, please don't buy Crocs for your children. Haven't you seen the stories about how kids get their shoes stuck in escalators and such? Buy your child real sandals please.

The first time I saw someone wearing a pair of Crocs in public was nearly two years ago when I lived in Memphis. I had no idea what they were, but knew I never wanted to see another pair again in my life. Then a few days later one of the guys at work asked me if it was okay to wear Crocs in public? I asked what he was talking about. When he described the shoes, I almost screamed at him. I told him under no circumstances should he ever wear those shoes out of his house. He said he wore them around the pool, and while I don't like that idea, at least you're in your own backyard.

The further we got into summer, the more people I saw wearing these heinous things. And I kept thinking to myself "No one in Tampa would be caught dead wearing these!" But sadly, I was wrong. Apparently this unbelievable trend took longer to trickle down to Florida. When I moved back at the end of the year, I saw these atrocious pieces of plastic on sale EVERYWHERE. I couldn't believe my eyes.

But now it's 2008, hasn't this horrific trend run its course??? So please do me a favor. Get rid of all the pairs in your closests, all of them! Now, I'm not suggesting you fill your trash cans and dumpsters with them since I don't think Crocs need to destroy the environment. I did some research and the shoes can be recycled and made into new shoes for people in the world who can't afford them. Check out the Soles United program. It's a great way to take your fashion faux pau and help someone else.

Stylisly yours,
Miss Attitude

"Green" Shopping Dilemma

2008-05-02T00:01:00.004-04:00

So there's something I've been wondering for the past couple weeks. When it comes to shopping with those reusable bags, is it okay to ask the cashier to use your Publix bags at Walgreens or Macy's bag in Target? Or is that breaking some sort of shopping rule?

I've been trying really hard to cut down on using plastic bags. According to Publix the average American uses 336 plastic bags a year, and only about 1 percent of those are recycled. I think I'm finally remembering to take my Publix bags when I go grocery shopping, well most of the time. Thanks to my friendly cashier this week, I even have a nice little decal for my car windshield with a green Publix bag on it to remind me.

But then I went into Target and saw the store at its own reusable bags. So I wondered am I supposed to buy ones from each store? If I'm buying tons of these reusable bags that's going to cost more. And let's face it, most of us don't have extra money to spend.

A few months ago I got suckered into buying one from the Body Shop. The salesperson gave me the spiel on saving the environment and then on top of it told me part of the proceeds went to domestic violence prevention. Well how could I say no to that? It would be like saying I don't care if we ruin the environment and women get beaten! All joking aside, I've used that bag a few times for carrying things, but still wasn't sure if I could use it in CVS or Walgreens.

Is there protocol when it comes to this? Is a cashier going to refuse to use a different brand bag? I asked one of my friends and she told me she's been using these bags for nearly two years and has "never had a problem." She did have a good tip though, the ones at Macy's are larger and would be better for shopping at department or discount stores. Then you keep the Publix ones just for food.

But afterward I started to wonder again, will Sweetbay workers give me a hard time if I bring in my Publix bags? Oh the dilemma! What do you think? E-mail me at missattitude@missattitude.us.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Great timing!

2008-05-01T12:46:00.002-04:00

I just got back from a walk and thought I knew what I was going to blog about today, but I checked my e-mail first and I'm glad. I received this:

Hey!
I just read your blog on the skirt website and it couldn't have come at a better time! I just returned last night from a great vacation and went in to work this morning ready to hit the ground running with a clear and determined head. Two minutes into the day my boss called me into his office and fired me. Little reason was given, other then he thought I took my vacation at a bad time (though he approved it -- finny how that works). I didn't even know what to say or how to react -- I was blank. I was still jet lagged from the time change and couldn't help but wonder if the situation was real or if I was still sitting on the plane and this was some sort of travel induced dream from too many pretzels. I walked out of there with my $323 consolation check for unused vacation time and felt confused, but strangely relieved.

I actually just logged onto the Skirt site to begin searching for a job and saw your blog. The energy surrounding this day -- and my firing -- couldn't be more positive. There are signs everywhere telling me this is a blessing in disguise and I am so much better for it -- and your blog was one of them! My job was in events but I have a degree in journalism and it drove me crazy that I never had the time to freelance in writing or pursue something I truly love. Now I have all the time in the world and I couldn't be more thankful for that. Thank you shitty boss man -- I am free!

Thanks so much for your inspiring words and best of luck!

As I promise, I don't use anyone's name. But this reader's kind words made my day. Here's someone who has every right to be bitter and angry and feeling sorry for herself. Instead she's already out there looking for the positive. And she's also realized she wasn't pursuing her dreams, instead she was working for a boss who clearly didn't appreciate her for all that she did.

These are definitely tough times to be unemployed, believe me. But I already feel happier in my life. As I've mentioned before I feel blessed to have such supportive friends and family. And now thanks to blogging I'm able to pursue my true passion of writing and also hopefully helping some people along the way.

So I want to thank the reader for sharing her story. Also as she mentioned she read my blog on Skirt.com . I'm also posting there now. That will not replace this blog by the way. In fact, I'll let you in a little secret today. Miss Attitude hopes to launch her own Web Site this summer. So stay tuned!

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

miss.attitude7@gmail.com

Do I have sucker stamped on my forehead?

2008-04-30T15:23:00.004-04:00

What is about getting work done on your car leads to spending at least twice what you expect? I always think it's because I'm a woman and appear not to know any better to the mechanics. Of course, I recognize my first mistake. I went to the dealer. Yes, I know. You should NEVER go to the dealer!

But let me explain why I did. I went because I thought there might be something wrong with my fuel injector. Less than a year ago I had to have it replaced and had the line flushed. I had it done at the dealer because it was under warantee. So I figured if there was something wrong with it they would fix it.

So as you already guessed, that's not what was wrong. It was actual the battery. So in addition to the $29.95 oil change (yes I know you get that done for under $20 other places), I also got suckered into the upsell. I bought the second most expensive battery because it's under warranty for 60 months. If you're thinking sucker, just wait.

I also paid to have my windshield wipers replaced. Yes, I know they charge you at least double. But to be honest, mine have been shot for about a year now and I can't bring myself to buy and replace them. The last time I tried to do it myself I couldn't get them on right and got all dirty. So I guess it's a matter of convenience really. And pay for that I did.

My first clue I should have just gone to Pep Boys, where I never feel taken just because I'm a woman, was this dealership was the mack daddy of dealerships. There was an internet cafe with free Starbucks (think mochas, cappuccinos, hot chocolate, etc.), two big flat screen TVs, free WiFi, a salon & barbershop, movie theatre and a full gym. The pamphlets on the table touted these ammenities stating "So... Why would you bring your vehicle anywhere else?"

The last time when it was the fuel injector I did got someplace else first, but wound up at a dealer anyway because of the warranty. Today I figured I'd just save myself the trouble of two stops. Plus, it's less gas that way, right?

So I sipped my free Starbucks and watched cable news on the big screen TV and waited. When my car was ready my service agent told me they added in a complimentary car wash. When I told one of my friends she said, "That's not complimentary, you paid $200 for that car wash!" How true! I probably should have taken a second Starbucks to go.

I know I got ripped off. I miss the days when my dad used to change my oil, windshield wipers, etc. And he I'm sure he knows it. I usually call him and tell him everytime I have to get something fixed on my car to make sure I'm not being taken advantage of. In fact, I'm sure he'll laugh at this when he reads it.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

Now I'm breaking a promise.. sorry but I couldn't resist!

2008-04-30T00:01:00.007-04:00

Okay, I know I promised no New Kids on the Block blogs until the Today Show concert. But I just got this e-mail a few minutes ago:

We’ve been hard at work rehearsing and are VERY excited to announce our initial tour dates to our nkotb.com members FIRST!

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK LIVE IN CONCERT!

Check out the below dates for AMERICAN EXPRESS cardholders pre-sale and general public on-sale information!
VIP TICKET PACKAGES will be available starting Friday May 2. Visit nkotb.com for more information.
Don’t forget to tune in to The Today Show on Friday May 16!

Sat9/20/08 Montreal, Quebec Bell Centre
Sun9/21/08 Toronto, ONAir Canada Center
Tue9/23/08 East Rutherford, NJ Izod Center
Wed9/24/08 Uniondale, NY Nassau VETERANS MEMORIAL Coliseum
Fri9/26/08 Boston, MA TD Banknorth Garden
Sat9/27/08 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Hotel and Casino Event Center
Sat10/4/08 Chicago, IL Allstate Arena

What about Tampa? All right, you don't have to make fun of me! I already know I'm pathetic. Wanting to see a bunch of 30something former boy band members pretend they still have what they had in the late 80s early 90s.

In fact, I was reminded of how pathetic I am for wanting to go at my friend's kickball game last week. One of the teams on her league is called NKOTB and they had a portable radio playing New Kids songs during the game. Even I wouldn't play those songs in public. I don't even have them on my MP3 player for fear of mockery from my friends.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

P.S. Since I broke my promise and I know tons of you don't care about NKOTB, I will post another blog later today.

I'm cheating.. a little

2008-04-29T09:26:00.003-04:00

Instead of a typical blog today, I'm going to share one of my columns. I know a lot of you don't get to read Attitudes magazine since you don't live in Sarasota or Manatee Counties. And unfortunately at this point, the articles are NOT available online. So since May's is about to be published, I figured I'd share April's with you now. Hope you enjoy!

Dear Attitude Readers:

I’ve been so busy since I introduced myself to you last month. After swearing on my favorite pair of Manolos to give you the best advice I can, some of you still seem hesitant to e-mail me your problems. But you’re definitely not shy about what you think is acceptable behavior.
Recently Miss Attitude had a dating disaster of her own, getting dumped before the first date by a man she met on eHarmony. After talking on the phone for several hours and multiple text messages we made plans for a date. But two days later, I didn’t hear anything from him, not a call, not a text message.
Then I finally received an email.
“I have really enjoyed talking with you but some things have come up personally where dating would not be a good idea for me right now. Sorry for not calling you back but I've just been really busy for my own personal reasons. I really wish you luck in looking for someone you seem like a really sweet girl.”
Some of you definitely had something to say about that.
“Not only is it poorly written, it's in poor taste. What a lame-o.”
“This is romantic evolution. This man is not one of the fittest of the species, so clearly he would not make a good mate. And his lame email is just natural selection at work. You are the top of the food chain and he’s just plankton.”
Cheating also came up. What makes people be unfaithful? How do they go home at night with that lie tucked away and not feel guilty?
One reader admitted she knew it was never okay to cheat, but justified the behavior anyway.
“It is wrong, unfair, dishonest and sleazy. In most cases, I presume, the person cheating still loves their significant other with all their heart. But something is missing. Maybe you’ve had conversations with that person, serious conversations. And things change for a day, maybe two. But then, it goes back to nothing. No help, no passion, no romance.”
I know I’m single and try not to judge, but just get a divorce and then do what you want to do. I believe when you’re married Even as a single person, I would never knowingly have an affair with a married man. Period.

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

E-mail your dating dilemma or coworker crisis to miss.attitude7@gmail.com.