Friend: “That’s great! What does her ring look like?”

Me: “It’s actually a lot like mine…just a plain round diamond in a gold setting.”

Friend: “That’s interesting. It seems like everyone is getting their rings set in platinum these days.”

Me: “It does, doesn’t it. Back when I got engaged, nobody got platinum rings. It’s funny how styles change.”

Friend: “Well, platinum IS better. I mean, platinum credit cards are better than the gold ones.”

No shit. That was an actual conversation I had with one of my best friends. Now, I love my friend dearly and she certainly wasn’t try to hurt my feelings, but she needs to learn one of the most important rules if she wants to be a cool broad: Think before you speak. (more…)

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Pardon the political grovelling. I know everyone must be SO over elections by now, but one of my readers nominated me for a blog award on DivineCaroline.com and…well, I sort of want to win it.

Voting ends on November 30, so I only have 16 days to get 119 votes (the leading blog in my category has 118) and I totally think that’s within reach!

So I’m launching a grass roots campaign to send this coolish broad to Washington! (Well, actually, if I win I don’t think I go anywhere, but…whatever.)

Here are a few things I stand for:

1)   A pair of rockin’ jeans for every woman, of every size, no matter       what age.

2)   No tolerance policy for female on female bitchiness.

3)   Free weekly blowouts.

So what do you think? Are you with me or against me?? If you’re with me…please click the link below to DivineCaroline.com. I think you’ll need to register to vote (and yes Dad, that means you too). I really appreciate your support!

And make no mistake, I’m totally NOT above questionable voter registration tactics:)

Vote here:

So…let’s get it started!

~tcb

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Is it just me, or does anybody else feel like they stick out like a sore thumb when browsing the racks at Saks Fifth Avenue? It’s almost as if an invisible sensor at the door alerts the entire planet that some poor schmuck from the wrong side of the mall has accidentally wandered into a store that she clearly doesn’t belong in.

It’s not that anybody else makes me feel like a loser, I self-impose that lack of worthiness all by myself. And with that lowered self-esteem comes a heightened sensitivity, so every side-glance I get feels like a knowing look (i.e. they know I should be shopping at Macy’s instead).

I know, I know…my shrink and I need to tackle those nasty self-esteem issues. But until then, I’ve developed a few strategies to diminish the size of the big “L” that I’m pretty sure is planted up there on my forehead whenever I muster up enough confidence to shop at Saks: (more…)

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I just witnessed an example of a very “uncool broad” way to carry oneself.

After dropping my kid off at preschool, I waited to pull out of the church parking lot as an elderly gentleman waited to make a left hand turn into the lot. Though he was taking his time (as older people tend to do when they get behind the wheel of a car), it appeared as if a lady driving a big Lexus SUV behind him was in a hurry.

A few opportunities for the man to turn came and went, but he just sat there, with his indicator blinking. And the longer it took for him to turn, the more irritated the lady in the Lexus got. She honked, she yelled, she threw her hands up in the air in the “what the hell?” manner we’ve become accustomed to seeing. When the elderly fellow finally made his turn…the lady in the SUV hit her accelerator, yelled one last insult, and sped down the road.

That, my friends, is a total lack of grace. For starters, one day you too will be silver-haired and maybe a little shaky (for the Lexus lady, probably sooner rather than later…all that stress takes its toll, sister). We all love the independence our cars afford and if those of us who feel a bit unsure take it a little slower than we’d like…cut them some slack. Maybe when you’re in a similar situation, someone will cut you some slack as well.

Also, Cool Broads never lose their cool. It ain’t gonna make any difference whether you pitch a fit or not…he ain’t gonna go any faster. You’ll just get yourself hot under the collar, increase your blood pressure, deepen those lines between your eyebrows, and make yourself look like an ass.

Cool broads try their hardest to be generous and patient. We don’t get bitchy when the checkout girl at Kroger takes ten minutes to identify to correct code for cantelope (even though we’d like to lean over the conveyer belt and throttle her) and we don’t blow our top when we find ourselves behind the a-hole without exact change in the exact change line at the tollbooth.

Overreacting, or losing your cool, is rarely effective as it never solves the problem and only succeeds in making others uncomfortable, and making people uncomfortable is a sure fire way to get booted from the Society of the Cool Broad.

If you chill out and play it cool, I guarantee you’ll enjoy your short jaunt on earth so much more (and maybe with a little less Xanax).

~tcb

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This is a snapshot my youngest, immediately after he got tossed around by a frothy wave this summer during the maiden voyage of his brand new boogie board. When he finally resurfaced and blew the water out of his nose, he put his hand to his head and broke out in a flurry of giggles…thrilled with his wild ride, even though it wasn’t what he or his brother would consider “successful”.

But, he made it to shore without losing his board and figured that a little sand in your shorts isn’t the worst thing.

He’s good about that…looking at the bright side.

And that’s what roughly half of us will have to do after all of the votes have been counted tomorrow…we’re going to have to look at the bright side. Having voted in 5 presidential elections, I’ve experienced both the joy of victory and the devastation of loss and if you’re passionate about your candidate and the issues, a loss can be very difficult to take.

So, not knowing how I’ll feel tomorrow, I went ahead and wrote this today. For those of you who find yourself in the dumps after the election, keep your chin up…it’s never as bad as it seems. There will always be another chance to make a difference and I find that it helps to look inward and focus on things close to home.

And this song is PERFECT for such a day. After all, if a bunch of guys can be nailed to crucifixes, yet still muster the optimism to whistle and sing about looking on the bright side of life…so can we!

(If you have no idea what I’m talking about, check out a clip of Monty Python’s Life of Brian here.)

xoxo
tcb

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I’ve heard about liberals and conservatives who are the best of friends (don’t forget about the bizarre political partnership known as the marriage between James Carville and Mary Matalin), but I don’t know for the life of me how they do it.

My political ideologies are a deeply and strongly held set of beliefs and values. I’m not partisan for the sake of being partisan; it’s just that I truly believe that I’m right.

Early on, my political convictions were no doubt shaped by my family and their experiences and beliefs. But as I’ve gotten older, my opinions have been influenced by my education, my life experiences, and my relationships with others…so they’re very personal and very much a part of me.

And those convictions DO influence my opinions of others.

That’s why politics is on my list of things to avoid talking about at a cocktail party. I just want to have a little fun…but if I find out you’re an imbecile…it’s a big, fat downer. (more…)

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9 Fat-Burning Eating Tips

Hungry Girl on Yahoo Food offers up 9 foods that help us Cool Broads on our journey to getting rid of (or fighting the onset of) excess flab.

My favorite idea: a salt-shaker filled with cinnamon to sprinkle on things like toast and your morning oatmeal, because apparently cinnamon helps the body process sugar more effectively and lower blood sugar levels. Why is that good? High blood sugar can lead to the body storing more fat.

Click here to read the full article.

Get Sexy Gisele Hair (more…)

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For those of you who’ve relocated to a new town or a new state recently, I have a question for you: How long did it take for you to feel like you were home?

We moved to Virginia almost two years ago after living in 5 different states over a ten year period…so relocating was “old hat” for us. But this last move proved to be more difficult for us than past ones. And even though we love living here, it seems like it’s taking a while for me to consider our new home…home.

Most likely, this hesitation is a result of two issues that were new for us this time. First, we had kids in school and it was a mid-academic year move so that obviously contributed to the stress. Also, we never really considered previous moves permanent. They were just temporary stopovers in our adventure as corporate nomads. I was never expected to invest deeply in the area in which we lived, so I didn’t.

This time, however, we moved closer to family and back to a state that we’d lived in before (and went to college in). And with the kids getting older, making friends, and becoming involved in their community, we feel it’s important to settle down a bit.

I think we’ve also come to appreciate the benefits of letting your roots grow in a little (no, I’m not reversing my position on GREY roots), and how difficult it can be to sever those roots (the kids and I really miss our friends in Mt. Lebo, snow at Christmas, and I’m suffering a little Roethlisberger withdrawal).

So now that we’ve agreed that we should cool our jets and hunker down for a while, I find myself feeling a little like that guy who’s girlfriend wants to get married, but he’s having a hard time committing. And kind of like the girl in this song - a skittish, little grasshopper who doesn’t stay in one place for very long (but isn’t big on Goodbyes).

~tcb

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I was flabbergasted.

First of all, I’m a little irritated that only 10% of the hair of my head is fighting for my quickly-slipping-through-my-fingers youth. Secondly, I’m way to young to be practically, completely gray (or at least I thought I was). And thirdly, a 90% used to be something I’d strive for (in a gotta-make-the-deans-list kind of way). Now…not so much.

And to make matters worse, my hair grows fast, so now that I’m 90% grey, I really need to do my roots every 3 or 4 weeks (and 4 weeks is pushing it).

So, besides the fact that I’m applying chemicals to my scalp at least every month and will most likely contract cancer of the head, it’s incredibly inconvenient to have to color my hair that often. BUT, I’d rather walk across a bed of broken glass than show up in public with one inch roots so I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve for those times when I just don’t have 45 minutes (or the energy) to color my hair myself or can’t schedule an appointment which, let’s face it, door to door can be two hours out of my day (and serious greenbacks out of my wallet).

Here they are: (more…)

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And after reading her interview in the October issue of Redbook Magazine, I like her even more.

When asked to reflect on what she’s learned over the years, she responded, “To me, there’s no greater reward than being around people you care about and can be present with. Or to realize I’m the person I’ve always wanted to become — or, should I say, the person I always knew I was.” (more…)

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