As I mentioned in an earlier article, I DO NOT watch the Real Housewives of New York City on Bravo. Well…okay, yes I do.

For some reason, nobody can pry the remote control out of my hands (and believe me, they have tried) when I’m watching five grown women, in the “upper echelons of New York society”, oblivious to the fact that they come off as complete assholes (except maybe for Bethany…she makes me laugh).

And then, of course, there’s the why am I watching a show about very, very, wealthy people and how much stuff they can buy? aspect to it. It must have something to do with my propensity to want to hurt myself.

Anyway, as I grapple with the challenge of becoming a Cool Broad, I often find myself looking for insight from those around me. Celebrities or other high-profile women can be good examples because most everybody is familiar with them and so they’re easy to discuss. And even though that particular crowd seems to provide more bad examples than good ones, there ARE lessons to be learned from those who aren’t conducting themselves in a very cool manner.

If you’re at all familiar with the Real Housewives, you may know Alex McCord as the one who is married to the Australian metrosexual with two poorly behaved (albeit French-speaking) kids. Or you may know her from her naked pictures (I mean, what would a reality show star be without them?). Or you may remember her as the one who made this statement at the beginning of the show: “I. Don’t. Ever. Want. To. Live. In. The. Suburbs. Bleck.”

And this is what she looked like when shared her opinion about where more than half of America lives. [Read more →]

It’s a trend that I’ve been noticing more and more of lately…fedoras. You know, like the one Brad Pitt seems to wear 24/7 as he lives it up with his ever-growing brood in the South of France.

Apparently Brad Pitt has been credited with jumpstarting this trend himself and since he began donning a fedora, other celebrities have followed suit (i.e., Justin Timberlake). But when I see a picture of Brad Pitt in baggy jeans, an unkept shirt, and a fedora teetering on his head, it makes me think that he either:

a)   forgot the rest of the suit (the Art of Manliness states that fedoras are only an appropriate accent for dressier outfits - wearing one with your favorite pair of jeans is a no-no),

b)   is covering a receding hairline (which, interestingly enough, is why Frank Sinatra, an iconic fedora-wearer, started wearing one in the first place), or

c)   thinks of himself as the NEW Frank Sinatra (his “rat pack” consisting of George Clooney and other A-listers).

And now, I’m witnessing the trickle-down effect as regular folks are falling prey to this trend. In fact, on vacation last week I saw two young fathers on the beach in fedoras (because we all know how saltwater friendly a wool hat is). [Read more →]

The way Regina Spektor says “better” in this song reminds me of a 4 year-old with a speech impediment. Not that I expect that tidbit of information to enrich your life in any way…I just don’t have a lot to say today. Except maybe that I’m glad it’s Friday…and I really like this song:)

Have a great weekend!

~tcb

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In my opinion, one of the best things about being in the company of a Cool Broad is how she makes you feel. You never feel inadequate, she doesn’t bring you down, and you definitely don’t feel self-conscious when you’re around her. You DO feel like you’ve got a little extra pep in your step and you walk away looking forward to the next time you’ll see her.

For those of us who aspire to be a Cool Broad, the key is to figure out how to make others feel good about themselves - and how to do it with sincerity - because Cool Broads definitely aren’t fake. So what’s the secret? [Read more →]

As part of the ongoing Cool Broad “Two on Tuesday” link series, I have two very cool skincare links to share. Click on the title to read the full article.

New skin care products with natural ingredients

This article lists five natural ingredients that you don’t typically think of in skin care products, but have been shown to offer some wonderful benefits for your skin. Some of these you might expect (i.e. pomegranate for its antioxidants) but the rest I was kind of like, huh? (i.e. mushroom and bamboo) [Read more →]

My mother recently accused my dad of being wrong about something.

“You’re not always right, you know,” she said. “You’re only right about 80% of the time.”

I found it interesting that she was able to attach a statistic to my Dad’s accuracy so I asked her how often she thought SHE was right.

“Hmmm,” she said, “probably about 40% of the time.”

“Well, I guess I should feel pretty good about my 80%.” my Dad said.

I personally think I’m right about 85-90% of the time (really…I do). But when I’m wrong…I’m pretty freakin’ wrong. And one of the things I’m working really hard at is admitting when I’m wrong, because Cool Broads always do.

Here’s one example: [Read more →]

My 5 year-old and I were browsing the sale racks at American Eagle yesterday (well, I was browsing, he was complaining) and this song started playing on their sound system. We jumped up and down because we love this tune (it’s on a mix that I always play in my car) but also because we’re just terribly uncool.

As we made our way to the rear of the store we noticed that the video was playing on the back wall and before I knew it…we were treated to some animated butt crack. (See the video here.)

It was kinda cute, in a sexually charged, probably-not-appropriate-for-a-5-year-old kind of way, but I don’t mind a little exposed crack (as you may recall from my thong vs. commando article). [Read more →]

I’m bustin’ my meme cherry!

Thanks to Emily, I’ve been tagged to particpate in a six word memoir meme. This meme was initially prompted by the book written by Larry Smith & Rachel Fershleiser, Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure.

Apparently, Hemingway was once bet ten dollars that he couldn’t sum up his life in six words. He did…and his words were, “For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn.” The book is a compilation of similar 6 word stories. This meme challenges us to do the same. [Read more →]

Cool Broad Case Study:

You’ve recently moved to town and one of your new neighbors just invited you and your kids to the pool for the day. It’s 90 degrees outside and you’re tired of unpacking (but not as tired as your kids are of you unpacking), so you’re thrilled to receive the invitation and accept it heartily.

At the pool, after you and your neighbor slather the kids with sunscreen and set them free, you plop down on a lounge chair and exhale. Then you glance over at your neighbor, who is taking off her cover-up, and notice that’s she has A LOT of hair on her arms. Like…A LOT. You look away, but find yourself sneaking another peek just to make sure you haven’t suffered from heat stroke and are beginning to hallucinate. [Read more →]

I’m pretty sure I just took a step backward in my journey to becoming a Cool Broad: I was caught sleeping on a park bench. Let me explain.
[Read more →]