"I use 'broad' as a moniker of respect for a woman who knows how to throw a mean right." - James Wolcott
"Conversation is the art of never appearing a bore, of knowing how to say everything interestingly, to entertain with no matter what, to be charming with nothing at all." - Guy de Maupassant
"Etiquette is for those without manners, in the same way that fashion is for those without style." - Coco Chanel
"To talk without thinking is to shoot without aiming." - Greg Clarke
“You will accomplish more in two months if you develop a sincere interest in two people, than you will ever accomplish in two years desperately trying to get two people interested in you.” - Dale Carnegie
“Blessed is he who has learned to admire but not envy, to follow but not imitate, to praise but not flatter, and to lead but not manipulate.” - William A. Ward
“I think to be truly elegant, you must be comfortable, because comfort comes from confidence and confidence is the base of style.” - Charlotte Moss
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:)
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: [Read more →]
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
We’re not done yet! Click here to get notified every time a new Cool Broad RULE is posted.
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.)
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.