Hello loves. I’m sick (again? still? tis the season) and am too busy drinking nyquil from a sippy cup to post anything worth reading, but luckily the one and only SkinnyRunner is helping me out. I totally cyber stalked her and forced her to be my friend a few months ago.No shame in my game. I love this post, now maybe when I finally run that marathon I keep yapping about, I’ll look more “hot” than “hot mess.” MAYBE.

Hey cats, it’s SkinnyRunner here. I like to pretend I’m skinny and I like to run marathons.  Sometimes I even run hard and beat dudes, but there’s never an excuse for looking like one.  You don’t get extra points for looking haggard or homeless; only the Olsen twins do.  Which is why I want to talk about the most important part of successful running: looking cute.

First you gotta find the right outfit that flatters your body shape and that you feel good in.  Not what everyone else in your Pilates class is wearing.  For example, I’ve got more rolls than a bakery (or at least feel that way sometimes) so I never wear skintight shirts: I just don’t feel comfortable in them.  But I do feel comfortable in running skirts so I wear shorter skirts than a naughty Catholic school girl.

The key is finding what you feel good in whether that’s Lululemon tights, a Champion billowy babydoll tee, Nike Tempo shorts, loose capris, or a cotton t-shirt.  Find what you like, spend a couple bucks and invest in a few pieces.  When your man asks what the big credit card charge is, tell him it’s “sweat equity”.  <– I have no idea what that even means but it sounds good.
After you’ve covered all the important bits and pieces (no one wants to see you pull a Snooki… or a Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, Britney Spears, you get my drift) it’s time to move on to the second part of your training plan: hair and makeup. Yep, even though you’re going to be sweating out those miles, there’s no need to look like a swamp monster. I don’t wear makeup in training but I do for races; some runners might think it’s crazy to wear makeup while running a marathon but hello, there are PROFESSIONAL photographers out on the course. Why else would I run?! The whole 26.2 miles all I do pretend I’m being stalked by the paparazzi.

I’m not good at makeup like Liz is; I’m actually pretty bad at it. When spackling up my face, I either resemble a really bad graffiti artist or a 3 year old who got his hands on some forbidden Sharpies.
Nevertheless, here’s my valiant attempt at race face: First, use a sports sunscreen that is sweatproof and waterproof. and bulletproof if you’re running through the ghetto. I like Mission Athletecare products because they’re developed by professional athletes – if it’s good enough for Serena Williams and Amanda Beard, I guess it’s good enough for me. There’s a reason everyone under the sun says to wear sunscreen; if you don’t, you’re turning that $90 anti-wrinkle face serum into a really expensive moisturizer. So wear a good sunscreen that will stay on your face throughout the race.

Then use a makeup primer; this is important if you don’t want your face to melt off onto your shirt. I started using Smashbox PhotoFinish primer which is a great product; it “sets” your makeup so it lasts longer. But it’s also $36 for a small bottle (it does last a long time though). One time after I ran out of Smashbox, I was in that shopping boutique we all know and hate, Walmart, and saw the Covergirl Simply Ageless primer. Thinking I’d score a spot on Extreme Couponing for finding such a great deal, I tried it. For $14, it’s a third of the price and works just as well, I think.
Next up, makeup. I don’t use anything special, just Clinique makeup and their Superbalanced foundation. When you have skin that has multiple personalities (it’s dry and greasy, lucky me!) and occasionally wants to double as a pepperoni pizza, foundation is a necessity. To make sure it stays, I use a pressed powder to really lock that stuff down. I don’t wear eye makeup during a race but do curl my eyelashes. Hey, if I need to bat those babies at a photog, they better be curled.

Last, your hair. The great thing about running is that you get that windswept look without even trying. The bad thing is that windswept look is dangerously close to the “I got stuck in a wind tunnel and was electrocuted” look which isn’t quite as cute. I have long hair so I like to pull mine back into a big, messy but tight bun – the key to getting it really tight is to use 2 hairbands. And then I use a clip for a front poof; these hair clips have little teeth so they stay really well and are cheap. Or I like to throw on a thin, sparkly headband to keep all my wispy split ends out of my face.

And there you have it: you’re dolled up and ready to go. You’re looking so fine you might want to just skip your race and head out for a night on the town!

What brand/kind of make up do you use? I’ve been wanting to try that Make up Forever HD; has anyone tried it? Recommend it? (Liz edit-YES that stuff is magic in an expensive jar-love it!)

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A few weeks ago I put out the call for “How To Be…” guest posts and I love the ones I’ve received so far.  Keep em coming.  This one is from Tari, and I love it-especially the part about not making pouty faces in pictures…as a reformed “duck face” myself, I’ve found smiling is way sexier.

Don’t let the media lead you into thinking that sexiness is a by-product of plastic surgery, a plunging neckline or the highest Christian Louboutin heels you can find (although these things can certainly enhance sexiness). Rather, it’s my opinion that true, innate sexiness is not about how you can alter or adorn yourself with things, but a part of who you are and how you express yourself.

Someone who is truly sexy will be sexy in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt as well as an evening gown and stilettos.

Laugh genuinely and be quick to smile. Be witty and have a sense of humor. A great sense of humor is immeasurably sexy. Have you ever noticed how people who aren’t conventionally beautiful become extremely attractive when they’re constantly making you laugh and smile? My friend Lila is gorgeous, but the reason she’s also ridiculously sexy is because she’s got lightning-quick wit, a light-hearted, self-deprecating sense of humor, she’s intelligent and it’s fairly easy to get her laughing until there are tears in her eyes. (OK, her South African accent doesn’t hurt either.) But remember: beautiful, vapid women are a dime a dozen; the women with joie de vivre, humor and intelligence are so much more interesting and rare.

And yeah, that reminds me: there are so many contrived notions of what it means to be sexy. Stop pouting and posing. My mother actually pointed this out to me once when I was showing her some of my pictures; I always hate to admit it, but damn it, my mother is usually right. I was sporting the pouty mouth in a bunch of the pictures (which happens when I’ve been drinking a bit too much, but that’s neither here nor there) and she said, You should be smiling instead. Suddenly, I realized I looked ridiculous. Damn. Smiling, laughing, and yes, even silly faces would’ve looked more attractive.

Leave a little to the imagination. You don’t need to expose large expanses of flesh to be perceived as sexy by others. Have you ever noticed how shirts or dresses that expose one or both of your shoulders when everything else is covered, are really sexy? Shoulders are on display all the time, but somehow, when they’re just peeking out, that flash of skin that almost looks accidental becomes exciting. A guy I used to date remarked once that he thought one-shouldered shirts/dresses are so sexy. Or how about this: wear a pretty bra and panty set under a moderately modest outfit and then you’ll feel more confident and womanly, which will most likely come across to others.

Don’t dumb yourself down! I can’t stress this one enough. Ditsy, Valley Girl affectations and ways of speaking, a la Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton, are not sexy. I hear so many women who sound like airheads when they speak – at the gym, at restaurants, when I’m traveling – and it makes me cringe like acrylic nails on a chalkboard. You’re not doing yourself any favors by making yourself seem less intelligent than you are! Let’s all take a cue from Olivia Wilde, who is obviously sexy and very intelligent as well (I’ve had the pleasure of spending a bit of time with her); she recently said in an interview with Glamour magazine, “You can be a sexy, beautiful woman and be the smartest person in the room.” Always remember that sexiness and intelligence are not mutually exclusive. Rather, intelligence enhances sexiness.

Learn to be comfortable in your own skin and embrace the qualities that make you unique. Stop trying to be sexy and just be yourself. It sounds clichéd, but the people who aren’t afraid to wear the whimsical outfit they feel like wearing, who aren’t afraid to laugh loudly, who aren’t afraid to dine in a fancy restaurant by themselves, who aren’t afraid to get sweaty or dirty, are the ones who inadvertently catch others’ attention and admiration. And that’s dead sexy.

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4. Bring Pictures
Whether you’re looking for a change, or it’s your first time visiting a stylist bring pictures that will help you explain what you’re looking for. We cannot read your mind, and what you think is “red” we might call “auburn”, “mahogany”, “cola” or “copper”.

5. We Are Not Miracle Workers

If you have the flattest hair known to man we can not give you Beyonce-thousand-dollar-weave-bootylicious volume. If you have jet black curly hair, we cannot give you straight-platinum blond Gaga locks. Well, maybe we can, but it will cost your a pretty penny. If you f your hair up with the previously mentioned drug store colour, you need professional help. Call a salon and be honest, you need colour correction. That $6.99 impulse buy of L’Oreal shade #323 is now going to cost you a at the very least 7 times that. If you really feel the need to make a big change, let a professional do it.

6. We Don’t Want To Charge You An Arm & A Leg For Professional Products
But, like I said, we don’t make a ton of money. Commission from selling merchandise is a great way to increase our pay check, but selling such expensive shampoo is next to impossible unless you have a really rich clientele or they somehow understand the difference. If you buy an expensive leather jacket, you wouldn’t clean it in the washing machine at home with Tide and fabric softener, would you? So if you just dropped $200 on cut, colour and highlights why are you washing your hair with $4 shampoo. You just made an investment in your lid, nurture it. This goes back to you get what you pay for and box colour. Drug store products are less expensive because the quality of ingredients in them is a thousand times cheaper than the stuff in salon brands. If you can’t bear to pay the salon price, go to your local beauty supply and buy in bulk. I will even suggest that you attempt to lie and pretend you’re a licensed hairstylist to get the extra special discount. Don’t worry, I won’t say anything.

7.We Don’t Want You To Be Ugly
It’s not like brides versus bridesmaids and we have to be prettier and skinnier than you. Your hair is our best business card. If you look good, we look good. Referrals are an awesome source of business. You can’t tell me you’ve never been walking around having an awesome hair day and someone hasn’t asked “Where do you get your hair done?” If your stylist is suggesting you cut off more than you’d like, you probably need it. If you haven’t had your hair cut since training bras, you NEED it. Trimmed hair is healthy hair. The only way for split ends to go, is up. If your stylist is afraid to be honest with you about a colour or style that you want, that might not be flattering, or that you won’t be able to maintain, then they’re not doing you any favors. Like that time when I was 15 and I asked for the short cut Gwyneth had in Sliding Doors. I have thick curly hair, I would never have been able to recreate that. Grade 10 was a frizzy year. I so wish that my stylist would have just said, “No. NO! Hell no.” Now a days I trust in my stylist when I tell her I’m considering a short bob again and she laughs in my face.

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Do you ever have those days when you are just a little sad?

For me, that day was yesterday.  I usually feel amazing after I work out, but as soon as I finished Insanity, I found myself holding back tears seemingly out of nowhere.  One minute later I was ugly crying onto my boyfriends chest.

My grandpa is very, very sick.  I wasn’t going to blog about it, because it’s kind of a downer, and there’s not much I can say other than it sucks.   I am constantly having to remind myself of all the things I would tell a friend in my shoes-”he has lived a long and amazing 86 years” or “he’ll always be with you” and “it’s the circle of life“, but honestly? I can’t imagine him not being here, and the knowledge that the end is so near is terrifying.

See? Told you. Downer!

So last night after I cried it out, I did the next natural thing. I took it to Twitter.

And then I felt a little lame for being so emo-weavable all over the internet, but I forgot about it…Until my phone started blowing up with Twitter notifications.  Um, hi. The people I hang out with on Twitter are INCREDIBLE.  So many good ideas that would rescue anyone from funky-town. I thought I would share them here with you-so when you find yourself a little down and out, here’s what you can do!

From Jessi-”90′s dance party!”
From Melissa-”Watching a rerun of The Big Bang Theory. A good laugh always cheers me up.”
From Tiffany-”Vodka, cupcakes, thrift stores and puppies…… but not in that order.”
From Aubs- “Wine and carbs!”
From Carolina-”my favorite mood lifter is good music and a dance-athon/dance-off in my PJs”
From Bonbon Rose Girls-”Bubbly, cupcakes and a SATC or Modern Family marathon!”
From PiperPage-”Without a doubt, music.”
From Patty-”A Krispy Kreme”
From Mllechic-”running, music, a great episode, and my favorite: talking for hrs with a bff.”
From Chris-”tequila, vodka, running, beaches, ben & jerrys”
From Nina-”a phone date with one of my girls with tea in hand (hint hint)”
From Kaci-”Phone call to a good friend! Enjoy a drink in the sunshine! Mani/pedi!”

Carbs and alcohol and dance parties, oh my. I ended up making a nice dinner with my bf, having a few glasses of wine, watching silly T.V, reading food and running blogs and falling asleep early.   My spirits were lifted.

And another thing that lifted my spirits? My guest post about my weight loss on Skinny Runner!  So insanely honored to be her only guest post evah, and the supportive response it received was overwhelming. Big HI if you’re from S.R

What are your favorite mood lifters?

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Talking about being sick is SO boring, especially right now when every other person I know is down for the count. My tonsils of death and destruction are out of control, there was an ER visit, and I have nothing to say except for “Wahhh I don’t feel good,” or some variation of that phrase. Who else can I force to do a last minute guest post for me on a Sunday night other than my boyfriend? Add this to the list of why he’s amazing. And, considering I guess this is a fashion blog, I thought it would be interesting to peek inside his closet-a view I see almost everyday and still laugh. But he does look really hot in plaid…so here he is. A guy’s view on fashion…is there anything your man wears TO DEATH?

“You used to be able to tell the difference between hipsters and homeless people. Now, it’s between hipsters and retards. I mean, either that guy in the corner in orange safety pants holding a protest sign and wearing a top hat is mentally disabled or he is the coolest fucking guy you will ever know.” ~ Chuck Klosterman

After opening the closet door to pick out a shirt for the night, I believe her comment was, “Oh my God! I’ve never seen so much plaid in my life!” …That’s when I thought maybe I have a problem.

Is it my fault that I haven’t changed my taste in clothes since 1982. Listen, plaid looked good on me then, and I wasn’t about to mess with a good thing. Plus…I look damn steezy in it. =)

Unfortunately, it leaves me open to ridicule. Some funny; others ‘oh that’s realll funny.’ For example when she asked me what I was going to wear to the wedding, and I replied, “A suit of course.” She countered with, “A plaid suit???” Yeah…that’s reeaaaaalll funny.

I’m going to be honest here. I basically only look nice in two types of clothes: Dress shirts, and plaid button-ups. Sure, I have some Lakers gear and a couple tees with funny sayings on them (ie: That’s What She Said, I Put the Syn in Synagogue). But as for my go-to clothes, plaid baby. Plaid all the way.

That’s not to say that all plaid is good. During the most recent minimalism closet-cleansing binge, we had to toss out a few of the bad-plaid. The brown plaid button-up with the Asian characters on the front…that was laughed at and then tossed out. Apparently any shirt with an eagle that covers the back is no good. That was a learning process for me.

Somewhere along the line, this put me in a group called Hipsters. At first, I had no idea wtf a hipster was. Then, we went to one of those trendy, indie-like organic coffee shops, and it was pointed out to me that 9 out of 12 guys in there were wearing plaid. Bingo Bango. Hipsters. Jesus H. I was outraged. And a little bummed. I did NOT want to be part of any latte-sipping, 3-day beard growing group of d-bags. Then I went ahead and ordered one of them sugar-free vanilla soy lattes. Fuck me, that thing is good.

Ok, so what? Fine. I’m a hipster. I didn’t know it, nor did I plan on it. I still listen to my old-school 2pac and my Nerd title is still going strong with my love for The History Channel and subscription to Discover magazine. So suck it.

Plus, I figure if I ever get to be 200+ pounds, i’ll be a shoe-in for the Lumberjack crowd.

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After yet ANOTHER exhausting weekend of getting the guys in my phone confused and possibly forgetting their names (because I give everyone a nickname and now there are too many and why is every guy named CHRIS?! OR RYAN?) I realized I am failing miserably at this cuddleslut business–it was time to bring in reinforcements. I’ll let her do the rest of the talking. Take notes!

Rule Number One:

The first rule of cuddleslut, is do not talk about cuddleslut… Just kidding. The first rule is:

A badass bitch does not settle. Do you hear that? She does. not. settle.

Let it sink in. Let it marinate for a few seconds. Now never forget it.

Do not settle for:
- someone else’s boyfriend
- a cheater
- a liar
- a chain-smoking, online-poker playing, borderline alcoholic with Peter Pan Syndrome (my bad, that was me, I hopped on the bitter train for a second)
- fuckfaces
- douchelords
- anyone who reminds you the tiniest bit of Chris Brown or Kevin Federline or Jesse James

A cuddleslut is never desperate, she is the exact opposite. She makes boys desperate, hoping for just a minute of her precious time.

Rule Number Two:

Quantity versus Quality. What do I mean by that, exactly?

I’m not telling you to say yes to every. single. dude. that asks for your digits. But I’m telling you not to be super picky. A very wise (and sexy) young woman once said “Step out of your dating comfort zone.”

If your gut reaction to a guy was “no”, take a second to evaluate why. If it’s something silly like his shoes, get off your high horse and give the dude the benefit of the doubt.

But if your gut reaction was “no, no, hell no!” because you just saw him mackin’ on a dead ringer for babyslut Taylor Momsen or he’s wearing a t-shirt that says “Federal Breast Inspector” (or worse yet, Ed Hardy) then by all means, go with your instincts girl. Pass!

We have to cuddle with a lot of frogs before we find our prince.

If tall, dark and handsome isn’t working out for you, try another flavor. As a matter of fact, taste the rainbow. Sample every flavor. Medium, blonde and stubbly. Mmmmm.

Rule Number Three:

“Be yourself. Those who mind, don’t matter and those who matter,
don’t mind.”
~ Dr. Suess

Hell-ohhh-o, he knows his shit. Dr. Suess, was after all, a doctor.

Let your freak flag fly!

If you want to wear night eye makeup in the day sometimes, do it.
If you want to drink beer and not martinis, do it.
If you want to wear flats to the bar sometimes, do it.
If you want to wear ski socks under your sexy boots, ’cause it’s damn cold outside, do it.
If you want to drink cocktails from a Paul Frank mug on New Years Eve, do it.
If you want to get a fuchsia credit card from a swanky department store, that you will rarely be able to use, just because it’s pink, do it.
If you want to wear pajamas to your own birthday party, f’ing dooooo it. (Yes, some or all of this might be coming from personal experience. I’m weird and that’s why everyone some wicked awesome people love me.)
If you want to wear sweats to the bar, for the love of God, don’t freaking do that.

Be yourself. That way, you will always know that the people that love you, are loving you for you.

Rule Number Four:

Juggle, with honesty and confidence.

So now you’re runnin’ around, having the time of your life. Texting like a fiend. Dating like a man, but still crossing your legs like a lady. Cuddle to your heart’s content. (Make sure you can keep them all straight, unlike some people I know.)

Be up front, you’re not tied down to one guy in particular. Don’t hate the player, hate the game and all that bull shit, is just that, bull shit. Have integrity. Be able to look yourself in the mirror.

Do not become their housewife, their rent-a-girlfriend or their *shudder* “buddy” (unless you want to be in the friends-zone). Do not become Justin Bobby and kiss the black lipstick wearing drunkslut in the bar yards away from Audrina… or you know… situation with genders reversed.

If you decide someone in the rotation is not worth your time, because they turned out to be a douchetard, or you’re just not feeling it, take the appropriate action. Be honest. Be nice. (Unless they don’t deserve it. In which case, be brutal and tell them to go reflect on what an asshole they are.) (Liz here-bwhahahahaha…totes did that! He deserved it, trust.)

But if he’s a nice guy, just not for you, say so.

I Hate (that’s right, with a capital H) to just stop all communication guy. It’s shitty and it’s a cop out. I think a semi-decent guy is owed in the very least a text that says “I have fun, but I don’t feel the right connection. I hope you understand.” And most of the time he’ll suck it up and say that he does… understand… even if he doesn’t and he’s about to go drink a 12-pack and cry to his BFF.

And while we’re on the topic of honesty, the second that you do decide to pick a lucky winner from the bunch and lock that shit down, you need to let the other guys know. Or, you can do what I did and change your facebook status. Let all the assholes know what’s up be a grown up (not!) and stop returning their texts.

Rule Number Five:

Be safe. This is a two parter.

“Keep it loose. Except for your vagina. Keep that shizz, tight at all times.”

~ Alexi

Duh!

Get your ass on the pill, the needle, the sponge, double bag it, I don’t care. Don’t be someone’s baby mama.

Also, handle your heart with care. The second a dude displays less than admirable qualities either call him on it, or cut his ass loose. (See #4)

Please understand that I am by no means a doctor (like the all-knowing Suess) or an expert. I am just a freckle-faced, foul-mouthed blogger/former-cuddleslut with an axe to grind experience to share, jokes to tell and time on my hands. Lots and lots of time on my hands. Please forward any and all complaints to my boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend. Just kidding, show us some love! What the hell else am I going to do while I’m at work this week, but catch up on your comments.

Isn’t she amazing? I will make her proud as Cuddleslut 2.oh. Happy Week, lovers. xoxo

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So last night, I was talking to a swoon worthy fellow, and I was all, “yeah, what time can you leave in the morning for Coachella?” TOTALLY THOUGHT TODAY WAS FRIDAY.  To the point of being genuinely surprised, and so so SAD when he was like, “Liz, tomorrow is Thursday.” UGH, I hate that feeling.  I also don’t feel good.  So sore from Steven the Trainer. (More on him next week.  And yes, he’s hot, I know.)  So I’m whiny.  I only have 2 more days left of this cleanse, so I’m sticking to it. I miss sangria.

It’s been a hot minute since I gave the internet a good whoring.  Instead of rambling on about more nonsense today, I’m going to say HAPPY WEEKEND (a day early, but that’s how I do), tell you to download this song just because it’s amazing, you’re welcome ,and direct you to…

My first dating post! CHECK IT OUT…and be supportive?  And by “supportive” I mean, subscribe. I love you.

I also guest posted on Tuesday for my loverlover Kathleen at Just a Small Town Girl. Pop Culture Tuesday-The I Want Her Hair Edition

AND…The Happiest of Birthdays to one of my bestest friends in the Universe-Ali.

HAPPY THURSDAY FRIDAY WEEKEND!!!  Love you, mean it!  (Disabling comments-leave me some love on my other posts, hint hint nudge nudge)

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I know my regular posting schedule has been way off, and it might stay that way, but rest assured-I am NOT going anywhere. Except to WordPress, booyah. Anyways, during last week’s nonsense, so many of you kindly sent emails that I am still replying to, and one was from one of my favorite bloggers The Novelista Barista, offering to write something for me because she knew I was having a rough time. Plus, the subject she was hoping to write about is something I am A) Dealing with and B) Can’t really talk about, ugh dating. But she can, and she did…and I adore this post.

You know it has.
You have seen it happen.
It probably happened to you.
There is no denying that facebook, myspace, linked in, blogs are ruining relationships. You are basically cyber-relationship screwed. Facebook has destroyed serious relationships for many close friends of mine. How you ask? (or this might have already happened to you!)

Well let’s start with the stalker wall feed that they have. Everyone, regardless of if you want them to know or not, can see everything that you do on facebook in their wall feed, without even having to blink their eyes, it appears before them. So if you boyfriend is friends with you on facebook and some guy you hooked up with before him hits you up on facebook before you have a chance to delete the wall post, the BOYFRIEND is going to see it because facebook wants you to break up! And now what sort of problems does that bring to your relationship?

guy-”Why is that guy hitting you up on facebook?”
girl- We dont even talk anymore, I dont know!
guy- You must have written something on his wall or sent him a message, show me his wall!
girl- I am not showing you his wall! That is ridiculous, I dont know why he contacted me!

Ending: Big huge fight.

And that goes both ways. It very well happens as women, we tend to get jealous of other girls, especially on someone we are datings facebook or myspace page. If you aren’t necessarily friends with them, you wonder why they are writing to your boyfriend “just wanted to say hi!”. Although the boyfriend cannot control this, you still get angry and fight it out until he either A)removes her from his facebook and blocks all contact with her B) you send her a message on facebook telling her to stay the F away from him, or C) Break up because you will never move past this point in your relationship again.

The worst part after the wall writing would be the tagging of the photos. This is the danger zone and sometimes when people tag you, they don’t even realize that they just planted a bomb right in the middle of your relationship that is just ticking waiting for the other to see this said tagged picture.

This picture, could be you doing absolutely nothing, but if you are in another picture with the opposite sex and it is not your BEST friend, prepare for some sort of jealousy. Granted not everyone is as jealous as others but it is still not the favored topic of conversation.
Now take for instance how the internet has changed dating people you have never met. With the help of Match.com, Eharmony.com, Jdate.com; you can see what people look like and know everything about them even before you meet them!

I mean, blind dating? I don’t think so!!! If you don’t have a facebook, myspace, twitter, blog or something.. basically you don’t exist. Then you check to see if you can see anything on their page, and if not, you try another network. It is a crazy, easily informed era we have going on here. And I am most definitely a huge part of it.

Even when I am looking for employers I facebook the company to see if anyone actually does work there or not. That’s usually how I know if I should even bother to consider applying completely for the position. And then LinkedIn? PAH…. Before going on a job interview, you can linkedin & facebook stalk the employees of who you’re meeting with and know where they worked, where they graduated from college and what they do at their job even before you meet them! It is sort of crazy if you think about it.

So lastly (because I could go on for hours about how many of my friends relationships have had drama due to facebook!), you take our blogs. This is the place where you can write whatever you want and you can pick and choose who you want to read the material (telling your friends or people you know). I have chosen to tell only a select few due to the fact that I still need to write about things that are happening in my life and I can’t write about the people who are READING my blog!!! An example– my ex-boyfriend, T, (you can read ALL about him HERE) he never knew that I had a blog. Granted we were on the outs and that was the only way that I could write about how I was really feeling, but oh my god, if he ever read how I really felt, he would have had a heart attack.

I love social networking, really. I don’t even know how we communicated with people.. I guess beepers were the “text messages” of the 90s and AIM was the google chat of the 90s. But facebook? AOL profiles had NOTHING on facebook!

Even though it has ruined our lives, ruined our friendships, our relationships and ruined our privacy, millions of people still continue to love social networking every single day. And as we love it more and more… the internet is determined to keep ruining our relationships, every wall update at a time.

Thanks love!

How do you guys feel? For me, I’m thinking of unlinking my blog and my FB. I have a mild to moderate panic attack when a guy I’m just starting to get to know finds my blog, and I stress over the things guys write on my FB wall. She’s right! There is NO such thing as blind dating anymore! It’s like the email I just sent her telling her I was about to post-

“Hey honey, going to post early. Going out with a guy I can’t blog about tonight.”

Also? HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAUREN. I adore you!!

And? The WiNK Tee Giveaway is here til Friday.

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Hi, Summer from B is for Brown here (aka a piece of SIZ + Ten). Don’t worry it’s not a family blog. It may have started out hoping to be that but it’s more about me and my life around NYC with my husband and friends. I’ve come out of hiding to help a sista out and the topic that was chosen for moi was L.O.V.E. I am running a little low on it myself right now so maybe this was a reminder that I need to fill my tank up.

Our Liz had to run off and do some important things and will return on Wednesday, so I’m here. Oh and Liz said something about life sucking. So if you can, send our girl your l.o.v.e. K?
The dictionary’s definition:

love

–noun

1.	a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.

2.	a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.

3.	sexual passion or desire.

4.	a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart.

5.	(used in direct address as a term of endearment, affection, or the like): Would you like to see a movie, love?

6.	a love affair; an intensely amorous incident; amour.

7.	sexual intercourse; copulation.

8.	(initial capital letter) a personification of sexual affection, as Eros or Cupid.

9.	affectionate concern for the well-being of others: the love of one’s neighbor.

10.	strong predilection, enthusiasm, or liking for anything: her love of books.

11.	the object or thing so liked: The theater was her great love.

12.	the benevolent affection of God for His creatures, or the reverent affection due from them to God.

13.	Chiefly Tennis. a score of zero; nothing.

14.	a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter L.

However, love in the real world means this as well as something much deeper, at least to me and I like lists.

Love by Summer:

~ making someone special to you smile, when you can’t smile yourself
~ having your cat or dog love you no matter what and give you that snuggle you need just at the right moment
~ making new friends
~ witnessing a birth of a child, a new flower, a new day
~ adopting a pet, a new plant or a child
~ donating your time or funds to help another
~ invisible and “through the miles” kisses from your nieces
~ a hot cup of tea or cocoa on a cold day
~ knowing you are making a difference and helping others even if it hurts you (at that moment)
~ having your heart broken to only find out that it will become a better heart
~ finding out your favorite ice cream (peppermint) is out for a limited time only
~ letting out a big sigh after a long week
~ people rebuilding after a tragedy
~ old jeans fitting and looking in the mirror and smiling at what you see
~ indulging in your favorite meal after a rotten day
~ being a good neighbor
~ snail mail from a friend, but not the electric company kinda friend
~ spontaneous dance videos
~ reconnecting with an old friend
~ making memories
~ forgiving and forgetting
~ long, stunning lashes all from an awesome mascara
~ putting tin foil and duct tape up to block out the cold in your little shoebox apt and laughing about it with someone you l.o.v.e.
~ starting new traditions and keeping up with the old
~ slow motion movie moments
~ family and finally understanding them
~ confusing and life changing at the same time
~ laughing until you pee your pants
~ holding hands
~ the Universe forcing you to run into your soul mate (literally) on the corner of Madison and 30th
~ hugging someone you care about
~ cleaning up after a sick child, pet, friend and not thinking twice
~ hearts pounding, sweaty palms and butterflies in your stomach
~ never giving up your dreams
~ listening to your fave song and putting it on repeat
~ having your Father walk you down the aisle but holding him up bc he has bad knees and cannot walk too well himself
~ finding strength deep inside of you that you never knew you had
~ listening and never judging
~ a new pair of fancy shoes or a pricey bag just because
~ blog friends turning into real life lovely friends

Ok, it’s late here in NYC, folks. I loved being here and I hope this was okay. I so feel like a little, bitty chicky over here in Liz’s (big chicken coop) world and I know I could never ever replace her and would never even begin to try. So, I hope you can tolerate me being here for a moment and helping her readers stay entertained. I am not a pair of new shoes or rad, new tights, but I did just get a new Marc by Marc Jacobs bag and maybe a new tattoo on my neck that reads – breathe and believe. Does that work for ya? Yeah, I was impulsive this weekend. Sometimes you need to be, right?

Would you do me a favor and leave some comment love for Liz? Maybe cheer her up a little and then tell me what love is to you in one or two sentences? If you need more, go on and take more. Life is too short not to. PS – love you, SIZ. You are beautiful – inside and out.

L.O.V.E.,
Summer B. (and my cat Ollie bc he nuzzled me while I typed this). OK…big awwwww. Yeah, I am cheesy.

all images from here

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Happy Tuesday loves.

Let’s hope today is better than yesterday. Today I have the honor of guest posting on Summer’s blog. It’s from my heart, my heart that is breaking for her. However, I wanted to keep it as optimistic as possible, so I wrote a lil something on this amazing bloggy world and the friendships that are developed. So please go check it out and leave some love for one of my loves. Isn’t she the cutest?

{B is def for beautiful, as my bestie said in this amazing post.}

But I do have a surprise for you today! I told you it was giveaway MADNESS around these parts! So check this out. I originally saw this Heather Grey Ruffled Tunic by Dyanahar on Hanako66′s freaking amazing Etsy Wednesday Ladies Gift Guide…omg that list…everything on it, I die. Dyanahar has the cutest pieces…and she has graciously offered to giveaway a Heather Grey Ruffled Tunic to one of you! Add leggings, moto jacket, boots…PERFECTION!!!! And we’ll be twins because I’m buying one! So cute, right?

LE RULES…

1. Make sure you’re a follower, somehow, someway whatever!

2. Visit Dyanahar and swoon

3. Leave a comment

4. Done and done. I’ll be announcing the winner on Friday along with the winner of the Emompreneurs giveaway. It’s like Christmas!

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