Waving at you from the west coast

Within the last year, I’ve started to travel a lot more for work. I was able to travel to some interesting events, read bull riding, for work. It was pretty cool because I would otherwise never have gone to see a Professional Bull Rider event.

Here is a list of the places I’ve been.

Los Angeles
Tallahassee
Oklahoma City
Houston
Denver
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
New York City
Los Angeles

Now that I have some travel under my belt, I’m pretty efficient when I go through security. I try not to be on my phone and have my boarding pass ready with ID. I’m even mastering the art of going through security without causing too much commotion. I have my system down. With my carry-on bag, I have all my 3 oz liquids in its own compartment, pull out my laptop and throw up my shoes and I’m ready to go through.

This isn’t the case with everyone. I can’t even imagine what that’s like going through security with kids because that is a whole other ball game. They look so darling with their little backpacks and pillows but you know that’s a security guards nightmare to have to go through each little Barbie bag, toy by toy.

But what kills me is the people who have clearly traveled many times before but still don’t understand the concept of the metal detector or security in general, like removing shoes.

“You mean, I have to take off my shoes?”

No, you, my dear, will receive special treatment and don’t have to remove your shoes. Of COURSE you have to take off your shoes.

This isn’t a new concept, it’s been around for years along with the metal detector.

It will detect METAL. In case that wasn’t clear enough by the name of the device.

So take off your belt, just to be safe.
Remove all change from your pockets, money clips and bracelets. Oh, and jackets, too.
Anything that you think will set it off, remove it and send it through on the belt because others behind you will appreciate the gesture.

Luckily, my security trip was relatively effortless this time around and I don’t have any good stories to share, mostly because no one was in line when I went through.

What do you find funny about people when traveling?

Where are all the good designers?

Oh my Saturday. Do you know what I spent a good portion of Saturday doing?

Dress shopping.

Just not any dress shopping but bridesmaid dress shopping.

My friends and I were prepared - the four of us- to try on some really good and bad dresses. It was all in celebration for my friend, Michelle, who is getting married next September. She enlisted the help of three of us to trek all over the Cleveland area to try on dress after dress.

Do you know how many hideous dresses there are out there? I mean, ugly ass dresses that make 27 dresses look like a couture Vera Wang dress. And you know that women are buying these ugly options and making their poor friends wear these. Not everyone wants to be covered in oodles of taffeta or frumpy silhouettes.

Between three stores, we found a few options but mostly all agreed on two, which was quickly narrowed down to one winning dress.

A few options


We didn't like these either


Supposedly this one could be shortened


We are getting closer and ta dah! The winning dress is being worn on the left by Michaelene


Although she's not getting it in black but going with an eggplant color, or at least that's where we left it on Saturday night after a few bottles of wine. It very well could change but I think her mind is made up.

And, one of the best parts, I'm in a wedding three weeks before Michelle's and apparently my friend loves the same dress, in the same freaking color! I love my friends for having good taste and freakishly weird timing.

Friday Fodder

Because I find this too funny not to post right away. Even if it's not really technically on Friday, but what is more funny than seeing their boyfriend try to put on a chicken suit in the middle of Target?

You wonder why he was in Target trying on a chicken suit? We only went to get contact solution and cookie dough. I was going to bake cookies and he laughed at me and suggested Toll House cookie dough because it's already prepared - and equally delicious.

We couldn't just pick up those two items and he made me "do a lap" which included the Halloween costumes and the toy aisle.

Live from New York

....It's Allison M.!



(Picture taken from my handy iPhone.)

OK, so here is my lame excuse for a blog post today. I wish I could say I was in New York for Fashion Week. I'm only a few blocks from Bryant Park and maybe I can convince my fellow travelers to go by the tents tomorrow.

I think I would be too jealous of all the other bloggers like Michelle from All Lacquered Up who get to go to not one, not two, but SEVERAL shows.

On the lookout for SATC shootings though while I'm staying on the Upper West Side. You better believe I would hang out the taxi if I saw the cast shooting a scene!

Weekend hangover

Well.

That went fast.

I had a lot of fun and need to stop drinking bottles of wine. Nothing is worse than a wine hangover. But, nothing will cure it like some fried food at the Canfield Fair, which I ate plenty enough of for the rest of my life.

Let's back up to Saturday. Oh how I love dirty bread. For those of you non-Hungarians, it's bacon bread where you roast bacon and press it onto rye bread with onions, tomatoes and/or green peppers and then sprinkle paprika.

Delicious. Roasting the bacon


An official dirty bread set up


view from the deck


On Sunday night, we celebrated our friends' engagement at her parents house. This is where drinking bottles of wine doesn't work, especially in the next morning. I should really stick to liquor rather than drinking two bottles of wine over an extended period of time. Worst hangover.

View from the table.


What your left eye looks like after bee sting. Ouch!


Grown men not behaving while taking a picture. "No more ball tapping" says the groom to be.


why I didn't feel so hot this morning

What did you wish you didn't drink this weekend?

surprise package

Flowers arrived yesterday at my office. I thought they were another shipment of cookies from a vendor that's been stalking me for the last month.



The note read:
"Surprise lover! Bet you didn't expect this. Maybe we'll head up to Canada for the weekend. I heard you can see Russia from there."

Maybe I should back up and share my crazy antics so it makes sense to you. (Even though with a lot of explanation it still won't.)

While watching Rocky IV (my fav one) as Rocky gets to Russia and that house he stays in, I explain how much I love this part.

Me: "oooooohhh. This is my favorite part. Yes!! I love Russia."

BF: "You love Russia?"

Me: "Well, no, but I love when he gets here and he starts the hardcore training."

Me: In my best Tina Fey imitating Sarah Palin voice, "You can see Russia from Canada."

BF: "You can't see Russia from Canada."

Me: "Yes you can," still in that Tina Fey imitation voice.

A few minutes later...

Me: "Is Russia over Japan?" A moment of silence. Answer my own question, "Yep, I think it is."

BF: Clearly getting agitated because I've ruined Rocky IV now, "Allison, Russia is a huge country, it's not just over Japan, it's over MANY countries."

Me: "Yes, I understand that but I believe it's specifically over Japan as well."

Our conversation must've been bothering him because the next day he sent me a map of that general area to prove to me where Russia's exact location was.

Then he pointed out that you can't see it from Canada but probably Alaska.

HOLY crap! I was imitating Tina Fey imitating Sarah Palin but saying the wrong country!

So, after he points out to me where Russia is and the fact you can see it from Alaska versus Canada (I meant that way the whole time), he closed the conversation with this.

"For the love of GOD....you are a unique individual! I sometimes wonder if there’s another one of you walking this earth making some other poor schmuck bat-shit crazy from conversations like this!!"

Bringing me to the shipment of lillies on my desk.

bet you are a badass if....

I have an issue with a certain brand of clothing lately. It's so much the brand but rather the people who seem to wear it. All the time.

Let me introduce you to the Affliction shirt.



Looks douchey already, right?

It's the Von Dutch of 2009. Remember everyone from Ashton to Justin to your local football hero wore trucker hats? Or when Carmen to Britney to me (I'll admit it) rocked Juicy Couture sweatpants with the word "Juicy" cleverly written on the ass?

Well, those nostaglic brands are now being replaced by something bigger and better: the affliction t-shirt and the men who wear them.

Let's take a look at the different men that rock these shirts, shall we?

You have your classic rocker.


Or the fighter who is a little more built than the average Joe.


Then you have the typical recently divorced dad trying to enter the dating world. And, doing a pretty poor job at that. (Ed Hardy or Affliction - it looks the same to me at this point.)



And, finally, you have these douchebags who encompass all that is trendy at the moment. It's just months before their sex tape is leaked....


So, if you know me and wear an Affliction, you have been warned. Don't worry - I already wrote a blog post so I won't need to write another one.