In Preparation for The Great American Beer Festival

This week is The 29th Annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver, CO. The event serves more than 2,200 types of beer to its 49,000 plus brew aficionados. I had the privilege to attend last year, and now I know exactly what to expect when I go back.

Dress to have fun- this is not a place for fussy club wear! Get ready to walk the floors of the huge Colorado Convention Center while getting drunk. Flat shoes are a must, plus a hands free purse.

I especially love the Kasey cross-body multi-pocket tote made by LeSportSac (Pictured Left). It holds all your gear safely while freeing your hands for the beer you'll surely be holding.
LeSportSace website


If you REALLY want to get into the event, like many people, come dressed in your favorite Halloween costume! Last year, we saw the likes of Where's Waldo, beer wenches, a pretzel gauchos and guys dressed like they were transported from an 80's Wham video.

I know that I'm going to be decked out in light layers...  This will probably consist of a light long sleeved thermal top from Free People with a free-form wrap cardigan from Splendid. Of course, I'll finish off the look with some black jeggings from Blank and my Nine West Maeble motorcycle boots.

Finally, the perfect accessory to complete any GABF outfit is the pretzel necklace. So of course, the day before we brave the festival, we'll be spending some time stringing pretzels onto twine. You have to have something to nosh on while drinking, right? It's just the right thing to do. Cheers!

Sad Times...

I work in a building that is constantly shrouded by a dark cloud... it's been there for about a year now. The cloud sucks the energy and life out of each person's soul, until their body is merely an empty shell.

all washed up and no place to go...

Just when I try to turn on the charm and hook a new guy... it suddenly dawned on me... I'm getting old, and I'm not as good looking as I was before. I'm sure that sounds extremely shallow, but I'm getting to a point where I really want to start a family... but I'm not getting anyway since I'm so damn OLD. Just today, in a lame attempt to talk to the guy I'm interested in, I let it my birth date slip out, and I thought he was going to hang up the phone right there. Way to go, E! Yup, I live alone, have a cat, and I'm 31. I wish being myself was enough for guys... but I'm beyond my prime... This really sucks.

I might throw up

Just strumbled upon the wedding website for my 1st love... It's just so weird. I'm happy he found someone, and I wish them the best, but I still get that sick feeling in my body when I think about it too much. I never felt like we wrapped things up properly, there was unfinished business... But I'm leaving it alone.

The Countdown... T Minus 15 Days!!

I cannot WAIT to go on my trip to the Bahamas... it's killing me! I need to get away from everything ASAP!

Not only have I been compiling a list of all the clothes and stuff I want to bring, I already have some things in my suitcase. I think I'm really excited.

The unluckiest girl alive

I've met some people who, just by turning on the slightest bit of charm, can win over anyone they meet. They make friends quickly, meet potential partners with the greatest of ease, & always wow superiors with a quick chat.

I am not one of these people.

I have spent most of my life trying to prove myself. Always working hard and fighting to get noticed and earn respect from management and coworkers... yet always brushed aside, forgotten, belittled.

Simply "not good enough".

Smart, but always struggling in honors classes. 2nd chair clarinet, never 1st. Men think I'm cute, but not girlfriend material. Good enough to stay in an unrewarding position, and can never quite excel to where I want to be.

I'm stuck. I want a change. I want to meet my goals, exceed them. I want men to take me seriously and i want them to want to get to know the real me.

I want to know I'm good enough.

I'm tired of fighting, I'm ready to reap some rewards from all this bullshit I've had to put up with all my life.

Do I keep trying, or do I accept defeat?

And for no reason...

Blue shirt day.

St. Patty's Day...

was a bust. Wednesday was such a random day at work, by the time the end of the shift came along, I was too tired to even think about drinking and dealing with crowds.

To protest the stereotyping of Irishmen everywhere, I did not wear green. I wore gray. And Green beer is lame.

I got me a Smart Phone...

But does it make me smarter ;)? I got the Droid Eris, and so far, I like it a lot. I really enjoy the touchscreen. It's a lot like the one on my iPod Touch, but slightly jerkier. There are many fun and useful Apps in the Android Market. I particularly like Ringdroid. It's like a mini version of ProTools, so you can edit existing MP3's and 4's on your phone into whatever ringtone you desire. Very addicting!

On the downside, there are fewer namebrand Apps available for Android platform devices than Apple. Despite all the reviews on severe battery drain caused by "awake" Apps, I've found several ways to preserve my battery's strength. First of all, I've conditioned the battery all week by letting it run out all the way, then charging it fully. I also choose to only use my mobile network when away from wi-fi hotspots.

What I really love about this phone, though, is that you can customize the homescreens and all the widgets. I need to make my phone really cute, yo! I found a high quality silicone case, in a pretty aqua color, at the Verizon store. Plus, the sales associate stuck the scratch guard on the screen for me. I find that more frustrating than anything. He did a great job to minimize the bubbles! Thanks, dude!

Watching the Oscars...

While my station airs the Oscars this evening, I, along with the rest of the production team, sit back without much to do. So I'm watching the awards.. but I haven't seen any of the movies.. not even Up! Maybe I'll get to renting them sometime this week. Charlize Theron's dress is a tad too bridal party, with 2 large rosettes covering her busom. I thoroughly enoyed watching the tribute to John Hughes, especially when many of the stars once featured in his films came out on stage to pay their respects. Molly Ringwald AND Ally Sheedy?!?!? What in the world?!! Awesome.

It's Funny, Yo!

Jorge Garcia (Hurley from LOST) and his girlfriend, Beth, host a weekly podcast called, "Geronimo Jacks' Beard". Pretty clever take combining Jack's mountain man beard with the musical stylings of Geronimo Jackson. The podcast features Jorge's view each episode as he and Beth first read the script.

Geronimo Jack's Beard

Angry skin.

Grrr! This is what my skin is telling me... the winter really wrecks havoc on my already pale and dry skin. To top it off, I'm very sensitive to many so-called beneficial products. I pretty much have to stay away from anything from your regular drugstore assortment, and I refuse to pay for ritzy products.

That being said, I have found the best, sensibly priced and effective moisturizer- and no, I'm not getting paid to say this!

Shikai Borage Dry Skin Therapy is available at stores like Whole Foods and Sprouts Farmer's Markets, and the hand therapy runs about $10... the larger bottle of body lotions costs approx. $15.

For folks who are sensitive to other products like me, this is a godsend. Other hand creams literally feel like they're burning through me skin and make me itch so bad, I have to wash it off... but this hand cream actually starts healing the redness and cracking soon after massaging it into my hands and arms.