Par-tay Dress!

I know I shouldn't be buying anything before my trip to Europe, but Neiman Marcus had a
special promotion this weekend, so I decided to purchase a party dress for my upcoming birthday (October 31, yes it's on Halloween!). After trying on several, I decided on a black lace number by Leifsdottir, a fuchsia vintage-print Diane von Furstenburg, and a purple/gray silk Alice & Olivia. I wavered back and forth among the 3. They were all about the same price, and I nearly tossed out the Leifsdottir because it was above the knee, which I don't do because my legs are not my favorite feature. In the end, though, I decided that I wanted a party dress, not one that was suitable for brunch with the family, which the other 2 were. I was thrilled that I was able to fit into the size 6 (it's been a looooong struggle), but alas, it was a litle too snug for my liking. The lovely SA scanned the tag and told me that there was a size 8 in the store, so she fetched it from the back for me, and I tried it on. There was more breathing room, which was good because that means that I don't have to don Spanx for it! And I'm so thrilled that lace is in this season! However, I'll be wearing black opaque tights with it so that my not-so-best feature will not be on display. I had to include a close-up pic of the lace detailing on the neckline 'cuz it's soooooo pretty!

Now, I just need to confirm my birthday plans, which should be done within the next couple of weeks. Oh well, even if they're not confirmed, I'm sure to wear this dress somewhere.

And part of the promo included $50 off purchase and a free leather handbag by Joie, which I no longer have because I gave it to my younger sister. Some little goodies were also inside the bag, which included a bracelet by Alice & Olivia and an evening clutch. So I broke my ban. It's cool, though, because at least I didn't splurge on a pair of Christian Louboutins! In fact, I spent half of what I'd spend on a pair of CLs, plus I got some free stuff, too!

My Thoughts on The Real Housewives of New Jersey

the cast of The Real Housewives of New Jersey-(Jacqueline, Theresa, Danielle, Dina, and Caroline)-obtained from the Star Ledger New Jersey website

Season #2 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey just wrapped. I know just because I've seen the commercials. I haven't actually watched the show in several weeks. Why? What's worth seeing? It's a bunch of trashy women who think they're so great, but they're not.

Since this is my blog, I'm going to freely write my opinion, though I know it's not a popular one. I don't have a favorite New Jersey (NJ) housewife, but if I had to pick one, it's Danielle. Yes, I know that other bloggers are labeling her a drama queen, criminal, liar, or all 3. But at least she didn't pretend to be some rich noblewoman like the other 4 did. She acknowledged her painful past and admitted to being broke.

Unlike Theresa Giudice, who owes $11 million to various creditors. There were so many scenes where she'd walk into the store, pick gaudy items out, then leave after spending thousands of dollars. It was later revealed in a magazine article that she was opening lines of credit in her parents' names, and even after she was exposed, she continues to shop at those same boutiques. Seriously, did she believe that having those items made her look classy? She still looks like trash to me. And her dumbass hubby confessed that they were spending money they didn't have because that's what the show's viewers wanted to see. They blame the economy for their money woes. They're idiots...don't they realize there are real victims of this gloom economy who actually deserve the sympathy?!

Caroline Manzo...I didn't find her interesting enough to follow, but she should've kept silent about Danielle. She would go on and on, but Caroline would just make herself look like a blundering idiot. The money spent on her Range Rover should've been put toward a college education for herself. She shouldn't be analyzing Danielle's personality on the air because those of us who are educated can tell she doesn't know what she's talking about! And she's no saint, either.

The worst offender has to be Jacqueline Laurita. Ugh...no one disgusted me more than her! Her daughter's a spoiled brat, but it's totally Jacqueline's fault. Jacqueline should've spent her time raising her right rather than showing off her fake boobs while searching for a rich hubby and partying with her gal pals as if they're 18-year-old sorority girls. When her daughter, Ashley, pulled Danielle's hair at the country club, Jacqueline and her idiot hubby Chris told Ashley that she shouldn't have done it because Danielle's crazy. If Jacqueline and Chris were decent people, they'd be more concerned that Ashley was causing physical harm to someone, even if that someone was Danielle. Newsflash: it's NEVER OK to harm a human being, no matter who they are. My mom taught me that, and other decent moms tell their kids the same thing. Ashley deserves the maximum sentence. If her own parents can't teach her common sense, then the law should. Also, Ashley stated that she pulled Danielle's hair in defense of her mother. Another example of bad parenting: why's she even involved in their conflicts? To this day, at 31 years of age, I STILL don't know if my mom hates or has ever hated anyone. I know people have hurt her, but my mom's such a gracious women that I couldn't tell if she even did so much as dislike them. She wants me to believe people are generally good and to not have the negative energy required for hating people.

While searching online, I found out that Bravo announced that Danielle was leaving the show. You go, girl! Go find something better for yourself and your daughters. The Real Housewives of NJ will be a boring show without you. So much air time was dedicated to the other cast members talking shit about Danielle, so now what'll they do?! Their lives aren't interesting enough to yield material for the show now that Danielle won't be starring in it. And if you don't believe me, go to the Bravo network website. Danielle's blogs have many more hits and comments than the others. She's still the most talked-about NJ housewife, and she will be for years to come (though I doubt the show will last more than 2 without her).

Labor Day Weekend 2010

Yay! 3-day weekend...just too bad that it's over. But then again, that means it's only a 4-day work week! For my international readers, today was Labor Day in the US, which is a federal holiday and a holiday for almost everyone in the private sector. For us Americans, it symbolizes the end of the summer season (although I know that, according to the Roman calendar, it's not actually until late September). For those still in school or those who work in the educational sector, this means going back to work. People tend to put vacations off from now until June-ish next year (after Memorial Day, the unofficial start of the summer season). However, for those of us no longer in school, not working in the educational sector, and childless (me included in this category), it simply means a slightly longer commute to work. Sigh...that 15 minutes of extra sleep was awful nice.

Oh, well...here we go with another weekend update. I did get to spend it with some fine male company, but don't get too excited. The males in question are ages 1 and 3. I'm talking about my little nephews, adorable as can be. My lovely sister, age 39, finally found the man of her dreams and is going to marry him this winter. She decided that she wanted our family to be introduced to his this weekend, so my entire immediate family joined in the festivities.

My family and I also had a celebrity sighting. We met Legacy Perez, a contestant from the TV show, So You Think You Can Dance? Now I've met several celebrities in my life, and sadly, only some of them are nice. Legacy is one of them...and then some. Not only was he nice, he seemed genuinely flattered we recognized and spoke to him. He asked where my mom was from, and when she said that she was from the Philippines, he spoke a little Tagalog to her and appeared to be flattered that she was thrilled. We also met his family, who were also very nice. He also took a pic with us, then his family and my sister's family took one together. I wish Legacy the best in his career. He's a truly talented dancer and a nice guy, and he deserves lasting success.