duzibatz » rain

Look on the Brighter Side

chelsea — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 18:03:46 +0000

It is monsooning here today in New Jersey and my friend is supposed to be flying in from Miami Airport to Newark, which will probably mean her flight is delayed. Bleh. We were all set to have a fun night out in the city. I’ve been on yelp doing some research on places we can go – found a bunch of neat places ‘To Try.’ It could clear up later. There’s still hope!

Always look on the brighter side of your life!

I always hear that saying in Jack Nicholson’s character’s voice from As Good As It Gets. GREAT movie, if you haven’t seen it! It’s the part where he is playing piano and singing to the dog that Cuba Gooding Jr is making him babysit.

Anyway, I don’t mind when it rains because when it does I get to wear my awesome raincoat that I found at Target!! woohoo! I also bought the rain boots at Target, but they don’t seem to connect all the way to the front of the boot and I feel my toes falling off the edge. Strange, but I like the style anyway and they fit my feet really well besides that slight flaw.

I also wear my awesome Kate Spade sunglasses because the bright white clouds tend to be too bright for me. They are Polarized, which I like because I feel like my ICL HD vision is protected.

I don’t have the Urban Outfitters umbrella, but, I like the shape and color to it. Maybe I’ll invest in that in the future.

Always look on the brighter side of life!

Here’s my Polyvore set.

Young in Heart

chelsea — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 20:55:18 +0000

My cellphone has been lost for over a week now and since I’ve been due for an upgrade anyway I went to Verizon to check out the new phones. I have an original Motorola Droid (Motorola is on #3 already), but all of the new designs are so big! The lady was trying to convince me to hold out for the Razr but even though it is super thin it is just too wide for my liking – it almost feels like I’d have to balance it if I was texting with one hand < this is a slight over exaggeration. Then I looked at the iPhone 4s. I love the design and I can actually hold it comfortably so I decided to order it. After I made my decision, another Verizon lady was trying to ~~cell~~ sell me accessories . She asked if I was old enough to drive…

I am 24 years old and get questions like this all of the time. My sister and I are pretty close. We live together. Whenever someone asks us who’s older we tell them to guess. They pick her 99% of the time even though I am 3 years older than her. I know 24 isn’t that old, but I still feel like a little kid most of the time, while at other times wise beyond my years.

Then, Friday night, The Wizard of Oz came on. I’ve seen it a billion times but haven’t caught it from the beginning in a while. There is a dedication after the opening credits that says:

“For nearly forty years this story has given faithful service to the Young in Heart; and Time has been powerless to put its kindly philosophy out of fashion. To those of you who have been faithful to it in return …and to the Young in Heart …we dedicate this picture.”

The movie was released in 1939 so it’s actually been 72 years – can you believe that? Thankfully and surprisingly, Time has still been powerless to put its “kindly philosophy out of fashion.”

I realized Young in Heart was a perfect way to describe me, and maybe it shows through to other people. My parents are Young in Heart – the both of them. I’ve never seen anyone else act the way that they do, and I hope I’ll follow in their footsteps. So even though I know my mind is maturing, I still feel young in heart. Obviously I can’t be alone if an entire motion picture was dedicated to people like me, people who imaginatively immerse themselves in a world of magic, “behind the moon, beyond the rain;” Cloud 9.

I don’t live on Cloud 9 as in I am a ditz. I’m not. I live on Cloud 9 as in twirl in the snow. Make a wish on a full moon. Enjoy the magic. Although, quite honestly, I do zone out sometimes, but just because I’m lost in thought; lost in a dream.

Frank Sinatra knows what I’m talking about:

Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you
If you’re young at heart
For it’s hard, you will find, to be narrow of mind
If you’re young at heart

You can go to extremes with impossible schemes
You can laugh when your dreams fall apart at the seams
And life gets more exciting with each passing day
And love is either in your heart or on it’s way

Don’t you know that it’s worth every treasure on earth
To be young at heart
For as rich as you are it’s much better by far
To be young at heart

And if you should survive to 105
Look at all you’ll derive out of being alive
Then here is the best part, you have a head start
If you are among the very young at heart

This leads me to the dedication of my blog to the Young in Heart – I’ve divided my posts into categories of Home, Heart, Courage, and Brain – let the posts fall where they may.

A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others.

- the Wizard of Oz

image design by me – wallpaper background from wallbase.cc

Spray Tan in the Rain

chelsea — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 18:25:10 +0000

from Archer

For Halloween, I am being Lana Kane from the FX show Archer. Unfortunately, I’ve lost all of my summer tan so to better play the part I made an appointment for a spray tan.

I started off the morning by prepping for it. I took a long shower and exfoliated my whole body, making sure to spend extra time on my good ol knees and elbows. I shaved, but didn’t use harsh soaps or any thing of that nature. I didn’t moisturize afterwards or use deodorant. I was ready…

…Until it started raining.

I am not the kind of person that carries an umbrella. I don’t have a job where I have to look presentable so it doesn’t tend to matter if I get a little wet or not (this job, I hope, is temporary). Usually I wear a coat with a hood and that’s good enough for me. I wore loose fitting black sweatpants to work and packed a baggy T-shirt to change into after my tanning session.

When I got to the location, the streets were mobbed. Just my luck, there was a concert going on and no parking spots. I had to park 1/4 mile away and walk. When I arrived at the salon, the bottom of my pants were soaked and the nice lady at the counter told me that I would have to be really careful leaving, “You don’t have an umbrella? You can’t get wet, not a drop, or you will get streaky!” Oh. My. God. It was at this moment that I realized that I am practically 2/3 Gremlin.

Gremlin Care Requirements:

Don’t get wet < check
Don’t eat after midnight < check
Keep away from bright lights < half check (my eyes are pretty sensitive to light)

Don't get wet. Don't get wet. Don't get wet.

NoOOOoOoOOoO!

Here I am, all tan, and having to walk back to my car 1/4 mile away, and guess what else… I forgot my baggy t-shirt in the car. I put on my shoes before my pants so I didn’t get my legs wet, then I threw on my coat and zipped it up to my neck (making me petrified that it was going to rub and cause me to have an airbrushed double chin), and used my hooded sweatshirt as an overhang. I looked like a crazy person because even though the rain had stopped while I was in my session, I was too afraid to bring down the sweatshirt imagining huge raindrops falling off trees or buildings, splotching my face.

I got back to my apartment safe and sound with not a drop on me (although I did almost walk into a few poles due to the restricted view from under the sweatshirt). Even though I don’t like to eat after 8:30 pm, it was close to 9 and I was starving. So what did I decide to make? Soup! Sometimes I don’t know what goes through my head. The New England Clam Chowder was amazing, but it was so hot that it made my nose start to run…I really can’t win sometimes.

Luckily for me, none of the things I did ruined my tan since the woman did such an excellent job. I work in a shop with all men so of course they didn’t notice, but my first client did. She asked me if I went away and I told her I got a spray tan. She was amazed. It looks so natural.

If you want to hear more about my spray tan experiences and tips – keep reading.

From the beginning:

I didn’t have an appointment booked yet, so I called the place (who shall remain nameless) that I got a spray tan at the first time, but apparently their spray tan girl wasn’t available and doesn’t work nights. I wasn’t disappointed, even though this caused a slight dilemma, because I detected a hint of nastiness over the phone. I went on yelp and called up Olive Organic Tan Spa in Montclair, NJ, and I am so glad I did.

My first spray tan experience at the nameless tanning salon entailed:

entering a bathroom with black backdrop
wearing paper shoes & underwear
being sprayed down with the coldest spray ever

And resulted in a half-decent tan with dark blotches under my arms from when the girl had me raising and lowering my arms. When asked about the blotches the girl told me to “scrub really hard.”

Olive Organic Tan in Montclair was a complete 180. They are an exclusive tanning salon that only uses organic ingredients in their airbrush sprays (so they have no tanning beds).

My second spray tan experience entailed:

professional environment – individual rooms
cap to protect hair
choice of scented airbrush sprays (citrus, coconut, almond, vanilla)
intermediary drying w/blow dryer (feels amazing)
dabbing of excess spray to prevent stickiness (ex: eyelids)
powder application to safeguard spray against clothes

The lady was so incredibly nice and gave me a few tips. She said:

Wait at least 12 hrs to shower
Don’t touch your skin because it feels silky (you’ll want to!)
Don’t Shave
Don’t use deodorant the next day
Moisturize often
Powder yourself

I will definitely be back again (perfect tan & no blotches!!) and plan on purchasing a 3 pack of non-expiring spray tans for a great value.

The only thing I regret is not leaving a tip. I didn’t realize you were supposed to and feel pretty bad about it because I didn’t have any cash. But I promise I will make up for it next time!!

Do you have any advice for me that will help prolong my tan? I’d greatly appreciate it because I love it so much! Thanks!