Too Sexy for My Hat

“I’m too sexy for my hat…” Do you remember that song? “Too sexy for my shirt!” (Sorry to put it in your head for the next few days!)

I’m almost too sexy for my hat. I’m working on it. I hope that you read my New Year’s resolutions blog entry, where I listed a few of my resolutions for 2007. I’m happy to report that I’ve hit some home runs! I haven’t yet fallen in love (as far as you know), but I have been writing more and spending more time with friends.

One month into the new year, how are you doing? Did you get organized? Have you called your long-lost high school pals? Have you hit some home runs?

Did you lose 20 pounds? If not, take the leap and purchase some exercise equipment. I bet you didn’t know that you can find it for a song (pun intended!) at WalMart. If you need a little more help in the slimming-down department, try the 6-week body makeover which will have you too sexy for your shirt by the start of spring.

Once you get into the groove (sorry, I’m in lyrics mode now) with your whole body makeover, you deserve to treat yourself. Little rewards along the way make any plan worthwhile. My treats typically include a night at the movies, a long bath, or some time spent on arts and crafts. I know, these sound so simple, but I promise that an hour or two for you can make all the difference in the world.

We’ve got eleven more months to make all our resolutions come true. I’d love to hear how you are doing!

Until next time,

Conna

Hot and Cold

OK, I’m all set with winter now.

Enough of the cold, enough of the wind, enough of the little shards of ice hitting me in the face as I walk down the street…

Every day I feel less guilty about quitting my Pilates class because just getting suited up to go to the grocery store is a 20-minute workout: first the long-johns (sorry if that’s TMI, fellas!); then the second layer; then another layer for good measure. Once I get my coat, hat and gloves on I feel like the Michelin Man.

Then, every time I go into a store or library or the wonderful post office, it feels like a sauna. So off with the hat and scarf, then the gloves… until I’m back outside and realize I’ve lost an accessory along the way. In Boston, you see hats and gloves all over the street… scarves gently put up on railings for their owners to retrieve them (I set one on a mailbox the other day, figuring that if anyone would need to stay warm, it would be the mail carrier!).

At the Porter Square “T” (that’s what we call the subway here) station, artists have cast the lost accessory experience in bronze. Throughout the station, bronzed gloves adorn the escalators, benches and turnstiles.

That’s all fine and dandy when it’s actually warm enough to go outside and take the subway somewhere. One day last week it was colder in Boston than at the North Pole. I know, it’s colder in other places and I’m sorry about the oranges and avocados in California, folks. But the thing is I’m here, where global warming seems to have skipped a metropolitan area. At this moment I’ve got the heat on and the windows open (oops – that’s no good for the Ozone!). I need fresh air. I need to hear birds chirping.

What I really need is to think spring. Maybe I’ll get some self-tanner. Oh, and those full-spectrum light bulbs are great for dreary winter days. Then there's the other kind of bulbs, too, from Gardeners' Supply Company. It's not too early to start thinking about what to plant once the frost melts away.

In the meantime, I'll count my gloves and count my blessings because spring is coming, in 51 days!

Until next time,

Conna

It’s So Taxing…

(But it doesn’t have to be!)

Every year I promise myself that I will try to get my taxes done early. This year, I’m going to do it. Not only will I complete my taxes early, but I’m also going to make the entire process fun.

Did I just use the word “fun” about taxes? Hey, why not?

All you need are the right tools. The thing is: we have to pay taxes. (I know that there are groups who insist there are ways around paying taxes but I’m not willing to go there.) But the process does not have to be stressful.

Step One. Start early. Anything that’s last-minute is going to cause stress, so start now, as your tax documents are showing up in the mail (if you don’t get documents from your employers by January 31st, give them a call).

Step Two. Get organized. Set aside an afternoon to find the receipts you’ll need (if you itemize, for example). It’s so much less stressful to do this before you being the process of filling out tax forms. Office Depot is the perfect place for file folders and storage cases.

Step Three. Order TurboTax from Amazon.com. This software is awesome – it’s a snap to install, it helps you make the most of deductions, and gives you the choice between filing electronically (to speed up your return) or the old-fashioned way – by mail. I’ve used TurboTax for a few years now, and I love it.

You’ve got a few months to get it all together, and the earlier the better. When your pals are searching high and low for receipts come springtime, you will already be earning interest on your return!

Until next time,

Conna

The Universal Importance of Parsley

Are you a Martha fan or a Rachel fanatic?

In the university town where I live, most people won’t even admit to watching television – let alone daytime television. But, culinary newbie that I am, I don’t mind saying that yes, I occasionally watch these ladies unveil their appetizer recipes and cheese platter presentation secrets.

As Martha is so fond of saying, “It’s a good thing.”

Many viewers (and probably even more non-viewers) have a love-hate relationship with these two. There are entire online communities devoted to making fun of Martha’s ponchos and ridiculing Rachel Ray’s … well, everything about her.

Obviously, though, both of these icons are onto something: they make a fortune doing things that most of us do every day (without a team to handle hair and makeup) – cooking, cleaning and chatting.

This morning on Martha’s show, folks in the studio audience had the chance to ask Martha for advice. One woman asked, “If I could plant only one herb, what should I plant?” Martha, seeming incredulous that anyone would limit herb-growing to just one pot of seedlings, mentioned the universal importance of parsley.

I have to say, beyond basic elements (air, water) and huge concepts (God, peace, karma) I don’t think I’ve ever made a statement about the universal importance of anything – let alone parsley.

Who else on Earth but Martha could get away with using the phrase, “The universal importance of parsley”?

When I finished laughing, I made my grocery list, including the universally significant parsley. I’ll be adding it here and there to everything I cook this week. And hey, if all else fails, “The universal importance of parsley” would make a great name for a blog.

Until next time,

Conna

Spring Fever

During the past few days I’ve received not one, not two, not three… but about a dozen “spring preview” emails from some of my favorite stores.

Spring preview?

Did I miss something? I haven’t even taken down my Christmas tree. I just finished making my thank-you cards, but I haven’t written them yet. People, it’s mid-January! I’ve got the heat turned up and I’m wearing a scarf inside my apartment. (It’s mighty cold in Boston this morning.)

Even taking into consideration global warming, spring has not yet sprung. Nonetheless, I’m getting email messages from the big apparel retailers letting me know about what’s new for spring.

I suppose that some retailers are banking on shopper’s winter weariness. Call me old-fashioned, but I want to enjoy winter with hot tea, in my warm socks and many layers of sweaters. I love to take walks in the late afternoon during this time of year. You should see the way the sunlight sparkles on fresh snow – there’s nothing like it.

I may not be ready for spring, but obviously the retailers would like me to be. I’ve got emails about spring makeup colors, spring sandals, spring sundresses, and my favorite: “resort wear.”

Resort wear? Who buys that? My idea of “resort wear” is a t-shirt from the Eddie Bauer outlet.

For now, while it’s still January, I’m going to make another cup of hot tea and shop for snow boots.

Until next time,

Conna

Beauty Sleep

My friends tell me that I need to stop working so much. My mom worries that I spend an awful lot of time at my computer – almost every time she calls me on the telephone I begin the conversation with “Hold on, I need to save this document.”

So this past weekend I decided to take it easy. I worked only half the day Saturday. I saw a movie. I took a walk along the river… The weather was perfect for spending time outside: record-setting warmth and lots of sunshine.

On Sunday, I worked, but only for a few hours. I was really getting into this “taking it easy” thing, getting some R&R, you know? I had the sense that I would begin the new week relaxed, rested and focused. And then a funny thing happened…

I slept for 12 hours.

How could that happen? I was relaxed! I took a break! When I first awoke (realizing that it was many hours past my 6:00 o’clock alarm) I was stunned. Then I panicked: how would I get everything done? It’s not like I had to be at “the office” because I work at home, but still I felt like I was beginning my work week behind schedule.

As I got started writing, I wondered why it upset me so much that I had slept for 12 hours. I kept thinking about how most Americans say they can get by on less than 7 hours sleep per night. Do they know something I don’t? Do they have more willpower?

I think that Americans are caught up in false competition: who can get the most done on the least sleep. Never mind whether what they “do” is relevant or helpful or done well – more is almost always seen as better… except when it comes to sleep.

It occurred to me that perhaps I slept 12 hours because I needed it. Maybe all that sunshine was really good for me. I did a little research on the Internet and found out that lack of sleep is not, after all, a sign of character strength – in fact it can really catch up with a person.

So I say, get some rest. I know I’m feeling better after those peaceful 12 hours. (The dream about Michael Jordan didn’t hurt, either!)

Until next time,

Conna

Holiday Hangover

Not that kind of hangover!

I’ve been feeling a little blue… the holidays have come and gone and everywhere I go I see discarded Christmas trees waiting to be turned into wood chips. Somehow the time from my favorite season (that would be the “back to school” season) to Thanksgiving then Christmas flew by faster than I could keep track. Now it’s January. Now what?

It’s probably not out of the ordinary to experience a bit of a let down after the holidays. We all rush around, wait in those interminable lines at the post office, and send off cards to people we haven’t seen in years. As stressful as the time can be, there is a lot of connecting going on: parties, family gatherings, more parties…

OK I need to get a grip. Take stock of the fact that the sun is shining in New England today and the great news is that, with the holidays over, my time is again my own.

First things first – I’m going to maintain some of those connections. Why wait for the next greeting card company-promoted holiday to send a simple letter? Remember letters? I love getting them, and I love sending them. In this world of e-communications, there’s really nothing like a good old-fashioned note showing up in my mailbox.

If a letter seems a bit foreboding, start with a card. Please don’t spend $5 on a card! You can easily make your own with a few tips from yours truly. First, follow this link to Joann.com. Pick out a box of blank cards, then a few scrapbook “embellishments,” stick them on the cards and voila! you’ve got handmade cards. People love these!

Another way to stay connected is by throwing a little get-together. I like afternoon get-togethers because (1) they are less expensive than dinner parties; and (2) I don’t have to get dressed up. If you want to spruce up the place before having friends over, you can find everything from tablecloths to espresso machines at Overstock.com.

And if you really want to “get connected,” have you thought about trying out a dating service this year? (The resolutions in my most recent column may come in handy here, like developing a network of hiding places and writing down funny things that happen.) Let me know how that works out for you!

Until next time,

Conna