Archive for 'Just…Golf'
Spring in Air
Posted on 24. Feb, 2009 by Deb.
Long ago, I learned that it was better to take my cues as to the season from Mother Nature instead of the calendar. The earth has “broken the back” of winter when Greta, my almost 9-year old Bouvier begins sleeping on tile instead of carpet. There are the first flowers of spring, the daffodils, which I have seen at kid’s school. But the truest indicator is when I see the first robin. This morning, I saw not only the first beautiful red-breasted robin, but an entire flock of robins. Ah….knowing that Spring is around the corner really makes my heart joyous. Fall is my favorite season, but I love Spring as well. All that promise of newness and rebirth.
This week, I have chosen to take some of my workout outside. Most of what I need to do these days is stretching (which I am doing at home) and getting some cardio into my day. I’ve discovered that Miss Greta is aging and out of shape, so taking her with me is good for both of us. There are several really nice parks with walking paths to choose from in the immediate area. I really love the park we went to this morning. When I was a kid, it was a pecan orchard. Many of the old trees are still there, but there is also a small pond and the walking paths are wide. There are also paths that veer into the wooded area, under a bridge, and over to the neighborhood in which my parents reside. My parents still live in the same house that we moved to when I was six.
There is something comforting walking the woods that I ran in as a child.
But I digress. I’m thankful that Spring is in the air. I’m looking forward to some warmth and new growth. And though a part of me has kind of settled in and is nesting in my home, my gypsy side is looking forward to getting out and into the world. I travel into DC on Friday. I have meetings scheduled on Friday afternoon as well as plans for Saturday to visit the Lincoln Exhibit at the American History Museum as well as tickets to see “The Heavens are Hung in Black” at the Ford Theatre. Sunday is reserved to go to early morning Mass and have brunch with the Sunday Washington Post! I am also contemplating an invitation to go to Kansas next week. Do a little bit of work, do a lot of networking and visiting with old clients who are really friends as well. I typically fly for business travel, but since it would give me an opportunity to take my golf clubs… I am contemplating making the 5 hour drive instead.
I can’t believe it’s already time for lunch. Happy Fat Tuesday, folks. Hope you are having a lovely day.
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Update on Golf
Posted on 21. Feb, 2009 by Deb.
While I hate actually watching myself, the fact that my golf teacher tapes our lessons and sends them to me is helpful.
My biggest issues are the grip of my right hand, the early breaking of my left arm, and the shift of weight on my right knee. But I am seeing improvement in my game. I just need to do some of my homework!
Happy Saturday. I hope those of you that golf have been able to play sometime recently….
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Customer Service and Boobs (or how I spent my afternoon)
Posted on 11. Feb, 2009 by Deb.
I spent my morning on the golf course and have some thoughts about my play (as always) some thoughts on “golf etiquette” and some thoughts on being a woman playing golf when 98% of the other players are men. But that will wait til later.
Instead, I wanted to talk about Boobs. Not that I don’t think about my own boobs when I play golf because that is a difference in a woman’s swing and a man’s swing: keeping my arms straight as I swing. There is golf talk on that subject. But my afternoon was spent in the attempt to buy bras for my oldest daughter. And Close Encounters of the Customer Service Kind.
Let me start by saying that all of the females who are related to me by blood are above average in the upper portions. Blessed, some would say, cursed my youngest would say. I won’t embarrass them by posting their bra-size here, but just know that the girls are both larger than DD. They get it naturally. Even when I am thinner, I am top heavy. The last bra I purchased was a 36G which is what started me on this thought of customer service last week when I made my purchase, and brought to the forefront when I took the oldest shopping today.
I have two places I prefer to go when I go bra shopping. Nordstroms is the first choice and Neiman Marcus is the second choice.
Believe me when I say that it has taken me a long time to come to terms with the need to shop at what is considered a high-end retail store for a piece of clothing that is mostly seen by me, myself and I. I am the consummate bargain shopper and though I love nice things, I prefer to pay as little as possible for said things. I believe that women should wear beautiful lingerie. It’s an indulgence that is for yourself, and especially moms tend to indulge on everyone but themselves. But stores like Target have beautiful things – in a C or D Cup. When you are larger than a D, it is very hard to find something that fits, let alone something that is attractive. No teenager wants to wear a bra that looks like a Grandma bra. Even more embarrassing is having you MOTHER in the dressing room looking at your boobs (that you are not yet comfortable having because of their proportion in comparison to your peers).
Nordstroms and Neimans still has something that most stores have not had in years: Customer Service. Yes, I know, a rare concept in retail today. But the people that work at these places actually want to HELP the customers. And on top of helping customers, they know all about the products in their area – be it shoes, or cosmetics, or bras.
When you walk into the store, you are greeted and you are asked if you are finding what you need. When you walk into the lingerie department, especially with a teenager in tow, you and the teenager are treated with kid gloves. Every time you buy bras, it’s a good idea to be fitted again. I lost a mere 10 lbs and I changed from a 38FF to a 36G. You are whisked into the dressing room, and the teenager is measured. The sales person asks you what type of bra you are looking for (smooth cup, lacey, black, white, fun colored, etc).
Then the sales person allows you to stay in the dressing room while she digs through all the sizes until she pulls items for you to try on. She then looks at each one you try on, adjusts straps, checks the fit. If it fits, she tells you. If it doesn’t fit, she tells you and searches for something that does. Sometimes, you find something you love. Sometimes, you are unable to find something you can live with. No matter what, the sales person stays upbeat and kind. When you leave, she gives you her card to call in case you need something. When you are larger than average, finding a bra that fits, that looks attractive, that is comfortable and makes you feel attractive is exhausting. Digging through stacks of bras ranging from a 32A to a 44H is daunting. For a store to have a sales person that knows how all the different brands fit as well as how to properly fit you, will dig through the volume of bras in the store and bring them to you so that you don’t have to re-dress every time what you have picked doesn’t work? It’s a true God-send.
And when one of the kids is in tears because she is so much larger than her peers, these wonderful saleswomen are able to find words that sooth. Now THAT, is priceless. It’s priceless.
My ex-husband complained when I told him the youngest and I were going to Nordstroms this fall so I could buy her some new bras. He told me she didn’t need anything from a Hoity Toity store. But how the hell else am I going to get a 13-year-old properly fit when she is larger than a DD and has a band size less than a 36? Should I force her into bras that don’t really fit her? Or can I take her to a place where they will help us? I chose to do what was less traumatic for a stressful situation.
I bought my last bra at Neiman Marcus. I happened to be in the store when the rep from Fantasie was there. I tried on every single bra they carried that was available in my size. Today, we bought the oldest bras at Nordstroms. We got fabulous customer service.
And left with bras that really fit.
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Out of the Habit and Inspiration
Posted on 31. Jan, 2009 by Deb.
I almost feel like I am out of the habit of so many of my previously “regular” routine things.
Right this moment, I am mainly thinking about the whole “getting ready” thing. From April until December, I was spending 60+ hours a week with my clients, so having a down day to just bum around was rare. There were many Saturdays and/or Sundays that I still worked. Since I’ve been working from home so much lately, I have forgone dressing up in any ways. It’s not like I hang out in my jammies all the time, but I do tend to dress down, forgo jewelry and skip make-up. Well, except for Mondays when I go to school.
After spending until almost noon (crazy!) in my jammies today, I thought it would be nice of me to actually put make-up beyond lip gloss on, especially since the youngest is entertaining a friend tonight. A boy, by the way, who she insists is just a friend, but all the same, it’s a boy. But I digress. Anyhoo, since there would be other parents coming by for the drop off / pick up, I actually got fully dressed, as if I were going to dinner with a friend, not just hanging out on a Saturday night supervising the dog and two teenage friends.
And since I have been all the way dressed (ya know, jeans, shirt, matching shoes, earrings, make-up, etc) I have gotten so much done. My floundering column solidified for me. The rest of the pieces that needed editing for All Things Girl got edited. Updates I needed to make on the administrative side of ATG was done, I settled in on this design here for the blog, and I’m in a better mood than I have been in for DAYS.
I think it’s my sign that even if I’m not working face-to-face with my clients, it’s ok to wear something beyond very casual and putting on my make-up needs to be back into my regular habit (despite the fact my skin has appreciated the break). I am missing working face to face with my clients, though, if I were to be completely honest. I think my batteries have finally been recharged and I’m ready for more…
By the way, if you need a favor or want something, today is the day to ask. Because I will probably say “sure!”. Actually, I would probably say ‘sure’ to you if it was within my abilities. But today, I would say it with absolute sincerity and not just because I like you.
I also got a really long email from a girlfriend of mine who lives in Santa Fe. She spent a couple of weeks in Africa for an extended vacation and came back with a new desire to dig into her own creativity. She asked me if I could help her, and I am reminded that signs are all around us if we will see them. I had just finished my column for ATG (live tomorrow) but it’s about what’s in your heart. And there, right in front of me, were her words asking me if I could help her figure out what is inside her’s.
For months, I have been toying with the idea of exploring another side of my personality – my desire to help other people and my hopes that people that I care about are living in a way that fulfills them. Since she asked if I would help, and I want to see if I can take a passion that I have and flip it into a branch of my business, I believe we are going to embark on an adventure of sorts for me to try my hand out at some guiding while she digs in, explores her creativity, and figures out where her passions really lie. She can be my guinea pig 
I find, to be honest, that working with creative people makes me more creative. I know her and she is inspirational to me anyway simply because she loves life so much. It will be a joy. I think we all need to spend time with people who bring us joy.
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Busy-ness of the Day
Posted on 14. Jan, 2009 by Deb.
I squeezed a whole heck of a lot of stuff into my day when I think about it. I went to the gym and did a weight workout, my stretching, and 20 minutes of cardio. I exchanged a picture frame and returned some clothes, played 11 holes of golf and attended a meeting at school with my eldest.
Why 11 holes? Well, we are expecting a cold front tonight - the coldest so far this year - so the greens had to be covered to protect them. We were playing ahead of the tarping team, which was amazing to watch. We were asked to start at the 2nd hole, and they caught up with us on the 7th, when we skipped ahead to the 10th…. We had planned to play 9 holes, but had time for a couple of bonus holes. I can tell, however, that I am not in shape for golf, as I was getting tired after about 9 holes. The funniest thing happened on 7, though, when a dog stole my ball after I teed off. He was hiding behind a bunker and appeared as I teed off. He wanted to play, and ended up getting my ball by tossing another for him to chase. We laughed so hard though we did want to continue on. I think that delay is how the tarp-team caught up with us.
Oh, and since I know you are dying to know, I wore a black and white plaid skort with a white polo. It was 50 degrees when we started, which did require a pullover, but I shed it after about 7 holes. It was 62 when I left the golf course. That seems to be about perfect for short sleeves.
The school meeting was a whole ‘nother thing. Anything to do with school is on the stressful side as we wind down to her graduation. ’nuff said.
And on that note, it’s time for some sleep. Tomorrow is another full day.
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Was Mother Nature Confused?
Posted on 03. Jan, 2009 by Deb.
Today was simply beautiful in Texas, with a high temperature around 85 today. I started my day by going to the Golf Store and going through the final steps to purchase a new set of clubs, which included hitting the 6-iron of five different sets. I ended up buying a set of Adam’s Idea Ladies sets. I refused to buy a PINK bag, by the way. That’s just stupid to have to buy pink because I am a woman. I bought the bag that was green and turquoise.
After lunch, I headed out to the driving range to hit a bucket of balls with my new clubs. I tried out the driver, a couple of the “woods” and a couple of the irons. After an hour, I headed home happy, but tired. I still am not very good, but I did enjoy being outside and bonding a little with my new clubs. Part of the bonding, though, has led to a bit of a sore back and some other overall stiffness of body. It’s the overall balance of big boobs and needing to stretch and doing activities that I haven’t done in a very long time. In part of getting back to the gym regularly, I have needed to do some focused lifting to build some the pectoral muscles. But I digress.
Dinner tonight was actually amazing, if I do say so myself. I stuffed a pork loin with a mixture of spinach and feta cheese, with a bit of fresh garlic and red bell peppers. Topping the pork loin with coarse kosher salt and fresh ground pepper gave it a great finish. We also had steamed zucchini and carrots, and spinach salads with tomatoes and cucumbers topped with balsamic vinegar.
The kids are watching Polgergeist II, but as for me, I am about to head to bed. Sweet dreams.
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Forgive me as I play…
Posted on 03. Jan, 2009 by Deb.
I purchased some themes for WordPress over at WooThemes on New Year’s Eve. Yes, I’m sure you’ve noticed the changing look of my site, so that is the reason. It was a buy 1 get 3 free sale, so I am happily playing around between two of the four themes.
This one – called “thick” is my favorite color scheme with all the pink and dark grey. I just don’t know WP well enough to DIG IN and change the coding in the templates much. I want full entries, not snippets, on the main page.
What I NEED to do is stop playing around on the computer and go outside and play. It’s sunny and 70 degrees here already – and is expected to be 80! I think Mother Nature has her calender on the wrong page, but I am not going to complain.
I need to go take a quickie shower, and then go to the golf store. I have narrowed my club choices down to three sets and am meeting my golf instructor to hit all three of them and getting them purchased. I just can’t play with these clubs that were a gift anymore. they need to be re-gripped and stuff. Then….come hell or highwater today, my ass is going to the driving range today before dark. I think that’s a great goal for a Sunny Saturay in January. Don’t you?.