city chica

So today I had that pleasant experience of getting fitted for a bridesmaid's dress. For those of you who haven't been there, having a stranger poking and prodding and commenting on the pluses and minuses of your figure ("You have nice big boobs for this dress!" OR "We might have to take it out a little here [punctuated by a slap on the hip/ass region}" can be hard to take, even for those of us with gallons of self-esteem.

At least the dress is nice. It's simple, a good color, no ruffles, bows, lace, or poofs--it is pretty. Although I'll still never be able to wear it. Know what I mean ladies, no matter how hard you try to dress it up, change it, alter it...you can always tell it's a "bridesmaid's dress." (Sort of like nuns that way...you can dress 'em up in normal clothes, but you still know they're nuns.)

The one other time I was in a wedding party, however, was more along the lines of the bridesmaid's dress from hell. Although, "dress" might not be the operative word here. First of all, the color and fabric: cranberry velvet. No not red, no not maroon, not even a scarlet...CRANBERRY! (which doesn't always conjure up the most enticing thoughts for us ladies) Anyway...back to cranberry...there was a skirt which was simple enough--your normal long, straight-cut variety. However...it was topped by a jacket whose shoulders would have made Grace Jones's shoulder pads from hell look understated. And to accentuate them even MORE...there was this extra material draped over the shoulders, rising up dangerously close to your earlobes...as if somehow, Mr. Softee came along and put two huge dollops of cranberry velvet ice cream on either shoulder. And then, to top it all off (literally) there was a hat. In none other than cranberry velvet, draped over one eye, with...netting! Do you now have a picture of what this monstrosity may have looked like? My then boyfriend said it best: I looked like a whore from the Wild West.

So comparatively speaking, this experience is a dream. But the whole idea of a big wedding so disgusts me, especially after going to a million of them. With the same rituals, the same protocol, the same ugly dresses, the same songs...all the SAME! Ugh.

However, I'd be lying if I didn't admit to checking out a few of the bridal gowns while I was there. I found one that I loved: a cap sleeve number trimmed in fur. Yes, fur (for the animal-minded, don't worry: not real fur)! I pictured myself wearing this lovely number walking down the aisle in December (my b'day & my boyfriends are both in this month) carrying not a typical bouquet, but a fur muff to match. Now I tell you, THAT would be a wedding to remember!

posted by Sandy @ 8:11 PM

I'm a high school English teacher in Manhattan. Yes, it's difficult. No, it's not dangerous. Yes, the kids can sometimes be a pain, but mostly, they're great. And yes, I really do love my job. True, teachers are not respected, they're underpaid and undervalued. The "great hours" are mostly a lie: you work much harder and longer than those 6 hours a day that you're in school. But this is the best job I can imagine having. I look at all my friends working and they're mostly miserable. Even friends of mine who have jobs considered to be "cool": publishing, television, design, technology...(I used to be in that line of work myself) they are all MISERABLE. Maybe one day I'll get burnt out, and I'll deal with that when it happens, but how many people can honestly say they really, truly enjoy what they do? Well, I can honestly say "yes" and no paper-pushing $80,000 a year job is worth that damn good feeling of knowing you do something good with your days on this earth.

posted by Sandy @ 11:47 AM

Hey there...

Yes, I am a city girl through and through. Sometimes I'm a little embarrassed by my lack of desire to either run barefoot through the woods or wake up early to see the sun rise, but most of all, I'm proud to be a New Yorker. The irony here is that I've been living in Hoboken, NJ for six years. For those of you not from round these parts, Hoboken is insanely close to Manhattan, is just a 10 minute train ride away from the Village, and is much more like a city neighborhood than a Jersey one. Plus, it's nice, safe, and my rent is cheap...what more can I ask for?

Like most city gals, I do have a Sex & the City fetish, and I do love the show, but why must TV make women so pathetically dumb? Even supposedly sophisticated types? Look at everyone from the cast of Friends to Ally Mc Beal to Grace of Will & Grace...and even my beloved Carrie from Sex & the City. These women are stupid, stupid, stupid. They are in their 30s (me too) and don't seem to have it together...in fact they really don't have it together at all. Everyone's entitled to a momentary lapse of reason, but these chicks are on a permanent intellectual vacation. I guess the question I ask is: why do dumb women make good television???

posted by Sandy @ 11:29 AM