Then I got busy, and sortof forgot. I still manage to leave the house looking passable most days, but I’m definitely in a rut. So much so that about 90% of my current wardrobe is basic t-shirts and pants from Banana Republic, Gap or Old Navy.

Functional? Yes. Interesting? Definitely NOT.

So, gentle readers, as one who’s been out of touch with fashion for the last little while, I’m soliciting help from you!

Here’s what I’d love for you to share with me:

What are your favourite fashion trends right now?
What current trend do you wish would go far away and die?
Where’s your favourite place to shop these days?
What’s your favourite bargain and your favourite splurge?

And considering I’m looking for advice for me, here are a few other guiding points:

I have a fairly casual workplace, so I don’t need suits (I wear jeans most days), but I do need to look respectable.
I’m in my late 20′s – there are certain things I can no longer get away with.
I’m entirely pear-shaped – tiny on top, round on the bottom.

Other than that, go forth and fashionate! I’m counting on you!

It starts off with becoming a first-time homeowner, complete with list of DIY projects to get started on, and we don’t even move in for a few more days. Then comes the actual DIY work, design and AV plans and the execution thereof.

Smack-dab in the middle of those, there’s that whole wedding thing coming up. It’s slowly starting to hit me that there are about eleventy-frillion little details to get all squared away within the next 90-ish days. Fitting into my dress is enough motivation to keep me on the running plan for the next little while. As for those details, I am currently distracting myself by agonizing over shoes: Manolo Blahnik or Christian Louboutin… the Spring Manolos have absolutely perfect styling for my dress, but those damn red soles on the Louboutin are like a siren song in shoe form…

2008 will also be a big travel year again, with definite trips to Tofino (twice), Morocco, Spain, Orlando (twice) and Las Vegas (twice), with probable jaunts to San Fransisco, Denver, Boston, Atlanta, DC and Barcelona. Don’t get too jealous, only three of those destinations are personal trips. I’m sure Neil, in addition to one “man-time” camping trip, will also have his share of trips to the exotic wilds of Columbus and maybe Oxford.

In between all those I also want to make sure I manage to balance the crazy with time to both visit and entertain friends and family near and far, keep running and not lose time I’ve worked hard to find for things like playing the piano, learning how to make beautiful photos and just lazing about with a good book or two.

Realistically, the goals we have for getting our new place put together and the travel schedule coming up means that most of our time and finances are pretty well spoken for until late 2008, when it’ll practically be time to gear up for another holiday season where I can finally pause and wonder where the year went.

But there is one thing I felt I could certainly set some goals for and make the time to do better at over the next 12 months – this damn blog. It definitely stagnated over 2007, which I’m definitely not pleased with. So starting now, I’m going to take the step of engaging more with readers by replying to all comments, and try to drag some additional content out of myself to keep to a 3-4 post/week schedule.

And so, in the spirit of getting this thing start off right, and actually soliciting some comments to reply to… how are you this year so far, and do you think I should go with the Manolos or Louboutins?

We had absolutely stunning weather as we made our way to Granville Island yesterday with our photographers – the phenomenally talented Miranda and Reilly Lievers of Blue Olive Photography – and spent the better part of an hour giggling and smooching and snapping.

I’ll be the first to admit that I spent the better part of today obsessively refreshing their blog to see when the promised teasers would be up. Partly out of excitement, and partly out of photo-phobia.

I don’t have much anxiety in front of a camera, but the results of the photos afterward generally send me screaming for the hills.

Well Miranda & Reilly were crazy post-heavy today (four blog posts in as many hours – seriously – I was going nuts over here!) and by the time our shots showed up, I didn’t even recognize myself at first glance.

Seriously.

I look…. good! This just does not happen in photographs. I am generally represented by a 6-chinned gigantic forehead. With eyes thrown in for good measure, if you look carefully.

And they made us both look absolutely incredible. Click through to their blog to see a few more of the teasers from the day.

Booking these guys (just in the nick of time, I might add) was definitely one of our better moves, and I can’t WAIT to see the rest of the photos, and what they manage to pull out for our wedding!

UPDATE: You can see a full slideshow of the images here!

I’m sure you all remember that Waxing post from the not-so-distant past. You may also remember that at the end I mentioned I wouldn’t mind subjecting Neil to the “Full Monty” for comparison.

Well I still haven’t found a place to do the man-wax, but I did receive an email offering an alternative solution, and I was sent the Phillips Bodygroom for Neil to try out.

I really did mean to review it before Christmas, but my subject was… let’s say a tad reluctant.

But I harrassed, and he relented, and I can vouch that it is a pretty keen little gadget!

First off, check out their awesome site: www.shaveeverywhere.com. It’s a fun bit of flash that went around the viral marketing circuit a few months ago – if you’ve seen it, it’s worth a revisit, and if you haven’t, well you really should watch the intro video, which is safe for work (barely). And to keep this site mostly the same (and perhaps keep the kinky googlers’ search results relevant), I’ll refer to the more delicate bits of the man’s anatomy by the pieces of produce referred to in the video.

So, what’s in the package? (And by package, I mean the box the shaver comes in… we’ll get to the other package in a moment.) The bodygroom of course, an instruction book (boring, as they usually are, but efficient and clear in its directions), a plug-in charging unit, three attachments for different lengths, and a handy rubber wrist cord for use in the shower (on top of everything else, it’s a wet/dry unit), so you don’t drop it on your toes.

Before I really explored the shaver, I honestly thought it would be pretty similar to most other electric razor or beard trimming appliances.

I’m glad to say I was wrong, and it’s really like both devices in one, and definitely designed for body hair, which is much finer (and generally longer) than either scalp or facial hair (which the instructions emphatically note one should NOT use the bodygroom on).

The head of the shaver has a shaving foil in the centre, perfect for taking any unwanted hair right down to the skin. Of course, as with any shave, this will leave stubble and stubborn regrowth, so I wouldn’t actually recommend it for areas with thick and very noticeable hair, like say, on the average caucasian man’s legs. (I say caucasian, because those are the legs I’m most familiar with, and I know both density and coarseness of body hair can be affected by ethnicity.)

What the shaving foil IS good for, is easily and painlessly getting rid of strange, sporadic patches of hair. Neil has about 12-16 hairs on each tricep – about the texture of chest hairs, and with a good two inches of separation from where his noticeable arm hair starts. The foil was awesome for that.

Then on both the top and bottom of the foil, the body groom also has trimmer attachments (much like those you’d find on a beard trimmer). You can use the trimmers with either of the two reversable guards, or with no guard at all, depending on the hair length you’re attempting to achieve.

The key differences here between the Bodygroom and any other trimmer I’ve seen are that a) the gaps between the teeth are a lot narrower, resulting in better precision when trimming finer hairs (like those on the underarms) and b) TWO trimming heads (with reversable guides), so you can still hold the shaver comfortably while shaving up, or down – which is really important when navigating the delicate carrot, kiwis and peach.

So after all that, how’d it actually work?

Turns out, pretty darned well. The body shaving and trimming performance is on par with a facial shaver at the same price point. The handle is comfortable, and the wet/dry capabilities are a big plus. It performed well on all types of body hair – underarm, arm, chest and undercarriage – either trimming or shaving as attempted. The only thing it wasn’t tested on, was the peach (Neil stormed off saying “No f*$king way something sharp and buzzing is getting near my a#$!” – hence the “almost” in the title).

Of course, while it does what it does extremely well, the bodygroom is still ultimately a shaver and trimmer.

Trimmers, unfortunately (with their side-to-side blade), sometimes catch and tug hair instead of slicing it off (Neil says “ouch!”).

Shavers ultimately cut the hair off at the skin level, allowing the roots to grow stronger and produce thicker, coarser hair and leave the issues that come with stubble and regrowth (Neil says “my bits itch”).

Of course, if you’re already a die-hard man-scaper (which Neil is just… not.) and would like to scrap the beard-trimmer and manual razor combination for a product that’s designed especially for your body, you really can’t beat the Bodygroom.

There – the end – you made it! No more talk of Neil’s junk, and the squeamish can now uncover their eyes.

Just be thankful I posted an image of the shaver, instead of a picture of the “Extra Optical Inch.”

You: Hot, short-haired girl in grey slacks, black pumps and a black sweater, carrying take-out across the intersection of Broadway at Oak.

Me: Dude on the bus stopped at the intersection.

That was a pretty fantastic trip you took, getting the pointy toe of your shoe caught in the opening of your opposite pant leg. Even more fantastic was the fact that you managed to not quite fall on your face, or spill your sushi.

Nice recovery. Drinks?

And since I get queried by said girlfriends on a semi-regular basis, and “bikini wax etiquette” shows up in my search strings more often than not, I present to you, the cleverly titled:

Jen’s Guide to Bikini Wax Expectations and Etiquette

And lest you think you don’t need such a guide, I shall refer you to my uneducated and unprepared earlier experience. And NOBODY should have to go through that. According to the archives, it took me 2.5 years to get over it.

Warning:

If you have ever shaved any of your pubic hair, your first wax will hurt like a MOTHERFUCKER. No word of a lie, it will be so awful you will want to leap right off the table and run screaming, pantsless, into the night. It is just the way of things. If you are smart you will schedule yourself a competent esthetician, realize it will all be over inside of 20 minutes, and suck it up, princess. Look at the bright side, it only gets better! If you have been shaving, wait at least 4 weeks from your last shave to go for a wax in order to let the hairs grow long enough for the wax to grip them.

Finding a Waxer:

A lot of major cities have papers that run a “best of the city” feature that asks the citizens to vote on everything from restaurants to rodeos. Most have an esthetics or even a bikini wax vote – go to the place that wins. Phone a spa/salon that offers the service and ask who their most popular esthetician is. Ask for reviews. Ask friends or acquaintances who they go to (for the locals, I go to Linda’s). This is one wax job you don’t wanna mess around with, so do some research.

The Arsenal:

Be sure you have the following things in your posession before the day of your appointment. You’ll want them at your disposal:
-Lidocaine Cream for irritation (I hear Preparation H works well too, though I’ve never tried it)
-Epsom salts for a soak
-Advil (or painkiller of your choice)
-A soft Loofah & some gentle body wash – something hypoallergenic if you’re sensitive
-Liquor. Lots of liquor.

Day of:

Wear comfortable panties and pants! I personally have a pair of soft cotton boy shorts that I wear on waxing days, that don’t rub or chafe or ride up. I’ll wear them with a skirt or roomier pants. If I’m getting it done on a weekend or after work, I’ll go commando in yoga pants. Whatever you’re comfortable with, just avoid lace and embellishments, or anything that’s tight and rides up or around in uncomfortable ways. Believe me you’ll be uncomfortable enough.

EAT! EAT! EAT! Things hurt more when your blood sugar is low. Try to eat something with a bit of staying power (cookies, chocolate, and plain fruit will just make you crash) about 20-30 minutes before your appointment. Your body also heals better when you’ve got proper nutrition. This includes being well-hydrated, so water up.

Since you’re eating something anyway, take a small dose of Advil or Tylenol (not Asprin or liquor – that’s for after – since they thin your blood and may cause you to bleed) about 20 minutes before your appointment as a preventative pain killer to dull the owies a bit.

The Appointment!:

Try not to schedule it the week before (or during) your period. You’re just more sensitive in those areas and it’ll hurt more.

Congratulations, you made it! Don’t back down now, you’re almost there.

Depending on where you go and who your esthetician is, you’ll likely be instructed to take off your pants and panties, drape yourself with the towel they’ve provided, and lay back on the table. They usually leave the room for privacy while you do this, and take a moment to steel yourself. You may or may not be offered disposable panties which you can accept or decline, depending on your comfort level.

You will be half naked.

There is no getting around this. Getting in and around all of your nooks and crannies, crooks and crevices is going to require full access. And some yoga-esque poses. There is no room for modesty in the brazilian wax process. Your esthetician probably sees a hundred or so coochies a year other than yours, so get over yourself.

The actual waxing process will feel like someone is ripping the short and curlies out of your sensitive bits, because, well, they are. Be brave little soldier! It should be over inside of 20 minutes. The esthetician will probably give you a once over with some tweezers to catch any strays, and may trim any landing strip hair you want left.

Types of Wax Jobs:

In case you are totally clueless, there are different types of bikini wax you can get, though this post applies to all of them.

-Regular Bikini takes off the bit of hair that runs up the area inside your thighs and where your legs join your pelvis.
-French Bikini leaves you with only a small patch in the front, but does nothing with the back.
-Brazilian Bikini involves either going bare or leaving a small patch in the front, as well as deforesting the back door. FYI since most people don’t both trying to self-groom their own ass-cracks (out of sight, out of mind?) it usually hurts the least to wax. It’s those hairs we insist on shaving and trimming ourselves that get to be stubborn about removal.

Aftercare:

This is when I ply myself liberally with liquor and just hope the sweet, sweet nectar causes me to pass out long enough to feel better when I wake up.

Seriously though, be gentle with your ladyparts, they will be sensitive. Try to keep your bloog sugars level, and take your vitamins. Exfoliate gently in the shower to combat ingrown hairs, and if you do experience lots of discomfort, take another Advil, try an Epsom salts bath and/or some lidocane cream. Local waxing joint Sugarbox has a great page of “do’s and don’ts” that I’d recommend reading before you go in.

Pay special heed to the one that says “DO NOT SHAVE BETWEEN WAXING APPOINTMENTS.” Bikini waxing is not an on-again off-again thing. Either you are committed to it, or you aren’t, and if you aren’t there is no point in even starting. Every time you shave, you bring yourself right back to that first all-painful and terrible wax. It’ll depend on your personal hair structure, but you’ll need to go back every 3-6 weeks to maintain it, and it does hurt less every time. I hardly cry at all now. And as your hairs grow in finer and finer, you’ll be able to get away with having them waxed shorter and shorter, so you don’t have any “down time” if you’re thinking about how to schedule waxes so you’ll look your best on the beach in Cancun or for that special new man.

Etiquette Points:

Don’t eat the bean burrito the night before. It’s just best for everyone involved. If you feel “less than fresh” in any of your nether regions before your appointment, carry some flushable wipes with you to freshen up before you go in.

If you’re nervous and/or shy, SAY SO! Remember, this is your waxer’s JOB. She can talk you through it, and let you know exactly what she’s going to do and what to expect to make you feel most comfortable.

Try to relax, it’ll make the whole process easier on everyone.

Please tip. It’s the classy thing to do (unless you ignored my first point and went to a butcher). I tip the same percent I tip my hairdresser (10-15%). If there are estheticians out there who think I’m being stingy, please inform me! Otherwise I think that’s a pretty safe amount.

Other than that, you should now be fully armed with information, and ready to forth and wax fearlessly! Or at least in fear only of the pain, and not totally of the unknown.

Down with Bush!

ps. If anyone knows of a place in town that does the “Full Monty” wax for guys, clue me in. I’d love to coerce Neil into trying it, since I’m interested in some of the mechanics of the procedure and if the results are worth it. And I bet he’d blog about it!

In changing jobs from Corporate Cog to Spelunking Coordinator, I managed to swing myself a 30%-ish pay increase and I was fun, fabulous, and single! So you’d better believe I was livin’ large. After all, that sounded much more fun than paying down my student loans faster.

Oh what a year it was!

An approximate count of ticket stubs, photographs, and things in my closet indicate that I:

-Acquired J’Lo (and all of her expensive repair issues)
-Attended about 18 concerts, many at major venues, most of which included acquiring overpriced concert merchandise
-Cheered my way through at least 12 NHL hockey games (and consumed an average of 3 NHL priced beers at each)
-Had my hair done monthly, at an approximate cost of n-$1, where n = the cost to sponsor a half-dozen starving African children for a month
-Acquired enough wardrobe additions to shoe and clothe those starving African children – none of which are appropriate for the new job of course.
-Succumbed fully and completely to my new mistress, the TiVo.

Then all of that culminated in a 10-day Carribean Vacation.

And just when I thought it was all over, we went to Korea.

Aah, the good ol’ days.

And now this year (and don’t all new years really start around September? I far prefer it as a time of new beginnings to January, where after the clock strikes midnight there is nothing new, it still gets dark at 4:30pm, and no more vacation until like… Easter, so welcome to the most depressing 10 weeks of the year… but I digress…)…

This year is the Year of “oh holy hell, we bought a damn house and someone’s gotta pay for that shit (along with the last of the shit Visa paid for toward the end of the YOE) and I can’t believe I’m still making student loan payments.”*

Otherwise known as the “Year of Fiscal Responsibility”, because that other one seriously got way too long.

So steps are being taken to ensure that I can still be fun and fabulous, and acquire new shoes, on a slightly more realistic budget.

And this is where you, lovely readers, come in! If you’d be so kind, please be leaving your answers to the following questions in the comments box:

1. I’m no longer so keen on paying what I do to maintain the bleach beach blonde. What do you suggest I do for a lower-maintenance colour that isn’t just my boring, basic, natural, mousy, ash brown? Note that all drug-store dyes to date have turned my hair varying shades of orange. Current regimen for those who know/care: Full head of foils alternating with top-layer-only of foils every 4-6 weeks.

2. Do you know of any amazing and fabulous and CHEAP concerts coming to town that I can not miss? Because last year I simply bought a pair of tickets to everything – and that is just not gonna fly anymore. Some strategic planning is in order.

3. What are your favourite ideas for some fun, cheap things to do around town for the boy and I to entertain ourselves as the weather gets cooler and the beach becomes a less-viable option? Wanna do a book club? Movie Night? Games Night? We’re in.

4. What are your favourite recipes or meals to make yourself? Because we’ve definitely put the kaibash on going to Chambar or Tatlow’s “because we’re hungry” or “don’t feel like cooking.”

5. What do you feel is an acceptable number of pairs of new shoes for a fiscally responsible woman to acquire over any given season? I happen to think three is appropriate – however there are others who disagree.

6. If I were to have a kissing booth, what would you be willing to pay to pucker up with yours truly? Of course, kisses will be above the neck only, 10 seconds or less, with no tongue. Downside: if Neil gets wind of this idea, the dog may have to stand-in for me. Upside to that? LOTS of tongue.

Thanks all! Best answers get the fantastic prize of…. my undying appreciation!

(What, you thought it would be a prize worth something? I wasn’t kidding about the saving money thing!)

*For the haters: put your panties back on – we’re not in any sort of dire financial state, and aren’t mired in debt (unless you count an upcoming mortgage). We’d just like to be able to afford some new furniture for the new place once it’s finished and take a nice vacation sometime within the next couple years – both of which require living (and spending) a little more for tomorrow and a little less for today than we have been. Hyperbole. It’s the new black.

If you can promise me this, I promise that I will never be as ubiquitous-for-no-good-reason as Paris Hilton, never be as annoying as Jessica Simpson, never dress like Mary Kate Olsen, and never marry my ugly underling a la Britney Spears.

Also, World, I would like to let you know that if you can accommodate my humble request, I will spent my days looking like this:

Instead of like this:

Which I’m sure is best for everyone involved.

Thanks in advance.

Champagne Kisses & Caviar Dreams!
-Jen

That’s me in the purple.

Congrats to the new Mr. and Mrs. Mayer!

Also, my speech made the bride cry – I win!

More photos here.

Apparently I’m either clairvoyant, or that’s the power of visioning and positive thinking for you. Though truth be told I never actually believed my fantasy world could be a reality.

In any case, the first few days of 26-ness have been great.

I had a few dinners with various friends and family, was spoiled just the right amount with cash & gifts, including the Chicago Manual of Style from the parentals and some sparkly trinkets from the boy. Good to see people are starting to take me seriously when I claim that my favourite colour is Diamonds and my birthstone is Money.

One of the aforementioned dinners was at Cassis Bistro – you can read my foodie review at Metroblogging Vancouver.

And one of the best presents of all – today is day 1 of the mere 10 left I’ll be working at the Spelunking Club. It was time for a change, and it appears that this’ll be a good one, allowing me to do a lot more writing and productive problem-solving and a lot less putting out fires and pandering to people’s personal agendas.

Of course the next birthday is a big one – I’ll turn 27 on 27-07-2007. If any numerologists out there want to give me any predictions for what that year will hold, bring ‘em on.

In the meantime, I’ll try to enjoy 26 as much as my 16-year-old self hoped I would.