Sunday Morning Soliloquy

Just For a Moment...24 Years Ago

2012-06-03T20:10:00.002-05:00

Just For a Moment - Prom 1988

Every June 3rd, I am reminded of being Ryan's date in 1988 at his Senior Prom. When he asked me to his prom, I was only a sixteen year-old sophomore. Even though this was not technically my prom, it remains the most special prom I attended, and the moment that defined the following two years of my teenaged life.

Just For a Moment
Prom 1988

My father took me dress shopping at Northbrook Court and I fell in love with was a Christian Lacroix "le pouf" dress at Neiman Marcus. The dress was SO ME - young, flirty, flamboyant and unapologetic! It was a strapless, couture dress, in black and pink with an intricate lace bodice and a poufy mini skirt. The dress was made for my (then) 109 pound frame. It fit me perfectly - synching at the waist, with the short skirt crowning my long, skinny legs. The only problem, the dress was over $1000 (in 1988!). My father took one look at me in that dress, his brain did not want to register what his eyes were seeing - his fair-skinned, slender, sixteen year old daughter looked like a haute couture princess.

Christian LaCroix "le pouf" dress circa 1988
This is NOT the actual dress - but the style of Le Pouf dress

I was the sensible one who decided to move away from the dress, justifying a dress at that price tag was crazy - even for me! We left Neiman's and headed to I. Magnin, which was a "high fashion, luxury goods, speciality store" (according to Wikipedia) in the 80s. That was where I found a short, form-fitting, black taffeta cocktail dress. It was strapless with a sweetheart neckline, embellished with black sequins on the bodice, and a tulip skirt with a high front slit, finished with an exaggerated bow on the hip. It was not Christian LaCroix but it was just right - well, just right for me.

That night, my mother set my hair and I did my own make-up. I wore black nylons with a seam up the back (very 1988), I borrowed an evening bag and a pair of my mother's (lower heeled) stilettos - Ryan was only 5'7" and I did not want to be taller than him.

My black, sequin prom dress
Big hair was a must!

Ryan arrived at my house in his silver Nissan. He came inside to take some photos (none of which I still have). His hair was freshly cut and dyed white blonde. He was wearing a tuxedo jacket (with tails) and a red cummerbund along with pair of SKIN TIGHT, jet black denim pants (purchased from 99th Floor in Chicago). The black pants that had imprints of black skulls with daggers. As soon as I saw those skulls, it was over for me - I was smitten! He handed me a corsage of red roses and we and headed downtown to the Knickerbocker Hotel with his best friend Greg G. and Greg's date Suzanne C. The night was magical as we mocked our classmates dancing on the illuminated dance floor. We then headed to dinner at Italian Village and to Six Flags Great America on the following day.

Knickerbocker Hotel Dance Floor

Ninety Ninth Floor in Chicago
The skull pants store - Prom '88

I will leave you with a final image... an homage to the legendary designer - Christian Lacroix!

Christian Lacroix RULES

Leyla After The Dentist

2012-05-15T23:48:00.000-05:00

Me Talk Funny

Last Friday, I left work early for a dentist appointment. I needed a LARGE filling replaced in my far, rear molar. I had rough week (or month, or quarter, however you want to look at it), therefore sitting in the dentist's chair, while some crazy sadist drilled my face, felt like a reprieve.

Upon arrival, I checked in on Foursquare, and received a tweet from @CaitCampbell (co-worker and my passport to Gen Y and Millennials) that asked, "Are you going to make a Leyla After the Dentist video?" After Googling the original video David After the Dentist, I took @CaitCampbell lead and made the video.

Here is my version of David After the Dentist: I am in the car with my dad, he is asking me questions, I am answering. The only difference, I am much, much, much older. But that's the only difference.

For more amazing videos made by me - Visit my YouTube channel... You go NOW!

I'm Not a Jewelry Party Kinda Girl

2012-04-24T08:30:00.000-05:00

Share

But I did get my favorite earrings from Stella & Dot

Stella and Dot Decco Drop Earrings

About a year ago, I was invited to a Stella and Dot party at my friend @katie_laine's house. This was my third or fourth jewelry party, but the first time I made a purchase. I never understood the thought process behind inviting someone to your home and expecting them to make a purchase - it makes me feel awkward. In this particular case, it was pressure-free.

I sat in the kitchen and ate cheese dip while the other girls shopped. Just as our sales rep was finishing up, I noticed her earrings. I asked about her earrings and she informed me they were Stella and Dot. The fake "decco" drop earrings were lovely, reasonably priced and I bought them. One of the best purchases I've ever made, often times they are confused for being real (which is flatterig, but weird... I wish my budget allowed for ginormous diamonds).

Tonight as I perused the Stella and Dot site, I found this rose gold snake ring. This ring resembles a rose gold, snake necklace I nearly purchased in Istanbul a few years back. I have not been able to rid myself of the memory of this necklace. I wish I purchased it, but I stupidly did not. This "sidewinder" ring is rose gold plated with crystals. Likely not going to purchase this one... but will continue to look out for the snake pendent.

Unrelated Links:

Become a Stella and Dot Stylist
My Brazilian Hair Strengthening Post

10 Things About Turning 40

2012-04-04T07:57:00.002-05:00

Share

On April 4th, I turned 40 Years Old - being the generous person I am, made a list for you - 10 Things About Turning 40.

10. You don't give a shit, and that's awesome.

Maybe you never gave a shit, like me. But now, you really don't give a shit and it is like achieving Nirvana without having to relinquish any of your worldly possessions. If you're late for something, if someone doesn't like you, or if someone is being an asshole, it matters less and less. You realize that only a few things matter, and true happiness comes from putting those 3-5 things in the center of your universe, and ignoring the non-sense that orbits you.

9. You do what you want, when you want. (Well, if you're single you do, and I am)

Married people will try to tell you about all sorts of stuff when it comes to being married, how wonderful it is, how sad it must be for the single people, but take it from a (now) 40 YEAR OLD WOMAN who is perfectly happy being single - it rules.

I didn't expect to be 40 and single. I didn't expect to not have children. But, I also knew I was not going to get married just to get married, or to buy the condo, or the car, or any of the other things that married people can afford with their fancy double incomes.

---- God i hope i can really come up with 10 whole points -----

8. You don't have to worry about being cool... because the fact that you've been around this long makes you cool by default.

You've seen The Stones, Madonna, The Chili Peppers, Jane's Addiction, NIN, the first five Lollapaloozas (and then some). You once fought Dennis Rodman in an alley behind a nightclub. You've snuck into a black-tie, charity event by boating up to the grounds, and then scaling a 10 ft. fence in your gown. You've done Sake Bombs with a professional athlete(s) until the wee hours of the morning - on a game night.

7. You've made sacrifices for what is important to you, and you realize, you did the right thing! For me, that's travel.

We all make sacrifices in life, some choose to marry, buy a big house and do neighborly things. My passion in life is to travel and explore. I lose myself in travel, in fact, I prefer to travel alone because most people ruin the travel experience for me. They can't keep up.

6. If you're a woman, you fondly remember a time where your breasts looked amazing (sans support).

Not to say that the girls don't look good now, but you do end up taking advantage of any opportunity to post photos of when your girls looked their best.

5. You've done a few things, you've probably ridden an elephant and a camel. Or both. But maybe not in the same day.

If not, nothing to worry about, both animals are big and slow plus they smell. It is more of a novelty in a third world country, you can tell the locals are laughing at you as sit on top of this big elephant, whatever. My elephant driver happened to be a a five year old boy. That's not weird (yes it is).

4. You got your Ya Ya's out and that's just fine.

Being voted "Biggest Party Animal" of senior class was an honor I wore with pride, if they had given me a sash, I would have kept it draped across my torso. In college, excess, of any sort, was a welcomed ritual. In my early 20s, I worked in nightclubs and rarely made it bed before the sun was up... way up. All of this started to take a dramatic slow-down in the past 8 - 10 years. These days, if I am up past 11pm during the week, it is because I am writing a blog post. Sure, I still get a little wild on the weekends, but probably less than suburban moms taking their kids to "play dates" (aka wine dates for mommy).

3. You still love rock and roll. Just not as often.... but probably still just as much.

Not only does it get tougher to keep up with bands, but your perspective has shifted. In my youth, I defined myself through music, these days, I just enjoy music. I am not waiting in line for anything in the cold, I am not going to a standing room only show, these days, I still want to enjoy music - whether it is in the privacy of my own home (with a better sound system), or by taking advantage of some special seats I may have access to through a friend - or my American Express Gold Card premier seating.

2. You start to think about your aging parents, how much you love them and how much they've shaped every inch of your being. You appreciate it, you're grateful for it.

You're getting older, which means they're getting older. You are at an age where you realize how much they have done for you over the years (and how much they screwed up). You probably realized your parents were human in your 20s or 30s, but now is the time where all sorts of forgiveness takes place and you simply want to enjoy every minute you have left with them.

1. You know what you want, you know how to get it and you know that no one will stand in your way. And, that is pretty amazing.

This ties in with pretty much every other point listed above. You've been around long enough to know BULLSHIT when you see it, you know you don't want to be a part of it. You look for the upside and you want to take something positive with you from every experience. You're not afraid to ask for what you want, you're not afraid to work hard, and take what is rightfully yours. More than age, this is something that self-employment taught me - when something is not working MOVE ON and do it quickly. If there is a situation from which you can gain, or win, take advantage of that opportunity, the moment it has been confirmed that you are no longer benefitting, that the other party has more to gain than you do, it is time to collect your things and go.

And now a short pictorial... (more pics on the Leyla A. set on Flickr)

This post was inspired by Taki's Magazine: 10 Things About Turning 40.

Fore more about me... Just read this blog - or follow me on Twitter @Leyla_A!!

SXSW 2012 - a Visual Diary of Austin

2012-03-23T06:29:00.000-05:00

Share

SXSW '12 in Austin, Texas

Due to my work schedule, and the event we hosted, I did not have much time this year to do much else at SXSW. But, I was still able to take some pretty good photos. Here is a visual diary of my trip to SXSW in 2012 (my 2nd year).

Day 1. We arrived in Austin, but we were tired, and I still had a lot of client work to finish before we could head downtown to the show. It was my fault, I talked the whole plane ride down with some dude who builds large websites for B2B companies instead of working on the plane.

After about an hour, or so, we head to downtown Austin. We were informed that the line for badges was over 2 hours long, so we headed to lunch and then met colleagues a bar.
And.... so it begins. The shots, that is. This round was courtesy of @diablo_guapo (who was only there in spirit), he asked me to purchase my co-workers and my dear friend @McLeger a round.

Still Day 1. After numerous cocktails, we decided to head down to get our badges. I found this photo opportunity impossible to pass up and @scottfmurphy was willing to assist. Check out my form!

Day 2. Headed to convention center where I sought out the American Express booth so I could link my Twitter account with my American Express card. 1) They were giving away JayZ tickets, and 2) I wanted the deals.

Later we saw this guy. How does one NOT photograph this guy?

Still Day 2. I saw several keynotes, Rainn Wilson was one of them. To be fair, in the shot below, he was really funny in this particular moment. All the other moments - he was not funny at all. He has a website where he has his high school English teacher write a column, he talked about it like it was the best thing since slided, white bread. I thought Rainn Wilson was as boring as sliced, white bread. It made NO sense and I couldn't wait to exit, however, I was stuck in the second row.

Day 3. Finally made it over to the Google Village - here is a product demo in the Android House. I think this was for Google Play. I loved that Google didn't warn me about my App store turning into Google Play.

Here was the more fun part of the Google Village - dudes on a bike, ride faster (FASTER!) and make a margarita. It did get pretty intense.

Still Day 3. This was my favorite part -- this is totally natural and not staged. Two dudes preparing for their Start-up pitch. They high-fived and I caught it on film!

Same place, still Day 3. At the bar at The Driskill hotel. Ran into some major hipsters (check out the beard on that one, I'd never kiss him, ever!) But they were good sports, they posed for my photo. These guys were in for Music, I'm sure.

Skipped back to Day 1. Samsung blogger lounge. It is what it is.

Day 4. Our 24-hour consult-a-thon event took place at the Four Seasons Austin. An owl, or a hootsuite staff person stopped by with some swag for the start-ups we were meeting that day.

This was my favorite floral display! A lovely, mixed media, floral arrangement that was front and center in the lobby of @FSAustin.

That is it folks! I will soon be posting my work pics to the Zeno blog. Stay tuned.

AND FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER --> @leyla_a

3 Things in My Head RIGHT NOW - @BusinessWire, @NokiaUSA, @BSJ1

2012-02-09T06:35:00.000-06:00

Share

My head is LOADED with stuff!

But I am only going to share the 3 things that pop into my head the fastest (starting with the thoughts that I saved as notes in my phone) - Business Wire Tweet, Google Adwords and T-mobile. Enjoy the ride through my head.

3. Funny tweet from @BusinessWire the other day.
Thank you to Business Wire for totally making me do a double, and then a triple take, and then save a screen-shot of your tweet, and then follow you, and then include you in my blog post. This, my friends, is what I like to call creative engagement with your customer base. Or in my case, potential customer base... one day... maybe.

Who knew a Berkshire Hathaway Company could be so funny. Bravo, Business Wire... B-to-the-R-to-the-AVO.

2. And on that note, let's move onto a #FAIL.

Following the big success of Business Wire, comes the digital advertising failure of Blue Star Jets. Well, actually, it is whoever is running their PPC campaign that deserves the prize of being the #2 most useless thing on my brain this week.

In case you cannot figure out the screen grab below, it is my email, and that is a Google ad for private jets. Why would anyone advertise luxury, private jet charters on GOOGLE ADWORDS? And why would anyone write the call to action ---> Call for TODAY'S Only Specials for luxury jet charters? It's not clam chowder, you're advertising $1550 an hour prices. And, I am not calling because I am online, how about, CLICK for Today's Only Specials, if you are hell bent on advertising a "special" for luxury jet charters.

What keywords were they targeting that made this ad pop up? This ad should never land on my email because I am not their demo. If I were running an ad for Blue Star Jets, I would go through and handpick sites that specifically target, and match, their demo. I would ONLY place ads on those few, select, sites. You can do it with Adwords (not all sites are available, you have to check) - it is far more time consuming, but the advertiser may actually see a return on their investment.

This is either the case of someone electing to run their ads in-house or outsourcing it to India - both can be equally bad, both can be good. I learned the hard way too, through trial and error, and I'm not an expert in pay per click ads (I'm an intermediate level student). But, maybe I'm wrong, maybe 100s of people jumped off their email and called for the special of the day at Blue Star Luxury Jet rental. Free bowl of soup with any transatlantic luxury charter.

1. I said farewell to T-mobile after 10+ years.

It was tremendously heartbreaking and I'm 100% serious, I was so sad to say good-bye to T-mobile. I suck at letting go. As I was disconnecting from T-mobile, there was a lump in my throat, a tear in my eye and I had flashbacks of my cell phone past.

My first Nokia smartphone, Nokia 7760. It was a powerful phone for 2004. I still have my original Nokia 7760 at home. I loved the articles about the Nokia 7760 and the Nokia 7610 (which is the phone shown below), it is worth a read from Engadget, October of '04.

Previous to my big daddy Nokia, I had this little baby. My little, red, Nokia phone. My metallic red paint had chipped away, my antenna was gone, my numbers would barely dial, I sounded like I was under water all the time, but that little baby just kept on going. It worked exceptionally well roaming in analog mode while traveling by train in Eastern Europe - other than that, you were screwed.

And on that note, I will leave you with ONE bonus thought on my head from this week! With all the hype surrounding the new Nokia, my brother and I proudly purchased some shares of NOK. Let's hope that new Windows phone does OK!

Tiffany and Cartier.... Just Because

2012-01-20T00:24:00.001-06:00

Share

When Corporate Sites Won't Let me PIN, I Turn to My Blog

I was on the Tiffany site earlier today, for one reason - I wanted to grab a few of my favorite Tiffany Rings and add them to my "Jewelry" board on Pinterest -- by the way, you should follow me on --> Pinterest here.

The jewelry I love, I have always loved. My taste, or style, rarely changes, which is a good thing, because if you want a $15,000 ring, at least you know you'll never grow tired of it. I mean you might not get it, but you won't grow tired of it. The rings vary in price, the cheapest is the Cartier Trinity (no diamonds), about $2000.00, the 5 band Etoile by Tiffany is $15K and the MOST expensive is the last ring, Cartier Trinity with all three bands encrusted with pave diamonds, approximately $70K.

Here they are, my favorites diamond rings from Tiffany:

Tiffany Etoile 5 Row Pave Diamond Ring

This has been my favorite ring for a minimum of 10 years

Tiffany Victoria Ring - Diamond Band

I like this ring because it is timeless

Cartier, I've always loved just one Cartier ring, but it is available in three different versions.

The Cartier Trinity Ring:

Basic Cartier Trinity Ring

In 18K yellow, rose and white gold

Cartier Trinity Ring with one band of pave diamonds

In 18K yellow, rose and white gold - but the white gold is encrusted with diamonds

*And, I believe this is my favorite one of them all

Cartier Trinity Ring with all bands with pave diamonds

Yellow, rose and white gold (or maybe platinum) and the bands embellished with white, pink and yellow diamonds

I tried on the this last ring when I was in Las Vegas a few years back. I walked into the Cartier Store and, unlike the Chicago store (where they can be a bit snooty), the gentleman in the Vegas store saw my gazing, walked over to me, opened the case and said, "try it on." I refused at first, he insisted and put the ring in my hand. At that point, how could I not put this lovely piece of craftsmanship on my pretty little finger?

It must be good to be rich!

Which ring do you like best?

Leave a comment below OR tweet me! @Leyla_a

BLACKOUT - On Strike Today! #SOPASTRIKE

2012-01-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

Share Strike Against SOPA & PIPA

Today, we are striking against censorship!

Join the largest online protest in history:

Tell Congress to stop this bill now!

US Senate is considering legislation that would certainly kill us forever. The legislation is called the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), and would put us in legal jeopardy if we linked to a site anywhere online that had any links to copyright infringement.

To learn more visit:

AmericanCensorship.org or Electronic Frontier Foundation, visit GOOGLE'S page on how to take action. And for the idiots - The Idiots Guide on how to contact Congress.

Watch the video · American Censorship page · View the Infographic

Read SOPA on OpenCongress · Read PIPA on OpenCongress

Join The Strike! and add this to your site

Fight For The Future may contact you about future campaigns. We will never share your email with anyone. Privacy Policy

The three most definitive articles on SOPA and PIPA: Free Speech, Problems, Security

Fight for the Future is a non-profit organization fighting for people's freedoms in a new digital age.

I Will Never Tolerate ANY Form of Censorship!

2012-01-18T00:28:00.004-06:00

Share

I am joining the SOPA STIKE!

One thing you should know about me - I love to be heard! I value my voice above all other characteristics which I posses. Therefore, I cannot stand for any sort of censorship. I love my freedom and I am a born rebel. I am not afraid to fight for what is right. That is why Leyla's blog, Sunday Morning Soliloquy, is GOING DARK!

I have voted in every election since I turned 18 years old. I take politics, my politicians and policies seriously. I am a liberal. I believe in giving and getting from my country and my countrymen. I believe in equality. I believe in fairness. I believe one should do as one pleases, so long as they do not infringe upon my liberties, or stand in the way of my happiness, my well being - or the liberties, happiness and/or well being of my family or friends.

I take censorship VERY seriously. I especially take it seriously when it comes to the internet! This is my place, this is where I live, this is where I work, this is where I express myself! The Internet is more than just a platform for me, I earn my living here, I am entertained here, I make my friends here, the Internet is more a part of my daily life than any other medium, and more than I could have ever imagined. I will not allow anyone to compromise what we, as a digital society, have built over the past few decades. CONGRESS: DON'T MESS WITH MY INTERNET!

I do not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. - Voltaire

(p.s. the blog will go dark tomorrow if I can figure out how to drop this darn code into my site!)

Only 5 Days in and Only 90 Days Remain!

2012-01-05T06:30:00.000-06:00

Share

Only 5 Days in and Only 90 Days Remain

Only 5 days in and only 90 days remain -- what exactly am I talking about? Well, we are 5 days into 2012 AND only 90 days remain until my BIRTHDAY!

Let's ponder this thought for a moment...

Because I am not entirely sure yet what I am doing for my birthday, I cannot disclose information that is not yet available to me; instead, let's take a look at how I've spent the first few days of 2012. We shall do this through a photo tour (because I do not have much to write).

Even though it was technically 2011, I guess we should start with New Year's Eve. Although my dress makes me look very fancy, it really wasn't that fancy of a night, I needed an excuse to wear my new, black, lace dress - thanks to @nduhoski for the inspiration from her Pinterest . My hair looks fancy too, but I don't think it was that fancy, I sometimes wear it like this to bed. (P.S. this dress is really amazing, I wish you could see the detail on the lace better.)

Then there was New Year's Day, where not much of anything happend, but I did walk around the neighborhood a bit.

When everyone else had the day off on January 2nd, I went into the office and got things organized. 2012 is off to a clean start! If all goes well, in approximately 90 days, I will be in Argentina for my 40th birthday.

Hey, if you're not already, be a pal and follow me on Twitter!

Leyla's 2011 New Year's Resolutions (many of them were kept!)

Thank You 2011 - Hello 2012!

2011-12-30T14:10:00.000-06:00

Share
Looking Back at 2011

To commemorate 2011, I created a short video of my life over the past year.

*Please do not be offended if you are not IN the video - I quickly grabbed and arranged photos. The aim was to keep it simple and short and not intentionally exclude anyone, my mom isn't even in here!

Enjoy my recap of 2011 - Looking back at the year...

Bullets and links to Leyla in 2011

Start the year with cheer! Thanks to @sushisambachi
Head to Affiliate Summit '11 in Vegas in January (meet John Chow)
Boxing Event in Chicago - 8 Count Productions produces premier professional boxing!
Who could forget the BLIZZARD of '11!
I was invited to the Chicago Auto Show for the Debut of the New Fiat 500
Built a few client websites and helped organize an Educational Seminar
Headed to Three Aces for a Bourbon Dinner (followed by a weekend of gluttony)
Then to SXSW for the Interactive portion of the show
Celebrated my birthday with friends and family! Monica came to town from NY!
I purchased my first piece of REAL art, a Welsey Kimler painting - I call it, Damn It Purple Blob
My 75 year old dad decided to become a vegan this year!
We memorialized my friend's grandfather G.G. Sweet - a WWII and Korea Veteran in Nevada at his Veterans museum
A highlight of 2011 was working on video content marketing for FoxyForex.com - Forex news delivered by models (we were an all female production and marketing team!)
Matt AKA @diablo_guapo -- he's just weaved into most of 2011
Let's not forget DOWNTOWN DASH! He's NOT in the photo, but I owe a huge thanks to -->> @mknox999
After @dtdash, I decompressed at The James Hotel in their "Theater Suite"
Before I knew it, it was time to head to ISTANBUL - for work and vacation
Blogged about the Istanbul trip on my travel blog
Back in Chicago, I had a lot of catch up work for clients and general business!
Then I saw Duran Duran at The Chicago Theater!
Saw The Airborne Toxic Event at The Riviera Theater
Created a TAG CLOUD OF MY BRAIN
Saw the Richard Family dance in the production of the Nutcracker in Chicago
Saw Peter Murphy at The Metro
And... before I knew it, it was TIME for the holidays!
Happy New Year Everyone!

Help Needed With an Important Decision!

2011-12-18T19:00:00.000-06:00

Share

Help Me Make a Very Important (shopping) Decision!

I have been looking for that perfect "look" to wear a corset and I believe I finally found it. You're probably wondering, "Who wears a corset?" And you may be justified in asking such a question. Maybe I am channeling my inner-goth, but I am a fan of corsets, when worn tastefully. Think back to the 90s, Madonna in her Gaultier phase. I'd like your opinion, let me know which CORSET you like best by commenting below.

Here is the look I am trying to create

Notice the lace corset worn under her jacket in the photo above. I think the best way to wear a corset is under a jacket with a pair of high waisted, skinny leg pants, or jeans, and a stiletto heel. (P.S. don't mind the face or hair on the model, imagine something less hideous)

Here are my choices for corsets

The first is a " Classic Corset " by Agent Provocateur. Don't think of the straps (they are removable), or the stockings, it will be worn JUST like the photo above, under a jacket with pants. Maybe a pencil skirt, but a long pencil skirt, past my knee.

The second corset, below, is also from Agent Provocateur, it is the Ellisa Corset in black and pink. I realize that this corset more closely resembles the lace corset on the model above, but try to use your imagination and envision BOTH corsets under a pant suit before making your decision. And, please don't say, "I like the first one because the model is hotter". Look at the corset as a top, avoiding the distractions of stockings and pouty faces on the models. I don't make pouty faces, I make angry faces.

A final vision to leave you with

To avoid any/all visions that anyone may have of ME in any of these provocative poses, wearing these items, I've left you with these final photos to cleanse any naughty thoughts. LEAVE COMMENTS BELOW.

Me, with my head wrapped in a scarf (think of me wearing a hijab).

Me, in a fake moustache (think of me as the singer Yanni).

Embarrassing Posts About Me:

The Progression of Doug - the giant growth I had on my face a few years ago
The Shower This Morning - sounds hot, kinda, but it is a post about how I accidentally washed with Dog Shampoo

Catching Up With You All

2011-12-12T00:05:00.002-06:00

Share

Sunday Night Soliloquy - Catching Up!
I have not blogged in a while and I wanted to catch up.

Work
Notice how I always start with work - sad, it is like 70% of my life. I finished up some projects, invoiced clients and I am busy organizing my end of year stuff. It takes a lot of time and it is never fun to do. As soon as the invoicing and reporting is over, I will have to update my work website (even more fun).

Events
December is always a busy month for events and I have been going to a few. Just over the weekend, I was honored that my Tweets were selected by Mike Dwyer and used in The Tweet Life - an improv skit comprised of tweets. It was a TON of fun!

Sami had his "Tweetup" at the Sofitel and I got to see Tony Ham, Jen Chicago, Mafia Hairdresser and Matt. There was only one awkward moment at this Tweetup - it is always entertaining for me to watch because I am a voyeur.

I also saw the play Elizabeth Rex at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and it was excellent, I highly recommend it.

I had an UH-mazing massage at Urban Oasis from a therapist named Christine.

This afternoon, I saw my friends' daughter play the part of Clara, the lead. It was so amazing to watch her dance that part. I've known Taylor since the day she was born, she has been in ballet since she was about three years old, this was a huge accomplishment for her and so gratifying to witness.

I also saw Peter Murphy at The Metro (but that was the weekend of Thanksgiving).

What is Coming Up?
Tomorrow night I am going to dinner at Henri and then to see Wilco at the Civic Opera House. Having seen the Lyric Opera many, many times, I am very excited to see a band perform here. The acoustics are incredible!

For Christmas, I am going to NY to visit Monica. We are spending Christmas Eve with the son of a famous author, a Russian wine collector, a fine, older lady who looks like Uma Thurman and loves to salsa dance and Scott Murphy. This should be awesome! I will try to video tape.

Totally Unrelated Posts:

Black Friday - Cyber Monday... Ahhhhh!

2011-11-25T00:32:00.001-06:00

Share

Christmas Shopping - FOR ME!

It is slightly after midnight on Thanksgiving, tomorrow, I will go Christmas shopping FOR ME! For the past two days, I've been in the Sun Times (Sandra Guy's column) about my holiday shopping "tips and deals". I thought I'd share a few of these Black Friday and Cyber Monday tips and deals with you here on my blog. See below for some of the items I mentioned in those articles. Also, if you like PINK Christmas decorations (pink Christmas trees, Hello Kitty ornaments, etc, check out - Hot Pink Christmas!

Please leave comments with questions for more details:

ONE MORE ADDITION! Great holiday gift for a new bride or any woman who loves to cook! Extended to today, get 40% off everything, including this Sassy Black apron below, from Flirty Aprons. They are also offering FREE SHIPPING for their extended Cyber Monday promotion on all purchases (cannot be used with other promos or discounts).

Addition: Please check out my friend Jason Rubacky's new hip hop lifestyle site and the shop - www.poundgetsome.com #GETSOME! They are offering 40% off on Cyber Monday.

I love Garmin products, particularly the running watches like the Garmin Forerunner: GPS-enabled sports watches - they are pricey but they calculate your miles and you can upload them to your computer, track your speed, calories, etc.

My favorite Christmas Gags gifts can be found at Stupid.com - things like bacon ornaments and poop related gifts are all here! This site is a gold mine for people who love ridiculous crap, in fact, I showcased Stupid.com once before on a previous blog post.

Free People has FREE shipping for Black Friday and Cyber Monday - certainly check out their Holiday "Limited Edition" dresses.

One can find many personalized gift items, ideas and holiday inspiration from Beau-coup.com. This is a great site for holiday party favors and bulk items for just about any type of party or occasion imaginable.

Linea Pelle is a leather goods site I found a while back. They have great accessories including: bags, belts and those leather cuff braceletes with studs. Shop their Black Friday Sale and Save 30% Off ALL Black Items at LPCollection.com, 11/25 to 11/27

I love this site... Kidrobot.com so many neat items for kids and adults. If for no other reason, it is worth taking a browse on their site, but they do have a Black Friday sale currently going on where you can find hoodies, graphic tees, hats, accessories and more.

Lightinthebox.com is a crazy site (similar to Overstock.com) where you can find just about anything you're looking for - it is like being in some crazy mall in Asia - wedding dresses to cell phone cases, they're all here.
Another good site (similar to Lightinabox) is Milanoo.com - they have more crazy Asian stuff - everything from Wedding dresses to Cosplay costumes to crazy (and super creepy) jumpsuits like the one below. They have a Black Friday Sale where you can - Save 20% off with -- the Code:BF20 - pick up this insane catsuit while you're at it.

Last but not least... my favorite (and where I will be sipping champagne at 10a.m. tomorrow!

Agent Provocateur. Luxurious lingerie for women (located on Oak Street in Chicago) Or online at www.AgentProvocateur.com does not have a sale, but they will have champagne for their guests all day tomorrow. I will need some after my miserable Thanksgiving. I will also look forward to shopping for ME after sipping my champagne.

Unrelated posts:

Just a Quickie
OMG It's Cyber Monday -- my post from last year (this one is much better cuz it has pictures)

** Disclosure -- some of these links are "affiliate" ads - which means I may / may not receive a commission if you purchase something once you've clicked on my link. If you need to know more about affiliate or performance marketing, click on my "about me".

I Think You're Sitting in "The Parents Section"

2011-11-10T10:55:00.001-06:00

Share

I felt good about sitting with older people at an all-ages show
Until I realized...I was in the parents section

On 11/9/11some friends and I headed to see The Airborne Toxic Event at the Riviera. I really like this band because they remind me of the kind of music I liked when I was young. They also write lyrics that leave me reminiscing of my angst riddled teen years where I sat around and obsessed over my high school boyfriend and dreamed of fairytale futures.
I was a little concerned about attending an all ages show at The Riviera Theater, but figured, my friends are all my age and older, I should be fine. We did not have to fight through any crowds, as we had reserved seats in the in the balcony. Once I was seated, I looked around and felt a sense of comfort come over me - everyone in the audience (around me) was at least my age, some were significantly older. Was this partly due to the fact that The Airborne Toxic Event was a WXRT show? I did not know, I was just relieved to be in the company of my peers.
As the band went on to play their songs from their two albums, my friends and I snickered with each other as the band made silly announcements like, "This is an old song..." We jokingly asked each other, "Really? Old? As in 2007?" At one point I tweeted, "I have tattoos older than these kids." There were also moments throughout the show where I felt like a proud, older sister as I watched the kids on stage jump around like pretend rockstars trying to emulate their musical heros of yesteryear. Because I had experienced the place in time they were trying to pattern themselves after, I could not help but feel that I was in some way responsible for their antics.

About half-way though the show, I had to go to the bathroom, I waited for a slow song and headed out. As I headed down the stairs, flashbacks of my former life came at me from all directions. As I walked on to the main floor entry way, I saw 15-16 year old boys and girls flirting with each other by the stairwell. I thought about all the times my mom dropped me and my friends off at "The Riv" and recalled flirting with boys in that very spot. As I headed down to the lower level (where the bathrooms are located), the memory of the all-ages, house music, dance parties I attended in high school came back. I also saw moms and daughters entering the bathrooms together - very much like my mom used to do with me when I was a too young to go alone with friends. I hated it that she wouldn't even let me go to the bathroom alone, but in retrospect, I am happy that she took the time to go with me.
I returned to my seat just in time for the "hits", the band played three of their "hits" in a row and the crowd went wild. The 30+ year olds around me were now standing up, dancing and singing along. Soon after, the band left the stage, we stayed put and waited for the encore. The crowd was excited when they returned - more jumping and dancing.
After the final song, we headed down the stairs to the exit, my friends went to the bathroom and I waited by the front doors... watching the crowd. I noticed the older people coming down from the section I was sitting in, the balcony. I also noticed the kids coming out from the main floor area, the younger kids who had been standing closer to the stage. I then noticed the older people from my section coupling up with the younger people from the main floor, and it became evident.... The older people from my section were meeting up with their kids who were watching from the main floor. I was seated in the Parents Section!

Not so related posts:

Just a Quickie

2011-11-05T18:28:00.003-05:00

Share

My Quickie Post
(Which ended up taking longer to write than I had intended)
I have not had any time to write anything in a while because I've been busy with work. Plus, I haven't done anything worthy of an entire blog post. I mean, I don't think you want to read about me sitting for 16 hours working and listening to Spotify, do you? But I have come across a few fun things to share with you.

Thanksgiving Gumballs
With the holidays coming up, I found this neato item from Stupid.com (a site that is quickly becoming my favorite place for gag gifts) - Thanksgiving Gumballs in case you want that Thanksgiving taste all year round. Not into Thanksgiving? That's Ok, because they also have Christmas Candy too.

Hot Pink Christmas Wreath
My (affiliate) site hotpinkchristmas.com has me searching for all sorts of PINK Christmas items - like ornaments, wreaths, trees, etc. I've found lots of cool stuff like this hot pink christmas wreath!

Hello Kitty Items

As I search for items for my holiday sites, all things pink always lead to Hello Kitty. Like this Hello Kitty Jelly Bean Jar from Candy.com

Cool Wall Decals

Lot 26 Studio - I actually found these guys at the shareasale.com Think Tank earlier this year and I love their stuff. You can get something as simple as baby blue dots for your walls to sports art canvases (which you know I don't care about) to something as detailed as this decorative fireplace decal.

My Most Ridiculous Finds

My Halloween sites always take me to the craziest sites. Here are some of my favorites. Sorry, no pictures here because a) I don't have the time and b) some of these things are too ridiculous to post.

FlashingBlinkyLights.com -- whatever you can image, they have it for sale, and it is lighted and blinking. Everything from flashing earrings, flashing team mascots, wedding lights, lighted swords, glow sticks - seriously, things you would never even consider lighting up.

Crazy contact lenses - for my Halloween site I found AC Lens a contact lens site that has all sorts of contact lenses, regular ones for normal people, and then insane ones. So, if you're looking for "blind" contact lenses (they white our your pupil so you look blind) or "black out" contact lenses (just the opposite, they make your pupil huge and black) you've found the right place.

P.S. here is my disclosure, most of these links are affiliate links (if you don't know what that is but you do want to know, click here). But I will further disclose that I really do like these things.

Duran Duran in Chicago

2011-10-23T23:44:00.000-05:00

Share

Friday, October 21st, Duran Duran Played in Chicago

A Short Introduction to My Madness
Old friends of mine are quite aware of how big of a Duran Duran fan I was growing up. I saw my first concert in February of 1984 and I have seen them countless times since. Every dollar I had growing up I spent on concert tickets, books about Duran Duran and music magazines - and they were mostly British magazines, like Smash Hits, that I would special order. Every INCH of my bedroom walls were was covered with Duran Duran posters, pictures, memorabilia, etc.

Throughout the 90s and 00s, I met the band several times and it was never a good thing. 1) I get horribly embarrassing around famous people and behave like a moron. For example, once I was back stage at some summer festival show and I met John Taylor. I stood there and stared at him and could not utter a word. Finally, the only sentence I could come up with was, "All my pin numbers are your birthday." I was creepy and weird. And 2) no matter how cool/awesome/amazing the members of Duran Duran may or may not be, they can NEVER compete with the image I have of them in my mind; therefore, they are destined disappoint me and it is best they remain a fantasty.

So... How Was The Show?
Obviously, I am going to say "IT WAS AMAZING!" because they could get up on stage and play Mary Had a Little Lamb and I would think it was the best thing that ever happened. But, the show was really good. Really, really good.

After missing the House of Blues show back in April, I made sure to buy tickets to the Chicago Theater show - especially because I love seeing concerts at The Chicago Theater. I invited my high school boyfriend with me to the concert - to throw a bit more nostalgia into the mix.

When the set list was announced, there was some Duranie outrage buzzing on Twitter because the band opted to play many songs off their newer album, All You Need is Now . The Chicago set list include: 7 songs from All You Need is Now, 7 "hits" that would appeal to both casual fans and die-hard fans, 4 songs from various albums that would appeal more to the die-hards, 1 instrumental that was played while the Twitter stream was showcased on stage, and 1 random song from their 2004 album Astronaut. A total of 20 songs including two encores - for the full set list, see duranduran.com

What I Liked and What I Wished Was Different
I really liked the energy of the show. The selected songs, though not all my favorites, were mostly high-energy, pop songs that were thoughtfully organized. Duran Duran opened with a new song, Before the Rain, that starts slowly with sounds of string instruments, it is a melodramatic song about broken promises and murdered secrets. Before the Rain created a sense of mystery on stage as the band appeared. Next, they burst into an upbeat version of Planet Earth. To be fair, this is where I lost my mind and I recall very little from this point until they played Is There Something I Should Know (which is fantastic live and they almost always play it live) and I woke up from my happy haze in time for the "Twitter Break".

About half way through the show, John Taylor got on the mic and gave a "shout out" to all the Twitter followers. Next, the band moved aside and a Live Tweet screen was projected on stage. All the tweets using the #DuranLive hashtag, the "official" Duran Duran Tour Twitter hashtag, were displayed as the song Tiger Tiger (an instrumental from 7 And The Ragged Tiger) played. This was exceptionally pleasing for me as I started to Tweet frantically and insisted that Ryan keep is eyes peeled looking for my name to come up on the screen.

My favorites were:

Careless Memories - one of my all-time favorite Duran Duran songs - mostly due to the angry, jilted lover lyrics.
Notorious - I was happy they played one song from the album Notorious since it is one of my favorite Duran Duran albums (Skin Trade being my favorite song) but I think Notorious fit best into the very pop-centric set list.
(Reach Up for the) Sunrise - this was the second time I had ever heard this song, it is from the new album, and it was a great way to close the show. It was so fun and inspirational!
The encore - they played Wild Boys and did a little live mash-up with the Frankie Goes to Hollywood song Relax (Don't Do It)

Little Disappointments:

They didn't play Friends of Mine - from their album Duran Duran, I wished they had played this song. Duran Duran played this in '01 at the House of Blues and did a fantastic job live.
They didn't play Secret Oktober - I saw some tweets from other fans wishing they had played Secret Oktober which appeared on the Union of the Snake Single and 12" B side. Every die-hard Duranie wants them to play Secret Oktober and they rarely ever do.
I wish they had not played so many obvious "hits" - they played Reflex, Hungry Like the Wolf, Wild Boys, Rio and A View to a Kill.
They could have also skipped Ordinary World, but this must be a special song for the band, they always play it. With lyrics like, "I won't cry for yesterday, There's an ordinary world somehow I must find" and the timing of the release '93 (the absolute downfall of their career), I can't help but think there is a correlation. Actually, on second thought, I take it back, this is a great song, I'm glad they played it.

My Greatest Disappointment of the Duran Duran Show in Chicago
Like a big idiot, I made the biggest amateur mistake and did not select seats on THE LEFT. John Taylor always stands on the left side of the stage, I know this! I barely got to see JT at all! I was finally able to snap ONE picture of him as he left the stage, it is in black and white because it is a terrible photo.

Pop Culture

Catch Me If You Can

2011-10-03T03:13:00.003-05:00

Share

Traveling With Me is Not For The Weak!

I am not what most would consider a pleasure to travel with, particularly when it comes to international travel. If you are traveling with me you must be prepared for the following:

Life
Death
Everything in Between

I will expect you to pack lightly, yet have a suitable attire for a cocktail party and a local dive bar. I will also expect that you sleep no more than four hours at night, move quickly, navigate maps, speak to locals about their favorite spots and take risks. Risks such as... nerding it out with comic book store employees, getting into cars (or boats) with people you met only a few hours (or moments) ago, changing your travel itinerary in an instant, eating what is put in front of you, and simply going with the flow - whatever that may be.

When you travel with Leyla...it is ALL about where the day takes you. Oh, not to worry too much, I always bring handy wipes.

Here is a snapshot of the past ten days I spent in Istanbul.

For more travel posts see:

My Travel Blog

The Longest Blog Post Ever Written About Istanbul

The Longest Blog Post Written About Istanbul EVER!

2011-09-29T20:42:00.000-05:00

Share

Leyla Goes to Istanbul....
Wish I had Instagram so I could make an Instagram Photobook

Departed on Turkish Airlines on 9/23 - having arrived at the airport late, I was bumped from my business class seat to a horrible coach class seat. It was quite disappointing as I love business class flights on Turkish Air and the flight usually makes my trip.

Arrive in Istanbul on 9/24 around 5pm, grab my luggage, go through customs and I headed out to find the Havas Shuttle Bus.

9/24 around 9pm, I arrived at my aunt's house on the Asian side of Istanbul -- after taking a plane, a bus and a taxi. No ferry, so I was happy.

9/25 I get my hair done by Serif, my aunt's hairdresser, who turns me into a zebra. I now have blonde and reddish striped highlights in my hair AND it cost me $200. Thanks Serif, now I feel like a giant jerk walking around with "Turkish hair" as I keep referring to it. I knew I should have stopped him when he asked me if I wanted any "yellow" in my hair.

I spend the rest of the day walking around looking for an adaptor so I can use my western electrical items. I have dinner at Mado, alone, and then head back to my aunt's. That first night, I fell asleep at 10pm!

9/26 I am still on the Asian side of Istanbul. I wake up LATE, I am jet lagged, I eat breakfast with my aunt. She proceeds to tell me numerous hysterical stories while she smokes her Marlboro reds at the breakfast table. She asks again if I would like to stay with her instead of check into my apartment/hotel in Beyoglu, I thank her and decline the invitation. My aunt reminds me that I am free to come and go as I please, or, if I meet a man, I can choose not to come back at all. I assure my aunt that I will not be meeting any men on the streets of Istanbul, and that I did not choose to stay in an apartment so I can have loads of sex with strange, Turkish men. I simply want some privacy and freedom to move about the city as I wish. This falls on deaf ears.... but I did think it was cute for her to give me the freedom to not come home should I find myself in a magical moment. To think, I could have done the walk of shame on Bagdat Caddesi - next time!

Still 9/26, it seems this day won't end. I try for a third time to get the SIM card working in my phone. Apparently there is a "system wide outage" for Turkcell. Annoyed, I head to a bookstore and purchase a copy of Time Out Istanbul - the English Version. I am happy for a brief moment, the cell phone frustration is wearing on me, I can't get online and my people need me.

Still 9/26 I head back to my aunt's and we order Kebap and Lahmacun - heavenly, meaty foods. My cousin and my other aunt pick me up and we head to the European side of Istanbul. If you're reading this and you didn't know that Istanbul stretched across two continents, stop reading now and go join Sarah Palin in her backyard looking out at Russia.

The time is now 4pm on 9/26, what may have been the longest day of my life. We head to Istinya Park and have a beer and a coffee at Masa. My cousin keeps pointing out famous people (because this is a really posh mall) and I have no clue who they are and I don't care. We window shop for a few hours.

We continue to walk around Istinya Park for an endless amount of time, have dinner at the fish restaurant Istinya Pazar (market) which was delicious. Around 9:30p, my cousin takes me to my apartment. I check in, and my cousin, her husband and I head out to and have some drinks off Istiklal overlooking the city and the Bosphorus. That was a lovely night.

This is where I am staying - Nuru Ziya Apartments in Beyoglu

Finally!! It is 9/27. I wake up around 9a, get out of bed around 10a and start working. I work until about 4:30pm and then head out for the day. I meet Simon and Ayla in front of Galata Saray High School and we walk over to an Armenian restaurant for delicious food.

9/28 Wednesday I wake up late once again and work all day. I then head down to Ayla and Simon's apartment which was located in the Tophane neighborhood, just below Beyoglu. I bring my good camera as there are many lovely buildings and sites to photograph. See them here on my FLICKR page. I renamed their street "Man Alley" - there were no women on the streets or coffee shops or the park, only men and boys.

This is the best picture I took all day on 9/28. I was taking a photo of the street and she just popped out from around the corner.

I arrive and the men in "Man Alley" insist that I take their photos, so I do just that. This was a request that multiple groups of men and boys asked of me "Take my picture!" they would holler at me. I did not get it at first, but then I thought, by taking their photo, a piece of them travels somewhere - I take them with me to wherever I am going and maybe that brings them some comfort or joy?

Once up in the apartment, Simon gives me a tour of their lovely home (that they both equally dislike for a multitude of reasons, I'm sure living in "Man Alley" has it's disadvantages for Ayla, a woman, and Simon, an Englishman) as Ayla goes to get the baby.

Simon's recording studio

Posters hanging on the wall (P.S. Ayla & Simon met at a Stereolab show, Ayla was a groupie, sort of like a cross between Penny Lane and the high school journalist kid working for Rolling Stone Magazine in the movie Almost Famous - well, not really, but I think that is how I will refer to her from now on)

The view from Ayla and Simon's Balcony

Still 9/28 I am super late to meet my cousin in Taksim Square and my Turkish phone has been blowing up! Like an idiot, I accidentally downloaded some stupid song as my ringtone - the kind of ringtone that callers hear when they call. I don't hear any of these calls, they mostly go straight to voicemail, which of course, is not set up.

I call my cousin back and we've missed our dinner reservations. I hop into a cab and head to Nisantasi to meet Cem, Aylin and Kayra (Aylin's daughter) at a back-up location for dinner. We have dinner and then head back to their apartment in Sisli for coffee. We sit around for a short while and then Cem drives me back to Beyoglu; something NO Istanbul resident ever wants to do unless they have to do it - drive through Beyoglu - an area established in the 1600s. We head through a labyrinth of narrow, one-way streets that serpentine and make no logical sense. We ask for directions from men sitting in front of tiny grocers and the answer is always the same "right, right, right, left." Or, "all right and then left". None of this makes sense so we just follow the line of cars and I assume we'll eventually all get there.... which we do.

9/29 that would be today. Efsun arrives in Istanbul from Ankara (she took it upon herself to join me on my trip) and I have a full day planned. I wake up at my usual late hour of 10a. I try to get some work done this morning but I end up chatting it up with the people in the hotel for about an hour. This was fine, because A) I really like them and B) I'm here to talk to people about Istanbul and learn what the locals do so I can write it up in the guide I am editing.

12:15p I depart the apartment to gather Efsun from Taksim Square -- and thank god I do because she would not have EVER found it on her own! She is terrible with direction and has trouble with many other things too -- again, another blog post is needed to describe the faults of Efsun (Corn Man as I call her).

Corn Man (aka Efsun) and I had a full day. We headed out to lunch at Peymane, just down the road from my apartment in Tomtom, had Cig Kofte and Pirzola (spicy beef tartare and lamb chops) for lunch.

After lunch we went to the Park Hyatt in Macka for a site visit, such a lovely property. The sales manager gave us a tour and described the rich history of the building.

Still 9/28 and I am still with Efsun aka Corn Man. After the Park Hyatt, we head to Nisantasi and have a drink at Biber, a nice bar/restaurant with an outdoor cafe. We then walked down to the Bosphorus road and walked for about 30 minutes along the Bosphorus until we found a taxi.

Off to dinner in Bebek at Chillai...still 9/28. Chillai is a hot and trendy restaurant in the very sexy neighborhood of Bebek. I ordered the sword steak and Efsun had some pasta dish she enjoyed.

Still 9/28.... On the way home, I insisted we stop for dessert. We had the taxi drop us off in Taksim Square and walked down Istiklal. We stopped at Saray Muhallebicisi so I could get some Tavuk Gogsu -- aka Milk Pudding with Chicken Breast, a dessert that comes from Ottoman Times and the best thing you will ever eat in your entire life.

For more on my trip to Turkey... check out:
My Flick PageMy Travel BlogMy Other Sunday Morning Soliloquy Posts

Procrastinating in Istanbul

2011-09-28T06:04:00.000-05:00

Share

Just a Perfect Day - Drink Sangria in the Park

Not exactly what I am doing in Istanbul, instead, I am inside my apartment in Beyoglu (aka Galata) trying to get some work done. It hardly seems fair that I should have to work on a day like today, and I am trying, but procrastination is bringing you this blog post. Given all of the alternatives, writing the report I should be writing is daunting.

My Kitchen / Office
At Nuru Ziya Suites, this is the second floor kitchen area of my apartment.
I am using it as my office, there are patio doors with a spacious balcony.

As I was typing this, I came across my horoscope for the day and it is quite accurate, almost as if someone were speaking right to me...

Aries: Sometimes you forget how forceful you can sound when trying to make your point. You might actually think that you're the only person who sees the whole truth. Unfortunately, your overconfidence can frustrate your friends and associates today. You'll get along better with everyone if you just remember that others have the same right as you to their perspectives -- even if they conflict with yours.

I best stay inside to not "frustrate" my friends and associates with my "overconfidence." I think sometimes people confuse "overconfidence", it often times can be fear, or lack of confidence. If I knew I was going to get my way, I'd be cool, calm and collected, not "forceful" in making my point. Or maybe not, the other day when I was upset with my cousin for wanting me to stay in their home vs. my rented apartment while in Istanbul, I became very forceful with my words -- but I was irritated that they could not accept my decision. I guess the horoscope is right... I am a terrible person and should be quarantined.

Time to go back to work. Before I go, I will add some pics I took from my phone of my trip. I have a "real" post coming soon. Just not sure when.

Late 19th C. Architecture
This diverse neighborhood was home to settlers from all over the world as reflected in the architecture. Many of these buildings, like this one, are currently being rehabbed.

Istiklal Caddesi
The main avenue in Beyoglu.
Young, artsy Turks and tourists promenade day and night on this pedestrian street.

Amazing Food
Dinner in an Armenian restaurant in Beyoglu.
This is "meze" and possibly the best way to eat - a selection of small plates.
You will find cheese, olives, fish and vegetarian options.

Stay tuned for more later...
Or, you can check out my Travel Blog -- I should be updating that shortly.

It's Over... It is finally Over!

2011-09-16T09:30:00.000-05:00

Share

Downtown Dash is over... time for me to decompress and take a vacation.

My social media scavenge hunt, Downtown Dash, is finally over!! Planning the event eats up my entire summer, it is not easy, but I have fun and I believe all the teams had a great time too. I will write a post about the event in the near future, but this post is about what I did after Downtown Dash.

The event ended Saturday, September 10th at 3:00 p.m., we headed to Public House and announced winners just shy of 7:00 p.m. and I was home by 9:30 p.m. and asleep before 11:00 p.m. I woke up Sunday morning and decided I wanted to stay at a hotel that day to indulge and maybe get some spa time in. I emailed a few people and ended up getting the Loft Suite at The James Hotel. I checked in at 2:00 p.m. and spent the day in my room watching movies in my "theater room".

When I arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to find the room loaded with a wet bar, a sitting area, a separate bedroom area, a theater room with a projection TV and Bose surround system. My sitting area had a nice bottle of wine sitting on the table - tempting me! And because the only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it, I cracked open the bottle of pinot noir and laid around in my theater room watching American Gangster.

After my movie, I went to dinner at Primehouse (by myself), had the bone in filet with truffle fries. I also took advantage of the Foursquare special and had at Primehouse, a "chefs choice" appetizer with your Foursquare check-in. The twittersphere told me that the donut holes with various fillings were not to be missed, so I indulged.

After my very satisfying and filling meal, I walked around the city taking pictures of Chicago like a common tourist. Just me and my camera walking the streets, snapping photos of tourists, buildings, the "el", the streets and whatever else struck my fancy.

Please comment, +1 or share this post below.

You can check out all my photos from last weekend on my Flickr page.

A Letter I Wrote to Leyla Arsan

2011-09-01T10:52:00.000-05:00

Share

I Have Always Been a Bit Google Obsessed....In a Narcissistic Way.

The other night, I was perusing my former MySpace blog and I found this letter I wrote in May of 2006. I wrote a letter to a different Leyla Arsan, taking up an issue with the other Leyla. I vowed that I would dominate the Google search, and, well, let's just say... I did not rest.

Here is the letter to Leyla Arsan:

Hello Leyla Arsan,

this is THE Leyla Arsan. I just wanted to say hello. And, i wanted you to know that about 5 years ago, I used to Dominate the Google Search term "Leyla Arsan". I was always listed first, the offices I held in college, my one arrest, my race times, etc. And then there was this other Leyla Arsan, she was from San Francisco, she took a lot of nature walks and saved animals - she fell behind me in the Google Search, she was second.

But in the last couple of years, you, Leyla Arsan, have come along! You are a scientist, and you publish things, and do important things, and travel a lot! You are dominating the Google search and it is making me a little crazy. Now I have to scroll down to the bottom of the page just to get to ME!

My 1/2 marathon scores are 3/4 of the way down the page. All the exciting things I have done in my past, no one can find any longer. And, my Myspace Blog entries, they're present, but they are far below your speeches and scientific awards, or some sort of University symposium something or other you attended.

Leyla Arsan, I know you went to Ankara Technical School, graduating in 1966, but I was the PR manager for AEMMP Records in 1997 - shouldn't chronology mean SOMETHING? I should be listed first!

These days, all I think about is "Where can I get published so I can beat that scientist Leyla Arsan!" How can I regain my status on the Google Search! Do I have to discover something? Become a scientist? Whatever it takes I will do it, I want to be the FIRST LEYLA ARSAN!

If you search Leyla Arsan, Chicago - I still come first. I just wanted you to know that.

Now, please go back to your busy day - solving scientific mysteries or saving lives or whatever it is that you do. But please know, that when you're least expecting it, I will again rise to the top of the Google search. I once held that position and I will not rest until it is mine again.

Good Day,

Leyla Arsan

That was a completely TRUE story. I really wrote that email. She responded well, some how she knew I was kidding!

Related Posts:

The Least Exciting Leyla on The Net

Random Things I Remember From 20+ Years Ago

2011-08-31T07:30:00.000-05:00

Share

Yesterday I wrote my blog post on Ryan and The Smashing Pumpkins. I'm going to keep the teen-dream alive.

I sent Ryan a text asking him what else I should post about, he gave me a few ideas, but said, "just write random stuff, you'll remember things I can't." I decided bullet pointing highlights would be best. I will leave out how we broke up, because that is a story all on its own.

Here are just some bits and pieces from "My John Hughes Life" (which was the name of my former blog).

How I Met Ryan

I always had a big crush on Ryan, in my mind's eye, I can still see him walking through the cafeteria at Niles West wearing his Vision Street Wear Tshirt with his long, blonde hair
My sophomore year, Ryan was dating Kim R. (though he will tell you he wasn't)
A bunch of us kids were at the beach in Evanston drinking on the rocks - there were dozens of us
I was 16, intoxicated, and I had just thrown up in a dumpster behind the gas station when Ryan and Kim pulled up
I saw him and walked over to the drivers side window, spoke to Ryan for a few minutes, and then stuck my head in the car and made out with Ryan - while Kim was sitting in the passenger seat
Ryan kissed me back, puke breath and all, we started dating shortly thereafter
I could also be making this story up, but I know for certain that I threw up in a dumpster that night from drinking too much vodka

"Partying" with The Vandals

One summer we all went to see The Vandals
All of Ryan's friends were out of their minds with excitement, I was clueless
After the show, we hung out back by the tour busses (probably tour van) hoping to meet The Vandals, I just stood there
We met them and then ended up inviting them back to Ryan's friend Batman's apartment (Batman was his nickname, I'm guessing because he always wore the 18 hole, blue, lace-up doc martens)
The Vandals were straight edge, so when I say "Partying", I really mean we just ate Doritos and drank pop in Batman's basement apartment with The Vandals
I missed my curfew that night and my dad almost killed Ryan

Speaking of my Dad

When I met Ryan, he had shoulder length, silver hair - he would bleach the color out of his hair and put old-lady blue dye in it to get it silver
The first time I brought Ryan home to meet my parents, Ryan was wearing ripped jeans
My dad gave him the "once-over" and asked, "Are you poor?"
Confused, Ryan answered, "No."
My dad replied, "Then where are the rest of your pants?"
I was mortified

Ryan Likes Cars.... Leyla Does Not

When I met Ryan, he drove a silver Nissan
I think in 2 years he had 3 or 4 cars
Ryan drove like a maniac and it would make me mental
We were coming back from the auto show, I'm sure Ryan was fired up from looking at cars
He was driving so fast on Lake Shore Drive, in order to avoid a serious collision, he had to drive between two cars - it was a tight squeeze
How we made it out alive, no clue

Ryan's Best Friend Hated Me (all of his friends hated me)

Ryan's best friend Chris, who is a girl, hated me and the feeling was mutual
Chris was dating a guy named Ryan (I think) who worked at 99th Floor on Halsted
Chris's boyfriend was the jealous type and a big a-hole
I decided I was mad at Chris for something, so I picked up the phone and I called her boyfriend at work
I then told him, to "Keep his girlfriend away from my boyfriend" insinuating that there was something going on, but knowing full well there was not
That following Saturday night, at Medusa's, Chris walks up to me on the dance floor and punches me
I had it coming, but if I could go back in time, I'd do it all over again

The Beach!!!

Most of my memories of Ryan are from summer, but we lived in Chicago
Dempster Beach and drinking on the rocks
Lighthouse Beach and drinking on the rocks
Ryan and his friends setting skating on the platform between Oak Street Beach and North Avenue beach (where everyone now roller blades)

GWAR

Probably '88 or '89 GWAR played at The Cubby Bear
No one really knew anything about this band, or what to expect, but all of Ryan's friends wanted to go
(Let's keep one thing in perspective here, I was a Duran Duran, Cure and Depeche Mode fan, which made girls like me fodder for the likes of GWAR fans)
I recall a plastic head spinning from the ceiling of The Cubby Bear and fake blood shooting through the audience, and machetes, and machine guns, and masks, it was outrageous
That night, even the skin heads were not too keen on approaching the stage
We saw GWAR the following summer when the returned to Chicago

Tom's Place, Cheese Fries, The Nissan and Some, Poor, Unlucky Bastard

In '89, we had "Off Campus" at our high school, which meant, if you had a car, you could go off campus for lunch
Ryan, Jenny, Mike, Greg and I would eat lunch together most days
Tom's Place, was a greek diner a few blocks from school, this was our lunch place of choice
We were kids, so we ordered burgers and cheese fries
At the end of each meal, we would all take our leftover cheese fries and put them into one container
We would then top those leftover cheese fries with a ton of ketchup
Next, we would pile into Ryan's car and drive REALLY, REALLY FAST
One person (we'd all take turns, as this was a great honor), would have the cheese fries in one hand and lean as far out the car window as possible
Then we would whip the ketchup-y cheese fries onto some poor, unlucky bastard's car
Cheese fries and ketchup all over the car parked in front of their little, suburban home
It was great fun, we loved Tom's Place

Marlboro Reds and Roses

Ryan graduated in '88 and I graduated in '90
Ryan went to community college while I was still in high school
He would often drive to my high school, pick me up and take me to lunch
Each time he picked me up for lunch, he brought me a rose and a pack of Marlboro reds (the brand I smoked in high school) from the 7-11 down the street
That 7-11 rose and pack of cigarettes always put a smile on my face, in fact, I still think its sweet (but I no longer smoke)

Not So Related Posts:

Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness

Famous People I am Told I Resemble - And My Thoughts on That

Please Comment, Like, +1 Below....

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

2011-08-30T07:38:00.001-05:00

Share

I always thought "Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness" was the best name for an album.

I can't sleep, I woke up about 4:36 this morning. I am restless and being plagued by stress fueled, random thoughts in the days leading up to the social media scavenger hunt I am organizing that will take place on 9/10/11.

Somewhere through the tossing and turning, The Smashing Pumpkins entered my head... well actually the words, "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" were going through my head. I am not sure what thought brought me to the Smashing Pumpkins but I figured, good subject to blog about at 6:00 a.m.

Take a trip with me back to 1989

That is me and my high school boyfriend (Ryan). Ryan and I spent about 99% of our time together between 1988 and 1990 and about 85% of that time was spent going to rock shows. Sometimes together, and many times separately, and wherever they would let us in, I was only 16 or 17. Ryan played bass (I hope this is correct, I will forward this post to Ryan and he can comment with his corrections) and was very much a music fan. And I was very much into declaring my independence from Ryan - so even if I liked the same thing as him, I couldn't possibly admit it; why we went to shows separately.

This picture KILLS me! He's so cute.

Back to the Smashing Pumpkins. My junior year summer, 1989, I was sitting at my friend Lori's kitchen, thumbing through The Reader to see who was playing. I saw an ad for a band called The Smashing Pumpkins. It sounded interesting enough, and it was an all ages show on a Wednesday night at the Metro (back then Wednesday nights were 3 bands for $6). I could easily have these details wrong, but I can tell you with 100% certainty that it was my junior year summer.

I can't tell you who I went to see The Smashing Pumpkins with that summer, but it was not Ryan. I remember coming home and calling him -- Or maybe he even picked me up, since I didn't have a car. I probably made him drive me to/from The Metro, but not come with me. This would not be unheard of, Ryan drove me every where, ask him, he'll tell you it's true. In any case, I remember telling him about this incredible band I just saw and that WE HAD to go see them together, however, I do not think we ever saw The Smashing Pumpkins together.

That Smashing Pumpkins show in 1989 was one of the first few shows they ever played, and we all know what ended up happening a few years later, they got huge. I stayed a fan, and probably saw The Smashing Pumpkins a 5-10 more times over the years, but never in a venue larger than The Aragon Ballroom (unless I saw them at Lollapalooza one year, which is entirely possible.)

And, by the way, Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness is NOT my favorite Smashing Pumpkins album. Gish would be my favorite album, but it can't be, because Gish was my college boyfriend, Jeff's, favorite album and I can't have the same favorite Smashing Pumpkins album as Jeff. Siamese Dream is my favorite Smashing Pumpkins album, it is mostly a timing thing, 1993 was a significant year.

Other bands I saw without Ryan in the late 80s at The Metro:
Nirvana (another 3 bands for $6 show)
Skinny Puppy
Red Hot Chili Peppers (pre Mother's Milk)

It's fine because he saw Jane's Addictions in the summer of 1988 without me, and, he saw GG Allin at Medusa's without me too. Even though I could not care less about GG Allin, I would just like those bragging rights.

** Oh, Ryan... Remind me to tell you about when I saw Einstürzende Neubauten at The Metro.

Sunday Morning Soliloquy

Just For a Moment...24 Years Ago

Just For a Moment - Prom 1988

MORE STORIES FROM MY PAST:

Leyla After The Dentist

Leyla After the Dentist

Me Talk Funny

For more amazing videos made by me - Visit my YouTube channel... You go NOW!

I'm Not a Jewelry Party Kinda Girl

10 Things About Turning 40

SXSW 2012 - a Visual Diary of Austin

3 Things in My Head RIGHT NOW - @BusinessWire, @NokiaUSA, @BSJ1

Tiffany and Cartier.... Just Because

BLACKOUT - On Strike Today! #SOPASTRIKE

Today, we are striking against censorship!

Join the largest online protest in history:

Tell Congress to stop this bill now!

US Senate is considering legislation that would certainly kill us forever. The legislation is called the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), and would put us in legal jeopardy if we linked to a site anywhere online that had any links to copyright infringement.

Join The Strike! and add this to your site

I Will Never Tolerate ANY Form of Censorship!

Only 5 Days in and Only 90 Days Remain!

Thank You 2011 - Hello 2012!

Help Needed With an Important Decision!

Catching Up With You All

Black Friday - Cyber Monday... Ahhhhh!

Tag Cloud of My Brain

I Think You're Sitting in "The Parents Section"

Just a Quickie

Duran Duran in Chicago

Catch Me If You Can

The Longest Blog Post Written About Istanbul EVER!

Procrastinating in Istanbul

It's Over... It is finally Over!

A Letter I Wrote to Leyla Arsan

Random Things I Remember From 20+ Years Ago

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Sunday Morning Soliloquy

Just For a Moment...24 Years Ago

Just For a Moment - Prom 1988

MORE STORIES FROM MY PAST:

Leyla After The Dentist

Leyla After the Dentist

Me Talk Funny

For more amazing videos made by me - Visit my YouTube channel... You go NOW!

I'm Not a Jewelry Party Kinda Girl

10 Things About Turning 40

SXSW 2012 - a Visual Diary of Austin

3 Things in My Head RIGHT NOW - @BusinessWire, @NokiaUSA, @BSJ1

Tiffany and Cartier.... Just Because

BLACKOUT - On Strike Today! #SOPASTRIKE

Today, we are striking against censorship!

Join the largest online protest in history: Tell Congress to stop this bill now!

US Senate is considering legislation that would certainly kill us forever. The legislation is called the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), and would put us in legal jeopardy if we linked to a site anywhere online that had any links to copyright infringement.

Join The Strike! and add this to your site

I Will Never Tolerate ANY Form of Censorship!

Only 5 Days in and Only 90 Days Remain!

Thank You 2011 - Hello 2012!

Help Needed With an Important Decision!

Catching Up With You All

Black Friday - Cyber Monday... Ahhhhh!

Tag Cloud of My Brain

I Think You're Sitting in "The Parents Section"

Just a Quickie

Duran Duran in Chicago

Catch Me If You Can

The Longest Blog Post Written About Istanbul EVER!

Procrastinating in Istanbul

It's Over... It is finally Over!

A Letter I Wrote to Leyla Arsan

Random Things I Remember From 20+ Years Ago

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Join the largest online protest in history:

Tell Congress to stop this bill now!