sweatpants are sexy

Weekly Therapy: namaste

- Mel

the week:
The renovation project was on hold for a week, waiting for the electrician (who finally came to do the work on Saturday). The canned light placement was wrong, so needed to be fixed today. This will be the thing that sets me off, won’t it? Or was it the massive swarm of bees that found their way into a hole in our window sill? Anyway, contractors tell me that things will move very quickly now.

It better… because, week #4.

yogafest outdoors pittsburgh point park
Pedicure needed.

weekend:
I spent a few hours at WHIRL’s YogaFest – I won a set of tickets, thanks to Yelp! Pittsburgh. I completed three classes, including my first Bikram session, and completely pooped out from the exercise and heat and direct sun. The thought of doing yoga ALL DAY certainly was ambitious. Whew. I’m STILL struggling Monday.

seven things, seven days:
1. Can I reiterate how much group assignments suck? And how much MORE they suck when it’s a group PAPER?!
2. All I want to do is flake out and read for hours on end and finish a book. Alas, there are papers to write.
3. I’m taking my first Amtrak trip to DC in a couple weeks. Really excited about it. And it’s a great opportunity to work on aforementioned group paper on board.
4. Hosted a reunion brunch for my “meat” class. I love hosting brunches. CHAMPAGNE!
5. I’m a PlayBuzz quiz answer! I seriously love my teammate for creating this — maybe you’ll get me, like I did.
6. Do you watch The Bachelorette? Here’s a fun article: What attachment style is Andi?
7. SWEATSHIRT WEATHER!!!!!!

Weekly Therapy: More Thanks

- Mel

the week:
We were anticipating “Gobblegeddon” to arrive in Pittsburgh just prior to Thanksgiving, and we were thankfully spared (but definitely not from all the doomsday MAKE SURE YOU HAVE TOILET PAPER AND BREAD!!!! style weather reporting).

Hosting our first Thanksgiving dinner with mixed family was so wonderful, and we were squeezed in! I loved having people in our home and planning a meal for 12 people… and decorating the table for a REAL dinner party. I loved not having to drive somewhere (especially considering my work schedule around the holiday). My nieces were adorably high strung; the cats were beyond terrified. And besides the boyfriend chopping off a small section of his finger cutting the absolutely last item (ahem), there was no bloodshed! My dad took over turkey carving duties — his first attempt; he cut that dang bird perfectly.

weekend:
CHRISTMAS DECORATING! Our tree isn’t being delivered until the first week of December, but I’m bringing up the bins from the basement to prepare. And there WILL be glitter nutcrackers adorning my mantel.

seven things, seven days:
1. I started Thanksgiving running the PNC YMCA Turkey Trot. Not only did I run the entire 5K (my ultimate goal of the race), I freakin PR’d that thing! Did I mention it was 17 degrees?!
2. I wore my new Splendid boots the ENTIRE day of Thanksgiving. They were so comfortable, I wanted to sleep in them. Hey, I wonder if Splendid makes slippers…
3. My Black Friday treat this year was a MVP pass to Rollercon.
4. A portion of our back roof is getting replaced. Finally. The contractor is going to seal the chimney too. Praise Tiny Baby Jesus, these leaks just may stop in time for Christmas!
5. I found someone on Etsy that makes frames for those photo booth strips. We have so many of those cute pictures that I want to hang.
6. Doctor bills are SO much more manageable when your yearly deductible has been met. And I get to see hot doctor again this week.
7. If you missed it on Facebook, I shared this story from Door Sixteen about her 30-something experiences with acne and skin problems. I can’t tell you how much I can relate.

Every 30-something needs… a bra for all occasions.

- Mel

Have I talked about how Victoria’s Secret discontinued the ONLY bra that fit me? I went in a couple weeks ago for a double, since I basically wear my Body by Victoria IPEX on the daily.

Perfection in a bra. No longer for sale.
Perfection in a bra. No longer for sale.

1. It fits PERFECTLY
2. NO UNDERWIRE
3. NO PADDING
4. Comfortable around the band and over the shoulders
5. Cannot see underneath t-shirts

I have resorted to trolling eBay and Poshmark for people’s hand-me-downs, which eeks me on one level, but is satisfying on a whole other. THAT’S how much I love this bra. And seriously, contact me if you have a perfect condition one to sell/give me.

I want to touch on something else too: why do bra designers feel it necessary to put wires into A cups? We don’t need them. The sales attendant even was incredulous when asking why I don’t want underwire. The three other 34A cup bras that I tried on in the VS dressing room were NOT created for an A cup — but as an afterthought to the A-cup market: a variety of weird styles, bulging extra fabric and OMG comfortable bras do not need to be so ugly!

As I get older, the “secret” I’ve discovered is that Victoria’s Secret regularly changes their bra collection (and their sizing, for real). There’s hope that my bra style might come back. But that only fits one of my underthings problems… and doesn’t help me right now. I basically only like sports bras right now.

Women generally need a bra for every occasion:

  • daily bra — for comfort
  • nude bra — never white, since they ALWAYS show; I’m talking skin tone
  • sexy bra — ahem. you know. Something with lace or prints and LOTS of pushup when something unexpected might happen
  • sports bra — to protect the ladies!
  • convertible bra — for different styles of tanks, tops and dress cuts
  • and a strapless — these things were also not made with the A-cup in mind, and I still have yet to find one. I’m 36 years old!

Tell me 30-somethings: do you have a favorite bra? AND, do you generally have a drawer full of them for different occasions?