Fashion & Beauty Industry Taking Eco-Friendly Steps

I've been waiting for this to happen - finally Patagonia isn't the only major company paying attention to making decent eco-friendly products. Sure, there are oodles of organic small-time retailers you can find online but most of it looks like potato sacks with arms added. Then Bono, champion of the world, launched (along with his wife) Edun, a company that designs and produces organic clothing with strong worker safety and quality regulations (i.e. no sweatshops and fair labor practices) made in Peru. I bought a jacket from Saks made by Edun and I like it. It's progress.

Hybrid cars have been gaining in popularity for the past few years - particularly Hondas and Toyotas. Lexus came out with the first luxury hybrid SUV. That got attention. This year, Bono paired with Gap to create Project Red, a fashion-oriented project to raise money to help fight AIDS in Africa. It may not be directly related to eco-fashion, but it's showing how fashion and philanthropy have become more intertwined and Africa's plight is definitely tied to the environment, particularly in terms of agriculture.

Stella McCartney, PETA advocate and a natural leaning mom, just launched the first designer organic skincare line called "Care", sold at Sephora. And it's about time, because eco-friendly, anti-animal testing, organic make-up companies have been gaining ground. Look at Whole Foods or online natural skincare retailers - there are a lot of choices now. It's no longer just Aveda and Jurlique providing clean options to be beautiful.

Finally, after Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth transformed him from a losing presidential candidate (depending on who you ask, of course) into a winning pop culture ecologist icon, everybody's talking eco. Even Congress, which is always a late adopter. So one could only assume the fashion industry wouldn't be far behind.

Now it's everywhere. Events like the Global Green party in San Francisco have gained press tying fashion and the environment together. Style.com has a "50 ways to go green: earth-friendly guide to spring shopping" on their site.

Women's Wear Daily today published "Models Go Green" about how Isabella Rossellini's daughter, Elettra Rossellini Weidemann, new Lancome Spokesmodel, convinced Lancome to begin taking a more environmental role.

She reportedly requested a carbon neutral program to offset her travel as a spokesmodel. As a result, Lancome partnered with Carbonfund.org in "retrofitting [their] four freestanding Lancôme boutiques to reduce their carbon footprints" and they launched a tree-planting campaign in conjunction with the launch of their new Primordiale serum. "Lancôme will plant a tree for each of the first 10,000 bottles of the new Primordiale serum sold in the U.S."

Designers and models have been shrugging off fur for a while now, but I think recent trends over the past six months are showing the beginning of a new movement toward greater awareness in the entire fashion and beauty industry. At least I hope so.

Spring/Summer 2007 Fashion Trends

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Spring fashions are already in the stores and Fall Fashion Week begins in New York on Friday, so while we still have a moment to breathe, here’s my collection of notes for Spring/Summer 2007 fashion trends gathered from a variety of sources. Overall, think “Blade Runner” meets “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. And check out my overview of the spring collections for a refresher.

themes:
romantic
sophisticated
independent
sci-fi/space
ballet
volume
jungle
dominatrix
80’s
muted colors
clean lines/angular-architectural
sports
poufy
all-American
uniforms

textures:
light knits
lucite & vinyl
patent leather
metallics
satin/taffeta
unstructured pleats
obtuse ruffles
tiered layers

patterns:
bold, wacky
polka dots
artsy florals
roses
doilys
horizontal stripes
graphic prints

colors:
whites/cream
black
black & white
neutrals
reddish bronze
grays
blues
gold
silver
navy
olive green
muted pastels
light pink
yellows
bright red
neon

clothing styles:
tailored suit jackets
cropped jackets
sporty jackets and anoraks
high-collared button-up pastel suits
short trenchcoats
ballerina wrap cardigans
cropped cardigans
one-shouldered tops
deep v-neck tops
white shirts
poet sleeves
puffed sleeved blouses
embellished sleeves
strapless gowns
open-back dresses & gowns
baby-doll dresses
strapless short dresses
t-shirt dresses
shift dresses
tunic dresses
little white dresses
shirt dresses
minidresses
shimmery fitted tank dresses
fitted v-neck dresses
dresses over pants/leggings
micro mini skirts
knee-length & below-knee skirts
little black skirts
a-line skirts
short shorts
half leggings
high-waisted pants
thin pants

accessory styles:
sophisticated hats
headbands
large hoop earrings
piled-on accessories (multiple bracelets or necklaces)
long chains
link bracelets
bangles
cuff bracelets
oversized cocktail rings
tiny accessory bags
gigantic totes
clear bags
clutch bags
chain link bags
satin bows @ waist ((oversized and belt-sized, with long tails)
pencil thin belts
super thick corset belts
medium brown leather belts
platform sandals
Mary Jane ankle-strap shoes
overlapped thick strapped sandals
t-strap shoes
wedge platforms
lucite heels
peep-toe heels
wood heels

hot designers:
Marc Jacobs
Derek Lam
Chanel
Proenza Schoeler
Ralph Lauren
Louis Vuitton
Ellie Saab
Michael Kors
Badgley Mischka
Peter Som
Marchesa
Tory Burch
Alexander McQueen
Versace
Carmen Marc Valvo
Cynthia Rowley
Balenciaga
Azzedine Alaia

...also check out last season's list of Fall/Winter 2006 trends.
And stay tuned for next season's list of Fall/Winter 2007 trends.

US Nationals Retrospective - This Week In Figure Skating

I don't have the opportunity to blog about figure skating as often as I'd like but tonight I had to write about how exciting some of the new skaters on the scene are and how much potential they have. I was a bit worried for a while that the Japanese and Chinese teams were going to dominate in 2010 but I think we have some major contendors coming up in the ranks - even without veterens like Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen.

First off, I was incredibly impressed by Evan Lysacek's performance in both of his programs. He's finally got everything working in his favor and the best part is - I don't think he's peaked yet. Maybe has this year, but not career-wise. He can add a second quad if he needs it, and he can strengthen his spins and artistry. He is incredibly talented and he can give Brian Joubert some tough competition. Then you have his incredibly gorgeous girlfriend, Tanith Belbin along with her partner, Ben Agosto, creating a wonderfully intricate new program and posting some fantastic scores to win their fourth gold at Nationals. Gregory and Petukhov looked great, by the way. It's nice having two strong dance teams for once. And the bronze medalists, Davis and White, were impressive too. They have a definite future.

For the pairs, a new couple is on the scene and they - according to Peter Carruthers (and I believe him) have the talent to play in the same field with the Chinese pairs. That's Brooke Castile / Benjamin Okolski. Naomi Nari Nam and Themistocles Leftheris (sounds like a Greek philosopher, doesn't it?), another new team, had a shot at the gold but they need a little more training. John Baldwin Jr. and Rene Inoue, on the other hand, are looking tired. I would be surprised if they make it to 2010 with these newer teams hot on their trail.

But back to the men - Ryan Bradley earned his bronze, it wasn't handed to him from years of medals. He skated well and deserves to be on the World team. He probably has no chance at medaling there but that won't be his goal. He's got the best deal of anyone - just to have fun in Tokyo. I think Johnny Weir is one of those US mens' champions who will never get the Olympic gold because he doesn't have the nerves for it. I don't think he'll capture the World gold either unless it's one of those odd years when everybody else just bombs and he has a fabulous day. He's an incredible skater, but he doesn't have the long-term concentration I think he needs at this point. Senioritis may be setting in.

For the ladies, I really wanted Kimmie Meissner to win, I'll admit it. And I really wanted Alissa Czisny to get that bronze. I have nothing against Emily Hughes - her jumps are huge and she's improving artistically but Kimmie has the whole package more consistently and even without the World title, she was ready to be US champion. Of course, even with the silver medal, Emily still placed higher than Sarah Hughes ever did on the national level. I expect Emily can still improve as can all three of them. But Alissa is the only one who has artistry that comes close to Mao Asada.

I can't wait to see nationals the next two years with Mirai Nagasu and Caroline Zhang, both of whom are clearly good enough to be on the Senior level. I'm excited that ABC decided to show both of their programs in their entirety as the Junior ladies' champions (1 & 2, respectively). They could both be the next Mao Asada easily. Thirteen years old and they possibly could have contended for medals on the Senior level. (It's hard to know since the points are different, programs are shorter in Jr. level and they don't do as many jumps.) That's what I miss about not having attended one of these competitions in person in several years - seeing the entire field of competitors shows how good the top tier skaters really are. And it's always nice to have a reminder of how high the jumps can be.

So Worlds will be in April. That's three months - a quarter of a year - from now, which makes a big difference in where skaters are as to the polish on their programs, how tired they are from training, how strong they are physically and whether they have sustained injuries or other setbacks. Some skaters peak earlier in the year. Michelle Kwan was one of those - always peaking at Nationals and rarely holding onto that level of performance by Worlds. Kimmie Meissner wasn't ready to peak last year at the Olympics but she peaked late and won Worlds. We'll see what happens to her this year. Perhaps since she wasn't at her very best at Nationals, that's actually a good sign. Evan Lysacek has peaked at seemingly random times in the past, but seems to be steady so far. I think he'll be back on the podium again.

One note about choreography - the more years I watch figure skating as well as dance, I learn how important both music and choreography are to skaters' programs. This year, I would give choreography awards to Beatrissa Liang's short program, Kimmie Meissner's short program, Evan Lysacek for both of his programs, Johnny Weir's short program, Belbin and Agosto's new free dance, and Gregory and Petukhov's free dance program. These all stood out. There were a few others well choreographed who didn't receive medals but what stood out for me in these were the intricacies in footwork, edge control, arm motions as well as facial expressions. The pairs got close - they get points for trying, but their programs I don't think were quite as beautifully conceived choreographically.

Music choice is also key. A few skaters chose abominably whereas others picked great music for them. One of the dance teams in the top ten chose the Beatles and although they didn't have the speed of the champions or the complexity in their moves, the music still moved the audience and made a difference in their scores. I saw way too many bland music choices this year. It makes me miss Michael Weiss's Van Halen and Metallica because so many programs blended together in the bland department. I wish I could remember which ones irked me the most. If I get a chance to review the recording again later, I will.

Newest BalletSJ Board Member Enthusiastic About Organization and Nahat Nomination

I've blogged before about the Ballet San Jose. Tuesday night, I was elected to their Operating Board. ('Operating Board' is another way of sayiing 'Board of Trustees'.) Having wanted to be more involved in a performing arts organization for a long time, I was approached by a friend who also serves on the board to check it out and see if I might be interested. One thing led to another, and now I'm on board.

It's a wonderful group of people, led by John Fry, CEO OF Fry's Electronics. (So if you're an arts lover and you need electronics in the Bay Area, go to Fry's - some of the money will inevitably end up in a dancer's pocket.)

Rather than toot my own horn, you can read my friend, Sherri's post. It just reitterates my bio really but she also says some nice things. Thanks Sherri!

So now that I'm hooked, I'll be going to the remainder of the performances this year. If you want to learn more about them, check out the web site and drop me a line. The artistic director, Dennis Nahat, is incredibly talented. And he was just nominated for an Izzie award (he's a past recipient). That's the SF Bay Area dance equivalent of the Oscars (that unfortunately doesn't have a web site that's easy to find) for his production of Romeo and Juliet last year. Congratulations Dennis!

The next performance of the ballet is a Valentine Potpourri, including a four part mix of classic and modern dance. And here's the thing about this ballet vs. others in the area - San Francisco will always have an incredible ballet company that does exquisite traditional and inspiring performances. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the Berkeley performing arts communities bring in groups like the Alvin Ailey dancers and Mikhail Barishnikov's White Oak Dance Project. These are amazing to see, but they are quite different from Ballet San Jose. I don't consider any of these troupes competitors - they each provoke their own emotional response through their art.

BSJ excels in a unique spot that I haven't quite figured-out how to best describe it yet, but it's an original blend of artistry, storytelling, and risk-taking choreographically. The audience tends to be more casual and it's a beautiful theatre, so you get this feeling like you have a private dance recital in your own home and the artistic director made it just for you. (At the Nutcracker, I wanted to snuggle up next to the fireplace they had on the stage.) Of course not all the dancers aren't as polished as some in other dance companies, but this organization is only twenty years old. And it has been restarted in a few different incarnations in order to come to its current position in the Bay Area community. That's part of its beauty coming from someone who's entrepreneurial-minded.

Anyway, words can only scratch the surface in describing performing arts, so you'll just have to come see for yourself.

Mac Mail Convert

I'm in love. With my new mail program. OK, so it's not really a new mail program but it's new for me. Being still a Pine junkie I had been viewing and downloading enclosures with Thunderbird, which had some really irritating bugs.

Finally I gave up and tried the MacOSX Mail program and I am happier than I ever expected to be with any mailer. It's sleek, efficient, it does a decent job with spam, and graphics look great. I'm all over the efficiency thing though - that's the mail selling point for me. So there it is. I'm a complete Mac convert. Every application that comes with Mac OSX (or nearly) I now use. Happy customer.

Apple.com has a "sneak peek" of the new Leopard Mail program.

Searchable Printable Downloadable & Pocket-Sized Books Google Style

There are many wonderful medical websites that can be found online, and these types of sites can help you find all kinds of great health information whether it is pregnancy information you are seeking or articles and facts about type 1 diabetes.
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The masterminds behind Google have been working on the concept of putting books online and searching them for over ten years now - since before Google began. When I was at UofM with Larry Page, I remember him talking about wanting to put the entire Library of Congress online. Through Google, he's gradually been developing partnerships with universities, publishers and other corporations to make this happen, ending for a result that allows people to download books online.

Slashdot discussed this today, calling what Google wants to do as creating an "iPod/iTunes for Books". That would be the next level with a handheld hardware gizmo. The Times Online (UK) says "Google plots e-books coup." Yeah, right. I doubt they're trying to corner the market in this one - they just want to be the first ones to do it. (And they will do it - just give it time.)

Google's not the only group to come up with this concept. Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive (who also knows Larry through some other UofM people in a roundabout Silicon Valley two degrees way), created theBookmobile that is a vehicle that can print books in the public domain. These are books that are already out of copyright and are online like Alice in Wonderland. Unfortunately the Bookmobile itself is out of print now, but the link above explains how to build one yourself.

Grading 2008 Internet Campaigns - First Assignment

For readers who don't know, I ran Internet strategy in '03 for Gary Hart's '04 exploratory campaign. Since then (and a little bit before), I've been working with various political clients as well as nonprofits advising them on their Internet campaigns. I don't have a site for that business right now - it's under construction - but I do like to blog about my thoughts on the topic from time to time.

In yesterday's post, I have a list of announced (pseudo)candidates for the 2008 U.S. President. I spent half of last night reviewing their web sites and I decided to give grades for their first assignment: garnering initial support.

John Edwards (D) - A-
His site's crisp and clean, but it lacks slightly in the design department. His OneCorps has been gathering all sorts of attention, however, and his blog impressed me. He also has links to social networking sites like myspace and flickr. This is smart. He had a fairly solid online campaign in '04, but he's taken it up a notch this time.

Hillary Clinton (D) - B+
She has a site full of useful propaganda and she says she wants a "conversation" yet it's mostly one-way traffic so far. The blog is at this point just a contest. The site gets a B because it has a good design, is easy to navigate and has a lot of decent features. The plus is for announcing online in a flash video.

Chris Dodd (D) - B
I like the "Dodd Pod" - the Senator's playlist you can download. Cool. Social networking links get prime real estate as well. I don't like the nav bar but otherwise it's not bad.

Dennis Kucinich (D) - B-
Where would a campaign be without Kucinich? OK, so don't answer that. Seriously though, I've never seen such a long nav bar going across the top in such small text. I'm impressed on a technical level that they pulled that one off. He's got good features and a pleasing UI.

Bill Richardson (D) - C+
Trying waaaaay too hard to emulate Howard Dean here. What are they putting in that cool-aid at the DNC? All netroots, too much white space and oh yeah, an ad for his book. Also, can I put in a pitch to end these long americaforthisguyhasalongurlbutwewanttoelecthimreallywedo.org URLs pretty please?

Joe Biden (D) - C
His site has no new features since 2004 but at least it has real content.

Tom Vilsack (D) - C-
You can tell this guy's from Iowa - land of caucuses and corn. 'Nuff said.

Barack Obama (D) - D+
If you're going to announce online, give us a reason to come back to your site. He's clearly trying to get some attention here, but placing ads in Google and putting up a bio, a fancy letter and a "donate" link aren't going to cut it (although I like what there is of a logo and design so far.)

Rudy Giuliani (R) - D
Rudy's site isn't much different from Obama's content-wise and he's also got the Google ads going, but that's about it. He needs more flattering front page photos too.

Mitt Romney (R) - D-
Cookie cutter site circa 2000. If you put this one next to Bradley's web site, Bradley's would fare better. It doesn't flunk only because it has news and a blog.

John McCain (R) - F+
His photographer clearly spent too much time on Dean's site in '04. There's this huge photo of him with his mouth wide open. Not only that, but the site's in black and white which might have been cool if the web were around when he went off to college and color TV was introduced but not any more.

Sam Brownback (R) - F
Sam, we're not in Kansas any more... (he started with the Dorothy analogy, not me.) Get a web site that looks newer than your tie. My 93 year-old grandmother lives in Topeka too and she could build a better site.

James Gilmore (R) - F-
This one shouldn't even be scored. We're talking 10th percentile here... pitiful, truly.

Tommy Thompson (R) - F--
I couldn't even find this guy's web site. Does it exist?

(Disclaimer: I graded these solely on the basis of their online campaigns - I only realized after the fact that all of the Dems came out ahead of the Republicans. At one point there was one Dem behind a couple of Republicans but after a final review, it ended up like this. In general, the consensus out there is that Republicans don't get the Internet the way Democrats do. This particular exercise seems to confirm that.)

No Rest For Politicos - It's Open Season Again...

With barely a moment to breathe since the 2006 election, George Bush is most definitely a lame duck and Nancy Pelosi is checking off agenda items right and left. Welcome to the 2008 election season.

Here are the candidates already in the race (roughly in order of how well known they are) raising funds through their exploratory committees -

Republicans:
U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney
U.S. Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas
Former Virginia Governor James Gilmore
Former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson

Democrats:
U.S. Senator Hilary Clinton of New York (& Former First Lady)
Former U.S. Senator John Edwards of North Carolina (& 2004 VP Nominee)
U.S. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson
U.S. Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut
Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack
U.S. Senator Joe Biden of Delaware
U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio

Macs Running the Home of the Future Now and the IRIX File System

MacWorld unveiled a "home automation tool" called Indigo. Supposedly it lets you do things like turn on your lights with your cell phone and change your sprinkler schedule from your laptop in bed. The epitomy of laziness and complete convenience. I read about it on the O'Reilly Network. Adam Goldstein profiled Indigo and its uber sci-fi cache of stunts like determining how to turn on the coffee pot 5 minutes before sunrise. For parents, it has the ability to turn off things like fans and heaters in the kids' rooms without going in and waking them up. Pretty spiffy.

I couldn't get over the name Indigo, however, because I knew it had been used before... then I remembered there was an SGI Indigo. Wikipedia says it first came out in 1990 (I feel old). It ran IRIX and NetBSD. It had a 32-bit MIPS R3000A RISC processor. Ooh, ahh. I'm dripping with nostalgia, recalling the first time I saw one of these babies in a dorm room at Iowa State University. It had this really cool 3D file system demo that I'll never forget, because every time I see the movie, "Hackers", it jogs my memory. In the film, they have a pathetic GUI for their security system at this big evil company where they observe files being attacked from different ports. It's completely hokey but I'd be willing to bet the special effects team got the idea from the much smoother IRIX. I digress...

Did tech suddenly run out of words? All of the sudden, Steve Jobs declared that it's open season on usage of the same word twice to describe different technical products? iPhone and Indigo were this week. What's next week?

Sex Toy Technology

I had no idea there was so much technology behind sex toys (no pun intended, please...) Actually that's not entirely true - I have a friend from the high school BBS days who started Morningwoodlabs.com so I knew a little about this stuff.

Anyway, Regina Lynn wrote this eye-opening article for Wired News about her experience at the recent Adult Entertainment Expo in (where else?) Las Vegas. Lynn's article notes how there are not only machines for use in sexual activities but also "Internet-enabled sex toys." Yup. I'm not going to write any more about it here though; not interested in xxx spammers. Have fun, be safe.

Vera Wang On Ice

Style.com has a video of Vera Wang skating and talking about her love for figure skating, and how it connects with music and fashion. (For skaters - don't get too excited - she does a scratch spin; nothing too difficult.) Skaters know Vera Wang for designing Michelle Kwan's dresses. Brides know her for her wedding gowns. Fashionistas know her for her relatively new collections including everything from cocktail dresses to fine china.

Star Trek XI - The Prepubescent Wanderings

OK so as if the zillionth Rocky sequel wasn't enough, studios keep figuring they can make more money on these things by adding prequels so now we have Star Trek XI (that's 11... ELEVEN of these films) that according to Slashdot focuses on early Kirk & Spock. The bar will be high for this - I expect buff red shirts, a herem of hotties around Kirk Jr. and a lot of raised eyebrows from the mini-Nimoy clone.

And what's up with the Indiana Jones sequel? Well, I checked out the site and supposedly the film begins production in June. It will be a partnership between Lucas, Speilberg and Paramount Pictures.

Fashion League Group - Golden Globes Through Oscars

In conjunction with another Silicon Valley Mom, Beth B, I'm running a Fantasy Fashion League group contest from the Golden Globes (Jan 15) through the Oscars (Feb 25). Anyone who's interested, please email me at the contact info on the bottom of this blog sidebar and I'll send you instructions on how to sign up for our group.

To read more about what we're doing with the league, see Beth & my post from a few days ago at svmoms.com. And for a refresher as to what the FFL is, check out my post from last fall.

Apple's On Fire - Latest & Greatest from Cupertino

I wish I had time to go into all that's happening with Apple this week, but here are the highlights: they're changing their name from Apple Computer just to Apple. Woz (Steve Wozniak) thinks it's a smart move, according to Bloomberg. Nobody but stockholders ever see the "Computer" part these days anyway.

The "Month of Apple Bugs" is rolling along... and people are tracking the security aspects and posting fixes as well.

Apple TV, the next new new thing in file sharing and TV has arrived. It's like the iPod on TV. Also Apple came to an agreement with Paramount Pictures to sell movies on iTunes, which sounds like a cool deal. That will be the vehicle to transfer files from online to the TV.

And finally, the long-awaited iPhone has surfaced and everybody wants one. Here's one comparison with other smart phones. Unfortunately for Apple, there was another iPhone in 1999, made by InfoGear and bought by Cisco. Supposedly Apple has been trying to get usage of the name for a long time although Cisco held the Trademark for 6 years. They're still negotiating but there is a lawsuit involved now as well. We'll see how it all comes out.

Anti-Semitic Terrorist Skinhead Musical Getting Rave Reviews

Only in East L.A. could someone pull this off... "The Beastly Bombing (or a Terrible Tale of Terrorists Tamed by Tangles of True Love)" is a new musical, given high marks by a New York Times reviewer this past week, supposedly takes the farce operetta to a new level.

The Steve Allen Theatre, part of the Center for Inuiry-West, founded by Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov, took on the project, which started running the production in late September. Written by Roger Neill and Julien Nitzberg, it's reportedly Mel Brooks meets Gilbert & Sullivan. The Huffington Post loved it, with Michael Simmons writing "Laughter is close to love and heroin in the painkilling department." And several celebs have been spotted at the show, including Liev Shreiber, Diane Von Furstenberg and Paul Reiser on the night mentioned in the NY Times.

Here I thought that "Evil Dead, The Musical" was as looney as it was going to get, this one has songs entitled "Song of the Sensitive White Supremacist" and "I Hate Jews". Running for the next four months, the show has already achieved cult status and they are in negotiations with production companies in New York for a run there.

Local Pet Photo Blog

The San Jose Mercury News has this adorable pet photo blog that features pets and wildlife submitted from readers. It's filled with photos and videos mostly of cats and dogs, and allows comments as well.

Tag Team Cocktails

Thanks to Beth Blecherman for tagging me in the Virtual Cocktail Party along with other SV Moms. (This is cross-posted.)

Five things about me that no readers, let alone most of my friends, would know...

- In a former life (aka college), I taught courses on etiquette and modeling. Yes, it was a far cry from the t-shirt and jeans wardrobe I adopted a few years later as a post-grad sysadmin in Silicon Valley, but I learned some valuable skills that come in handy at cocktail parties!
- Chick lit is my literary weakness. I gulp it down like water in a desert - cheezy, shallow characters and all. Some day I hope to publish my own chick lit novel.
- I was offered a part as an extra in Robert Altman's film, "Kansas City", which I turned down because they wanted me to cut my hair to a period cut and I was getting married the following month. The marriage was almost as short-lived as the film, but I'm still bummed I missed out on that opportunity being a Kansas City girl who loves jazz. (At the time I didn't know the movie was "Kansas City"; I figured that out later.)
- My favorite view is of a starlit night.
- Instead of attending my high school prom, I went to a Queensryche concert with 11 of my best guy friends. We had floor seats and my view of Geoff Tate's gorgeous physique in leather pants was much better than what I would've had of my then-boyfriend in a cheap rent-a-tux.

From those not yet tagged (to my knowledge), I choose five people who have helped me out either with my blog or another area of my life in the past year: Maria Piccininni Ross, who incited me to get off my butt and launch my own blog, Cory Doctorow, who gave me some sage blogging advice when I first started it, Ed Vielmetti, who wrote some nice things about my blog and helped promote it to his friends, Alix Mayer, who provided me with resources to turn things around after several challenging months, and Elizabeth Edwards, who inspired me in numerous ways through her book and our meeting with her.

Now for a tequila shot...