2013 baby names proves disappointing

Have you seen Parenting's top baby names for this year?

Top 10 Searched Baby Girl Names:

1. Isabella 
2. Millie 
3. Sookie 
4. Ann 
5. Ella 
6. Betty 
7. Ellie 
8. Emma 
9. Eithne 
10. Charlotte

Top 10 Searched Baby Boy Names:

1. Jacob 
2. Max 
3. Liam 
4. Ted 
5. Mo 
6. Aiden 
7. Andy 
8. Bertie 
9. Ned 
10. Gus

Is it just me or does this list suck?  Sookie?  Eithne?  Mo? Ned? Where was this poll taken?

Did you notice what else most of these names have in common?  They are short. They are simple. They are mostly nicknames.  Have we, as a society, really taken such a short cut?  I mean, children don't learn or use script (I know this because I proctor exams...and that certification statement that is all of one sentence can take up to 15 minutes for the kids to write!).  We are becoming simple, we are loosing class.  Are we setting our kids up for failure already? Or are the parents just too lazy?

I don't mind the nicknames for the 'old fashioned' names - I love old some 'old fashioned' names...but the full name should be on the list - what is wrong with a full name?  It is like we are rebelling against society...I refuse to have a name the teacher is going to butcher, so I'll pick a simple three letter name, when I have a large family it is easy to sign holiday cards if all the names are short,  or even when I yell for the kid I won't loose my breath with all the syllables.

Chewing Tobacco

My HS friend Kevin had this habit that I hated...dipping.  As you may know - dipping goes hand in hand with baseball (which Kevin was very good at).  Anyway, in my opinion dipping was disgusting.  That wad of tobacco on his gum line, buffing out that otherwise nice smile but more disturbing was the constant spitting into cups or bottle or cans.  And if the bottle was clear...I'd have to see that.  Disgusting.

source

Over the last thirteen or so years, I haven't really seen much dipping, then I went to see Moneyball a few weeks ago; even though I am not a huge Brad Pitt fan.  I think Brad had about 3 super small seconds where he actually looked 'cute'.  The movie itself was really good, but I was really distracted by all the spitting.  Sure I get it...I know chewing tobacco and baseball...hand in hand.  Got it.  But is it important to show that non-stop in a movie?  Does it make the movie more genuine since it is based on a true story?  I think if I saw it twice spaced apart in the movie...I still would have got it.  But maybe that is just me.

Dipping was brought over to the USA by the Swedish immigrants.  Are you indifferent to chewing tobacco or does it disgust you as much as it does to me?

Chewing tobacco disgusts me, smoking cigarettes is gross, cigar smell make me feel lightheaded, hooka I don't see the point of, the only thing I can handle is seeing an old man smoking a pipe.

Review: 39dollarglasses

I saw on http://www.woot.com/ one day a special for glasses. Something like $7. I knew there had to be a catch. The frames were $7 (normally 9) but then you had to select which grade plastic lens you wanted, which ranged from $29 - $59 or something. I thought about it. I uploaded a picture of me and 'tried on' a few pairs. I couldn't decide. I didn't purchase anything.

Then I was on my insurance companies website (United) and I saw that at 39Dollarglasses you can receive a $15 off coupon code. So I started browsing again. This site didn't allow me to upload a picture of me to try on glasses, but they did have pictures of men and women with six different head shapes that you can see what it would look like. I narrowed it down to 4 pairs, then two, then flipped a coin. The glasses I ended up selecting were actually $59 (they did have $39 pairs). Only $4.95 shipping. Glasses under $50! I was excited. I proceed to checkout...and there is an option for anti-glare. $24ish. I had no idea if I needed to spend this extra money on 'backup' glasses. Since most of the time I wear my contacts, and I have a pair of glasses, I thought about this for 3 days. Finally I decided...YES anti-glare is probably a good thing. It helps at night (and my night vision is horrible), with computer screens, in pictures. I have no idea if my current glasses have anti-glare - they are 7 years old.

So, what started as a bargain hunt for something I don't even NEED, I ended up 'wasting' money I don't have on glasses. The glasses arrived super quick. They look beautiful. I try them on...they are a little big. I was able to print out a picture of the glasses, but having the 'real' version made a big difference than a paper one. I think I look funny in them...but maybe like everything, it just takes some getting used to. I looked on the website to see what they look like on those 6 female models, and theirs do seem to fit a little nicer. But, whatever, they are 'back up' which I know will get some use. And they are cheaper than buying from my eye doctor's office. I think my original glasses were around $250-3o0.

I would definitely consider ordering another pair of glasses from this website.

bra strap rant

I know it is ridiculous, but it really bothers me when I see women's bras falling off their shoulders. I get that people have small breasts that do not need a lot of support, and I am jealous of that - but the bra straps should be tight enough to not fall off your shoulder, even if it is only support 10% of the weight. Also, when the straps are all twisted and bulges out your shirt a little, and you know there is something bothering you but you don't fix it. You look like trailer trash people.

If you are not trailer trash, but your straps keep falling off, it is because your bra does not fit you. Go get a free fitting at a wide variety of stores. A good fitting bra will flatter your body and improve your self image.

On a side note, I personally have a problem wearing a shirt that clearly shows my bra. I know everyone knows women wear bras so it shouldn't be a big deal, but I think it looks really tacky to wear a regular bra with lets say a racer back tank top. I have this neat little contraption that brings my straps together to hide nicely under the shirt. I also have a bra that the straps adjust and can cross, allowing them to hide. There are tons of website that sell bra straps so if they do show, they can be pretty, and I have 'clear' straps that you can see, but does look better than something else. I have a strapless bra which is next to impossible for me to put on by myself (I know that sounds horrible, but when your breasts are 34F, it is difficult) and of course the boobs look different when in a bra like that. But if I can make that kind of effort to look decent when I am in public, I expect the smaller breasted woman to do the same.

If it is going to be done, it can be done a little better - perhaps deciding on a bra that complements the shirt. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind seeing a little bra strap peaking out. I have a bigger issue with wearing lets say a halter top or a backless shirt and a normal bra, wearing one of those super cute trendy shirts that wearing a 'normal' bra is difficult - but it should be worn with taste. I bought one and went through hell to get the bra to be concealed or wore a little cardigan over it. If you are buying something 'cute' like that, don't make it un-cute by destroying how you look in it.

Return of the Scrunchie?

Scrunchie. That is today's topic. Such a strange topic to randomly pick, but that is what you get when you ask a friend the first word she is thinking.

So here it goes. I was a typical teen of the 90s. We had high rise jeans and wore big flannel shirts (I even borrowed from my Dad) or silk shirts on a regular basis. Sometimes our jeans were colored - red, blue, black, white, you get the idea. It was very laid back and casual. The grunge look also made an appearance.

I had really long hair and it got in my way a lot, so I'd put it back - in a SCRUNCHIE, a scrunchie is a rubber band with fabric around it. Rommy Revson patented the design in the US in 1986 and named it 'scünci', after her dog. I had so many of these guys as they were fairly cheap. We had this amazing flea market by me, and you can go and get 10 scrunchies for $5. There were so many colors and patterns...I don't think I wore half of the ones I owned. You can wear the srunchie a few ways, like a regular rubberband where you just wrap your hair it in it until it is tight...or you can wrap your hair in a bun, and place the scrunchie around it, so it wasn't twisted. You can also wear the scrunchie as a bracelet and then put it up when needed or use it to dress up a look. Very practical.

So what happened to my 30+ scrunchies? Well, I moved a lot from when I was a teen, so I am assuming I threw most of them away. I do believe I still have 2 or 3 in my bathroom, thinking I'd keep it in case I wanted to throw my hair up...but I haven't used one in years & years. Just now I was thinking, if it hasn't been worn to throw it away...BUT rumor has it that scrunchies will be making a comeback. They have been seen being sold at American Apparel (407 varieties) and Catherine Zeta-Jones was sporting one in January of this year. Everything makes a comeback...but I think it is a little early, no? Maybe I am just getting older.

Photo from American Apparel

For now, I will stick with my very basic and thin rubber band even if at times gets stretched out or tangled in the hair. AND more importantly, I don't have to worry about a guy breaking up with me over a scrunchie like in Sex and the City

Fads of the 1990's include: (notice scrunchie is NOT listed...what's with that?)

spandex shorts

Pokemon

Grunge music and fashion

Koosh Balls

Saved By The Bell

The Macarena

American Gladiators

Extreme sports

Gigapets / Tomogatchi

Trapper Keeper

The Waif Look

Tamagotchi

Spuds MacKenzie

Push Pops

Bowl cut

Beanies (caps/hats)

Stoner and slacker humor (Beavis and Butthead, Bill and Ted?s Excellent Adventure, etc.)

Discman

Multi-colored silk shirts

Wide leg jeans

Radio Disney

Dr. Martens

Oprah's Book Club

V-Chips (for TVs)

Overalls

Chat Rooms

Girl Power

Car air fresheners

Street Fighter

What would Jesus do?

Hypercolor (clothing that changed color with heat)

Eight ball

leather jacket

Pogs

Psych!

Polly Pocket Toys

Hip-Hop

Fashion

I've fallen and I can't get up!

Mortal Kombat games

Claw vending machine

Hi-top fade

Tickle Me Elmo

SUV's

ClackersSlammer

Whammers