If the Shoe Fits, Buy It! Dune peeptoe

Is this the mullet of shoes? Business in the front, party in the back?

Even if it is, I kind of love this snazzy pair of peeptoes from Dune! I would pair these with dark cropped jeans, a white top, and BIG turquoise jewelry... maybe with my coral bag, to really make the color pop.

I scream for ice cream... My Top 10

No, seriously. When I want ice cream I scream until someone gets it for me.

Ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and frozen yogurt are the cornerstones of my diet. I could eat ice cream every day and never get tired of it... I almost think I could eat it at every meal, but I will try my best not to test that theory.

When I was a child I actually made a solemn promise to myself: As an adult, I would always have some sort of ice cream treat in the house, and would eat ice cream for dinner if I felt the need.  I am proud to say that I have honored my former self by trying to keep that promise... and here are my current top 10 favorite ice creams of all time:

1. Bananas Foster ice cream - smooth banana ice cream enhanced with a hint of brown sugar and rum from Haagen Dazs. My holy grail of ice creams. I was so upset when this flavor was discontinued that I wrote to the company. They apologized, but as far as I am concerned they are dead to me. Dead, I say!  (Please ignore the fact that I still purchase their other flavors... that is out of delicious necessity, not brand loyalty.)
2. Vanilla, Honey and Granola frozen yogurt - vanilla frozen yogurt swirled with honey, with crunchy, wholesome granola clusters from Haagen Dazs. I like to consider this my healthy treat. It is almost like eating fat free yogurt, right? Or trail mix? Yes, this is my version of yogurt and trail mix. I shall take it in my portable freezer next time I go camping.
3. Caramelized Pear gelato - made at Vivoli Gelateria. Only available in Florence, is among my favorite gelatos in all of Italy. A sometimes crunchy, sometimes smooth, caramelly swirl adds spectacular flavor to the bright, fruity pear gelato base.
4. Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream - strawberry cheesecake ice cream with strawberries and a thick graham cracker swirl from Ben & Jerry's. This is rich, fruity, and delightful! There are mini cubes of cheesecake and a strawberry ribbon swirled through the tangy ice cream... mmm... mini cheesecake cubes...
5. Peanut Butter Cookie Dough ice cream - malt ice cream with gobs of peanut butter cookie dough and a peanut butter swirl from Ben & Jerry's. I ate this one night during the bar exam. I credit it for my subsequent survival. Luckily, the experience has not tainted this flavor for me.
6. Homemade French Vanilla ice cream - recipe from the Gourmet Cookbook. This is my favorite ice cream to make, even though I generally prefer vanilla bean to French Vanilla. It is smooth, creamy, richly flavored, and well worth the effort involved.
7. Vanilla Bean Five ice cream - a blend of imported vanilla and pure, sweet cream from Haagen Dazs. This ice cream wants to taste homemade... it has an almost grainy texture that I find compelling. It is clean, simple vanilla bean deliciousness.
8. Cinnamon Buns ice cream - caramel ice cream with cinnamon bun dough and a cinnamon streusel swirl from Ben & Jerry's. O. M. G. This is delectable ice cream. Heavenly - like a Cinnabon stuffed with vanilla ice cream and topped with streusel.
9. Pistachio frozen yogurt - a basic, light green, artificial pistachio yogurt from The Yogurt Cup. My grandma used to take me to this now closed frozen yogurt shop in Phoenix, and I adored it! There was a tall, icy cold drinking fountain, and I insisted on climbing on the step stool to reach it in order to wash down my delicious child-sized pistachio yogurt. The yogurt was wonderful, of course, but the experience was even better.
10. Pralines and Cream ice cream - vanilla ice cream with a caramel ribbon and praline-coated pecan pieces from Baskin-Robbins. An old standby, this has a delicious swirl - but, more importantly, it is sprinkled with crunchy, sugary praline pecans.

Throwback - Pogs

In middle school, pogs were the diggity.  I had a slammer with a metallic skull on it, which was beyond rad. While we rarely actually played pogs (lest we lose our favorites to some stupid classmate), it was a badge of coolness to have a superior pog collection.

On the coolness scale, my pog collection ranked in the mid- to high-awesomeness range.  I had hundreds of pogs, including character pogs, metallic pogs, and pogs shaped like saw blades.  My favorite pogs had 8-balls, Simpsons characters, yin-yang symbols, and flames - all designed to showcase my rebellious nature at the tender age of 12 (and by rebellious, I mean utterly conforming to what my classmates considered cool).  I even had a kick-ass teal pog case... aka, a plastic tube.

Sadly, the pog trend plummeted from uber-hot into the realm of uncool in the blink of an eye, and I was left with hundreds of small cardboard disks in a plastic toilet paper tube.

WTF? Wine glass holding necklace

When you have reached the point where you need to strap a wine glass around your neck, please start rethinking your priorities.

"But I need both hands free for the when the shrimp tray comes back around," you insist. "How am I supposed to simultaneously sample both a crab puff and a zesty empanada if I am required to actually hold my beverage with one of my hands? This is precisely the solution I need to solve my eternal cocktail party dilemma!"

In the real world, you know you would end up using this so you could drink boxed 7-11 wine while sitting on the couch in your Snuggie watching Dancing with the Stars. You wouldn't even have to exert enough energy to lean over to reach a wine glass on the coffee table... it is truly the American Dream.

These ingenious items are available via SkyMall, where products go to die.

For the more fashionable alcoholics, please be sure to check out the haute couture beaded versions by Boberry Designs. 

Take Your Pick! Baby animals from Africa

Don't be scurred...

...like I am!

I have some big time, serious fears that I cannot get over. Some are ridiculous, but I am genuinely (if irrationally) terrified of the following things:

• Sneezing and biting off the tip of my tongue
• Becoming homeless
• Alligators and crocodiles (especially albino ones)
• Dying in the fiery mangled wreckage of a car on the freeway
• Becoming androgynous and being unidentifiable as a female
• My grandmother dying
• Waking up to find that all my teeth have fallen out
• Being accused of shoplifting (even though I have never and will never shoplift)
• Spontaneous combustion
• Breaking both my shin bones on the steering column in a car accident 

Does anyone else have irrational fears?

Retail Therapy - Marc by Marc Jacobs silk dress

I am usually partial to more structured clothing, since I am sadly not built like a willowy gazelle... but this silky dress from Marc by Marc Jacobs is an exception.  I adore the ruffle detailing, the waist bow, and the "molten lava" color. I could definitely allow this little number to live in my dress closet.