The Best List so far…

Best Restaurant: Hands down, The Sugar Mill in Tortola, British Virgin Islands.

Best Views: National Geographic named White Bay one of the top 10 beaches in the world. You must stay in a White Bay Villa on the island of Jost Van Dyke.

Best Bed:  The only time I ever left my bed at The Viceroy Palm Springs was to lay out and dip in the pool for champagne.  And maybe the afternoon massage, of course.

Best Shower:  I wrote this entry, just to brag about the most amazing shower ever. Go to the Fess Parker Hotel in Los Olivos. The shower is worth every penny!

Most Memorable:  Olympics in Greece where it all began.  Hoping that I can make it to London, too.

more to come…

When you see a sign that says, “we have the right to refuse service to anyone” you imagine that you’re at a dive bar, right? Wrong, you’re at the DMV.  Look around next time you’re unfortunate enough to spend 3 hours wasting your life, standing in line, waiting to be serviced. My coworker, David, told me about the sign, I didn’t believe him until I was… again… standing in a 3 hour line waiting to renew my registration.

I, honorably, was one of those people who was refused of service.  Why?  Let me take you back to a date, October 18, 2008.  I was married to my wonderful husband on this date.  I was married in a church, a traditional Catholic ceremony and after which we threw the biggest, best party I’ve ever been to.  That date (or Oct. 22nd was actually when the papers were filed) my name changed from Molly Sulenski to Molly Menzie.

This date, to the woman servicing me at the DMV in Culver City, California, exists as only a Saturday, because you see and I quote, “we do NOT accept documents signed by priests as ‘official’ documents. It’s also signed by the Probate Court, it needs to be signed by the State Court. And it looks forged.”  So I said what any sane person standing in front of the DMV employee would say, “priest, probate court, forged? Well I’m sorry that you lack spirituality in your life and quite frankly the honorable Mark Belinky is doing great things for the city of Youngstown, Ohio. Look at my SS card and Passport, our National Government accepted these documents… Forged… Seriously?!”  To which she responds as she throws my Official Marriage License and Official Marriage Certificate across the counter, “yeah, I do NOT believe these signatures are real.”

“I know that they are real. And you want to know how I know that I got married? I know that the signatures are real, and I know that I got married, and I know because I was f*ing there!”  To which I was asked to leave.

I haven’t been back and that was over 6 months ago.  I have such anxiety about going back, not only because of the attitudes that I have to deal with, but also because I don’t need someone telling me that my marriage wasn’t real or I forged our signatures or degrading my religion.

I should have stuck around. I should have fought back. The woman behind the counter certainly would NOT have taken any of that attitude from ME! But I was hurt, and I was sad. I was sad that someone could have told me that I forged my Marriage License and Certificate. And I was sad that she had the tenacity to tell me that Father Terry, the priest that took me through Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation and now the sacristy of Marriage, doesn’t count.

So, when I find the courage to go back to officially change my name in the state of California, with my amazingly talented lawyer husband who demanded that he go with me, I will hold the sign.  I will hold the sign saying, “I have the right to refuse service to anyone,” because as a state employee, you work for me and I should be able to go in and pleasantly do what I need to do. And when I leave, I will leave happy as the official, Molly Menzie.

Please do share how you preserve our planet.  I…

(1)  Take shorter showers

(2) Turn off water while I brush my teeth

(3) Line dry my clothes instead of using the dryer

(4) I try to refill my thermos with coffee each morning instead of using the paper cups supplied by Coffee Bean

(5) Recycle

(6) Conscious of grocery shopping and don’t overbuy on produce

(7) Turn off lights when I leave the room

(8) Open windows instead of turning on air or heat

(9) Drive a fuel efficient vehicle

(10) Try not to overprint papers

(11) Shut off our computer monitors and speakers instead of powering down

(12) Walk to El Torito for margaritas instead of drive

I can be doing more, please tell me what…

MY FIRST TIME:  As I said before, I’m a lucky girl ’cause my baby-step-father-in-law sells skin care products to top spas.  This was one of his products he was selling and I tried it out with much pleasure.

MY THOUGHTS:  My honest opinion, you have to give your skin at least one month to get used to this product.  My skin appeared oily until it got used to the twice daily regimen, which took about a month.  It costs a lot to start up, but you only need to purchase Step 2, Transport pads monthly, so it’s not too heavy on the billfold to maintain.  It also feels like you slather on layers and layers of liquids onto your face that just won’t dry, I now love this effect.  My husband hates the smell, but loves the results.

Here are my product per product reviews:

(1) Step 1 Cleanser:  I’m not in love with this product.  I prefer to use Peter Thomas Roth Chamomile Cleansing Lotion.  My problem with this cleanser is that it just doesn’t lather to my likening.  I would still encourage you to try it out though, since all products are supposed to work in unison.  I only strayed because I disliked the texture of the cleanser.

(2) Step 2 Transport Pads:  I believe the label says to just use these once daily until you build a tolerance.  I never had an adverse reaction to these exfoliating pads and I have pretty sensitive skin, but I’d test them out as per the directions.  Do you remember when you were a teenager and translated “exfoliator” to “sandpaper and excess scrubbing.”  Yeah, bad!  I finally figured out the proper definition for exfoliation and that is Transport Pads.

(3) Step 3 Serum:  Sooooo refreshing.  You know when you come in from a tough workout and down a refreshing glass of ice water… that’s exactly what this feels like.  Yummy!

(4) Step 4 A-Bomb:  This is the smell my husband dislikes.  This step is when you feel like you’ve gone too far on the vitamins and are layering on too many products, but just commit.  

(5) Step 5 Double Defense:  Yeah, I’m not too crazy about this moisturizer.  I prefer Peter Thomas Roth moisturizers, but give it a try, you might think otherwise.  My turnoffs are that I don’t want to apply an spf while I sleep and the smell is just too Coppertone for me.

(6) Eye Creme:  I haven’t given this one a try yet, but I will as soon as I run out of my Korres Eyebright Firming Eye Cream.  The Korres is just not giving me the results I expected.

That said, I strongly recommend this product.  Your skin looks amazing, healthy, youthful, brilliant and hydrated.  Don’t let my review stray you from the facial cleanser and moisturizers, though.  Try it out and formulate your own decisions.  One thing I’m certain of… you’ll LOVE it!

The MDT5 technology… I don’t understand it, but those chemists are onto something!

While I do not agree with her answer, I commend her ability to not back down to the pageantry and answer the question truthfully.  Yes, it may have cost her the crown, but her dignity is still intact and that’s what really matters at the end of the day.  

I thank you Carrie, for owning your voice, standing for what you believe in and for representing your own true self even if it does cause waves.  We’re all entitled to our own beliefs, but so many times we just go with the flow in fear of the outcome.  We should all follow your lead and be who we are.  You’re a winner in my book.

My question… wtf is douchebag Perez Hilton doing at Miss USA?  Doesn’t he make fun of people and draw penises on women’s faces… strange sense of hypocrisy.

First thought, it’s a bloody mary kind of day.

Our party last night was a huge success.  I had so much fun and I made it past 1AM, although I pulled one of my “going to the bathroom” stunts and didn’t make it past the bed, or couch.  Our couch… it’s my husbands pride and joy.  It’s a custom-made 11×11 foot, brown micro suede with a chaise on one end.  It’s not a couch, it’s a lounge and I often fall asleep on it during parties.  I’m sad because we bought it from Eastman’s in Culver City and they are going out of business… Anyway, I ended up upside down on the chaise, fully dressed spooning with Layla.  I know, classy.

So as I sit and think of how much I love our friends while enjoying the gentle breeze and chirping birds, I urge you, too.  Put down the paper, shut your computers, pick up the phone and call your friends and family, today is a day to be enjoyed with others outside and with a healthy pitcher of Bloody Marys.  That’s just what I’m going to do.

MY FIRST TIME:  I’m a lucky lady.  My husband’s stepfather sells skin care products to high end spas.  I have been fortunate enough to try the lines he carries before purchasing.  Peter Thomas Roth is one of my favorite brands he has carried to date. What you read on the labels… what the products say that they will do… I verify, they do!

Here is a list of my favorite products in this line.  Please note prior to reading this list that my skin is very temper mental and all products that I have tried from this line work amazingly well for my supersensitive skin:

(1) Environmental Repair Gel:  Discontinued, has become Viz-1000.   This product is amazing.  My skin reacts to pollutants, dry weather, harsh winds, dusty office vents, everything!   This product protects my skin.  I use it after cleansing morning and night before applying moisturizer.  I often think, who needs primer?  But this stuff works wonders.

(2) Oil-free Sunblock, spf 30:  I save this product for face, neck, chest and back only.  It is pricey, so I only use where needed when needed and not daily since I already use spf in my make-up.  I wish to retain wrinkle-free skin as long as possible, so if you think like me, make sure to always practice safe spf!

(3) Cleansers:  Chamomile Cleansing Lotion is a favorite daily cleanser for my sensitive skin.  I typically hate lotion-type cleansers, but this one still gets bubbly and leaves my skin feeling clean.  I use this product each morning.  I typically use Anti-aging Cleansing Gel in the evenings intermittently with Botanical Buffing Beads.  

(4) Moisturizers:  In the morning, I wash with the Chamomile Cleansing Lotion, followed by my Enviro (excuse me)… Viz 1000 and ultimately followed by my Oil-free Moisturizer.  This keeps my skin nice and hydrated all day long.  In the evenings, I was using an amazingly, awesome rich Night Time Lotion, which I have no idea what it has recently become.  I think it could be Mega-Rich Intensive Anti-aging Cream, but I’ll have to get my stepfather-in-law to confirm this assumption.

I really want to try their anti-aging products, so if anyone has tried those, please do share your stories.  

And lastly, an open letter to Mr. Peter Thomas Roth:   I absolutely love your skin care line.  You have me for life, now please stop changing your product marketing and names every 6 months.  It’s frustrating to translate what I have been using to what it might be now and concentrating on that while I have to shoo away pestering salespersons tempting me with different brands and products while trying to reach their sales quotas…  OMG they are annoying!  Regardless though, this line is awesome, I recommend it to everybody.  This line is worth the extra work keeping up with the new product advancements although it may sometimes feel like a burden.  

Peter Thomas Roth is magical!

My workout regimen (that I created myself) includes swimming laps for 1 hour, once a week in my community’s Olympic-sized swimming pool.  I typically swim up to 1 1/2 miles.  I want to get to 2, but I’ll tell you about my workouts at a later time.  They deserve an individual posting, considering my friend Kevin tells me that I’m crazy, and I concur.  I like what I like and I apparently I enjoy releasing endorphins and exhausting myself to hell and back.  Add to that, the likelihood of drowning and you have yourself a MM workout!

So yesterday’s swim was extra enjoyable.  Not only was I impressing an audience of sunbathers by lapping everybody else in the pool, but also because I finally reached 1 1/2 miles (99 laps for all of you non-swimmers) in under an hour.  Now you’d think that 99 laps in under an hour would be enough to devote my Monday lunch to this here blog, but no…

The most exciting part of my workout was when 2 Mallards, a Male and Female, landed in my pool in my lane.  I thought for a second of a diving down, sneak attack where I yank their webbed-feet down, dunking their heads under water, but then I remembered how I respond, and how NOT funny it is when my husband dunks me.   I reason internally that these are wild animals and I value my extremities.  If an animal bites one off, it had better be a shark and not a duck.

So I channel, WWCD?  Cinderella wouldn’t dunk Mallards, she’d swim with them.  And after enabling my Cinderella fantasies by swimming a 500 with Mallards, they swiftly jumped out of the pool and waddled away.  

I ended my evening reflecting upon my enjoyable workout with the Mallards with a refreshing glass of Sauvignon Blanc, steamed snap peas, asparagus and grilled shrimp, made by my wonderful husband.  Afterwards, I sat down for a friendly chat with Layla and drifted off to sleep while watching our Tivo’d SNL.  A fresh start to an optimistic week.

Strange though, considering that I studied Marketing in college and consider myself more of a Marketing Manager than a Project Manager, professionally speaking.  But with the right labeling, you can even fool the teacher.  Let’s talk beauty products…

I own a bathroom cabinet filled with high end beauty products, but I want more.  Take for instance, the Los Angeles Times, Image section.  Alexandra Drosu wrote an incredible piece of literature, “Breakthrough Skincare: 7 ingredients to watch in 2009.”  Of course I went out that day and purchased 100% Acai Berry Juice, which I have been drinking to date, and Shiseido Benefiance NutriPerfect Night Cream, despite the fact that I already own a bathroom cabinet filled with high end beauty products that actually work quite well.  I still want bigger, better, stronger, prettier.  And on top of this all… somewhere down the line I started to believe that the higher the price tag, the better the product.  Not so much, let’s get us some help…

I enrolled myself into a self-assessing 6 step program to overcome this internal affairs addiction:

STEP 1: Set aside the products that work:  Somme Institute, Peter Thomas Roth and La Roche-Posay (all deserving of their own product review, which I promise to write).

STEP 2: Toss out those that don’t: Ole Henriksen (made me and everyone else who came into contact with this product break out, badly).

STEP 3: Donate unopened impulse purchases to local women’s shelters: Aveda, Neutrogena and additional items I “collected” from hotels.

STEP 4: Sort out appropriate products for Mother, Shiseido Benefiance NutriPerfect Night Cream.  Older sister, MD Skincare and and Benefit Cosmetics. And younger sister, Cetaphil.

STEP 5: Recognize those I yearn to try:  Jurlique, Kiehl’s, La Mer and Revive.

STEP 6: And admit to that I cannot change, my skin. 

So, let us together train our wandering eyes, let us not take for granted how amazingly we already have it at home and let us resist those impulse temptations.  Take the cash that which we saved and put it in our ING Savings Accounts.

Spring Mix Salad:  1 Serving

Walnuts:  1 handful 

Crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese:  1 serving

Berries:  1 handful.  Today I used strawberries and they were refreshing!  Don’t overdue the berries though.  Raspberries are nice, so are Blackberries and Blueberries, but altogether, it can be a little too much.

Protein:  Either a can of tuna (in water) or grilled chicken breast compliments this salad nicely.

Top it off with a vinaigrette.  I use either a fruit infused vinaigrette such as raspberries, strawberries or a light red wine.  Make sure you read the product  labels on the dressings and go with your best choice.  Vinaigrettes are not like Ranches or Honey-Mustards.  Just because the label says light or low fat or no sugar added does NOT mean that you are sacrificing taste, too.  That’s why I love them.  And for lunches, I prepare the salads at home with all the ingredients and keep a bottle of dressing in our office fridge so the lettuce stays nice and crisp.

This is another recipe that you can play around with.  Get inspired, try new things and keep it interesting.  Just stick to the proper portions and you’ll be ready to hit the beach in no time!