No One Said Being Beautiful Would Always Be Pretty!

You know what? I don't think guys really appreciate what we as women do keep up appearances. I was looking at my counter at all the creams, cleansers, gels, scrubs, oils, lotions, and concoctions lying around, and I thought, "Really? Is all this really necessary?" But, I guess it is. *shrug* Quick rundown of the goodies on my counter:
-a regular facial cleanser
-an exfoliating/blackhead fighting scrub
-a green tea "revitalizing" mask (shown in the pic)
-witch hazel
-acne fighting gel for unexpected breakouts
-fade cream for the little reminders left behind from those breakouts
-dilapatory cream
-cocoa butter & Vaseline (staples for any black household, no?)
-about three different kinds of lotion

And of course there's still an arsenal of hair and makeup supplies....

Not to say that I do this stuff for guys to notice or for the approval of others. (Hey, the only one whose opinion truly counts is almost 1000 miles away.) And I don't do the makeup thing everyday, because it's way too time consuming. However, I love the feeling of pampering myself and walking out of the house in Glamazon mode.

Moral of the story: Well... there really is no moral to this story; I really just wanted an excuse to post the picture LOL But remember: It takes work to be this beautiful! And no one said it would always be pretty.

New Additions Coming!

I'm in the process of trying to combine my three blogspot blogs (because really, I am not gonna be able to keep up with three separate blogs) and import blogs from MySpace (if I can). I just tried to export my old blog from Xanga, but apparently that is not an option for them. *shakes fist* So instead I'll just provide a link to my old blog. Anyway, just a heads up to the changes I'll be making. Hopefully this will come together right without too many complications. :)

-Tori D.

"Tori D. needs a new career" -or- "MAKE YOUR OWN &#$@!%*&!$^#& COPIES!!"

I am in a very familiar place right now. That place would be discontent.

Tomorrow will mark my tenth month at my current job. Which means I am four months overdue for a switch. Within six months of starting a job I start feeling an itch, a jittery feeling that says I need to get outta dodge, NOW! I was determined to try to make this last at least a year just to prove that I do have some kind of staying power. And I am so close! But as close as I am, I am frustrated beyond belief.

Right now I am an administrative assistant working for a small State agency. It is a decent job. Nowhere near as stressful as my previous job (I worked in a call center- bleh), a lot more laid back, more flexibility. Paid time off from the day I started. Decent benefits. I have perks that have nothing to do with the actual job itself, such as being able to ride to work with my mom (and save my gas) since she works across the street from me, and having time to do nothing, like I'm basically doing now.

But the reason I'm so ready to move on is because I feel like my true skills, talents and education are not being put to use. I mean really, I did not go to school and get a degree to take someone's messages or run off copies. But that's what I spend the majority of my day doing. WHY??

So now it's time to figure out what I want to do. I do not want another job; I want to find my career. I'm tired of working just to pay bills. I want to do something I love. The problem with that: I'm not sure what that is!

Last Wednesday night I was sitting in my finance class (this is my first semester back in school; I'm working on my MBA) . I was sort of spaced out, and all of the sudden I had a very scary epiphany: I wasn't supposed to be there!! Like seriously, I realized I hate just about everything that has to do with business. Of course, the timing for this realization sucked, as I already have my Bachelors degree in Business Administration. But it's left me with a feeling of "Now what?" Where do I go from here? Do I have to start all over? I really don't think I can go the school route again.

I've been looking at different careers that may work for me. While none of them have me tingling with excitement, I think maybe they'll give me the freedom I want with the income to sustain me.

1. Grant Writer. Of course this would've been better if I'd been an English major, but I still have the skills needed to make this work. I figure with a couple of classes, this should be great for me. I just wonder would I get bogged down on the research aspect of it.
2. Real Estate Agent. Although I do not usually like sales, the thought of selling houses interests me. With houses, you're not pushing something on someone that they don't actually want. If someone comes to an agent about a house, they generally mean business and at least have an idea of what they want. Plus I did well in my Principles of Real Estate course in undergrad; my professor said it was something I should look into. Maybe he was right.
3. Journalist. Another of those "I should've been a _____ major" cases. I'm not sure what type or area of journalism I'd want to get into, but at one point I did have dreams of becoming Editor-In-Chief of a major magazine like Essence or Ebony.
4. Publishing. I am a complete bibliophile. I think one of the greatest things ever would be to put out my own book (which I plan on doing soon anyway; details to come). So I think it would be fun to get into that. Of course, that would mean starting all over basically, including moving to a larger area since there's really nothing here for that. This one is more of a distant option.
5. Web developer/desktop publisher. I was surprised at the number of businesses in this area who do not have websites or decent flyers, business cards, pamplets, etc. There is a need for all of this and I think it would be a successful career move. However, if I went into this I'd have to partner up with a lot of people since I am not the best as far as graphic design, etc. But it is a definite possibility.
6. Event/Wedding planner. For some reason, I can organize things for other people a lot easier than I can for myself. This includes putting together events. And if I were truly a people person, this would be great! But with my temperment and disposition, this may not actually be a good idea...

So I really just don't know. I'm being pulled in so many directions that I'm not sure what to do. I'm praying, researching, praying again. I'm thankful for this job, but I know there has to be something better for me.

BTW, at one point in time I did have a passion. Fashion design. Since one fateful night in 7th grade when I saw a fashion show televised on CBS, I knew that was what I wanted to do. So what happened? Well, I got pressured into doing something more "realistic." Instead of going to an art school (I heart SCAD) or a university that offered something comparable to what I wanted, I ended up going to a state institution where no such thing was available. The closest thing was a general Art degree. And then it was, "Well you can't do anything with an art degree." So by my second year I said "F it" and went into business.... So, yeah, that's what happened.

Aight, time for me to go sit in this class where I don't belong.

Things I Learned on My Recent Trip to ATL

1. Atlanta is way too expensive for me to consider moving there. I see what my boy was saying: If you aren't making about 100 stacks, it will not be fun at all.
2. If you're a woman traveling with majority of males, sometimes you will be outvoted; suck it up. Like seriously, is it really worth bitching the entire time you're at Hooters or complaining the entire trip because you don't like rap? This is not to say that you should just sit back & take everything or let guys walk over you, but sometimes closing your mouth will get you a lot more than acting like you have a stick up your butt.
3. Free liquor makes everything better. Add free food (even if it isn't the greatest LOL) and everything is freakin awesome.
4. A little bit of nerd is sexy; too much is annoying.
5. I am not as ready for the big city as I thought. I don't do the whole train & bus thing well.
6. Sometimes the best ideas are thwarted by small minds' lack of understanding. That does not mean that it wasn't worthy of being recognized.
7. Just because a hotel is touted as 5-star (or 4, or however that goes) doesn't make it all that great. I can go to super 8 and get a microwave, mini-fridge and free wi-fi. WTF did I get from Westin??
8. Guys will flirt with anything with a big booty, even if the face looks like it's been run over by an F150.
9. Magic Johnson is a hell of a speaker and businessman.
10. I never want to ride in a Ford Flex again. Ever.
    

SHOE PORN

I have a confession, and now is as good of a time to tell you as any.

I have an addiction.

An obsession.

A fetish.

I ADORE SHOES!! If I didn't have bills my entire check would go to nothing but fabulous shoes. There is nothing like slipping your foot into a killer pair of stilettos and sticking your leg out like, "Damn right I'm sexy!" I may not find the clothes I love in my size, but I can (almost) always find a bad pair of pumps for my lovely size 10 feet. Of course, I have to grab them when they first come out (or order online) since stores seem to think they only have 2 customers who wear that size... *finger wag @ stores who don't order enough of the larger shoe sizes!*

So tonight I was perusing one of my favorite sites, Zappos.com, doing some e-window shopping. I am drooling as I type. So here is a sampling of some shoes that made me go HUBBA HUBBA! (Yes, I'm bringing it back lol)
(Paris Hilton-Carie) My first thought when I saw these: "This would be perfect with a leather catsuit and a nice sturdy rope..."
(Be & D-Evangelista) I found these a few weeks ago and fell in love. Too bad I don't have $711 just lying around. And then tonight I saw these:
Anyone want to let me borrow $1422? =D

(Christin Michaels-Emma) These are just simply gorgeous to me. They made me think of a hot pair by Kristen Davis that I just bought not long ago. I'm sure that pic will be up soon. (Giuseppe Zanotti- I70099)


(Givenchy- 593965) These are just sooo Barbie to me. Love it!


(Harajuku Lovers-Lindsey) These are adorable, and they are in the BEST combination of colors there is! I may have to order these for real...

(Sergio Rossi-AU6615.0000)


(Jessica Simpson-Layla) These are just stunning to me. They're simple, but still stand out. Just throw on a little black dress... Instant hotness.

(Jessica Simpson-Vanity) I saw these this weekend in red; wasn't a fan (I don't care much for red so that could've been it). But I saw them online in purple and blue. Can you say "Love"?!



Oh my, I am overstimulated!! Guess that means it's time to call it a night.

Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself!

"If I'm going to sing like someone else, then I don't need to sing at all." -Billie Holiday

I hadn't planned to actually do an introduction. I mean, don't you know who I am?! I guess not, otherwise I wouldn't need to do this, huh?

Well, the main thing you need to know is that I'm one of the most diverse (read: people you'll meet. Or read, as it were. I'm into a little of everything: religion, sex, fashion, cars, new cocktails, business... I tend to dabble in everything. I blame my self-diagnosed AADHD. (Seriously, I need to get that checked. I've started this thing a dozen times but keep getting sidetracked!)

Sometimes I tend to wax philosophical.. reflective... inquisitive..

A lot of times, though, I'm just vain & tend to talk about things that affect or interest me. :)

So read, or don't. My celebrity-in-my-own-mind status won't allow me to care. lol

Uh-oh...

A few entries back, I mentioned that I was tempted to try diet pills & suppliments to help with my weight loss. Although I haven't started taking anything yet, I've been comparing a few that sounded pretty good.

Today, I came across an article with this link from the FDA http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2009/NEW01977.html

This is a listing of 72 weight loss products deemed unsafe by the FDA due to harmful (and in some cases, illegal) ingredients.

Here is a snippet from the site:

The products listed above, some of which are marketed as dietary
supplements, are promoted and sold on various Web sites and in some retail
stores and beauty salons. Some of the products claim to be “natural” or to
contain only “herbal” ingredients, but actually contain potentially harmful
ingredients not listed on the products' labels or in promotional advertisements.
These products have not been approved by the FDA, are illegal, and include the
following undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients:

sibutramine (an appetite suppressant available by prescription only and
a controlled substance)
fenproporex – a controlled substance not approved
for marketing in the United States;
fluoxetine – an antidepressant available
by prescription only;
bumetanide – a potent diuretic available by
prescription only;
furosemide – a potent diuretic available by prescription
only;
rimonabant – a drug not approved for marketing in the United States;
cetilistat – an experimental obesity drug not approved for marketing in the
United States;
phenytoin – an anti-seizure medication available by
prescription only; and
phenolphthalein – a solution used in chemical
experiments and a suspected cancer-causing agent that is not approved for
marketing in the United States.

So I guess this means I'll be looking for "help" elsewhere....