CONFESSIONS OF A FAT GIRL

Stuff I Clicked on When You Weren't Looking

It's almost February which means supermarkets, drug stores, flower shops, car washes, restaurants and your grandma's house are surely swimming in pink, red and white. It is what it is. I don't feel as grumpy about it as I have in years past. Last year was an especially nice one so it's tiding me over. (Quick! Go enter my Valentine's Day giveaway!) 

I will also politely remind you that last year, just before Valentine's Day, a mystery guest-blogger posted this charming and classy post about lube and blow jobs. It remains one of my most-read posts of all time. 

As per usual, as I surfed the web this week, I stashed these amazing items aside to share with you today.

1. First of all, UBER. OMIGOD, UBER. To celebrate Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl, Uber ran a promotion in certain cities where you could order puppy playtime. Order a puppy Uber and it would come to you, puppies in tow, for a wonderful, adorable, 15 minute play date. 

BEST. PROMOTION. EVER.

 

Aaaaaaah! Thank you #UberLA and @wagsandwalks for visiting us today! #wagsandwalks #puppybowl #rescueisthenewblack #animalplanet #petsofinstagram #puppylove #instacute

A photo posted by AJ (@ajfeuerman) on Jan 28, 2015 at 1:40pm PST

2. I am pro-vaccine. To be quite frank, I think any other stance is misguided, if not ignorant. I know we're supposed to be respectful of other people's beliefs when they differ from our own, but in this instance, I'm taking exception to that tenet. What is happening right now, here in California, with the spread of measles -- it is terrible and it didn't have to happen. 

In any case, as such, I found this scientist's response to an anti-vaxxer pretty amazing.

Also, this post from blogger Jessica Gottlieb is pretty excellent.

3. I'm an Emma Watson fan.

4. Three brothers decided to recreate childhood photos for mom. The results are OUTSTANDING.

5. My feelings about Sam Smith change with the weather. Sometimes I'm like "I feel you, man. That's a deep cut." And other times I'm like "WHY ARE YOU SUCH A SAD PANDA?"

But I'm obsessed with this video. It's not new but I only just discovered it. It's really stunning.

 

6. This astronaut, Leland Melvin, is my new hero. This is his official NASA portrait. 

This is an official portrait for astronaut Leland Melvin. Also, his handle is @Astro_Flow. I'm in awe. pic.twitter.com/KHWVo94mZO

— Adam Aton (@AdamAton) January 28, 2015

 I could never do better than this. 

Throwback Thursday - Childhood Pets

Recently, I was reminiscing with friend and fellow blogger, Lindsay, about our childhood pets. We both grew up with Golden Retrievers and she also has one now, who's been a protective big sister to Lindsay's new baby. Seriously, go look at her Instagram. It's ridiculously cute. Lookit:

 

My little G's. #josieandkona #goldensofinstagram

A photo posted by Lindsay Tredent (@ltsurf) on Jan 14, 2015 at 7:43pm PST

But actually, before we had our Golden Retriever, our family had a German Shepherd, Misty. I loved her a lot and my mom found some old pictures for me.

She was my partner in crime. 

And I can't even write more than that because I still get all ridiculous and teary when I think about her. 

But comment and tell me about your wonderful family pet! Tweet a pic to me at @AmandaJoy - I love animal photos! 

A Moment for Fabulous Fashion

I've been enjoying every moment since Eloquii returned with a resounding BANG!

Their newest collection is no exception. In fact, it may be my favorite Eloquii unveiling so far. It's filled with abstract prints, stripes and bright colors - all things I normally avoid but can't help but love somehow in these pieces. I am especially eyeing the pieces that can be pulled out as separates and worn with things I already own.

Have a look at some of the highlights and let me know which is your fave!

Amiright? Pretty fab looks here. There's more to come! 

An aside -- they're touting "nothing is over $200" which I guess in this day and age is a fair selling point but I'm a little more pliant at the "under $100" range. ;)

For Valentine's Day, Get a Mediocre Shoulder Rub (Giveaway!)

A romantic dinner by candlelight. A dozen, long stem red roses. Designer chocolates and silky lingerie.

Nonsense, I tell you. If you need a gift that says "I love you" this Valentine's Day, I recommend scrubbing the bathroom and vacuuming the family room. Say "be mine" by relinquishing control of the remote control. 

And it's so easy to do now because the geniuses who just gave us the Hillary Clinton Coloring Book have issued this gem of a gift: "Good for One Mediocre Shoulder Rub: Considerate Coupons for Couples." Merely $7.95 on Amazon.

Running the gamut from sweet and unique (“Redeem for a high-school style make-out session”) to realistically hilarious (“Redeem for 30 seconds of my undivided attention”), “Good for One Mediocre Shoulder Rub” is a charming, funny, and original compilation of real-life love coupons. 

Why pout and  send your loved one on a massive guilt trip when you can simply swap a coupon for their love and devotion?

Hate the wife's cooking and dying for a slice of pizza? No more! Send this her way. Subtle and charming, yes?

But let's get really romantic. Pull that tray up to your favorite sofa seat, turn up the tube and DO NOT TALK TO ME FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. 

And you can't even be mad about it. Because this:

Everyone loves little "stocking stuffer" items on Valentine's Day. This is the perfect gift to leave on someone's pillow, desk, breakfast placemat, car seat... It's awesome because there are definitely some genuine coupons in here but plenty to make you laugh. And if you can't laugh with your main squeeze, who can you laigh with, amiright? 

Again, it's available on Amazon for just $7.95 and what's more, you can enter to win one below! GOOD LUCK, love birds! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All the Sports Teams, All the Sizes

Ok, guys, time to get real.  We are almost three weeks away from Major League Baseball Spring Training and I need some new team swag. (This begs the question, “who doesn’t need more swag?”)

Oh sure, Derek Jeter’s gone and retired on me, and I’m pretty devastated (have I even recovered from Mariano Rivera leaving? Jorge Posada?) But the game goes on and someday, I promise my team will rise to the top again, because that’s what they do.

But anyway, back to the team swag, which is a challenge to find when you’re a big girl like me. And I know I’m not the only sports fan out there struggling with this so I did some recognizance and landed on Majestic Athletic. Originally founded in 1976, they are an “on-field partner” of the MLB (for 30 years now!)  So you can score official game jerseys (I’m a snob, I like them to be official), official replicas and other gear for major league teams, in a wide array of sizes.

Even though I’m a giant baseball fan, you will also find lots and lots of sports apparel there. NHL apparel and NFL gear included. I mean, I’ve heard there’s kind of a big football game coming up so this is some good timing. Perhaps some despondent Seattle and New England fans need new shirts…. I’m just sayin’.

 

I think what I especially love is the selection of older jerseys. I mean, try these names on for size. MANTLE, DIMAGGIO, MATTINGLY. Nothing wrong with a classic!

Your other option is a custom baseball jersey – if you’re the person who likes your own last name on it. Personally, I like to wear the players, though.  And while I’m at it, you will also find just general athletic wear here, still up to bigger sizes. The size inclusion – I cannot stress this enough – is what makes me a loyal customer with any online apparel retailer.

For all of this and more, have a look at their website. You’ll find them on Facebook, where they often announce sales, and you can also follow them on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. 

GO TEAM GO!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post but never fear – the bias is all mine. No one comes between me and my Yankees.

Another Friday Teaches Us The Internet is a Wondrous Place

I was listening to an older Nerdist podcast, with Topher Grace (confession: I absolutely love him), and I latched onto something Chris Hardwick said. He talked about how when you're first starting out, you take the work you can get because you need to survive, but as you come into your own, you reach out for things you are more passionate about; things that really drive and inspire you. 

He was speaking in relation to the entertainment industry but it really resonated with me. I can't get that out of my head now and it's got me thinking up all kinds of ideas. And you know no good ever comes from that! ;) 

Did y'all have a great week? Here are some internet stuffs to make it even better:

1. Did you know I have a weird crush on Tom Felton (Harry Potter's Draco Malfoy)? This tweet from him cracked me up and the response from Potter author JK Rowling makes it even better:

2. I've probably watched the Dover PD Taylor Swift lip sync video 73 times now. It makes me smile so much. I know I've already shred it with you, but tough - here it is again.

3. Here are 21 puppies who haven't grown into their paws yet. WARNING: It's a lot of cute. Brace yourselves.

4. Chris Pratt and Chris Evans made a bet over Twitter for the Super Bowl. The outcome has one of them doing something pretty awesome for charity, which is pretty nice, but I think this is the best part:

5. Country singer Thomas Rhett made a cover of Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man" and I kinda dig it. 

6. I wrote a post for my company's blog about - what else? Blogging. It's pretty great, if you ask me. 

Stay tuned! I have a cute giveaway for Valentine's Day next week -- you'll love it! 

So You Think You Can Dance... Dance... Dance... in LA soon!

Where are the other "So You Think You Can Dance" fans?! 

I'm not really a fan. I'm more of a FANATIC. 

After traveling through more than 60 cities, the So You Think You Can Dance Tour is coming home to Los Angeles on Wednesday, January 28th at the wonderful Nokia Theatre. It's not every day we get to see our favorite television shows brought to life this way. Seeing dance live is a heart-stopper and this is a stunning group of dancers. 

Every time Ricky and Valerie danced this season, it made my heart happy.

 

Anytime Zack and/or Valerie tap danced (two tappers made the top four!), I held my breath.

 

Anytime Tanisha or Rudy did anything it was everything.

 

GO SEE THE TOP 10! And the alternates! SEE IT ALL! Go because - sniff, sniff - I can't, and I need you to tell me all about it! 

TICKETS start at just $37.95 - click here. But if you're a true believer like me, you're gonna want to check out the VIP TICKETS, which include premium parking, priority check-in, pre-show food and (some alcoholic) beverages, VIP lounge and restroom access, are not bad at $160 - click here.

Ugh, I simply cannot wait for next season to start! New twists and turns are in store! 

Disclosure: I didn't get a damned thing for this post. I can't go to the concert the night it's in town - I have a work commitment - so I didn't even ask for anything. It's my favorite show and I was delighted to post about it. That is all. 

This #Menday is Guaranteed to Make You Smile

Don't fight it. 

Give into the power of T-Swift. Join me.

And seriously, this video is amazing. The Dover PD has not kept it a secret that it was staged but still totally amazing. And you can't stage the sassy 'tude from Officer Jeff Davis:

  

Taylor, of course, always in tune with what's trending, tweeted about it.

LOLOLOLOL THE SASS http://t.co/54BA9ZyhBD

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) January 18, 2015

Officer Davis, a ginormous Menday salute to you, sir.