“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.”
… and from the back cover:
“Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you’d actually want to read.”
DO IT! I did, and it just might have changed my life. Or at least made my daily subway commute far more entertaining.
How to be classy during the Halloween festivities!
Darlings, hello and happy early All Hallows Eve! I know most of you probably have your costumes already, but I wanted to share a few of my fabulous suggestions with you. The trends for female costumes usually involve cheap fabric, lots of skin, and low dignity. Now, if we are going to be flitting around Manhattan with glasses of my delicious Pinot Grigio in our hands, we cannot be dressed as slutty bumblebees or trashy versions of our beloved fairy tale princesses.
Class. It. Up.
Even though it might be tempting to purchase a pre-packaged costume, where is the fun and creativity in that? How embarrassed would you be if someone showed up at a fabulous party wearing your outfit? The same goes for Halloween. Be creative ladies! Piecing together your own costume is so much more exciting and 100% uniquely you! Here are my 3 suggestions for creating your own classy Halloween costume:
Classy Costume 1: Holly Golightly
If you have never seen Breakfast at Tiffany’s, please stop reading my blog. You are not worthy, sorry darling. Audrey Hepburn is an American fashion icon and forever won my heart as Holly Golightly. One would say my personal love of little black dresses was born with my love for Audrey Hepburn. Find these 7 items, wear accordingly and your costume will be complete:
1. Your favorite LBD.
2. Strands and strands and strands…and strands of pearls!
3. A jeweled tiara.
4. High high high heeled black pumps.
5. Opera length black gloves.
6. A beautiful broach to pin somewhere amidst the pearls.
7. An extra long cigarette holder with fake cigarettes because c’mon, we know better (found in any costume shop).
Classy Costume 2: Mia Wallace
Yes, we know she overdosed on drugs in Pulp Fiction…well yeah…that’s pretty un-classy. But she did it so stylishly, who even noticed? Again, put theses pieces together and you will have a fabulous costume:
1. A black or dark brown short-haired wig with straight cut bangs.
2. A white button down shirt.
3. A black suit jacket with black wide-legged or bell-bottom slacks.
4. A FAKE cigarette.
5. Black pumps.
Classy Costume 3: Be yourself!
It is never boring to dress up and be yourself. Find your favorite cocktail or floor length dress, put on your new high heels, and give yourself a stunning red lip. Who needs costumes when we are clearly already so fabulous as ourselves? And darlings, who needs an excuse to look fabulous? Not. Me.
What are some of your costume ideas!? Share them with me and your sisters here at Middle Sister Wines! Ciao darlings and have a classy and fun All Hallows Eve :-)
Hello hello my lovelies! How many of you have ever been to a horse race!? Now, I know they may seem a little old fashioned, but these days, going to ahorse race hardly means actually watching the horse race. No, no, no, in fact, it means renting a stretch Lincoln Navigator with 24 of your best
friends, throwing on a pair of super cute wellies to battle the inevitable mud (I chose a classic J Crew pair in bright peony!), and drinking until, well, the horse race is over…except no one really knows when that is, soooo just keep drinking until the men in uniform politely ask you to leave.
Every year the socialites of New York City venture to the foreign and distant undiscovered territory of Far Hills, New Jersey for The Hunt--Steeplechase Championships. This year was no exception. We toasted each other with my oh so tasty Pinot Grigio! We laughed as people stumbled and fell into the mud! We caught small glimpses of the horses jumping over those steeple thingies! It was a fabulously exciting day. But who would I be if I posted a blog without a juicy story? Certainly not the Drama Queen :-)
So, my friend Jacqueline (senior designer for Lily Pulitzer) and I are drinking my Pinot and happily recanting the hilarious events of the day when, out of nowhere, her incredibly drunk ex-boyfriend (Greg) stumbles over. And stumbles, is being nice…it was more of a drunken stagger. Everyone knows that when wine and ex’s are mixed, the outcome is never a good one, even for innocent bystanders such as myself. He then takes it upon himself to begin berating her about how she ripped out his heart and about how she was a ‘witch’ (well, you know what he actually said). Clearly, I, being the fabulous friend that I am, was not going to tolerate this kind of crude behavior towards one of my girls.Mean, right? Jacqueline cannot be blamed for his insecurities. Grow. Up. Greg.
Well, I wish that was the end of this story, but sticking up for your friend is not always in your best interest. Especially when her ex is a blatant fool. So, he turned his wrath on me and began shouting insults that I do not care to repeat. However, without so much as flinching…I slapped him. That’s right--directly across the face. He deserved it! No one speaks to me that way, particularly when I am defending someone who I care for. Needless to say, he was stunned and well, put in his place. Like I said, no one speaks to me that way.
But I wish to end on a much more fabulously happy note so click the link below to view my Fall Fashion Outfit of the Week! And do not forget, a fabulous outfit must be paired with a fabulous glass of my Pinot Grigio for ultimate success.
All my life I’ve been a word-geek (much like Rebel Red, who can’t seem to get over correct pronunciation). My first word as a tiny little girl was “Cookie,” and the word that followed shortly was “Pocketbook” – if that gives you any idea of the person I’ve grown up to be! But my point is not that I was a ridiculously adorable child (I was), but that I was one of those kids who spoke like an adult, with crisp, clean speech. I still get made fun of for pronouncing my consonants with unusual fervor, but what can I say? I like words!
I recently came upon a book by George Lipton (Yes, the ever-mocked host of Inside The Actor’s Studio). He’s a pretty smart dude, and apparently he is a word-geek too! His coffee table book is entitled “An Exaltation of Larks” and simply lists the different words used to describe groups of things. Think “gaggle of geese” and “pod of dolphins.” I haven’t made my purchase yet so I don’t know if Lipton reaches beyond groupings of animals, but either way I thought it was pretty cool.
Which brings me to my next point! Exaltation has got to be one of my favorite words. It is beautiful to say out loud – try it! Right now. Say it. See? It’s friggin’ awesome! And the meaning is beautiful, too.
Exaltation: n. 1. a feeling or state of extreme happiness, She beams with exaltation; 2. A grouping of larks (classification of songbirds), He saw an exaltation of larks inhabiting the trees above.
This led me to explore what my favorite words are in other languages. I’d love to say that all of my favorites are as deep and lofty as “exaltation” but mostly I’ve chosen them because they are just plain fun to say. I get a kick out of the fact that one word in English could sound so ridiculous in another language. Ok. Enough blabber. Here goes:
Spanish – it’s a tie between:
“Gua Gua” – (GWA-gwa) - Mexican vernacular for “Truck.” The real word is “Camión” (kam-YOWN)
“Sacapuntas” – (saka-POON-tas) - it means pencil sharpener. But it sounds like a Native American tribe.
French
“Pamplemousse” – (pomp-lay-MOOSE) - Grapefruit!
German
“Krankenschwester” – (KRANK-en-shves-ter) - a Nurse, or more literally “sick sister.” Haha! AND it implies being cranky (kranky?), at least as far as I’m concerned.
So, do I have to say something controversial to get people to comment on these blogs? Ok then. Let’s talk – talk.
One of my recent Facebook posts displayed my indignation over people who call Italian coffee eXpresso instead of eSpresso. I even hear it from wait staff in restaurants! Grrrrrr. Well, this is just the tip of the iceberg folks. This blog is dedicated to those of us who cringe when we hear someone use the word irregardless! It’s not a word! Even worse, a friend of mine received an interoffice memo using the “word” disirregardless! WTF? It makes my ears bleed! How about the simple difference in spelling of the words there, their and they’re. This is third grade English material, dudes! And I know this will ruffle some feathers, but the word is aSk. Not aX.
My outrage is not limited to the use of poor pronunciation and vocabulary. Bad grammar and other sloppy language sends me screaming from the room too. I can’t abide hearing, “on accident” instead of “by accident.” People seriously say, “could care less” instead of “couldn’t care less.” If they could care less, well, then it’s not so bad, is it? And it’s, “for all intents and purposes” NOT “intensive purposes.”
So beware, oh faithful reader. You will be called on the carpet if I catch you mixing metaphors, using made up words or bad grammar. So there.
The Broad Summit was a retreat for a small group of internet ladies. They were invited to relax, enjoy and be pampered a little.
Friend of Middle Sister, Leslie Sbrocco, led Saturday morning’s wine education (also courtesy of Wine Sisterhood).
From the Bay Area? You may know her from PBS’s show “Check Please.” If not, you may know her from her many wine books.
The first wine we tasted was the Middle Sister Pinot Grigio – used to show aroma and clarity in a white wine.
The most impressive fact I learned was that ripe Pinot Gris grapes are colored bluish grey to light pinkish brown. They’re not the green grapes I thought they were made of. See? Learning and drinking.
Virtuous, virtuous learning.
It was an amazingly relaxing weekend and both sisters felt refreshed upon their return. Personally, I think it was the company.
So over the past few weeks I've been quite the traveling gal. That's right ladies, Middle Sister wines went on the road.
First stop was the Windy City for the Chicago Gourmet - A Celebration of Food & Wine. A two day event in Millennium Park showcasing the city's rich culinary heritage. There was food, there was wine, there were chef's running around in their white chef coats. I was even lucky enough to stand next to Fabio Viviani of Top Chef Season 5 fame. And I must say, he is even more delicious in person!
A definite trip highlight was doing lunch at Hot Doug's (Sausage Superstore and Encased Meats Emporium). I've wanted to check this place out since it was featured on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations show on the Travel Channel. Hot Doug's is dedicated to the art of "haute" dogs, a recent obsession of mine! And true to form I ordered the Fois Dog...a fois gras and sauternes duck sausage with truffle aioli, fois gras mousse and sel gris. It was heaven and worth the 20 minute cab ride from downtown Chicago!
Next stop on the tour was Atlanta to help raise money for the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta with the fundraising group Wine, Women & Shoes. The fundraiser featured a "sip and shop" wine and food tasting with premier and boutique wineries, a marketplace, fashion show and live auction. Middle Sister was of course a huge hit among the Atlanta ladies!
Drama drama everywhere without a (rain) drop to spare!
Hello, hello, hello my Pinot darlings! Did you miss me? Of course you did, but do not worry because there are plenty of stories to satiate your drama hunger! Let’s begin...
So, I was at a concert last weekend on Governor’s Island, one of my cutie patootie boy interests was performing :-), and everything started out spectacular! I, of course, brought a bottle of my Drama Queen Pinot Grigio to share with everyone backstage and we were having such a fun time until 3 events occurred in rapid succession, leading to a serious fun sponge-ing of the night:
1. It started raining. On Governor’s Island. An outdoor venue. And my new Marc Jacobs, Peep Toe Suede Booties (tell me these aren't super cute!?) did not fare well against mother nature… lets just say suede and rain do not play well together :-(
2. After running to a tent to nurse my wounded booties, I realized 2 things: a) my backstage wristband had fallen off in the turmoil and b) I had (stupidly) not worn my water proof mascara. Like I could feel any more dejected. First my feet, then my elite access and now my face!? Arrrrrrrgh!!
3. To add to this tortuous experience, during all of this commotion, I missed my cutie’s performance. I returned (after seriously schmoooooozing the bouncer - “Hello, don’t you know who I am?”) to find an obvious downgrade attempting to hit on my boy toy. Ok, let's be honest here. Even with a face full of runny mascara, I’m still an A list. C’mon honey. To quote Cher from Clueless, “AS IF!”.
Despite the fuss, this Drama Queen knows when to pout and when to, well, be fabulous. I poured a glass of my stunning Pinot Grigio, tracked down my bestie Jordan and danced, sang, and proudly smooched my boo in the rain.
Today’s lesson my darlings? Water proof your feet… and your face!
Oh and don’t forget to pick up your own bottle of delicious Middle Sister Wine! Which Middle Sister are you!? I don’t want to brag… no, that’s not true, I do want to brag. Who wouldn’t want to be me? Pinot Grigio for all!
High heels and high rain clouds,
Marise – Drama Queen Extraordinaire
The Drama Queen? Ooo I love it, it has such a good ring to it! "Marise - Drama Queen" or "Marise - Queen of the Drama." Ha, take that 'other sisters' and watch as I so clearly dominate middle sisterhood! Anyway, hello to all of my wine loving darlings! How is everyone enjoying the fall weather and more importantly the fall fashion? I wore this season's new Michael Kors Lisa Wrap Boot (So cute in brown leather!) with dark jeans and my ultimate fave Vince cardi (loves loves loves it). It was perfect outside. And don't be afraid of those heels girls, lengthen those legs and love it! But let me tell you this, I was at the Hamptons house of my girl Jordan (senior designer for Isaac Mizrahi) and this social-lowlite walked in wearing my beautiful new boots with *gasp* a button down, sheer, pink plaid shirt... I. Was. Mortified. If you are going to buy your style at k-mart, leave the boots out of it. Please end their suffering. Clearly Jordan and I had to go all Mean Girls on her and politely inform her that it was not Wednesday and she was therefore not allowed to wear pink and was thus not allowed to play with the cool kids…bu-bye now. That movie always proves to be so applicable to every day life. Ha, can't wait for the JustJared gossip column shoutout!
On to more important matters such as wine and celebrating! I must be running along, but you can catch me jetting off to Atlanta today with a glass of my Middle Sister Drama Queen Pinot Grigio in hand for Wine Women & Shoes - A Stylish Event for Well-Heeled Women: Meet the Vintners Behind the Scenes: Merlot and Manolo, Peep Toe and Pinot. I'll be learning about the fine art of wine and shoe pairing!
High heels and high spirits,
Drama Queen - Marise
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All my life I’ve been a word-geek (much like Rebel Red, who can’t seem to get over correct pronunciation). My first word as a tiny little girl was “Cookie,” and the word that followed shortly was “Pocketbook” – if that gives you any idea of the person I’ve grown up to be! But my point is not that I was a ridiculously adorable child (I was), but that I was one of those kids who spoke like an adult, with crisp, clean speech. I still get made fun of for pronouncing my consonants with unusual fervor, but what can I say? I like words!
