http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com All Articles | PowderRoomGraffiti.com en-us PowderRoomGraffiti.com Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:28:14 +0000 60 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/your-grounded-20.html As the gaggle of gadgetalia amasses in our household, I
find myself swamped with distractions on a continual basis. Is it just
consumerism or am I a girl geek It's a bit of both, but I can easily justify
my plethora of phones and cameras and laptops for work and 'memory keeping.'
]]> Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/show-me-the-foreign-money.html I'm a
planner when it comes to vacations. I search out where to go, what there
is to do, how much it will cost and the logistics of getting from place to
place - something my husband doesn't seem to take into account when he names
off the ten places he wants to see in a two-week vacation.
]]> Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/focus-on-jobs.html OK summer is over for the U.S. (and for most of the Northern
Hemisphere) and I am no longer distracted by the laziness of weekends in the
sun, at the beach or otherwise enjoying the great outdoors. No, I am back to
reality and I have to say - I am tired of this damn recession.
]]> Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/books/theyre-back.html I got really excited a few months back when I spotted on the Waterstones.com Coming Soon
list
that two authors I liked were revisiting stories
that they had written ten years ago, writing sequels in which the characters
had grown older just as their readers would have done.
Read More]]> Tue, 07 Sep 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/films/wendy-and-lucy-a-movie-with-a-surprise-ending.html Whenever visitors come to the house my dog,
Timmy, pees all over their feet. He's very generous with his bodily functions.
He is also very helpful. If you happen to be enjoying a delicious ice cream,
helsquo;ll help you eat it by taking gigantic long licks. I should have trained him
better, I know.
]]> Tue, 07 Sep 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/sunday-night-blues.html Well yesterday was the unofficial end of
summer in the U.S. For those of you not from lsquo;round these parts,' the period
between Memorial Day (last Monday in May) and Labor Day (first Monday in
September) is that time when most everyone takes things a little bit slower.
Vacations abound, 3-day weekends are the preference and there is something
about warmth and sunshine that just makes people seem a little happier and more
patient with each other.
]]> Tue, 07 Sep 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/trading-down-or-just-giving-up.html Like almost nobody
else, I don't just go to the cut price supermarkets for the frozen lobster, as
reported widely in every quality newspaper at length every time lsquo;austerity
shopping' is mentioned.
]]> Mon, 06 Sep 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/no-easy-lay.html
My friend was
off on holiday and wanted to know if I could look after her chickens. I wasn't keen.

]]> Mon, 06 Sep 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/who-killed-kevin-morrissey.html Late last month, Kevin Morrissey, aged 52, fatally shot
himself near his offices at the Virginia Quarterly Review (lsquo;VQR'),
an esteemed literary journal published by the University of Virginia (lsquo;UVa').
Authorities have since begun an investigation into Morrissey's suicide
following claims that workplace bullying contributed to his death.
Read More]]> Mon, 06 Sep 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/thats-not-really-one-for-the-sisterhood.html lsquo;Well that's one for the fucking sisterhood then isn't it' I retorted
angrily. lsquo;I do know that he's the one with the responsibilities but surely by
shagging him you're the one condoning it'
]]> Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/how-to-ensure-there-will-be-no-second-date.html First dates are always exciting -
at least when they go well. Sometimes when a first date is not ideal, should you give the guy a second chance Maybe he was
nervous, maybe he'd been fired that day, maybe he ate something bad. Or is it
just time to write him off and go back to the dating site, local bar or your
special Friend With Benefits until you meet someone new
Read More]]> Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/the-guy-spot-locating-the-cheese.html
Dear Regular Guy,


Is it true that men are genetically incapable of
finding the cheese (for example) in a small, brightly lit space - aka
the fridge Or, is it more correct to think that they open the door, see a
lot of items and think, 'I can't be arsed to look through all of this. Darling,
where is the cheese'


P.S. - I've noticed this doesn't apply when men need to find
beer.


Thanks,


Mel

]]> Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/the-reluctant-pyromaniac.html We Brits love a barbeque. Probably because
our weather is so completely crappy and geared against them. On the rare
occasions we get a nice day, it makes us feel like we're having a proper summer
(like the Americans and Aussies do) and we go into overdrive.
]]> Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/come-on-cough-up.html I've seen lots of lawyer ads on TV recently to
help people lsquo;alleviate' debt, either through personal bankruptcy or
negotiations with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). WTF I get that people
fall on hard times, and may need to take measures to get their finances under
control, but these ads are making their clients look like they've won
the Lottery, and I don't find it funny.
Read More]]> Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/shifting-emotions.html What
with the all the popularity of shape shifters these days (True Blood on HBO,
the Twilight books), I've been thinking what it would be like to actually have
the ability to change my shape.
Read More]]> Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/graffiti-artist.html
A letter to The Local Graffiti lsquo;Artist':

Thank you for your most recent visit to my
neighbourhood. You clearly enjoyed yourself enormously, judging from the sheer
volume of lsquo;work' you produced overnight. Please don't consider me forward, but
may I call you by your tagging name - Voltz
]]> Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/smokers-need-not-apply.html Health care costs are on the rise, and there are certain employers
around the country who've decided that if you're a smoker, don't even bother
filling out a job application.
]]> Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/ilove-or-ihate.html I am usually the first to admit to being a
fan of technology, a proud geek through and through, a girl who enjoys her
gadgets and the luxuries of modern living. However, the iPad is causing me some
consternation.
]]> Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/it-takes-a-village-to-raise-a-pumpkin.html Last
year, at the age of 54, I had my first vegetable garden. One of the things I
discovered was I loved growing pumpkins. It was so easy. I put them in the ground,
left them alone and voilagrave;, I had plentiful pumpkins. Okay, I thought, I'm a
pumpkin expert. I'll grow giant, exhibition size pumpkins this year. And, yes,
I'll even win first prize at the fair. After all, I've got that perfect year of
pumpkins behind me.
]]> Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/books/the-book-thief-by-markus-zusak.html I haven't read a book for pleasure since I began my English
degree four years ago. I've come out the other side, relatively unscathed, and
now find myself in the peculiar position of being able to choose my own book to
read. It was a big decision. What would the book be I resisted the urge to
read four years' worth of back issues of Heat Magazine and settled down to read
lsquo;The Book Thief' instead.
Read More]]> Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/what-is-responsible-parenting.html Thirteen year old Peter Lenz died this weekend. He was doing
what his dad described as lsquo;what he loved.' Peter was racing motorcycles
around
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the venue for the very famous auto race
The Indianapolis
500. Peter, you see, was a world champion motorcycle racer in his age
class.
But this weekend, things lined up badly for Peter. The track was slicker
than
normal due to the hot weather. When he initially crashed during a warm
up lap,
he appeared to be ok but as he waved his hands and started to stand to
make
himself more visible to other riders, another boy accidentally struck
him and
caused the injuries that resulted in his death.
Read More]]> Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/facing-up-to-forty.html I've discovered a
wonderful truth. My friends and I don't age. It's just that there are
a lot more young people around than there used to be. People who look
implausibly young to me are policemen, hospital consultants and teachers. People
my age become Prime Minister and sell companies for millions. I must,
therefore, be older than I realise.
]]> Mon, 30 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/not-worried-about.html Once in a blue moon, you'll experience a snippet of
time and think, hey, it really can't get much better than this. And, no, it
doesn't involve Italian men half my age or anything as 'Eat Pray Love' as
that.
Read More]]> Mon, 30 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/thanks-for-the-eating-disorder.html Being thin is more important than being healthy. But you
knew that already. Elizabeth Hurley, who reportedly went into seclusion eating nothing but oatcakes until she lost her baby weight, is the latest in a series of celebrities to dish out sure-to-fail dieting advice to all us civilians.
Read More]]> Mon, 30 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/moms-doing-what-with-who.html What would
you think if your 68-year-old mother told you she's getting married again Really,
not such a big deal, right I mean, it's quite common these days for older
folk to remarry when their lifelong mate passes away.
]]> Fri, 27 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/meet-jo-fazel.html It was a few years
back, not long after the birth of my first child, when I had the pleasure of
meeting Jo Fazel through the Meet-a-Mum page of a website called Netmums. Jo had invited me round to her home, and there I
sat clutching the cup of tea she had made me, when I asked her how she was
enjoying motherhood. lsquo;It's great' she replied. lsquo;I'm hoping to start my own
business and work from home. I'm researching my market but haven't had time to
do much else. I'm still supposed to be returning to work, so I'm not sure.'
Read More]]> Fri, 27 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/the-guy-spot-pruning-the-lady-garden.html
Dear Regular Guy,


My lady
garden maintenance hasn't changed much over the years. But all of this
talk of
Brazilians, landing strips and the Hitler Moustache has me wondering -
is this
something men really care about


Mary

]]> Fri, 27 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/why-walking-is-good-for-you-and-for-others.html Picture the scene. It's a baking hot, sunny
day at the beginning of July. You're by the coast and the city is full of
people sun-bathing on the beach, sitting out in beer gardens drinking ice-cold
drinks, or relaxing in the shade of their own garden enjoying a BBQ. And where
are you You're standing in the middle of a park along with thousands of other
women, the sun high in the sky and no shade in sight. You're surrounded by
stalls, stands, music and merchandise. The atmosphere is one of fun and
excitement, the crowd charged for action and waiting for something to happen.
Welcome to Cancer Research UK's Race for Life.
]]> Thu, 26 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/tourist-fatigue.html
I live in a beautiful part of the world. Surrounded
by wild woods, mountains, garrigue, rushing streams and deep blue skies...blah
blah blah...


Fists twitching yet Want to introduce a sledgehammer
to your computer No

]]> Thu, 26 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/is-topless-sunbathing-a-cultural-or-moral-issue.html I was thinking about taking a break to
Mexico later this year, so I've been doing some research on Trip Advisor and
other sites to make sure that the accommodation we are selecting is up to our
very discerning standards - i.e. cheap, clean and the booze and food is included
in the price. Some of the comments I came across about several of the hotels
surprised me. Some people, mostly Americans like me, were complaining about the
bare-breasted lsquo;European' women who sit poolside, as if warning parents not to
bring their kids to this soft-core porno set.
]]> Thu, 26 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/a-new-kind-of-breast-pocket.html I've recently discovered a wonderful new product called the Power Pouch. This little sports bra has
revamped my workout life simply by having a pocket that zips...brilliant! Did
you ever find yourself holding keys in your hand as you jog Or perhaps you
have been at the gym without a lock and found yourself stashing your cash
in the water bottle holder of your elliptical machine. When we don't bring our
pocketbooks to the gym or the park, we end up with a bunch of stuff in our
hands, and realize that perhaps it would have been simpler to just carry our
bags.
Read More]]> Wed, 25 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/perugina-chocolate-food-of-the-gods.html The medieval town of Perugia, the capital of
Umbria, in Italy, with its fortified walls, narrow streets, universities, art
academies and Etruscan and Roman history is home to Perugina Chocolate - beloved
by chocoholics around the world.
]]> Wed, 25 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/mama-and-paparazzi.html I opened my online paper the other morning to see photos of
Romeo, Brooklyn and Cruz Beckham annoying Posh Spice. The photos showed the
boys monkeying about without seatbelts in their car and Posh's face contorted in
that lsquo;would you all bloody behave or so help me...' face that all parents wear on
a weekly basis. What was the purpose to me seeing these photos Was it to show
Posh is just another harassed mum like us
]]> Wed, 25 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/films/who-is-evelyn-salt.html The latest blockbuster action movie to hit
the screens is lsquo;Salt' - a fast-paced espionage thriller in which the glamorous
Angelina Jolie plays the elusive Evelyn Salt. Salt is a CIA agent who is
accused of being a Russian spy and is consequently hunted down by her own
people. It follows along the lines of a typical Mission Impossible-type film -
numerous action sequences and a plot that keeps you guessing till the end.
]]> Tue, 24 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/books/moore-please.html I tend to be an introvert. I'm not going to be the
person starting up a conversation at the bus stop or in line at the grocery
store. I'm the person you want to sit next to on the plane because I won't be
pestering you the entire flight with inane blather. Other than my new
favorite pair of bright pink shoes, I don't like to draw attention to
myself.
]]> Tue, 24 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/the-n-word.html Here we go again America. Another crazy
cracker spewing the lsquo;N-word' and setting off a debate as to whether or not the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should ban it from the public airwaves.
]]> Tue, 24 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/ambition-is-a-funny-thing.html I'm not sure when my children grew up
because it certainly wasn't when I was watching. One day I'm stashing nappy
cream in the bathroom cabinet because we may still need it lsquo;one day,' the next
I'm helping to choose spot cream, razors and leg wax.
]]> Mon, 23 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/getting-a-rise-out-of-the-daughter.html I know, theoretically, that I should be a
better and bigger person than this but sometimes I cannot help myself. Once in a while, a tempting occasion arises,
which affords one the opportunity to exact some revenge. A little sweet revenge
or a lot, it doesn't matter. It's the beauty of the moment that presents
itself, and you just have to take advantage of it. Carpe diem.
]]> Mon, 23 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/having-unprotected-sex-with-hiv.html
A member of
German girl band No Angels is facing imprisonment in Germany because she knowingly infected a man
with HIV.


It's mortifying
to think a human being is capable of ruining and possibly prematurely ending a
life in such an intimate way, so it looks like the punishment is justified. One
man is known to have been infected with HIV, while two of her other partners
have not, but the charges are grievous bodily harm and attempted bodily harm.

Read More]]> Mon, 23 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/when-friends-are-your-family.html According
to experts on the subject of happiness, spending time with family makes us
happier. It might sound like a simple and obvious statement, but I'm willing to
bet that a fair few households (my own included) would tell us otherwise come
Christmas Day and family holidays.
]]> Fri, 20 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/vodka-with-a-twist-of-knickers.html While skimming Google news this week, I came across a
headline that almost sounded like a joke upon first read: lsquo;Van Gogh Vodka Gets
Women's Knickers in a Twist.' Apparently, Van Gogh Vodka, which I had not previously heard of, has launched a
new ad campaign directed at the lsquo;post-Sex amp; the City' women who go out for
Ladies' Night with their girlfriends and drink Cosmos and other vodka-based
cocktails.
Read More]]> Fri, 20 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/add-vs-hsp-too-many-letters-for-a-relationship.html A few months ago, I wrote about dating Matthew, my polar
opposite, and how it ended just shy of a
commitment. To a mental institution, that is. What started out as a breath of
fresh air for both of us quickly turned into lsquo;Fight Club'
- without the benefit of A-list stars or David Fincher's direction. We
did, however, have a surprise twist to our ending, just when I thought the
story was over, although rest assured, it does not involve split personalities.
Read More]]> Fri, 20 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/get-it/weekend-with-a-friend.html


Dear Regular Guy,


My husband and I have been planning a romantic getaway which
is coming up later this month. The problem is my best friend Jessica and her
husband have just split up and I would like to bring her along as she could
really use a weekend away from everything. I am not sure how to broach the
subject with my husband as I am certain he will be against it because she's a
bit of a downer at the moment. Any ideas


Annie





Dear Annie,


This, my innocent friend, is a no brainer. Unless hubby is a
closeted homosexual, not that there's anything wrong with that, he shares a
fantasy with every straight man on this planet. Oh, he'll deny it but trust the
Regular... Read More]]> Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/dispensing-pharmaceuticals-for-dummies-101.html Frankly, I'm
surprised that more people don't inadvertently kill themselves courtesy of
prescribed pharmaceuticals. There are people, called pharmacists, who go
to college for five flipping years to learn how to dispense drugs and are paid
very handsomely to do just that. Yet we flying-without-a-net or lsquo;Tag,
you're it!' caretakers of the elderly are doling out meds left and right and
praying that we haven't gotten the heart medicine confused with the poop
medicine.
]]> Thu, 19 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/you-make-me-sick.html
I have never been one to suffer from motion sickness. I have always
enjoyed travelling - be it by air, sea, train or the open road itself - or even
by camel, off-road jeep, fairground waltzer or bungee.


For no particular
reason, my more recent travels have been less water orientated, and that is why
it came as such an unpleasant surprise when I discovered my nemesis: the
catamaran.

Read More]]> Thu, 19 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/southwest-baby-snatch.html I don't know what is up with Southwest
Airlines, but they always seem to be in the middle of some passenger-related
controversy. The most recent is a little more bizarre than the Hooters' girl
who was too hot,
Kevin Smith being too fat,
and some woman being too
thin. This one involves snatching a baby out of a mother's arms and the
police meeting the plane when it landed in Albuquerque, NM.
Read More]]> Thu, 19 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/dancing-the-fandango.html I'm afraid I have become rather resentful of a
young girl dying of cancer. Or is it a spammer trying to collect as many
e-mail addresses as possible I'm not sure.
]]> Wed, 18 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/rotten-apples-or-downright-lemons.html The iPhone has been around for over three years. People rave about it, they love it, and it's supposed to be the best. I
have to mention that my techy skills are not so intense as to use apps for
everything in life, so I do not have one myself. However, I am seeing the now
constant buzz about the iPhone 4 and its shortcomings. I'm thinking; as we cost
conscious gals sometimes do, that new is not always best.
]]> Wed, 18 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/bringing-home-the-bacon-2.html Well ladies, here is the good news - over
the last several decades we have put many a crack in the glass ceiling. We are
more independent than ever, tackling the working world, mutli-tasking as executive,
wife, mother and daughter. Reminds me of that old lsquo;Enjoli' commercial from
the 80's. lsquo;I can bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan. And never, ever
let you forget you're a man...'
Read More]]> Wed, 18 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/styletude.html Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, Victoria Beckham and Michelle Obama are just
some of the names mentioned when discussing lsquo;style.' These ladies are stylish
in their own way; Marilyn unwittingly helped define the Hollywood era, although
my imagination takes me to her bathroom, her head hung over the tub and hair
dripping with bleach on an all-too-frequent basis.
]]> Tue, 17 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/films/meet-harvey.html There's nothing better than a
classic. I guess that's why they're called classics. Maybe a better statement
would be, there's nothing better than a classic with Jimmy Stewart. No,
that's not right either since Cary Grant is also quite good. How about,
there's nothing better than a classic with a giant invisible alcoholic rabbit
]]> Tue, 17 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/festival-fever.html While I'm
not usually one to eavesdrop it would be pretty difficult not to overhear the
current conversation which is top of the pops for Edinburgh residents. For once
the weather's ears needn't be burning: August's moan is that tourists have
taken over the city to soak up not (only) the rain, but the Edinburgh Festival.
]]> Tue, 17 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/i-dont-want-to-be-a-dinner-lady.html This is it. The time has come. Sixteen
years as a stay at home mum has all but bankrupted us. Unless we are going to
satisfy a long-standing curiosity to find out what a bailiff looks life, I need
a paid job and jobs for the ageing unqualified are thin on the ground.
]]> Mon, 16 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/parenting-faux-pas.html So
the tooth fairy didn't show up last night. Can you believe the nerve of that
bitch If she could have only seen the look of sadness and disappointment on my
son's face. God, I wanted to strangle her. Who could do such a horrid thing to
an innocent young boy so filled with the anticipation of reaching under his
pillow first thing in the morning, sliding his hand under to grasp that crisp
dollar bill, or shiny gold dollar coin - only to come up empty handed
]]> Mon, 16 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/vattoos.html First came vajazzling or decorative ornaments for your
coochy. Then we got the vagacial with one spa in San Francisco (it had
to be
California, right) charging $60 to clean up your naughty bits, exfoliate
it,
apply some anti-acne and freckle cream and then a lightening lotion.
Lightening
lotion for your vagina Um, ok. And if that wasn't enough, now we have
vattoos
for the princely sum of $115. OK, to be clear there aren't any buzzing
needles
endlessly poking your privates, but rather they are hand painted on,
temporary
and are applied above your actual chacha.
]]> Mon, 16 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/the-last-single-in-the-village.html I have
made a conscious decision to be single. I'm not a crazy cat lady,
I'm not a closet lesbian and I certainly haven't been put off men because of
past experiences. I just think that at this point in my life, I haven't got the
time or energy to pour into a relationship, and I don't see the point of
serious dating unless I find somebody that absolutely blows me away right from
the word go. And, it has to be said, I absolutely love it. I love the freedom
it affords and I don't stay away from the opposite sex completely - I often
have flings but never let it get too serious.
Read More]]> Fri, 13 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/doing-sixty-in-a-thirty-zone.html I'm
bumping down the beach on a four-wheel quad. The wind whips my hair off my
face, blowing it into dreadlocks. Sand gets into my eyes and nostrils. The sky
is a dark blanket filled with hundreds of shiny pinpricks.
Read More]]> Fri, 13 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/its-not-an-affliction-you-know.html Angelina
Jolie, Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, Goldie Hawn, Mya Greene...we girls have a
lot in common. All women, all mothers, all successful Hollywood actresses...
]]> Fri, 13 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/glamour-girl.html I would
love to be one of those women that can arrive at a party or nightclub in a
sparkly cloud of sexy cool. Those women who look like they live in the
pages of a fashion magazine. They survive on a diet of mints, lettuce and
vodka. Cheekbones so sharp you could cut paper with them.
]]> Thu, 12 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/ground-zero-mosque-in-nyc.html
This one's going to be short as there isn't too much
information necessary before I pose the question: What do you think


On September 11, 2001 a bunch of asshole terrorists crashed 2 planes
into the World Trade Center in Manhattan. Thousands of people were
killed, the
City was changed forever and the US has been engaged in a 'war on
terror' ever
since.

]]> Thu, 12 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/fitflips.html
The
summer shoe trends of recent years have been pretty ugly on the whole,
haven't they


Uggs
do not make you look like a boho chick 'agrave; la Sienna Miller'; more like you have
inserted your feet up a couple of lamb's backsides. You can justify wearing
them in the winter, but on a warm summer's day, as seems to be the fashion
here Incomprehensibly sweaty and icky.

]]> Thu, 12 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/mean-or-green.html I used to make a number of my own clothes; mostly dresses,
skirts and knitwear, and when my daughter was small I made many of her clothes
too. Sadly the habit diminished when I returned to full-time work, although I
still made my own curtains and continued to mend and revamp my clothes.
]]> Wed, 11 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/ms-manners.html
I'm
pretty big on manners. I don't like it when people are rude to me, so I aim to
be a generally polite and pleasant person myself.


I've
drilled our children about their pleases and thank yous, the way they make
phone calls, and of being mindful of other people when they are out and about.
It seems to have paid off; we are often complimented about our lsquo;lovely kids' -
by other parents, and acquaintances, and by restaurant staff.

]]> Wed, 11 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/hiv-50-not-me.html In the August 2010 edition of the journal lsquo;HIV Medicine,' a study was
published citing that 12.9 of newly reported cases of HIV in Western Europe
are being diagnosed in people 50 years of age and older. According to the
Journal of Sexually Transmitted Infections, a study was performed on aging
swingers with an average age of 43, and found that this population was at a
high risk for receiving and then potentially transmitting STI's into the
mainstream population. Their risk factors were right up there with the
heterosexual youth and the gay male population.
]]> Wed, 11 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/birthin-babies-in-the-loo.html After reading Lisa H's article about her obsession
with the TV show lsquo;Deliver Me,' I, too, must fess up and admit that I get
absorbed in these birthing babies shows. I am hooked on the TV show lsquo;Pregnant
and I Didn't Know It.'
Read More]]> Tue, 10 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/the-power-of-cheese.html
My
Precious. My Precious.


Like a
modern day version of Tolkien's Gollum, I lurk in the basement stroking my
Precious, turning it over to make sure it's happy, and angrily lashing out at
anyone who dares to touch it.

]]> Tue, 10 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/cosmos-rules-of-non-verbal-communication.html In September's Cosmopolitan there is an article on
non-verbal communication. It is titled, aptly enough, lsquo;Touches That Tell
Him
Everything,' and it lists a total 7 moves that will communicate your
feelings
to your man (remember, these are Cosmo's rules not mine and apparently
lesbians
are shit out of luck on this one) more than your words ever could. Well,
I read
it and I would like to revisit them with you, for your edification of
course,
and propose a few alternatives:
]]> Tue, 10 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/the-thighs-have-it.html Don't you just hate those women with thighs that
don't meet at the top You know the ones...you can actually see daylight
between
their thighs as they walk. How do they do that In all my forty-odd born
years,
I have never managed the lsquo;sky between the thighs' look. And I have
morphed in
and out of many different shapes and sizes, I can tell you. Even at my
thinnest, my thighs stubbornly refused to unglue themselves. To achieve
the
desired effect I have tried walking like John Wayne, stuffing my
knickers with miniature
bean-bags, visualisation techniques...and the net result I looked like
I'd
soiled myself.
]]> Mon, 09 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/soul-mates-or-cellmates.html My first thought when hearing of a couple who have been married
for 10 years or more is: Holy crap! How do you not want to dig a tunnel out of
the house with a spoon in the middle of the night
]]> Mon, 09 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/you-go-mama.html lsquo;You go mama. I always thought that lsquo;we moms' could do a
great if not better job of picking mates for our kids.'
]]> Mon, 09 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/parenting-its-as-simple-as-abc-2.html Following on from Part One of the new set of ABCs for cool mums everywhere...

Read More]]> Fri, 06 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/from-the-outside-looking-in.html I have a friend who, for all intents and purposes,
has it all: Two very upscale homes; a successful doctor husband; more than
enough money, courtesy of her very successful husband so that she isn't
required to do the 9-to-5; three children; and the freedom to explore whatever
it is that she wants to explore. The latest explorations are into yoga and
juicing. She's big on self-help.
]]> Fri, 06 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/why-are-children-on-the-pill.html I read recently
that children as young as 11 are taking the contraceptive pill in the UK. The
statistics in last week's Sunday Times stated that more than 1000 girls aged
11-12 are on the pill, a fivefold increase in the past decade. A further
200 girls aged between 11-13 have long-term injectable contraceptive devices.
]]> Fri, 06 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/doormat-to-dominatrix-in-ten-easy-steps.html
Do you feel like your family takes you
for granted Are you treated more as a service module than a human being these
days Has your partner stopped appreciating you

If the answer
to these questions is a heartfelt and anguished 'Yeeesssss!' it's about time
you followed the 10 Step 'Doormat to Dominatrix' plan.
]]> Thu, 05 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/motherdaughter.html Like most teens I had a terrible time getting along with my
parents - my mother in particular. We saw the world differently. I saw it as
something fun; something to be explored; something that created adventure. I
saw it as a place where, if I was smart, hard-working and diligent, I could be
successful.
]]> Thu, 05 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/poop-funnyside-up.html Fart.
Poop. Underpants. I'm betting right now you might be chuckling. Or at least you
have a smile on your face. Because according to any kid under 5, those are
some of the funniest words in the English language. And let's face it; we all
have a bit of lsquo;kid' left in us. Men probably more so than women.
]]> Thu, 05 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/html-seowtf.html
One of the things I have learnt in my life
is not to exceed my ability. Whilst this is a valuable lesson and something
positive that I can attribute to getting older, it is, sadly, also something I
consistently ignore. The whole time.


I know I am not able to run 10km without
passing out, but inexplicably I sign up to do a 10km run. I know I will never
have the patience to be Supernanny, but I persevere with the naughty step. And
most recently, I know I shouldn't mess with the witchcraft also known as
technology but I do.

]]> Wed, 04 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/despicable-me.html
'I think there
should be a worldwide law, in my opinion, that mothers should breastfeed their
babies for six months.'


I know the breast versus bottle debate gets heated once in a while, and some
mothers probably secretly agree, but to actually say this in the media



Read More]]> Wed, 04 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/sick-of-your-big-butt-theres-an-app-for-that.html
Knowing I
didn't want to feel like the proverbial Fat American while ruin-gawking in Rome
or lounging on the beach in Sicily, I realised I needed to shed some pounds
before boarding the plane to Italy in September.


I'm not exactly chubby, but
too much time with fitness magazines and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues
doesn't make me jump for joy at the sight of my cellulite. And knowing the
Italian addiction to all things gorgeous and fashionable, I'd like to not
frighten any of the locals.

Read More]]> Wed, 04 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/yellow-fever.html lsquo;Yellow fever' Definition: Expat slang. A
horrid, very politically incorrect expression for the common condition of a
Western man fancying Asian women.
]]> Tue, 03 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/an-unusual-wedding-present.html
Did you see this open letter by Andrew Cohen, legal analyst at the online newspaper lsquo;Politics Daily'


Cohen wrote the column in honor of his ex-girlfriend,
on the day she was marrying another man. He describes the letter as the lsquo;the
present I send her' on her wedding day. In his introduction, he tells Internet
readers the world over that he lsquo;showered her with as much love as I could
muster' and then he goes on to tell her, and all of us, what was just so
special about this woman.

Read More]]> Tue, 03 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/books/-9.html Fear is a big theme in my life lately. I mean, when is it not,
right But it's even more so now, as I attempt to launch my own professional
organizing business, expand my freelance writing career, embark upon a
relationship and dash my fear of intimacy once and for all. No small
potatoes, huh Fear is to be expected in instances like these. True, but being
so fearful that you don't actually do anything is a whole other bag of spuds.
]]> Tue, 03 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/well-always-be-together-wha-ooh-yeah.html I
was looking forward to my 20-year college reunion very much. It would be the
first time for ages that I could sit down for an entire four course meal
without having to get up for wipes, refills of drinks, dropped food or anything
else. I was also looking forward to seeing members of my matriculation year,
although I was hard pressed to remember who they were.
Read More]]> Mon, 02 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/ole-to-banning-bullfighting.html The recent ban on bullfighting in
Catalonia was based on animal welfare grounds. However, those against
the ban state that the reasons are actually political. They believe that the
ban on bullfighting is simply a means for Catalonia to show Spain how different
it is, and how one day they may actually acquire full independence from Spain.
]]> Mon, 02 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/more-or-less.html
I'm an approximate type of person. I believe in
approximations of numbers, of not being accurately accurate. Numbers bother me.


I'll never get a job as a carpenter nor a bank cashier,
that's for sure. I wouldn't hire me. Imagine a client asking for
their bank account balance. I'd be answering, lsquo;Well, more or less, $2,500. Sort
of, that is, give or take a few dollars, I think.' I'd be cutting wood after
measuring it using my fingers and get a rough idea of how long the piece should
be. If you cut it big enough then you can always trim it, that's my philosophy.
How much has to be trimmed Just a teeny wee bit, that's all.

]]> Mon, 02 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/parenting-its-as-simple-as-abc.html A is for Arguments. Easily
handled with a touch of tact and diplomacy, listening and taking on board that
small person's point of view. Alternatively I find the stock answer of lsquo;Don't
Argue With Your Mother' covers most bases.
Read More]]> Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/savoring-the-moment.html lsquo;Slow down,' my
body tells me every day in many different ways. Aches I never had make me take
just a little longer to do everything as I head to the far side of my fifties.
But there is no need for my body to teach me this lesson. I've learned to
slow down, to savor the moment and cling to the joy of the everyday.
]]> Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/little-pink-pill.html There has been a fair bit of talk in the
last few weeks about peri-menopausal and menopausal women, their libido
and the
drug Flibanserin, aka the little lsquo;pink pill.' It seems the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) in the US has some concerns about whether or not
the pill
works to increase the female libido and whether the side effects, which
include fainting, depression, fatigue and sedation (who doesn't have
several
of those things happen to them now anyway) outweigh the benefits it
provides.
Read More]]> Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/am-i-too-old-to-be-on-a-trend.html I think I have finally fallen in love with fashion. And I wonder if I
perhaps rather missed the boat It has taken me a long, long time to
learn, but the gradual rise and fall of the trends with each passing
season has finally caught my attention and intrigue. I recently realised that I
am enjoying building a staple wardrobe of classic key pieces which I enhance
with OTM (of the moment) high street seasonal items and accessories, as much as
I am enjoying creating a beautiful home for my family.
]]> Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/when-internal-thermostats-are-polar-opposites.html Living with someone whose internal
thermostat is way different from yours is ... challenging. I'm an old hand at
this point when it comes to hot flashes and night sweats but that doesn't mean
that I like them anymore than when they first appeared and struck me unawares.
]]> Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/obamas-race-to-the-top-education-initiative.html
On the face
of it, Obama's lsquo;Race
to
the Top' education initiative looks great. As the government web
site
states,


lsquo;Awards...will
go to States that are leading the way with ambitious yet achievable
plans for
implementing coherent, compelling, and comprehensive education reform.
.....winners
will help trail-blaze effective reforms and provide examples for States
and
local school districts throughout the country to follow as they too are
hard at
work on reforms that can transform our schools for decades to come.'

Read More]]> Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/let-me-through.html My daughter
and I are driving along when a pedestrian appears, two cars ahead. He looks to
be executing a perfect side dive, like a goalkeeper attempting a tricky save. I
wonder vaguely why he's chosen the middle of the road for his performance.
]]> Wed, 28 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/fat-versus-skinny-in-the-skies.html The Sacramento
Bee ran a story earlier this month about a
woman who was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight going from Las
Vegas to
Sacramento. The woman, who is a frequent business flyer, had agreed to
pay full
fare in order to be able to go standby on the flight and she was given
the last
seat. As soon as she stowed her bag and settled in a flight attendant
told her
that she would actually have to give the seat back and wait for the next
flight.
When she asked why, the flight attendant explained that a passenger who
had
just arrived and was not flying standby was obese and required 2 seats.
When
the woman complained that she had paid a higher fare just to get on the
flight,
the Southwest employee got rude... Read More]]> Wed, 28 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/-by-nook-or-by-crook.html I
thought I was living the high life last December. I got a netbook for
Christmas. I felt hip. My netbook is smaller and more powerful than my
laptop and the dang thing fits in my purse. It even has a psychedelic green
cover that makes me feel like I'm back in the 70's again. And hip. In
fact, I have a wallet filled with change and credit card receipts that weighs
more than my netbook. So much easier than lugging around a bulky laptop.
]]> Wed, 28 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/stuck-in-the-middle.html
The
word lsquo;middle' conjures up many images. Some apply to my life, others do not.


There
is the middle child. Not gushed and gooed over like the firstborn, not pampered
and spoiled like the baby, the middle child has been the subject of numerous
psychological theories. Being the oldest sibling, my odd behavior fell under a
different category.

]]> Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/family-dysfunction.html
There are two kinds of families in the world. And the types
are not functional and dysfunctional - as all families suffer from some
level of
dysfunction.


Rather, the two types of families are, 1) the loud, screamy,
confrontational kind, and 2) the quiet, stiff upper lip, stoic kind.
They both
have their pluses and minuses. Like, if you are out in public with the
first
kind it can be a bit embarrassing but they usually make great house
party
people. And the second sort are wonderful company to a museum or a play
but
theyrsquo;re not exactly the crew that you want to go see the Rolling Stones
with
(if you did that sort of thing).

]]> Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/angel-fear.html I've always loved the Sci-fi genre but I've
never really been interested in Doctor Who. If you are unversed in the ways of Doctor
Who, it's a well-known, British, Sci-fi drama. Filled with the likes of aliens,
time-travel and crazy story lines.
Read More]]> Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/bad-massages.html Bad massages are like
bad sex. One of you isn't enjoying it, whilst the other is trying their best.
The receiver ultimately ends up feeling dissatisfied, disgruntled and a little
bit in pain.
]]> Mon, 26 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/gossip-girls.html People are funny. I think most of us who participate
in online communities, write blogs, keep up with technology, stay
generally
informed, have opinions, etc., think of ourselves as well rounded women
(or
maybe that is just me).
]]> Mon, 26 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/shopping-listless.html My 6-year-old is riding the trolley like a sleigh, jack-kniving into old matrons and
hippies with democratic malice. In the car on the way here, he wolfed a banana
and a carton of chocolate milk...and now it's payback time.
]]> Mon, 26 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/mothers-of-many.html As Julie welcomes me into her home, I
notice the sweet smell of baking. This immediately confirms my
suspicions about
women with five children; they are all-nurturing, all-baking superwomen.
I ask
Julie what she has made and she reaches into a kitchen cupboard. lsquo;I
saved one
to show you,' she says, laughing. I am looking at a perfectly formed,
perfectly
black, croissant. Julie explains that in the morning madness she set off
on the
school run leaving the croissants that were meant for breakfast, in the
oven. Ah
good, order restored.
]]> Fri, 23 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/the-first-date-of-the-rest-of-your-life.html After many months of requests from my close
friend, I reluctantly agreed to join a Dating Website. Joining the site
turned
out to be a fairly painless process, in part because my friend
practically
created the profile for me.
]]> Fri, 23 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/television-the-new-enabler.html
So Lindsay Lohan's spending a few weeks in
the slammer. Judging by the ongoing media frenzy, this could be the
boost her
career desperately needs.


Who can forget the paparazzi event that
Paris
Hilton's incarceration became in July 2007 After attending the MTV
Movie Awards Hilton was whisked off to the Century Regional Detention
Center in
LA, presumably changing into the required orange jumpsuit on the way.

Read More]]> Fri, 23 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/misery-loves-company.html I have a
friend who has struggled with weight issues all of her life. She is very
good
at getting rid of the pounds but not so good at keeping them off. I have
seen
her lose the same 35 pounds time and time again and, in the blink of an
eye,
it's back.
]]> Thu, 22 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/peer-pressure-calorie-fest.html What is with the skinny peer pressure OK, let me clarify.
What is with skinny people putting peer pressure on other people to eat
things
that are totally unhealthy or fattening Let me set the scene. I was
having
dinner with a friend the other night. A friend who couldn't gain a pound
if she
tied dumbbells to her waist. When discussing where to eat, I suggested
this
place that, albeit a bit boring, serves a really nice wild salmon that I
just
love. I could hear my friend's eyes roll as she texted me back - quot;How
about
Mexicanquot; Ugh - fat city. I, of course, agreed.
]]> Thu, 22 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/invasion-of-men-in-shorts.html Something is
afoot. This normally sleepy backwater in the Pyrenees is suddenly
buzzing with
activity. We are in the midst of another heatwave, and most sensible
people are
to be found inside their cool dark houses, shuttered away from the
blistering
sun.
]]> Thu, 22 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/the-dangers-of-addiction-to-ebay.html There are
precisely 3 minutes and 20 seconds left. Your heart is racing, your
palms are
sweaty and the rest of the world has ceased to exist. Family and friends
know
better than to disturb you at this crucial moment; they've done this
before,
and with dire consequences. You watch the clock ticking down, constantly
refreshing the page as this much longed for item becomes closer and
closer to a
reality.
]]> Wed, 21 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/the-pasta-machine.html Many
loyal PowderRoomGraffiti readers will have figured out my crazy
addiction to
the latest tech gadgets from iPods to Priuses (if a car can be
considered a
gadget) to netbooks and Nintendos. If it can hold way more music than
I'll
even remember I own or can play a silly video game it must be mine (if
it can
do both I'll be pacing frantically until I can get my hands on one).
Read More]]> Wed, 21 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/chipmunk-appreciation-society.html
Have I finally reached that age The age
when the music of younger people, is incredibly annoying


In my youth I heard my parents and their
peers complain about the music young folk listen to. Now I find myself
doing
the very same thing. This age-related complaint has been activated by
the
teenagers that listen to Dance music, overlaid with singing chipmunks.

]]> Wed, 21 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/films/under-the-same-moon.html I often find myself following people. When I'm in a
supermarket and I hear people speaking in Spanish I lsquo;surreptitiously'
slide
over behind them. They could be on another aisle and I still follow
them. On
occasion I have even been known to accidentally on purpose drop
something so
that they will turn round and we can strike up a conversation.
]]> Tue, 20 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/books/dangerous-liaisons-by-laclos.html Don't you just hate it
when a good relationship goes sour When insecurity creeps in where once
you trusted each other implicitly When it's impossible to communicate
in a
neutral tone of voice Or have you experienced the wretchedness of
giving up
something you value highly for someone you love, only to find that they
weren't
worthy of your sacrifice Perhaps you've fallen for someone, your first
truly passionate love, to find they were only interested in conquering
you Or
have you found yourself surprisingly disappointed when a lsquo;friend' starts
dating
someone, even though you are lsquo;just friends'
]]> Tue, 20 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/the-digital-drug.html More strange news from Oklahoma. A news report on lsquo;iDosing,' the
supposed rise of digital drugs,
has been kicking around the internet this week with headlines that read,
somewhat ridiculously, 'iDosing
and digital drugs - can your kids really get high without
narcotics' Apparently, kids in OK are becoming regular digital drug users, or
lsquo;iDosers.'
Many have been caught by their parents in dark rooms, listening to their
iPods,
getting 'high' or so it would seem.
Read More]]> Tue, 20 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/teenage-bedroom-syndrome.html I recall listening to a friend talk many
years ago about having teenage children. She made it sound like a
disease. At
the time, up to my eyelids in toddler tantrums and dirty nappies, I
confess I
couldn't really see her problem. But several years down the line, I'm
starting
to feel ill.
]]> Mon, 19 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/safe-tanning-my-foot.html
Last
week in the UK, a young girl returned from holidaying in Portugal
sporting
horrific
blisters on her chest and arms, described in the media as an
lsquo;allergic
reaction.'


Phoebe Richards admitted to sun-bathing for about five
hours
per day in temperatures of 100f/38c.

Read More]]> Mon, 19 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/sexual-harassment-is-alive-and-not-so-well.html If you're like me, you've fallen hard for the AMC surprise
hit show 'Mad Men.' However, you might sit back and watch the
flagrant
sexual harassment and think lsquo;Wow, thank God those days are over.' Let me
tell
you - as hard as it is to believe - sexual harassment is still prevalent
in the
workforce. It might be a little less in-your-face, but it's there
regardless.
]]> Mon, 19 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/kates-dates-part-thirteen.html Sometimes when I look back at my life one
year ago and my shenanigans with Porsche Man I can only sit back and
think to
myself...for the love of God, WHAT WAS I THINKING
]]> Fri, 16 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/will-the-real-mrs-james-please-stand-up.html Have
you ever noticed that there are women out there who were born to be
grown ups. They
always seem to know what they're doing; they know everything that's
going on in
the neighborhood, or at school. They usually volunteer for everything,
like
class mom, cafeteria monitor, or field trip volunteer. Everyone knows
them as
Mrs. So and So. They seem to have it all together. Well I'm embarrassed
to
admit that I am not one of those women. I'm not sure if I ever will be.
But I
find the older I get, the more I covet the skills required to fill those
shoes.
]]> Fri, 16 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/the-upside-of-the-mel-gibson-abuse-tapes.html Have you listened to the Mel Gibson tapes that have come out
over the course of the past week I warn you now, that if you do, it may
make
you sick. It literally turned my stomach over as I listened to them. I
am the
product of a tumultuous youth and one failed marriage and before I heard
these
tapes, I would have even said a slightly abusive marriage. Verbally
abusive.
Psychologically abusive. And, sometimes, I can admit in retrospect, that
it
went both ways and that I was not always a prize.
]]> Fri, 16 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/if-you-can-read-this.html
At
what precise point do you realise you've turned into your mother Is it
when
you sternly tell your children to wait till their father gets home Is
it when
you forget your PIN while standing at the front of a long line at the
ATM Is
it when you stop on green and go on red

For
me it was when I realised I couldn't read newsprint - or any smallish
print -
anymore.
]]> Thu, 15 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/hair-or-lair.html I have big hair. I always have. When my kids were younger they could spot me in an auditorium by
my poofy-do. I can't even tell you how many times someone has asked me if I put
my finger in a light socket. The owner
of that remark always thinks he made it up. Please.
]]> Thu, 15 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/which-is-the-weaker-sex.html
Is there a weaker sex


I know men like to think that we are because we can't
perform the same feats of strength that a typical man can. Lift weights,
move
furniture, etc. Sure we can help, and plenty of us are plenty strong
when it
comes to muscles, but as a gender, they sort of have us beat that way.
But
then, we have that child-bearing thing that gives our gender a distinct
advantage with our ability to withstand pretty severe hardship and
trauma to
our bodies over an extended period of time and then deliver a large,
watermelon-sized human through our otherwise dainty vajayjay and be back
on our
feet (a small episiotomy in tow) within a couple of days. If you ask me,
that
is not weak.

]]> Thu, 15 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/meat-is-murder.html There was silence
at the table as my vegetarian son pleaded with his omnivorous granddad for some
Cumberland sausage. The grandparents looked worried. They were caught between a sausage, a
daughter-in-law and a hard place. What to do
Read More]]> Wed, 14 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/grin-and-bear-it.html I went to the cemetery on Memorial Day to put
flowers on my mother's and grandparents' graves. My daughter went with me. We
took flowers that were from her friend's garden. They were lovely: Lilies and
roses.
]]> Wed, 14 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/this-postman-shouldnt-even-ring-once.html OK, this was freaky. So, we're walking through our very
quiet, suburban neighborhood this past Saturday and we ran into our old
mailman. I say our old mailman because he delivered our mail for 10
years and
then the post office changed up his assignment so that our street was no
longer
on his route. Whenever we saw Mike the Mailman, we would stop and chat.
We had
things in common. Even though he's about 20 years older than us, he
started a
second family and has the cutest twins. He's an avid skier and an
amazingly funny
storyteller. I have no idea how he actually delivers the mail each day
because
he spends so much time chatting with everyone he sees.
]]> Wed, 14 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/something-for-the-girls.html In 1909, a group of girls approached Lord
Baden-Powell (he of
the silly trousers and even sillier hat) at a Boy Scout Rally and asked
if he
would start lsquo;something for the girls.' He said he lsquo;would see' and the
following
year, the Girl Guide movement started. Asked in later years who had
started
Guides, he replied, lsquo;They started it themselves.' This year, thanks to
those
sassy kids trapped in a crap age for women, the movement celebrates its
Centenary.
Read More]]> Tue, 13 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/films/why-cant-my-holidays-be-like-this.html In
preparation for our upcoming trip to Italy, my husband and I are
bordering on
the edge of obsessive with everything Italian. My husband, who works in a
library, brings home old National
Geographic magazines with even the tiniest tidbit on the
peninsula, and
travel book after travel book even though we've got our itinerary
planned
out. We've (unfortunately) watched nearly every Rick
Steves
video on Italy despite the fact that his nasally voice and horrible
attire
would probably get him beat up if the camera crew wasn't there.
Read More]]> Tue, 13 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/look-ma-no-help.html lsquo;Vanity
Fair' is leading with a long piece about Angelina Jolie this month. There's a lot of chat about the ever-expanding brood and a curious line
from
the writer - lsquo;Jolie and Pitt, who are
helped, of course, but no one knows just how much - in this world, the
struts
and supports, the nannies and maids, remain hidden....'
]]> Tue, 13 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/fake-cake-bake.html Once again, I have fallen into one of the
traps that lie in wait for unsuspecting outsiders. I feel like the
victim of a
confidence trick. I'm not sure I will ever understand the French and
their
lsquo;ways.'
]]> Mon, 12 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/thirteen-things-i-love-to-hate.html There are so many things that I love to
hate. But here are the top thirteen:
]]> Mon, 12 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/ugh-naked-old-people.html
Is there
a need I mean really, was it soooo bad


I'm referring of course
to back in the
day when we were teenagers in the playground, naively exchanging the
pearls of
wisdom and snippets of knowledge that we gleaned from our peers, parents
and
books - and our own experiences of course. We had no internet search
engines at
our fingertips, and as a generation we certainly hadn't been forced to
embrace
the open attitudes to sex which have been taken to an entirely new
dimension by
the U.K's Channel 4 show 'Sex
Education: Am I
normal'


Read More]]> Mon, 12 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/neither-here-nor-there.html My mother is in between - often lsquo;there,'
though not permanently (yet) and sometimes lsquo;here,' though not reliably
so.
Yesterday, for instance, after I'd hugged her goodbye, she held me at
arm's
length, looked at me, wide-eyed and childlike, and said, lsquo;Before you go,
will
you tell me who all these other people in the house are' She lives with
several others in the lsquo;in between' she inhabits. There's George. There's
her
husband. There's lsquo;the man who is the father of my children - you must be
one'
(she tells me). And there's lsquo;the man who cares for us.' In addition,
there's
the man who lsquo;helps her with buttons and hooks,' and there's the man who
lsquo;knows
everything about...]]> Fri, 09 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/the-shit-my-dad-says.html There is a
new TV show in America called lsquo;Sht
My Dad Says,' which is based on a
Twitter feed that a son wrote about his father and, of course, the
shit that he
says on a daily basis. The old guy's comments are pretty
hilarious but they are
also pretty damned foul and nasty at times. You chuckle and then you
cringe.
Read More]]> Fri, 09 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/iran-the-fashion-mecca.html Iran did something this week to advance culture and civility
in the 21st century and they should be recognized. I mean
hell, we
are so quick to pounce on them when they ignore international laws and
treaties
or call for the obliteration of entire nations that I feel we should be
equally
eager to give them their due when they do something that is good for
everyone.
]]> Fri, 09 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/living-in-fear-of-breast-cancer.html In the natural order of life, it's normal
to bury your parents. Yet it wasn't very normal to be at my mum's
funeral when
she was 42 and I was 14.
]]> Thu, 08 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/to-porn-or-not-to-porn.html This topic has so many permutations that I want to be very
clear what I'm talking about here. I am not talking about anything that
remotely involves, resembles, or touches on children, teenagers, or involves
harm to another person in any fashion, nor am I addressing the subject of
addiction to pornography. Are we
clear All right then...
]]> Thu, 08 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/its-dog-eat-dog-for-animal-abusers.html We have something in the US called the lsquo;Sex Offenders
Registry' or some derivative of that, depending on which state you live
in. The
point of the registry is to create a database of all convicted and
released sex
offenders, including where they live, so that the community is aware
that there
is a sex offender among them and can take the appropriate precautions.
I, of
course, would be willing to sign a referendum changing the name of it to
lsquo;The
Names and Addresses of the Lowlife Scumbag Cretins who are a Threat to
You and
Your Children Registry,' but I totally understand that this name is a
bit
wordy.
]]> Thu, 08 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/owl-balloon.html I
once lived in a house where the roof-top was plagued by hordes
of enthusiastic pigeons. Each morning I'd awake to the delicate (ahem)
sound of
the dawn chorus whose only singers were of the pigeon variety. Pigeons
are not
really known for their beautiful singing voices so waking up in this way
was
not my preferred choice of alarm call. (Rampant drum banging would have
been
better.) The pigeons also sang in the afternoon and during the evening,
just as
the light of day began to fade. As I say, they were enthusiastic but
very
unwelcome roof-top guests.
]]> Wed, 07 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/too-close-for-comfort.html The grand old dame of British soap operas,
'Coronation Street'
celebrates her fiftieth birthday
this year. And guess what thoughtless gift the programme makers have
seen fit
to give her
Read More]]> Wed, 07 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/financial-independence-day.html I was at a party this weekend to celebrate
Independence Day in the US. There was an eclectic crowd of couples,
older folk
and some children. The food was good, there was plenty to drink and the
conversations were far ranging. At one point a group of us found
ourselves
sitting around a table. Some of us were moms, some of us childless and a
couple
were grandmothers.
]]> Wed, 07 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/to-be-discontinued.html I can kill any trend. Once I catch on,
there is something about me that automatically bestows the kiss of death. Could
it be that I am simply behind the times and only discover things when their day
is over and the rest of the world is moving on Or do I have a special gift
Could I market this ability by hiring myself out to a company, and then showing
interest in their closest rival's products - thereby finishing them off forever
]]> Tue, 06 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/madonna-and-child.html Like many
celebrities who have TV to thank for their rise to fame, riches and
glory,
Madonna is known to have banned TV in her house since eldest child
Lourdes was
sprung from her loins. Not for her brood the pedestrian comforts of the
lowly
masses; Madonna's children presumably while away their time in more
cerebral or
artistic pursuits - like business management and fashion
blogging at the tender
age of 13.
Read More]]> Tue, 06 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/books/an-irreverent-curiosity.html My
husband and I are journeying to Italy this September so I've gone obsessive for
all things Italian. It's not to say I haven't always carried a magnetic
attraction to the country. I prefer the Giro d'Italia over the Tour de
France (but will drool over Ivan Basso in either), I've seen lsquo;Roman Holiday'
over and over and over again, and my taste buds crave gelato and tiramisu more
than cake and ice cream.
Read More]]> Tue, 06 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/pre-nup-bone-up.html In these modern times, everything is a deal. No
matter what the transaction, each move we make is scrutinised for its
commercial potential. And if the obsession is not about making money,
then it's
about keeping hold of the dosh we already have.
]]> Mon, 05 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/evolution-of-the-tupperware-party.html It doesn't seem so long ago that my mom
would venture out on a Saturday night to a relative's house and come back armed
with containers and lids of varying sizes in matching retro 70s colors. That was
my first experience with a lsquo;home party' and boy has that concept taken off in
recent years.
]]> Mon, 05 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/honey-its-time-to-accept-it.html I am slowly coming to a realization: we are
never going to get over the financial slump my family has found itself
in. We
are always going to be poor. OK. Let me rephrase. Maybe we are not going
to
always lsquo;be poor, really poor,' like Oliver Twist poor, but we are most
likely never going to be rich, like David Beckham rich, and I need to
start
acting like a poor person, which means spending money like a poor
person.
]]> Mon, 05 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/meet-julia-and-malcolm-donaldson.html Julia
and Malcolm Donaldson are sitting
opposite me in a noisy cafe in the Montmartre district of Paris. As
Julia tells
me about lsquo;Zog' her latest book with illustrator Axel Scheffler,
Malcolm's eyes
begin to twinkle. He turns to Julia, lsquo;Can we tell Mel about the
picture' Julia
chuckles naughtily, lsquo;You can!'
]]> Fri, 02 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/that-was-then-this-is-now.html When I was looking for my first job out of
university back
in 1984, I heard about an opening at a prestigious London publishing
firm. It
was an entry-level job, but an exciting prospect nonetheless. I talked
to the
hiring agency over the phone and after the usual pleasantries, the agent
asked
an unusual question: How did I feel about having my bum pinched by the
boss
Apparently he was a notorious groper.
]]> Fri, 02 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/fresh-cajones.html Have
you ever had that lsquo;not so fresh' feeling down there Have you ever
noticed it
coincides with episodes of extreme gutlessness Did you even consider
that the
two might somehow be related Neither did I, until the other day when I
came across
an ad for Summer's Eve Feminine Cleansing Cloths in a parenting
magazine.
]]> Fri, 02 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/exercising-my-womanhood.html When we want to lose weight, we do cardio. When we want to build and
tone muscle, we use weights. Apparently we can also apply the same
concept to
our privates - with surprising results!
]]> Thu, 01 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/pole-dancing-the-new-yoga.html I know
that for me, pole dancing used to conjure up images of dingy clubs,
ultra-skinny women in G-strings, and fat, balding men smoking cigars. I
had
been meaning to start some sort of exercise class for a while to
celebrate my
newly-single status and to get back into some sort of shape, but when a
friend
suggested pole dancing I must admit I was more than just a little
sceptical. It
took nearly two months, but I was finally persuaded to give it a try.
]]> Thu, 01 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/half-years-resolutions.html In honor of July 1st, that
half-way marker through the year, I would like to share with you my Top
10
Resolutions for the 2nd half of 2010.
Read More]]> Thu, 01 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/back-to-school.html Not too
long ago I was in college. Okay, it's longer than I like to think about, but
time takes on a different perspective as you age. Anyway, when I was
attending the not-so-illustrious Portland State University I paid a ridiculous
amount of tuition fees to sit in a boring lecture room, bust my butt scribbling
out papers, and cramming my brain full of information I would later mentally
vomit out for mid-terms and finals. Some of the more interesting stuff (about
10) I've retained. The rest Basically like buying tampons - a fair
amount of money spent on something that's useful for a bit and then becomes
refuse.
]]> Wed, 30 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/its-never-too-late-to-start.html Do you know someone who thinks that they
are too far gone to get healthy A friend or family member who has spent
too
many years not taking care of themselves - eating, drinking and maybe
smoking
their way into bad health
]]> Wed, 30 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/the-spy-who-came-to-dinner.html The big
family Christmas present this year was a Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3). The
PlayStation 2 was beginning to look very dated and the Wii was fun but didn't
have the challenging strategy games the kids want to play now they are
teenagers. This was to be the main present for the kids and as a bonus for
the adults the PS3 plays DVDs and the new Blu-ray high definition discs.
]]> Wed, 30 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/saddos-unite.html
I was
listening to a radio programme about Schumann in which the presenter sadly
extolled the tragedy of the great composer's condition:
Virtuoso-cum-champion-saddo.


lsquo;There are
very few true geniuses,' he said (and I'm paraphrasing). lsquo;And with the Yin of a
genius comes, only too often, the Yang of depression.'

]]> Tue, 29 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/books/the-law-of-lesser-pissers.html I mark my books. I pick up a highlighter pen
and I highlight the gems I want to find again. I underline; I make notes
in the margins. I make any book my own. My mother thinks I'm a complete
vandal and my partner is simply jealous. He'd love to mark his books, but
he just doesn't have the courage after all these years of keeping them
pristine. Well, each to their own. I like my books to work for me and
marking them means I can go back and read the crusty bits regularly, without
trawling through the filling.
]]> Tue, 29 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/at-least-im-carrying-my-baggage.html There are a couple of absolutes in life.
The sun'll come out tomorrow. Death and taxes are for certain. Boobs,
ass and
arms sag as you get older. Another one is that people who come out of
broken
relationships have a lot of baggage. I am one of those people and I
certainly
carry some divorce baggage. But, I dare say that men who have never been
married carry a lot of baggage too - of the crazy variety.
]]> Tue, 29 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/driving-again.html
I was sitting in a hired car, holding the
steering wheel with my sweaty hands and trying to remember what I was
supposed
to do. There was a lump in my stomach. My right
leg was stiffly pressed on the brake and my head was spinning.


I
had only been
driving the car for five minutes, when I'd got to the first roundabout.
I'd tried
to squeeze in quickly but couldn't. The car had stalled and a queue had
started to form
behind me. I could hear the impatient sound of horns.

]]> Mon, 28 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/travel-broadens-the-mind.html lsquo;It is not worthwhile to go around the world to count the cats in Zanzibar,' said the American writer Henry David Thoreau in 1854, and views on travel and travelling have varied down the years. Dr Johnson said of the the Giants' Causeway, lsquo;Worth seeing, yes; but not worth going to see.' Queen Victoria was unimpressed by accounts of her eldest son's visit to India: lsquo;Bertie's progresses lose a little interest and are very wearing - as there is such a constant repetition of elephants - trappings - jewels - illuminations and fireworks.'
]]> Mon, 28 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/parenting-the-easy-way-out.html
The basic concepts upon which you raise
children are and should be very straightforward, shouldn't they

You try and raise your kids with a good
value system. Teach them to be generous of heart and smart with money.
Teach
them to be independent yet compassionate and empathetic. Love them and
instill
in them the tools they will need to be reliable and contributing adults.
I mean
if you do those things and throw in a little potty training, plus a bit
about
how to keep yourself healthy and active, you are somewhere between a
good and a
great parent.
]]> Mon, 28 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/does-familiarity-breed-contempt.html My friend is affluent. She's married to a surgeon
and doesn't have to worry about money. She lives in a charming, rose- and
vine-covered farmhouse, tends her dogs and flowers and reads her books, while
he lives in their lake house and does doctor stuff. I don't specifically know
how far apart these two homes are but let's just say that they are not within
walking distance.
]]> Fri, 25 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/films/toy-story-3-the-warning.html I'm not going to say that Toy Story 3 wasn't a good movie,
but I am going to say it is not for children under the age of, say, 12 or 13.
Really, only parts of it are not for children under 13. Other parts are only
for adults. And even more parts aren't for any age because various scenes were
seriously disturbing. Wild-eyed, psychotic, cymbal-smacking monkeys. Need I say
more
]]> Fri, 25 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/an-apple-for-the-teacher.html Well,
it's the last week of school here in my small New York town, and before I
can
even think about a budget for my summer vacation, I first have to budget
my
contribution to the teachers retirement association.
]]> Fri, 25 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/bearded-ladies.html I have
a problem when talking to old women. It's a shameful thing to admit, but I get
distracted. Some old dear can be telling me how she single-handedly repelled a
battalion of Hitler's finest as they tried to cross the Maginot Line, but I'm not really listening. It's
because I'm looking at her chin hair.
Read More]]> Thu, 24 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/superheroes-in-bustiers.html
Faster
than a pre-ejaculate...


More
powerful than Viagra...


Able
to heave over tall buildings in a single bounce...


Look! Up in the sky!


It's
a bottle, it's a balloon... No,
it's Supertits!

]]> Thu, 24 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/restaurant-rampage.html OK, it was almost 10pm on a Monday night. We
had both worked very late. We were starving. We walked to a popular,
neighborhood
sushi place expecting to find it empty. This is the type of place where
the
tables are so tight, that only very skinny wait staff need apply - and
they
spend their entire evening walking sideways. The only remaining table
for 2 was
in a corner surrounded by another table for 2 and a table where a
Japanese
family of 5 was having a late dinner.
]]> Thu, 24 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/in-the-raw.html
The eyes seem to follow me around the
supermarket.


I move along, trying to force the image from my
mind.

Shopping finished, I escape to the safety of the
car. I drive home, to sanctuary, and a steadying cup of tea.
]]> Wed, 23 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/sex-the-sharia.html
A few
weeks ago I went to a Sex and The City (SATC) themed girls' weekend, and
although the Cosmo's tasted great, I couldn't shake the bitter taste left in my
mouth from watching the new film.


In
this sequel to the hugely successful first movie, the fab four decide to
jettison NYC for a glamorous trip to Abu Dhabi - a major Middle East city that
is part of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and ruled by Sharia law.

]]> Wed, 23 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/bunny-hops-it.html The Loire Valley. To some, it is famed for its history, landscapes,
chateaux and, er, Loire. To my youngest, it is a killing field - or flood plain
- where assorted wildlife at varying degrees of cuddliness is horrifically done
to death.
]]> Wed, 23 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/motherhood-once-removed.html I
was recently at the high school graduation of my now youngest daughter and
realized that I was in an uncomfortable position. I don't like being
uncomfortable - that puts me in the majority I believe.
]]> Tue, 22 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/the-case-of-the-house-bike.html Since about August of last year there has
been a bike in my house. Not in a garage or a shed but actually in the
house.
From my perspective, houses are meant for tables, chairs, vases but
definitely
not for bikes. There are others, who do not share this view.
]]> Tue, 22 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/manolo-blahniks-101.html Which area of study do you think would benefit a young
female business student the most: Management, computer skills, or walking in
stilettos If you answered lsquo;Stilettos'
then you might be a member of the South Thames College Governance.
Read More]]> Tue, 22 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/paradise-lost.html The holiday season is upon us again. Deep,
unbounded joy. Am I the only one who finds organising a holiday for five
so stressful By the time I've unwound at our holiday destination, whoops, it's
time to go home again - and the only reason I was so stressed in the first
place was because I was organising the damn holiday.
]]> Mon, 21 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/anyone-for-tennis.html Every year,
the rest of the world observes the British through the Wimbledon window. Is it
any wonder they think we are odd That they believe strawberries and cream are
our staple diet That they presume our pathetic Mexican Waves are an indication
of our crippling inhibition
]]> Mon, 21 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/give-me-the-money.html A woman I hardly know has just asked me to contribute to the cost of her
holiday. She wants to go cycling in China. lsquo;Some nerve!' I hear you say
and I
couldn't agree more. Perhaps I should add that she is generously giving
pound;1000
to charity and so can't afford a holiday. A little more sympathetic now
Or
perhaps I should clarify further that she is asking me to sponsor her to
do a
Charity Ride. Now I'd be pretty mean not to fork out wouldn't I
]]> Mon, 21 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/learning-to-live-in-my-body.html
It is now over a year since I had
my double mastectomy and I am still coming to terms with what a failed
reconstruction has meant for me and my relationship.

I loved my breasts, corny but true.
They were the best part of me, even after giving birth to two children over a
15 month period. They were just right and I felt comfortable in my
body. It didn't matter that I still had some mummy tummy from my
c-sections, my breasts were bigger than my tummy, so I didn't look like an
apple.
]]> Fri, 18 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/till-death-do-us-part.html Over the years, I have seen study after study
claiming to have the secrets to a long term marriage. Things like: Don't
be
afraid to fight. Compliment more than you criticize. Divorce is never an
option
(if that were true, by the way, the murder rate would skyrocket).
Marriage is a
4 letter word: g-i-v-e. Ugh.
]]> Fri, 18 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/dad-is-coming-home-now-what.html I have managed, in my semi-old age, to become
flexible, like a rubber band. Schedule Uh, not so much so. Routine Uh, maybe,
maybe not. Not only can I bend over and place my palms flat against the floor
(but not with ease, mind you, since lsquo;arthritis' is my middle name) but I
have also become mindfully and patiently flexible regarding my life.
Life takes you where it wants to. I don't see that I have much choice at times
and, really, what the hell The unexpected, the curveball, can be an adventure.
]]> Fri, 18 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/faking-it-doesnt-come-naturally.html I decided
to fake it last night. Fake tan that is. The sun had come out for more than a
few hours and I felt this mad urge to get out of trousers and jeans and wear a
skirt or maybe a dress. I must be insane. I never wear dresses. Ever. One
problem with this urge though. I needed to be a warmer colour than winter grey.
]]> Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/my-last-nerve.html It's
been seven and half years and three kids, and I cannot remember the last time I
had a moment to myself. I'm on sensory overload. It's affecting my personality,
my mood and my memory. Just recently I forgot to register my daughter for kindergarten.
Odd, considering I'm trying to gain more time to myself.
]]> Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/whooping-it-up.html There is an advert on US television at the
moment (which I cannot find anywhere online). It starts with a mother
holding a
baby in her arms. She says something like lsquo;as a mother, you think this
is the
safest place for your baby to be.' Or something like that. It
immediately rubs
you the wrong way because you think it is going down some sappy path of
promoting breast feeding until your child reaches puberty or something.
]]> Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/love-on-a-laptop.html
I met my Englishman in real life in Paris, but I grew to
love him on my laptop.


Technology has played the cupid's bow in our love story.
From e-mail, to MSN chat,
to Facebook, to telephone, to mobile phone text messages, and finally to
Skype.

Read More]]> Wed, 16 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/those-were-real-bullets.html About 10 years ago I read a book called lsquo;Those
Are Real Bullets' by British reporters Peter Pringle and Philip
Jacobson, from lsquo;The
Sunday Times.' They picked the title, to the best of my recollection,
because
they were being ironic.
]]> Wed, 16 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/so-its-come-to-this.html It's miserable
here in the Northwest. For the past month or two we've been well below
our
average high (global warming my ass) and we finished out the
month of
May at record rainfall. Cold, wet, miserable. It's sad when Alaska,
Dublin, and London are all warmer than Portland, Oregon.
]]> Wed, 16 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/making-a-song-and-dance-about-glee.html In the same way that most people have heard
of the TV programme 'Big Brother,' it's unlikely that there's anyone
around who
hasn't heard of lsquo;Glee.'
It's the story of the highs and lows of a fictional
American high-school show-choir group as they practice and prepare for
regional
and national show-choir championships.
Read More]]> Tue, 15 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/books/no-shrinking-violet.html I owe
Jane
Eyre an apology. For years I've dismissed her as Plain Jane, quite
possibly the mousiest heroine in literary history. Admittedly, that
opinion stemmed from hazy recollections of the Orson Welles film and a
partial
viewing of the recent BBC miniseries. And I probably conflated her with
the
heroine of lsquo;Rebecca,'
Daphne du Maurier's lsquo;Jane Eyre' retread (who's so
vanilla that she doesn't even get a name). So when I finally got around
to
reading this classic I was amazed to discover that Jane is actually a
grounded,
freethinking woman who demands love on her own terms.
Read More]]> Tue, 15 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/q-when-is-a-feminist-not-a-feminist.html I have seen a lot of talk about feminism recently on the
Internet and in blogs. A lot of angry talk. I have never identified
myself as a
feminist but I feel very supportive of and united with many women on the
issues
we face daily - from the right to vote to the right to control what goes
on
with our own bodies. And, I disagree with the beliefs of some of the
women who
are achieving notoriety these days for their political aspirations.
]]> Tue, 15 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/bed-buddies.html I'm unable to understand
why they - whoever lsquo;they' are - say that women can only have
un-emotional sex.
Translation: A woman has to really like a guy to sleep with him,
or if
it's a drunken accident, then the woman really wants it to develop into
something more.
]]> Mon, 14 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/opposites-attack.html They say that opposites attract, and
what a romantic idea that is. An American in Paris; I'm a little bit country,
you're a little bit rock lsquo;n' roll; sweet amp; sour pork.... But the romantic
idealism conveniently forgets Newton's Third Law of Motion which states: For
every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. So do opposites really
attract, or do they just attack
]]> Mon, 14 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/sick-of-soccer.html OK, I am one angry wife these days. And do
you know who I blame for my anger Some of you. To be more specific, I
blame
those of you who are English. And before you accuse me of being racist
towards
the English, let me state my case.
]]> Mon, 14 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/scent-off.html And so another
Football World Cup dawns. Kicking off on the 11th of June in South
Africa, we should prepare ourselves for a month of soccer saturation.
]]> Fri, 11 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/short-people.html
'Short people got no
reason. Short people got no reason. They got little bitty eyes and
little...'


Oh, never mind. Most
everyone reading this has heard that song at some point in a past life.
And if
you are vertically challenged, like me, not only did you hear that song
in the
past, but you grew to detest it, Randy Newman and any radio station that
played
it.

]]> Fri, 11 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/get-it/watching-the-world-cup-football.html
You may or may not have realised, but there
is an international football (known to you as lsquo;soccer') tournament about to
start in South Africa. England is playing the USA on Saturday 12th
June and lots of us here will be in ecstasies of anticipation at the
prospect.


I think the USA is one of the countries
England has actually beaten in an international football tournament at some
point, which makes you members of a rather exclusive club. Therefore, we
are slightly more excited than usual because there is a faint possibility
we may win a game in the World Cup. Football is not as popular in the
US as it is in the UK, so here are a few helpful tips for understanding the
game.


Firstly,... Read More]]> Fri, 11 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/an-interview-with-arabella-dymoke.html
The Good Web Guide is the definitive guide to the best sites
on the internet, and a lively source of information about life online.
It
reviews thousands of websites which cover a wide range of interests (be
warned,
once you start browsing, you can be on there for ages!).

Writer
Arabella Dymoke worked for the company for 7 years,
and became so passionate about the site that when the chance came to buy
out
her partners in 2007, she took it.
Read More]]> Fri, 11 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/hair-to-dry-for.html
There's nothing like the word lsquo;pampering' to make me want to
burn a dictionary.


And when it comes to 'pampering' or its near relation, lsquo;experience'
in the context of hairdressing, why, I'd prefer to nail my head to a board. I'd
do it, too, were it not for the nagging feeling that someone, somewhere is
already offering it as an innovative de-tox treatment.

]]> Thu, 10 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/gored-to-death.html Divorce has become commonplace in our society, so I'm not
supposed to be shocked or upset about it anymore. But damn it, I'm
really
bummed out about Al and Tipper Gore. Sure, the thought of that awkward
tongue kiss at the 2000 Democratic Convention still makes me wince. And I
could definitely picture them going home and sleeping in separate twin
beds, shy;agrave;
la Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. But that's not my point.
Read More]]> Thu, 10 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/hurray-up-and-have-another-baby.html
I live in a part of the United States where
it is apparently customary to have several babies back-to-back-to-back.


Ever hear of Jon and Kate Plus 8 I live about three
hours from that train wreck and apparently the concept of pushing out several
kids at once has traveled upstream, versus down.

Read More]]> Thu, 10 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/smells-like-teen-spirit.html lsquo;Bye, Mum.' The door slams. My son has left
the house but his odour lingers. That heady aroma of lsquo;Cool Water.' Or
lsquo;Eternity.' And lsquo;Lynx' shower gel. And
antiperspirant. And hair wax.
]]> Wed, 09 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/androngyny-nomenclatural-trends.html Drew Barrymore. Reese Witherspoon. Glenn Close.
Cameron Diaz. Let me tell you something about these film stars...they
are all
women. Even though they have boys', or should I say ambisexual names.
]]> Wed, 09 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/why-nothing-gets-done.html How in
God's name did we ever save the whale Clearly we're never going to save
the koala. Here is the official response to an e-mail I sent objecting
to
the logging of a koala habitat.
]]> Wed, 09 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/lifestyle-envy.html I recently tried to track down a rather dishy friend of mine whom I'd
foolishly lost touch with. Having found 83 lsquo;Charlie Hunters' on
Facebook, I
decided to send him a text instead. This did the trick and a few hours
later we
were on the phone.
]]> Tue, 08 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/the-boxer-me-round-one.html My nemesis is a 2-year-old,
forty pound boxer dog named Max. From the moment he came into my life,
he's
created chaos. He has eaten everything from expensive shoes to cherished
dolls.
And he has broken dishes, computers
and one very much needed finger.
]]> Tue, 08 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/step-away-from-the-chow.html Hands up everyone who thinks they could do with
losing a few pounds. No seriously. I don't mean get as skinny as you
possibly
can, but honestly, truly, who could probably be a tad healthier in the
weight
department Statistics vary on the matter, but given that about one
third of
Americans are now classed as obese, (and Brits are catching up) it
probably
means that a least another third could stand to lose 5-20 pounds.
Read More]]> Tue, 08 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/stupid-volcanos.html A few weeks ago the Northwest marked the
anniversary of Mt. Saint Helens blowing its top and gaining notoriety
as the
first volcanic explosion in the continental US since, well, I don't
know, a
long damn time otherwise we'd all have been shrugging our shoulders
saying lsquo;Eh,
there goes another one.'
]]> Mon, 07 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/a-british-export-we-dont-need-in-the-us.html I got out of the UK before Cheryl Cole fever hit. A lucky escape I
thought! Unfortunately it seems plans are afoot to launch Cheryl on an
unsuspecting
American public.
]]> Mon, 07 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/a-fishy-way-to-get-rid-of-a-date.html lsquo;Oh my God it's him! He's here!' Laura squealed in my ear as she
simultaneously dragged me behind a mirrored pillar, lifted up her
handbag to
cover her face, and sunk her stiletto into my Ugg.
Read More]]> Mon, 07 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/im-ok-im-holding-on.html
Holidays
are meant to be fun right Somehow I have the knack of taking an
adventure
holiday one step too far and my trip to Kaziranga National Park in India
was no
exception.


This is remote India; a section of the sub-continent
not often
visited by western tourists. It is the home of the fabled one horned
rhino, and
for a lucky few, offers the chance to see one of the few wild tigers
remaining
on earth. Adventurers climb aboard elephants to gain a closer look.

]]> Fri, 04 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/kates-dates-part-twelve.html
One
man, one woman, one sofa and a bed. Throw in a lovely dinner and a
bottle of
champagne and you'd think it was an easy sum to add up but actually no,
the
truth is that on my deal breaking date with The Venezuelan, I spent the
night
in his bed, alone and he crashed out
on the sofa.


Needless to say, I pretty much kicked that one to
the kerb. Or so
you would think.

Read More]]> Fri, 04 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/confidence-tricks.html Is there ever going to be a point in my life where I am supremely
confident about something Anything I am so sick and tired of being
'sort of' confident.
]]> Fri, 04 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/sextrology.html A few months
after I met my husband, we took a road trip. Back then there weren't any
cell
phones to distract us from each other. No texting. No iPods. Not even a
CD
player. Oh, we had cassette tapes, but ours got twisted up in the player
and
became impossible to dislodge. This left
only one activity - that of talking to each other. Imagine that Talking
to
each other.
]]> Thu, 03 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/periods-of-uncertainty.html I walked
out of my doctor's surgery a couple of days ago with the familiar
feeling of
wonderment. Not because the doctor amazed me with her expertise or
assured me
with her wisdom, but because the trip had been a complete waste of time.
It is
almost three years since I visited my GP, and this last trip to see her
reminded me why.
]]> Thu, 03 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/curse-of-the-fickle-tummy.html You know what really gets me More than anything My completely
unreliable digestive tract. I have read all of this stuff about pelvic
floors
and leaking pee when laughing, sneezing, snorting or exercising. I have
even
read the article on this very website about fanny farts. Yes, those
things
sound awkward. Maybe even a tad embarrassing. But they pale
in comparison with a midsection that cannot make its mind up between
retaining all
that goes into it as if it were some sort of bank vault and
spontaneously
turning into a water balloon that has just intersected with the sharp
end of a
tack.
]]> Thu, 03 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/too-much-too-young.html
Hands up if you had a good rummage through your Mum's make
up bag when you were small. Hands up if you also tried that make up on,
possibly in secret, and probably
with a sister or friend.


So do you agree that it's OK for young girls to wear make
up I can hear you groaning. It's not really OK is it Or is it

]]> Wed, 02 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/maybe-flowers-would-be-best.html
lsquo;Oh, what's that'


lsquo;My iPod Shuffle, Mom.'


lsquo;Oh, so it plays music'


lsquo;Yes.'


lsquo;Well, how do you get your CDs into it'

]]> Wed, 02 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/fergie-dishes-dirt-on-oprah.html
Well, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, went on Oprah yesterday
to explain her recent behavior in which she met with a News of the World
journalist who was posing as a Saudi Prince. Several weeks ago, the fake prince
offered her the equivalent of $750,000 in order to facilitate access to Fergie's
ex-husband, Prince Andrew - a real prince. Fergie took about $40,000 as a down
payment. What she didn't realize was that through this entire episode the fake
prince was videotaping the encounter in a bid to point out just how rancid an
individual Fergie is.

]]> Wed, 02 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/letting-it-all-hang-out.html
lsquo;You have what'


I'm on
the phone to my sister in England. Only just across the Channel, but it
might
as well be across the galaxy. When the frayed France Telecom string gets
pulled
too tight, sound quality suffers.


The
line is terrible...I thought she said lsquo;tumble dryer guilt.' But not even
my
sister would embrace notions of such frivolous torture. Not when she has
a
million other things to be feeling guilty about. Not that I'm bitter...

]]> Tue, 01 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/make-a-joyful-noise.html
It's
another Tuesday evening in the airless room and the sopranos are killing
it.

We've been
rehearsing for our upcoming concert extravaganza. The sopranos get to
sing the
best bits of Sting's lsquo;Fields of Gold' while we altos sing only every
fifth word
or so. I am envious of their singing time. Yet I can't help agreeing -
they
sound so good!
]]> Tue, 01 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/elusive-conception.html John Travolta's wife, Kelly Preston, age 47, has recently announced that
she's pregnant. Now the question being asked on CNN and various talk
shows is: Did she conceive naturally, or did she receive a donor egg
]]> Tue, 01 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/wish-you-werent-here.html I don't
know whether to feel proud or ashamed of what I am going to do. I'm not
even
sure how my family and friends are going to react to the news of my
latest
plans. Thankfully, my husband and kids have been delightfully
understanding
about the situation, but to be fair, I did manipulate them into thinking
that
it was their idea all along.
]]> Mon, 31 May 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/chronic-romanticitis.html With the expectation of spring right around
the corner here in the Northern hemisphere, we are getting ready to
trade in
our parkas (or long-sleeved t-shirts for those of you in Southern
California)
for tank tops. But there is another expectation hovering in the crisp
air: that
of romance. Ah, sweet romance. Bouquets of flowers with a card that is
bordering on poetry, candlelit dinners on the terrace, a surprise
breakfast in
bed, a spontaneous moonlit walk on the beach. Not to mention those
lingering
gazes, intertwined fingers under the table and hungry kisses that make
you late
for work and you don't even care.
]]> Mon, 31 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/sex-addiction.html Can somebody please tell me why we are still being barraged with the
pitiful, self-indulgent apologies of bad
guy, West Coast biker Jesse James (a.k.a. the man who cheated on
America's
sweetheart Sandra Bullock.)
]]> Mon, 31 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/picking-up-chicks-on-the-internet.html
I'm going
out on Saturday night.


I'm seeing
a chick I met on the Internet.


Oh I've
been very careful. We've been chatting for quite some time. She lives
some
distance away so I haven't been able to do a drive by and validate her
address.


But I
trust that she lives there.


She
would, wouldn't she

]]> Fri, 28 May 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/vanilla-love-vs-alfred-aknopf.html
A guy at a party asks me what
I do.


lsquo;I write,' I say, punching
the lsquo;T' for emphasis.


lsquo;Oh really' he says, mildly
interested, lsquo;Publish anything'


lsquo;Oh yes,' I say, lsquo;I write a
monthly humor column, and I'm working on a book about Russia, and,' I
pause for
effect, lsquo;I have a blog, which is about the funny side of life in
Russia.'


lsquo;Do you like, make any money
from the blog thing' he asks.

]]> Fri, 28 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/does-the-gulf-coast-oil-spill-need-fixing.html You know the saying that lsquo;if women ruled the
world, there would be no war' Well, I am not exactly sure that is a
completely true statement. War might be different but it would not cease
to exist.
]]> Fri, 28 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/big-bellies-can-be-very-useful.html My
dancing teacher does not, for all intents and purposes, have a good
body. She's
short and squat, with the belly of a four month pregnant woman (although
she's
not pregnant). She has plenty of that mid-torso flab that we all hate;
the
stuff that seems to accumulate like gangbusters when you're a certain
age -
right below the waist line and above the hips; that fleshy gunk that
oozes out
over your low rise jeans and which you can literally grab hold of and
yank. Not
that yanking does any good. It's staying put.
]]> Thu, 27 May 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/prepare-to-hate-me.html Prepare
to hate me... but I've been the same weight for decades now. Nothing
seems to
change it. Always around the 8 stone (112 lbs) mark (I'm not tall).
Nothing
seemed to make it go up or down... didn't matter how active I was or how
much or
what I ate. Why am I telling you this if not just to make you seethe
Well I recently
had a rude awakening as to why my weight has never been an issue.
]]> Thu, 27 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/counting-calories.html
New York City took away a civil liberty
when they required all chain restaurants (defined as those that have
more than
15 outlets nationwide) to post the calories contained in each item they
serve.




]]> Thu, 27 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/i-may-be-a-cat-lady-2.html I love my
cats. If that makes me a Cat Lady, well then so be it. Despite the cat
hair in
my lip gloss and kitty litter in my sheets, they make me smile every
single
day.
]]> Wed, 26 May 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/panic-buying.html
It was the
need to turn my laptop on its side and type vertically that really
brought home
to me the urgent requirement for a new computer.


Perhaps it
was the fancy
HD camcorder we'd bought
that was the nail in its coffin. Or maybe the 500GB external hard drive
that made our 40GB computer give up the ghost. Either way, I turned it
on that
fateful evening to discover that half the screen had gone black.

Read More]]> Wed, 26 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/wanted-oprah-smackdown.html I'm
embarrassed to admit this, but... I really like Lady Gaga. The first
time I saw her, quite frankly I thought, lsquo;What's with the transvestite
in the
home-made costume who can't dance or sing' I'd never heard of her
before,
and when she started cropping up all over the place, I figured she was
yet
another disturbed young woman who was willing to do anything to become
famous
(which still may be true). But after seeing some interviews, listening
to
her music, and watching her perform, she's actually grown on me. And
against my better judgment, I see her as a rather avant-garde artist.
]]> Wed, 26 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/films/premium-bond.html
Hold it right there! Put your hands up and listen to
what I have to say. One move and you're dead.

Sorry about that. Just getting into character. I'm
thinking of auditioning for the role of the next James Bond. Word is,
things
are 'up in the air' at MGM studios, producers of the Bond franchise.
They are
having a bit of financial bother and production of the next 007 offering
has
been suspended.
]]> Tue, 25 May 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/films/sex-the-city-a-defence.html I like sex. I like cities. But when HBO's lsquo;Sex
and the City'
hit the air in 1998, I deliberately avoided watching it for all 6 years.
Call
it the contrary actionist in me, but I couldn't stomach going ga-ga over
a
silly show about
four unrealistic women who (like another show set in New York) all
mysteriously
live the life of a Queen on a peasant's paycheck. I mean, how many pairs
of shoes can one woman own I had one pair of sneakers, two pairs of
heels, two
flats, a couple of flip-flops and a pair of boots and I felt dreadfully
extravagant. And they all came from Payless Shoes.
Read More]]> Tue, 25 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/hey-miley-thanks-for-nothing.html
So American pop-teen music lsquo;star' Miley Cyrus is
dancing
sensuously in a bird cage in her new video and was recently filmed
giving her
producer a lap dance. (He's gay, but still...)


In
other words, this teen singer is no different than those who have come
before her. It's all about sex, sex, and more sex.

]]> Tue, 25 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/the-outlaw.html
lsquo;I'm just ringing to say have a wonderful night - and
I'll bet you look gorgeous as always.'


The familiar Scottish voice was always supportive
and welcome.

]]> Mon, 24 May 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/the-metamorphosis-of-boys-to-men.html I'm
generally an evidence-based thinker, so after I had kids, I pretty
quickly
switched from the lsquo;Boys and girls are only different because they're
raised to
be different' camp to the lsquo;Boys and girls are different from the get-go'
camp. When
you have a son and a daughter, it becomes markedly clear that all things
are
not created equal. Or, at least, the same. I'm not naiuml;ve - my kids have
been
subjected to plenty of social pressure (my son was inundated with trains
and
cars, and my daughter was covered in more pink than a cotton-candy
stand). But there's no denying the fact that if you rolled up a towel
and
wrapped it in duct tape, one kid would use it to whack the hell out of
everything and the...]]> Mon, 24 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/leave-her-alone.html With the frenzy surrounding
the new Sex and the City movie, Sarah Jessica Parker and her gal pals
are
all over the papers. SJP in particular is being door-stepped by every
tabloid on the planet it would seem. We are inundated with photos of her
popping out for a pint of milk, taking her son to school as well as the de
rigueur glam shots of her
on various red carpets.
]]> Mon, 24 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/learning-to-drive-the-test.html As my slow and painful mission of
learning
to drive continues - rather later in life than usual - I reached the
stage where I
was on the waiting list for a date to sit my theory test. The phone call
finally came, letting me know that there was a cancellation and, lsquo;Would I
like
to sit my theory test in four days time' I confirmed that I would. I
then
spent the following four days sneaking in hazard perception and
theory tests at any given opportunity.
Read More]]> Fri, 21 May 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/cougars-searching-for-cubs.html How long is discrimination against so-called 'cougars' going to continue
before we all join hands around the internet and demand equality I'm
not
joking.
]]> Fri, 21 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/the-big-questions.html At what age do you begin to speak with your
child about sex When do you begin to speak with your parents, and
spouse about
end-of-life issues It's all in the timing isn't it On both issues if
you leave it too late, there can be
unfortunate consequences.
]]> Fri, 21 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/tape-it-shut-girls-tape-it-shut.html I have it!
I have the answer to all your snoring
woes and
you'll be dancing in the streets when you finally enjoy a good night's
sleep. It's
a miracle!
Read More]]> Thu, 20 May 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/from-hormone-hell-to-hormone-heaven.html
My friends had that special look you
reserve for when someone has walked in with something smelly on their
shoe.


lsquo;You're taking what' lsquo;Don't you know you can get cancer from that'
lsquo;Haven't
you read about the Million Women Study' lsquo;Why don't you try natural
remedies'

Read More]]> Thu, 20 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/work-it-out.html So there are mothers who work; and mothers who stay at home. And then
there are mothers who stay at home wondering if they'd be happier at
work; and
mothers who stay at work wondering if they'd be happier at home. And
then there
are mothers like me, who have arrived in a new country (okay, only
England to
Scotland, but still) who aren't sure whether they would rather be
happier at
home or at work; so stay at home contemplating what to do.
]]> Thu, 20 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/up-periscope.html
News that women will soon be permitted to serve
alongside men in Navy submarines has been welcomed in the USA. Pressure
to
overhaul the rule had been mounting for some time, and as the deadline
for
congressional veto expired at the end of last month, women can now be
considered for submariner roles alongside men.


But is this really progress

]]> Wed, 19 May 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/the-last-of-the-luddites.html It's the year 2010 and I drive a '95 Altima sans GPS, own a
17-inch convex-screen
TV, and, after a year and a half without a cell phone, have had the
absolute
most basic one for a year now (so basic, in fact, that I'm often asked
if it's
a toy). And I'm fine with my Luddite life. It's everyone else who is up
in arms
about it. lsquo;How can you live like that' they cry out in horror. My
philosophy
has always been that technology should enhance my life, not take over my
life.
]]> Wed, 19 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/the-naked-truth.html Apparently May 14th was lsquo;Bloggers without Make-up
Day.' Lots of bloggers in the US blogged
about it and rose to the challenge, posting photos of
their nude faces all over the blogosphere.
Read More]]> Wed, 19 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/crimes-of-fashion.html I am guilty of many things, but no one would accuse me of being a
fashion leader. My shopping career has been spent in pursuit of
mediocrity of
style - lsquo;comfort' being a key criterion, followed by a somewhat slavish
adherence to lsquo;my colours' as prescribed by Colour Me Beautiful back in
the
Eighties.
]]> Tue, 18 May 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/passing-the-duck.html There's
been a lot of angry talk surrounding the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico
lately. But what got me really riled the other day was a sidebar in our
local
newspaper, directing people to several websites where they could donate
money
to help with the clean-up efforts.
]]> Tue, 18 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/books/leave-it-in-the-bargain-bin.html Jasper Fforde (Why the two f's Because
those are probably the grades he earned in writing class.) why do you
disappoint I want to like your books - and believe me, I've tried - but
I find
myself putting them down thinking, lsquo;So that's why it was in the bargain
rack.' And then I hit myself in the head with your book for being so
stupid as to waste so much time reading it. Jasper, please, give up
writing. Instead, go forth and replant the trees you've wasted on your
prose.
Read More]]> Tue, 18 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/in-defence-of-the-nit.html We all know nits (head lice) are
nasty. Mere mention of the word makes scalps itch. Reactions to
their discovery vary from that initial sensation of horror and
mortification at
the first infestation, through the reduced embarrassment levels and
simpering
defensiveness of lsquo;I understand they really do prefer clean hair,' to the
final
stages of campaign veterans who simply reach for the nit shampoo they
bought with
the new school uniforms in September and couldn't give a toss what sort
of hair
the little buggers like as long as they leave quickly.
Read More]]> Mon, 17 May 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/valuing-virginity.html A new reality show in which girls can auction off their
virginity is soon to be a...reality. Justin Sisley, the Australian
creator behind 'Proof Pure,' is providing a televised forum for girls to pop their
cherry and
make $18,000 while doing so. Incidentally, Sisely had to move production
to Las Vegas, Sin City
capital of the world, in order to avoid prostitution charges from the
government of Victoria.
]]> Mon, 17 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/grasping-the-nettle.html
How do you respond when a nettle stings you


Do you swear Lash
out Clutch at your wounds with
excessive histrionics

Many of us display this kind of behaviour.
]]> Mon, 17 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/meet-fiona-hewitt.html
It was a chance encounter with a small pink
tin that led me from Paris to Brighton.

I saw the lsquo;Baking Kit' in a shop and loved
the detailed artwork. It looked like a lavishly decorated
Chinese
tin, exhorting me to lsquo;Bake with Joy and Enthusiasm' yet I was puzzled. The hallmarks of Communist China were
there - the red star on the girl's cap and the trumpeting slogan - but
the
artwork was modern and I detected a hint of irony. Since when do the
Chinese do irony
]]> Fri, 14 May 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/younger-men-arebad-for-you.html
Is there no end to the male domination of studies that are
meant only to depress, discourage and devalue the lives of women

Eat chocolate for lower blood pressure. Eat chocolate and
you'll get fat. Drink red wine and your platelets get nice and slippery.
Drink
red wine and you're a drunk.
]]> Fri, 14 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/against-our-better-judgment.html We didn't want a dog. My husband and I had made
that perfectly clear. A few years ago, we said goodbye to our 16-year-old
arthritic,
saw-more-bad-days-than-good, train wreck of a pooch and that was it for
us.
Daisy is comfortably resting in the dining room china cabinet in her
container.
Cremated.
]]> Fri, 14 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/the-dick-doctor.html Remember
when we were teenagers and dating seemed the toughest thing in the
world: Will
he like me Will he ask me out Oh God will you please take this pimple
away
before Friday's dance please I used to look back and be thankful I was
past
all that. Then my husband decided to have a midlife crisis. Out of the
blue he
announced life was too short to be unhappy (hmm don't recall any
conversation
saying he was unhappy in the 17 years before), and debunked to Bali.
]]> Thu, 13 May 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/mr-president-is-that-a-blackberry-in-your-pocket.html Obama is credited as the first lsquo;wired'
president of the United States. From the
early days of his campaign for the White House, his staff used social
media to
get his message out and drum up support, particularly amongst the
tech-savvy,
young voters of America. It worked,
too. I remember Facebooking and Tweeting
a lot on November 4th, 2008.
]]> Thu, 13 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/insulin-versus-hessian.html I suppose I should make it clear from the outset
that I am one of those women. I have more than one cat,
speak to
them as if they are capable of responding (which they are, so don't even
start
trying to tell me otherwise), and have a brown leather sofa.
Yeah, yeah
whatever; I've heard all the jokes before.
]]> Thu, 13 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/the-crusts-are-off.html
I wonder how many sandwiches I've whipped up in my
lifetime


Crumbs. The answer would have to be a lot.


Ever since I was old enough to be let loose alone in
the kitchen, I have thrown slices of bread around 'stuff.' It was the
first
snack I remember making for myself. At age five, I was so very proud of
my
Heston Blumenthal-esque 'Marmite, pickle and honey mega-combo.'

]]> Wed, 12 May 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/isperm-and-the-ovulating-iphone-app.html So,
here's the scene: Little girls setting the table. Twenty-something girls
making
matzo balls. Fifty/sixty-something women chopping apples, peeling
potatoes and
frying onions. And an eighty-something woman, the matriarch of this
family,
supervising the activities. Nothing unusual about this scenario. We've
been
doing this for years.
]]> Wed, 12 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/befuddled-by-bp-and-big-oil.html I am completely confused by the oil conundrum. I like
driving my car and heating my home when it is cold outside. I don't have
a
hybrid as a new car is not in my budget - nor am I switching out my
heating
system to anything green anytime soon (yet another thing not in my
budget). I
was one of the people who thought that it was practical, if not ideal,
when
President Obama announced a few weeks ago that he wanted more drilling
for oil
on American lands and in American waters.
]]> Wed, 12 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/the-waisted-years.html Don't you
just hate it when you have a hospital appointment and the sprightly
elfin
figure calls your name to weigh you in It's like getting geared up for
the
lsquo;big fight' with the doctor. Even though your
weight hasn't bothered you for ages, all of a sudden there's the cringe
factor. Oh God how much The excuses run through your head. How
much
does that thong weigh Maybe I have water retention.
]]> Tue, 11 May 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/intervention.html Hello. My name is Amanda. I live in the US, and I'm a
train-wreck TV addict. If you live here, you'll understand exactly what
I'm
talking about. If not, then brace yourself for the harrowing details of
my
story. Sooner or later, it may happen to you too.
]]> Tue, 11 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/piling-on-the-agony.html Last
month in an upscale area of Chicago, two young women were beaten
unconscious as
they walked home from a bar at 3am. The suspects are behind bars
and both
girls are critically injured, one of them showing limited brain
activity.
Read More]]> Tue, 11 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/how-not-to-holiday.html My
childhood holidays always started at 5.30am on a Saturday when we left
the
house to lsquo;escape the traffic.' Of course, everyone else had the same
idea, so overloaded
cars with children scrapping in the back clogged the roads. Motorway
service
stations were considered too expensive to eat in so we had to have lunch
in the
car. I remember my baby brother smearing the back seat with chicken
paste sandwiches
and chocolate.
]]> Mon, 10 May 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/doughnut-weak.html
I have the week of 8th - 15th May
blocked out in my diary. In big red letters, I have scrawled 'National
Doughnut
Week - eat doughnuts all week for charity.' It was pretty pointless
writing it
down, to be honest. I'm not going to forget that sort of thing in a
hurry.

]]> Mon, 10 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/when-is-it-too-early-or-too-late-to-call-someone.html This morning at 7.18 a.m. - yes, 7.18 in
the morning, the phone rang. Who the blazes could be calling at this
time God knows, I need all the
beauty sleep I can get.

I let hubby answer the bloody phone. He was already up. Then I burrowed
my head
underneath the pillow.
]]> Mon, 10 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/kates-dates-part-eleven.html The scene was set for magical date
number three with The Venezuelan, or, as it is commonly known, the deal
breaking lsquo;make out' session. If date number three goes well, who knows
what
might happen next The
Venezuelan
had invited me to dinner at his house and as a result, we had spent an
entire
week batting e-mails backwards and forwards to each other. lsquo;I love food'
I
wrote. lsquo;And I usually eat in quite nice restaurants. No pressure...'
lsquo;Don't
worry,' he replied lsquo;I lie awake every single night wondering to myself,
what on
earth I shall cook for my very special guest.....'
Read More]]> Fri, 07 May 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/moms-on-tv.html Ah... Mother. That word conjures up different
images depending on which generation you are referring to.
]]> Fri, 07 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/how-do-you-like-them-apples.html
Someone needs to tell Steve Jobs to lighten
up.

This week, Ellen DeGeneres ran a mock iPhone commercial on
her talk show. It showed Ellen not being able to text her wife from her
iPhone
because of her 'thick' fingers.
Read More]]> Fri, 07 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/growing-old.html I was brought up to believe that you know
you're getting on a bit when the policemen start to look younger. Well, I
haven't noticed policemen being a problem but when did they pass the law
that
allows you to practise as a doctor before you've left school Presumably
they
slipped that one in the day I was out getting measured up for my
slippers and
cocoa mug.
]]> Thu, 06 May 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/ladies-ladies-ladies.html Public
bathrooms - yuck! I have entered countless public bathrooms in my 49+
years on this planet and many times wished I could just go squat in a
bush
rather than venture further than the doorway. However, nature calls and
sometimes you have to look the public bathroom straight in the stall
door and
dive in.
]]> Thu, 06 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/do-it-barefoot.html lsquo;Gadgets,' lsquo;toys,' lsquo;bigger,' lsquo;better' and lsquo;faster' are not
usually words that enter my vocabulary (minds out of the gutter,
please). I
think for most women, this is the case. We don't covet the red sports
car, or lust after the stereo with thousands of watts and pretty lights. We leave that
to the
men in our lives - husbands, partners, sons, brothers. We want things
that are
functional and make our lives simpler, more convenient and more
gratifying -
right
]]> Thu, 06 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/farewell-kitchen-crap.html Having been offered a few opinions (I didn't ask for a few - they were
given), I have discovered that the microwave seems to be the Marmite of cooking: you
either love it or
you hate it. My friend's (now ex) husband, used to say of food and his
beloved
microwave, lsquo;If you cannae nuke it, dinnae cook it.' A sentiment which, I
hope,
few would share.
Read More]]> Wed, 05 May 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/repressing-oppression.html There are certain times when it is acceptable, in my
opinion, for the government to ban certain expressions of ideology.
Nazi paraphernalia, for example, should
be outlawed for the hateful beliefs and policies that it represents. The
U.S. Confederate flag should
be banned from being flown (I'm not sure if it is illegal, but it should
be). The
women's burqa, however, which has both religious and social
significance, falls
into a grey area for me.
]]> Wed, 05 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/my-darling-you-suck.html I do not
have a good history with vacuum cleaners. I lost a toenail when I backed
one
over my foot, sliced my finger open to protect myself when one was
falling on
my head (I was using the hose on the stairs and the vacuum was above me
on the
landing), and have strained various body parts while stubbornly cleaning
too
much in one day.
]]> Wed, 05 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/heat-and-lust.html
Long ago, in a land far away called London, lived a
young woman. The small flat in which she lived was dark and squalid. She
hated
living there, but it was all she could afford.


Life was tough.

]]> Tue, 04 May 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/delivering-a-dose-of-birth-watching-obession.html I'm not sure what draws me to pregnancy
shows. You know the ones. The shows that focus on women who are
pregnant, right
up to the point their baby is born. I've been pregnant once. It isn't
that I'm
sure I want to be pregnant again, or I miss that lovely bloated third
trimester, but for some reason watching other women be pregnant and give
birth
fascinates me. I suppose that makes me some kind of sicko.
]]> Tue, 04 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/oklahoma-this-is-not-ok.html It's a bad time to be a non-Caucasian immigrant and/or a
woman in America these days. Arizona's new
strict (and possibly unlawful) immigration laws have
made headlines recently.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma
has passed some of the most repressive abortion laws
in history. Unfortunately, these laws have not
received as much media attention or critical debate.
Read More]]> Tue, 04 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/the-recalcitrant-daughter-in-law.html Am I alone in reverting to a
recalcitrant teenager around my parents-in-law What is it about them
that brings
out the worst in me
]]> Mon, 03 May 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/train-ride-through-the-land-of-nods.html Romans
throughout history have had the habit of leaving their mark on conquered
soil
and even the word graffiti is based on the Italian word for
scratch. The
Roman youth of today are practising an ancient art, in the manner, if
not with
the style, of their ancestors. Graffiti decorates the walls, lamp-posts
and
doors. Pretty much any surface in the Eternal City is begging for some
kid or
other to leave his or her piece of paintable immortality.
]]> Mon, 03 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/why-dont-they-just-come-out-and-say-it.html I'm an immigrant. I moved from
England to the States in 1990 and became a citizen in 2002. (I know, I
know -
it took me a while but I was having kids, doing Masters degrees and that
kind
of thing.)
]]> Mon, 03 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/scan-this.html
So, airports are introducing scanners to make sure we
aren't carrying contraband items onto planes. I don't have a problem
with this.


They're not hunting for the odd naughty apple stuffed
into your rucksack, or innocent pair of nail scissors in your handbag.
They are
on the look out for stuff that could blow an airliner apart in the sky.
Explosives.
Bombs. Nasty stuff that could really put a dent in your holiday plans.


]]> Fri, 30 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/gap-years.html So it turns out that it happens to us all. It's
just that it happens to us all at different times, or stages, in our
lives. We
all eventually wonder who we are, and if we're having fun yet. Of all
the
clicheacute;s, the saying, lsquo;youth is wasted on the young' is the one which
rings most
true for me. Because I didn't want my
youth. I wanted to grow up.
]]> Fri, 30 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/reporting-for-dinner-sir.html
America
has encountered yet another threat to its national security. It's not
related
to Iran. It has nothing to do with North Korea. No. This time we can
blame
the French. . . fries.

A recent
study of 17 to 24-year-olds has shown that 1 out of 4 young people
weighs too
much to be eligible for military service. The report, lsquo;Too Fat to Fight'
(honest to God, their title, not mine), says the obesity rate has risen
so
dramatically that it's threatening the future strength of our military.
Read More]]> Fri, 30 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/kill-the-snooze-button.html
Does the following scenario sound familiar
to you in any way


You're getting ready for bed. You're exhausted and
ready for
your insufficient 7 hours of sleep, and as you close your eyes and
attempt to dive into the sleep of the just, your
significant other ruins it all, and utters words that strike fear into
your
heart: lsquo;I have an early start tomorrow. But don't worry - I won't wake
you...'

]]> Thu, 29 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/uk-election-2010.html
The UK is
currently in the throes of Election fever. For the first time ever, the
leaders
of the 3 major political parties (Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat) have
been involved
in a series of US-style live TV debates ahead of the May 6th
Polling
Day. The final live debate will be televised tonight. But it's not just
the TV debates
that have contributed to the more lsquo;American Style' electoral campaigns
unleashed upon the UK public. Interest in the lsquo;Leaders' Wives' has
reached the frenzied
(some might say, patronising) levels that the spouses of US
Presidential
candidates have come to expect as part of any election campaign.


Judith
O'Reilly has been following the UK election closely on... Read More]]> Thu, 29 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/doc-is-not-god-spelled-backwards.html Several years ago, I sat in my doctor's office listening to
him tell me how I'd never have full movement or flexibility in my right
arm
again. That meant hailing a cab, reaching top shelves, and yawning and
stretching in the morning with only my left arm. I had images of the
left one
growing to the size of Popeye's while the right one shriveled up to look
like
Olive Oyl's.
]]> Thu, 29 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/a-royal-affair.html
Have you ever postponed doing something for fifteen years
I have.


I'm scared of dentists. I have never liked lying prostrate
with a wonderful view up their nostrils. That shows how long ago it's
been.
Nowadays they wear a mask. Plus, so many mistakes and blunders were made
in my
mouth that in the end I decided to go it alone. No dentists. Just
self-care.

]]> Wed, 28 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/a-little-technology-is-a-dangerous-thing.html I recently saw my aunt's cinefilm
of me as a toddler, for the first time. I was very excited, because as
the
third child, there is very little pictorial proof that I was ever a baby
or a
toddler.
]]> Wed, 28 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/being-misquoted-on-personal-body-issues.html If you heard a woman, who is known for her impeccably fit
body, say that she wants children but plans to adopt because she 'can't
handle
doing that' to her body, what would
you assume she meant Would
you think that she does not want to get pregnant because it would
destroy her
fit body
]]> Wed, 28 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/get-it/why-i-dont-eat-grapefruit.html The nice folks at www.xkcd.com,
the creators of this image, are happy to share their funny comics. But be nice and pay them a visit. There's lots more to laugh about on their site. In the meantime, we
love the title of this one: 'Fuck Grapefruit.'




Read More]]> Wed, 28 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/la-parisienne.html Parisian women are more famed for looking
chic outside cafeacute;s in couture and heels than for puffing red-faced
around the
streets in lycra and trainers. Yet every September thousands of French
women
line up at the Eiffel Tower to run the 6km/3.72 mile women-only race,
lsquo;La
Parisienne.' Last year I joined them, along with some friends, to raise
money
for Diabetes UK and to experience the vibrant atmosphere of this crazy,
colourful race.
]]> Tue, 27 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/burned-by-the-red-sun.html
When your corporate motto is lsquo;don't be evil,lsquo; and you're in the
business
to make money, you should probably rethink your corporate motto, because
we all
know lsquo;money is the root of all evil.'


Maybe Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the founders of Google misplaced
this
quote when they came up with their poor dictum. Their mission statement
provides a much clearer and more thoughtful
approach: 'to organize the world's information and make it universally
accessible and useful.' Very altruistic, except when you decide to do
business
in China.

]]> Tue, 27 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/books/women-who-do-too-much.html Women who do too much. Well
isn't that all of us It's certainly me, and I longed for some answers
to
reduce the load. The first thing that surprised me about this book was
the
regular referrals to God and the quotes from the Bible. As it was
recommended
by a yoga teacher I very much admire, I decided there must be wisdom
hidden
within the religious overtones, and there is. If you are a practising
Christian,
then the Godly references will probably enhance the reading experience;
if you
are not, then take the advice of my partner who said lsquo;Just read lsquo;inner
wisdom'
or lsquo;higher power' in place of God and keep going.'
Read More]]> Tue, 27 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/maybe-i-should-just-go-commando.html Ever
since I started having sensitivity issues (and not in a good way), I've
been
searching for the perfect pair of panties. If I were a guy, this
would've been
solved in about a day. I, however, have been working on it for five
years. With
what seems like a million different women's clothing stores and
catalogues out
there, you'd think this would be an easy fix. But not so.
]]> Mon, 26 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/dropping-the-c-bomb.html Last weekend, 'Kick Ass' a movie based on a comic book of the same name,
debuted
in U.S. box offices to some controversy amongst film critics. The main
focus surrounded
the character of Hit Girl, an 11-year-old vigilante assassin who
brutally
murders people and drops the C-bomb. You know, the word that starts with
lsquo;C'
and rhymes with lsquo;blunt.'
]]> Mon, 26 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/travel-insurance-in-one-easy-step.html Paris is
lovely, and booking everything for an upcoming trip has gone like
clockwork.
Flights, check. Airport parking, check. Paris excursion, check. Train
tickets
in France, check. So, travel insurance just to be on the safe side...
]]> Mon, 26 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/get-it/loathe-thy-neighbour.html
With Noise Awareness Week taking place between April
26th and 30th, now is the perfect time to reflect upon how our
behaviour affects those we live amongst. With excessive noise cited as the most
common cause of disputes between neighbours, I felt compelled to look deeper
into the problem.


There appear to be six basic types of noisy neighbour:


1. The
Insomniac


Wouldn't life be insufferably dull if we were all the
same Fortunately, we all have our little foibles. Like vacuuming. Or drilling
shelves into the wall. And even playing football. Or the bongos. But at 3
o'clock in the morning That is unreasonable behaviour. Living in close
proximity to an inconsiderate insomniac can be hell. Not content with... Read More]]> Mon, 26 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/meet-jane-hallenga.html Jane Hallenga knows about breast cancer. She
has spent hours talking to oncologists and researching treatments, drugs
and
diets on the internet. Given Jane's age, 53, this is not so unusual; 81
of
breast cancer cases in the UK occur
in women aged 50 years and over.
Read More]]> Fri, 23 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/to-spank-or-not-to-spank.html A
study published in The Journal of Pediatrics stated 3-year-olds who were
spanked were more likely to become bullies by the age of 5. Researchers
from
Tulane University studied 2500 children and their mothers and determined
that those
children spanked frequently, were more likely to show aggressive
behavior. In lieu of spankings, researchers have
determined we should be giving our children positive reinforcement and
praise.
]]> Fri, 23 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/changing-of-the-guard.html Remember when you were ... the adored granddaughter
The daughter The spunky high school senior The recent college graduate
with
the world at her feet The newlywed The new mother And then you're the
experienced mother, and all too soon the excited first time
grandmother
]]> Fri, 23 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/the-importance-of-pasta-and-laughter.html He stares across the dining table at me waiting for me to
laugh. I feel more like screaming. Screaming very loudly and throwing
cutlery
at him. Instead I manage to summon up the sickliest ghost of a smile.
This
Herculean effort is mainly because we are in my favourite restaurant and
I
don't want to be forbidden from relishing Marco's cooking ever again. My
miserly effort doesn't impress my dining companion because I am
obviously meant
to laugh helplessly and appreciatively at his wonderful wit. Only it is a
joke
so old and tired, it is comatose with fatigue. I've heard it dozens of
times,
you've heard it dozens of times, but he apparently thinks that it is the
flagship of originality.
]]> Thu, 22 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/steps-to-nowhere.html
I
travel home from dropping off the kids by way of a winding L.A. road,
where the
infamous lsquo;Steps' are.


The
Steps consist of roughly a hundred or so cement steps that reach from
the
concrete pavement to... well the top of some more concrete pavement.

]]> Thu, 22 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/its-not-my-fault.html Kim Kardashian is famous in the States for
unknown reasons. She is not a talented singer, actress, dancer,
scientist or
murderess. Best I can tell, her family somehow leveraged their late
father's
business and personal relationships with Hollywood, and more
specifically O.J.
Simpson (you know, the guy who didn't cut his wife's head off), into a
reality
television show called lsquo;Keeping up with the Kardashians.'
]]> Thu, 22 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/thinking-of-running-theres-an-app-for-that.html
It is seven o' clock in the morning. I am the only one awake in my
house.
I pull on my trainers and clothes and step outside the front door,
patting my
pocket to make sure I have my iPhone with me.


I'm about to go running with my personal trainer.

]]> Wed, 21 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/the-inside-scoop-on-takeout-foods.html It's Friday night and you've had a horrible
day. You're tired and cranky and all you want to do is pour a glass of
wine and
kick back on the couch. But you can't. There's a family to feed and
they're
getting restless. Cooking is out of the question. Even gathering up the
troops
and heading off to the local eatery is not a pleasant option. So, you do
the
next best thing. You head for that drawer, the one next to the
silverware or
perhaps the dish towels and pull out the stack of Takeout Menus.
]]> Wed, 21 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/the-twitterverse-of-congress.html So, United States Library of Congress (LOC) has decided to
archive every tweet that has been posted to Twitter. Seriously - every
trivial
musing and self-important 140-character update since the site's
inception four
years ago.
Read More]]> Wed, 21 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/with-a-nod-and-a-wink.html Forget the Saturday night pub crawl. It's
never done much for me and there's something of huge importance to
concentrate
on at home that requires more calories than a few pints of Guinness can
ever
provide.
]]> Tue, 20 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/the-sex-and-the-city-phenomenon.html There is very little that I cherish more than a good Girls' Night.
The wine flows and, let's be honest - with every glass, the tongues get
loosened. It's a time for women to whine, kvetch, and generally vent
about
crabby partners, disobedient kids, and arrogant bosses. It's almost like
free
therapy.
]]> Tue, 20 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/get-it/bouquet-okay.html
So, you've received a bouquet of flowers.


Aren't you lucky


Once you have lovingly arranged them in your favourite
vase...you can sit and ponder the true meaning of your floral gift. What
message
is the sender trying to convey Is it possible to translate


The symbolism of flowers has been with us since
ancient times. Floriography, (that's what the Victorians called it) is
the
language of flowers.


Because with flowers, different species and colours
say different things. There seems to be a bloom for almost every
occasion. If
you have something to say, but words fail you, let flowers be your
messenger.


For example, if you accidentally sit on and crush
your neighbour's... Read More]]> Tue, 20 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/more-toyota-trouble.html The people who run Toyota have clearly
suffered a breakdown of epic proportions. At this point we all know
about
sticking
gas pedals, cars speeding down highways, out of control, at over
100
miles per hour. We know about denials
from management about there being a
problem with gas pedals. We have heard about record fines in the US of
over $16
million and we have read the stories of certain models, like the Prius,
not
being affected by the problems, only to find out later that they were.
Read More]]> Tue, 20 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/a-townies-move-to-a-rural-idyll.html
lsquo;I'll give you two months, tops,' snorted
my townie brother between snide guffaws.


Our gobsmacked friends twitched nervous
smiles of disbelief tinged with pity that we had seriously lost it, and
mumbled
words of encouragement. lsquo;Poooh! All those dung smells - you'll never
hack it,
living right out there.'

]]> Mon, 19 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/cleavage-for-kiddies.html When my husband and I moved to our current
neighborhood a few years ago, we quickly became aware of the fact that
we were
the most lsquo;liberal' family on the cul-de-sac. There were a number of dead
giveaways. We didn't own any large recreational vehicles, were the lone
recyclers, and were the only ones hanging around the neighborhood on
Sunday
mornings. Clearly the heathens.
]]> Mon, 19 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/aging-a-hairy-adventure.html When
I approached 30, I felt confident. I wasn't afraid to hit that number. I
didn't
feel old, I was in good shape, I ran three miles a day. I was
comfortable in my
skin; comfortable in a bikini. I thought to myself lsquo;Thirty...bring it
on!'
]]> Mon, 19 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/change-and-the-career-girl.html
I recently lost the bulk of my income when my job as a chef
in a small hotel in Rome went from being full-time to barely part-time.
Being
the kind of person who prefers to seek change, it is disconcerting to
find that
change has been thrust upon me.


Suddenly left alone with too many
thoughts and
not enough work or money, I am tempted to crawl into bed and just hope
for the
best; a divine deliverance for good to create a counter-balance for this
sudden
downturn in my wheel of fortune.

]]> Fri, 16 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/the-truth-hurts.html I have a friend who is a mom to older
children - teen and college age. She has a very good job at a local
advertising
agency. She has a very nice husband. She has 2 dogs. Her hair is always
done
perfectly. Her nails are always professionally manicured with bright red
nail
polish on them at all times. All 10 of them! Makeup and skin Flawless!
She has
a shoe obsession and shops for them with an almost religious zeal.
]]> Fri, 16 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/an-interview-with-hayley-chalmers.html Hayley Chalmers has had enough. She wants clothes that are
stylish and that fit her properly, and she wants to have a decent
choice. But
at 5' 1quot; she has to shop from the ranges of lsquo;Petite' clothing available
on the UK
High Street which are either frumpy and ageing, or make her look like
she has
been raiding a teenager's wardrobe. She describes the task of finding
decent
office wear as lsquo;the devil's job.'

]]> Fri, 16 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/the-man-sneeze.html My beloved husband has a cold, again. I'm
not going to write about how this manifests itself - I've already done
so
here
but
I would just like to do a quick critique of one of the least attractive
traits
of a cold, flu, hayfever or indeed just a tickly nose when experienced
by the lsquo;stronger'
sex...
Read More]]> Thu, 15 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/how-do-you-give-an-old-rat-a-hard-on.html Once again science takes a leap in one of the
most important medical issues of the century - erectile dysfunction. Ha!
And
you thought it would be cancer or heart disease, you silly person you.
]]> Thu, 15 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/cause-breakin-up-is-hard-to-do.html Would you ever pay someone to dump your significant
other What would you do if you
received a phone call from some schlep in Iowa, informing you that
you're being
dumped
]]> Thu, 15 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/social-networkers-anonymous.html
A very
good friend called me the other day to see if I wanted to meet up for a
drink. I
hadn't seen her for a while, so a catch up and chat about stuff other
than work
and kids sounded good.


Until I thought
about it.

]]> Wed, 14 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/facebook-is-not-a-babysitter.html Over the last decade the Internet has
become as commonplace in our homes as television, and along with this
rise in
user numbers has come a growing chorus of complaints from a certain type
of
parent.
]]> Wed, 14 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/getting-fit-with-wii-fit.html I had wanted a Wii Fit ever since it first came out. I
finally got one a couple months ago, and have been using it daily,
ranging from
half an hour a day, to two hours a day. It's not that I feel dedicated
to
exercising so much - it is that the Wii Fit actually makes exercising by
myself
fun.
]]> Wed, 14 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/gentlemen-and-oddly-shaped-balls.html When I was offered a ticket to a recent
France v England rugby match in Paris, I happily accepted. My husband
was more
than a little jealous (One ticket, offered to me. What's a girl to do)
and
muttered sourly, lsquo;She doesn't even know the rules.' His comment rankled
and on
the day of the match, whilst painting my face with the England flag and
making
sure my England wig was in place, I felt a little uneasy. There were big
gaps
in my rugby knowledge, so why on earth was I going
]]> Tue, 13 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/books/the-black-echo-by-michael-connelly.html I am a literary whore - I'll read anything. I've read Agatha
Christie en espantilde;ol, Zsuzsi Gartner (one
of the few authors I've read who can use the second-person present tense
and
not sound like a Choose Your Own Adventure) and James Joyce. I read epic
novels,
screenplays and the quotes and warnings on cardboard coffee cups. I love
curling up with a short story, a book of quotes or my new DVD manual.
Doesn't
matter; if it has words, I'm hooked.
]]> Tue, 13 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/debit-disaster.html It appears
that while I was on vacation in Mexico, having a grand old time, but
watching
every penny that I spent, some scumbag, low-life thief was having even
more fun
with my money than I was.
]]> Tue, 13 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/the-science-behind-an-untidy-house.html
My husband
keeps mentioning the lsquo;c' word. It horrifies me every time he says it.


'Cleaning'
is at the bottom of my to do list. I do a bit, but it's a thankless and
often
fruitless task. If I do manage to scrub the kitchen floor, it's covered
in
crumbs and spillages three hours later. My husband is suggesting we get a
cleaner. He's assuming a cleaner will make life easier, but he's wrong.
And
I've discovered cleaning is a waste of time anyway.

]]> Mon, 12 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/hospitals-and-nurses-and-bears-oh-my.html There are occasions that you should bark and not be
apologetic about it. Some of us, or should I say the majority of us
women, are
not groomed to challenge authority and especially not the authority of
doctors
or even nurses, who can be pretty intimidating and downright ugly acting
at
times.
]]> Mon, 12 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/get-it/heavy-petting.html
Are you a cat or a dog person


Go on. I want a quick answer.


It's a fairly straightforward question. Like asking a
woman if she'd choose milk over dark chocolate. Or a guy if he is a tit or leg
man. A geek if they'd rather stare all day at a PC or an Apple. A North
Londoner if they would cheer Arsenal or Spurs. Opinions will be starkly
divided, deeply entrenched and furiously defended.


I will nail my colours to the mast from the
beginning. Let there be no confusion over my position. I am a cat person.
Always have been, always will be.


That's not to say I don't care for dogs. I do. It's
just that given the choice, if I were in a hot air balloon plummeting towards
earth, I'd jettison a dog before a... Read More]]> Mon, 12 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/suicide-or-accident.html On
December 2, 2009 a 6-year-old Oregonian first grader, Samantha Kuberski,
committed suicide just days before her seventh birthday. The young girl
had
apparently been scolded by her mother and sent to her room. As she left
for her punishment, she
exclaimed to her mother that she was lsquo;going to kill herself.'
Read More]]> Mon, 12 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/meet-jane-milton-foodie-expert-extraordinaire.html
Jane Milton has a love of food and a talent for networking.
She combines these passions by running www.notjustfood.co.uk
a
consultancy for food and drink manufacturing businesses, and www.thefoodnetwork.co.uk
which helps
to connect people from all areas of the food industry.


She has written several
books about Mexican cooking,
but is currently working on a new book which looks at the advertising of
iconic
food brands from the 1940s to the present day, and how this has
influenced what
we eat. Here she talks to PRG about the people and the experiences that
have
influenced her life - oh, and of course, food!

Read More]]> Fri, 09 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/exodus.html As a not-so-practicing Catholic, I have struggled with the idea of
raising
my children in the church. My decision is based on the idea that
children
should have something more profound than themselves to believe in, but I
often
wonder, lsquo;Am I making the right decision' In light of the latest
ignominy to
hit the church, I'm not so sure.
]]> Fri, 09 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/learning-to-drive-scheduling-the-road-tests.html It took me a long time to recognise that it
was time to learn to drive. It took me a long time to choose a driving
school. And
yet it took me only seven short lessons to finish off my driving
instructor.
Read More]]> Fri, 09 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/am-i-worth-it-erm.html
I'm standing, looking in the mirror, with my 14-month-old child in my
arms.
She's looking rather snazzy. Cute spotty tights, mini denim skirt and a
natty
logo t-shirt.


Meanwhile I'm wearing a sack.

]]> Thu, 08 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/i-am-relatively-certain.html
Is my memory truly shot or am I just not listening


The latter, I believe.


I've spent so much time being force fed junk that I
didn't want to hear about in the first place, as in lsquo;I had to listen
because
it was my job to listen and remember or because I thought I would be a
bad
mother if I didn't at least feign interest,' that I am plumb pooped out
at this point and have shut down the ear canal and/or memory central in
my
brain.

]]> Thu, 08 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/climb-every-mountain.html Whatever happened to reasonableness You know, that subjective
feeling in your stomach that something is OK. Sometimes it seems that
parents
are the people with the most underdeveloped sense of what is and what is
not
reasonable.
]]> Thu, 08 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/what-larks.html My 11-year-old son has got this Thing. You know what I mean
- a Thing. Madonna had one at Wembley. A headset with a microphone and
earpiece enabling you to play online with your mates on the Nintendo Wii
and X-Box.
]]> Wed, 07 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/mammogram-misery.html Will
someone please tell me why in this age of technology, with our ability
to play
games, read the news and get directions all from an iPhone, with operations
performed remotely by surgeons in a different country from their
patients, why in God's name hasn't someone
invented a better method of having a mammogram
Read More]]> Wed, 07 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/i-never-signed-up-for-domestic-violence.html
Last night,
PowderRoomGraffiti.com co-sponsored an event in New York City with The Three Tomatoes
in support of the United Nations/UNIFEM campaign to
end violence against women.


This searingly
honest article by Vivacious V illustrates how violence can infiltrate a
seemingly lsquo;normal' relationship.

Domestic violence. Domestic abuse.
Spousal assault. Pick your badge. It is not going to be a pretty one,
and certainly not a title anyone would sign up for.
Read More]]> Wed, 07 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/50-ways-to-lose-your-lover.html Paul
Simon was looking out for the boys when he penned his 1975 classic, lsquo;50
Ways to
Leave Your Lover.' Yep, he told Jack to lsquo;Slip out the back,' advised
Stan to
lsquo;Make a new plan' and, as we know good and well, he counseled Gus to
just get
on that damned bus.
]]> Tue, 06 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/how-i-became-a-moonie.html Have you got any idea where the moon is on its
current cycle No, me neither. It's not the sort of thing I generally
pay
attention to. As far as I'm concerned, if the moon is hanging up there
in the
sky, that's all I need to know.
]]> Tue, 06 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/smart-women-booze-hard.html From the mixed blessings file, here is one to ponder. Highly
educated women, in addition to being more successful professionally, are
also
2.1 times more likely to abuse alcohol according to a study by the
London
School of Economics (LSE). OK, it may seem counter-intuitive but when you
think about
it, did we really need the LSE to conduct a study to tell us that
]]> Tue, 06 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/thisll-make-you-laugh.html Recently
I went away for a long weekend, to celebrate my brother's fiftieth
birthday.
His wife had booked a huge old castle in the middle of nowhere, and had
invited
sixteen people to share the property for three nights. I had been
looking
forward to rambling walks by day, and boozy evenings round the fire.
]]> Mon, 05 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/the-evolution-of-babysitting.html
Babysitting, besides prostitution, is probably one of the
oldest professions around.


Wow, that sounded wrong somehow. But it sure is a time-old
way for people to earn money while pursuing their degrees, in between
jobs, or,
sometimes, even as a full time way to pay the bills. What's interesting
is how
the job has changed over the years.

]]> Mon, 05 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/placenta-on-your-pizza.html Have you seen the movie lsquo;Baby Mama' If so, then
you might
remember the yuppie couple in geek girl superhero Tina Fey's Lamaze
class; the
ones who are mocked for their New Age affectations and later reveal that
they
ate the placenta following the birth of their child. There's a little
truth to
every joke, though. Placentophagy
- or, the age-old tradition of placenta eating - is on the rise again.
]]> Mon, 05 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/kates-dates-part-ten.html It's a funny old thing about online dating, or indeed any type of
dating,
but once you get into the swing of things, there always seems to be
somebody
new waiting in the wings. This concept was anathema to the old me. If
something
had gone wrong with a past amour, I would have crawled back into my cave
and
licked my wounds - alone - for a
good, ohh, let's see now, several years
]]> Fri, 02 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/gender-inequality-in-the-cinema.html I used to think that I was the kind of girl who disliked
chick flicks. (Well, unless they featured John
Cusack holding a stereo above
his head.)
But, after watching lsquo;The
Proposal,' I realized something: I actually do like chick flicks.
What I dislike, however,
is chick flicks with main characters whose entire source of conflict is
balancing a career with a personal life - and that is exactly what lsquo;The
Proposal' is about.
Read More]]> Fri, 02 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/to-tell-or-not-to-tell-you-the-truth.html Back in high school, when my friends and I used to prep ourselves for
our Saturday nights, we always critiqued each other, adding a belt here,
spraying a wisp of hair there. We were truly concerned with each other
and how we looked. My mother would always get upset before I left the
house because she never seemed to care for my choice of outfits and she
felt my friends were not true friends because they were not being honest
with me about how bad (in her opinion) my outfit looked.
]]> Fri, 02 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/massive-knocker-shocker.html I think this whole recycling lark has gone too far.
Some things should remain sacred. Surely there should be limits imposed
on what
you can recycle, based on their 'Eeeewwww' factor
]]> Thu, 01 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/sticking-it-to-the-kids.html There's a well-known biblical saying that talks about lsquo;visiting
the sins of the fathers upon the children.' Unfortunately, despite the
USA
being a fairly religious country, that seems to be exactly what's
happening
here at the moment.
]]> Thu, 01 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/is-that-my-brothers-toothbrush.html I was recently at a basketball party, and as the kids were
hanging out playing ball, the parents were eating and drinking in
another room.
After a few sangrias, the topic of toothbrushes, just happened to come
up.
]]> Thu, 01 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/its-mir-coil.html lsquo;Go away and think about it and remember that not
only does it have a 90 satisfaction rate, it's also the personal
contraceptive
choice for many female GP's' my gynaecologist said. He was talking about
his
suggestion of inserting a coil in me, though not for contraceptive
purposes but
in order to control my body's regular attempts to bleed to death, a.k.a.
idiopathic menorrhagia.
]]> Wed, 31 Mar 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/parents-must-take-responsibility.html
I confronted
bullies when I was younger. Didn't we all at some point


Except back
then, I don't think we called our nemesis a lsquo;bully.' When we were
younger, she
was the lsquo;mean girl,' or lsquo;that girl.' You know, your mother would say not
to
worry about lsquo;her' because you shouldn't want to be friends with anyone
who
acted like lsquo;that girl.' And, ultimately, your mother was right. Time
would
pass, the lsquo;in' girls would become the lsquo;out' girls and things would
change.
Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. But the bullying,
even at
its most fierce, had boundaries back then. If it was at school you could
find
refuge with the neighborhood kids, or at least in...]]> Wed, 31 Mar 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/a-bad-case-of-tmi.html You
may have heard of the malady TMJ, in other words Temporomandibular
Joint. It's
when you clench your teeth or jaw so much you get pain in the face where
the
jaw bones meet. Obviously making it impossible to speak.
]]> Wed, 31 Mar 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/books/cut-thumbs-and-dirty-penknives.html Don't you sometimes wish that your
favourite author would notice you Put down their pen and look up from
the
fabulous world they've shared with you Gaze into your eyes while you
tell
them, breathless and hot with excitement, what it was like for you
Respond as
if you mattered to them
]]> Tue, 30 Mar 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/understanding-murder-and-terror.html I woke up yesterday morning to hear that 2 women in Moscow
blew themselves up during rush hour on underground trains. They took
with them
3 dozen or so innocent victims. I am sure they're rationalization for
doing
this was that there is no such thing as an innocent victim.
]]> Tue, 30 Mar 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/these-shoes-arent-made-for-walking.html
No matter how many times I've tried skiing, I could never
break up with the bunny hill.


But what scared me more than going down the mountain, was simply
getting off the chair lift. All the way to the top I would plan my exit
off
that moving obstacle.

]]> Tue, 30 Mar 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/red-squares.html Yet another sleepover for my 11-year-old son. What is
it with these sleepover things What's wrong with going round a pal's
house for tea (eggs and chips, say), and going home at six o'clock the
same
day Why should they have to sleep there as well Mystery to me, I tell
you.
]]> Mon, 29 Mar 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/ad-men-are-mad-men.html Can someone
please tell me what is going on with advertising in the age of political
correctness We have come so far in teaching people that what may be
funny to a
bunch of dumbass corporate suits may be less so to the general public,
or may
even be downright offensive. There is a reason that Howard Stern moved
to
satellite radio and that is because the FCC doesn't want his particular
brand
of racist, homophobic and misogynistic humor on the public airwaves. I
have no
interest in curtailing his right to free speech, I just want it out of
my own
earshot.
]]> Mon, 29 Mar 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/get-it/twodaloo.html
Intimacy is a precious and hard-won element in a
relationship. You need to trust your partner implicitly before allowing them
into your most secret, private inner sanctums. It takes time and courage to
lower your defences and let people in to the places in your life where no one else
goes.


Like the bathroom, for example.


Which is why the TwoDaLoo is not for me. I am not entirely sure if there is a
universe in which this product would work for anyone. It is a twin-throne
toilet designed to be used by two people at the same time. In the promotional
guff the TwoDaLoo is described as 'a way of getting closer to your partner.'


I don't have a problem with getting closer to my
partner, but I'd rather it wasn't when he... Read More]]> Mon, 29 Mar 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/trophy-wife.html I have a friend who is best
friends with the woman who stole her husband
away from her many moons ago. I think that is laudable ... or something.
]]> Mon, 29 Mar 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/getting-earthy.html Any idea what you might be doing at 8.30pm on
Saturday night You don't know Well, if you're inviting a hot new date
around
for a nibble - things just might get a bit interesting!
]]> Fri, 26 Mar 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/the-unsolicited-gift.html 'An Unsolicited Gift' is a book by 85-year-old Dr. Dennis Friedman,
a British psychologist. Now I am usually of the philosophy that if
someone puts
in 85 years on this earth and then has the energy to be writing books,
they
must have some wisdom and intelligence that is worth passing along.
]]> Fri, 26 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/senior-second-time-around.html
It seems like just yesterday that I was a
teenage girl staring across the room at the back of Billy's head,
lsquo;willing' him
to turn around, smile at me and ask me to the Senior Prom.


I see myself
in the
dress that I convinced my mom to buy, although the dress and I never
made it to
the prom. You see, in order to go to the Prom I had to be asked,
and not
just in my daydreams. Sadly, in real life, Billy never did ask me.

]]> Fri, 26 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/got-pms-think-outside-the-box.html After a quarter of a century of having
periods, you'd think I'd be used to Pre-menstrual Syndrome (PMS). Yet
although I
know roughly when it's coming - and husband has it logged in his
BlackBerry - its
intensity always catches me unawares. Every month I have a nasty case of
bitchy,
depressed, spiteful, irrational PMS.
]]> Thu, 25 Mar 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/hot-yoga.html I've always had a bit of a compulsive
personality - doing things in moderation is not exactly in my
vocabulary. Working out is no exception. It wasn't always that way, of course. I
gained the lsquo;freshman 15' and then (ahem) some. I was blissfully ignorant
at the time, though. I was too busy enjoying my beer bongs and pizza
chasers to realize that my chin had grown another chin, and that one was
working on a wattle.
]]> Thu, 25 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/celebrity-bikini-body-by-lunch.html
Spring rang in for those of us in the Northern hemisphere this past
weekend. God, did that sneak up on us or what


Right around the
time the vernal
equinox arrived, I was thumbing through the stack of
glossies that I, embarrassed to say, cannot get away from. One of the
articles was on how to have a bikini bod
in your 20's, 30's and 40's+.

]]> Thu, 25 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/identity-theft.html The other day I was in the Department of Motor Vehicles
(DMV) to renew my driver's license. And as anyone knows, going to the
DMV is
not that different from a trip to the dentist: it's a long wait, a
painful
experience and when you leave, you feel numb and vow never to return.
]]> Wed, 24 Mar 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/i-want-my-phone-to-be-a-phone.html
I
upgraded my phone recently.


lsquo;What do
you want your phone to do' asked a youthful salesman.


lsquo;Er, send
texts and make calls,' I replied. Isn't it obvious Well no it's not
actually.

]]> Wed, 24 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/test-result-anxiety.html
All this recent talk of health care reform got me thinking that what
we really need in the worlds of science and medicine is technology
reform.


For
instance, sites like WebMD.com, MedHelp.com and, my new personal least
favorite, labtestsonline.com, should require 1 of 2 things in order for
someone
to view them. Either you should have a medical license or a prescription
from
someone with a medical license.

]]> Wed, 24 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/bacon-love.html I once had a
roommate. She was a vegetarian. I was not. She got sick at the smell of
meat. I
did not. However, I DID get sick at the sight and smell of her getting
sick at
the sight and smell of my meat. You with me
]]> Tue, 23 Mar 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/health-care-reform.html For the last year our Federal politicians in the States have
been working on passing health care reform. This Sunday they did it.
This is really good news to the uninsured in the Country. Like most laws
that
pass through our system, compromises were made and the way to a win-win
was for
both sides to give up a little for the greater good.
]]> Tue, 23 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/books/rough-guide-to-sex.html First and
foremost, if you didn't know that the renowned travel series lsquo;Rough
Guides' did
reference books, you do now! This latest installment from the Penguin
powerhouse is entitled lsquo;The Rough Guide to Sex: The Facts and the Myths,
the
Taboos and the Toys.' It is written by James McConnachie who also wrote
lsquo;The
Book of Love: In Search of the Kamasutra.'
Read More]]> Tue, 23 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/-and-the-loo-roll-came-too.html It's quite an
uppity little beast, isn't it Drop it and it rolls all over the
bathroom
floor. Invite a single piece to tear off and its friends come too. Find
ourselves staring at the last square and it instantly zaps rational
thought.
]]> Mon, 22 Mar 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/facebook-vs-the-breastfeeders.html While scanning the news on Gothamist last week, I came
across an article
about a controversy that has been going on for the past two
years between Facebook and breastfeeding mothers. That's right:
breastfeeding mothers.
Read More]]> Mon, 22 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/verbal-diarrhea-its-a-curse.html I'm incapable of knowing when to shut up. I
inherited it from my parents. My parents are friendly, maybe overly
friendly.
My dad was quiet and shy as a child, so for the last 50 years he's been
making
up for lost time. Apparently I'm doing the same. I started working for a
newspaper in 1998, where I had to converse with other humans if I wanted
to get
paid, and it was all downhill from there.
]]> Mon, 22 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/finding-yourself-part-one.html What do you
do when your best friend is knocking boots with every Tom, ahem, Dick,
and
Harry in town Sit her down and give her a good talking to Well, if
you're me,
you open a can of Miller Lite, pull up a chair, light up a cig and get
ready
for a good vicarious thrill.
]]> Fri, 19 Mar 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/piste-off-with-the-kids-part-two.html Our last skiing
holiday with four children was a disaster,
but we had decided to give it one more try. With just weeks to go I was
alarmed
by my son's truculent assertion that he wouldn't ski. It felt like there
was a
war looming so I began the battle for hearts and minds by asking my boy
to come
on the pre-ski food shopping trip.
Read More]]> Fri, 19 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/duplicitous-behavior.html We're all guilty of duplicitous behavior at some point in our
lives. But there's a crisis going on
between the United States and Mexico, that I think really brings this
double-dealing to the forefront, and it's happening not just at the
border
between these two countries, but in the heartland of both as well.
]]> Fri, 19 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/beware-of-cats-on-the-move.html When we decided to move from the chaos of
the city to the peace of the country, my husband secretly hoped that it
might
be an ideal opportunity to 'lose' my two cats in the vast countryside.
]]> Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/pills-or-crotch.html Have you ever had an excruciating pain that is so bad you
want to scream, but you can't You're numb with pain. Literally.
]]> Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/permission-and-forgiveness.html There's a news story in the USA
that's getting bigger every day. Constance McMillen, a high school
senior in
Mississippi, wanted to take her girlfriend to the prom and wear a
tuxedo. The
school's response was to cancel
the prom entirely (thus presumably hoping to
avoid the 'issue') stating that the event would cause a distraction,
and taking into account the safety and well-being of the students. Hmmm.
Read More]]> Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/how-to-buy-erotica.html 'I'm an adult, a grown woman. If I want to buy
erotica I should hold
my head up and walk proud, take time over my selection.' I muttered this
internally whilst furtively glancing up and down the aisle.
]]> Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/50-things-to-do-naked.html
I was
reading Cosmo recently and I saw an interesting article. Well, at least
it was
interesting on the cover. It was called lsquo;50 Things to Do Butt Naked.' I
was
intrigued. I like being naked. I do. It feels good.


So I decided to see
if they
could tell me a few things that might expand my naked repertoire. I
flipped the
pages to the article and started at number 1 - lsquo;Challenge him to a game
of
Scrabble. You get bonus points for synonyms for each other's naughty
bits.'
Hmmm, naked Scrabble. Not bad. I could do that. Could be fun. Maybe
Cosmo was
on to something.

]]> Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/here-we-go-again.html As fate would have it, I'm the lsquo;mother of the bride' for the second
time. Now, if I had more than one daughter this would be no big thing.
But as I
do not, well, it's obvious that her first marriage didn't work.
]]> Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/the-curse-of-the-were-garden.html I hadn't wanted a garden. It was most definitely not on lsquo;my list.' We
had been scrupulous in our property search: watching the property market
for
six months; drawing up shortlists of properties to view; and agreeing
exactly what
we wanted and needed. We had, at the beginning, without much discussion,
both merrily and definitely agreed that we did not want a garden. I have
an
indoor house to keep - I didn't also want an outdoor area to tend.
]]> Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/write-on.html I went to a farmer's market slash outdoor
fair thingamabop this past weekend, and I ran into a lady making some
really
unique and creative body adornments. I'm talking necklaces, rings,
bracelets, earrings,
cufflinks, the works - all crafted out of vintage typewriter keys.
]]> Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/jihad-janes.html Isn't the Internet great I mean think about it. Here we are, women
from all over the world, communicating as easily as if we lived right next door
to each other. And there is really no subject off limits. Children. Husbands.
Boyfriends. Girlfriends. Sex. Failure. Success. You name it, and we can talk
about it.
]]> Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/no-pain-no-gain.html
It's not often we get the whiff of a riot around
here.

But lately, there has been something in the air. And
my instincts are telling me to run for cover.
Read More]]> Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/corporate-condiments.html I needed a job with less heavy
lifting. I was almost forty and had been a vocalist/musician for over
fifteen
years, responsible for singing, playing and carrying my heavy keyboards
and
sound equipment to hotel bars, rotary clubs, weddings, bar mitzvahs and
the
occasional bowling alley. Ah, the glamorous life of a performer! So now,
although I'd never had a corporate job in my life, I was set to begin
work as a
publicist.
]]> Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/the-elephant-in-the-diabetics-room.html
This Easter, for the first time, I will not be eating
chocolate eggs and Simnel cake, just as last Christmas I didn't eat Christmas
cake and roast spuds. In between, I have eaten so few carbs you could fit them
in a nutshell.


The reason I was diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic. What angered
me was that the nurse told me to stoke up on starchy carbs every day. Excuse
me Science is supposed to be scientific.

]]> Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/get-it/you-are-cordially-invited-to-the-wedding-of.html
Read More]]> Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/interview-with-wife-in-the-north.html Judith O'Reilly
has had the sort of success that makes bloggers salivate with envy. Towards the
end of 2006 she agreed to follow her husband from London to Northumberland in
the North East of England. In part because her husband came from there and
wanted to return, in part to fulfil a promise they made to each other to try
and lsquo;be happy' after their first child was stillborn.
Read More]]> Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/like-mother-like-me.html
lsquo;I want to be Ellen,' my daughter told me
the other morning.


Ellen is my friend. She has a very
glamorous job in the entertainment industry. She dates all types of men, from
firemen to lawyers.

]]> Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/counting-the-cost-of-calories.html
Whether you
are in North America, Europe, Down Under or elsewhere, chances are your country
is debt laden.


There are two
solutions: Spend less or earn more. Except that politicians have a problem.
They can't spend less because they have an inability to say no and let's face
it, every politician has a community behind them, who they are desperately
trying to please. So governments need to earn more. And that means new or higher taxes.

]]> Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/the-upside-of-an-empty-nest.html
Is there an upside to having an lsquo;empty nest'


Well yes, if
the alternative means being one of those parents moaning about their
twenty-somethings (and God forbid their thirty-somethings) still living at
home. I know there's a recession on but that's ridiculous.

]]> Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/whoo-eee.html
I had just climbed out of my parked car and was toting a grocery bag and
sipping sweet tea from McD's, heading for my house, when a car soared by and a
passenger called out, lsquo;Whoo!'
As in, lsquo;Whoo, mama!'

]]> Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/paying-to-be-noticed.html
Admit it. You can sometimes be a little vain. Just a wee bit.


You don't mind taking longer to do your hair for a big night out.
Maybe give the girls a good lift and squish to get the cleavage just right.
Perhaps slip into the life-threatening girdle to deal with the muffin top. Then
you might steal an extra glance in the mirror - if you find a nanosecond in the
day for such luxuries.

]]> Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/the-language-of-the-working-mum.html
Juggling, compromise, exhaustion, guilt, guilt and yes more guilt. Sound familiar


Before children (BC) these words had meaning to me, obviously. But juggling was something clowns did, compromise was a Chardonnay not a Sancerre, because it was the end of the month and I was broke, and exhaustion was how I felt after a night out on the razzle dazzle. And guilt Well that was telling a white lie of the 'I feel a bit ill' variety to miss a day's work when I was hungover.

]]> Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/i-am-an-office-worker.html
My life has dealt me a strange card lately. In these horrible financial times I have been forced out of my little comfort zone to take on odd jobs to help pay for groceries. Actually it would be helpful if I could pay the mortgage but the lsquo;odd jobs' haven't got me there yet.


So, tah dah, I have become an Office Worker.

]]> Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/wine-weight-loss.html
I have a friend who has a saying about New York City: lsquo;Everyone in New York is an alcoholic.'


By current standards (which say that women should have no more than one drink per day) she's more right than you might think.

]]> Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/for-family-togetherness.html
From
recent experience, I can testify that the best way to bring your family
together is to kill the cat.


When
the vet told us that ours had multiple medical problems and would need two
pills a day for the rest of her life just to stay alive, I discussed it with
the kids.

]]> Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/backbones-needed.html Here's what I don't understand. A-list
stars have stylists, make-up artists, hair dressers, and god knows what else,
whose sole purpose is to make said stars look as attractive as possible. Why then,
do these advisors wimp out when it comes to telling them the truth about their
plastic surgery
]]> Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/so-two-doctors-walk-into-an-examination-room.html The only thing more embarrassing than opening your legs for
a strange man with cold hands, a spatula and a poor bedside manner is...well,
nothing, frankly. But once a year we women are required to go through this
ritual called The Pap Smear for health's sake. This time lsquo;round, however, the
absurdity of the whole procedure struck me like a speculum into my cervix.
]]> Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/wishing-for-the-moon.html What's worse than half-term I mean even worse Yes, the School
Project. On lsquo;Science and Space.' Great. Good old Year 6,
eh Giving 11-year-olds an endless subject like that. What's wrong with a
bit of algebra That's what I want to know.
]]> Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/rude-is-a-four-letter-word.html
I have three children and I'm painfully aware of their behavior at all
times: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I have a face for every moment: a look, a sigh, an exasperation and a
few exclamations.


Lately I feel like a
soldier alone on the battlefield. While
I'm running for cover, intercepting my children's barrage of ills, I see other
moms and dads detached and disinterested; no beads of sweat, just a cool look
of apathy.

]]> Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/get-it/what-do-you-do-in-bed.html
Modern beds have become multi-tasking action stations
and it's ruining our health. That's if you believe the current thinking of
lsquo;those in the know.' Sleep
scientists are on a mission to change our nocturnal habits. The medical
profession wants us to start sleeping in separate beds. The miserable killjoys
say it is bad for our health. New guidelines state that shared beds should be
reserved for sexual congress alone. If we want to sleep, we should make our way
to our own bedrooms down the hall. We can still have sex (that's a relief) but
afterwards, we should sleep apart. That way we will be far better rested and a
lot healthier.


It sounds like being a student.


Are we supposed to be surprised when new... Read More]]> Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/easter-cant-come-soon-enough.html
I only procrastinate when it comes to Lent.


Every February there I am, listening to my
fellow observers confidently divulging how they're giving up fast food or
cussing, and I have to admit that I still haven't settled on my resolution. And
it gets harder every year because I've done all the big ones. Last year I even
gave up alcohol. To my mortification it wasn't particularly difficult, which
can only mean that I'm not the boozy delight I've always fancied myself.

]]> Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/kates-dates-part-nine.html
Bizarrely, being dumped by a man that I really liked was a turning
point for me. In fact, it was nothing short of a revelation. I had learnt to
trust my gut instinct and what's more, it had paid off.


I knew in my heart of
hearts that Finance Man liked me so I asked him what his problem was - in
slightly nicer words than that. Simple. All that time I had spent in the past, asking
questions and never letting any of them go any further than the inside of my
own head. All that angst, and the answer was so elegantly straightforward. Ask.
If you don't know the answer to the question, just ask.

Read More]]> Fri, 05 Mar 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/superbrain-yoga.html Everybody wants things quicker
these days. As if faster means better. We send instant messages expecting instant
answers. We text and then stare at the
phone anxiously wondering where the response is.
]]> Fri, 05 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/fairy-tale-interrupted.html I have had a
great life so far and I'm looking forward to more; I mean a great life - filled with hope,
disappointment, failure, success, adventure, danger, grief, bliss, sadness,
pain, love, and happiness. I can truthfully say that I have never been bored. I've
climbed mountains and had babies. I have felt the blackness of grief, as well
as the joy of love from more than one good man.
]]> Fri, 05 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/its-just-a-roll-on-the-bed.html
You know that one day you will have to tell
them.


That day seems so far in the future when
they are just cute little toddlers with chubby hands and chocolate round their
mouths, but you know in your heart that one day you will be a great, liberal
parent and tell them without making the whole thing sound scary, frightening
or, at worst, tempting and exciting. It won't be the same as it was for you,
finding out through fumbles and embarrassment. It will be a good, intelligent
discussion...

]]> Thu, 04 Mar 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/rem-sweet-rem.html
Lately, I can't wait to
get into bed. By myself.


Before your mind wanders
off in the wrong direction, let me explain. For whatever reason, maybe it's the
apple and peanut butter I devour each night before crawling under the covers or
that glass of red wine or even the late night talk shows I watch, something is
causing me to have the most wonderful dreams. Night after night, I lust after
terrific men who happily return my affections.

]]> Thu, 04 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/chatroulettecom.html Have you lsquo;played' Chatroulette - the new Internet chat
service that connects users at random face-to-face via webcam It's a new web lsquo;sensation' this week.
]]> Thu, 04 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/man-looking.html
Most grown up women
would agree that we are over cheap jibes against men. You know the kind of
thing; lsquo;men have
the E.Q. of
a snail, they can drive an F1 car and run countries, but multi-tasking and
using a washing machine, are apparently beyond their wit.'


I suspect most women in
relationships have progressed from bitching about the irritating differences
between men and women and are doing their best to live with their partner,
warts and all.

Read More]]> Wed, 03 Mar 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/credit-where-its-due.html With exam time fast approaching, or as it seems, constantly looming, it's
worth knowing that extra credit can be given for traumatic or stressful events.
This is definitely so in England, and worth investigating in whichever country
you reside.
]]> Wed, 03 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/walk-of-shame.html
I
moved to The Bronx when I was twenty. I decided to leave Manhattan and share an
apartment in an Irish neighborhood with my best friend.


On
moving day we ascended the front stoop of the building with our boxes and bags,
and were greeted by the lovely old Irish ladies sitting there chatting away. I
thought to myself, lsquo;What a nice place to live, so welcoming.'

]]> Wed, 03 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/books/my-top-secret-de-stressing-technique.html This weekend I've been knee deep in vapour rub, Calpol and sick buckets.
My husband is hundreds of miles away (oh didn't he time that well) and
(hysterical laughter) the mother-in-law has just left after staying for a few
days just to help me out.
Read More]]> Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/films/the-big-lebowski.html lsquo;Yeah, well, you know,
that's just, like, your opinion, man,' my husband likes to quote from one of
his favorite movies. Up until recently, I used that quotation to illustrate my
stance on the supposed greatness of lsquo;The Big Lebowski.' I never lsquo;got' the movie,
and frankly, that wasn't a bad thing.
Read More]]> Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do.html Jane Fonda is all over the news at the
moment having had a little lsquo;work' done on her chin, neck and eyes. Unlike most
people in La-la land, she's owning up to it, thus everyone is raving about her
honesty.
]]> Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/give-them-a-break.html Those of you in the US may identify with the crippling sense of shock we
in the UK are suffering on hearing the news that a young man in the public eye,
a top sporting professional, with truckloads of money and a track record in
dating or marrying very attractive women, has had the audacity to do what
countless numbers of unattractive, chubby, low paid, low achieving individuals
do on a regular basis; namely, have an affair.
Read More]]> Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/get-it/driving-miss-crazy.html
You are driving along an empty road at twilight. You
have your main beams on, because out in the countryside, this is when the
animals come out to play. The local boars are thick skinned and solid - they
can really mash up your paintwork.


You are running late. A quick glimpse at the clock
tells you it's nearly eight pm.


Then lsquo;BANG!' Something collides with the front of the
car.


You pull over and sit for a moment, your pulse
racing. Outside there's a noise. Something is dragging itself off into the
undergrowth. You peer out, but it's too dark to see.


After a minute you step out of the car. There is mud
and something else on the front wing...blood. And the tyre is crumpled and... Read More]]> Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/the-magic-girdle.html Abracadabra, alakazam, hocus
pocus and presto-chango. That's right, ladies. Step right up, step right up and
watch as I make two, no THREE, dress sizes disappear from your body in the
blink of an eye. Cloud of smoke Poof! Now, you see it, now you don't.
How did I do it, you ask Well, it's magic, of course. Body Magic.
]]> Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/cosmo-hypocrisy.html If any of you have satellite radio you might need to check out Cosmo Radio. Particularly if you have not had your daily dose of hypocrisy.
]]> Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/learning-to-drive-behind-the-wheel.html Having made the commitment to learn to
drive, I successfully obtained my provisional licence, and then the first real challenge
was to decide how to learn. The
trouble was that everyone was very keen to step in with their advice.
Read More]]> Fri, 26 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/meet-yana-berlin-of-fabulously40com.html It's three
o'clock in the morning and you can't sleep. What do you do Go get something to
eat Watch TV Surf the internet Well, if you're Yana Berlin, the founder of
the website Fabulously40.com, you jump out of
bed and write up a business plan.
Read More]]> Fri, 26 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/toyota-recall.html I thought I was lucky a year ago when I purchased a new 2009 Toyota Camry.
But, now with so much publicity about the pedal, the carpet, the recalls, I've
been going slightly more out of my mind than normal.
Read More]]> Fri, 26 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/is-this-a-mans-worst-nightmare.html
What do you think would constitute a man's worst
nightmare


I canvassed the opinion of my husband. This is what
he said:


'Being dragged around a Craft Fair, knowing full well
that the World Cup Final was taking place but my ticket had just been eaten by an
enormous monitor lizard. And even when I begged them at the gates to let me in
to see the soccer, they wouldn't, because I had developed a large pair of
tusks.'

]]> Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/breast-cancer.html I am the oldest of
three sisters. We came from good stock. Healthy parents mostly. In 1994, the
middle sister, Cookie, got breast cancer. Sure, we were shocked. We cried. For
a second. And then we plowed through it; together. We're tough that way. In
1997, it was my turn and I took it like a champ. OK, actually, I crumbled. At
first. But my sisters and my family came flying to my side and here I am today.
Right as red wine. I mean rain.
Read More]]> Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/an-app-too-far.html
A Swedish mobile software firm, The Astonishing Tribe
(yes, that's its name) has developed a new phone app aimed at 'augmented identity.'


Called the Recognizr (yes, that's the
spelling), it allows you to point your camera at someone's face and pull up information
on him/her plus any social networking sites s/he belongs to.

Read More]]> Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/behave-yourself.html Are there etiquette rules for social forums, such
as Facebook, and, if not, should there be Are good manners and good sense
something that you're inherently expected to possess and execute online, or is
there a need to be taken into custody by a cyberspace behavior cop who warns
you to knock it off and rein it in
]]> Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/fully-loaded-and-popping-out.html
I'm addicted to my laptop. I feel
free, independent, youthful when I'm on my laptop. It's mine and I don't
believe in sharing it.

You can imagine my distress when the hard
drive crashed. I became anxious as I stared at it forlornly.
Read More]]> Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/youtube-u.html
For
the first time in college history, Tufts University, located in Boston, is now
accepting minute-long YouTube videos as part of their undergraduate
applications, and I think it is absolutely wonderful.

Read More]]> Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/the-rise-of-the-undead.html I've noticed a recent trend in films, TV
shows, and books towards the undead and have been asking myself what the
attraction is. Of course, the myth of the vampire has been around since the early 1800s, and was made
popular by Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' in 1897, so the phenomenon is nothing new,
but a steady rise in the vampire's popularity seems to be in existence at the
moment.
Read More]]> Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/books/committed.html In the
last eight months, three of my closest friends have separated from their
husbands. As an unmarried person, this has caused a bit of a crisis of faith
for me in the matrimony department. Divorce rate statistics are startling
enough these days, but when you see the evidence of them beginning to unfold
right in your very own intimate circle, it begins to make you a skeptic. When I
found out that Elizabeth Gilbert (self-proclaimed marriage skeptic and author
of the international bestseller lsquo;Eat,
Pray, Love') had written a book on making peace with the age-old
institution, I naturally had to read it.
Read More]]> Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/everyones-an-expert.html
Am I being
hyper-sensitive Well, based on what I am about to write, if I am, I am sure
many of you will let me know.


Here is what I discovered recently: I discovered
that people (read women) enjoy being an expert in certain things
so that they can then laud it over those of us who are less expert. And,
quite frankly, I am goddammed tired of it.

]]> Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/my-new-life.html Having reduced my working hours from every waking moment
to zilch (yep zilch!), I suddenly
found I had time on my hands to meet friends for coffee, lunch and
leisurely shopping trips to indulge myself.
]]> Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/polite-my-ass.html First - let me preface my little tale by assuring you that I
was brought up right. I was raised to be civil. I open doors for people, put
coins in Santa's Christmas kettle and give up my seat on the bus to pregnant
women - even those I just think are pregnant - but turn out not to be... but that's another story entirely. I
am, what many would refer to as a lsquo;nice' person. I try. I really do.
Read More]]> Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/post-mortem-etiquitte.html Did
you ever notice that one of the many stupid things people say when you lose a
loved one includes the line, 'Oh, I'm so sorry, how old were they' Well, since I've lost someone close to
me, where age was never a factor in determining my level of grief, I have come
to both dread and outright hate this question. But now that it has crawled its way into my consciousness, I
have no choice but to confront it head on.
]]> Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/get-it/waiting-on-a-woman.html
I am the first to admit
I get distracted and lose track of time when I need to get ready to go out, but
I am really not as bad as my hubby thinks.


So I thought I'd break
it down for him, just so that he can see
exactly what is involved, and why us girls need longer to get ready.


5:30 pm - T-minus 90 minutes.


I am off and running, and
vault into the shower. Now men seem to be able to jump through the shower in a
few minutes, but women have way more to do in there before a social lsquo;event.'
There's washing, exfoliating face and body, shaving legs, armpits and possibly
unmentionables, then conditioning hair for two minutes - or 30 seconds in my
case.


5:55 pm - T minus 65... Read More]]> Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/the-pain-of-not-knowing-part-three.html After 35 years of alternately refusing to think about the
baby that she had given up for adoption and remembering it all too well (every goddamned
anguishing second of it) my friend, Lucy, set out to find her son. She did. In
fact, between our combined efforts, it took less than six hours to learn his
name, find out where he was and set up a meeting with him.
Read More]]> Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/an-interview-with-cheryl-benton.html Having
spent more than 30 years in the advertising industry, Cheryl Benton is
well-placed to see that marketers don't seem to care about women in the prime
of their lives. All around her in New York City she could see successful older
women who love clothes, shoes, jewelry and make-up (and have the money to buy
them) but are largely ignored by the marketers.
]]> Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/social-media-marketing-for-seven-year-olds.html
Last Sunday, the
'Times Online' reported that marketing companies are now hiring children to
stealth promote sodas, mp3 players, and other youth-oriented products to their
peers via online social networks.

The article virtually painted the issue as a new form of
child slave labor.
Read More]]> Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/dont-mention-the-war.html
I'm not quite a loopy
Basil Fawlty, but occasionally I feel just as demented about
modern day taboos.


I'm talking about weight and weight loss. Or talking about talking about weight and
weight loss.


Chances are, these days, if you mention lsquo;the war' you're not going to get away
with it.

Read More]]> Thu, 18 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/being-the-fat-girl.html
lsquo;I've been wanting to talk to you
about a group I'd like you to join, but I can see...' the woman pursed her lips
and looked me up and down and then down again to my protruding belly, poorly
hidden by a shirt left from my maternity days. lsquo;You've been busy.'


Busy
What did she - Oh. She thought I was pregnant.

]]> Thu, 18 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/we-are-the-world.html It's 25 years since the first recording of 'We Are the World' by some of the biggest names in 1980's American
music. To celebrate that momentous occasion, a new version has just been
released featuring everyone from Barbra Streisand to Usher, and footage of
Michael Jackson to boot. It's not getting great reviews but the proceeds will
go to Haiti so I truly hope it sells.
]]> Thu, 18 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/the-admittedly-fun-pitfalls-of-facebook.html Yesterday I found out that a woman I knew from first grade
back in Buffalo, New York likes to take pole dancing classes. That is the power
of Facebook. It's particularly interesting for a gypsy like me, who has moved
around quite a bit in my life.
]]> Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/ring-tone-rigmarole.html
As if there weren't already enough tags for
our identity, I've just been informed that I need to personalize the ring tone
on my cell phone.

I tell you, Alexander Graham Bell must be
rolling over in his grave. I'm
sure he never intended his invention to become such an invasion in our lives.
]]> Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/going-it-alone.html
At 38, the playwright Zoe Lewis is pregnant by artificial
insemination. Nothing remarkable there,
except she is a single woman who, when she realised she wasn't going to meet Mr
Right in time, decided to go it alone. Her reason for doing this


lsquo;I decided that there was no way I wanted to
miss out on being a mother.'

Read More]]> Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/get-it/hollywood-hobos.html
Beards.
Love 'em or hate 'em, they are definitely the on-trend facial accessory for men
this season.


It
seems that everywhere you look, fur-faces are peering out from the celebrity
undergrowth. Or should that be overgrowth Whether it be David Beckham, Sting,
Brad Pitt, Joaquim Phoenix, George Clooney - you just can't move for hirsute
he-men.


And
lest you think I'm blowing things out of all proportion, I'm not talking about
prissy little goatees or designer stubble. I mean those full Grizzly Adams
emulating, bush-faced anti-grooming statements.


I am
going to state right from the outset that I am not a fan. Call me
old-fashioned, but I prefer a man to have a smooth, clean-shaven face. It's
just my... Read More]]> Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/books/essential-car-care-for-girls.html As an 18-year-old
with a car, I learnt that men respond to a damsel in distress. When it came to
bewildering matters such as topping up the screen wash, I found that a winning
smile and a bemused shrug would have garage attendants scurrying to do my
bidding. I know; shameful, anti-feminist behaviour. But what goes around comes
around; now when I take my sexless Mummy-mobile to the garage, the young
mechanic looks straight past me, sucks his teeth and says, lsquo;That's gonna cost
ya luv.' He doesn't think lsquo;fwooor' when he sees me, he thinks lsquo;pound;pound;pound;pound;.'
Read More]]> Tue, 16 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/female-viagra.html The term SSE (Satisfying Sexual Experience) is often used by
scientists in the same sentence with that other popular acronym HSDD which is,
of course, short for Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder. And before you get your hopes up; hypo is
bad. You were wishing for hyper, which is an overabundance of sexual desire but
no. Alas, hypo means you have less desire than you'd like. Although, you probably
already knew that.
]]> Tue, 16 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/loving-dangerously.html I'm not a TV critic, but I recently
attended some panel presentations for the Television Critics' Association.
Several networks previewed their new shows, and one offering of the I.D.
Network (lsquo;the only channel devoted to investigations,' I learned) captured my
attention.
]]> Tue, 16 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/some-cheesecake-dear.html I once threw a cheesecake at my husband. Unfortunately my
aim wasn't very good and most of it hit the wall. Not surprisingly, I was the
one who cleaned it up so it wasn't quite as satisfying as it sounds.
]]> Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/an-extremely-goofy-date.html The only thing more frightening than, say, swimming with sharks, is
getting back into the dating scene again after twelve years. And no, I've never
swum with sharks. But for the first time in my life I'm thinking about it. It would
be a walk in the park after the taste of dating that I got as a mid-thirty
year-old.
Read More]]> Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/pumped-up-pride.html
When will men figure it out When will men learn that when lsquo;they'
are on to you, especially in this day and age, you're done for.

OK, so you sort
of expect the proverbial lsquo;dumb jocks' to be, well, dumb. Sure, even in this
very column, we suggested to Tiger Woods that once the cat started slithering its way
out of the bag, he should come clean. But did he Of course
not. His foolish pride had him convinced that lsquo;Team Tiger' could keep his dirty
little secrets under the rug and no one would be any the wiser.
Read More]]> Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/get-it/cynicism-and-chips.html
Only a mere seven weeks into 2010 and temptation
rears its ugly head. Remember all those resolutions The unwavering conviction
that by March, it would be possible to see your toes without the use of an
artfully positioned mirror


Don't give in. You can do it! Nibble on a carrot
stick and do another three hundred sit-ups. Attagirl!


Oh, if only I could walk the walk.


If you are managing to stick to your diet and
exercise regime, things should be looking positive right now. Well done!


But even if you have been the model of restraint and
successfully dropped those stubborn pounds...beware. Week seven after Christmas is notorious for its ability to
crush the strongest of wills. This is the time when gym... Read More]]> Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/the-pain-of-not-knowing-part-2.html
My friend Lucy gave up a child for adoption 35 years ago.
She didn't talk about it very much, although she and I talked about everything
else incessantly. This was the one area that I intuited was off limits, and I
let it alone. I didn't ask my usual 10,000 questions in rapid fire sequence. I
figured she would talk about it, when and if she wanted to.

That day came.
Read More]]> Fri, 12 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/an-interview-with-kate-monro.html Ever
been stuck for a conversational ice-breaker If you are Kate Monro then
probably not. Her belief is that once you get people talking, they will tell
you the most amazing things. She knows this because she has spent the last 3
years talking to people about the experience of losing their virginity, and
documenting the results in her blog - The Virginity Project.
Read More]]> Fri, 12 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/no-time-for-love-dr-jones.html Valentine's Day - the day that many call a 'made-up' holiday
(though really, what holiday isn't 'made-up') - has a reputation for making people feel absolutely awful. But this year, it seems as though
the long arm of Love Day has reached far beyond February 14th.
Read More]]> Fri, 12 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/pluck-me-that-hurts.html There comes a time - when the bags under your eyes reach your top lip
for example - when a woman needs to take her beauty regime in hand. No
matter that for scores of years she has adhered to the mantra of lsquo;What
you see is what you get' or lsquo;How nature intended me to be,' the bugle
call of liver spots and broken veins eventually comes to us all.
]]> Thu, 11 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/fitness-club-newbies-take-note.html I'm happy for all the people who made a New Year's Resolution to
exercise. Really I am. But I'm a little tired of the newbies at my gym acting
like, well...newbies. We're approaching the midway point in February, and most of them have
already fallen off the exercise wagon. But there are a few lsquo;hangers-on' and
it's time they learned a little gym etiquette.
Read More]]> Thu, 11 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/pmt-trainers.html I have just scraped myself up off the floor after reading
about the new Asics Gel-Kayano 16 trainer which, according to the Asics marketing
people, is designed to capitalise on research showing that changes in
levels of oestrogen affect the flexibility of a woman's feet, and the height of
her foot arch.
Read More]]> Thu, 11 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/gear-freak.html
A few years ago our
family got into cycling. We bought tandems. We bought single road bikes. And we
started riding further...and further. All in the name of a challenge and fitness.
And good clean fun, of course.

Somewhere along the
way we started wearing lsquo;cycling' clothes, and buying various accessories to
wear as well. Lycra might be the butt of a lot of jokes, but do I care No!
]]> Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/-the-computers-theys-hates-me.html
So much has changed at the doctor's offices since I was a
child. There was a time when the nurse would walk in with my chart - a folder
as thick as the national budget - slam it down on the counter and scribble on the
top sheet as she asked me, lsquo;What brings you to see us today'


She'd hold her hand just right, blocking my view of what she was writing, so I
couldn't see her scratching down words like lsquo;neurotic' or lsquo;hypochondriac.'

]]> Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/vanity-fair-er.html It would seem that Vanity Fair is living up to its title for the March
issue by casting what it considers to be the lsquo;New Decade, the New
Hollywood.' But when I look at the cover
I see nothing new about it. Nine young
white girls with skin more transparent than a 'Twilight' vampire, wearing haute
couture, and dripping with the self satisfaction of having lsquo;made it.'
]]> Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/books/the-catcher.html What about old J.D. Salinger leaving us then How many
of us have read that famous book, eh I myself read it at 16 and learnt how to
talk American. In 1975, there was a group of schoolgirls going around saying
lsquo;flunked out' and lsquo;goddam it!' Two expressions we had never remotely heard of
before (these terms not being used in lsquo;The Mary Tyler Moore Show'). And it was
a novelty, training yourself to read in an American accent for the story
to flow properly. What larks!
]]> Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/books/another-attempt-at-nerd-conversation.html I've introduced you to the Nintendo DSi,
I've trained you to surf the web like Laird Hamilton, and even got you making a
digital you. So what's the next logical step in the nerd conversion I seem
to be starting Reading Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
series. Now, I sense some of you recoiling and saying, lsquo;Ugh, those books are
only for male dweebs.' My argument back is to take a look at Bill Gates
and realize sometimes dweebs get things right.
Read More]]> Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/brass-in-pocket.html I read recently about Michael Carroll, who won pound;9.7
million on the Lotto in 2002. Apparently he has spent the entire amount and is
now claiming unemployment benefits. He admits to spending a large amount on
drugs, gambling and prostitutes (after his fed-up wife departed), although he
also gave millions to friends and family.
Read More]]> Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/the-late-clare-taylor.html
It's
the end of the evening. There's nothing decent on TV, unless you count re-runs
of 'Friends' on E4 that I've watched a hundred times already. I have an early
start tomorrow, the dishwasher has already been unstacked, and the cereal bowls
have been laid out ready for breakfast to minimise fuss in the morning rush
(rock and roll, baby. You know it...)


So,
its time for bed, surely


Time
for bed, definitely. If, that is, I
were remotely sensible.

]]> Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/the-choice-continuum.html Ever noticed how, at
the end of a difficult relationship, you sometimes find yourself attracted to
the complete opposite of the man you just loved As if you've gone through the
looking glass and upside-down is the new rightside-up and backward is the new
forward
]]> Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/get-it/stupid-cupid.html
Do you remember receiving your first ever Valentine's
Day card I recall the excitement clearly; the butterflies in my stomach as I
read the poem inside from a mystery admirer...and the devastation once I realised
it wasn't from the athletic sixth former I secretly adored but the wimpy, swot
from chess club.


In our formative years, Valentine's Day can spark a
volatile blend of emotions. Joy and elation mixed with disappointment and
dashed expectations - you want everything to be perfect. And let's face it, it
rarely is.


When you're a tender-teen just starting out on the
rocky road to romance there's an awful lot of hope around, and precious little
experience. But over time, you harden up - you have to. If you knew then,... Read More]]> Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/dont-farce-it.html
Comic relief - the
act of injecting humor into serious situations and social issues - dates back
to Greek theater and it exists for a reason. If we could not laugh at the human
condition, we would most likely go mad. Society could possibly crumble without
it.


But are all
serious social issues the same Should some never be joked about I am talking
about rape, here.

]]> Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/the-pain-of-not-knowing.html My friend Lucy was a wild child. I am older than
she is and was in college during her reign of teenage terror. Lucy was a
late-in-life baby and she was hell-bent on hastening her elderly mother's
demise with her bad girl shenanigans. She was the topic du jour of many bridge club gatherings that my mother's
generation attended.
]]> Fri, 05 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/living-oprah-by-robyn-okrant.html
You have to live in Chicago to really appreciate the
magnitude of Oprah. Most of us know at least one person who works at the Harpo
studio, and we all have our little lsquo;Oprah story' whether it's first hand,
hearsay, or heresy.

When Oprah recently announced her 2011 lsquo;retirement,' audience
members wept openly as they tried to imagine life without the O. In the US, she
has a cult-like following that watches her shows, buys her magazines and even lives
by her recommendations. Lay people like me often wonder what motivates them to
worship at the altar of Oprah
]]> Fri, 05 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/pilfering-from-the-poor.html Corporate greed is something I think we are all familiar with these
days. Toyota risking its customers' safety for profit. Banks. Hedge funds. Insurance
companies. It seems that everyone is trying to line their pockets
with threads turned to gold through the victimization of the public at large.
Sad thing is that we mostly go about our lives without thinking too much about
it.
]]> Fri, 05 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/the-insides-story.html It was clearly a Choco Leibniz biscuit
too far. And I couldn't deny it
anymore. There was a lsquo;muffin top' emerging over my waistband, I had that awful
itchy tight bra feeling, and having to push aside a stubbornly protruding roll
of flesh to get into a yoga position is just downright humiliating when you're
the teacher.
]]> Thu, 04 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/tattoo-parlour.html I started my
plastic surgery savings account when I was in my early thirties. None of that
lsquo;oh not me!' Even in my cradle, I knew when the neck and jaw started to go, I
wanted them tightened up.
]]> Thu, 04 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/women-against-polygamy.html
OK,
enough with the book club bashing. Let's face it, the whole idea of a book club
is an excuse for overworked housewives to meet at a fellow book clubber's home
to drink free alcohol and discuss a book they may or may not have
even read.


Sounds fantastic to me. Unlimited wine, interesting
conversation, and a man free zone - where do I register Seriously though,
I am part of a 10-year, maybe longer, book club that is all women but
not all overworked housewives. Some are underworked and some haven't even ever
been married. We are a diverse bunch and I've read books I never would
have even known about. For instance, we had a huge debate last week
over lsquo;The 19th Wife' by David Ebershoff...]]> Thu, 04 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/automatic-for-the-people.html
A staggering number of people, when questioned which
skill they would really like to master, put 'singing' at the top of their list.


What is your singing voice like Is it a soothing
arrangement of glittering, golden harmonics or a glass-shattering, atonal
screech Does it make you despair that you would never, in your wildest dreams,
become a professional singer

]]> Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/the-internet-makes-us-stupid.html Not only does the Internet make us anti-social,
it makes us idiots. From experience, I've learned that the more time we spend
on the Internet, the less we know about proper grammar, spelling and
communication in general.
]]> Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/whos-doing-who.html I have been
in New York a week and this is my first date. I'm dressed low key as it's my
first date in a few years but I'm equally nervous and nonchalant. So maybe
that's why I don't initially notice but about half way through the welcoming
glass of something cold, white and dry, I realise what's happening in the bar.
]]> Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/books/tweens-by-andrea-clifford-poston.html People assume that because I have four
children, I know what I am doing. They shake their heads admiringly and say,
lsquo;How do you do it' They think I'm being modest when I tell them I'm often crap
at my job and frequently lose my temper. But ten years of being a Mum has
taught me just one thing: I don't know much about parenting. This is especially
true when it comes to my 10-year-old daughter; she's at that slippery age where
she's no longer a child, not quite a teenager, but desperate to be an adult.
]]> Tue, 02 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/films/the-tudors.html
History fascinates me. Well, let me clarify - British history
fascinates me; American history tends to put me to sleep. Here's my
rundown of U.S. History: Battle, battle, paperwork, battle, election, battle, enslave
people, battle, election, paperwork, battle...you get the idea.


Sure we've
had a handful of assassinations and over-hyped infidelities, but nothing so
saucy as a leader hacking off the head of his wife or murdering his nephews
just to get ahead. Now that's interesting. I'm so envious of
the little kids who got to study that sort of thing rather than enduring
someone droning on and on about the battles of the American Revolution.

]]> Tue, 02 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/doppelganger-week.html
The latest viral trend on
Facebook - Doppelgauml;nger week - has left
me thinking my friends have all suddenly become more attractive than I remember.


It all started a few days
ago. I logged on to Facebook to lsquo;keep in touch with my friends,' (i.e., pass
the time by looking at pictures of people I haven't actually spoken to in
years) and noticed that a friend of mine had changed her profile photo to a
gorgeous picture of Jennifer Garner. Was she revealing a kinship, or a hetero-crush
perhaps, or had she just slipped into full-on delusion

Read More]]> Tue, 02 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/steamy-hot-and-pressurised.html
lsquo;How's yours' I ask my friend Wendy, as we compare notes over a coffee.


lsquo;OK. Except for this.' She lifts a corner of her blouse to show me a
small but vicious burn on her stomach.


lsquo;It happened again' I say, incredulous.


lsquo;Yes. Just like last time. Everything had been fine. It was a normal
Sunday evening. Suddenly, from nowhere, this awful eruption.'


They're strong, masterful and capable of inflicting pain and pleasure in
equal measure.


But don't get the wrong idea. We're not talking about men.

]]> Mon, 01 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/my-life-drawer.html We all have one.
Mine is in the kitchen. Yours might be in your bedroom or maybe even in the
bathroom. You know what I'm talking about. The junk drawer! That space which you
promise to keep organized. You're always going to be able to open and close it.
And at any given moment in time, you'll be able to rattle off an inventory of
its contents.
]]> Mon, 01 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/are-there-closets-on-the-battlefield.html I feel like the question of gays in the military is this never
ending thing in the US. It dates back to 1993 when President Clinton, someone
who was supposed to be progressive, decided he either didn't want to stand up
for what he believed or he really had a discriminatory view on gay people and
went with the lsquo;don't ask, don't tell policy.' In other words, just don't admit
that you're a lsquo;homo or faggot' and we'll let you put your life on the line for
us, as well as give you the cushy job of killing other human beings.
]]> Mon, 01 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/expat-in-waiting-part-3.html We've
finally quit talking about it, and moved the family to Russia. Amazingly, it's
all gone relatively smoothly to-date; schools are in place, a new house
acquired, the internet connected. But there is one area of life over here that
continues to frustrate: Making myself understood.
Read More]]> Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/an-interview-with-julia-macmillan.html Julia Macmillan is an artist, sculptor and entrepreneur. In 2007 she
set up the dating site ToyBoyWarehouse.com in an attempt to challenge
the traditionally held view that women should have relationships with
men older than themselves. The site has attracted thousands of feisty
independent women looking for fun, and even more good-looking men who
appreciate intelligence and a decent conversation.
]]> Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/celebrity-death-hoaxes.html So, Twitter has become a major source of my daily news intake. I have
recently followed the devastation in Haiti, the bombings in Afghanistan and,
ahem, the purported breakup of Brangelina.
]]> Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/when-nice-is-not-enough.html
We lay in a heap on the
pub floor, having fallen off our bench.

We had tears rolling
down our cheeks, and were both dissolved in laughter and hitting each other as
we choked out words like lsquo;roadworks!' and lsquo;goal.' It was the culmination of a
ten week relationship between my friend Laura and her new boyfriend.
]]> Thu, 28 Jan 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/speaking-of-leaking.html When I turned 40, I clearly remember
thinking that those four decades seemed a very long span of time, taking me all
the way from birth to peri-menopause. I surmised that if I had the luck to last
another forty years - I would be able to do absolutely everything I wanted,
plus many things I hadn't even considered yet. Plenty of time I thought. But
what I didn't understand then, and what no one had the guts to tell me, is that
time accelerates as we age.
Or so it seems.
]]> Thu, 28 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/superbowl-super-controversy.html Tim Tebow is a hunky college football player who, I am told, may be a
professional football player next year. Mr. Tebow, along with his mom, is
starring in one of the very, very expensive commercial spots during this year's
Superbowl. For those of you outside the U.S., the Superbowl is the American
football championship game and the most viewed sporting event of the year.
Thirty second commercial spots cost millions of dollars each.
]]> Thu, 28 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/feeding-the-digital-cow.html Have you noticed how many newspapers and
magazines these days are touting gear that encourages you to transfer your
musical archives to digital storage It's probably an age thing. And the
options are mind-bending.
]]> Wed, 27 Jan 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/rejection-my-forte.html
Seems like I got this rejection thing down!


How about you others Do
you submit things that you feel are coming from your experience and really feel
that others may like and enjoy Are you wanting to share your life experiences
with anyone that may benefit, only to find it never gets on the page

]]> Wed, 27 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/pee-free.html
One of
the last great divisions between man and woman may have been smashed. Ladies, I
can now pee standing up, I kid you not!


You may
well remember the public toilet scene in lsquo;The Full Monty,' where a rather scary
female uses a urinal whilst standing, much to the horror of the onlooking men.
I have even heard tales of such women, but have always understood it to involve
highly unrealistic contortions, that are just not likely unless your name is
Madonna.

But let's
face it, it's damned inconvenient not being able to just flop it out and pee
wherever it takes our fancy.
]]> Wed, 27 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/books/the-wide-sargasso-sea-by-jean-rhys.html I first read lsquo;The Wide Sargasso Sea' by Jean Rhys
when I was at university. Going through a dungarees and Doc
Marten-wearing lsquo;Rad Fem' phase as I was at that time, I gobbled it up it for
its feminist themes of male dominance and oppression. But I also found myself
drawn to something in it that I couldn't quite put my finger on.
]]> Tue, 26 Jan 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/working-mother-syndrome.html
Working mothers are stressed.


For what and why The extra TV and car, the foreign
holidays, the nice house

]]> Tue, 26 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/moby-jane.html I have a love/hate
relationship with the ocean. I love to listen to the waves crash onto the shore.
And depending on where I am, there is nothing more I'd rather do than begin my
day by watching the sun rise from the sea while enjoying a good cup of coffee, or
end the day watching it sink below the horizon, while sipping a glass of
wine.
]]> Tue, 26 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/snow-for-brains.html
I live half way
up a mountain. Halfway up, rather than down, you'll note. In any case, half way
up is not a bad place to be. As the Grand Old Duke of York would say, it's
neither up nor down.

Read More]]> Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/public-transportation.html
Los Angeles is affectionately referred to as lsquo;the
city of angels' and not-so affectionately as lsquo;the city of carbon monoxide.'


This
is a place where everyone, no matter how financially-challenged, owns a car to travel
from one end to the other of an expansive town criss-crossed by freeways. And
now city officials are beseeching us to take public transit, carpool, cycle
(hang on while I pick myself up off the floor from a laughing fit; cyclists
become mysteriously invisible on the streets of a city where Car is God) - anything
to save the environment.

Read More]]> Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/double-standard-you-betcha.html Last week Republican, Scott Brown (50) took
the late Ted Kennedy's Senate seat in Massachusetts.
Some Republicans are already touting Brown as a possible future Presidential
candidate, presumably because of his dashing good looks, since he was virtually
unknown outside of his state. And boy is he good looking!
]]> Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/kates-dates-part-eight-2.html
I had fallen at the first
hurdle of my online dating career, or, more precisely, Finance Man had dropped
me from a large height.


Finance Man, to all
intents and purposes, was a lsquo;grown up'. He worked in the City, he had been married
and he wore a suit. I was also nuts about him. Partly, it must be said because
I had never been out with a man that wore a suit before, but mostly just
because he was as cute as a button.

Read More]]> Fri, 22 Jan 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/big-momma.html
Can we please get a woman running the airports


Actually can we make
it a Southern woman or an English lady that is well versed in manners,
regardless of how phony she is underneath all of her fake smiles and propriety
And one final request. Can we get stewardesses, I mean flight attendants, added
to this woman's purview Oh yeah, and I would like her job title to be 'Big
Momma.'

Read More]]> Fri, 22 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/interview-with-the-make-it-mend-it-ladies.html
On
December 9th 2008 Liverpool beat PSV Eindhoven 3-1 in the UEFA
Champions League. On the same day German astronomers confirmed there is a black
hole at the centre of the Milky Way. Also on that day, four women met for lunch
at the Adam Street Club in London, a private members club for business
entrepreneurs.


Over
scallops and wine the conversation turned to their school years in the 70's and
the practical skills that used to be on the school curriculum. They were
incredulous that children growing up now do not know how to sew or cook, wire a
plug or hem a skirt.


Read More]]> Fri, 22 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/how-to-look-ten-years-older.html
Every year I fall for this one. Top tips for looking
younger. Who doesn't look through these in glossy magazines for women of a
certain age


And what was this one Tip number 15 lsquo;Having
shaped and tidy eyebrows will take years off you.' Oh, will it Well, by sheer coincidence, I happened to be descending the escalator in
Debenhams, when I came across a thing called an Eyebrow Bar. I
half-expected women to be perched there drinking cocktails.

Read More]]> Thu, 21 Jan 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/dont-date-the-pizza-boy.html
One afternoon I decided to treat myself,
and order a small personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut.


The apartment buzzer
eventually buzzed, and I opened the door, eager for my calorific, cheesy treat.
I thanked the pizza delivery man, tipped him, and closed the door. Settling
down at my desk to eat, my cell phone rang. It was a number I didn't recognize,
but I answered it anyway. It was Pizza Boy.

Read More]]> Thu, 21 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/get-it/song-of-the-slovenly-housewife.html
Sung to the tune of 'This Ole House'


This old house has lost its cleaner
She ain't scrubbing things no more
This old house'll have to suffer
Cause she's sick down to her core
Sick of cleaning, mopping, tidying
Till her back and fingers hurt
This old house'll have to get used to
Being a mess and covered in dirt

Ain't gonna clean this house no longer
Ain't gonna scrub this house no more
Can't be arsed to clean the bedrooms
Or the Lego off the floor
Not wasting time now cleaning yoghurt
Off its filthy window panes
Can't be arsed, 'cause in seconds
It'll need cleaning once again

This old house once smelled of polish
This old house once had a shine
But it's all now gone to rat shit
Cause... Read More]]> Thu, 21 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/prostidude.html
OK, in order to react to this post you have to be willing to step
out of the stilettos/slippers/covered-in-child-vomit trainers that you normally don
on a day-to-day basis and step into the shoes of a dashing, daring,
devil-may-care playgirl who lives for the moment and will do anything once.
Maybe twice.


So, if you have opened your mind, read on.

]]> Thu, 21 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/my-little-mojo.html Yes all right you lot at the back of the class,
stop sniggering; I know that the term lsquo;MoJo' can be used to refer to something
a little bit rude but that's not the context I'm using it in. I'm far too
refined and mature. The MoJo I'm referring to is my Samsung Netbook N140. In the context I'm using MoJo
it means lsquo;self confidence or assuredness' which is vital for anyone who writes.
Read More]]> Wed, 20 Jan 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/the-cure-for-slowing-down.html So you took your old friend out today and noticed
she behaved much slower than she used to. When you first met it seemed
like she was up and raring to go in an instant and snapped back in response to
whatever you did to her. But, lately, she seems a bit sluggish. You want
to yell and scream at her, but you know that with age some slowing is bound to
happen. Still, you'd love to just hurl her against the window for being so
pokey.
]]> Wed, 20 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/doing-the-math.html
I feel we are sufficiently into the New Year to say something
bold. Maybe even obnoxious.


Now that the
holiday season is behind us (or on our behinds, as the case may be), one of the
things I am focusing on is living a healthier life. Not in the, lsquo;I am not
drinking or eating' New Year's resolution type of way. More in the lsquo;all I
have to do is apply some common sense' sort of way.

]]> Wed, 20 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/book-club-wars.html
Pssst....wanna
join a book club Address No problem. Just look for the house with the horse's
head on the doorstep and the copy of lsquo;Anna Karenina' stuffed in its mouth.


Why the horse
Sister, it's a long story. Well, a short, long story. More like a novella,
really. I knew it would review well.

]]> Tue, 19 Jan 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/my-time-in-cougar-town.html In the U.S. we have a show called lsquo;Cougar Town' and, based on the name
alone, I truly did not want to like it. Plus, it stars Courteney Cox, who was
easily my least favorite of the clan on the long-running show lsquo;Friends.' But I decided to take a
visit to Cougar Town and, despite my best intentions, I found myself liking this
show - nay, enjoying the hell out of this show. Not only that, but I actually
found the subject matter rather touching.
]]> Tue, 19 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/cant-we-all-just-get-along.html
I am just sick and tired of polarized viewpoints and people disagreeing
based upon ideological definitions, as opposed to being practical about making
the world a better place.


Quite frankly I don't care if my elected official is
a republican, democrat, independent or anarchist. I just care that they do
their best to keep us safe from harm, focus on the economy and that they don't get all up in my business talking to me about
things that they have no right to talk to me about - like, who I choose to
sleep with, whether or not I want to marry a woman or a man, what to do with my
body and whether or not it is morally ok to cure disease with stem cells. If
you're a politician just stick to the simple stuff like our safety and well
being,...]]> Tue, 19 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/thanks-forwhat.html
Christmas
is but a dim and distant memory. The tree is turning brown and crispy in the
garden, the full potential of the turkey has been exploited, your unwanted
presents are on eBay and the extra roll of flab around your girth is slowly beginning
to subside.


If you
are uber-organised, you will have kept a note of all the presents received at
Christmas, and will now be in a position to scribble a few appreciative words
of thanks.


If you
are totally disorganised (that's me,
folks!) you will now be in the rather more uncomfortable position of trying to
match up presents to people, and scratching your head thinking of a few bland,
non-committal words of gratitude for whatever the hell it was you received.

]]> Mon, 18 Jan 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/how-old-is-too-old.html The London Women's Clinic, a private clinic
in London, is to allow 59-year-old Susan Tollefsen to undergo IVF
treatment. Mrs. Tollefsen already has a 2-year-old daughter and describes
herself as 'full of life.' Naturally, this has caused much debate
about the ethics and even the legality of providing IVF treatment to
such an 'old' patient. (The legal doubt because Section 13
(5) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, prohibits IVF treatment
unless account has been taken of the welfare of any child who may be born as a
result of the treatment.)
Read More]]> Mon, 18 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/moving-on.html I'm not one to go around giving out unsolicited advice, but, if anyone
out there is considering moving house, my recommendation would be to think long
and hard about this idea, then send it away somewhere deep into the recesses of
your mind, put it under lock and key, and don't ever let the thought creep back
into your consciousness again. Why am I giving out this advice Because,
unfortunately, I'm living through it.
]]> Mon, 18 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/learning-to-drive.html
To admit
that I can't drive, makes me feel very silly. I feel childish, slightly
inferior, and horribly dependent. Pretending that I can drive has put me in
awkward situations, while admitting that I cannot makes me face awkward
questions: lsquo;Don't you wish that you could' lsquo;Wouldn't it make your life easier
if you could' lsquo;Why didn't you learn when you were younger'


So, it is
time for me to make a decision: either I climb on the eco-bandwagon and claim that
it is for the greater good of the environment and humanity...or I stop lying
about it and bloody well learn.

]]> Fri, 15 Jan 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/share-it/an-interview-with-liz-carr.html Liz Carr is a comedy chameleon. As a columnist she writes
entertaining, achingly funny observations about her life. As a broadcaster she is
the jovial co-host of the BBC's disability radio show (and a regular contributor to the
refined schedules of Radio 4). As a stand-up comedian she performs no-holds-barred
material that is so rude and unflinching, it makes your eyes water. As a
performer she has been involved in burlesque (lsquo;Peelers on Wheels') and a spoof
all-women wheelchair-using line dance troupe (lsquo;The Rhinestone Rollers').
]]> Fri, 15 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/tattoo-turn-off.html
I'm just wondering whether celebrities actually think of
the example they are setting, when they cover whole areas of their bodies with
tattoos.


I don't mean just the odd one here and there, I mean a whole arm,
their neck, whole lower leg or large areas of their torso. In the UK when
I was younger, a tattoo was viewed as a very 'lower class' thing to have done.
But these days with all the major celebrities going for it, the kids think it
is just so cool to have a tattoo. I have even had 10-year-olds tell me they'd
like a tattoo for Christmas!

]]> Fri, 15 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/mammograms-and-biopsies.html
Don't have a mother
who dies shockingly young from breast cancer. The genetic counsellors will get hold of you and you'll have to start
having mammograms at 35.


Do buy fabulous
new underwear, have a wax and exfoliate before your mammogram. It might be a sexy
male nurse who operates the machine and anyway, if the Grim Reaper has his
scythe poised, best to go out looking good.

Read More]]> Thu, 14 Jan 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/when-scared-to-death-start-shimmying.html I know
I'm never going to be Shakira, but if I'm lucky I may eventually be able to do
a fair (or, more likely, shabby) imitation of her belly dancing moves. I've
always wanted to learn how to do it, but I could never find a class in my neck
of the woods. Belly dancers aren't a dime a dozen in Appalachia. And then I
came across a class in a town that was within driving distance. I concluded, on
the spot: I'm going to do this.
]]> Thu, 14 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/grief-in-the-time-of-technology.html Public grieving is something that has become a hot topic of late.
I have seen blog posts and articles about Twitter and Facebook serving
as the new condolence cards. People now publicly post what used to be a private
exchange of emotion between two people. When you want to comfort someone who
has experienced a loss, you no longer attend a wake, funeral, Shiva, memorial
service, or go and visit them. You just send out a Tweet so everyone can see what a
good person you are.
]]> Thu, 14 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/look-at-me.html
Correct
me if I'm wrong, but I thought the saying goes that lsquo;the young follow the old.'
The youth of today are meant to repeat our mistakes, and yet recently, it seems
to me that we are repeating theirs.


It started
with my nieces. At ages 13 and 15, they proudly sent me links
to web pages that they had created on Webs or Bebo. There, on these sites, for
all to see, they posed and pouted for the camera. Often they were scantily
dressed, or in pyjamas on their bed, cuddling a teddy bear and gazing into the
camera with puppy dog eyes. Alarmed, I informed my husband, who told his sister
(their mum) who said.... lsquo;I know. They're all doing it.'

]]> Wed, 13 Jan 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/hi-tech-hide-and-seek.html Geocaching
is a high tech treasure hunt game, and one of the fastest growing hobbies in
the world. We discovered it after I read about a fellow blogger's adventures
and thought it was something that would interest my husband. I had an ulterior
motive - I am a keen landscape photographer but I was aware he was bored
waiting around for me to get the perfect shot. Geocaching seemed like something
he could do whilst I was snapping away.
]]> Wed, 13 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/getting-it-off-your-chest.html Did you hear about the controversy last week when female Facebook
users started listing their bra color in their status The idea (which went hugely
viral) was to get Facebook users wondering why every woman was putting a bra
color in her status, which would lead to a discussion of breasts, which would
lead to breast cancer awareness - I guess.
]]> Wed, 13 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/better-than-sex/nurse-junkie.html
I wanted to hate Nurse Jackie, really I did.

Who's nurse Jackie you ask She's TV's latest venture into yet another
dysfunctional woman; a bad example for young girls everywhere. And worse, another sorry excuse for a
nurse. If nurses aren't running around
in short white dresses with white stiletto fuck-me pumps on, then what
]]> Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/shout-it/game-change-changes-the-game.html Over this past weekend it was revealed in the book lsquo;Game Change' by
political journalists John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, that racism is alive
and well in the United States. OK, so that is no big shocker. If you live here,
you know that we struggle with this issue and that while we do make progress
(like electing the country's first black President last year), there is always
some idiot ready to set back the discourse by revealing their true character
and then, later, apologizing for their statement, yet not their overall view.
Read More]]> Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/love-it/films/i-am-neytiri.html Little girls growing up in a
world full of gender inequities don't always have the same, immediate access to
powerful images of our strength as our male counterparts. Don't get me
wrong - sheroes are out there, if we look for them. One of my most
treasured personal possessions is a children's book called lsquo;Changing Woman and Her Sisters: Stories of
Goddesses from Around the World.' In this collection, bold
author Katrin Hyman Tchana, shares inspiring tales
of strong women from both real and mythological history. Stories that make
little girls sit up straighter and feel their innate worth. But I want more.
Read More]]> Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/the-missing-gene.html