Casual Friday

 Shoes: Aldo, seen HERE as well

 Shirt: Dynamite

White Tank: Unknown

Jeans: Jessica Simpson Kiss Me Jeggings, seen HERE

Necklace: Dynamite seen HERE

Side View

Look down from above

How awesome is it that the weather is finally sunny and warm! If you are reading this from Colorado or Minnesota I am very sorry to say that it is tremendous outside here in Ottawa and most of Ontario. But don't worry, your summer will come just as ours did :-)

With the warmer weather here, we just had our Summer Dress Code email come out (I work in an office). It stated that Gentlemen could not wear Shorts or Sandals and that the women could not wear Spaghetti Straps or Flip Flops (women can wear shorts). Ummmmmm... WHAT?

First I would think that women wearing shorts is at much higher risk if violating the appropriate barrier as we often would wear short Shorts. Men however often wear longer shorts so what is that about?

I do agree with Men not wearing Sandals. Sorry Guys but the majority of you are about 10 years over due for a pedicure.

And no FLIP FLOPS! Now I do wear some form of dress high heel or wedge most days but sometimes a girl needs to give her feet a break and that's where I have a problem with no Flip Flops. 

Come on!  Flip Flops = Summer

Does your work have a Summer Dress Code? If so, do you agree with it?

If you like Pina Coladas.....getting caught in the rain

I am 90% packed for my trip to the Turks and Caicos! Think I brought enough to wear for 10 days? ;-)

I have a few tips for traveling that may not be new to you, but they are the rules I live by when I hit the skies:

1) Pack half the clothes and twice the money - even though it doesn't look like I practiced this rule I actually did scale back the outfits by at least 1/3 as I put them into my suit case. Most of these items are bathing suit cover ups and light sundresses. I always wear a couple of these per day when I am in a tropical locale so I make sure that I have enough. For money, you never know what will happen or what you will find to buy when you are vacationing. Making sure you have enough cash for incidentals, tips and shops that may not accept credit cards will allow you to bring some cool stuff home and you will have the room in your suitcase for it.

2) I may be sentimental but I will always buy some neat little knick knack that is unique to the country I am visiting. I like having a collection of things to decorate that are from the places I have been. Not only are they different, but it reminds me of the vacation, each time I walk into the room. If I don't find anything to decorate my space, then I will turn to jewelry as a way to bring back a piece of the exotic home.

3) Bring a photo copy of your passport. This will save you some headaches if you happen to lose it while you are in a foreign country.

4) Bring all the medication you could possibly ever need. For obvious reasons!

Another disapointment or another door?

My name is Melissa and I am a 34 year, single unemployed and seriously board gal who is not unlike many of you.  I have started this blog as a way to fill the days while I look for work since being laid off 2 weeks before Christmas 2010, after working for a company for 10 years. After 4 months of searching for work in this abysmal economy I finally snagged an interview with a Government agency!!! Oh joy! Looking forward to a cushy role in a government job was just what I needed to pull me out of the slump of not working and spending my days eating chips and watching bad TV. Well I have found out today that this new and exciting career is not to be as I was told "they have chosen to go with another candidate". Such a nice and comforting way to be told "Hey, we think you suck". So now what??? What do you do when you are out of money, with the only hope of a job that you were able to attain after 4 months of scouring online job sites, attending job search seminars, putting the word out in every medium possible, even contemplating applying for Charlie Sheen's internship??


You start a blog that's what! Isn't that was people do these days? They put their frustrations out there for the entire world to see and laugh at/with and maybe even judge? Hey, Perez Hilton (who's website my guiltiest of guilty pleasures) made a career out of witty blogging about celebrities and "outing" closeted gay stars I think before even they knew they were gay. Now I don't know any celebrities and I don't think I would ever "out" anyone so my blogging skills may be lacking any kind of entertaining capacities.


Or there's that Julie & Julia chick. She blogged about cooking her way through the Julia Child cookbook and people bought into that to the tune of a book and movie with Meryl Streep. I mean, really if someone can make cooking French cuisine in a small NYC apartment a readable commodity then why can't I do the same? Maybe I will blog my way through this soul sucking job search, or ways to entertain myself with way too much free time, or by slowly posting aspects of my personal life that you can maybe relate to.


Well no time like the present, here it is...this first of many posts to come. Please comment, enjoy commiserating or judging me (don't worry I can't see you or know where you live so judge away!)