Lynda's Dancin' In Your Drawers Recommendations....

As the big day for Lynda is only a few short days away, I figured I'd better hurry up and post the last of her favorite undie dancing songs before the festivities of "wedding weekend" begin. I've really enjoyed posting these fun,silly little tributes to one of the dearest friends I've ever had. Whether this music has suited your taste or not, I hope you can appreciate the beauty of Lynda's lighthearted openness in sharing songs that help her to feel happy and confident when she cuts loose and embraces herself inside and out....and I sincerely hope you'll log into your iTunes library and start your own playlist to help you do the same.


Lynda Recommends :

#8 Lionel Richie: "All Night Long"-  "Such a cheerful song! Also, it reminds me of the beach for some strange reason."

#9 Journey: " Any Way You Want It"- "I just love Journey!"

Lynda's Dancin' In Your Drawers Recommendations...

It's Friday! I'm sure some of you are working all weekend (like me), but in a few hours it will be Friday night to the rest of the world. As Lynda's list of favorite undie dancing tunes begins to wind down, here's a song appropriate for celebrating the weekend and getting rid of the negativity from the work week while you boogie-oogie-oogie in the privacy of your home.

Lynda recommends :

 #7 Taste of Honey: "Boogie Oogie Oogie"-  "Makes me wish I was at Studio 54 dancing around in Candies high heels and a Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress. Yay!"

Lynda's Dancin' In Your Drawers Recommendations....

Since I missed two days of posting, you get double the undie dancing tunes from Lynda today...Enjoy!



Lynda recommends : 




#5 "What Is Love": Haddaway- "Who doesn't dance around to this song in private?" 

 #6 Pointer  Sisters: "Automatic"- "The best Pointer Sister song ever!"

Lynda's Dancin' In Your Drawers Recommendations....

A double dose of recommendations to get your body movin' and your confidence up as you face the week ahead.


Lynda recommends :

#3 "All I Need Is A Miracle": Mike & The Mechanics-  "It's true... I do need a miracle. LMAO!"

#4" Do You Believe in Love?": Huey Lewis & The News- "I love the lyrics to this song.  And it's so easy to sing."

Lynda's Dancin' In Your Drawers Recommendations....

#2: Lynda Recommends - Promise of a New Day: Paula Abdul- "A good message and it reminds me of my youth."

Ode to Leeeeenda.....

So, nearly a year after attempting to launch my little dancing in your undies project, I'm finally posting some fantastic feedback I received from one of dearest friends, who also happens to be right up there with the most beautiful people I know. And when I say beautiful, I mean inside and out - REAL beauty. Though my timing might seem completely random, it's actually not. Lynda is getting married in just a couple weeks, and I, along with the other members of our affectionately coined "Clump", have the privilege of being part of the wedding. Unfortunately, due to a feisty flu bug and then a jam-packed work schedule, I was unable to make it to all of the pre-wedding festivities to celebrate the bride. But my friends, being as AWESOME as they are, of course made me feel like I was part of each celebration by sending texts and photos, emails and even phone calls. That said, I wanted to do a little something to celebrate Lynda in my own way, and since I never got around to posting the silly goodness of her contribution to "Project Undie Dance", I've decided there's no better time than the present. 

Over the next week I'll be posting one or two youtube videos of Lynda's favorite underwear dancing songs each day, and her reasons for adding them to her personal gettin'-her-groove-on repertoire. I think you'll definitely enjoy it, whether you know Lynda or not.....and maybe you'll even be inspired to shed your inhibitions and let the music move you too! 


It's funny- many years ago I began to call Lynda "Leeeeenda", with a long E sound. At the time I took French in school, so it wasn't until I was living in NYC that I learned that the word "linda" - pronounced the same way as my nickname for her, speaks of her beauty. A perfect fit if there ever was one. This is for you, Leeeeeenda. You have inspired me more than you know. And I can assure you that I will be dancing to at least one, if not more of your recommendations after posting.    ;)




LYNDA RECOMMENDS:


The Bee-gees: You Should Be Dancing- "Well, because I agree! And it is SO fun to make your voice sound like theirs."

Dancin' In Your Drawers....An Introduction

"Dance First. Think Later. It's the natural order."   - Samuel 

                                                                                          Beckett 

        

Don’t worry – my blog has not been hacked. And yes, you correctly read that post title. Welcome to the first installment of Dancin’ in Your Drawers, a little project that has been in the making for quite some time now, focused on the art form of flailing about to some good tunes in your underwear.  This may sound slightly silly to those who have never cranked up the iTunes and cut loose, but to those whom this is a regular part of their weekly routine, it will be crystal clear that this particular activity is often an essential ingredient in the recipe for a woman’s self- worth and confidence.

With that in mind, I’ve made sure to do my research. This will not be a series of posts focused only on my personal views and tales of undie dancing ; I have spent the last few months slowly gathering opinions from friends on everything from song choices to why and how they shake it in their skivvies…or in some cases, do not.  I will admit that I honed in on the female viewpoint, as this seems to be a practice more common in the feminine sex, but I certainly don’t mean to exclude any men that might be reading.  I can actually recall a comment from my former Facebook days in which a  male (married with a child) friend affirmed something to the effect of, “Men like to get down to some good tunes in their boxers and socks too!”.

 I am aware that our culture in particular has taken to sexualizing dancing in your underwear , and while that may be true in some women’s cases- this tends to be done in complete privacy, so I couldn’t possibly know - that’s definitely not the angle I’m going for with this project.  I’ve spent some time thinking about how to best explain this phenomenon to those who have yet to be enlightened , and it’s my belief that this little opening sequence from the 80’s “classic” Adventures in Babysitting might just do the trick.

 No, Elizabeth Shue is not in her underwear, but she (or the character, rather) is completely unhibited to the point that it doesn’t matter what she’s wearing. I think that should serve as enough of a teaser to get you to check back every so often and hopefully find some fun posts that will inspire you to let your hang-ups go, at least for the three minutes that it takes to play your favorite boogie song, and embrace all that you are.

 And men, for any of you reading and still thinking that this couldn’t possibly pertain to you, I offer another 80’s classic. I can’t speak for him, but it sure looks like Mr. Cruise is having a blast to me. Go on and try it. No one will know….and you might just enjoy yourself.

                                                                                                                                                    

Sparks of Beauty gets adventurous....a series of sharing the "little things" I find to be extraordinary.

                                                  *photo by Taylor

“An adventure may be worn as a muddy spot or it may be worn as a proud insignia. It is the woman wearing it who makes it the one thing or the other.”   - Norma Shearer

I’m going to be completely honest here and say that I’ve wanted to write about this particular source of “beauty” since the very moment I first climbed inside a couple of months ago. That’s right; I’m talking about a 2001 silver Jeep Wrangler. Those who know me personally may not be surprised by the level of my enthusiasm, but those who know me only via my blogging may be slightly puzzled as to what on earth I could possibly find extraordinarily beautiful about a jeep. Well, that is exactly what I’m about to share with you.

I have written many a post about the beauty found in our differences as people and that which comes from learning to not only see, but to truly appreciate something that is unlike anything else you've gazed upon or experienced before.  I actually made a clear note of this very belief in the first entry of this Sparks of Beauty series; the act of instilling an awareness and appreciation that differs from my own way of looking at or doing something is beautiful to me.  Though completely unexpected, riding in this crazy little vehicle for the first time took that belief and offered actual proof of its truth in way I hadn’t experienced in years.  It would easily have qualified as what Oprah devotees would call an “aha moment”.   I’m not exaggerating when I say that roughly two and a half hours in the passenger seat – round trip -allowed me to feel something inside that I truly believed I had lost for good. It showed me that what I feared was gone forever was very much alive….and so was I.

My lack of any sort of real life over the past year and a half or so is no secret, and thus it should be no secret that fun was not part of my vocabulary during that time. On this particular afternoon -unseasonably warm and sunny for early April - I finally (finally!!!) had plans that were made with the sole intention of having fun and getting a break from some less than stellar circumstances that both my company for the evening and I were each muddling through in our respective lives. I was as excited as I’d imagine someone who had been through what I had been through could be. I was going to spend an evening in the awesome city of Pittsburgh with someone who was becoming a real friend. I was going to see a movie in the theatre for the first time in months. It was going to be great, or at least my version of “great” over the past few years, which basically meant it would be as good of an experience as someone who was so broken and depleted both physically and emotionally was capable of having. It would be fun at times, but I would still find myself not quite present, longing for a level of enjoyment that continued to elude me. Life had proven that this was inevitable. Nonetheless, I was not about to turn down even the smallest chance at joy. I was trying to find a reason to stay afloat and this seemed as good a chance as any, no matter how brief it might be.

I knew ahead of time that I would be riding in a Wrangler for several hours and to tell you the truth, as excited as I was, I was a little apprehensive. Let’s face it,  the media, with its countless ways of invading our homes each day ,is always ready to jump on the negative, especially if there is the slightest possibility that something could go wrong ; and jeeps aren’t exactly known for their stellar safety features. That plus the fact that my digestive issues aren’t quite known for cooperating when it comes to long car rides. But whatever - it would be an “experience”, an adventure if you will, and my curiosity won that little battle easily. Before I knew it, the jeep had arrived and if nothing else, I knew I was going to look super cool for the rest of that Saturday night.

I don’t know much – i.e. anything – about vehicles, having lived in a city where I didn’t need one for nine years, and I couldn’t tell an ultra expensive car from the most economical automobile if you paid me, but the sight of that rugged yet sleek silver jeep was immediately the epitome of vehicular coolness in the book of Sara. A taste of my apprehension returned when I noticed the sizable safety warning above the windshield– a warning that I will not repeat, as I don’t want to worry any family and friends who may be reading this, but I put my trust in the friend behind the wheel and we were off. You may be thinking, “That’s great, Sara, but isn’t this blog attempting to focus on the beauty that goes beyond the superficial and obvious? Aren’t you trying to look beneath the surface? So this was a visibly pleasing vehicle that was different than anything you’d ever ridden in. That’s great – but an “aha moment”?! Come on…” My reply would be that while this aspect of the jeep was a lot of fun on a certain level, if that had been the high point of the ride I wouldn’t be moved to write about it now. No - what happened is actually something that is difficult for me to put into words. I was riding down a road that I have ridden on countless times, in many different vehicles, as far back as I can recall, and yet it was new – brand new. Sitting a little higher, gazing at the passing trees, businesses, homes through this wide, rectangular windshield that allowed me to see so much more of the road and my surroundings than I had ever noticed before, feeling my entire body jostle and shift with every bump in the road. I felt everything – really felt it – and that was when it hit me. I realized what I had been given in all my loss – a new start, a fresh perspective, a different way of looking at and therefore living my life – and it was beautiful. For the first time in years, I felt hope – real hope. I felt more alive than I ever imagined I would feel again. I was enjoying each moment as it came, and for the first time in a very, very long time I had fun. Real fun. That momentary revelation in that jeep seemed to open the door to a whole new world for me, but it really wasn’t new - it was just a new way of looking at it that I may not have discovered otherwise. I had a wonderful time in Pittsburgh, and despite continued bumps in my road back to health and happiness, I have had many other truly fun experiences since that evening.

I've also been fortunate enough to have a recurring spot in the passenger seat of that Wrangler for many of those fun experiences, and that has not only served to cement my new found affection for this vehicle, it has also offered a blaring reminder that I am fully alive and I should embrace it each time I climb inside. Whether bumming a ride to a doctor’s appointment or taking a winding country road to reach a breathtaking scenic view of my new West Virginia hometown, it has been like a wonderful jolt of confidence and security as soon as I buckle up and the jeep rolls forward. I’ve done a bit of lay person reading on the jeep, to satisfy my own curiosity and to make sure I know what I’m writing about, and  that has only made it that much clearer to me why an SUV of sorts would have such an impact on my outlook. There are many mentions on various pro-jeep websites of the wrangler being for either the young or the young at heart. I realized that because of my entire teenage life being lost in a sense as a slave to anorexia and then moving to a city where no one drove, save cabbies, I had missed out on that feeling of freedom and exhilaration that comes from riding around as a young person. Couple that with the fact that just a few months ago, I truly felt like my life was as close to over as it could get, and it feels absolutely incredible to have this constant reminder that not only am I very much alive, I really haven’t missed out on anything. Far from it. I’m experiencing everything I could hope to experience, in the way that’s just right for me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I thought it might be fun to offer a link to a great little article I found regarding the pros and cons of owning a Wrangler. Much like my choice to live in the city that never sleeps for a time, a jeep is definitely an acquired taste. But regardless of your current level of interest or lack there of, I strongly suggest you give this list a look. I don’t know that it will serve to inspire you, but it’s my hope that knowing that something – anything- has inspired me so greatly when I thought nothing could will in turn, give you the little push you may be needing to discover your own source of inspiration, that little something that says, “You’re alive! It’s awesome! Enjoy it!”, whatever it may be. And if your interest is peaked enough to scan the pros and cons list, don’t let the cons scare you. Just make sure to ride with an experienced jeep owner and you’ll be just fine.  I can’t promise you’ll look as cool as if you were riding in the silver beauty pictured above - which by the way, is the only silver Wrangler with matching silver flairs in the city of Morgantown – but I can promise you that you will not care what you look like. You’ll be too busy having the time of your life.

Pros and Cons of owning a Jeep Wrangler

A COLONEL OF WISDOM

"I'm tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin-deep.
That's deep enough. What do you want...an adorable pancreas?"
-Jean Kerr

When Tim first agreed to be a part of my blog, he made it very clear that his participation was dependent on one very important stipulation - that I refer to him as "The Colonel", his nickname and alter-ego for the better part of his young life. The Colonel is a comedian by profession, and in my opinion, a very funny one. I'll never forget the first time we had dinner together. Tim stood up in the dimly lit, fairly crowded restaurant and proceeded to reenact Monty Python's Dead Parrot Sketch in its entirety, at full volume. He's also got some stellar impressions ready to go at the drop of a hat. My personal favorites are Stewie Griffin, Christopher Walken, and Gollum. But despite this extroverted funny man aspect, I know that Tim isn't always "on". Without getting too personal, I'm aware that there have been times when this happy-go-lucky young man hasn't felt so good about himself - both in terms of appearance and otherwise. But one thing I admire about Tim is that he doesn't let it rule his life - or even his day. Sure, some days are better than others. Anyone making a career in any sort of creative field knows all too well the inevitable insecurities that come from the constant comparisons and critiques that are simply part of the job. It's easy to get so wrapped up in our negative views of ourselves that we forget to have fun. I can testify under oath that all it takes is one minuscule negative thought, and suddenly you're facing 10 mountains where that one tiny molehill used to be. Tim lets it go. He writes the joke. He makes people laugh. He does what he enjoys, having fun and appreciating the beauty found in simple things. Very much embodying that famous Oscar Wilde quote, "Life is too important to be taken seriously."

As far as appearances go, there are definitely situations where taking it seriously becomes a necessity. I feel my last entry is a clear illustration of that very need...but that is certainly not always the case. Why let a bad hair day keep you from going to that party? Why spend the evening comparing yourself to the model at the other end of the restaurant,when you could be enjoying a romantic dinner with your boyfriend? Tim's example has taught me that when you're having fun, enjoying and appreciating life, it's the essence of who you are that shines through, and that has the power to make you radiant.

For the record, I almost didn't attend that party where Tim and I met a few years ago - all because of a few pimples on my chin. The perfect example of how much power we can give the most insignificant of negative thoughts. I'm really glad I decided to face my insecurities and go anyway. I had fun, and I made a good friend in the process. So without further ado, here are the Colonel's answers to my questions about beauty. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. In fact, I was so pleased with Tim's responses that I even left the line where he refers to me as "Sar Bear"...as my own personal way of saying thank you.


What is beauty?


I guess I would define beauty as a person's own idea of perfect. I would call it "personal" because what one person might find beautiful, another might find ridiculous or disgusting. And I know it's incredibly cliched to say "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", but give me a break - I write poop jokes for a living! Personally, to me beauty is a warm smile lounging next to me on the couch.



What is your most beautiful attribute? (This can be physically speaking or otherwise....it depends on how you read the question!)


I'm gonna take the easy one here, Sar Bear, and say the ol' Cusack quality hair.



Name one body image hang-up that you've overcome or are working on overcoming. Tell me how you did it or what you're doing to change how you feel about it.



Well, I never liked my head...apart from the hair, of course. I can't really explain it. It just feels odd to me...like a big ol' Mexican pumpkin! Okay, that sounds weird. I'm not too worried about it though. I think I'll grow into it around my mid-thirties. Also, I wish I had more interesting eyes. I would kill to have that whole two color thing Bowie's got going on.



If you could change one thing about the current standards of beauty in our society, what would it be?


I guess the one thing I would change would be the importance of the standards of beauty in society. I always get so annoyed at the fact that someone can make millions just because they were born looking a certain way or cut themselves to look a certain way...which is really just a tradition of what someone thought people should look like years ago. Also, I would make big pumpkin heads more fashionable.