Mid Summer Blues
As much as I love the summer and the fact that you can flip flop everywhere you go and still appear chic and appropriate, there does come a spell where I sink into the blues. It's always just after the July 4th holiday. It feels like no man's land. The big holiday is over. Inevitably, the 10 pounds I promised to have lost by Independence Day are still with me. (As such, the small crease in my mid-section fills with sweat when I sit down thereby further intensifying said blues.) It's so hot that my hair products seem to melt when I walk outside, leaving me little option other than to go au natural. The result: sweaty frizz accented by greasy flat areas my mother has taken to calling 'landing strips with shrubbery'. And yet, the excitement of Labor Day and pending purchase for fall seem miles away. So, I slump.

However, even as I say this, I know that I'm being silly. After all, I'm an American living in a country that is free and filled with opportunity. One flick thru the TV channels will tell you we have plenty for which to be thankful. Additionally, every celebrity seems to be having a baby at the moment, so the onslaught of skinny minnies in the media is slightly diminished, which offers a marvelous reprieve for me and my 10-not-yet-lost. And so, despite the fact that my silk top is now practically papier-mâchèd to my body thanks to the heat, I now vow to be perky, peppy and optimistic in the face of the summer slump.

Reasons to be Peppy:

1) Athletics: Not participatory, mind you, too hot. To the contrary, marvelous spectator sports are on the way. The U.S. Open begins in weeks, and the Olympics are just around the corner. (Based on outfits alone, I think tennis is a wonderful sport and one which I intend to pursue in earnest once the weather breaks.) Such events are a wonderful way to stretch your athletic wings in the comfort of your air-conditioned home while improving your own body aesthetically via mud masks, pedicures and hair treatments. Additionally, they provide great conversation fodder when talking to random sexy men in Starbucks.
2) Intellectual Supremacy: In this month when it's too hot to breathe much less dress chicly, I will stay at home and improve my mind. Shop Girl and I even set up a day at the beach this Saturday. In the perfectly controlled climate of her living room, we set up our beach chairs, lubed up with our fake tans and sat in our bras and panties for the afternoon with a stack of our fave summer reads. Included on the reading list: Emily's Reasons Why Not : A Novel, Diary of a Working Girl, Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination. (For she she girls with tots, career, et al, your summer reading must include I Don't Know How She Does It.)
3) Domesticity: As I don't plan on leaving the house for another six weeks, I'm going to focus on home improvement. Top on my list is researching slipcovers for my sofas, as well as clever ways to arrange my bookcases.
4) Financial Prowess: If I don't leave the house, I can't spend money. Therefore, I should be very peppy about my financial prowess. Will have tons of money to spend on fall wardrobe. However, in an effort to be a smart shopper, I will take advantage of all summer sales via web and catalog shopping.
5) FitTV: Thanks to this new-ish channel, we can all watch other people exercise instead of getting sweaty ourselves. There is a great yoga show on in the mornings while I have my coffee. And while I get too cracked up if I try to do it myself, the other people are very diligent and I feel that they more than carry my weight. (Pun intended.) Henceforth and in conclusion, I feel quite calm, collected and poised thanks to their efforts.

But enough of this. My feet are swelling (and sweating). Must get pedi'd.

Ta ta, my loves.