Chicago Blues Festival

The blues tells a story. Every line of the blues has a meaning. 

I was not one to be interested in The Blues that is not until I met my husband Arvid..........11 years ago.

If there was a man really born to listen to this kind of music it is him.  He lives it and feels it with an intensity like no other person I know.  So that said, we are constantly on a quest to follow the music be it wherever it takes us.

The Chicago Blues Festival has turned out to be our favorite venue for Blues Music. 

It is the largest free blues festival in the world and remains the largest of Chicago's Music Festivals. During three days on five stages, more than 640,000 blues fans prove that Chicago is the "Blues Capital of the World." Past performers include Bonnie Raitt, Ray Charles, B.B. King, the late Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy and the late Koko Taylor.

http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/supporting_narrative/events___special_events/events/mose/chicago_blues_festival34.html

We have been coming here for many years and we right away fell in love with this beautiful and exciting city.

Home is Fort Lauderdale but more and more we are loving Chicago.  Arvid actually told me that he would not mind making this home..........if the winters were not that cold.  That said we could not live here in the cold months.

Yesterday was day one of the festival and let me tell you it was full of good music and to make it even more interesting there were so many things/people to look at doing and wearing unusual gear.  For instance take this man with the funny hat.  He was promoting the fact that The Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup Championship......

Simple music is the hardest music to play and blues is simple music.

Looking forward to the next two days filled with good music and who knows what else..........

 This is beautiful city with friendly people......unlike Ft. Lauderdale people here are more down to earth.  You would not find young girls at the blues festival wearing heels...here everyone is dressed for comfort and practicality.  Fort Lauderdale is another story.....not too many are practical.  Here you don't see the young girls with so much make-up....back home many young people I know hardly get out of their apartments without spackling (Arvid's word) their faces with tons of makeup.......when going to the beach some girls  take hours to prep themselves.......here it is more relaxed and we love it....we have not joined the rest of Chicago...instead of carrying a purse/handbag we now ONLY carry a backback everywhere we go....

The best part of all of this is that when we come home Brutus is waiting for us......

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.

Music is what feelings sound like

Time to go and listen to more music.....hasta luego amigos...

until later.....

Chicago...... Blues Festival

I do not know anyone who has gotten to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but it will get you pretty near.

We have had some very long days since getting to Chicago with lots and lots to do but hopefully this weekend all we will do is listen to some good music, relax and enjoy some good food.  You see it's our yearly Chicago Blues Festival Weekend......Check more of the Blues in Chicago on the following link.

http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/things_see_do/event_landing/special_events/mose/chicago_blues_festival.html

We have been coming to Chicago for the Blues Festival for more than 5 years now and we find the city truly amazing.  There is just so much going on.  Arvid and I have two favorite places and those would be Eleuthera......at our Lil Red House and of course Chicago.

Eleuthera will be our winter getaways and we hope to have Chicago as our summer getaway.  In between we will be in Florida...........or maybe not even.....

Right now we are just happy to be here and we are looking forward very much to the weekend and The Blues Festival.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHa_jqxnn4o

“It's 106 miles to Chicago. We got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses!....................HIT IT!!!”

until later....

Back Soon....

Hello all.

It has been a bit hectic here for us and to add to that we have been without Internet for many days now.  Using the computer of the building but, due to this and some other factors will be a bit slack on the blog for a while.
As you may know we are in Chicago and loving every minute of it.........just missing Brutus too much.

As soon as we have our Internet issue fixed will be back on a regular basis......

That's it for now.....

Don't whine… laugh.

until next time...

10 Hairstyles That Will Make You Look 10 Years Younger (Part ll)

Hair brings one's self-image into focus; it is vanity's proving ground. Hair is terribly personal, a tangle of mysterious prejudices

Continuing with our celebrity hairstyles here are the final 5 looks. 

Reese Witherspoon

OLDER: Short, wispy bangs look dorky in a mom-jeans sort of way.

 

YOUNGER: Long, choppy bangs, on the other hand, not only frame the face—they hide forehead wrinkles

 

 

 

 

Olivia Wilde

OLDER: Blunt cuts draw the eyes downward, making even taut jaws look droopy. (Yes, it's true.)

 

YOUNGER: A few long, discreet layers complement every face shape.

 

 

Liv Tyler

OLDER: Coiffed and hair-sprayed curls are as dated as weekly appointments at the hairdresser.

 

YOUNGER: Waves—especially loose, natural ones—are an instant ticket to youth.

 

 

 

Anne Hathaway

OLDER: Slicking your hair into a tight bun might be easy, but it's also matronly.

 

YOUNGER: Always leave a few pieces loose around your face to erase years and camouflage crow's-feet.

 

 

Jennifer Aniston

When in doubt, ask, "WWJD?" ("What would Jen do?"), because Jennifer Aniston can do no wrong. With sun-kissed hair, beachy waves, and a preference for easy, carefree styles, she looks so effortlessly young, you'd never know she just celebrated her 41st birthday.
 
Well here you have it.  Now you decide if you agree with the critics' choice or not....I believe it all depends on the individual.  What may look good on you may not be the same for me and vice - versa....

 

For instance here are some different looks on me.  According to Arvid I look older with straight hair while others think I don't.  He just like it curly I guess.....

 

What do you think???

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Women.... Who made 'em? God must have been a... genius. Their hair. They say that the hair is everything, you know? Have you ever buried your nose in a mountain of curls, and just wanted to go to sleep forever?

 

until next time....

Missing Brutus....

 I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul.

We have been on the road for three days and finally it has come to an end.  We drove from Florida to Chicago.  Chicago hopefully will be come our summer getaway little by little.  Both Arvid and I love it here during the summertime.

This is bittersweet because we do not have Brutus with us.  He makes us so happy so hopefully one day we can remedy this and bring him with us.  He was just so sad when we left and as usual it broke our hearts.  Here he is sitting on our bag like as if willing us not to leave him.

Hopefully the day will come when we will be able to bring him with us..........just like we do when we go to the Bahamas.  We love you Brutus and we miss you.....

There are few things in life more heartwarming than to be welcomed by a cat

What greater gift than the love of a cat?

until next time....

10 Hairstyles That Will Make You Look 10 Years Younger (Part 1)

The hair is the richest ornament of women

Wearing the wrong hairstyle is the beauty version of time-traveling—straight from your actual age to a decade (or two) older. Here, the most common mistakes and how to fix them.

Since we are on a road trip it will be

difficult to update my blog so in the meantime I have decided to share some celebrity hairstyles with you.  Showing you what makes you look older and younger according to celebrity "critics".  A celebrity is any well-known TV or movie star who looks like he spends more than two hours working on his hair.

You may or may not agree the choice is yours but, it is still fun.  This hairstyle on the left supposedly makes you look OLDER: Shellacked hair is fine for royalty—in their 60s.  Same celebrity on the left (Kate Bosworth)  YOUNGER: Loose styles, like a side braid, are more queen of cool.  Honestly who wears their hair in a humongous pile at the top of their heads....??

How many of you know (mainly girls/women) or someone who has beautiful hair and then decides to do some drastic change in color?  I have sen a few of these changes in people know and unknown to me and I must say they look years older.  I think it is unnatural to go from a beautiful dark color to a horrible bleached blond and vice versa also.

To the left is Sarah Jessica Parker looking OLDER: Single-process color may be dramatic, but it doesn't do you any favors after 40.  To the right YOUNGER: By adding just a few highlights, you bring a brighter feeling to your whole face.

Jennifer Garner

OLDER: Hair that's too stiff is like a face with too much Botox—an instant tip-off that you're old enough to have a dermatologist on speed dial. 
 
YOUNGER: Keep them guessing with a softer style that works with your hair's natural texture.
 

Fergie

OLDER: Though center parts were key to hippie-youth style, they add decades to those of us who actually lived through the '60s and '70s. 

 

YOUNGER: Liven up a center part by creating a movement of your own, in the form of loose curls and a little height at the roots.

 

Penélope Cruz

OLDER: Flat hair is flattering to no one.  Period

 

YOUNGER: Tousled layers take away decades—and add sex appeal.

 

Will continue with the last 5 looks in my next blog.  In the meantime what do you think of my hairstyle?  I go from having it curly (most of the times) to an ocassional straight look.  Arvid by the way hates the straight look...why??

Life is an endless struggle full of frustrations and challenges, but eventually you find a hair stylist you like

until next time....

Road Trip...

When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money

Arvid and I will be leaving today on a loooonnng road trip.  Good and bad.  Good because we like to be on the move.....and as   Robert Louis Stevenson said I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travels sake. The great affair is to move

 

Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything and trust me most of the times this is exactly what happens....and this is bad.  I would like to stop and look around a bit but, no way Arvid has other plans.  The goal is to get there as soon as possible and to see as little as possible in between.

 

Does not matter because we do enjoy ourselves and some way or the other I do manage to get him to stop.  Normally all I ask for is to stop at Starbucks so that I may get my Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino.

 

Another good thing about a road trip is that it gives us the opportunity to converse.  Believe it or not when we are home and busy with work and so many other things conversation (quality time) does not play a big roll. 

Travelling does, instead of broadening the mind, it lengthens our conversation time....but to be honest with you I will have to say that I do not care that much for road trips.  Too exhausting on the body and sometimes too much time together can make you crabby especially if you are hungry and cannot find a good place to stop and have a meal.....

 

I love my food and Burger King just does not cut it for me as my main meal of the day....just thinking about it makes me antsy...

 

Good though is that we do not have the phones ringing constantly and for a while we are away from the computers....hopefully not for too long.

 

OK people beware...here we come and when it's my turn to drive I really am not that tolerant forget about Arvid he will be honking at you even if you are not on his lane.  He honks for everyone on the road...fun!! fun!

 

For those who love road trips you should consider Route 66.  Check the link and decide for yourself.....

http://www.roadtripusa.com/routes/route66/route66.html

 

For me the best part of the road trip is getting there....one step closer to Brutus.

No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.

until next time....

Would you believe—a manicure that really lasts 14 days?

A new nail beautifying system promises to last for two full weeks. Sounds rather impossible, but apparently there seems to be some truth in it.  Read on....

I found a pretty interesting article on nails and wanted to share it with you.  It was written by:  Joanna Douglas, Shine Staff.

CND's Shellac is the first hybrid nail color that applies like polish, wears flawlessly for 14 days of high gloss shine, and is removed in minutes.

Forget over sized handbags, statement necklaces, and sky-high stilettos: a shiny manicure is the "It" accessory of the moment. Beige neutral nails and bold bright polish are both on-trend this season, but in a time of recession, many women are going the DIY route with their nails. Who wants to spend $15 to $25 on a manicure that chips after two days? Well, the folks at CND are hoping to bring ladies back to the salon with Shellac, an innovative hybrid nail color that they guarantee will last 14 days.


Yes, you read that right. Shellac manicures last two whole weeks, and I should know. I tried the Shellac manicure at the end of April and documented the entire process so I could report back. As someone who does her own nails or gets a manicure about once a week, I was prepared to be a tough critic, but I was won over by Shellac pretty quickly. It does cost more than a regular manicure (typically around $40 to $45), but the results are well worth it. While nail innovations like the heat-activated Minx foils and pricey gel formulas like Calgel have become trendy, no other system has given me great results with a guarantee.

The Shellac manicure is completely unique and revolutionary. Have you ever gotten a manicure and then reached for your keys and ruined it? Have you ever gotten your nails done for an event the next day, and had your manicure chip before the festivities begin? Have you ever painted your nails before bed and woken up with sheet marks in them? Have you ever gotten busted at work for trying to redo your nails? Personally, I can say "yes" to all of these things, which is why I'm completely smitten with Shellac, the manicure that requires no drying time and lasts two weeks with no issues whatsoever.

"Our chemists invented a modern solution to the normal polish inconveniences that frustrate women," says CND co-founder and style director Jan Arnold. "Shellac is fret-free and convenient. Women can finally get their time back." How does Shellac get around the dry time? CND has created a special UV lamp that accommodates both hands and feet and cures the polish as you go. (The machines can easily be completely washed and sterilized between customers.) Shellac paints on just like a regular polish using specially formulated base coat, two layers of color, and top coat. After each coat of polish is applied, you put your hand under the timed lamp while the other hand is being painted. As soon as the manicurist is done with your nails, you can dig into your purse for your keys without any concern of smudging or chipping. They are 100 percent dry in the same time it takes for a normal manicure. I tried scratching at my nails, and even rubbing them along a brick wall--the polish stays put with a gorgeous, shiny finish. Expect your nails to look exactly like this for two weeks. Mine endured sinks full of dishes, harsh cleaning chemicals, and many hours of typing for 16 whole days.

Removing the polish is equally innovative. Try as you might, normal nail polish remover will not do the trick. This stuff is strong. You must return to the salon, and after 10 minutes under CND's remover wraps your lacquer will literally glide off. These fun little stickers keep acetone concentrated over the nail, so chemicals won't bother your skin. There is no rubbing and no sticky polish with cotton sticking to it, plus your hands are free to read a magazine while you wait. Your manicure will come off immediately after 10 minutes. Ten minutes for a perfect two-week manicure? No sweat. Now you can get a Shellac manicure at your leisure days before a wedding or vacation and have it last until well after your return. Pretty impressive stuff, if you ask me.

Shellac nail color is hypoallergenic and "3-Free," which means no formaldehyde, toluene or DBP. Twelve of CND's most popular shades are available in Shellac, with another 12 launching by year's end, and more to come. Check out my slideshow to see how Shellac is applied and removed, and how well it wears.

OK everyone now you can all enjoy beautiful nails.....

The best and most beautiful things in life cannot be seen, not touched, but are felt in the heart....

until next time