Another Fashion Icon Breakdown - VB

Image via CrunchBase

Before I get into it, I'd like to first give some mad props to the Alabama Crimson Tide for their come from behind victory over their rival LSU Tigers this past weekend. HUGE win for Nick Saban and the boys, and today I'm showing my school pride in my Alabama Ladies Long Sleeve T I got from this Alabama store. Roll tide!

Today we are looking at the ever so stylish Victoria Beckham, one of America?s favorite trendsetters. Here she is strutting through a Tokyo terminal in a blazer in this season?s IT color, scarf by Stella McCartney, Givenchy pumps and carrying an elite Birkin bag. Yes, even jet-setters can pull off glam in super casual.

Pick up this season’s must have, a tailored gray blazer from J.Crew. You can wear this with just about anything. This comes in Irish wool, notched collar and flap pockets. You will also love the stretch lining this comes in and how snug it will sit at your hips.

I am having a tough time finding this EXACT scarf by our beloved Stella, by in the meantime, I ran across this piece by Trovata. This collection comes with a funky retro look and this chunky cableknit piece is 77? long and is 55% cashmere. Ohhh so soft.

Pick up the jeans at Active Endeavours. I love these ‘Faux Skinny’ jeans by Radcliffe, the high waist allows essentially any figure to work with these. The innovative cufflinks at the ankle are great for pairing with either ballets, or funky pumps. You will like the high rise in the front AND back that will give you a beautiful hourglass shape and unbelievable comfort.

You have to know I can’t help you much with the Birkin bag. To purchase a Birkin Bag you need to contact Hermes directly, and then sit on a waiting list for about 2 years (AFTER you’ve been approved), and while you are waiting you can save up the SEVERAL thousand dabloons that it will cost you to purchase the bag. The one that I saw on auction will run you about $15,000, I guess that’s the price you pay to avoid the wait. Check out eBay if you don’t believe me! But why not grab this piece from Target? This is the Merona Brief Tote Bag in Black and while it isn’t a Birkin, carries off the same look for less than $30 bucks.

We have featured these pumps before, and if I am not mistaken, it was the last time that Posh won our Look of the Day spotlight. These pretty numbers ARE the ones you see her wearing, and you have to love the assymetrical design by Givenchy and the hot look of this season’s open-toe. You can get these in either patent as she is wearing, or in a pretty metallic calf leather upper. The cut out detailing is SO sexy that is only enhanced by the 4? heel.

Pair all of the above with a sleek skinny tee or tank from Old Navy or The Gap and you are good to go girlfriend!

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Way To Go PBS

Castro (Photo credit: wirewiping)

Tonight I viewed a 2-hour documentary, Fidel Castro, part of the PBS American Experience series. The range of expert opinion in this disappointing documentary ranged narrowly from centrist American academics, CIA and other officials to various representatives of the anti-Castro point-of-view from Miami.

Nothing from today’s Havana. Very little of the economic pressure directed by corporations against the regime from the outset. Nothing of the displaced gambling interests. Did I miss mention of the kill-Castro campaigns? Nothing of the humanizing music and baseball. No US-Cuban-other nation comparisons on infant mortality rates, literacy rates, health care and education performance, etc. Nothing of the Pope’s visit in the 1990s. Not a word from one who can see both the good and bad of what Castro has created; Carlos Fuentes and Gabriel García Márquez would able and thought provoking on this, especially in contrast to the already well represented Radio Marti group.

In sum, there is nothing in this documentary to complicate the viewer’s “correct” appreciation of the subject. Castro is just this willful guy who couldn’t be reasonable. One does not need to be a champion of the regime to see this film as an opinion molding exercise directed at those who don’t or can’t take the time to try to see the whole of this tiny island, its enemies, and what – at times sadly – it has done to maintain its otherness.

Related articles

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Paavo System, A Runner's Ideal Workout Program

Paavo & tower (Photo credit: HibaHaba)

Training for your next 5K is a big undertaking, and it is especially challenging when you've never followed a set system in the past. Scheduling and sticking to a system is the best way to train for any race, and the Paavo system is my personal favorite. Here's essentially what the program entails for beginners:

CT: Critical Threshold
These are the "easy" or restful running days, if you ever call a workout restful. These are the running days in between the tough days, and are meant to help your body recover, yet help you develop into a better runner. Critical threshold basically means bringing your heart rate and body up to a point under strain, but still in control, and you should be able to breathe easily and talk while running. CT days should be done 3 times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

PPM: Pace Per Mile
These are the hard workouts of the week, but they should be done in a controlled way. Pace per mile means running set number as miles as fast as possible, but keeping the mile splits identical. At first, you will typically find your mile splits to be fairly inconsistant. Over time, try to bring the time splits together and then work on lowering your overall time. They should be done twice a week and usually on Tuesday and Thursday.

LD: Long Distance
This is the day to help you work on your slow twitch muscles in your legs and help you build up energy and strength for your longer races. Usually LD distance should be twice as long as your CT distance. LD should be done once a week on Saturday or Sunday.

Day of Rest
You can either take a day of rest, or do a low mileage CT workout on Saturday or Sunday. It is especially important when doing workouts early on to keep your milage low and give your muscles and joints plenty of recovery time.

For more info about the Paavo system, read through the Paavo forum on Runner's World.

Upcoming Holidays

Now that Easter is over and out of the way, here's a few upcoming holidays on our radar at the moment. I hope you've made plans and have everything in order. One of my favorite gifts to give is a nice set of Dickies pants, becuase they are strong and durable, and the whole family loves them!

May 5 - Cinco de Mayo
May 13 - Mother's Day
May 28 - Memorial Day
June 17 - Father's Dday
July 4 - Independence Day

Don't want to go too far into the future, but if you want take a look at other holidays throughout the year. Hope you have a great time on these holidays with friends and families!

Gift Giving Made Easy

Can believe it is almost April? It won’t be long until it is summertime! Before we get to summer, there are a lot of holidays to be celebrated first! The holidays that popped into your head are most likely Mother’s Day on May 13^th and Father’s Day on June 17^th. It is amazing how many other holidays there are in May and June though! One really smart mom created Clean Up Your Room Day, which occurs right around Mother’s Day every May! Other May holidays include Kite Day, National Chocolate Chip Day and Paper Clip Day. There are also numerous June holidays that you probably haven’t heard of such as National Yo-Yo Day, World Oceans Day and Ice Cream Soda Day! Luckily, out of all the random holidays that occur, people only expect to give or receive presents on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, there are college and high school graduates to buy presents for too! Make it easy on yourself and get gift cards for everyone at GiftZip! GiftZip.com offers eGift cards from hundreds of retailers! You can search the her or entertainment sections for a Mother’s Day present. You might find a Father’s Day present in the him or sporting goods sections. The house section is great for a high school or college graduate looking to decorate a dorm or new apartment! Make gift giving easy on yourself this year by shopping at GiftZip.com; there is something for everyone!