The BookFetish Blog

Through some of the other very cool book bloggers and Twitter mavens, I heard about The Game On Diet.  I’ve decided to join a team and play for the month of August.


Like I tend to do, I thought it sounded fun and I signed up without knowing anything about the diet and what the competition would be like.  But I like a competition, I’m looking for something to encourage me to do what I know I should be doing from a food and drink and exercise perspective, and this is all about points and prizes when you do the right thing.  Then I started reading the book.  And all the advice is sound- this isn’t really a diet, more of a lifestyle change, and very healthy.  Except that I have to give up even diet sodas.  What?  Yes.  Well, we can have them on the food day off that the game allows each week.  This is going to be hard.  I like my sodas.  I only drink diet as it is.  So why can’t we have them here?  Well, we all know sodas are full of crap.  Artificial things.  Stuff we don’t really need.  And I think it will be good that I have to really, really cut back on them.  I want to be healthier and this is a good way to start.  


The other thing that’s going to be interesting is cutting back on the booze.  I don’t drink every day, but I do enjoy my cocktails.  I’m kind of excited about cutting way back on them.


And sleep!  With this game, we are penalized if we don’t get at least seven hours of sleep a night.  I’m so excited to plan to go to bed earlier. I love my sleep.  I took a nice long nap yesterday. I loved it. I needed it. And I felt a million times better after it.  So I think this will be a good thing.


Yes, there are a lot of rules with this game.  It’s trying to level the playing field for all the participants.  But we also get a day off each week from the rules of the game.  So there’s the chance to relax and enjoy life with the whole thing.


Starting in August, I’ll be working out more, eating better, sleeping more, and hopefully having a ton of fun.


http://www.thegameondiet.com/

When I revamped this blog, I decided that it would also include some things that are completely for fun. You already know from The Book Fetish that I love books, but there are a few other things I’m pretty passionate about.


Today, I’m talking about things I love that start with B:  Butter London, Burberry, and Bitches on a Budget.


Thanks to Bitches on a Budget (http://bitchesonabudget.com/) I learned about Butter London Nail Lacquers (http://www.butterlondon.com/).  First, most of the colors have clever British names, which I love.  In fact, my toes are a lovely red shade called “Saucy Jack” right now, and before the night is over, my fingers will be a plummy-mauve shade called “Tramp Stamp.”


My fingers are on a keyboard nearly all day long between work and play.  With the base and top coats from Butter London, the colors last longer than most of my salon manis, and that’s saying something.  The fall collection in available for pre-order now, and I’m trying to decide which colors I want.


There’s a collection in Butter London called 3 Free. These lacquers are free of formaldehyde, Toluene, and DBP and STILL stay on forever.  My favorite in that collection (so far) is a deep metallic gray called “Chimney Sweep.”  And for those of us who aren’t true Brits, there’s a great little British dictionary included in the site that gives some background on the product names.  


Staying in the British and beauty theme (more or less) I’ll talk about my Burberry (www.burberry.com).  First, I bought a Burberry tote that is just the perfect every day bag.  My work laptop is small, and this tote holds it and everything I would take in a purse, so I have to carry only one bag to the office.  It’s not too big for weekends running errands, though I do carry a much smaller bag for nights out.   And hello, it’s plaid! I love plaid.  The style is classic, and although the bag was pricey, it will last a lifetime.  So well worth the money.


But, the other thing I love about Burberry is the fashion house’s new cosmetics line.   I adore makeup. I like playing with new colors, trying new products, and would love to have a job where I could play in it all day long. At the same time, I like classic looks, low maintenance make up and looks that can go easily from day to night.  So when I read that Burberry, already a favorite brand of mine, was launching a cosmetics line, I was stalking the internet for more information. 


I ordered three eyeshadows, three lipsticks, and a mascara and I love them.  I bought Trench, Khaki, and Taupe Brown eye enhancers (as Burberry calls them), and Mocha, Ruby, and Deep Burgundy lip colors. Love them.  The eye colors are neutral but provide plenty of definition.  Mocha is a nice, neutral lip color. Ruby is a true red, perfect for day or night, and the color really brightens teeth, too,  Right now the cosmetics are available in the States only through Burberry.com, select Nordstrom’s stores, and Nordstrom.com.  But I love them, and will be ordering more.


And to wrap this post, back to Bitches on a Budget. Seriously. Check out the site if you haven’t. Buy the book. It’s worth it. This isn’t a book about getting out of debt. It’s about spending wisely, splurging where it makes sense, and learning to live fabulously no matter what our budget. Totally worth a read.