This is the 2nd of a 3-part vodcast series done with Mr. Martini (BehindTheBarShow.com). The first was in celebration of the Kentucky Derby - we made a mint julep and discussed Da Horses.

In this vodcast, we take the bourbon from the julep and create an Old Fashioned. Then, we discuss how to have a Signature Cocktail without being branded High Maintenance, plus some Old Fashioned Virtues… such as manners, etiquette, language, and listening. 

In particular, we discuss how you Bond Girls can understand how men communicate, and to embody this secret weapon to be even More Enticing than you already are!

Let me know what you think - either give me a ring on my Listener Feedback line 206.350.3537, leave a Comment here, or email to sandy[at]beabondgirl[dot]com.

 

 An Old Fashioned Subject: Etiquette and the Old Fashioned Cocktail (large file/downloads slowly - be patient): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This week’s San Francisco S Factor Newsletter had a great article by Sheila Kelley (the Founder) called Meanderings. I will link it here, but they “go away” every week, so I will also cut and paste the bit I’m talking about right here:

I’m at this global think tank. I have no idea why they call it a think tank, it’s really just a big old lecture series. I just went to a panel on the changing face of the Muslim world. I’m obsessed with women who wear veils whether of their own volition or because of laws that make them or the culture they ascribe to or the religion they belong to. One of the panelists was this beautiful scarved woman named Dahlia. The revelation about Islamic nations was stunning and humbling and exhilarating. The details are too numerous to go into right here in the middle of the convention hall but suffice to say I sure would like to go to Saudi Arabia someday.After the panel I was standing in the room, full with about 90% men in business suits, when this vibrant woman walked up to me and told me that she was an S Factor student. Another young woman standing nearby heard “S Factor”, turned quickly and said, “I want to do that, how can I do that?” The S Factor student said, “Oh it’s incredible. It will change your life!” The young woman whispered, “I’ve heard, I cannot wait, I’m so excited to take it.” Now you have to get the image in your mind’s eye, there was almost nothing but a sea of men, just men, milling about everywhere. There was a total of maybe six women in the entire room, three of them talking about the secret world of S Factor when Dahlia, the Islamic panelist who had been talking to some guys next to us turned around and asked, “What are you talking about?” En masse the three of us turned slowly toward her and said almost in unison something to the effect of, “Oh my god…”. Then the S Factor student continued on with, “It’s the most amazing thing you could ever do for yourself as a woman…”. Seeing my chance, I dove in to explain S Factor as an “organic feminine movement class”. I didn’t bring up the words “striptease” or “poledancing” as I’ve seen them scare certain women off completely.As I move further down the road into my own “S”-ness I find that the striptease/poledancing definition just doesn’t do the “S” justice. It has all of those elements but it is so much more. When people query me now I speak of the “tease” and the “pole” in the same breathe as “natural and organic feminine movement” and “floor work”, “mat work”, and “standing and wall work”…all are elements of what comes wholesomely from a woman’s body moving into her own “S” shape.
Dahlia perked up as she listened intently and intelligently, nodding her head up and down. She was intrigued. She asked how she could take “such a class”. I invited her to visit one of our studios across the country and asked her where she lived…DC, here I come!

—————————————————–

The italics above are mine.  I’ve been doing “The S” for a little over 2 years and yes - I even have a pole in my own home. It’s been very interesting to see how “Talk about The S” has become more empowerment, and less tease/strip, over these 2 years.

I love it, because I actually came to S Factor after one of my fEmpowerment teachers (Susan Bremer/Sensual Dance For Real Women) was un-chosen for the Oprah show in favor of Sheila Kelley, years and years ago. Susan was pretty bitter about it, and “refused” to watch any of the S Factor DVDs, etc. I, of course, wanted to see what the difference might be, and bought the DVDs (back then, there was no S Factor in San Francisco, it was mainly one L.A. studio).

“The S” is sooooooooo different than your usual “striptease thang.” It was even very different than Susan’s “Sensual Dance for Real Women” - though they both come at it from the same “mindset” … That you’re doing this for yourself and your “inner erotic creature” (or Inner Bond Grrl) not for anyone else.

The biggest difference between the S and other DVDs, books, and classes I have now attended or connected as a kinda pole dance/strip tease training collector? The S is a HARD workout!  Holy cow!  The first hour is just warmup, including abs, pushups, legs, stretches, arms, you name it. Then you learn some Pole Moves (which get harder as you progress - I’m a multiple Level 6 now). Last, you just let it go, and let your “inner erotic creature” take over to a song of your choice (at higher levels - at lower levels, you are taught a “routine” that you slowly, ever so slowly, let your Erotic Creature morph her way out of).

I just love that Sheila used the words “Natural and Organic Feminine Movement.” I would also say “fEmpowered Movement.”

It’s still fun at cocktail parties or business networking functions to find a way to drop in the fact that I have a pole in my house. It’s even funnier though to realize that a lot of the things that I do, workout-wise, with my life are to get me a smidge closer to being able to actually do a “Spinning Helicopter” or a “Climb and Flip” or a “Pole Cat.”

Pole dancing is part yoga, part Pilates, part balance, part strength, and all beauty. Check out the S Factor DVDs and if you live close enough - go to an Intro at one of their studios! If you write me a Comment, I can see if I can get you a comp’d Intro class ($40 value) - no promises, but I can try! You can click to go to their website to see locations.

Soli

A friend just sent this from the local elementary school – click here for the video of their recent Ladybug Release day. It’s only 3 minutes, but it’s a lot of fun. Her husband is the cinematographer/”interviewer.”

What’s your favorite part? I have to say mine is either the gal dressed up as the Ladybug (and her comeback to the “Tastes like Chicken” question) — or the little boy who raises his hand after the little girl gives the perfect answer in “Pick Me! Pick Me!” fashion, then thinks a little, and says “Um…what she said.”  Ha!

Hey… I told ya I was trying to clean up my online To Do/To Read list today…

Here is an organization that I found while investigating items for our Kentucky Derby vodcast — LUPEC — Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails. I’m sad because it looks like this site is not being maintained - last link was in 2007 - but it’s such a great idea, and has some great cocktail recipes, so I’m going to knock on their virtual door, and see if anyone answers!

BTW, the reason I wound up there was looking for a definition of “Julep” — and any website that uses Ladies…Preservation…and Cocktails in its first line grabs my interest. This is their definition of “julep” — as Mr. Martini told me during the vodcast, a “julep” is really a sort of drink “type” (like a “sour” for example) - I think he’s even going to do his next podcast on the subject of sours because, as with “juleps,” hey, I didn’t know there was more than just one. Fun for the summer!

[1] julep \Ju”lep\, n. [F., fr. Sp. julepe, fr. Ar. & Per. jul[=a]b, jull[=a]b, fr. Per. gul[=a]b rose water and julep; gul rose + [=a]b water.] 1. A refreshing drink flavored with aromatic herbs; esp. (Med.), a sweet, demulcent, acidulous, or mucilaginous mixture, used as a vehicle. –Milton. Honey in woods, juleps in brooks. — H. Vaughan. 2. A beverage composed of brandy, whisky, or some other spirituous liquor, with sugar, pounded ice, and sprigs of mint; — called also mint julep. [U.S.] Source: Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. 

NO. This is not going to be a commentary on women’s undies. :-) And if ANY of you can give me a small hint how to make the text wrap around photographs, I would be eternally grateful….

So anyway, I heard the other day on NPR a great way to stop a drippy water faucet (especially in, say, a hotel).  Take unwaxed dental floss, tie it to the end of the faucet, and then string it down into the sink.  The water will follow the floss down, and voila! Stop making that annoying noise.

The other thing I’ve seen folks very cleverly use unwaxed dental floss for is cutting sheet cakes, and even cheese. So this morning (after flossing) I was curious, and hit Lifehacker.com to see what they had to say.  Under their ‘Clever Uses’ and “MacGuyver Tips’ section, they had some great choices (including the two above). Check them out! My favorite is the “wristwatch survival kit” where the poster suggested using a hollow wristwatch to store dental floss, vitamins, match heads, and the like. Now THAT will take some SERIOUS packing skills!

I wanted to give a quick shout-out to Zandria’s blog on BlogHer. I am woefully behind on all my blogs, podcasts, RSS feeds and the like… it definitely takes discipline to scan through them every day. I know I need to set up a page where all the feeds, blogs, etc. “go” - but I haven’t quite gotten around to figuring out how to do that (Hi Sallie - yes, I know, you can’t believe it. I will. I swear.)

Today I was catching up on Zandria’s blog, and one of her comments was on being Single, and “doing something you’re not so good at/trying something new.” I wrote about this in my book, and she has a great perspective.  

When I was single, I did sort of a “regression analysis” (hey, I’m an attorney, so sue me) on the best places to “meet guys.” I had been bashed by relationship and was “older” then (late 30s) and really liked being “in relationship” so I wanted to figure out how to get back into one without doing something insane like hitting the bar/dance club scene. What it came down to was basically NASCAR and golf as being super man-rich “environments.”

I went to NASCAR with a grrlfriend and - yikes, boring beyond ALL boredom (if you’re a NASCAR fan I apologize), and SO LOUD.  But golf, even though I am AWFUL at it, was a GREAT thing. You can just go out and hit balls at a driving range, take some beginner classes (they’re always dead cheap — they try to ‘reel you in’), go to Play It Again Sports and get a golf set for not that much… and you really DO NOT have to be good.  There is a golf course in EVERY country (even Madagascar), and going and playing there you will ALWAYS meet guys, and it’s fun. The pro shop will have clubs for you to borrow.  If you decide to be a little more “interesting,” you can get a vintage putter for example, and just bring that -that’s the club that folks will comment on. (I have one from Scotland that was made from the rudder of the Queen Mary.)

Remember - I am TERRIBLE at golf.  But so long as you don’t hold the rest of your 4-some up (just pick the ball up, and tell them you owe them a beer… they’ll love you), it’s a GREAT place to meet guys, and you can tell their actual personality right off, too. (A guy I was kinda interested in threw his CLUB when he was upset at a shot he made and it BROKE - a handmade graphite club - NO THANKS. Step a-waaaaaaaaay from the Crazy Man…)

There are also groups just for women (e.g., EWC - Executive Women’s golfing Club) nationwide, where you get together with other professional women, usually on like a Tuesday or Wednesday after work, play a round and then have a glass of wine and laugh. It’s a fantastic networking thing, too.

Remember tho - it’s a game…. :-)

 S

PS:  My husband doesn’t play golf (figures, huh?) and so I’m a little out of practice now, but it’s on my “list” to get back to. It was such a great way to meet people and it’s good exercise too, if you don’t ride a cart.

Yup - we’re at it again - Mr. Martini from BehindTheBarShow.com and I cooked up some vodcasts for your viewing entertainment.

This first one is in celebration of the Kentucky Derby, which will be running on May 3rd. First, I give some tips on horse racing and betting, then Mr. M. shows us how to make a mint julep. And just in case you want to expand the recipe to cover 30 of your best friends who you’re now going to invite to a Derby Party on Saturday, we also discuss how to make the mint julep party-style!

Watch out for more vodcasts coming to you soon - Mr. Martini and I have been having a ball learning about this new medium, and as you can see, we just love to hang out together!

Let me know what you think - either give me a ring on my Listener Feedback line 206.350.3537, leave a Comment here, or email to sandy[at]beabondgirl[dot]com.

 

 Kentucky Derby Episode (90MB takes a while to download!): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Sallie Goetsch-rhymes-with-Sketch turned me on to this website - if you ever need a laugh, this is definitely a good place to get one.  Here are my two favorite latest photo postings:

see more crazy cat pics

and

see more crazy cat pics

I posted my “70-something” Bond Girl ziplining and climbing pyramids last week… This week, here is “Spike” our youngest Baby Bond Girl — 10 days old!  Her mom, a Bond Girl in good standing, says that “Spike” is ready to get into her black leather diaper cover and Baby Blahniks and help save the world!

A 22-year old woman from Oakland, California landed in the waters of the Oakland Estuary after losing control of her car this past Thursday, per the Associated Press, but she never lost her grip on her morning coffee. She was apparently reaching for her cell phone around 6 a.m. when the car sped out of control and became lodged under a home on stilts on the water.

Car…sped…lodged…under a home…HELLO!

HOWEVER…

She got out of the car uninjured and holding her coffee cup.

Do I hear the Bond Theme playing gently in the background????

Hey Ya’ll:

I am having more and more fun with Send Out Cards. This is the best business builder I think I have ever had.

I have set it up so that you can have a free gift account if you sign into:

www.sendoutcards.com/fempowerment

When you click through on the banner, you need to put in a User Name and a Password. I will give it to you if you write to me at DoubleOhSandy[at]yahoo[dot]com. Yes, what this means is that I am going to pay for you to send out a few cards, to see how it works.

I can also walk you through the templates, so you understand how it works. Wow, I’m finding something new every day!

More in a bit — I’m uploading photos that I took during the View From The Bay shoot, and sending them with little funny “taglines” to the camera man, Lisa Quinn, and the like. Did I say I was having fun???

xxoxoxox Solitaire

By popular demand — the blooper reel to The Bond Girl and the Bartender Make a Cosmo!

 As you know from a previous post, Mr. Martini from Behind The Bar Show and I did a video podcast on “how to make a cosmo” a week or so ago.

Last weekend, we got together and did a video podcast… which I posted last week. Well, by popular demand, check out the blooper reel, below!

Let me know what you think — either give me a ring on my call-in line 206.350.3537 or email to doubleohsandy[at]yahoo[dot]com. I am still laughing and have played it a dozen times…

 

 Mr. Martini and the Bond Girl BLOOPER REEL: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Join Mr. Martini and Solitaire for a quick video on how to mix a cosmo first the bartender way and then the Bond Girl way

We did it!  Mr. Martini from Behind The Bar Show and I met (accidentally, believe it or not!) in a bar in San Francisco now about eight months or so ago. I had been a fan, and was in that bar because he had recommended it, and then… well, if you’re curious, you can listen to the story here. First, we became fast “podcast friends,” then actual Real Life Friends.  (I bet there is some sort of web acronym for that, but I’m afraid I don’t know it — Comment, and clue me in!)

Last weekend, we got together and did this video podcast for you, showing The Bond Girl Way vis-a-vis the Bartender Way to make a cosmo. We had so much fun, it wound up running 53 minutes! No… this download is not that big, never fear!

Now is the time to send us email to beg us for the outtake tape. We had some things that were so funny, they still make me laugh looking at the video for the zillionth time. Go tell Mr. Martini that you want him to post that, too *smile*  I’m Ms. Non-Technology and so it’s all him, all the time.

Enjoy! Let us know what you think!

 P.S.:  If you are curious, the outfit that I’m wearing is by Nicacelly – it’s all recycled/organic and the yummiest, softest outfit you have ever worn!

 

 Bond Grrl Cosmos: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I caught this over on Tara Marie’s blog, and it was just way too fun not to bring to my Bond Grrrrls!  Go check her out to find out all her names — mine are here!

1. Rockstar Name (first pet & current car):
Candy Lexus
2. Gangsta Name (favorite ice cream flavor & favorite cookie):
Marsha Marsha Marshmellow Samoa
3. Fly Girl Name (first initial, first 4 letters of last name):
S-Shep
4. Detective Name (favorite color, favorite animal):
Green Dog (this is also Tara Marie’s)
5. Soap Opera Name (middle name & birthplace):
Jean Norfolk
6. Star Wars Name (first 3 letters of last name, first 2 letters of first name):
She Sa
7. Superhero Name (”the,” 2nd favorite color, favorite drink):
The Brown Vesper

8. Nascar Name (grandfathers’ first names):
George Robinson (or Robinson George)
9. Witness Protection Program Name (mom & dad’s middle names):
Jean Edward
10. Weather Anchor Name (5th grade teacher & major city beginning with the same letter):
Sister (yeah, uh-oh, I know) Eleanor Elgin (yeah fine, I know, so what IS a major E city?)
11. Bond Girl Name (favorite season, favorite flower):
Autumn Rose  (Same as Tara Marie!)
12. Cartoon Name (favorite fruit, article of clothing you are wearing right now + “ie” or “y”):
Peach Yoga Pantsy…?
13. Hippy Name (what you ate for breakfast, favorite tree):
Yogurt’n'Granola (ok that is WAY too funny) Oak
14: Rockstar Tour Name (”the”+your favorite hobby, favorite weather element+”tour”):
The “Rolling” (yes, that would be a euphemism, grrls) Warm Wind Tour

…Yeah ok fine, one more word on the Recession “thang.”  The glass is always 1/2 full or 1/2 empty — right?

Why not accentuate the GOOD THINGS that are going to come out of this?  Because your mind will be more on keeping track of your $ outflow, you can train your baby Bond daughters and sons the true value of things — and that your love (and their worth) is NOT tied up in you buying them yet ANOTHER pair of whatever-they-wants. You can “nest” with your James and make a couple cocktails, and chat, maybe even have fun preparing a meal together, instead of complaining about how you “can’t go out” because you don’t have enough $.

 Accent what works! 

Let me give you a little potential thing you could do on your next Date Night with your James, instead of going for a full-bore dinner that’s going to set him back a couple bills. Get all dolled up, the 2 of you. Then, go to the most expensive restaurant in town that has a bar. Not one with a packed 3-deep bar — a super nice place, quiet, lush, Bond Grrrrrl.

When you sit down, if the bar wraps around, try to get a seat on the side — so that you can watch the dining room and what’s going on. Just get the best seat you can. (If you can’t get a good one straight off, then wait, and move to it.) If you are not a drinker, have the bartender order you up whatever it is that you would like — a Sprite or 7-Up maybe? — but have it put in a champagne glass. Put a $20 tip immediately on the bartender mat, and tell your bartender that’s for him or her for taking care of you. This is especially worthwhile if you are not drinking cocktails — which I suggest you might want to consider, since they are very expensive, and you don’t need that to have fun, anyway!  But this way, the bartender knows that your 2-3 7-Ups are still going to be leading to a nice tip.

Then have some fun! Spin a story with your James. Flirt with him. Make sure your smile reaches your eyes! Just lavish your attention on your James. And pay attention to what’s going on out there with the folks that are having dinner. Make up little stories. It can be a blast. Since you will be there after you have had a nice meal at home, you won’t be hungry, you won’t be tempted to eat bread, and you will NOT be pulling bills off the bankroll to escape!

Have fun like this when you can. Be sure to compensate the Staff “as if” you had had a few pricey cocktails — they won’t care what you’re drinking as long as they get their $.

And another note — if right before you sit down at the bar you go to the Ladies and put on some lipstick, you’re going to drink slower. Because we all know how nasty that “lipstick ring” looks on the edge of the glass — so you will be “sipping” to keep the lipstick to a minimum.  This can slow you down, if you “usually” would be drinking cocktails instead of a soda or some bubbly water.  Give it a try!

Yesterday, coming from my pole dancing class, I’d parked about 2 blocks away from the building in which the class is held.

When I had driven into the city it had been a “pretty day,” but in the 2.5 hours I had been inside – WOW. It had become ~unbelievably~ beautiful.

The class is in the Cow Hollow area of San Francisco - which means you see the Golden Gate Bridge, sailboats, marina, etc – and so I started to walk slower….and slower….just amazed at the beautiful day.

I walked so slowly, in fact, that the 2 minute walk took me 15 minutes. And when I got to the car, I had a $40 parking ticket!

So, when asked today by a friend who is “enjoying” (not) the drizzly, cold, nasty New Jersey weather how the weather was in San Fran, I said that, in fact, it was not only gorgeous, it was a “$40 gorgeous” day!!

:-)

You know - I’m such a lucky Bond grrl :-)

Today, here in Bond Grrl land, it was grey this morning, but it’s lovely now. Yah yah, I’m supposed to be going to the gym, but I was up in the Russian River helping out a friend going thru a divorce (no work to do? Don’t obsess — get out of the house!), and so I decided, WTH, I would head up a bit farther North and go to my fav winery (Hanna — http://www.hannawinery.com/).

So here I am - the tasting room gal knows me - so I’ve had a couple tasting glasses (gratis) of their new chardonnay, with some nice crackers, sitting on a big redwood picnic table (alone - it’s weekday) in the wine fields.

The crows and sparrows are calling and swooping, there’s a little highway traffic from 101 … but otherwise, it’s me, the crackers, the grapes, and the Chard.

They had a midweek 40% off special and so I bought (yeah. Credit cards. Bad Bond Grrl) some wine for my James for the holidaze he is going to LOVE.

Instead of getting stressed out re “no job, etc.” - except for the buying wine on cards part - this is the Bond Grrl life.

Take a break when it’s offered. Forget the hustle. In a month, it’ll be rainy and cold. Glass’a chard, me, the wine grapes, the sun, the birds.

The gym can wait another day :-)

Solitaire