I don’t have particularly bad vision, if you don’t count the whole night blindness symptoms and astigmatism stuff, not to mention the reading glasses issue. Though that’s just another excuse for me to collect Chanel frames–hey, aging has to have some upside, right? But right around when allergies get really awful, which is basically 70% of the year for me these days, wearing contacts can be challenging. Not to mention those long rides on the plane. Nothing worse than waking up with wonky contacts and bloodshot eyes right before running into a meeting.
So I took the plunge and booked my Lasik surgery for this past Friday. I kept fairly busy (with CES and all) and had no time for nerves. But the morning of, I began to really see. Looked at the endless view of downtown LA after a night’s rain and thought, let’s hope I can see even more clearly tomorrow without my glasses. As the hour got closer, I went for a Jamba run
and told myself, maybe the mango-a-gogo will look even prettier with my new eyes. Suddenly the evil Larkie said, that is if nothing goes wrong while they zap your eyes! Ugh.
Then I looked at the details of this Gucci jacket I chose to wear for this very occasion. It’s one of my favorite items ever, and if anything is going to go right or wrong, at least I’ll be dressed well. Priorities, people! Honestly, I hope when I wake up from surgery, I will be able to see all the details sharply without the benefit of contacts or glasses:
I hope, I hope.
It was time. At their Newport Beach office I signed all the paperwork, popped a Xanax, and twenty minutes later came out of surgery with new eyes. Of course I have about zero recollection of the whole experience. I only remember sitting in the waiting room for ten minutes after taking the Xanax then stumbling into the operating room when the nurse came to get me. I do not even remember seeing my doctor…just vaguely recall hearing his voice saying “look at the red light” then getting a hug from him when it was done?
Today is Sunday, about 48 hours with my new eyes. I’ve been taking it easy so have not been outside driving or anything yet. But I can tell you that it is the best thing ever to be able to look out of my living room window and see palm trees way beyond the hill with my naked eyes! There’s a bit of tenderness over my right eye, and I have to apologize to everyone who will have to see me without my makeup on this whole week (no eye makeup allowed!), but other than that, this has been an incredible gift.
Tags: Gucci, Lasik surgery, Newport Beach
I’ve been in Europe for over a week now, lugging my herbal tea pouches (to be taken 3x a day along with the 12 herbal horse pills) from place to place:
Knock on wood, but so far I’ve not been harassed by customs for these funky smelling teas, which still taste like muddy water after the fifteenth day, and I am finally seeing an end to the month-long treatment tunnel. I’d like to think it’s more than a placebo effect because my allergies are under control since taking them, even without the aid of any prescription meds or nosesprays. Perhaps my herbalist “shaman” is right–he’s fixing the symptoms of allergies by curing the basis of my lifelong problem with sinuses. Time will tell and I don’t want to raise my hopes up too high, but I can’t tell you how nice it is to be able to breathe normally and have unpuffy eyes. I’d never complain about having any condition, but it’s just so great to not have it. All the little things others get to take for granted suddenly feel like a new lease on life to me.
And even on a very warm free day out and about in blooming Antwerp for the May Day festivities, I only sneezed a few times instead of the catastrophic experiences last year in Paris and London at exactly the same time. Anyway, it was great to join the masses in the Springtime instead of hiding indoors like a vampire from pollens…
especially on a trip consisting mainly of airports, work, and random sightings of Chanel boutiques…
But you know how it goes, work pays for the Chanel addiction habit 
. Let’s see what goodies I’ll find when I have some time to hit the shops here.
ODJ: May Day. Theory brown linen sundress, Gucci shellprint cardigan, Mossimo espadrilles, anthracite Balenciaga Day bag.
Tags: Antwerp, Balenciaga Day bag, Chanel, Gucci, Mossimo, theory
Are you tired of seeing my mug here all the time lately? I am, too, but preparing for a protracted upcoming trip has made it a bit challenging to blog too frequently these days, so these ODJs have been more or less a substitute for writing. Now speaking of long trips, I always seem to get into a rut of panicking exactly ten days prior to departure about packing the right accessories. This time it has been even more crazed because of a shoulder pain I’ve been, well, shouldering for almost 9 months now. I joke often about self-medicating but I am really trying everything out there to fix this problem without resorting to pain killers.
Then yesterday I went to see an acupuncturist. She even offered to take a picture of the needles on my leg in case I wanted to Facebook it. No, not Facebook, I muttered, but maybe for my blog …
I lost count of the number of needles along my body and metal stickers inside my right ear. But as I was laying there listening to her stories of the injuries she has cured, I was thinking I could be a fool for letting a stranger poke me with sharp objects. I hadn’t done any research on acupuncture, just desperate enough to get my arm and shoulder back in shape before the trip. Then my mind drifted off to other things, like how much I’m supposed to tip this person, what terms I wanted to negotiate with a client on Monday, which pairs of shoes I should pack for the trip…you get the picture. Would acupuncture work on attention deficit symptoms? Then all of a sudden, she snapped me back to where we were and asked me to wave my arm around. The pain was gone. I repeat. The pain was gone.
Call me a skeptic, cynic, atheist, Chanelaholic, any of those things. But I’m going back to see her this week for another session.
So that’s a long segue into today’s ODJ, but the story I wanted to relay was that I need to stop carrying big bags. The medium sized flap you see in today’s look should be as big as I can go and still save my shoulder, acupuncture or no acupuncture.
ODJ 250: Diane von Furstenberg wool jersey dress, Gucci heels, Chanel “Malaysian Special” flap, and South Seas pearls. I’m thinking the shoes don’t really vibe with the bag, which I think maybe should be funkier than a Chanel bag, but these shoes are so comfy I stuck with them for the event. And I wanted to use the bag for the event, so those are the breaks.
PS: love the slit pockets at the waist on this dress…
Tags: Chanel, Diane von Furstenberg, Gucci, Malaysian Special
Long days and short deadlines make a killer one-two punch when you’re also trying to update your blog. But in spite of all the busy stuff, I can always make time for a quick text or call from someone who prefaces the communication with “guess what I found on sale for you…”
No, I wasn’t really looking for black patent, but these Gucci skyscrapers were at such an unbelievable price that I”ll just have to figure out how to walk in them later!
Now if only I can find the perfect pair of nude slingbacks on sale then I’d be all set…
Tags: Gucci
Last night I was reading an old (2010) article in Vogue about how the retail industry would have to adapt not just to an online presence but more specifically to reaching customers via their smart phones. That tiny mobile device is now the ultimate gatekeeper to a buyer’s wallet.
How timely that I read this–albeit 9 months later–because earlier this week, while I was telling myself that I was finally ready to put the summer sales behind me to focus on the fall collections, I received an email on my phone from a sweet friend (I shall leave “J” nameless but she knows who she is!) as she was blowing through the Vegas Chanel boutiques. She said that she’d just seen a sweatshirt in my size on sale at the Wynn and thought of me.
Toggling from her email, I scrolled through my contact list and connected with said boutique. The next day I received an email of the tracking information for the package and was able to basically follow the package as it made its way to me…all from my phone.
There are several apps (Chanel, Gucci, etc.) on my phone that give me the latest updates as new collections are revealed on the runway. Great diversion to fight boredom while waiting for the plane or dentist. I also a have a few apps (Netaporter, Gilt, Amazon, etc.) that allow me to buy directly from the vendors. Much more dangerous diversion! For the most part, however, I am still very old school even if technology is at my disposal. I prefer to simply get texts with pictures from my favorite sales associates. All I have to do is reply “yes” and voilà, the gatekeeper steps aside…and hello, Mr. Fedex!
