Technical Difficulties

"Why.the.hell.isn't this working?" I growled. 

"Do you want me to look at your computer?" he sighed.

"No. I just want it to work. It should just work." Like cars. When you put the key in, they should start.

"I wonder if there's some kind of cash award for the person who has the most ridiculous computer problems," he said calmly without looking up from his keyboard.

I glared at him.

"Mom would win," said the 13 year old, which made everyone laugh, except me. 

Posted via web from Julie's posterous

Francine Twist Video Screening

Francine Twist, the renown model/mannequin/ actress from Twist Pop Media will be making her film debut this Tuesday night at Velvet in downtown Bend, Oregon. She'll be available in the lobby for pictures. She can't sign autographs, since she doesn't have hands, sorry.

The films are short (1-2 minutes each) and we'll show them throughout the night. Francine will be there!

Feel free to RSVP over on the Facebook Event page, or just show up! If you'd like to join the Twist Pop Fan Page, we'd love it!

@juliejulie's Bad Hair

Last week I took pictures of my hair every morning, and posted them on Twitter and Facebook.

Some people said I was brave.

Some people said I was crazy.

Turns out maybe I was smart.

Because I haven't seen Rachel Ebarb, my stylist over at Plethora Salon for quite a while, but she saw me on Facebook and told me to get myself and my bad hair over to her chair, stat.

When I got there, I looked like this:

When I left, I looked like this:

If you want Rachel to fix your hair, call her at (541) 788-6601

Yes, for the record, Rachel is one of my blog sponsors, you betcha!

My Dirty Laundry

"Wait! What day is it?" I blurted out in a panic.

"Tuesday," he said calmly, without rolling his eyes.

"There's something I'm supposed to do," I quickly pulled up the calendar on the computer.

"Laundry?" he said hopefully.

"No, no...ah, here it is! Belly dancing."

Bras Bras Bras

Here's the truth: I have too many bras. I'm embarrassed to tell you the exact number. There are so many that I can actually group them into little groups.

If I were the organized type, I'd have custom, labeled dividers in my dresser drawers for each group.

I wonder if Martha Stewart does.

Here are my bra categories, so far:

1. Jog bras (I wrote a post about them once)
2. Sweater bras
3. Professional bras (for work clothes, that's what I mean)
4. Cotton bras
5. Special occasion bras
6. Sex bras

20 years ago, I think I had 3 bras. I'm not quite sure what happened that led me to bra overload, but I'd like to blame a beautiful woman named Nicki, Victoria's Secret, my husband and TJ Maxx.

Nicki: I met her in my 20's when we were both single. She fixed me up with a friend of her boyfriend's, and we'd get ready for dates together at her apartment. I could not help but notice her lovely, fancy matching bras and panties. I'd never spent much money on that stuff. I was far too practical and frugal. "Do guys really care about it?" I asked. "Yes," she said. "I don't even know where to shop for it." "Victoria's Secret," she said.

Victoria's Secret: I went to the mall to check out the store, but couldn't bring myself to spend that much money on undergarments. Seriously, if you get a hot pink bra, you have to get a bunch of hot pink expensive underwear to match, to make it worth it, otherwise you have to wash your one matching pair every day, right? If you stick to reasonably priced black and beige at Macy's? Non issue. I was saving for a trip to Europe. I was not going to blow my savings at Victoria's Secret, especially since I didn't even have a serious boyfriend.

My husband: So I met him, we got married, and he quickly convinced me that money spent on lingerie was money well spent. I bought a few sex bras at Victoria's Secret. I also learned that he complained less about my shoe shopping habits if I bought high heeled boots, especially black leather ones. I was still careful though. I got an orange bra, and a few other colors, but just a few matching panties. Also, the longer you're married and the more children you have, the less the matching thing seems to matter. Not sure why.

TJ Maxx: Here's where the real trouble began. I discovered the bra section after the first kid was born, and I realized my size was going to keep changing for a while. That place has oodles and oodles of very cute bras, very cheap. $4.99 for black silk polka dots and $1.99 for the undies? Uh. Sure. That's cheaper than dinner and a movie.

And so it began. Three kids, 17 years of marriage, and an undisclosed number of bras later, I need a label maker and a professional organizer for my undergarments.

I know this bra problem is also a sign of exuberant consumerism somehow gone awry, and I'd probably have more money in my IRA now if I had less lingerie. I get a sick feeling in my stomach sometimes when I see how much stuff I have and know there are people less fortunate than me and I feel spoiled.

But, here's the thing: a couple years ago, a friend sent me a link to Nicki's blog. I'd lost touch with her, and here she was, married with young children writing a touching diary chronicling her battle with breast cancer, from the horrible beginning and the choice to undergo a double mastectomy, to her triumphant victory back to health, including returning to running and completing her first Race for the Cure.

I read her blog from beginning to end and cried for days. "I remember her breasts," I said to my husband. "They were lovely, she was proud of them, and she had the best bras. I'm so glad she appreciated them while she could."

When I first heard that women were posting their bra color on Facebook, I thought it was silly, a bit voyeuristic, and too much information. Then I read Johanna Turner's article about it in the Washington Post and learned it was a Breast Cancer awareness project, I changed my mind. I posted "Red" that day.

I know my bra's real job is to hold up my boobs. I'm glad mine are healthy, and I'm happy I get to dress them up. So I'll be keeping all my bras, thank you very much, and there's a good chance I'll buy some more in the years ahead.

Pink lace.

Impractical? Yes. But still cheaper than dinner and a movie.

Being Weird

Ideas are pictures. They flash through my brain, in color, instantly.

Sometimes they're a single frame, and sometimes they're more like a quirky, saturated short film shot in Super 8.

A good idea makes me tingle. And then I have to talk about it so I can figure it out all the way.

Some ideas don't work on their own, or they're too early for their own good. But I keep them around anyway, because they worm their way right into another idea later.

I hang out with good listeners so I can bounce the pictures I see in my head up and down and sideways like a super ball in a small room with a hardwood floor. The ideas hit walls and lamps sometimes, but nothing ever breaks. Usually.

And then I just start trying stuff. If people say "how did you come up with this crazy idea?" I try to tell them the story of how 20 years ago I had this one idea that worked it's way into this other idea, and eventually this idea right here became an obvious next thing to try.

But they look at me with glazed eyes and half a smile and say "Oh." Which actually means "You're weird."

As if I didn't know.

Karaoke with The Mannequin

(Downtown Bend, OR) Bo Restobar, in association with A Fine Note Karaoke Too! and Twist Pop Media announces the guest appearance of renowned mannequin, actress, and chanteuse, Francine Twist at Bo Restobar on Saturday, January 9th at 8:00 p.m..

Francine will be performing some of her favorite karaoke songs, accompanied by Jackie Johnson of A Fine Note Karaoke Too!

According to Johnson, the culmination of this event is the result of a lot of research, legwork, begging, and more than a few glasses of wine.

“Francine and I have spoken at length about her love of karaoke and she has finally agreed to grace the popular night spot with her songs and anecdotes about her long and successful acting career.”

Julie Anderson, of Bend’s Twist Pop Media further added, “Francine and I will be at Bo Restobar on Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. for the purpose of filming for Bend’s Where To Eat Guide. We would love to include Bo’s audience in this segment which will be featured on the guide’s web site at www.theeatguide.com/CentralOregon/ and also at www.youtube.com/user/TwistPopMedia.”

Francine will pose with patrons and can even be persuaded to sing a duet or two if you twist her arm. The Where To Eat Guide will provide door prizes such as free Bend restaurant certificates. Admission is free and regular karaoke will follow.

*Follow us live Saturday evening on Twitter at @juliejulie or @FrancineTwist

Where: Bo Restobar (Downtown Bend) on Franklin Ave.

When: Saturday, January 9, 2010 @ 8:00 p.m.

*A Fine Note Karaoke Too!, Bo Restobar, Where to Eat Guide, and Julie Anderson can also be found on Facebook.