Last Week to Win Prizes!

Remember guys, this is the last week to win free jeans or a gift certificate to a trendy NYC restaurant! All you have to do is sign up.

In case you forgot, here are the details.

Style Bard Writes for a Month

That's right, for the first time ever I am participating in the National Novel Writing Month. With two blogs and a part-time writing job, this should be a blast! (No, but seriously... I think I must be insane. But here goes...)


If you're a NaNoWriMo-er too, let me know and we can suffer through it together!

Giveaways! Win a Pair of Designer Jeans or $50 Gift Certifcate

Okay this one's really easy. Now through the end of October, you can:

Join Style Bard's newsletter Style Bard News
(check out the sign up in the sidebar)

OR

Friend me on Facebook at StyleBard Host

OR

Join my Facebook group Style Bard's Fashionable Friends

...and you'll instantly be entered to win a free pair of designer PZI Jeans OR a $50 gift certificate to the posh New York City restaurant, Bruno Jamais.

(Don't worry, I'm not going to spam you with messages, registration is just for updates and future contests/giveaways like this one. And that's the sort of thing people like to see in their inboxes! Plus, you can unsubscribe at any time.)

Two people will win, so your odds are twice as good! (...or something. I was never very good at math.) And yes, of course, if you subscribe to more than one of the above, you will earn extra chances to win. It's only fair.

The prizes:

Bruno Jamais
"Bruno Jamais Restaurant Club brings the French Riviera to the upper east side. With Chef Hok Chin at the kitchen's helm the cuisine is sure to delight even the most discerning palates. Bruno Jamais and Chef Hok Chin have created a unique menu that has an Asian influence without losing its French integrity. If you are looking to see stars, celebrity patrons have included: Billy Baldwin, Joan Rivers, Cindy Adams, Chazz Palminteri and even former President Bill Clinton. Reservations are suggested and chic attire is requested."

PZI Jeans
"On the street, on television, even in the office, women of all ages and sizes are wearing tight, low-slung jeans that hit at or far below the hip. Celebrities like Britney, Christina and J.Lo made the how-low-can-you-go, hip-hugger jeans a must-have, setting the standard for jeans with a just-so fit. When women are asked what they like most about their favorite pair of jeans, comfort is in a distant second. PZI Jeans, a premium denim apparel brand designed to fit the woman with a streamlined waist, fuller hips and curvy bottom, provides women the ability to enjoy their lifestyle by wearing stylish jeans with comfort."

Here's how the prizes work: two names will be drawn at random. The first name drawn will have their choice of prizes. The second winner receives the other. Now, I know not everyone lives in NYC to make use of the gift card, but I'm sure there's someone you know in or near NYC to whom you can gift it. Or better yet, donate it through a charity to someone who may be unable to have a nice meal this holiday season. (If you need help figuring out how to do so, I would be happy to assist.) So that's it. Just friend me or sign up and you can win free stuff!

Winners will be selected and notified on November 1st.

And right after this one, we've got another fantastic giveaway coming up from the lovely ladies at Lulu's, but you'll have to check back November 1st for more details!

Style Bard on Facebook

Will wonders never cease? Well, now I'm on Facebook like everyone else.

Friend me at "StyleBard Host" or join my group "Style Bard's Fashionable Friends" (it's open to all members).

And while we're moving forward, look to your right and discover my new newsletter services. Sign up for contests and stuff; I have some cool giveaways coming up. And don't worry, I'm way too busy and lazy to harass you. The newsletter is just for a heads up on irregular surprises.

...I feel so grown up and in touch. What's next?

Friday Night Plights

[7:22 P.M.]: i finally finished one hundred years of solitude.

[7:26 P.M.]: I have it, I need to start

[7:26 P.M.]: you should
[7:26 P.M.]: fairly incredible.
[7:26 P.M.]: and dense as hell

[7:29 P.M.]: I guess... reading... is one thing to do on a Friday night

[7:30 P.M.]: sigh

[7:31 P.M.]: I'm hesitant to shower and get dressed without concrete plans because dressed up with nowhere to go is a horrrrrible feeling

[7:31 P.M.]: i agree.

[7:32 P.M.]: you end up in like false eyelashes and 4" heels at a Pizza Hut picking up Extra Cheese to go and wondering if that almost-finished bottle of red wine from last week is still good. It's saaaad.

[7:32 P.M.]: false eyelashes?

[7:32 P.M.]: for example.

Effects of the Economy on the Dating Scene

Everyone is talking about the state of the economy. How will it affect our future? What does it mean for investments we've already made? But a tipsy state of mind and a night out led me to a far more vital inquiry: how is the failing economy affecting my social life?

A few weeks ago I headed to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida to catch the Fergie concert. No, really. Afterward, me and a girlfriend, M., decided to dally in the outdoor clubs and bars--"Seminole Paradise"--to have a good time. Heck, the concert ended at about 10:30pm, it wasn't exactly bedtime yet. As we worked on our second round of drinks, we debated the ever-important question of Have A Third Round Here vs. Move Into The Casino And Gamble While We Drink, which relies on circumstantial variables such as How Many Hot Guys Are Nearby. Which is related to What Are Our Chances Of Getting Free Drinks. (Coincidentally, the first Obama-McCain debate was in full throttle on the TVs behind our heads, featuring rhetoric of similar importance.) This is when I realized that we'd gotten through nursing two drinks apiece and hadn't yet been approached by any guys, or offered any drinks. Now, not to sound vain, but based solely on experience I thought it odd that no one had come over and intervened on our purposefully belabored drink orders. We'd covered the bar girl basics: hem and haw, suck at your ice, chat with the bartender and flip through drink menus as your eyes scan the room to make sure your availability is apparent...just in case some chivalrous male wants to step in and take care of that next drink for you.

Pause me sounding like a completely egocentric drink-slut and let me say that as far as buying drinks go, I am equal opportunity. I often buy a cute guy a drink; in fact, it's my go-to pick-up line because it works. Naturally, being a poor girl, I reserve this tactic for when a guy is just so cute I need an extra oomph to approach him. But it's an opening line that promotes more conversation, ingratiates the receiver to you and displays your interest. Plus, all he can do is say no, and that rejection stings a lot less when you've just saved a few bucks. One more drink for you! This is especially a great approach for a woman, because every time I've done it, the guy gets all wide-eyed and says he has never been bought a drink by a girl before. Every time. It feels good. "Have you ever bought a girl a drink before?" I reply, as I'm paying. And there you go, me and the hot guy are chatting. And if it goes well, he'll probably buy one of my later drinks for me anyway. It's a win-win.

Buying someone a drink is not a bribe to make them sleep with you. I mean, it doesn't hurt, per se, but let's be serious. No self-respecting guy or girl that wouldn't have liked you before is going to suddenly swoon over your $9 generosity. However, and this is why I think guys do it: it's a good investment. It's a numbers game. If he buys enough drinks, if he's putting forth the effort, then every $100 or so he's gonna hit a girl who's worth all the wasted bills. Not that this is a surefire entry to someone's pants, but it's company and conversation (and possibly entry to someone's pants). It's a way in; an audition. Ladies are more tricky, I think. Girls will let you buy them a drink and talk with you awhile and then ditch you, having planned to ditch you all along. Men are less likely to do that; they are more likely to disallow you to pay for their drink and still be flattered by the proposal and stay to chat--or they'll ditch you outright, without being coy. This is not an epic commentary on our sexes; just my observations. And, okay, practices. Like I said, I'm a poor girl.

So while I'm at this bar wondering if I look fat in this dress, or have something in my teeth, or should have worn fuck-me heels instead of these silly flats (comfort suggests having a boyfriend!), it dawned on me: it's the damn economy. Even single men out on the town are watching their wallets right now. Far less free drinks are being traded; $9 is not just $9 anymore. It could be your retirement fund.

In what other ways could the economy be affecting my dating life? Well, let's see. I'd assume there's less shuffle of menfolk; that is, no one wants to drive out of their way just to go out, so if you're hitting your local scene only, you're probably running into the same circuit of available men. And if we're considering gas prices (when aren't we), then you might not want to go somewhere like Hard Rock, which isn't anyone's local scene--it's kind of standing alone in the middle of nowhere. You've got people showing up for events, like the Fergie concert, and there with other agendas, like the casino. Its main appeal is not as a singles scene and therefore it might not be worth it for a searching single to drive there. I like Las Olas, a centrally located strip of restaurants, shops, bars and clubs where you park for the night and wander to several venues in one evening. So even if you're heading to the same place every weekend, you're assured a lot of variety. But of course, Las Olas can get expensive. Or does that mean there are just more expensive mates there? Ack! This economical slant makes me completely reconsider all of the normal ways of looking at going out on a Friday night.

Of course, I turned 21 and began going out when I lived in Boston. This was where I formed my expectations about being bought drinks. But the city is a different scene. First of all, you've got public transportation, so that cuts back the gas factor. But the cost of living is higher to begin with, so does that mean the men are getting even more frugal? (And, if so, does it mean that they're less likely to approach, since displaying any interest at all may indebt them to eventually paying for your drink? And, my goodness, chatting up a girl may be far more expensive investment than a cocktail or two; what if it goes well and you have to take her to dinner?) I wonder if I would still be getting free drinks as readily as I used to, there. Maybe it was always a matter of the tone of the locale, the wealth and class Boston purports, the mere noblesse oblige South Florida lacks. Maybe Beantown is just maxed out with college students, and to make an impact, a competitive young man has to go the extra mile and venture the next cold one (even at the risk of this week's laundry fund). Or maybe regardless of the value of the dollar or state of the stock market, Boston's just going to be Boston and Florida's just going to be Florida.

M. and I decided to gamble a little and grab a drink inside. We left the uneventful Murphy's Law, (where I daresay the same "pub" in a smaller town would have comp'd my drinks based solely on my obvious Irish heritage, which was noted and then shamefully ignored by my clearly non-Irish bartender), and as we were standing inside at one of the Hard Rock's bars, trying to catch the attention of one of the busy tenders, a guy swaggered over and said, "It seems like you girls have been waiting an awfully long time for a drink. Maybe I can help..?" And thus initiated several free drinks on behalf of he and his friends (none of whom we had any interest in sleeping with; sorry). Thank you, random supposedly-ex-model guy. You didn't know it, but you did more than save me cash and maintain my buzz. You allayed my worries about these dire economic times, and more importantly, restored my faith in my flats.

Style Bard Splurges

Uh oh, the Style Bard went shopping again...

Read the tale of my latest splurge over at Style Bard Shoes.