A Day Off and the Concordia Ball
Happy Sunday and Happy Father's Day to all the great fathers out there! We celebrated Father's Day here last week since it was the Austrian one. Hope you all get a chance to go to the bathroom in peace this special day! It is one of those weird Vienna weather days. June is always a little touch and go on the continent. One minute you could be wearing a parka and the next, you are stripping down to your tank top, cursing not having shaved. We are still undecided about what we are going to do today. We could a) convince the Kid it is too gross to go outside b) take him for a walk around the neighbourhood and then convince him that it is too gross to stay outside or c) take a tram ride and get him a chocolate croissant. So many exciting options. In the afternoon I will meet my friend D.K. for a couple of drinks and then I have to hit the step machine.
This past week has not been a great diet and exercise week. I did so well (I originally wrote "yell" and that works too) on the Fit Into Ball Dress challenge but alas, I did not end up fitting into the ball dress. It almost zipped up... almost. Instead, I wore an oversized coral dress that made me look like I was playing dress up. More on that in a bit. In 2 and a half weeks I will be flying to Canada. It would be great to drop a couple of pounds because I know I will be gaining a couple of pounds in poutine, dim sum and Ice Caps. Today I am concentrating on smoothies and light eating because my body is like "Dude? What the hell?!"
Thursday I worked a half day. Originally I had an important meeting but it was cancelled so I was happy to be able to stop by a friend's place. We sat on her balcony and drank wine and ate cheese (this is why my body hates me). It was so nice to enjoy the sun and the windstorm (Vienna is windy, folks). After that, I jumped on the tram and made my way to meet a friend at the Beaver Brewing Company. We ordered beer and food and caught up. She told me about a yoga retreat in Croatia she went on and I was jealous. I love Croatia and have spent many glorious holidays there. Miss it! It was a nice night and we were joined by a friend and we talked a lot about Murder She Wrote because the show is awesome. But me thinks Sheriff Metzger is in need of early retirement. The amount of false arrests? Dude! I caught a taxi around 11:30 and once I got home, fell into a deep and contented sleep. I had Friday off and it was the first time in a very very long time that I had absolutely no plans. And I did what I never do... I napped and watched TV and napped some more. In the afternoon I bought some costume jewelry at Claire's (classy) and then took a bath and at 5, my very talented make up artist came by. I asked for a loose updo and beachy make up. She did a fabulous job as always. Unfortunately I was in the "I am a hideous and fat sea creature" mode. Feeling stressed and like the Elephant Man, I called a cab and made my way to the fabulous French bistro called Variation Bistro next to the Rathaus.
I greeted my friends, whined that I looked terrible in my too-big dress and ordered some prosecco. We had a great meal and just after 9, made our way to the beautiful neo-Gothic Rathaus. We walked up the steps to the Festsaal, took our seats and watched the opening ceremony. The theme was Cuban and they had about 6 dancers come out and do salsa and cha cha and all the debutantes and cavaliers were lined up and it looked like a bizarre scene from Bring it On. After the ceremony we all went downstairs, to the fairy tale courtyard, secured a table, bought mojitos and then the night was on! I danced a little, talked a lot and actually did not drink very much. I would like to say that this is because I am a mature adult but in fact, the line for the drinks took FOREVER! At 2, professional dancers took the stage and suddenly the courtyard turned into an all inclusive resort. There's nothing quite like seeing several hundred people in formal wear do the Macarena. Yes, I did the Macarena too. One of my favourite moments was when my friend G.G. asked me to take a picture of her by a vintage Havana-style car. We waited patiently as people took cheesy pictures giving the thumbs up. Like a proud mother, I told her to go up to the car. She's done this before because posed like a model at a car show and there were definitely a few men who took a couple of excited breaths at the view. Epic. By 3 a.m., my feet were done and a friend and I caught a cab. It definitely was more of a low-key ball. I wasn't feeling pretty and I hate that I let this affect me. When it comes to who I am as a person, I am confident. I am a decent person and I can be funny. But physically? Put me under a bridge.
I probably won't ever change because self-love seems like a lot of work, but I guess the advantage to being unattractive is that I can be friends with guys and never worry about them being attracted to me. Now, this is not some ploy to get comments like "I think you are a-ok, Tova!" or "Your face... it's eclectic!" because most of you are my friends and I love you and know you lie because you are good friends. And as you get older, you start to realize that looks really are the least important thing in the grand scheme of things. Pretty doesn't pay the bills... unless you are an escort and in that case, you do you.
It was a really fun night out and it was great to hang out with lovely friends. And nothing quite beats looking for side boob in a sea of formally dressed people. In other news, tomorrow I am going to the opera! I CANNOT WAIT! I will definitely be writing a post about that because it is going to EPIC! Tee hee! So excited! I wish you all a fantastic Sunday! Sidenote: did you all watch the game last night? Austria against Portugal? That was exciting! I love that in Austria a game that ends 0-0 is like winning the Stanley Cup... Happy Sunday!
This past week has not been a great diet and exercise week. I did so well (I originally wrote "yell" and that works too) on the Fit Into Ball Dress challenge but alas, I did not end up fitting into the ball dress. It almost zipped up... almost. Instead, I wore an oversized coral dress that made me look like I was playing dress up. More on that in a bit. In 2 and a half weeks I will be flying to Canada. It would be great to drop a couple of pounds because I know I will be gaining a couple of pounds in poutine, dim sum and Ice Caps. Today I am concentrating on smoothies and light eating because my body is like "Dude? What the hell?!"
Thursday I worked a half day. Originally I had an important meeting but it was cancelled so I was happy to be able to stop by a friend's place. We sat on her balcony and drank wine and ate cheese (this is why my body hates me). It was so nice to enjoy the sun and the windstorm (Vienna is windy, folks). After that, I jumped on the tram and made my way to meet a friend at the Beaver Brewing Company. We ordered beer and food and caught up. She told me about a yoga retreat in Croatia she went on and I was jealous. I love Croatia and have spent many glorious holidays there. Miss it! It was a nice night and we were joined by a friend and we talked a lot about Murder She Wrote because the show is awesome. But me thinks Sheriff Metzger is in need of early retirement. The amount of false arrests? Dude! I caught a taxi around 11:30 and once I got home, fell into a deep and contented sleep. I had Friday off and it was the first time in a very very long time that I had absolutely no plans. And I did what I never do... I napped and watched TV and napped some more. In the afternoon I bought some costume jewelry at Claire's (classy) and then took a bath and at 5, my very talented make up artist came by. I asked for a loose updo and beachy make up. She did a fabulous job as always. Unfortunately I was in the "I am a hideous and fat sea creature" mode. Feeling stressed and like the Elephant Man, I called a cab and made my way to the fabulous French bistro called Variation Bistro next to the Rathaus.
I greeted my friends, whined that I looked terrible in my too-big dress and ordered some prosecco. We had a great meal and just after 9, made our way to the beautiful neo-Gothic Rathaus. We walked up the steps to the Festsaal, took our seats and watched the opening ceremony. The theme was Cuban and they had about 6 dancers come out and do salsa and cha cha and all the debutantes and cavaliers were lined up and it looked like a bizarre scene from Bring it On. After the ceremony we all went downstairs, to the fairy tale courtyard, secured a table, bought mojitos and then the night was on! I danced a little, talked a lot and actually did not drink very much. I would like to say that this is because I am a mature adult but in fact, the line for the drinks took FOREVER! At 2, professional dancers took the stage and suddenly the courtyard turned into an all inclusive resort. There's nothing quite like seeing several hundred people in formal wear do the Macarena. Yes, I did the Macarena too. One of my favourite moments was when my friend G.G. asked me to take a picture of her by a vintage Havana-style car. We waited patiently as people took cheesy pictures giving the thumbs up. Like a proud mother, I told her to go up to the car. She's done this before because posed like a model at a car show and there were definitely a few men who took a couple of excited breaths at the view. Epic. By 3 a.m., my feet were done and a friend and I caught a cab. It definitely was more of a low-key ball. I wasn't feeling pretty and I hate that I let this affect me. When it comes to who I am as a person, I am confident. I am a decent person and I can be funny. But physically? Put me under a bridge.
I probably won't ever change because self-love seems like a lot of work, but I guess the advantage to being unattractive is that I can be friends with guys and never worry about them being attracted to me. Now, this is not some ploy to get comments like "I think you are a-ok, Tova!" or "Your face... it's eclectic!" because most of you are my friends and I love you and know you lie because you are good friends. And as you get older, you start to realize that looks really are the least important thing in the grand scheme of things. Pretty doesn't pay the bills... unless you are an escort and in that case, you do you.
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