Author: grass-artificial

Jessica Alba popped up on the Jimmy Kimmel Show in a Christian Louboutin Fall/Winter 2010 ankle bootie that I adore. The Louboutin ‘Faastissima’ bootie has a deep cut at the throat which shoelovers will know I’m fond of due to its elongating effect on the legs. Her Christopher Kane dress pairs well with the dress except I wish there wasn’t that odd cut-out near her chest and abs. Even though she certainly has the figure for it, I find it distracting and unnecessary.

Rain, rain, go away.
Is anybody else having weird spring weather? Rain one day, clear the next, then right on back to more rain?
This is not the weather one expects when living proximate to an area nicknamed, ‘The Palm Springs of Washington’.
Madame Nature needs to tell Old Man Winter to back off, already. After all, summer starts in less than a week. Most of the flowers I’ve seen are – sadly – attached to fast-growing weeds that have been thriving in this rapidly shifting weather.
So, here are my consolation flowers for today:

I remember watching Oprah interview someone, years ago – I think it was Robert DeNiro. The actor said that acting had to be the most boring job ever. It is mostly repetition and sitting around while they prepare for five minutes of action. Oprah went on to say that most actors, without scripts, are not particularly interesting people. When I look at Kristen Stewart, I think of that interview. She doesn’t seem all that thrilled to be in the public eye; doesn’t seem to want to be talking to interviewers; and doesn’t seem to appear to be very interesting. In all fairness, her interviews in magazines have painted a fairly harrowing existence with her fans and paparazzi stalking her. I would probably appear aloof, too.
I have seen her in something other than the Twilight sagas and she can act, but the role she has to play in these Twilight movies is dreadful. Anyways, Kristen Stewart is abroad with Taylor Lauchner as they attend “Twilight Saga: Eclipse” premiers and photocalls. Since she first appeared in the spotlight, she has really improved her image. Let’s see what she has shown us so far.
In Sydney she wore black Sergio Rossi ankle boots. Her skirt is a Jenni Kayne from Spring 2010. Her shirt is a grey Market Bridgette tee.

In Seoul she wore a black Prabal Gurung Fall 2010 long sleeved mini shimmering dress, a wide leather belt and Jimmy Choo ‘Quiet’ black sandals.

For the Rome Premiere she wore a Marchesa Fall 2010 dress. I have seen mixed reactions to this dress. She wore black satin Roger Vivier sandals to complete the look.

Taylor looks good enough to eat after dinner.
In Germany, she looked liked a million bucks. I just wish she would get rid of the tough guy pose. She wore a Versace Fall 2010 and Camilla Skovgaard button booties. Love both the dress and the shoes.

Close up of the shoes.

Nice touch with the black toenails. This is my favorite look so far.

Recently I have become obsessed with buying vintage, or vintage inspired, dresses. All of my free time seems to be consumed by trolling thrift stores, boutiques, and online shopping sites. Now that I have a healthy collection of vintage dresses, I need sandals that complement the vintage aesthetic I’m working. Rising to this challenge, I’ve selected some of my favorite summertime sandals.
As a fan of Kork-Ease shoes (I already own a pair of their Ava sandals – and they are so comfortable!), I’ve been thinking about buying a pair with a cork wedge.


Kork-Ease Myrna II Wedge in red (also available in black, white, green, and yellow) for $129 at Zappos

Since I’m a devotee of comfortable shoes, I love Dansko’s. They have a great selection of sandals with a heel, and heels do look great with summer dresses.

Dansko Sissy Sandal in brown (also available in black, white, red, and green) for $109.95 at The Walking Company
If you’re working a 70’s vibe with a vintage dress, clogs are a must have shoe.


Swedish Hasbeens Braided High Clog in white (also available in brown, red, and blue) for $199 at Endless.
During and after college I lived in Spain, and during my time there I fell in love with Campers. I still turn to Campers for a European mix of style and comfort.


Camper Laura Wedge Sandal in black/white (also available in all black, all white, brown, and blue) on sale for $142.45 (regularly $149.99) at Endless

I am always drawn to perfectly flat shoes. These sandals by Proenza Schouler are a great reinterpretation of the gladiator sandal trend (something I never got into).


Proenza Schoular Lace-Up Cutout Sandals on sale for $415.99 (regularly $595) at Saks

There is nothing worse than the official Christian Louboutin web site. All you see are these awful green eyes and floating shoes. You are supposed to click on this little photo to pull the shoe up. Terrible.

I used to be all about Christian Louboutin shoes, maybe I am getting old, contrary, or just grouchy, but I didn’t see anything lustilicious. Lots of spikes, lots of studs, lots of metalics, lots of ultra high platforms, lots of over the top. Whatever.
Here is a glimpse of some of the shoes released last week.







These shoes do appeal to someone because there are about 200 counterfeit websites. Christian Louboutin released an update to the list of counterfeit sites a couple of weeks ago.
So, are any of these lustilicious for you? Maybe if I look at them long enough, I will change my mind.

I’m working in LA, and have had a chance to eat some really terrific Korean food in Garden Grove, a very Korean suburb, while I’m at it. If you’re ever there, check out Morangak, where the barbecued meat and vegetables were fresh and delicious. Here are a couple photos to entice you.


In every major city I visit, but particularly in LA, Korean food and products, as well as Korean spas, have long been my salvation from expensive mainstream products.
Why do some Korean women have such amazing skin? It’s not magic. It’s because they eat tons of antioxidant-loaded greens, kimchi and tea (green, barley, plum, persimmon, etc.), obsess over their creams, zealously protect with hats, ugly visors, staying inside and sunglasses, and spend lots of time at the Korean spa having facials and scrubs done. And any woman can follow that formula. I have used the Korean lotions and cleansers from Amore and Laneige for years, and they are much cheaper than Shiseido, with the same end results.
I’ve written about traditional Korean shoes and girly Korean shoes in Korea before. But lately I’ve been wondering about whether I can get Korean shoes here in LA. So far, all I’ve come across are a few pairs of excellent support shoes for cheaper prices at Home Mart in LA, but tomorrow I’m going to Koreatown again to check out a few shops, so if I find anything good for the ladies lacking foot problems, I’ll report back soon.
In the meantime, I highly recommend these support shoes. My mum tried them on and said they were very comfortable. Made for standing for long periods or walking, they are shaped to roll as you walk and have a high arch support for those who are sadly flat-footed (yours truly will probably be wearing them by age 35 while all my beautiful shoes sit in the closet).
You can check your sizes for Ebi shoes by calling Home Mart at (213) 908-0807. They are located at 808 S. Western.

Oil services companies were waiting on Tuesday to see if their legal bid would succeed in overturning a six-month ban on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico as more fishing areas were closed in response to the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
The ban by President Barack Obama’s administration was imposed in response to the explosion aboard an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20 that killed 11 workers and ruptured a well owned by BP Plc (BP.L) (BP.N), unleashing millions of gallons of crude oil and causing an environmental catastrophe.
U.S. District Court Judge Martin Feldman promised he would decide by Wednesday whether to temporarily lift the ban while the case is heard. More than a dozen companies involved in offshore drilling operations filed the lawsuit, calling the ban “arbitrary and capricious.”
“The government’s unchecked authority has shut down this entire industry,” argued lawyer Carl Rosenblum, representing the oil industry.
The lawsuit is the first seeking to reverse Obama’s May 27 moratorium, which the companies say will force job cuts in the labor force needed to service offshore oil platforms. The ban has caused the shutdown of 33 deepwater drilling rigs.
The Obama administration argues that the moratorium is necessary to prevent further accidents while a presidential commission investigates what caused the BP well to rupture.
The spill, now in its 64th day, has soiled the coasts of four U.S. states, threatening tourism and fishing industries. It has seeped into ecologically sensitive wetlands and tested Obama, who has come under fire for his handling of the crisis.

A federal judge could decide as early as today whether to block the Obama administration’s ban on deep-water drilling, responding to a legal challenge mounted by drilling companies and backed by Louisiana state leaders worried the ban will cost jobs and tax revenue.
U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman said he would rule no later than noon Wednesday in a decision that could dictate the future of the White House plans to pause deep-water oil and gas exploration while an independent commission probes the cause of the April 20 blowout of BP’s Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico. It destroyed the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, killed 11 workers and triggered the nation’s worst oil spill.
Feldman heard arguments on the case Monday. It originally was filed by Hornbeck Offshore Services of Covington, La., and other oil field services companies have since joined the bid to block the ban on deep-water oil and gas exploration.
The companies argue that the ban on drilling in 500 or more feet of water is arbitrary and capricious because it halted activity at 33 permitted wells without any evidence they weren’t complying with safety standards.
Separately, Houston-based rig owner Diamond Offshore has filed a lawsuit in federal district court arguing that the ban amounts to an unconstitutional taking of its drilling contracts.
Parties in that case are set to meet today with U.S. District Judge Nancy Atlas of Houston to outline the hearing schedule for that case.
In appealing for a temporary restraining order to block the ban’s enforcement, Diamond insists that the moratorium could cause widespread harm to the drilling industry.
“Tens, if not hundreds of thousands of individuals could lose their jobs,” Diamond Offshore alleges. And other companies that serve deep-water drillers, such as caterers and tug crews, also are at risk, the plaintiff says.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Attorney General James “Buddy” Caldwell argued in a friend-of-the-court filing in the Hornbeck case that the ban threatens coastal economies and jeopardizes royalty revenue that would have been delivered to state coffers from suspended drilling projects.
The officials cite findings by the Louisiana State University Center for Energy Studies that even if the ban lasts just five months, it will result in the direct layoff of 3,339 Louisiana workers and cost another 7,656 jobs indirectly in the state.
Instead of a blanket moratorium, Jindal and Caldwell argue, the administration can put federal inspectors on all deep-water drilling operations.
The Obama administration defends its ban — formally imposed May 27 – as necessary to prevent a repeat of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
In a court filing, the administration says the deep-water drilling delay will allow federal regulators time investigate the causes of the disaster and recommend additional safety measures.
Absent a court ruling to the contrary, it appears the ban will stay in place for now. William Reilly, co-chairman of a White House-appointed commission investigating the Deepwater Horizon disaster, told the New York Times it’s unlikely the panel will recommend lifting the moratorium before it completes its report early next year.
In other developments Monday related to the oil spill:
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, which investigated the deadly 2005 explosion at BP’s Texas City refinery, said it will study the company anew in a probe of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Bart Stupak, D-Mich., who chairs the investigative subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee, requested the investigation.
In a letter responding to them, board Chairman John Bresland said the investigation team will include some who were involved in the investigation of the March 23, 2005, explosion at the refinery.
The CSB reported in March 2007 that a combination of cost-cutting, a lack of vigilance and a lack of investment in training and mechanical integrity were factors in that disaster, but Bresland said that finding won’t prejudice the blowout investigation.
“Although we will be vigilant for any similarities to the Texas City explosion … we believe it is also important that this investigation be approached without any preconceptions,” Bresland wrote.
Former Justice Department Inspector General Michael Bromwich was sworn in to lead a shake-up of the agency formerly called the Minerals Management Service.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has renamed it the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, and it’s to be split into three separate organizations – the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; and the Office of Natural Resource Revenue.
Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, commander of the spill response team, said BP will place flow-rate sensors in a new containment cap that may be placed on the Macondo well in the coming weeks. An existing cap and other equipment are now capturing about 25,000 barrels of oil a day from the well, but it’s not certain how much still is entering the Gulf.

Crude oil declined for the first time in three days as optimism faded that China’s plan to add more flexibility in the yuan’s fixed exchange rate would strengthen the global economic recovery.
Oil gave up yesterday’s gains as equities fell on renewed concern that Europe’s sovereign-debt crisis will affect economic recovery. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. reduced its crude price forecasts today. The People’s Bank of China said June 19 it’s increasing the flexibility for the yuan, marking an end to the crisis policy of pegging the currency to the dollar.
“Traders realized that whatever the Chinese will do regarding the yuan will be gradual and so the likely impact on immediately boosting Chinese demand for oil will be modest,” said Victor Shum, a senior principal with energy consultants Purvin & Gertz Inc. in Singapore. “The European debt crisis, the fragile recovery of the U.S. economy — those things still prompt investors to lock in profits when oil prices gain.”
Crude for July delivery dropped as much as 85 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $76.97 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, and was at $77.06 at 1:45 p.m. Singapore time. Yesterday, oil rose 64 cents, or 0.8 percent, to settle at $77.82. The contract expires today.
The more-actively traded August contract declined as much as 85 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $77.76 a barrel, and was at $77.86 a barrel. Futures have dropped 2.9 percent this year.
China, the world’s most-populous nation, consumes more oil than any country except the U.S. China’s central bank said there’s no basis for “large-scale” moves in its currency even as it pledged increased exchange-rate flexibility.
Brent Crude
Brent crude for August settlement declined as much as 84 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $77.98 a barrel on the ICE Futures Europe exchange in London, and was at $78.10 at 1:46 p.m. Singapore time. Yesterday, the contract advanced 60 cents, or 0.8 percent, to settle at $78.82.
Asian stocks fell for the first time in nine days after Fitch Ratings downgraded Paris-based BNP Paribas SA and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said Spanish lenders face difficult years because of the nation’s slow growth. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell 0.7 percent to 118.28 at 2:12 p.m. in Tokyo.
The S&P 500 lost 0.4 percent to 1,113.20 as of 4 p.m. in New York, wiping out an earlier advance of 1.2 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased 8.23 points, or 0.1 percent, to 10,442.41.
“It was a pretty significant reversal for the U.S. equity markets, which feeds through to oil market sentiment,” said Toby Hassall, a commodity analyst at CWA Global Markets Pty in Sydney. China’s decision to end the yuan’s peg “is a double- edged sword. It’s going to negatively affect U.S. importers, those importing Chinese goods, but at the same time it can be seen as a positive to those exporting to China,” he said.
U.S. Inventories
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. cut its price forecasts for crude oil because commodity markets are “fragile” on concern growth in Europe and China will slow, the bank said in a report today.
“Commodity markets are generally rebounding strongly off their lows but sentiment remains fragile on European and Chinese concerns,” said analysts led by New York-based Allison Nathan.
West Texas Intermediate oil was forecast at $87 a barrel for a three-month period, down 9.4 percent from a $96 prediction Goldman Sachs made in a May 10 report. It also downgraded estimates for six-month and 12-month crude and for Brent oil.
Oil prices at the top end of the $70-to-$80 a barrel range are “a little high” at the beginning of the summer driving season in the U.S., said Purvin’s Shum. Gasoline consumption peaks from the Memorial Day weekend in late May to Labor Day in early September.
“When we go deeper into summer, if indeed there is strong demand growth for gasoline in the U.S., then there will be more reason for oil pricing to get to the top end of the $70-$80 range,” Shum said.

One poor start by Burnett was a blip, two were an anomaly and three were a disturbing trend. Four in a row, then, is a downright problem, and the Yankees now have to solve a pressing identity crisis: Who replaced the confident strike-thrower that thrived in April with the erratic guy who has a 10.35 earned run average this month? In 20 innings, Burnett has surrendered nine homers, and his overall earned run average has soared to 4.83 from 3.28.
Recently, he has been bothered by a bruised right foot, sustained when he was drilled by a grounder during his last start, but Burnett said it felt better heading into Monday’s game. Over all, his struggles have coincided with the absence of the pitching coach Dave Eiland, who began an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons on June 4, the day of Burnett’s first start this month. All nine hits that Burnett allowed came with two outs, and the first six runs scored on rallies that began with two outs and no one on base.
The Yankees might have had a better chance at overcoming that six-run deficit if a Cy Young Award winner had been pitching for the Diamondbacks. After toppling two Cy Young winners, Roy Halladay and Johan Santana, within a six-day span, the Yankees managed only three runs and had eight hits in eight innings against Rodrigo Lopez, who entered Monday at 2-6. Their lone extended rally produced two runs in the sixth, and Lopez foiled a potential comeback by retiring Mark Teixeira with runners on the corners to end the seventh. Brett Gardner was a bright spot, going 4 for 4 with two runs scored.
Burnett’s latest misery came on the same day that Manager Joe Girardi announced a significant, if temporary, change in the rotation. In keeping with their plans to restrict Phil Hughes’s innings, the Yankees will skip his scheduled start Friday in Los Angeles to give him three more starts before the All-Star break instead of four. His next start will come June 29 at Yankee Stadium against Seattle. By pitching so well, by logging so many innings, Hughes has accelerated their preservation plan. He has exceeded their expectations, going 10-1 with a 3.17 E.R.A, while pitching 82 1/3 innings across 13 starts — an average of six and a third innings per start. If he were to continue on that pace without extra rest, Hughes would demolish his professional season high of 146 in 2006.
“This is a hard guy to sit and miss a start, just because of how well he’s pitching for us,” Manager Joe Girardi said. “We can’t be short-sighted. We have to think of this year, and we also have to think of his future and not hurt this kid. Starters are not easy to develop, and it takes time. We want to make sure that we have him for a long time.”
The Diamondbacks, at 28-43 and mired in last place in the National League West, do few things well. Hitting home runs is one of them, though, and Justin Upton began the barrage with a mammoth shot onto the concourse in center field. Two singles followed, and Adam LaRoche crushed a first-pitch fastball over the swimming pool in right field. Burnett’s fastball has not been sharp lately, but then again, neither has his curve. One hung for the next batter, Mark Reynolds, and he pummeled it over the left-field fence. As each homer cleared the wall, Burnett just stood on the mound, dumbfounded. He threw 35 pitches that inning, and 17 more in the second, when Miguel Montero’s two-out double knocked in Upton.
A crowd of 47,229, the largest since opening day, packed Chase Field for a rematch of the 2001 World Series, not that anyone inside was thinking back nine years or anything. Certainly not three players from the Diamondbacks’ championship team — Luis Gonzalez, Matt Williams and Mark Grace — who were asked to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Or the fans who hooted when the video screen showed Gonzalez’s series-deciding broken-bat blooper in Game 7. Trying to drown them out, the Yankees fans let loose a long boo. They had practice with that reaction Monday night, when one of their own — Burnett — was the target.
INSIDE PITCH
The Yankees felt comfortable enough in JORGE POSADA’s ability to assume the bulk of the catching duties this trip that they dropped their third catcher, CHAD MOELLER. Their hope is that Posada, recovering from a fractured right foot, can catch four of the six games. He started Monday night. Replacing Moeller was COLIN CURTIS, a left-handed-hitting outfielder. He made his major league debut as a pinch-hitter in the fourth and flew out … JESUS MONTERO and AUSTIN ROMINE are the Yankees’ most advanced catching prospects, but they have another, GARY SANCHEZ, whom they like just as much. In his second professional at-bat, Sanchez, 17, hit a grand slam Monday for the Yankees’ rookie-level team in the Gulf Coast League.