Echo

What did I say? I get blamed for everything!

I'm going to make myself a Boboli pizza!

Hello and Welcome!

I know how you feel, but this is just the way the fashion industry is. There are also designers who make clothes specifically for "plus size" people. But I try to think of it this way: many, many designers are in Europe, more specifically France and Italy, where people are, frankly, thinner. They have a different diet and lifestyle (which I am trying to adopt:roll:) which means that they don't put on as much weight as we do here. American designers follow the rules set by Paris and Milan. Haute couture is not meant for a regular-sized person. That's fine with me, though...I'm rather wear comfortable clothes anyway! Have you seen some of the crazy things that models have to wear?

I have seen reruns every now and then on MTV or VH1, they haven't shelved that cycle or anything. Adrienne got mad at Tyra and wrote her a letter claiming that she didn't get any help after she won. I actually don't ever see any ads featuring the winners after the show is over. That "national" Cover Girl ad? I've never seen one...Cover Girl always seems to use actresses as their spokespeople. The only ANTM veteran I ever see modeling is Ya-Ya from Cycle 3...she has an Oil of Olay ad...she does their commercials and print ads for their face wash. Everyone else just disappears.

25 had better not be old! I just turned 28 last December, and I'm still in college!

Do you remember Victoria? The one who argued with Twiggy and was really "smart"? She drove me nuts! But then, I have a hard time liking anyone who thinks they know better than all the people around her. Also, I have to agree with ii that the show has become very predictable. I also think that Tyra's views on the fashion industry are pretty idealistic, which is surprising considering how long she was a model.

I thought Melrose was a terrible gossip. I could tell that she was a type A personality...probably someone I wouldn't get along with! I loved Caridee because she was so full of fun, even after going through terrible things. Who did you like out of the most recent cycle? I didn't like Bianca at all, but I liked Heather and Chantal.

I feel like having some pasta. Since we're kind of snowed in here, and we don't have much food in the kitchen, my choices are kind of limited.

It's one of my favorite shows! I didn't like the last group so much, though. Who have been your favorites? I liked Eva from Cycle 3, Kahlen from Cycle 4 (I was so mad she didn't win!), Caridee from Cycle 7, and Renee from Cycle 8.

Welcome, Sarah, from another Sarah! Glad to have you here!

We're going to my family's favorite restaurant, a little Italian place, to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday!

Welcome to the forum, Helen!

Welcome to the forum, Claire!

I'm going to order pizza AGAIN tonight. Yum Yum!!!

Grrr...pizza is my favorite! But, I've been ordering it so much lately, that if I did it again, my boyfriend would check me into a pizza-overeaters clinic!

I honestly can't think of anything I want. I'll probably end up making pasta and garlic bread. I have this great gorgonzola spread that is so yummy on the garlic bread!

I hope you like Sense and Sensibility! It's one of my favorites. I haven't read those others by Paulo Coelho - I've only read The Alchemist (which was great) and The Valkyries (which was weird). I'll be interested in hearing what you think!

I had a turkey and swiss cheese sandwich, with some kettle chips and juice. It was all quite yummy!

Welcome to the forum Leanne! What are some of your favorite books or authors?

Warning: spoliers!!! 1- What do you think of inheritance arrangements and how do they affect the various characters? How does this compare to how wills are orchestrated nowadays? What does this say about how women as descendents were viewed by society at the time? Women were obviously not viewed as proper inheritors of property. Since their main goal was to marry, their income and property would mainly come from their husband's family, with the exception of any dowry from her father. She is either supported by her father or by her husband. It was a very male dominated time. 2- How do men and women interact? Which interactions in particular did you find interesting and why? How do these relationships and interactions compare to engagements and marriages today? The relationship that was the most interesting to me was the one between Marianne and Willoughby. Simply because they spend so much time together alone and write each other letters, their family and friends believe them to be engaged. It's obvious that a man and a woman who were not engaged would not converse with so much familiarity or write letters to each other. It's very different from today, as people generally live together before marriage. That would have been unheard of in Austen's time. 3- Are the characters in Sense and Sensibility conventional in their thoughts and actions according to the time in which the novel is set? In what ways do they conform (or not) to conventions? What is expected of them and how do they react to those expectations? Most of the characters are conventional, but a few are not, especially Marianne. She even declares her indifference to what people say or think about her, or what they think she should do. She is free-spirited in everything she feels and does. By the end, however, she does seem to settle down to a much more conventional way of thinking and behaving. 4- Who was your favourite character and why? Elinor is my very favorite because of her strength and her obvious deep feeling. I tend to keep a lot of my emotions inside, and I sympathized with her. I also like Mrs. Jennings because every group needs a gossip! 5- Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest? I enjoyed the scenes in London, even though Marianne's complete emotional breakdown was irritating at times, it was so well-written. I really felt like I really understood Elinor and Marianne during those chapters than at any other time. 6- Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more? This is the third time I've read this book, and it was not the first Jane Austen I have read...that was Pride and Prejudice. It was the movie starring Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant that first inspired me to read Jane Austen in the first place, though, so this book has a special meaning for me. 7- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with? I didn't like the fact that Robert and Lucy were forgiven by Mrs. Ferrars, especially after Lucy had spent so much time trying to hurt Elinor. Still, it seemed realistic to me that Mrs. Ferrars would eventually forgive them...I just wanted them to end up poor and miserable! 8- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? Yes, I loved reading it again! 9. In your opinion, does Sense and Sensibility have a happy ending? I think it does. Marianne dies eventually fall in love with Col. Brandon, Elinor ends up with Edward, and Willoughby ends up miserable. Very happy!

I finished Sense and Sensibility this morning, so I'm going to start on The Book of Lost Things later on today.

Hmmm...looks cool, but how many of these sights do we need? I might sign up. I'll let you all know what it's like. Edit: I signed up and tried to import my Shelfari shelf, but it didn't work. I just don't have time to re-enter 350 books onto another website. I canceled my account and I'm just going to stick with LT and Shelfari from now on.

Here in the States, I love Olive Garden (their breadsticks are to DIE for), Applebee's for their buffalo ranch chicken sandwich, and P.F. Chang's which has some of the best Chinese food in the universe. I only remember one chain restaurant from my trip to Europe. It was the Deep Pan Pizza Company. We discovered it one day for lunch, then we went back for dinner, then had lunch there again the next day. This trip was almost 14 years ago, and it still sticks out in my mind as some of the best pizza I ever had. And you know I'm a pizza expert!

Welcome to the forum, Lilac! This is indeed a wonderful site. Beware, though...you'll soon become addicted like the rest of us!