Wishing and Hoping

Alright, so apparently I lied and I am posting something else tonight...you can't blame me.

So what is this post about? Well, as retro and baking are some of my first loves, reading is something that isn't even love for me anymore. It's a need, a craving. Something that I cannot go a day without doing, and when the timing is right I can plow through a book a day. 

So you can imagine my excitement when my boyfriend's mother just gave me a Kobo. No reason except that she had two and knows that I like to read. Now I am waiting (not so patiently) for my boyfriend to set it up. However even though I am excited to enter the virtual book world, I have a growing list of books which I refuse to buy electronically. I want to feel the crispness of the pages between my fingers and gaze upon glossy photos and endless words.

What are these books you ask? What could I possibly want in a tangible form rather than have neatly tucked into an e-reader? Why biographies and retro-goodness of course! 

So here is my list of books to purchase (in physical form) - who know's you may be interested!

• Fragments : by Marilyn Monroe (from Amazon.com " Fragments is an unprecedented collection of written artifacts—notes to herself, letters, even poems—in Marilyn’s own handwriting, never before published, along with rarely seen intimate photos")
• The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe : by J. Randy Taraborrelli
• Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn : by Pamela Keogh ( A fun and fabulous guide to modern-retro sophistication, celebrating two iconic American women who define timeless style.)
• Tough Without a Gun: The Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of Humphrey Bogart : by Stefan Kanfer
• The Big Sleep : by Raymond Chandler
• Guys and Dolls : Damon Runyon
• By Myself and Then Some : by Lauren Bacall (gee, can you tell why I want this one?)

For now that is it on my book list, please if you know any others I should be looking for then tell me!

Sunday is coming on Monday Today

I know, I'm a day late. Sorry. Last week was ridiculously hectic and I just couldn't manage to get sitting down. As it is my boyfriend ended up taking my measurements, writing them down then the two of us shuffled off to bed.  This coming week isn't going to be any easier either. This week is my boyfriend's mothers birthday and apparently I am making the cake (I didn't even think that I would be invited haha) so yes, making that cake, made mini cakes for yesterday for my dad's birthday...ugh. So much cake batter has been flung around my kitchen it is ridiculous.

But anyways, now I am at work, waiting for my boyfriends shift to be done so that he and I can go home and hopefully make it to the gym for a short run (wasn't able to do it this morning sadly) so...I have a bunch of posts made up that I will be doing at a later date, I neither have the copies with me or feel like boring you with another longer than hell post. So instead lets get right down to business then we can all enjoy some pretty pictures? M'Kay? Once again my measurements are done for this week. I will list the original in red, my goal in green and my present in yellow (think like stop light, yellow isn't quite as good as green, but at least it is not a red!)


So without further ado, here it is:
Bust A: (chest)44 1/2inch. n/a 41 7/8 inch
Bust B: (band)37 inch 38.17 inch. 35 inch
Waist: 34 3/4 inch. 24.05 inch. 33 1/8 inch
Hips:  42 inch. 37.97 inch.  40 inch.


Thoughts? Well, I'm pretty happy with my progress so far, I am almost thinking that I COULD shoot for Marilyn's actual measurements, but even the adjusted 24 inches seems to be pretty far away at the moment, so I guess that we will just have to see what happens!

I am actually pretty happy that I am losing quite a bit of my bust (chest) - I've always been larger there and it is much harder to not only exercise, but shop and even sleep! So I will happily say goodbye to a cup size. Just imaging myself being able to buy pretty bra's and things makes me all giddy!

This weeks goal:
- up my running time (currently at 30-35 minutes a day)
- cut back on processed food (no matter what the fat content is!)
- start sitting straighter (need to improve my posture!)

Well I promised pretty pictures so without further ado...

Monroe and Bacall <3

Of Arms, Music and Blood Oranges

Good evening! I honestly meant to do a mid week post this week - even had one typed at work. Honestly I did! You see, the thing is that I work shift work in an office, so there is little time to dabble in non-work related things, and worse yet my shifts change from mornings, evenings and weekends all in one week. So I am really sorry if this post isn't very long, but today was my 7th day in a row at work - worse yet, on the weekend we work 19hours in 2 days. I know that you people don't really want to hear about my job so I will simply say that it sucks and leave it at that!

And on with the updates!

I have realized that I haven't really been saying much regarding my work out or eating habits. This week I have been going to the gym as often as possible. When I couldn't make it my full 40-45 minutes in the morning, I did 25 in the morning and 20 at night. Works for me! I was pretty happy with how I have been doing in the gym this week - I went 6 out of 7 days (GO ME!) and even managed to get up early enough to always do at least 20 minutes before work. My boyfriend also came down a few nights in a row to keep me company and teach me some new arm workouts. I am really glad that he did this too because my arms used to be something that I was always proud of when I used to be a server. So I have 2 new workouts to replace my good ol' shoulder press. So now, my basic work out consists of 30-40 minutes of running/jogging/speedwalking(on an incline) on the treadmill, followed my 21s* (with 10lb weights) and the butterfly* with 10lb weights, then a good 5-10 minutes of stretching and yoga.

Plain, simple and effective so far!


While down at the gym I try to keep myself motivated with music, sometimes something with a strong beat, and sometimes I just need the lyrics to push my further. The last few times I have been listening to my boyfriend's music, which consists primarily of 90s rock and grunge bands,(Bush -is rating very high on my list of music to memorize!) and then some Canadian bands I never would have discovered otherwise, and would forever regret not hearing, seriously! Go onto youtube and search "Hollerado", then after you also become addicted  to their music, switch over to "The Weakerthans" - the ultimate Canadian band in my opinion!

When I had my blackberry (may it rest in peace, lesson learned phone+toilet=very sad blogger) I listened a lot of random stuff, some 80s hair bands (forever my rock band crush will be Def Leppard - why do they have to be so beautiful?) and then some new stuff that I honestly pretend to snipe at until I am alone (Katy Perry - the entire teenage dream album). Also the Suckerpunch soundtrack, the album had such a steady lyrical tone of "I will get through this" that is just pushes you to endure all of the pain that you are putting yourself through for the light at the end of the tunnel. Emily Browning sings a couple of songs on that album, and I do not understand why she has not done more music! Asleep is literally my lullaby when my boyfriend is out of town, her pixies cover of Where Is My Mind (with Yoav) was a breathtaking rendition and I love using it for my stretching! Of course my favourite is her cover of Sweet Dreams. I remember listening to the Eurythmics with my dad and my brother growing up, and hearing a fresh take on it, when I had been sitting in the theatre and the opening credits came up, that song had me immediately enthralled in their world.

Alright...enough about the music.

Couscous!

Food has been getting easier for me lately, finally went grocery shopping and bought low/no fat products I enjoyed and have been paying close attention to their portions. I even have my boyfriend eating couscous now! - Not full of vegetables like I do but at least it's something different. I try to make a point to eat one meal of raw fruits and veggies a day though, which isn't as hard as I thought. If I take the time to slice and chop everything into bite sized portions, somehow it makes me fuller, please if someone knows why that is do share! So you may be looking at the title of this post and thinking one of two things a) what the hell? or b) ooh, so she discovered those! That's right I have discovered Blood Oranges. Where have these been all of my life, it feels like a new present every time I open it! Is it going to be pink? Is it going to be red? Oh my poor life lacks excitement...

Blood Oranges!

So I guess it's about that time huh? Well I feel like I should tell you at this point, there will be no pictures. Nope, as meantioned above my blackberry has died a sad death and I need a new phone/camera for pictures. Also, I have decided that I will be taking pictures every month instead of every week. Even though I may be able to read a difference in size on a measuring tape I doubt the miniscule amounts will show in a picture. So there. No picture. You are saved!

Alright, so here it is. Drumroll please! Once again my measurements are done for this week. I will list the original in red, my goal in green and my present in yellow (think like stop light, yellow isn't quite as good as green, but at least it is not a red!)

So without further ado, here it is:
Bust A: (chest)44 1/2inch. n/a 42 1/2 inch.
Bust B: (band)37 inch 38.17 inch. 36 1/2 inch
Waist: 34 3/4 inch. 24.05 inch. 33 5/8 inch
Hips:  42 inch. 37.97 inch.  41 inch.


Alright...not bad. Apparently I am losing weight pretty randomly haha. Well, I expected my first week to be pretty good, getting rid of water weight and all. This time around I was probably eating more than I usually do, which I will now be keeping closer track of! My goal for this week is to cut as far back as possible on white starches and dairy. Apart from my yogurt in the morning of course, but I don't need to have cheese (never been a big fan anyways) I am also going to start doing some of my yoga in the sauna (home grown hot yoga!)


Alright, well. I actually do have some things to do so I shall leave you with some Marilyn inspiration!

Week 2 - results!

Good Evening!

As promised, this is my Sunday post! Hopefully I can start doing more random updates, however I feel like it I did that I would start using this blog for just ranting, and I do not want to do that. This blog is about a goal, a lifestyle and a love for all things classic and beautiful. That is what it is and that is what it will remain!

So! First thing is first. I love my boyfriend, he and I decided to spend our day off (and my day off of working out as well) with a nice drive to a flea market and an antique store. With lots of issues with his GPS (I swear, gas companies create these things, they had us going in circles for an hour). We finally got there though, with about 2 hours to look around. We bought our typical fare of comic books and browsed through the many different and interesting items they had, then I looked up on the walls to the many posters and paintings and saw a huge poster of our wonderful Miss Monroe, at first this was what caught my eye, however as I walked closer I saw a smaller poster about two spots over from it. At this time I will admit that I let out a girlish squeal of delight, there on the wall was an advertisement for 'How to Marry a Millionaire' (a movie starring Lauren Bacall, Betty Grable and of course Marilyn Monroe) I have been trying to find the movie for months now, with no luck at all, but I never thought that I would find something like this. It was a reprint, yes, from 1998. Still. How cool is that!? Of course I was trying to hmm and haw over whether or not I could buy it, especially with rent and bills due soon. I didn't have time to decide though, my boyfriend saw me looking at it and simply plucked it off of the wall and took it to the cash. So I am now a proud owner of my very own 'How to Marry a Millionaire' poster. It's not full size, simple and printed on cardstock, but I love it. I can't wait to put it up on the wall some where!

Held by my boyfriend :)

Don't worry, my boyfriend got something too, an actual advertisement for Pepsi Cola, I do not know what year it is from, but by the clothes in the picture I would say 50s-60s. It boasts about how "Modern living calls for Light refreshment" I love it, very classy. Nothing like those advertisements from the 90's with Spice Girls and Brittany Spears flashing their mid-drifts. (Don't get me wrong, I was a child in the 90's and loved all of those commercials.) Now however, I have a deep appreciation for the old advertisements, before a brand could flat out call out another brand, where your advertisements were pictures of people and places where I just go "I wish I could have been there". I am sure that is different for everyone though. I guess it is because those are from a time period in which I would have be overjoyed to live in.

So... How's everybody doing? Okay. Honestly, I have had my boyfriend take pictures for my "before" with my blackberry (still no camera but I wasn't going to delay it again) and I not only hate how it looks, I don't even want to post them. However the more that I think about it the more that I realize that I will need something to drive me to continue my good work (if I do say so myself) - and if anything is going to do it, it is going to be that I do not want to look like that anymore! So...I guess that I have to do this huh, I mean. I did say that I would, and I don't want to be deemed a liar after only three posts. So, I shall remind the people (or person or what have you) reading this, that lude or cruel comments are not wanted or tolerated here. This is something that I am trying to do properly and I do not need someone saying "you should starve yourself, fatty" - or anything like that. Remember what mommy always said children, if you don't have anything nice to say then shut your traps. Okay, maybe mommy didn't say it quite like that, but it gets the message across just as well.

Alright, now that all of that mess is done. My measurements are done for this week. I will list the original in red, my goal in green and my present in yellow (think like stop light, yellow isn't quite as good as green, but at least it is not a red!)

So without further ado, here it is:
Bust A: (chest)44 1/2inch. n/a 43 3/4
Bust B: (band)37 inch 38.17 inch. 37 3/4 inch. 
Waist: 34 3/4 inch. 24.05 inch. 34 inch.
Hips:  42 inch. 37.97 inch. 41 1/4 
 
Now, you may be wondering how the heck I managed to increase my band size, and I wondered the same thing...until my boyfriend pointed out that I took the measurement myself last week and may have taken in somewhere different, or moved before I saw it, so I will not worry about it. Especially since it looks like I lost a whole 3/4 of an inch off of everything in just ONE WEEK! Go me! At this rate, I might actually be somewhere near my goal before my birthday. That would be a great birthday present to myself. In fact, I hope that happens, I would have to find a classically cut dress for my birthday and go for a night on the town, don't you think? So even if I am bummed about the pictures, I have to admit that seeing the number go lower made me smile a big dopey smile.

So on with what else I did to make myself better this week, something else classic? Hmm. Well I have been getting the urge to bake a lot - which is okay because I never really crave eating what I bake, just making it is enough for me. So tonight I went over to my mums and made dinner for she, my sister, my boyfriend and I. I also made her a batch of chocolate chip cookies, and cleaned her microwave (I'm a good daughter...*insert head pats here*) Then I helped her shape her eyebrows which was fun, and funny since I kept having to tell her not to frown when it hurt, which would make her laugh a bit and I would have to tell her not to smile. All in all it's been a good day. Of course it's not over. It's already 1030 and I still have dishes to do and I promised my boyfriend I would bake him some cookies as well, which is alright because I think he deserves them for being amazing with me! 

I am normally pretty good about keeping my emotions in check, but this week I have been a big ball of emotions. So last night I made yet another rule for myself every week. One night a week, whichever one signifies the end of my week. I will grab a book, some music and have a nice long bubble bath. No boyfriend, no cats, just me, my music and the characters from one of my books. Right now I am re-reading (for the four-thousandth time) Nora Roberts Sisters Trilogy. I won't try to explain them because I never do them justice, but honestly pick one up. If you like powerful woman, the paranormal, romance, fate and justice (and perhaps some tasteful smut :P) you will love these books. This first is always my favourite, I think that it is because I relate to the main character so much. She is a timid blonde woman who has run away from a terrible marriage and is trying to make something out of herself that her husband cannot taint. Ironically this "something" is that she runs a cafe and bakes a mean cookie! Totally like me! Alright, maybe not completely. I can relate to elements that her character went through, but I don't think anyone has had to go to the lengths that she did to get out of them.

Alright, I just wrote a huge paragraph about my past and erased it. As cliche as it may sound, I want to forget my past and just live for today. I won't forget where I came from, but I don't need to shout it out. That's all I am going to say on that.

What else can I share...OH! I finally had some time to kill and got to fiddle with my hair and makeup a bit. This is something that I love doing, but I rarely find the time, but when I do I go all out! So I went out and bought a bunch of hair stuff with some christmas money I had left over (setting solution, perming rods and a styling brush among other things). Well this weekend was our annual "January birthdays party" (there's a lot within a week of eachother so we do one big bash) Want to see what I did? Do ya?! Well even if you do not, I am still going to show you so nyah! (That's me sticking out my tongue haha)

Not bad if I do say so myself!

I was going for the Lauren Bacall in "To Have and Have Not" - That's right. I was pulling a Slim! Well, at least the hair. The makeup is almost always Marilyn with a twist haha.

Well I am running out of things to say, I guess I should say that I am happy that I am seeing some results and can't wait to see what happens with this week. Especially since I have begun to drink a LOT of green tea (I think that I am up to 4 cups a day?) I no longer put milk or sugar in any type of tea, and I tried to have a chocolate the other night and after one bite felt sick to my stomach. Guess that will make it easier to not eat it! Also I have been able to run more consistently on the treadmill with fewer walking breaks, so maybe this week I can am it up and start running for a longer time (right now I do half an hour). In fact I am saying that now. This week, I will do 40 minutes. I will still break it up between walking and running, but who knows an extra ten minutes today, maybe one day I'll be amping it up to an hour! One can dream.

Well, as always here is the Marilyn inspiration of the day! I love this picture, it has been my background on and off for nearly 5 years. With this I shall shuffle off to the kitchen to do my chores and bake my cookies!

Good night!

Measurements, Goals and Realizations

Good evening...er....morning?

As promised I have taken my measurements and have them for you! Thanks to the help of my wonderful boyfriend, as I discovered that it is quite difficult to take your own measurements. So without further ado here are my measurements as they stand, now I know that some people out there measure differently so I will explain how I did my measurements before I give you the numbers. Also, those with crude, obnoxious or offensive comments, keep them to yourself, they are not wanted here.
 

Bust measurements I will have 2 - one will be taken from the point on my breast that comes out the furthest around to my back - therefore this number will be including my actual breasts (which will affect the number) and the second will be the measurement of where my bra basically goes. I am taking both out of curiosity however the measurements I have for Marilyn Monroe is only the one for the band - but that is fine. I'll deal with it and keep track of my bust for any shrinking.

Waist measure measurements will be taken from just above my belly button and around my back - basically from the smallest point in my waist, which is where my natural curve is.

Hip measurements will be taken from my pelvic bone around to my buttocks. (that one is fairly simple).

So without further delaying, my current measurements are as follows:

Bust: a: 44 1/2 inches. b: 37 inches
Waist: 34 3/4 inches
Hips: 42 inches

All of that being said, I never realized how large my frame was until I finally heard these numbers, and let me tell you honestly that I was not happy. However this is the starting point, and with determination and self control, these numbers can only get better. Now that all of that is out of the way, you may realize that I have not added a picture, this is for a couple of reasons, the main one being that my camera is not available at the moment, so I will have to add the picture(s) at a later point preferably this week. If not then there will definitely be some added by next week.

I just realized that I never actually stated what my end goal would be. As I mentioned in the previous post, I have a larger frame in general compared to the late Marilyn Monroe, also I am a good three inches taller than her 5 5 1/2 frame so I will need to scale these measurements to fit my frame. This being said, Marilyn Monroe's measurements, scaled to my height are as follows:

Bust: (only band size) 38.17 inches

Waist: 24.05 inches

Hips: 37.97 inches

Wow. Weird to see it like that eh? Well, I did my calculations over and over but that is what I found so that is what I am going with. However I have said it once and I will say it again, that waist measurement looks like a doozy to me so I will be using my judgment to decided at what point I am hourglass and at what point I look sickly.

So, let's see what we're up against shall we? What exactly am I hoping to lose - is this even plausible? Well I guess we will find out.

Bust: For my bust size I am presently sitting at 37 inches. My scaled Marilyn size came out as 38.17 (or just 38) inches. Well, isn't that interesting? I don't need to lose anything. In fact I am safe gaining some. I wouldn't have thought that would happen. Oh well, as my band size is basically my actual rib cage, I wouldn't really be able to lose much off of that really, so I guess that is good news.

Waist: My waist size is sitting at 34 3/4 inches at the moment. My scaled Marilyn size figures out to be 24 1/2 inches. Well...as I said, doozy. If I can actually get to this measurement I will be losing nearly 10 inches off of my waist. This is why I have said that I will be using my best judgment. As much as I would like to acquire this figure, I am not going to end up in the hospital because of it!

Hips: My hip size is sitting at 42 inches at the moment. Whereas my scaled Marilyn size is going to be 37.97 or roughly 39 inches. Again, that doesn't look so bad. I will only be required to lose roughly 4 inches off of my hips, this one I am going to have to focus majorly on toning my legs and bottock to make sure that I don't lose more than necessary. Which leads me to my next subject.


How exactly will I be reaching this goal of mine? I know that in the previous post I have put lists of my rules and regulations, but what am I doing to achieve this goal? Well I will tell you. I have stopped drinking pop, now this is not to say that I will not drink pop at all, but I want to go at least a full 2 weeks before I have another glass. I am already half way there, so this should be fine. The only reason I say that I will not my cutting it out completely because a) when I do drink I use a mix and b) you will be hard pressed to find any sort of healthy alternative at a restaurant or movie theatre that doesn't either cost three times as much, or taste like dirt (or worse). Now, alternatively, I will no longer drink pop at work or at home just because I don't want water. Instead I will be drinking more tea, and if I absolutely must have something sweet, I have made sure to stock up on juice and lemons. Problem solved. Along with the pop vs water, I have started finding healthy foods that even my boyfriend will eat, which is good, and I have made sure that vegetables always out portion everything else on my plate (not saying that I increase all of my portions though - I keep it to a normal (suggested) portion, or less if I don't think that I could eat it. I have also taken to eating raw fruit for breakfast, which gives me tons of energy and also takes me longer to chew therefore giving my body tons of time to register that I am full. I have also cut back on dairy, mainly because I am realizing that I am back at my highschool woe of too much dairy (and MSG for that matter) give me stomach pain that results in me not moving for hours and wanting to die. So there is more or less what you need to know about my eating as of now, if anything new comes up I'll be sure to let you know!

As for exercise, I have been exercising for a little while now, but I haven't really been able to build up a proper schedule because my job sucks and gives me shifts that result in little to no time to go to the gym. None of that matters though as I have figured out what will need to be done. Originally I was doing the 100 workout which is as follows (with my changes)

100 jumping jacks (with 5lb weights in each hand)

90 crunches (done on machine with 90-110 lbs of weight)

80 squats (straight down arms in front until knees create 90 degree angle)

70 leg lifts (rotating between laying on right side, left side and back)

60 jumping jacks (with 5lb weights in each hand)

50 crunches (done on machine with 90-110 lbs of weight)

40 squats (straight down arms in front until knees create 90 degree angle)

30 leg lifts (rotating between laying on right side, left side and back)

20 jumping jacks (with 5lb weights in each hand) 

10 minutes of hard biking (supposed to be running, but after all of those jumping jacks I wouldn't trust the treadmill with my life.

Honestly I would recommend this workout to anyone who wanted a consistent and hard workout that your body never quite adjusts to, however with research I discovered that doing crunches would actually be bad for developing any sort of hourglass figure. You see, one of the tell-tale signs of an hourglass figure is have a small waist, what most people don't realize is that by doing abdominal exercises you are actually hindering any sort of hourglass figure you would be developing thanks to these types of workouts strengthening your core and in the end squaring off your abdomen. So sure, if you want to look like any belly-baring female popstar of the 90's, go right ahead, but if you want to get that pin-up look, instead keep with cardio, anything from running or biking to dancing. Also be sure to tone your upper and lower body with weight training, the only thing your core should ever experience is twisting movements, anything else, forget about it.

So what is my new work out then? Well, as of a week ago I have been going to the gym and jumping right onto the treadmill for at least 20 minutes - more if I have time. Then grabbing some weights and doing all of those all to often ignored arm workouts. Just remember that sometimes it is good to forget about all of those "new fangled" machines and just use some old fashioned dumbbells. I always do sets of three and do flys, shoulder presses and curls, usually with a simple 10-20lb weight. Sounds easy right? Well as long as it makes you sweat, it will help.

I am also lucky enough to have a sauna in my building as well so again, if I have time, I reward myself with 5-10 minutes in there.

Alright, I think that you are all up to date...and I should probably get to sleep to make sure that I get up on time tomorrow, girl's gotta work ;)

Goodnight/Good Morning for now!

(oh and here's my Monroe inspiration for the day...)

 

My Goal.

Welcome to my blog! - Now here's a little insight into my forever obsession...Ever since I was a little girl I have always loved the look of the 40s, the 50s and the early 60s. With starlets like Lauren Bacall, Audrey Hepburn, Bridget Bardot, Betty Grable. All such gorgeous woman; and all so many different shapes and sizes. Lauren Bacall will always be a favourite of mine, her long legs, smokey voice and of course the ability to tame a man like Humphrey Bogart. Then of course there was “the look” not only was it alluring to those watching her, but the story behind it still makes me giggle like a school girl, to know that something that was and is so resoundingly known for loves of classic films, was actually completely out of necessity. Now, if my sources are correct (and I like to believe that they are) while on the set of To Have and Have Not, Bacall was so nervous around her future husband Humphrey Bogart, that the only was she could keep her voice from shaking was to keep her chin low to her chest and to use only her eyes to look up at him. 

 Left: "The Look" - Lauren Bacall

 Below: Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall and Betty Grable - "How to Marry a Millionaire"

Now, as much as I would love to say that my goal is to look like Lauren Bacall, this goal would be completely unrealistic. If you have never seen Lauren Bacall, then please let me fill you in. Bacall was not only known for her smokey voice and “the look”, she was also easily recognizable from her height (which although is roughly the same as mine, which makes me happy) – but she was also known for being incredibly slim. In fact, her nickname in her first film (To Have and Have Not) was in fact “Slim”. This is not a realistic goal for me as, although I am tall like Bacall, I am in no way going to ever be slim short of fatal illness or surgery. My family, as a whole, is somewhat on the heavier side of the ladder, however I have managed to avoid the (what seems to be) curse of genetics, (no offense to any family who may read this) the above were only recently introduced to me by my boyfriend; a movie fanatic and also a man who knows a thing or two about Bogart – whom happens to be his idol.

I still remember the first time I saw this curvy starlet, her hair was still as rich as spun gold, it was a painting, a nude – the first I had ever seen at my tender age (my earliest memory of this image being when I was roughly 5) Above my grandfather’s desk, in the study was a painting, larger than life of a young Marilyn Monroe. I fell in love with her, not in a lesbian “I want a piece of that” way – but in an “I wish I could have met her, seen her, been her” sort of way.         Right: The image I saw as a child.

And in this lies my task. This section will be called “My Year to Marilyn Monroe” – (yes, I am spinning off of the movie title (released recently) “My week with Marilyn”. I know I did it, so don’t say it. There are some conditions to this movement though. I am not as short as Miss Monroe, and I know that if I try to replicate her exact measurements, I will a) snap in half or b) end up in the hospital. So I am going to basically look at what she was, figure out what I am and find what would be an actual realistic scale of it. Think of it like this, when a model maker creates a 1/5th scale of a boat, he doesn’t just change the length, there is more scaling in it. So that it what I will be doing. Think of it as if Lauren Bacall had the curves of Marilyn.  In fact, it’s exactly like that!

Now, I am going to put more research into this, there is a lot of skepticism around what her actual size was; no one seems to know the facts. So what I did was record as many of the measurements I could find for the bust, waist and hips, then found the average for each of them and I will go from there. I have noticed a large trend in the numbers though. They are usually within 2 inches of each other, and the film studio always gave a larger hip and bust size, probably hoping to emphasize her curves to make men drool (an unnecessary measure to go to – men don’t read the size, they see the curve!) Now, I will be a good girl and show my work of course:


            M-1    M-2    M-3    M-4     M-5    M - 6    M-7     M- 8    M-9    M-10    Average      
Bust    35in    37in    35in    37in    36in    38in    35.5in    37in    37in    36in    36.5in      
Waist   22in    23in    22in    23in    24in    23in    23.5in    23in    24in    23in    23in      
Hips    37in    37in    35in    37in    34in    36in    35.5in    36in    35in    37in    36in      
Height   ACTUAL:    5ft 5 ½   

Now, my current measurements are unbeknownst to myself…I will be measuring myself, and after that I will be keeping a chart to track my original measurements (what I have now) and my “Marilyn Measurements” scaled to my height, and also inserting in measurements every week. I am also going to attach pictures every Sunday. I will make sure that they are the same clothes, same lighting and same pose. Hopefully, if all goes well I can make short work of this, however I know that this sort of look will require maintenance, and I am willing to go the extra mile.

Now, here is what I will NOT be doing:

~No weight loss supplements (slimfast, water pills, diet pills etc)
~No surgery (obviously I could spend every penny I will ever have, go to a surgeon and tell them “Make me look like this” – but that (in my opinion) is cheating and therefore will not be tolerated.
~No starving, purging or any other harmful (and stupid) short term “dieting” as some call it.
~No slacking in the gym or on here.(the last little while I have been VERY accident prone and therefore “unable” to ~go to the gym due to “my legs hurt” or “I’m tired” excuses- NO MORE!) I am also really bad for starting blogs with ~the wrong intentions and therefore leave them once I stop caring.
~No giving up. I know that I may not make my full goal (that waist measurement looks like a dozy to me) however I will always put 100% into my workout and my new lifestyle.
 

What I can/am to do:

~I am to attend the gym no less than 5 times a week for 45+ min
~I am to drink more water and tea to keep hydration up (something I am terrible for)
~Remember why I am doing this – which I haven’t really mentioned yet. – I have always struggled with the fact that I was “a little curvier” than most and a LOT taller than many…then I rediscovered the era of the curves (40s-early 60s) and I realized that with effort and sheer will I could do it. Now, I will not give up until I reach my goal
~I am to be realistic – the waist measurement may not happen, but as long as it’s not bigger than the other 2 numbers, I will have reached a point of a true hour glass figure
~I am to make a habit of updating this, even on the off days, with anything. I am going to set specific days to do things, Every Sunday for a measurement and then a few days in between for anything that strikes me, from articles, books, movies and of course anything retro inspired. Who knows, maybe someday I will be able to look back at this and think “I did that” – or I could think “wow, I really over-think things some times” but oh well. Here’s to a new year, a new life and hopefully a new look! As I said, this is just one section of the blog. I have lots of New Years Resolutions, may as well track them here, right?

Here is to a new life, a new goal, and new outlook on life. Here's to you Marilyn. CHEERS!