Wear, Watch, Want #139: The Sweaty Pop Band Edition

Wear: Sweaty Betty Seamless Workout Vest

I am still doing a bit of a workout clothes overhaul, and after a weekend of the Athleta Friends and Family Sale, a trip to the big Nordstrom, AND two trips to Lululemon, I feel pretty set. I knew what I needed and I got it. What I had no idea I needed was a Sweaty Betty Seamless Workout Vest. (At Nordstrom it’s called a tank because America, and on the SB site and presumably in the UK it’s called a vest because, well, UK.) I wore this tank to a spin class and it was the best thing I’ve ever worn to such an immensely sweaty workout. I felt comfortable, covered, and didn’t feel like I needed to keep adjusting my clothes or wished I wore something else. I kept catching my own eye in the mirror and being like, “Ooooh!” I need more of these. This tank only comes in black at Nords, and, as previously mentioned, Sweaty Betty is not widely available in the US. BUT if you go to the Sweaty Betty site they sell this fab tank in many, many colors. AND it’s free shipping, free returns, and you get 15% off your first order. At the very least I want Beetle Blue and Tulip Red.

Watch, Read, Listen: Open Book by Jessica Simpson

I did not think I was going to read Jessica Simpson’s recent bestselling memoir, Open Book. Or, I didn’t think I would be in a rush to read it. I probably would eventually - I love a celebrity memoir. But I kept seeing people talking about it on Twitter, and I wanted to be a part of The Moment, so I placed a hold at the library, I had about a month and a half to wait, but whatevs. THEN I started seeing people say you HAVE to listen to the audiobook. So I placed a hold on the audiobook, which there were less copies of and the wait was even longer. I STILL kept seeing The Discourse happen all around me and I wanted IN, so I downloaded Audible and used my free audiobook to get Open Book, and proceeded to listen to it in a few short days. The internet was right. You should get it, you should get the audiobook, AND if you (like me) listen to audiobooks at 1.25x you should avoid it for this book. She frequently gets verklempt and hearing her read about her own life experiences and getting emotional is SO compelling and it really adds something to the book. So stick to 1x speed and clean your house or something while you listen. It will still fly by. And now for the two things I have been screaming about Jessica Simpson from the rooftops for over a decade:

FIRST OF ALL, her big moment on Newlyweds was asking if Chicken of the Sea was chicken or tuna. THIS IS A VAILD QUESTION. It was only made a big deal because her husband sucked and never respected her. She’s eating this can of food solely because she knows it’s Atkins Diet approved, and the can SAYS chicken, but it tastes and smells like tuna. There are entire billion dollar industries build around making one thing taste like another thing. Vegan chicken nuggets that INSIST they taste just like chicken. Impossible Burgers that have that meaty juice that makes you think it’s a real beef burger! It’s a completely understandable and worthy question to ask if Chicken of the Sea is actually tuna, and if her husband was worthy of HER he would have answered and LEFT IT AT THAT.

Secondly, I have also been announcing since their divorce that Nick and Jessica only got married because of 9/11 and unfortunately I cannot remember how I know this (it’s some interview she gave but I don’t remember where or when or why…). But this book is my sweet redemption, and now I can truly shame all the nonbelievers, because I WAS RIGHT.

Want: Aida Band

Speaking of things that are far easier to acquire in the UK than America, I want to get some Aida Band fabric. Aida is the fabric used in cross stitch, and after taking two years away from my fave hobby I’ve picked it up again. All thanks is due to my rheumatologist who has excellent dress sense and put me on Celebrex, which has been a complete game changer for me. Now that I’ve started stitching again, I’ve started buying patterns again, and I want to make bookmarks. And cross stitched bookmarks are very easily made when you have a bit of fabric that’s already got nice edges and is the width you want. I have called needlework stores in thearea, I have emailed pattern makers. We just don’t have Aida Band in the US. But it’s on Etsy! I just need to choose a color and a size and BUY IT.