Random Photo(s) of the Week

Back by popular demand, it's the Random Photo of the Week. But first, let me go back to my amateur seamstress skills. As promised, here is photographic evidence of my freakishly-impossible-to-buy-pants-for body. I became so frustrated when buying pants that I was about to quit life (well, that's a little dramatic, but I'm trying to make a point). I seriously felt that no one understood that some girls (I knew I couldn't be the only one) have small waists and larger booties and thighs. It seemed that designers only made pants for girls with super-skinny legs and average to chubby bellies. For a second I even considered starting my own line of "Pear-Bottom" jeans- but I'm not that ambitious.


So after watching millions of episodes of What Not to Wear, and hearing that sometimes you have to have your clothes tailored, I decided to take a stab at it myself (pay $10 or more to have someone put a few stitches in a $25 pair of jeans?- I think not!) These are a pair of capris that fit quite well, even in the waist- compared to most pants. But alas, they were still a little too roomy. So, this is the result of taking in an inch or two.


Here's another view from the other direction. It only takes about 10 minutes, and all you need is some heavy-duty thread and a good needle (and maybe a thimble if you want to avoid poking yourself).




And for contrast, here is a pair of pants that have not been altered (not yet anyway- they're next on the list). There's room for a party back there! The sad thing is, the pants fit great in the bum and thigh area. It's really tricky when you waist is a size 4, your hips/butt is a size 6 or 8, and your thighs are a size 10. I'm not joking, either. Oh, and I don't really tuck my shirts in like that, I just didn't want all of you to inadvertently see my underwear (or any skin- gasp!).

So, that's my rant on pants. I'm sure it will resurface some day, but I'm done for now.

Moving on, back to Random Photos- yes, I have chosen 2 photos for this week, that are sort of related. Back in 2001, I took a trip to Chicago that was paid for by work. It was right after 9/11, and we almost didn't get to go. Luckily it worked out, because it was fantastic. Our group was there for 5 days (including flying there and back) and between touring hotels, we crammed in a bunch of tourist stuff. One of the nights, we walked from our hotel to the Navy Pier. We wandered around for a while, then took a bunch of crazy pictures. This is my "classic pose". I call it that, because I've posed that same way in a couple of other places. My unofficial goal is to see how many random places I can get a picture of me in this pose. So here I am, standing on a picnic table, in some weird arabesque (I've mentioned that I was a dancer in jr. high and high school, and I used to be quite flexible).

At that time (Sept '01), I had lost weight (between January and June I lost about 30 lbs). I was around 128 when I left on the trip, and about 124 when I got back- mostly from all the walking and active stuff we did. Seriously, it was non-stop the whole time we were there- I barely slept. Plus, I did 100 crunches every night in my hotel room. Back then, I think I actually had definition in my abs. Now, my stomach is flat, but is not toned.

Here is picture #2. This was our last night of the trip, and one of the guys had a great idea to find out if there were any baseball games while we were in town. Luckily, the Cubs were at home, so a few of us took the train out to Wrigley Field (the rest of the group went to the Cheesecake Factory- ooohh, it was a tough choice). We had great seats on the 3rd base side. If I remember correctly, they played the Houston Astros. I was just excited when I got to see Sammy Sosa hit a home run. Plus, it was one of the few places in the whole city where they actually sold Pepsi products instead of Coke, so I was pretty stoked. Here I am posing with my souvenir sweatshirt. And yes, that is my stomach peeking through. Back in my younger days, I wasn't afraid to show a little skin. Now I'm a bit more conservative. = )
So that is today's journey into my crazy world. Hope you enjoyed it. And if you want me to alter any pants, I won't even charge you. Just send them my way, and I'll hook you up!