BLING it on ....

Diamonds are a girls best friend.

Ok fellas, soon it will be Christmas and are you going to be one of those sheepish men out on its eve, madly swirling around the cosmetic counters, prey to the stylish babes who are ready to squirt perfume on you, shellshock you with all the choices, then twirl some ribbon around your gift? ... then voila!  You're good to go for another year.

Allow me to be bold for the babe in your life and give you a big hint:  ladies love bling.   Now, not many, and not even a few could afford this diamond but in her eyes, any bling says to her, from you, that you GET her.  Well, you've got her and likely a diamond is nestled on her finger with the band that signifies LIFE together, forever.

Before you start groaning.  Don't be so stubborn.  You have almost 20 whole days to startle your lady with something that reflects the sparkles in her eyes when you buy her something that shines, saying:  "I love you" every time she wears her new gift.  Right?

Don't start sweating and start running away.  I'm not going to drill you on whether your last minute purchase is really about the beautiful hotness convincing you that this is the perfume that your lady would love.  Just remember, she'll love it because it is from YOU, her man, her main squeeze, the hunkster husband.  A perfume ensemble is going to set you forward $150-$200.

You probably grumble that she has wayyyyy to many purses, you couldn't possible choose one that she would adore.  Think again.   How could she possible think anything but love (especially if you know the "IN" names in bags these days):

Voeevodd Reg.$277 Sale $80.88 (71% off)

Deck her out in style with a complete ensemble that will warm her up in more ways than one.  This can be found with the right name on it:  COACH.  The latest "shearling look" will communicate to the world that lady is in touch with the latest trends.

IF you do consider

going with COACH crossover, these boots are so adorable when enhanced by the "shearling" cuff.

Before you have a heart attack when Tiffany comes up, remember, there's a staple necklace, that anyone would adore, at around $392. Cdn, it won't set you back as much as you think.

If on the day of Christmas you want her to sing: "my true love gave to me" think this amazing set of tanzanite which is the NEW diamond every gal should have in a collection:

The Seleste Collection will set you back more than a pretty penny.  The pendant is $5,500, the earrings $8,800 and the ring $4,100.  

For almost $20,000 it SHOULD be a gal's dream come true.

Now that you've had a mild stroke and the sweat is pooling off your brow, it is time to settle down and consider some lovely fashion jewellery that can cause a stir with your good taste.

I found a great location in a Farmer's Market locally that was selling genuine Blue Topaz pendants. Forget about hinting at Tiffany's first.   There are plenty of reputable jewellers like People's Jewellers in Canada who had this moderately priced at  $229.  Not really my style, but I wouldn't complain ... if there were matching earrings.  Just kidding ...... um sort of.

Their enticing words

were:

Offer her your heart and say, "I love you." A gracefully looping 10K white gold ribbon gently suspends the heart-shaped 12.0mm blue topaz featured in this charming pendant. The soft and serene blue hues sparkle beautifully with six brilliant diamond accents. Delicately suspended, the pendant rests on a rope chain 17.0 inches in length with a spring-ring clasp. Make her December birthday unforgettable with the gift of blue topaz birthstone jewellery.

There are lots of pretty and funky jewellery around 

to suit versatile tastes.  

Some fellows may have a greater

challenge to impress with 

those having ladies that don't

usually wear jewellery.  I'd

suggest a dainty gold one in

that case.

You can't go wrong with an extra long one either.  They're popular with the young or older set, adding charm to a casual ensemble or a business blouse.

Not everyone inherits their grandmother's pearls, so you could start your own heritage.

Well, that should kick start things for you.  There is plenty of time still to buy online and most places will ship for free.  If not, there are enough choices out there that you can bypass the ones that don't.  Don't underestimate sites like Amazon.com to have everything that you can dream up all in the same place.  Think of a bestselling book -- or even an adult coloring book.    You could always ask if they provide gift wrapping and you'd have it made .... long before Christmas Eve with all the other schmucks who haven't realized that online shopping is a time saver with a lot of ideas, even if they're not diamonds, at your fingertips.  Just DON'T fall for buying her a gadget -- that is what YOU like.

Happy AMERICAN Thanksgiving

I wanted to take a few minutes to pay tribute to my American cousins for a blessed, happy, peaceful thanksgiving celebrated with good friends, family, and good cheer.

Social media IS all about YOU!

A question was posed on Jeannette  Facebook (yes people interact and ask questions of their most trusted advisors privately without all the hoopla on Twitter) on which network have respondents'  found to be the best to launch their social media presence?   Initially, I was going to reply with Twitter but then realized that my LINKED IN profile says the most about who I am with links to my Blog,  philosophy OptioneerJM  interests (Pinterest), philosophy (Blog) and (Blog) out of  all the networks.  However, I stopped myself to expand to state that I would credit Twitter  for launching my#socialmedia personality to the stratosphere (compared to the others) ... honorable mention: without "working it) G+ #Google where I gained 5000#Followers compared to working it on #Twitter .  

I have also uncovered an interesting tidbit.  InstraGRAM has it's own stars, as Guy Kowasaki launched giHUGE on Google Plus.   Goolge is appearing to be a sleeper platform.  Surprisingly so since about three years ago I predicted that anything connected with Google was going to rapidly expand, really, I attest to its overall power over anything on the internet.

Bill Gates must really be shuddering and Steve Jobs, rolling in the clouds (the white ones), with Mr.  Pakard, and Mr. Hewitt smiling fondly on a company that used their core values as a foundling to a superstar of anything technology -- internet, networks, cloud, search, blogs, SEO, content, mobility, games, Playstore.  Non would disagree that Google allowed its team to study its competitors in the space they wanted to dominate:  YOUR ATTENTION.

Thus the title of this blog:  social media IS all about YOU!

Father, brother, uncle, grandfather, coach, teacher, banker, employer, boss, clergy, mentor

Where else can you be you?  

Seriously, you have to behave at church, pay attention in school, exert in extra-curricular activities, mind your manners with parents, siblings, relatives, friends sometimes, employer, boss, clergyman, partner, spouse, mentor, grandparents, and the clerk at the grocery store!  Ah-hem (deep breath).... I'm exhausted and I didn't finish ... study, pay attention to your education or else your boss or your banker won't pay much attention to you while your friends, coach, family, mentor find other things to do because you lost their attention!

Finished stretching ... then there is your coach riding you on your sport, job, career, book, audio, video endurance.  Can you stay relevant to your close circle of friends for the long run between relationships, getting married, having kids, setting up house, shopping, financial future, expertise, interests, or other activities?  


Who can you show your photos to?

Be truthful and brutally honest, nobody wants to sit through your narrative on your vacation, travels, business trip, conference, school, wedding, birth, kids activity, sport, scores, sayings do they?  How about you try sharing some photos with your blathering, shouting out, retweeting, shares, posts, profile, bio?  Why would they settle in while you pass them photos of your graduation, party, BBQ, reunion, gathering, holiday, trips, flowers,  food, fantasies when they tend to be serious about fitness, facts, favorites, family, focus.


Do people tune out when you philosophize?

Where did you get your certification, degree or Ph.D in recommending anything as important?  Do you get to write and be featured in a magazine, newspaper, radio broadcast, television commercial, event, musical talents?  Well, most of the people I know any way.  Don't feel bad.  You are part of the norm.  Which makes me wonder where do all the exceptional, inspirational, motivational, celebrity, famous, super stars hang out all together?  You thinking like me, not very many chill together.



Where can you test your theories?

So you know a thing or two is saved for self-proclaimed experts.  Most of us know about a lot of different things which circle around interests:  reading, writing, the environment, oceanography, meteorology, photography, and the king of it all:  technology.  Don't forget about art, beauty, fashion, fitness, food.  Think about it:  you wake up in the morning, and what you do makes you a participant of any number of those items.   You maybe even stretching your brain to understand about all of them.  Under technology you are using a computer, a laptop, a tablet, a cell phone, a telephone, a mobile phone, a smart phone with your fingertips so that must mean you are technology whiz too!

Fighting the pack is photography.  Some are photographers, others videographers.  But before we bow and face defeat ... we stand up to say we know just about anything about photography because we all have identification, passports, passes, reports, files, government with hands on experience ourselves so we can be a photographer of fame then.

We cook, eat, shop for groceries, nourish, exercise, shop, dress, apply makeup, learn all in the same day which makes us knowledgeable about just about everything.


Where can you learn?

Certainly, I get it.  We all went to kindergarten, elementary, junior high, middle school, high school, college, university, conference, the internet, books, libraries to assemble our knowledge.  Never all at the same time.


How do you share your love?

Personally, I like flowers, chocolates, getting it on, hugs and kisses.  Do you know that about me?  What makes you so special that you know that you have a spot in my heart? If you're lucky you will get a smile, a note, a card, a joke, an email, a bouquet of flowers, basket of fruit, my time, my attention, my loyalty, my effort, my response, and share likely except the chocolate perhaps.

#BlueAngels, #Airplanes, #SeaFair, #Planes #Seattle

Where DO you go?

Social media is elementary my dear people.  You can do all those things, be all those people, be true to who you are, reject what is offensive, ignore what is irrelevant, find out what is going on, who has it going on, where you can go:  travel, holiday, parks, oceans, seas, islands, countries, cities, experience, challenge, react to, rise up to, reach out to, reep rewards from?  Social media my dear friends.  

#Minions #minion #banana #character #joke #quote

Who do you CONNECT with?

Besides the obvious that fall into your physical circle of influence, you can expand your influence, your circle, your friendships, your crushes, your adventures, mind, knowledge, specialty.  You use social media to do that.  Who ever said "the world was our oyster" was brilliant and a futurist who sensed that the world would end up be by what we do with those skills, experience, wisdom so that others may benefit, like, discover, recover, inspire, motivate, learn.  You sound a poem?  Very likely you have wrote one or read one, where can you do both?  Social media:  you can talk, read, act, smile, frown, inform, share, post, put forward.


Unconvinced still?

That's okay.  There are still quite a number of you out there.  You get your news from the radio, television, computer, school, company information.  But what if you could assemble that all at the same time and share it with others who may connect, share similar interests, goals, achievements, dreams on the same level as you? 


 Social media is where it's at.

Time to get with it if you want to be cool, connected, informed, known.

Fashion for the Calgary Stampede

A name whose roots are embedded deep in the romance and traditions of the Old West: Calgary, once a rootin' tootin' Wild West town sprawled over the crossing of rangeland trails; today a bustling city in the heart of the Canadian Rockies."                                                       ~ Author Unknown  

 

 

The Calgary stampede is a fun destination for cowboy and cowgirl wannabe and enthusiasts.  You will see authentic cowboys and native Indians for sure.  Your experience will be even more fantastic if you get into the country and western spirit by dressing to blend in.

Here are some hot tips and trends you can consider: take a dress that you adore and imagine it with a hat, boots, jacket and accessories to start with. 


Polymore is a great website that you can assemble your looks and test them out.  In this case, I was imagining how to complete the cute dress to complete my look:

Here are some great looks to put together:  Remember hat + boots +ensemble + accessories

 

 

 



 
 

 
 
 



 

 

 

 



 
 
 



 

 

 

For the kids:



















Mix and match:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Images  

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ETC: 

William and Kate, 2013
 

Kate and William, 2013

William Shatner, Parade Marshal, 2014

Ontario and Alberta cowpoke fun

 

 

Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau,

 

 

Calgary Mayor/Alberta Premier, King Ralph (Klein)

  

 

Alberta's Premier Notley and Canada's Prime Minister Harper

 

Ian Tyson

 

 



Saddle Bronc, #RODEO

Steer Riding, #RODEO

 

Hang over optional

 

Chuckwagon Races, #CalgaryStampede

 



Steer wrestling

 

Vintage:

 

 

MISS ..... or if you insist:







 

 





 

 

 







Sandals:  a big no no