Open post of the week

I’ve loved this week because it’s the first one in a month or two where I haven’t been travelling. I’ve felt more balanced, had more time with my family and more time with the office. Everyone wins.

Welcome

Our new writer, Lucinda Ormonde started yesterday and I have no doubt that at some stage soon she will stop looking terrified. There really is a lot to take in about how Mamamia works. A bit like putting a firehose into your mouth and turning it on.

We’re really looking forward to her being here and contributing even more to the site.

The fashion moment

A few weeks ago I mentioned I wasn’t sure about the coloured denim thing. May I just say that I have now most definitely decided. Coloured denim is rocking our world at the moment. Here is Lana in her new Sportsgirl “Abbie” pink jeans. I have the same pair in aqua and a different style in coral. I also own purple Sass & Bide jeans which I live in. And some bright (almost fluro) orange Sass & Bide cords.

I’m finding it a great way to bridge from winter black blahs to Spring before it gets too hot and you don’t want to be wearing jeans anymore. Have you gone there yet?

The Gadget

I first saw this at my hairdresser and I immediately jumped online to buy one for my ipad.

It’s a wireless bluetooth keyboard for your ipad that also doubles as a case and a stand. You can put your ipad in it vertically or horizontally and it’s changed the whole way I use my ipad (in that I use it much more now and for many more things – like writing as well as browsing). I’m constantly asked about it whenever I use it in public.

Even when I went into the Apple store with it one time, all the blue people gathered around me in wonderment, oooh-ing and aaaaahh-ing. This was possibly the geek highlight of my life. Telling the clever blue people something about technology that they didn’t yet know.

The cost US$99 plus shipping which is about another $30. Clever.

The show

On the show this week is Mark Dapin, Sam De Brito, Sue Cato and Paula Joye.

We’ll also be featuring interviews with Muslim feminist and academic Susan Carland and Krystal Barter from Pink Hope – check back on Friday for full interviews and lots more information.

New York Fashion Week

Here’s a bit of fluff if you like looking at pictures of fashionable people wearing fashionable things at fashion shows. High on the perve scale.

Half cups of tea

Regular readers of anything I write or regular viewers of Mamamia on Sky News will notice that I am never far from a cup of tea. I like my tea to come in very large, bucket-style cups. Or as Sam de Brito commented after watching me drink DURING an interview on this week’s show: “Why are you drinking from a vase?”

There’s been an odd development in my tea drinking and that is my inability to finish a whole cup before it gets colder than I want it to be. So now there are half-drunk cups of tea all around the office and I’m finding it so very difficult to monitor my tea intake. First world problems, yeah a lot.

The magazine cover

I’ve been travelling a lot the past few weeks and have spent many a minute browsing the magazine racks before I fly. I always have my Kindle and ipad for during the flight but those pesky take offs and landings often require a magazine. Gosh it’s disspiriting. Wall-to-wall plastic, air-brushed sameness.

We received this email from a reader this week, concerned about Girl Power magazine (which I’d never heard of) and their massively altered cover image of Katy Perry:

Tamar wrote:

Katy Perry is photoshopped to within an inch of her life it appears. This is a mag targeted at the 8 – 12 tweenies and I know I don’t have to preach to you and your team about this issue but I wanted to bring it to your attention as I’m not sure you have ever mentioned the younger girls mags. I’m a Mum to 8 year old twin girls and after I saw this we had a big long chat about what it means to be photoshopped and why magazines do it. I can almost live with it in adult magazines as we tend to view things with a filter but for the young and impressionable – not good.

Can I suggest that every parent show this video to their kids:

Arm party

Louise from Table Tonic posted about her arm party – and I thought I’d share her image and tips. Very Spring-y.

Her arm party user guide:

1. A watch is optional, but if you’re going to wear one, a larger style (or men’s) watch is the go.

2. Mixing silver and gold is acceptable. Heck, it’s recommended!

3. Soften up the “metal” with some string/friendship bracelets

4. Mix it up – and if you feel like it, co-ordinate colours with your outfit like I have

5. Be creative and have fun with it!