Born and raised in Atlanta, this “Georgia Peach” has her stilettos firmly planted in the south. Despite whisking her characters off to glamorous places like New York City or Beverly Hills, she has no desire to relocate herself to a city where good ol’ fashioned sweet tea is not readily available. However, she would have her boarding pass in hand in a New York minute for a shopping trip off Rodeo Drive. Cathleen currently resides in a small suburb of Atlanta with her extremely patient husband (and former high school sweetheart) of five years with their three children and two, sometimes over-the-top, rambunctious dogs. She has been writing stories as long as she can remember, and to this day is still perfectly happy to be left alone in a room making stuff up. (Much to the dismay of her husband as he often has to do the lion’s share of the cooking.) Although her love of literature is not confined to one particular genre, it has always been the “feel-good” stories that have resonated with her the most. Calling her stories “chick-lit” does not offend her in the least. All stories, whether they’re an edge of your seat mystery, a decadent regency-era romance, or heart pounding thriller or sci-fi, have their place in our hearts. And for Cathleen, these frilly (yes, sometimes a bit frivolous) delightful easy reads are as perfect as the cherry sitting atop a banana split.
Plum Sykes was born in London, one of six kids, and has a twin sister Lucy. She graduated from Worcester College, Oxford with a degree in modern history. Sykes began her career in fashion by working as a fashion assistant at British Vogue. She then moved on to be a contributing editor on fashion for American Vogue after moving to New York. Plum Sykes love for fashion helped develop her first novel, Bergdorf Blondes, which focuses on New York socialites living their couture lives. Blondes quickly hit the bestseller lists, and paved way for Sykes second novel, Debutante Divorcee. Sykes is married to British entrepreneur Toby Rowland and they have a daughter together, Ursula.
Jessica Stratford wouldn’t change her life for anything. Living in Maryland, working from home as a budget analyst, and enjoying her time with loving husband Kyle couldn’t get any better. Then Jessica joins the popular social networking group Facebook. She quickly finds her old high school crush David Miller and begins an innocent catch-up conversation. The innocence turns into flirtation, which turns into a lunch, that turns into a dinner…and soon Jessica is on the verge of beginning an affair with the one who got away. Jessica finds herself lying to Kyle about where she is, who she is talking on the phone to, even starts fantasizing about David when she is with her husband. Her support group- an eclectic group of five girlfriends- tries to help her through her difficult time, but she even starts lying to all of them about what is really going on with her and David. She only tells Candace- probably because Candace herself has been carrying on affair with a pizza delivery boy underneath her wealthy husband’s nose. Reunion, the debut novel from J.L. Penn, is an excellent contemporary novel about the dangers of social networking and relationships that can be formed over the internet. This is an exceptional story about love, marriage, and friendship, and once I started there was no putting down. This is one of the few novels I’ve read that I was completely hooked within the first few pages. My heart broke when Jessica’s did, I was hopeful when she was hopeful, and devastated when she was devastated. I can’t say enough praises about this book, and I am looking forward to more novels from J.L. Penn.
Teeth whitening has become increasingly popular throughout the years, with more and more people purchasing over the counter products and getting costly procedures done at their dental offices. But just how safe is bleaching your teeth? At the start of my college years I joined the bleaching craze. I bought a huge box of white strips and eagerly came home and placed one on the top and bottom rows of my teeth. Within just a few days I could tell a difference with my teeth color. I was thrilled that it was working and I didn’t just waste $35. But then, something happened. If I was chewing food that was either real warm or cold, my teeth would ache. Eating ice cream or other cold treats were out of the questions. Even taking drinks from a water bottle or cup became a painful process, and I had to start drinking everything out of a straw because the pain was too bad on my teeth. I had suffered from sensitive teeth in the past, but this was an extreme pain that was making the small task of eating or drinking nearly impossible. After researching my problem on the internet, I scheduled an appointment with my dentist to see what was going on. Turns out, the white strips were slowly stripping my teeth of their enamel, causing intense sensitivity. I had to immediately stop use of the strips and after time the sensitivity disappeared and my mouth felt back to normal. That was four years ago. A few months back I bought a different type of tooth whitener; this was a gel that I placed over my teeth with a q-tip and let sit for five minutes once a day. This process took longer to turn my teeth a whiter color, but I have experienced no pain or sensitivity, just better looking teeth. So what are the differences with teeth whiteners and how can you be sure you are getting a safe product? I found an article on Yahoo! Health that helped answer some of my questions, and the answers made me less confident in my daily whitening routine. Research has shown that using an at home whitening procedure for 2 weeks at a time once or twice a year should have no long term effects, but those chances decrease if you use a whitener daily. Also safe: a one time visit to the dentist for a whitening procedure, or a dentist prescribed whitening tray worn at a night a few weeks out of the year. The dangers of tooth whitening are more than just pain and sensitivity, but can include gum irritation, bluish enamel, uneven whiteness, and can even lead to needing a root canal. This can occur if the bleach seeps into a crack in the teeth or an unfilled cavity. So what is the safest method for whitening your teeth? The American Society for Dental Aesthetics states they are only comfortable recommending a custom fit whitening tray from a dentist. The tray will help keep the bleach from spreading on the gums and other tissue in the mouth, decreasing any harmful effects. If you do want to try an at home treatment to save money, check with your dentist first. There might be a cavity that needs taken care of before you start bleaching, or other dangers lurking in your mouth that your dentist would recommend against doing a teeth whitening kit. Source: Laurel Naversen Geraghty, Prevention
The death of British fashion designer Alexander McQueen has been ruled a suicide. People.com reports that an official inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court in London on Wednesday reports that McQueen was killed by hanging himself in his wardrobe closet at his Mayfair apartment. A suicide note was found next to him.
One question that often arises in the cold winter weather is the safety of running in the frigid temperatures. I noticed that when I run outside or even just walk outside when the temperature dips below freezing that my lungs start to almost burn and it can become pretty painful. But a post on FitnessMagazine.com can bring relief to runners- there is no danger when running outdoors. The burning sensation may be irritable, but is simply because the air you are breathing in is colder than the air in your lungs. The lungs begin to work to try to make that air coming in warmer, which can cause rapid water loss, therefore making you feel that burn. While there is no danger, you can try to wear a scarf around your nose and mouth to sidestep any irritation.
Nicole Richie and Joel Madden are making it official! Richie, 28, announced her engagement to the Good Charlotte rocker on The Late Show with David Letterman on Monday. The wedding is expected to be held this summer. Richie and Madden began dating in December 2006 and have two children together- Harlow, 2, and Sparrow, 5 months.
