#2 in progress. Added five more states, but places like Wyoming are going to be tough to crack.

Sonia had four more metal tads screwed into her jawbone in an effort to pull her teeth back a little quicker than they were already moving. Yet another reason getting my teeth fixed is not on this list.

#17 in progress. Guy gets dumped at the alter and travels around the world with his brother for one year. Could’ve been a great travel memoir, but the writing really held it back.

The Final Four game lived up to the hype and went two overtimes without either team scoring a goal.  After losing another starter to an ACL injury, Brit’s teamed limped into the PK shootout and lost 2-1.

The Elite 8 game against Laguna Niguel was a physical one. Both teams scored a goal on a penalty kick and the 1-1 tie held until the 75th minute when Brit scored the game winner.  Sherman Oaks Extreme is headed to the Final Four of the California State Cup.

My nephew, Kaden, proved to his sister that he was the faster one.

Sean brought the Fam to Bakersfield to watch Brit compete in the State Cup.

Brit scored all three goals to lead her team to the elite eight with a 3-0 win.

#20 done. Traded in the Ford Edge for the Ford Edge Sport. Lots of bells and whistles, especially the on board computer that does just about everything. 3.7-liter V-6 delivers 305 horsepower and 280 ft.-lb. of torque. 22 inch rims. Paddle shift. 

#58 done. Took one of our favorite clients to Mario Batali’s Osteria Mozza. Really, really good.

#3 done. Celebrated my 38th with my Dad, Georgeanne and Sonia at Hatfield’s. The yellowtail Croquet Madame (pictured) was the perfect appetizer. 

All eyes were on Brit as she led her team to two wins on day one.  She’s in midseason form.

And we’re back. Time for the first tournament of the season, and probably the most important. The state cup begins today in cold and rainy San Bernardino.  Two games today and one tomorrow. The top two teams from each bracket will move on to play next weekend.

#11 in progress. Somewhere is a small, but interesting character piece. 

March Recap.

Other than knocking out #93 with some rattlesnake, March was nothing but one long work day. Sorry, I got nothin’.

Atlanta Recap

To sum it up, we have nowhere to go but up.  Sales wise, it was only a tad better than Dallas, but double the cost.  Nevertheless, it was well worth the investment.  Despite little traffic, buyers continue to respond very well to the line.  We should have no problem selling out 80% of our styles by the time we finish production in early to mid May.  

On a more positive note, I can cross off #80.  Thanks to one of our very first clients, we were treated like family in the ATL. Great food, a little sight seeing, and car service to boot.  

Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law, Kim.

#98 in progress.  Some of the better oysters we’ve eaten. The spicy bloody mary reduction was the kicker.  

Not quite #22, but we participated in the fashion show with this little black number.

Struck with Vertigo.  This should make flying tomorrow a blast.

The Atlanta Breakfast with Designers featured two of our clients that we helped launch. 

We visited one of our best clients with 12 stores after the show on Thursday. Not only was it stocked with about 90% of our purchases, but it is one of the first stores to carry our line, Basically Me. Cool to see it out in the wild.

A good day.

It’s been a tough go the last few months, but we finally ventured out for a top notch dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Lucques. Still, it took a business dinner to do it.  I would like to rewind to 2009. 

Dallas Recap.

The bad news is that this particular show was very slow. A number of the vendors claimed it was their worst show ever.  We were towards the back, which is never great, but funny enough we were placed next to two of our clients that we produce for.

The good news is that when customers came into our booth they usually wrote an order.  Many of the stores were in towns that we don’t have a buying client, so we’re confident we will pick a few of them up on the buying side.  We exceeded my conservative sales goal, but not by much. Most new lines would be thrilled with our numbers, but most new lines don’t have a quarter of our overhead.  Something to build on. Hopefully Atlanta will bear more fruit.

The days are blending together in Dallas, but we’re not complaining. I’ll give a recap in the next couple of days, but thought I’d post our website so the two of you that asked for it could check out our line. 

Click Here. Username: basicallyme  Password: lafashioninsider

The morning after. One day Marquette will learn to play for two halves on the big stage.  

Almost set up for Dallas.

Signage for the trade show. This one?

Or this one?

What a game.  When you live and breathe college basketball, the Sweet 16 is always a, “where were you when”…. I joined the MU family in 1991.  The Warriors hadn’t made the Sweet 16 since 1977, the year they won it all. When I was a “junior” in 1994 they beat Kentucky to advance to the Sweet 16. I rode my bike to the ‘Lanche and slapped down a buck-twenty-five for a Pabst Red White and Blue and celebrated the victory.  I later joined the student body and ran down Wisconsin Avenue to Lake Michigan. Lighting struck again in 2003 when Dwayne Wade led MU, not only to the Sweet 16, but to the Final Four. I was actually the point man in SoCal who organized the viewing parties in Los Angeles during the run. We probably had 60 to 80 alumni per game cheering the team on at a local L.A. bar. Once D. Wade carried the team past Kentucky, I secured a ticket to New Orleans (thanks Dad) and joined my buddies in the Big Easy. A massacre followed, but I’ll never forget 2003. Fast forward to 2011. The third “Sweet 16” since MU won it all in 1977. It was unexpected, but I’m loving every minute of it. 

#11 in progress. Saw Limitless. Flawed, but entertaining enough.

This is where I am. Watching Marquette at the bar. Alone. They have never trailed to this point. But I am bitter. Angry. I wish I didn’t care.

Update: MARQUETTE WINS. I am now off of the ledge. Considering they were up the entire game you would think I would have enjoyed watching, but it’s like pulling teeth. 

Happy Birthday to my big sister.

#11 in progress. One more movie before March Madness. Liked the Winter’s Bone. The teenaged main character definitely deserved her Oscar nod. 

#11 in progress. I really wanted to like this, but it just didn’t work.

My little bunter/speedster played her roll and helped Montclair win their first tournament of the season. 

I knew this was the year to go to the Big East Tournament in NYC.  Every time I go, the Warriors lose the first game.

Had a great dinner at Tomiko and Pierre’s.  Lots has changed since their wedding a couple of months back, but nothing greater than the news that there will be three of them before their one year anniversary. 

#93 done.  After a quick trip to the office on a 85 degree Saturday, we finally decided to try the exotic sausage house, Wurstküche, located in the historic downtown arts district.  Once I saw the menu, I knew it was now or never for #93.  I chose the Rattlesnake & Rabbit sausage, mainly for the irony.  Paired with a german wheat beer and Belgian fries, it was actually quite good. Tasted like chicken. 

The circle of life.

Rattlesnake eats Rabbit.

Man cooks Rattlesnake that ate Rabbit.

Man eats Rattlesnake & Rabbit.

Montclair Prep’s softball season started, but unlike their soccer team, Montclair is expected to contend for the division title. Brittany is the starting 2nd baseman/left fielder. Oh, and club soccer started on Thursday, so lots of shuttling around. Love those gas prices.

Another downtown discovery. Sonia found the wholesale distributor for kumamoto and kusshi oysters.  We usually pay $35 to $40 bucks for a dozen, but yesterday we bought five dozen for $66 clams.

Happy Birthday to my Brother-In-Law, Tom. Hopefully, you are treated to a meal you deserve.