Rock the Red Pump: March 10, 2011

The Muses recently heard about The Red Pump Project which was started by a couple of (stylish) women to raise awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls.

Obviously the words "red pump" grabbed us immediately. We love a good excuse to strut in red heels but this campaign is about a lot more than just looking good on March 10. Founders Lovette "Luuvie" Ajayi and Karyn Brianne Watkins want to educate people about the effect of HIV/AIDS on women and girls. Here are a few things we learned while milling around on their Web site.

• The largest number of HIV/AIDS diagnoses recently are for women ages 15 - 39.
• HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects miniority women in the United States. According to the 2005 census, black and Latina women represent 24% of all US women combined, but 82% of the estimated total AIDS diagnoses for women in 2005.
• HIV is the leading cause of death for black women ages 25 - 34 years.
• The rate of AIDS diagnosis for black women is approximately 23 times the rates for white women and 4 times the rate for Latina women.
• In 2006, black teens represented 69% of reported AIDS cases among 13-19 year olds; Latino teens represented 19%.

Bottom line - AIDS isn't just the cause of the 1990s; it's still the cause of right now, because it's affecting millions of people right now - many of whom are women and young girls. Join us on March 10 by wearing your red heels and step out for those affected by AIDS.

Insolia in the news

Check it out - Insolia (Products That Really Work) recently got some press on Dr. Oz.

PS Can we all agree that the reason the woman walking in high heels looks so "uncomfortable" and is "barely holding herself up" is probably because she has no idea how to walk in heels? Seriously, she was wearing jeans, a thick brown belt, and a crew neck black T-shirt. Doubtful that she has spent much time in 4" heels. The Muses never walk like that in heels...then again, maybe it's because we use Insolia!

Insolia high heel inserts are not sold in many stores but you can order on the web. They are definitely worth a try.

"American" Food

The Muses recently got this email from a friend who ran away to South America to be with her Brazilian boyfriend. (aside) What the heck?! Why are all our friends gallivanting to Paris and Brazil while we sit here at our boring science jobs in frigid California and frigider Washington DC? Anyway, on to the email...

So I want to make some "american" food for some of Fabio's friends. It's hard to think of anything besides burgers, mac n cheese, corn bread.. any ideas? They said they like chili... Fabio doesn't think that is a main dish. I try to remind him that I would know. He doesn't seem to agree.

Oh...did we forget to mention her Brazilian boyfriend was named Fabio? Yep. Sweet friend, your life is glamorous.

The “american” food thing is a little tough. While living abroad we’ve found it difficult to explain what that really means...after all America is the melting pot so our cuisine follows suit. Yet, we were able to come up with a number of things that are definitely all-american.

Deviled Eggs

Clam Chowder

Philly Cheese Steak

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Shrimp n’ Grits

BBQ Ribs

Chili

yes this is definitely a main dish. Load it up with beef and serve it with a side of cornbread. That’ll fill up anyone.

Apple Pie
Make your own crust. Seriously, it is not that hard. Baking is easy as long as you follow our two simple rules 1) be patient (e.g. Put the crust in the fridge for the allotted amount of time) and 2) follow directions exactly (i.e. Don’t skip steps or ingredients!)

Pecan Pie

Strawberry Shortcake

Really simple. Really classic.

Have fun girl! And after you finish all this cooking, have a few caipirinhas for us!

Quoi porter et faire à Paris

The Muses just received an urgent request for help on what to pack for Paris.

A) we hate you for going to Paris without us. We suppose we can still be friends as long as you eat a lot of baguettes for us. Oh, oh, the bread in France cannot be beat.

The weather in France is horrid at this time of year so that needs to be a main factor in packing. Also to consider, the key in Paris is looking like you belong. We know someone that visited and may or may not have worn cowboy boots and flannel the entire time...seriously.

• A scarf
• Adorable gloves
• Tights
• Skirts and dresses...leave the jeans at home. Well, OK, bring one pair of nice jeans
• A city hat
• Flats appropriate for walking miles from métro to métro
• An umbrella
• Let’s Go France. Seriously don’t get all those other dumb books. The reviews in Let’s Go cannot be beat.
• A little coin purse because all those Euros are going to fall out of your wallet.
• A purse big enough for a camera, extra pain au chocolat, and to hide your touristy Let’s Go book.
• A cork screw. How else will you open bottles of cheap wine in your hotel room?

Let’s Go is a “student travel guide” so it is good for finding great deals and will help you find great little niche restaurants. For some more “adult” reviews...ask David Lebovitz.

As we've mentioned before, the cute WCM has spent a good bit of time in France...though most of that time was in fields of betterave not Paris.

Restaurants
L’As du Falafel
Ladurée (the one on Rue Royale, not the one on Champs-Elysées)
Aux Artistes (and be the first to review it on Yelp!)

Others
Sacre Couer. Most. Beautiful. Church. Ever. (well...Sagrada Família is pretty amazing too)
Musée d’Orsay and Centre Pomipdu (Seriously don’t waste your time at the Louvre. The Mona Lisa is ugly and contrary to popular belief, you don’t not have to see while in Paris.)
Just go hang out in the Jewish neighborhood (3ème arrondissement). You could get lost in shops for days. It’s simply delightful.

Real men wear their own jeans

C'mon, dude - don't blame your fascination with skin-tight jeans on your ex-girlfriend.

Intra-Musing: french veg. sides

You should know that all this musing began between the Muses themselves. We find ourselves wondering, “can I really get away with wearing this large belt over this shirt?”, “what is appropriate to bring to my work party?”, “how the heck do I cater a meal for 100 people?”. So emails are sent (or text with photo) to the one other person whose opinion we can always count on...the other Muse (well, and our beautiful, way-too-perfect-at-everything friend Kristen). We thought it could be fun to see some of the intra-Musing that keeps this show running.


The West Coast Muse (WCM) received this email today from her beloved East Coast Muse (ECM)

subject: I want to make this for dinner next week

poached eggs and parmesan cheese over toasted brioche with pistou

But I want something French-y to go with. Green beans with a lemon vinaigrette? I have no idea. I'm bad at French food. Advise, please.

The WCM can be trusted with such questions because, while she is technically Midwestern, she is French at heart. She lived in France for a tick and most days can be found sporting black and white stripes, listening to the Bénabar station on last.fm, and drinking heavy cream.
The other person who can be trusted with questions about easy French food is Ina Garten.

Brussel Sprouts Lardon

Green Green Spring Vegetables

Simple Roasted Asparagus (which would be good with a lemon vinaigrette)

Et tu, Brute?

Really?