How Cute Are These Boots!

Today I thought I'd share my opinion on some of the commercials of the day!

Okay, I think the GAP 'cheer' commercials are awful, with the exception of the following, which I LOVE:



I'm a sucker for a nine-year old girl with 'tude. Anyone who has met my cousin knows why. I also really like this Coco Chanel Mademoiselle ad. I'm usually not a fan of young Hollywood ingenue-types, but for some reason I don't really have a problem with Keira Knightley. Cutie pie, I say! Love the song, and I'm now realizing through my research here that it's Joss Stone singing. Well done!



I can't decide how I feel about this Amazon ad. I really like the song, but the first few times I saw the commercial, I was confused about what the product was. Then when I saw that it said 'Kindle', I kind of got it. The next time I saw it, I realized that the point is that you can download a book in 60 seconds, and books take you away to magical places. I think it's cool the way the colors and fabrics change into the different scenes, but something doesn't work for me. I think the magician get-up at the end is the most off-putting.



I believe that Target has been a real innovator when it comes to great advertising, and a lot of other companies are trying desperately to copy their look-and-feel. However, I really don't like these new "Chestnuts roasting..." Target ads, which are sort of a 'cynical' take on Christmas:



I love Christmas in an unadulterated, joyful way. I don't mind realism in holidays, but I thought the following Target commercial managed to address that in a much cuter way:



I think I just relate to that chick, being a young married myself. I also adore the ads that addressed the economic situation in a way that actually made me feel hopeful and upbeat-- who would think a TV ad could do that?



Okay, now to the commercial I truly detest over all others. I think it is complete pretentious hipster nonsense. Here is the extended version, I hope you hate it as much as me.



Thoughts?

Reprise of metro commuting rage

I'm sorry. I know one of my first rants on this blog had to do with my hatred of public transportation. Perhaps as part of my new year's resolution (in addition to eating better and exercising more), I will work on being the happy-go-lucky, perky, upbeat version of myself that doesn't stoop so low as to engage in such weekly bitchfests. But, until then, I give you my top ten most-hated things about wmata.

10. Middle-aged women who wrap their arms around the poles and read the paper so that you can't possibly hold on.
9. Anyone speaking on a blue tooth headset while riding a train. Not only will your signal cut in and out-- you look absolutely bat s#$t crazy talking to your self. Please stop.
8. Any man over the age of 25 who head bops to their i-pod.
7. The people who sit on the aisle seat even though the window seat is empty just so they a) don't have to share, and b) can get off as soon as humanly possible when the train stops.
6. People who don't give up their seats for senior citizens, or pregnant women. Have some decency. Cripes.
5. Corrolary to 6: People who act inconvenienced by the existence of a stroller, wheelchair, or motor scooter that wants to take their prized position leaning by the door. Get over yourself and get out of the way.
4. In contrast, anyone who brings a bike on the metro during the no-bike hours deserves all the mean looks they get. So do the stupid station managers who failed to stop them. Our tax dollars at work.
3. The days when I miss the express guy at the top of the escalators and have to stare at the floor to avoid awkward eye contact during my morning commute.
2. Venturing down to the platform after 8 pm and finding a wait time of more than 20 minutes. Honestly, my day has been long enough- why do you have to inflict MORE torture, metro.
And finally,
1. People who shove their way through to the door when the train hasn't even stopped yet. I still hate these people.

Sigh.

Another a show I love canceled. I appreciated Flight of the Concords not just for the funny songs they created, but the story lines and the comedy moments were really great.

But I will be fine as long as HBO brings back Big Love. Which it is in January. That one is truly one of my faves. If you are looking for something new to get into, please get these on DVD. When I first started watching this show, I thought my main attraction to it would be the groups of people portrayed-- polygamists, Mormons-- because I find myself empathizing with them and their sometimes outsider status. But like any other good drama, you find yourselves identifying and rooting for these characters in ways that transcend their labels. Isn't that the best kind of entertainment? Bravo. Plus, I love Margene's clothes.

Wednesday's Movie Marathon

This past Thanksgiving weekend my family and I had a movie marathon weekend. First we gorged on movie trailers, which was extremely exciting. Then we spent an hour or so at Blockbuster- the new releases isle. Three movies chosen. The second night we played more trailers off the Movies On Demand menu. One movie chosen. The third night we were in the mood for something spooky, but not gory.
Here are my thoughts, from least favorite to most enjoyable.

FRANKLYN
I have no idea what this movie is about.



It was chosen because it's description in the "On Demand" menu said it was about parallel worlds, which is usually an easy win with me. However, in this case the eerie, dark world (think "Dark City," only not nearly as good)- though beautiful- made absolutely no sense to me until I read the Wikipedia entry about the movie. And then there's Eva Green who's suicidal with an imaginary red-haired twin.







Ryan Phillippe in the evil alter-world. I think it was a drug-induced dillusion, though cannot be certain.











ANGELS AND DEMONS


It was fun, certainly exciting-- albeit heavy-handed in a number of ways (including the initial anti-Vatican messages, book-ended with pro-Christianity sentiment) in that true Hollywood style where nothing's subtle. But it was a fast-paced scavenger hunt through Rome, with lots of cinematic moments. Plus, I still like Tom Hanks. Plus, my parents have a BlueRay DVD player.




THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3
I'm so glad Denzel swore off love scenes. Sigh.


This was a good movie! As a New Yorker, I find the idea of out-of-control subway cars to be very very scary!
And John Travolta sort of looks like a the long-lost (gay) member of U2. And that's entertaining!






TRICK R' TREAT


This was our scary-movie fix. The movie covers Halloween in suburbia. It's boo-scary and cringing, terrifying fear at once, with a vintage-horror feel. There's teenagers, creepy high school principals, local folklore, zombie kids, and sexy vampires.















THE FALL (BY TARSEM)

Let me just take all the credit up front and let you know that this was MY Blockbuster pick. My family was wary of my choice, but once this movie started, everyone became pulled into this amazingly vivid story.
And it has since become one of my all-time favorite movies.

Click on the movie's name above to watch the trailer.

I am a sucker for spectacle and fantasy and stories within stories. This is all of that-- and it has a plot! And it takes place in 1940s Los Angeles. And it stars Lee Pace (of "Pushing Up Dasies") and when he's the Blue Bandit, he's wearing eye liner and normally I'm not into that kind of thing but my goodness it works here.

It's one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen, so here are some pictures.

Turn about is fair play

So, HT and I have decided that our role in purchasing presents for our nephew is to spoil him wrotten with presents that annoy his parents. Actually, that's not ENTIRELY true-- we've done well so far at just forcing his dad to fold 4 dozen cardboard bricks and make his mom blow up the giant inflatable bowling set. His first christmas we gave him books, and I'm always a sucker for tot-sized Ralph Lauren clothing. . . but this Christmas, we're pretty sure we're crossing the line towards annoying. I can't say for certain lest his mom or dad venture this way before the 25th, but I'm fairly sure that we're well on our way to being crazy Aunt and UncleTuesday. I'm sure that 5, 10, or 15 years down the road when BigBrotherTuesday is picking out presents for our currently-imaginary little ones or digging up stories from my youth which our children can hold against them, I may regret it. But for now, I find some sort of odd pleasure out of knowing how loud and obnoxious this year's gift will be. I guess sibling rivalries never really die, they just take new forms. :) Love you much, BigBrother.

Tim Tebow Drinking Game

I want to apologize to anyone who has no idea who Tim Tebow, (sub)Urban Meyer or Verne Lundquist are. I'm really excited about the big game tomorrow, and I thought this was really funny:

In honor of Tebow's sheer awesomeness, we give you the Tebow SEC Championship Drinking Game!

* Drink every time Tebow's called "a leader," then salute.
* Drink every time Tebow's called a "special athlete," then yell "Tiiiimmmmmmmmay!"
* Finish your drink if the announcers suggest Tebow should win the Heisman again this year.
* Drink every time Tebow points to the sky. Then realize the only reason the sky hasn't fallen is the strength of his pointing.
* Drink every time Tebow references God. Or himself. Tom-A-to. Tom-ah-to.
* Drink every time he's shown on the sidelines flapping his arms like a bird to pump up the crowd.
* If (when) Tebow actually takes flight, finish your drink and do a shot.
* Drink every time Tebow's on camera for no reason when the Florida defense is on the field.
* Drink every time Tebow is seen screaming with his helmet off.
* Drink every time they show a "I Heart Tebow" sign in the stands.
*Drink every time Tebow is called "a warrior."
* Shot every time they mention his experience as missionary.
* If they mention him performing circumcisions in the Philippines while he was a missionary - Chug your beer, do a shot of Patron.
* Drink every time Meyer touches Tebow. Finish the beer if he puts his arm around Tebow. 
* Drink every time they show Tebow's face black. If you can read the bible verse, take a double shot. Take a triple shot if Verne actually quotes the bible verse.
* Drink if they reference "The Promise". Take a double if they play the whole thing. Take a triple if they show the plaque at Florida Field.

(Disclaimer: Playing the Tebow drinking game may well result in death. So don't do it. Ever. Not even in jest. The content above this disclaimer is a joke, not a suggestion. If you're dumb enough to do it, just pray Tebow is nearby. Only he can save you. Him or a local hospital with a stomach pump.)

Norway Spruce Trees

So for our Reception Joe and I bought a total of 300 Norway Spruce Trees to give away as favors when people left that night. They were nicely wrapped in a cute container and it even had instructions on how to make a bird feeder with the plastic part once  you planted your tree.

(We were going for the green idea)

Well everyone loved the trees and took one or maybe two on there way out. So what was left I was really trying to give everyone around 10 to plant! I mean come on free small spruce trees to plant in your yard or in your favorite part of town! 

So since we have come home we now have a refrigerator stocked full of Norway Spruce trees and everywhere we go we keep spotting out places we can plant a tree. We have tried a few places and either they have restrictions on planting or it wont grow. Sad! 

I think we will just have to grow them in our apartment and see what kind of jungle we live in in the next year while they grow :)

Tree Lighting!

Dreamy TV Man Pick of the Week: Buy More

It's Chuck! Or in "real life," Zachary Levi."

I just want everyone to know that I tripped over this man's foot today while getting into the elevator at work today and he was very nice-- even self-deprecating-- about it.

Wednesday's Weekend: What Not to Wear, Really

This July I fractured my ankle and was forced to wear a giant, bulky air cast for weeks. I wobbled around Manhattan like a cripple, developed new-found appreciation for this city's handicapped population, and new-found appreciation for New Yorkers in general, who were so kind and often accommodating and helpful.

I was frequently stopped by fellow pedestrians to discuss my injury, and so they could share their personal stories. Many told me I'd develop back pain from my balance being thrown; they said the pain and swelling in my ankle would come back periodically for months; some said it'd be years before I would be fully without pain.

There was one side effect, however, of which no one warned me: my fractured ankle left me suddenly fashion impaired.

After the cast came off in August, I could only wear comfortable flats. And nearly all the work pants I own are tailored for heels. And wearing skirts with flats made me feel dowdy. So I began wearing jeans to work. And jeans led to comfy T-shirts. Every once in a while I'd wear jeans and T-shirts and sneakers. And one morning I woke up and realized I didn't dress like a TV gal anymore, and worse-- I couldn't remember how to dress. I couldn't remember what clothes made me feel happy, or confident. I began to wonder if I ever felt confident in my work clothes and I couldn't remember a time that I did. And even worse-- I realized that I was hiding. Even though I was really into my work (going into caves!), I inadvertently didn't put myself out there for recognition or promotion. I didn't want to encounter anyone important, so I stayed well below the radar.

One day soon after my revelation, I admitted this to my sister. She couldn't understand why I hadn't come to her sooner. My sister has really great style, has an impeccable eye for colors and textures and shapes. She is also an artist, with her own clothing and jewelery line (see Mylie). She reminded me that one needs to dress for the job she wants... She told me she wanted to come into the city and go through my closet with me to help get my life back on track. And I let her. Below is a photo essay of this experience.

Closet Before:


















Shoes before:






















Step One: Pull all the shoes out and evaluate.

















Did I really need these?














Step Two: Pull all clothes out.















Step Three: Try everything on. Sister shows you how it's done.

















Step Four: Make a list of things that go together, and a list of things you need. Here, little sis is hard at work.


















Step Five: Eat. This is a tiring process.


















Step Six: Make a bag of things to give away.






















End Results:



















The happy ending to this makeover fairytale is that I didn't have to buy anything new! Almost everything I needed was already there- I just needed to get rid of the sloppy stuff, set some rules (no blue jeans to work!).

Coaching Carousel

Yesterday it was Charlie Weiss; today it's Bobby Bowden. Dan Hawkins was lucky enough to survive, and folks like Rich Rodriguez and Mark Richt have at least another year to prove their worth (at least as far as predictions hold at the moment). As the NCAA football season comes to a close this weekend and we enter the brief down time before the bowl season begins, the coaching carousel has entered full swing. For those of you who, like me up until probably 10 years ago thought that the college football season lasted a mere 14 weeks with the exception of the new years bowl games, you are sorely mistaken. This is the start of the gossip season; with fans and press taking out their frustrations and boredom on the pages of ESPN.com's discusison pages, local newspaper websites, or, in the cases of some truly avid fans, their own blogs. The coaching carousel fills the void between awards shows; then come the 30-some odd bowl games; then recruiting news occupies the ether from the final play of the national championship game until February signing day, and finally, the long, cold winter sets in until the Spring Games arrive. In the world of 24-hour news cycles, football fans can be thankful that the internet has stretched the glorious 14 weeks of fall for at least a few more months of the year.

When I started this post, I'd planned to make fun of the people who know and follow all of this stuff. But, having written it, I have to say, I'm sad to see the season end. Perhaps I'll go check out the latest rumors to bide the time. . .

In case you haven't seen it already

I know I'm not original in any way by posting this, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the muppets. My holiday season officially kicks off with my annual post-Thanksgiving viewing of A Muppet Christmas Carol, and this video was a pleasant early present this year :).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgbNymZ7vqY

James Perry for Mayor

I am loving this ad.

He wears izods, I wear t-shirts

I implore you to check out this cover of Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" by Butch Walker and the Black Widows that I'm obsessed with. Click here and scroll down a little to the Music section on the right to play it.

Wednesday's Exciting Moments in TV Production: Last Night a DJ Saved Our Lives

My producer friend and I, who I've mentioned in previous posts, were off on another TV ADVENTURE this week-- celebrating this year's International Emmy Awards. No, we weren't invited to the awards ceremony, but to the after party. My friend's tight with this year's DJ... So we kind of sneaked in the back door...



Lately it's been feeling like the only way to get anywhere is by sneaking in the stage entrance-- pulling favors, weaseling our way into one situation or another. It's definitely more exciting that way. In this case, it was who we knew-- and it's always good to know the DJ.

Here we are in the DJ booth!




Life is certainly a journey when you're hanging out with DJ Journey! Before the event I said, "You know, we're not used to getting gussied up like this..." He said, "Well you better get used to it!"

I LIKE YOUR ATTITUDE, JOURNEY.





















Oops, here we are with a Rod Stewart look-alike!

Was this the weirdest night ever? The answer is, yes. Yes it was.






And do you recognize this guy from the Crest commercial? Very nice lad.
















The important thing is that we set out to network and though, perhaps a combined 6 limey gimlets got between us and really shelling out those business cards, together we handed out a total of 5 cards! And we have some creepy memories!

(Good thing the music was amazing).

Giving Thanks

As we head in to Thanksgiving week, I wanted to pass along the top five items I'm thankful for this year.

5. Being employed: For as much as I've allocated my words on this page to bitching about work and my lack of weekends and how difficult adjusting to the "real world" of legal practice is, I've also seen far too many facebook status messages from friends and acquaintances facing uncertainties of the economy. I've mentored law students who look at me fearfully when I ask what kind of job they'd like and they can only answer "any job." So I'm thankful for colleagues I respect and appreciate, and an office to return to each day. At least for now.

4. Having my family safe on solid ground: My BigBrotherTuesday is among the many wonderful men and women of our Armed Forces who spent the past year thousands of miles from home protecting our country, and I'm very thankful that he gets to spend this holiday season here with his family.

3. Quiet Sunday afternoons: Perhaps a corollary to number one. The hectic pace at which I careened through the summer months has made me truly appreciate the weekends when I have the ability to sit in my sweatpants until 2 pm and cleaning, doing laundry, making yummy breakfast, and talking to my parents on the phone. Some of the best days are the ones spent doing very little.

2. Old friends: HT and I have had multiple opportunities in the past year to reunite and reconnect with friends from various stages of life, whether it be childhood friends, college classmates, or former colleagues, the number of random but touching encounters we've had continue to grow. And in those moments, we found ourselves falling back into exactly the way things were 5, 10, or in some cases even 15 years ago, and I can't think of much better than having such deep bonds of friendship.

1. New Beginnings: Last year was the start of a unique phase life in which HT and I are starting to make our own holiday traditions. And for as much as I have whined this year about split holidays and dealing with the logistics of being away from home, I'm learning that my home, our home, is really and truly together. It won't be smooth, and it will keep changing over the course of at least the next 5 years or so, if not longer, but it's a great adventure to be embarking on, and I'm thankful to have such a wonderful partner on that journey.

Long Day

I’ve been up since 2:30. A.M. (I wish it was PM, that would be a nice thing to write about, eh? Although probably very uninteresting….). I am not a fan of getting up early, but don’t really mind it when I can get my early event over with and relax through the rest of the day. This is not one of those days. I got up, drove 2 and a half hours to the airport, flew for an hour, and then hopped in the car for another 3 hour drive. Then went to work. Blech. And the worst part is…..I saw someone I know at the airport.

I HATE seeing people I know from high school. For those of you who know me well, you know that I avoid, at all costs, having anything to do with this part of my life. I didn’t really enjoy high school, didn’t really get a whole lot out of it, and other than one very, very dear friend, I couldn’t care less about the 375 other people who had to struggle through the fairly miserable existence alongside me. I played a lot, I mean A LOT, of soccer in high school, which meant I wasn’t around in the evenings and on weekends to have a normal high school experience and make a lot of friends at my particular school. I was about the same height I am now, but only about 80 pounds. Dripping wet. So I wasn’t anything to look at. I got decent grades, but was really quiet, and overall, just didn’t stand out. Meh.

Anyway, I was always envious of the people who seemed to be living a charmed high school existence and knew that once I could make it through those four years there was more out there for me. So I moved away and never looked back. Now, unfortunately, my entire family, minus MommaMonday, still lives there. This means that I always run the risk of running into someone I know when I go back (reason number 394 not to go to the Wal-Mart in town). Which is pretty regularly. So far I’ve managed to stay under the radar. Until today.

As sad as this is, I’m still young enough and immature enough to take some small amount of glee in people who look drastically different than they did in high school (and I, of course, mean look worse). The girl that I ran into, Emily, was fairly popular and well-liked, although I was never sure why. She was always one of those people who seemed like she was trying too hard to fit in and be popular when there was nothing really outstanding about her. Nice enough, smart enough, but she just reeked of popular-girl desperation. So here she was in the Orlando airport this morning with her slightly overweight husband and downright adorable baby. She’s put on some baby weight (but not a whole lot, luckily! She’s only about 5 feet tall, so not a lot of room to spare). Immediately upon recognizing her, I started in on my duck-and-run tactics. Childish, I know (what part of this whole thing doesn’t just reek of immaturity, sad) but I have a very strong desire to never, ever, be seen by anyone from that part of my life again. I’d rather they all just think I evaporated. And it certainly didn’t help that we both looked like we’d been up since the wee hours (glasses instead of contacts, tennis shoes with jeans, and partially wet ponytail).

Anyway, I’m rambling. Which is what I do on little to no sleep. Suffice to say it was sad to run into someone I know (we never made eye contact or spoke), but it was even worse that I can’t be a big girl about it.

Miley Cyrus, what is your problem?

I just came across this gem about how Miley Cyrus is not into Twilight. First, she says she's going to "ruin Radiohead" because they didn't feel like meeting her at an awards show. Good luck with that, Miley. Then she says how she doesn't find Robert Pattinson appealing at all. She later apologized for that lovely, umprovoked comment. Then she says she has never listened to Jay-Z, even though she's making money off of that premise with her "Party in the USA" song. Now, she's saying how vampires and wererwolves don't do it for her. I can understand if she was trying to maybe be self-deprecating or something? But she's just rude. All of these incidents together prove it. Screw you, Miley. Or rather your real name, "Destiny". Awesome.

UPDATE: I just read that Miley's tour bus crashed and killed a person today. I feel sorry for her, but I wonder if she herself even feels bad. She acts so spoiled and entitled, I'd be surprised if she even felt sadness over it. Lets hope so.

RIP, Eastwick

It was probably inevitable, and I shouldn't be so surprised, but I am crushed that the show Eastwick has been canceled. It's not like it was great, but I thought it was watchable. And I am a sucker for any show taking place in a charming New England town. What's really annoying is that even though the story lines weren't incredible, I'm still curious about what was going to happen, and now I will never know.

Dreamy TV Woman Pick of the Week: The Good Wife

I love this private investigator! What a bad ass! She is gorgeous and smart and drinks like a dude, and always wears high leather boots.

I also love her depth-- though she's tough and confident, she is not above being surprised or frustrated, like when she's under the L train, cars whizzing by-- and she's got her telephoto lens out and she's trying to get a shot of a license plate but the subject drives away before she can...