I actually really enjoyed the Emmy awards last night, and ended up watching most of them. By far, my favorite part was the opening (anyone who knows me knows my newfound love of Glee). Just hilarious. Tina Fey can do no wrong. Except when she’s getting dressed, to be honest. Actually she looked pretty good this year, though I wasn’t stunned or anything.

There are a lot of commentaries/blog posts today on the overall awards show, which I’ve been reading throughout the day, and you can certainly Google if you have the inclination, but I thought that I would bring up a different point. Namely, that in watching the show, I realized how much better TV has gotten than movies.  Seriously, I can’t remember the last good movie I watched. Oh wait, Inception was rather good. But Inception cost like hundreds of millions of dollars to make. Can you believe that? When I think about the way that I weigh money (is a manicure/pedicure worth eating pb&J for the next three days, how much is a massage really worth, how many hours of work do I need to put in to afford that overpriced yet gorgeous, last forever Burberry jacket etc.) it’s hard to for me to understand someone saying “Buying a small country vs. making a pretty cool movie. Yes, the movie’s worth it, let’s spend more money than most people will ever see in a lifetime.” It just really doesn’t make sense to me. But, I digress. It’s not like TV is cheap either.

I’m just way more excited about TV lately. There are shows that I LOVE. Dexter, Mad Men, Glee, the Good Wife, Glee, 30 Rock, Lost (well, the first season anyway, far as I’m concerned), reality shows like Project Runway, the Bachelor/Bachelorette (I jest!). These are all quality programs.

Then I think about my Netflix queue and how the last movie I Netflixed was Baby Boom. Yes, that movie from the 80s with Diane Keaton. If you haven’t seen it, please please rent it immediately. Older movies pretty much top anything that I want to see now. What’s a better romantic comedy than When Harry Met Sally? Anyone? No, nothing with JLo in it, unfortunate though that is.  I swear, all of the talent has migrated to television. I think one reason for this is that in TV you are allowed to take a chance. Shows on HBO, Showtime lately, and even Mad Men. People didn’t want to make that show! (HBO ah heeeem). But AMC took a chance. But in terms of movies, somehow, the only thing that keeps getting made, over and over again, are bad SNL skits which only elicited a snicker anyway. Seriously, I love you Paul Rudd, but I don’t think you can carry off an entire movie.

And maybe it doesn’t have to be either/or. It would be great if we could have it both ways. Judging by some of the awards given at the Emmys, and the truly talented people that I really admire who work in Hollywood (and NY, hollla Broadway!). So why oh why in God’s name are there SO MANY videos in blockbuster that are actually UNwatchable. Seriously, just walk through Blockbuster (or Netflix.com) and you will see what I’m talking about. Best movie I’ve watched recently:

Great example of this problem? Ryan Murphy had a large hand creating both Glee and the movie Eat Pray Love. Not saying that was the worst movie I’ve ever seen, but I mean, come on, it was no Glee. Every SINGLE episode of Glee pretty much blows you away, and Eat Pray Love, on my top 5 list of favorite books, hardly made an impression.

Anyhoo – to leave this post of a happier note –  my fave part of awards shows: the dresses. I will leave you with my TOP/STOP picks of the night, copy and pasted from some emails I sent today outlining them:

TOP:

• Lea Michelle – dark navy done the best of the night (and there was a LOT of navy)
• Julianna Marguilies – so poised, elegant and age appropriate (plus she is amazing in general)
• Peggy from Mad Men – loved the champagne colored dress, the hair
• Claire Danes – lovely in sparkles. Gold done perfectly
• Nina Dobrev from Vamp Diaries – if I could look like one person, I think it would be her. She is too pretty for words.
• Kelly Osbourne – loved the hair for once, she is actually almost too thin now, but the dress looked fantastic
• Sookie from True Blood – it was nice to see something different that worked. Also loved hair/make up & she just looked so happy
• Puck from Glee – because he just looked so, so hot. And there’s nothing wrong w. that

STOP (as in please, please STOP yourself from wearing that):

• Both of the Sarandons – showing off your breasts should not be the only point of a dress. It should stay up and actually fit as well
• Ditto Joan from Mad Men – we get it, you like your chest, but you have other great features too. And lavendar, eyyy
• January Jones – very very unfortunate dress, esp. on the person who can pull off anything..there are no words for the chest area and length. The color was fantastic though and liked her hair.

On the fence: Keri Russel (loved loved loved the color but the length, fit..looked cheap, but then again, she can pull off a lot), Lauren Grahm (I’m not ready to out and out pan that dress. It’s different, black and white, kind of cool. It came across better on TV)…and I didn’t like any of the red of the red carpet, except Kyra Sedgwick because she just looked gorgeous and the dress was different.

From Jezebal - Peggy - Gorgeous

Nina and Claire - Gorgeous. From Mtv.com

From Eonline. Getty Images. There are no words

I finally figured out the reason I’ve been reading a lot less lately. Firstly, and positively, I don’t have to take two forms of transportation to get to work anymore. Now that the subway ride has been cut out (during which time I would try to land a seat and not look at ANYONE or anyTHING except my reading material, because trust me making eye contact on the subway just invites strange encounters), I’ve been more on the magazine track rather than book, since the PATH is a pretty short ride from good ole NJ.

The second and third reasons are that I’m no longer near Barnes and Noble, where I prefer to make my impulse purchases. Granted, I have 10-15 perfectly readable and good books right there on my bookshelf…but those aren’t new, exactly what I want to read at that moment, fresh out of the forest green bag, books. No, those are old books I’ve already purchased and they really just aren’t exciting anymore.

The reason for this separation? Barnes and Noble somehow actually went out of business in Hoboken. I don’t know the reasons for this, but it doesn’t make much sense. I can’t imagine sales were down in that store – not by the long lines I had to wait on most of the time, and the lack of any available space to sit down in the Starbucks cafe. So it’s sad, because previously spent many a weekend day browsing the stack and spending unnecessary money on piles of books and lattes.

The other reason is that I moved jobs. Now I’m downtown, which is closer to the PATH, but the only bookstore in sight is Borders, which is all the way on the other side of town, and you have to walk through the hordes of commuters near Penn Station to get to it. That just isn’t going to happen very often.

So, I’m not sure what I’m going to do. Ordering books online just seems so informal/not of the moment. I’m really more a fan of impulse book purchser. Sigh. This is another post to be filed under the “Life is Super Hard for Me Category.”

I wanted to like Stacks, the new overpriced diner/restaurant in Hoboken, right on Washington Street.

But alas, I don’t.  When your own homemade Busquick-based pancakes taste about 100% better than the lumpy, sad recipe at a place called “Stacks” then you know this restaurant is in trouble.

I went with the sister on a fine, pouring down rainy Monday morning.  I was quite starving, as it was 1.oopm and my sister had just arisen from a death sleep (the kind of sleep where someone banging around for hours that morning does not wake them) about a hour earlier.

I ordered the belgium waffles with bananas and ice cream (I always figure that ice cream in the afternoon is quite all right, maybe breakfast is pushing it).  It honestly wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t great.  Something about the batter was not thick and creamy and tasty, like buttery.  It was just more..there. 

The pancakes my sister got were worse.  They were huge, it was impossible to have eaten all of them, but you wouldn’t want to anyway.  It was kind of like the difference between the awful cupcakes at Carlos and Crumbs..they both look similar (though Crumbs clearly looks a helluva lot better) but one tastes an awful, bland mess and the other is brilliant.  I wasn’t tasting any brilliance here.

In it’s defense, the service was very good and like I said, the waffles weren’t awful.  But seriously, a place called Stacks needs to get it’s main recipe in order.  They will do a lot better if they just do this simple recipe:

Bisquick + milk + butter + some eggs = Ta Da !! Yumminess.

I really have no clue what they put in there’s…maybe lard? Lard is gross and tasteless and cheap, so lord knows. 

Judging by the long lines outside of the place on the weekends, I’m guessing that people either haven’t tasted what they think is so great, are too hungover to care, or not returning  customers.  But if they want to keep the place going, I need to suggest they change their main recipe around quite a bit and make it a lot tastier.

My lord it’s been a long time since I’ve posted.  I did hear recently that only super cool, nice, kind and awesome people read blogs, so I thought that I should continue my blog, which is all those things (no judgement, no judgement).  Others who aren’t these things are welcome to keep out, however.

Anyhoo, that being said, I spent an amazing and relaxing weekend getting caught up on my reading. Specifically Andre Agassi’s book, which I could just not put down.  Seriously could not, meaning that yes, Saturday night, a planless me read from about 9:00 to 4:30am.  Just couldn’t stop myself.

A few minor things I liked about it were that the quotes were never put into quotes. I just think that’s a nice thing and helped the prose flow. The writing was amazing, JR Moehringer is amazing and I need to now read the Tender Bar.

My favorite line that I keep coming back to is from Andre’s brother, JP.  Before Andre is about to go on a first date with Steffi Graf, who he has a huge crush on, he tells Agassi:

“Andre, some people are thermometers, some are thermostats.  You’re a thermostat.  You don’t register the temperature in a room, you change it.  So be confident, be yourself, take charge.  Show her your essential self.”

Just so cool.  So, are you a thermomester or a thermostat?  I have a pretty good idea what I am…

Last week was a really great week. I saw both Bye Bye Birdie and Hamlet on Broadway (well, Bye Bye Birdie the last night it was in previews before heading to Broadway).

Anyway, I think it’s the most famous people I’ve seen ever before in my life, actually. Bye Bye Birdie starred John Stamos (of Full House and being married to Rebecca Romijin fame) and Gina Gershon (of Showgirls, PS I Love You fame) and then the real star – Jude Law!!

But Bye Bye Birdie first.  So the set fell apart like 3 scenes in, and they put down the curtain, and turned on the lights – and John Stamos came out on stage like “We’re having some technical difficulties so they sent me out…” It was so hilarious! And better, who’s in the audience but Bob Saget?? Love it! And he went up on stage and they did some awkward kind of stand up together, but it was just priceless.

The play went on, and it was really good.  Everyone is just so super talented in these things.

And speaking of talented…oh Jude.  And speaking of hot…Jude.  Ok, I get that he got some 24 year old model/waitress pregnant…and I get that it’s ridiculous/kind of creepy that he has a history of doing these types of things.  But just seeing him up close like that, and seeing how great of an actor he is, and he’s just so charismatic, attractive, talented.  Ok, I’m done gushing. Needless to say, if he asked me to be the mother of his children, it would be pretty tough to say no.

Anyway, so we had seriously good tickets for this one, and I just think Hamlet is such a great play.  So many great lines come from it:

“To thine own self be true…”

“To be, or not to be, that is the question…”

“Neither a borrower nor a lender be, for loan oft loses both itself and friend”

“Frailty – thy name is woman” (I don’t personally agree with that one, but when Jude says it, I’m like…”well ok…”

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”

“Though this be madness, yet there is method in it” (precursor to “there is method in the madness”)

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so”

“O, woe is me!”

“The lady dost protest too much”

“I must be cruel, to be kind”

Anyway, if you recognize even a few of these, you know how famous the play is.  The only thing that I thought was lacking in this production was Ophelia.  I just thought she was kind of a ninny.  She was just too innocently wide eyed, and easily led…I don’t know, I just didn’t see Hamlet going for her at all.  Maybe it was because she just didn’t seem as dynamic as the rest of the cast.

After the play, we managed to snag an autograph on our playbills (you can just barely make out a “J”) and I got some choice pictures, which I’ll post.  If there hadn’t been so many people there, I would have felt like kind of a tool w. my camera trying to get pics of him, but as it was, I don’t think he really noticed.  I think my friend summed it up best, after he’d driven off in his SUV (after being quite nice by signing everyone’s playbills) and we’re just looking at each other like Wow and she says:

“He really is quite lovely, isn’t he?”

Before leaving this subject, may I just say that I was the first one to love Jude Law (much like a certain Twilight actor who I liked when he was in Harry Potter and no one gave two snaps about him, but I did before anyone else, but I digress).  I saw Jude in Gattaca and even though he was in a wheelchair, I STILL thought he was super hot, even cuter than Ethan Hawke (I know it’s not very PC to say that, but a wheelchair can be tough for SOME people to see beyond. Not me, clearly.)  It still is one of my fave movies (starring Uma Thurman as well).  Anyhoo, over the years, I watched him get famous, and then super duper famous…so it was just kind of surreal and amazing to see him up close like that, in the flesh.  The very sexy flesh.

I swear, the best $$ I ever spend is on Broadway.

I know I have been bad about updating on this thing.  It’s not like I haven’t had the time, although work has been rather busy, but just haven’t been too inspired.  First, I’ll start with relevant updates:

• I have a kitty! He couldn’t be cuter.  After much debate, I’ve decided to name him Darcy.  Let’s face it people, I am very much on the fence about children in general, and if the guys I’ve dated are any indication of what the guys will be like who I will date in the future, then I’m probably going to opt out of the whole ‘having kids’ thing.  Darcy is one of my fave names, not only because of Pride and Prejudice, but also just in general, for a guy or a girl.  Also, I like ambiguous names, like Ashley for a boy (Gone w. the Wind) or Alex for a girl. Anyhoo, Darcy is a cutie, though she does like to bite at my feet and annoy me mightily while doing so, he’s a little keeper

• Secondly, my boss left the company.  The boss who hired me, who I really really enjoy. I’ve never had a better boss. So, it sucks.  So much of my job is about the people you work with. And I’m scared who they might get in here next.  I’ve had some very bad boss experience, and do not want to repeat them.
• The apartment transition is going well.  It’s like, a normal apartment now.  Countertops, couch, books shelves (and yes, I put the doors on aLLL by myself within like 3 hours one Friday night. Hmm that’s a bit sad sounding).  It’s looking good. There’s a few things still to do, getting a large mirror up, getting some shelving in the kitchen. 
• Also in apartment news, I’m not waking up with my heart pounding each night, convinced that a murdered has climbed up the three flights of stairs, taken out my air conditioners and slipped through the window. All to kill little me. I mean, I still want to get some pepper spray to keep next to my bed, but I’m less paranoid. Little Darcy has helped with that, because lord knows he will at least get stuck under said intruder’s feet, and probably painfully bite him, so yes, my little kitty will protect me.
• As for my love life, I know that I’ve said this in the past, but I really and truly just give up.  Maybe it’s because I’ve been dealing with what I now believe is a mentally retarded person for the last few months (with no pay off, just dum dee dum, this is clearly not going anywhere) but now I truly believe he may have slowness issues.  There are boring details of it, and I’m sure I could give some examples of all the back and forth and “what?” moments that have stumped myself and others, but I’ll spare you the time, and myself the additional ink which said person does not deserve. Needless to say, and yes, I wrote this in one of those emails to him, I have really hit my limit and am done.  It took me an embarrassingly long time to do so, but it’s happened. Sigh. So now I really and truly just give up.

Otherwise, I’m glad the summer is over.  This whole thing was a wash as far as I’m concerned. The weather was atrocious, it was mainly stressful w. apartment issues, I didn’t really go anywhere or take much time off and oh yeah, I went to the ER for the first time in my life and was at physical therapy for the remainder.  The autumn weather feels quite renewing and refreshing.

 

Quick update on the hair – I’ve been swimming the pool, sweating profusely in this extreme heat, washing it a ton…and it is literally straight.  Like, almost too straight.  And shiny. and nice.  It’s just, so weird. Not that I hated my curly hair…but to have my hair dry straight, quickly, having to do nothing to it? It’s like too much.

Anyway, I’m home for the weekend.  Every time I’ve been away for a while, I forget how nice it is here. Gorgeous, lush, plants, flowers, wind, open sky…just so different from NYC.  The pool is heaven in this cloying humdity.

My sister and mom are too funny. They are obsessed, and I don’t use that word lightly, obsessed with Adam Lambert. Yep, that guy from American Idol who annouced he was gay via the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. And get this – they even saw the American Idol concert.  That’s right, among the screaming 12 year olds, were my mom and sister. 

If you knew my mom and sister (and some of you do) you would be as surprised as me to hear about their antics at the concert.  My mom is the most private, quiet, nice but shy person you’ll ever meet.  My sister is similar…quiet, laid back.  Not the type of person who goes CRAZY over some singer dude. 

But apparently, at this concert, before Adam comes out, my shy ole mom and sister are screeeaming, clutching each other and yelling for Adam.  I’m imagining them jumping up and down, screaming their heads off, singing along to his songs.

I just love it.  I was always the person who was obsessed with certain celebrities (ah-hem John Mayer, Brad Pitt, David Duchovny…the list goes on) but this is truly something else.  And just, so hilarious.  When Adam goes on tour, I need to go with them just to see how they act during it.  That will be entertainment enough for me.

Seriously though, I may not have good luck with guys, or have a boyfriend, or a guy who picks up the phone to call me…the list goes on of my fab luck w. the men folk…but I do have a great family.  They are easy to be with, really smart, able to have a good conversation…it really is a pleasure.  Plus, it’s cool that they know me.  Like, my friends know me, but not like my family does. and it’s refreshing. and they like me.  I guess after all the guy drama (I mean, not a lot of it, but you know, all the random people that come in and out of my life) it is nice that they are there, and seemingly unchanging. 

And some guys like you, but not enough. Or they like you for no real reason, and you kind of wonder why. I know that your family has to love you..but there’s something kind of good about that, you know? Not that I don’t want to be loved, someday, hopefully! by someone who doesn’t have to.  But in the meantime, this works.

In other news…this summer is extremely hot.  First it rained a lot and now, it’s just hot.  Now, I’m a hot weather lover, but it’s getting excessive.  Out here in the burbs, it’s much more bearable because of driving in an ACed car, and jumping in the pool…but I mean, the city/Hoboken are kind of unbearable.  It’s like all the buildings are trapping the hot air in a most uncomfortable manner.  Sigh. I will get through it, but just needed to complain a little.

Tomorrow, hoping to do a little exercise in the morning, and then jump in and out of the pool while drinking homemade strawberry margartitas (ice cream maker, farmstand strawberries ripened by the sun, and they are so red, ice, rum, sugar, ahhhhh).

So  I did the Brazilian straightening treatment on my hair last weekend.  It was kind of a spur of the moment thing. .. It was Sunday, didn’t really have anything planned for the day.  Plus I came into some unexpected money when I thankfully was able to return a piece of expensive furniture I didn’t end up needing.

Anyhoo, it was a long smelly process.  Basically, they give your hair a good washing with clarifying shampoo (something I never use, because my hair is so dry and frizzed out) and then to open the pore even more, they give the hair a good blow drying.  Now, when this happens to my hair, when any heat gets near my hair actually, and there’s no product in it.  Let’s just say it’s an issue.  It came out looking like someone had turned a leaf blower on my head.  It came out looking very similar to that, although dark, and maybe even bigger.

Anyhoo, so it was all dry and clean, and the pore was wide open.  She started applying the Keratin.  Now Keratin is actually a protein, so it’s good for your hair.  It smelled medicinal but tinged with vanilla.  A fine smell, in the first hour of applying it.  She really went to town w. the stuff.  She applied it with a comb and just kept rubbing it in, coating it generously, really getting it in there.  This took a long time since I have a lot of hair.

Next came me sitting around under the hair dryer for like 30 minutes.  Then she blow dried it.  With all the gunk still in my hair.  It took a long time, since the stuff is greasy and thick.  Then she painstakingly flat ironed it.  That was the smelly part.  It literally smoked.  I guess it was to seal everything in.  Oh man. 

So I came out of it with silky smooth, if a bit greasy and weighed down hair.  The fun part? I had to keep it like that for 3 days.  Still, all that was normal.  Whenever I leave the salon, my hair looks great, shiny and I try not to wash it too soon.

But it was last night that actually kind of brought tears to my eyes.  I know, over hair, but having curly hair is serious business.  It’s a chore, hassle, and time commitment for it to look anything close to normal.  So when I washed my hair,and came out of the shower, I immediatly noticed a difference.  It wasn’t curling.  Also, it was drying quickly (it can take a full day and a half to dry completely, normally).  As it dried, it was drying, like normally.  It wasn’t frizzing out, or making strange curls that I’d have to tame.  It was drying flat, quickly, and without frizz.  And this morning I woke up and it was dry, straight, and without frizz.  It’s like the first time in my life that I’ve had wash and go hair, and it made me kind of emotional.

I’m hoping that once the treatment starts washing out, my curls will re-emerge, but in a more manageable, relaxed way, and not the tight rings of frizz that they usually are.

Is it bad that I am still super completely impressed with myself every time I see that I figured out how to do email alerts on this blog? And got the link to the top of the page so it’s easy for people to sign up? And did I mention that it actually WORKS?  That people (by people, I mean like the three readers I have) actually get it via email? And did I mention that I figured out how to do it after like 10 attempts and as many failures? K. Done bragging but it seriously wasn’t as easy as clicking a button, it was work.  Computer work. That I mastered.  K I’m really done now.