The SAGs

I was going to do a whole review of the show and the fashion like I did with the Globes, but I've been too busy at work to write a long post and, frankly, the SAGs were so lacking this year that there's not much to say about them anyways. The highlights?

Lea Michele wore another silver dress, but this one looked good!

More on fashion: just a repeat of the globes. Lot's of pretty strapless dresses, but nothing very thrilling. I did like the lack on two-toned dresses at this event! And Angelina went back to her usual all black ensemble, as to be expected.


They obviously tried to move the show along quickly, which was nice, and I was very surprised that The Help took home so many awards! The movie was good but it wasn't that good.

And, once again, who was the most annoying person in attendance? Sofia Vergara everyone! I don't watch "Modern Family" but you can bet that I'm certainly not going to start watching now. Thank god she won't be attending the Oscars...I hope! Here's her interview where she talks about how people don't pay enough attention to her butt. Gag.



That's enough about the SAG Awards. They just weren't that memorable this year. That's ok, the Oscars are only 26 days away! I'm so excited! I need to start planning my Hors d'oeuvres!

Fill in the Blank Friday

So here I am trying out my first...widget...thing? Apparently in blog world you can connect to other bloggers this way...I'm still not sure how this works. Any explination would be much appreciated! So here we go:

Fill in the Blank Friday:

1. My favorite place i've ever traveled to is Hawaii. How can you not love it?

2. Italy, France, Spain, Costa Rica, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, Brazil, Japan, Amsterdam are someplaces I'd love to go someday.

3. I pass the time on a plane (or bus, or car ride or train) by reading my Kindle on the subway, watching a movie or reading a magazine on a plane, or singing my loudest in the car.

4. My three must-haves when I travel are a book , my headphones and A trashy magazine or 3

5. My favorite travel companion is can't remember the last time I traveled with someone...

6. The craziest thing that ever happened to me while traveling is when my Mom and I thought we might get murdered by the "Singing Potter" in Moffat, Scotland. Creepy.

7. The most exotic food I've ever tried while traveling is Guajolotes in Tulancingo, Mexico. Look them up....yummm

8. If I could live anywhere else, I'd live in California, and I will again one day!

9. I have been to eleven...unless airports count

states in the U.S.

So What if He's....Gay?

Ok, he wasn't really gay, obviously, or else he would be asking me out via an online dating site. Right? Or maybe it was a cover-up, I don't know.

So there I was. Last Friday night, at one of my favorite places (Pravda) waiting, sipping a "Leninade." He actually suggested Pravda which bumped him up in my book!

He arrived a few minutes late, which was fine. He was of the correct height (6'4), was dressed well...could have looked less like a fifteen year old but I could let that slide. Until......he opened his mouth. Within the first five minutes of meeting he did the best impression of a sorority girl I've ever seen, complete with hand-flop. Sitting with him I felt like I was hanging out with my gay guy friend. Or slightly blond girlfriend.

What sucked the most about this? I really liked almost everything about him. He was very polite, obviously kind, funny. But...I just can't go out with a gay guy! So what did I do to ditch this guy, you ask? Well, ya know...

Two martinis in (and on an empty stomach I might add) I decide to be completely myself. No holding back. That should probably scare him off. So I discuss why I detest children, how much I love my cat, all the things you are supposed to avoid as a single girl. Also I said fuck a lot, ya know, just to help emphasize my points. Poor guy.

After my third martini he asked if I wanted another (uh, no!) and then if I wanted dinner. Such a nice guy. I told him I was so tired that I just had to go home. The date had lasted only an hour and a half. He tried to hail me a cab....but I told him I'd get one myself. After which I skipped (or perhaps jogged) around the corner back to my office where my coworkers were on to their 3rd...or 4th...or 5th drinks. I was happy to be "home" and readily spilled the details about my awful date.

Now I feel bad. In this situation, I was the bitch. I've been feeling terrible about it each day since it happened. I don't think I was mean, I was just clearly uninterested, and this was his first blind date. Well, he hasn't contacted me and I don't expect him to. I don't want him to either. He's probably sitting on a couch somewhere drinking a pink cocktail telling his room mate about this crazy girl he went on an awful date with. Ahhh, such is life.

So my advice to you single girls out on a hopeless date:

1. Be yourself. I mean your most unfiltered, disgusting, unflattering version of yourself.
2. Drink one too many. This will give you confidence to follow through with step #1
3. Finally, swear. A lot. This way they see you as one of the guys. Or as a person with no manners. Trust me, I think this should work.

Shit New Yorkers Say

If you spend as much time online as I do, you've probably come across at least one of the increasingly popular viral videos, "Shit _____ Say." The blank can be filled in with many things: sorority girls, girls, gay guys....you get the picture. Well, today I came across this video and found it to be pretty close to true with one exception: there just aren't enough swear words. Enjoy!

Online Dating in New York

Ok, it has taken me a while to admit this but, alas, here it is. I've been online dating for a couple of months now and it's only just recently that I feel I can openly admit this to the world without hiding in a corner, wearing a mask, or at least holding an over-sized pillow over my face. Before I plunge into the odd specifics of online dating, first let me justify to you why I think this is ok.

Looking outside of the obvious "you don't meet anyone at a bar" and "I only know the people I work with" reasons that we can't seem to find any suitable dates, there are many reasons to online date. Look people, we're not in college anymore. We aren't going to meet that cute guy in our English class or just wait till next semester to find someone new. There are no study groups or Laguna Beach parties (yes these did exist and I was a member, please hold back your judgment) on Monday nights. And work hours are NOTHING like college hours. My last two semesters of college I only had class two days a week and that was only for four hours. That adds up to 8 hours a week total of actual class. I easily work at least 50 hours a week and sometimes more. After working out, catching up with my friends outside of work, and watching that latest episode of "The Bachelor," that doesn't exactly leave a lot of time for....man hunting? Gag.

In addition to the aforementioned legitimate and brilliant examples of why online dating is ok, let me introduce just one more. We live in an online world. I don't just mean online as in the internet. When I ride the subway I'd say that at least 90% of passengers are using technology of some sort. Kindles, ipods, ipads, iphones....I could go on. Even if that cute guy or girl was sitting right across from you, would you even notice? I don't think I would. The same goes for all public streets, parks, and benches. As a race, we are no longer comfortable just sitting by ourselves without looking distracted by something. What is happening to us!! I realize I'm drifting. My point: if technological networking is increasingly becoming the way we communicate with ourselves and our world, then doesn't the natural next step consist of meeting singles online?

Did you say yes? I thought so!

So what began as a fun night with a friend morphed into a site I consistently check. It's called OkCupid. It's a free website where you can see other singles in your area. It has questions you answer and then it matches you to people based on those questions. You fill out a little profile and add pictures and everything.

Filling out your profile is an interesting feat. How do I do this? What do I write? "I like long walks on the beach?" How do I show that I'm a little nerdy, but not geeky, a little weird, but not creepy, and, of course, show that I'm not terrible looking without coming across like I'm trying too hard? In the end, I just tried to stay honest and upbeat. I didn't write or post anything I would be embarrassed to read five years from now. I think.

Turns out, everyone has profiles. At work two of my girlfriends and one of my guy friends has them. Of course, the three of us girls check out each others' potential dates and giggle at the guys who message us who clearly have no chances. Why would we be so mean, you might ask? Well, let me just explain:

Mistakes Guys Make On Online Profiles

1. Taking a picture of yourself in the mirror with your cellphone and a super-cool face on (ie. duckface). This is perhaps the worst offense of all. These are the types of guys that look like they fell right out of "Jersey Shore." Their shirts are off, their hair is gelled, their collars are popped, their skin is tanned. Nothing makes me want to puke more than a cocky asshole. NEXT!

2. Putting up pictures of lots of girls. So....this proves that you have at some point had contact with the opposite sex? Me too! But I'm not trying to show potential dates that I hang out with lots of hotties. That just proves that they are insecure.

3. Putting up pictures with yourself and playboy bunnies. See item #2.

4. Putting up pictures of yourself in front of expensive things like cars. Or just putting up pictures of expensive cars. Or famous people. What does this tell me about yourself? That you're vain. PASS.

5. Saying things like "I don't know how to fill out this profile." Neither do I, buddy, but I tried and put effort in. You want to talk to me? You need to put in effort too.

6. Putting up pictures of you and your "bros" holding red cups. Do I even need to elaborate here?

7. In your "you should message me if" section you write things like: you're not crazy, you know how to dress, you don't have baggage (everyone does if you're older than 16), or, my personal favorite, no fatties. Nice. Classy.

8. Where it says "What are you looking for?" you say "Casual Sex"

Don't even get me started on mistakes guys make while messaging me. How about you at least pretend like you read my profile? And please, if I didn't respond to you the first time, what makes you think I'm going to the second or third?

What should you post? Pictures of you doing your favorite activity. Pictures of your family, or you and a pet. Pictures of you and your favorite places. Stop trying to play it so cool and be yourself. You're obviously on the website for a reason. The cooler you try to seem, the lamer you come across. And the same goes for girls.

So, in conclusion of the madness that is this post I leave you with this: I have a date this Friday with a guy I'll call "Engineer Guy." So far, I like him. He doesn't seem to be playing any games. But I can't truly know until Friday rolls around. Perhaps I'll ask him what his opinion of online dating is. OkCupid is, after all, a free social networking website. No way am I desperate enough to pay for something like Match.com or eHarmony.....yet.

The Globes

Award season is here! It's my favorite time of year.....on television, that is. And there's so much to recap! There are a lot of surprising movies nominated, and so many on my list to see! I don't know how I'll ever be able to have the time (or finances) to see them all! Still on my list:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Iron Lady
The Artist
In the Land of Blood and Honey
We Need to Talk About Kevin
The Skin I Live In
Hugo
War Horse

I tried to go see The Artist two weeks ago but there was such a long line to get into the theater that I just decided to wait until the buzz died....although apparently that won't be happening any time soon. The problem is in New York each movie costs $13...and if you add that up I could potentially spend over $100 on movies. Not likely to happen!

Of course we were all looking forward to seeing Ricky Gervais once again pick on Hollywood's darlings, but he seemed much more toned down this year, other than his jabs at Kim Kardashian which were really pretty funny...and horribly true. Ya, he's a funny guy, but he wasn't outrageous this year. Perhaps he wasn't given enough time?

I was pretty surprised that Moneyball had so many nominations. I mean it's a zero to hero sports flick. How many of these have we seen?? I'm so bored. And why was My Week With Marilyn nominated in the comedy or musical category? Did anyone find that movie funny? I thought it was fantastically sad and Michelle Williams totally deserved best actress. And of course Meryl Streep had a nomination, and I'm so glad she won! She must be one of the best, if not the best, actresses of all time. But enough of this, lets get to the really important stuff: fashion.

Now is it just me or were there a lot of really blah dresses? Dresses that were pretty but with not too much flavor. Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman, and even Angeline Jolie were all members of this category. Strapless dresses that were nice. But that's really all you can say about them. Yes all three of them looked stunning but that's mostly because they are all, well, stunning. Rooney Mara's dress was also a safe choice. Black. Black pony tail. Blah. There were also a lot of two-toned dresses which I really didn't like, unlike my good friend H. I mean, what's with one color on top one on the bottom? Thumbs down. Unlike past years, nothing really stood out to me as "wow" but there were a few that I liked more than others. These included:

Jessica Alba


I know this kind of fits in with the "boring strapless" category but I loved the color on her and the beading is beautiful. And could her chest get any sexier? That must have taken hours of airbrush tanning and make up!

Charlize Theron


This is one of my favorites with an exception. If the bow wasn't there I think this would be my favorite dress of the night. It's a great color, she didn't play it too safe, and I love the glittery headband, but I'm a sucker for anything that sparkles. The shoes are perfect and I love the slit. I just wish it didn't have that giant bow!

Nicole Richie


This screams classic Hollywood to me. She looks perfect. I don't know if anyone anywhere has ever looked that good in bangs and I love the shimmery silver.

Evan Rachel Wood


I have to choose this as my number one. The deep green looks fantastic with her fair skin. I like the shape much better than the usual mermaid dress and look at the detail!

I also want to comment that though I found her dress to be a boring strapless, Julianne Moore's emerald colored earrings and ring looked great on her:



And who were the worst dressed? Oh dear...

Zooey Deschanel


Here we go with the two-toned dresses. What is going on here? I really don't like her hair- did anyone else notice those winged sideburns she had going? Too much black eyeliner. Not one thing about this look is good. It's really too bad because I like her a lot and she's so pretty. She could have done much better. And tuxedo nails to the golden globes? This isn't the Grammy's!

Jessica Biel


I know she's just recently become engaged to Justin, but that's no reason to slip into her great-grandmother's wedding dress. I like white lace, but her hair color is disastrous with this dress and on her. All this dress did was add the somewhat shocking appearance of a third boob hanging limply over her belt. If she lost the sleeves, went back to dirty blond, and tightened the top this look might have been ok.

Sarah Michelle Gellar


It's almost a blah strapless...except that it's so busy and exacerbating that I want to squeeze my eyes shut. "My daughter picked it out" is not an excuse. You had the dress in your room to begin with. Shame on you. This looks like a wedding dress that accidentally fell into a pool of blue dye. And with a pony tail?

There are a few dresses that I can't make up my mind about.

Madonna


The more I look at this dress the more I like it, but I'm not sure why. It's two-toned, though I have a soft spot for green and silver, and I felt like she could have worn a size up in the chest. Come on Madonna, haven't you been showing too much as it is lately? I'm a Madonna fan, and I officially want to go see WE but she seemed just a tad cocky for me last night.

Tina Fey


Who doesn't love Tina Fey? I also like this dress, and I think the color is very nice on her. I'm just not sure this dress is her. She looks a bit awkward in it, no?
Claire Danes


Claire Danes is the perfect image of grace. Do I like this dress? Yes and no. She looks very elegant. I like the back. I think it would have been better as either solid black or solid white. But there I go again hating on the multi-colored dresses.


And what happened to the Glee girls? I think these dresses were just a bit too....confusing:

Lea Michele


I like silver. I like "peek-a-boo" lace. I don't like this dress. I can't even say why. There's just too much going on.

Dianna Agron

The tiered lace, the little bird-like things by her shoulders, the see-through-ness....I don't like any of it. Good color on her though.

And the most annoying guest of the night? I name Sofia Vergara a winner!



Yes, her hair looked like silk, the color of her dress was lovely (although to me it also falls into the nice strapless catergory), and she is clearly one of the most beautiful attendees but her awards speech combined with the interviews she gave just drove me crazy. A little too cocky I'd say. Although you could argue she has a reason to be.

Well that about wraps up the Globes. I can't wait for the Oscar nominations to come out in two weeks. I just hope the host is a bit more entertaining, the fashion more captivating, and some of the attendees a little less...annoying.

Why I Think it's ok to NOT Act My Age

I have several friends who tease me, room mates included. Sometimes I feel I am being berated for being the way I am. I'm always caught between two sides of myself and sometimes I don't know which one to pick.

Most recently, one of my "unresolutions" is to go out more. Why? I don't really feel the need to go out more. I know that I'm always happiest when I can wake up early, get my day going without a hangover, and my idea of a rockin' Friday night is cuddling with Sasha, watching a movie, and having a glass of wine. One of my room mates recently said to me, "why don't you just go be 35 already? Your life is my biggest nightmare."

Does not going out warrant that I'm a nightmarish 35 year old inside? Does that make me uncool or not fun? My last room mate used to call me boring for not wanting to go out. I don't like being called names or told that my idea of fun isn't good enough. Sometimes I just want to tell them the truth. The truth? "I do like going out....just not with you!"

I have friends I like seeing, but whenever they invite me out, I usually say no and suggest brunch or dinner later in the week instead. This way I get to spend time actually talking to my friend, rather than straining to hear her in a crowded feet-stick-to-the-floor kind of place.

This past weekend I tried once again to "step out of my shell" as my room mates call it. I let them drag me out. We went to a place in Chinatown- another dive bar with ex frat boys and beer pong. The problem is that my room mates' idea of fun is to take shot after shot and choose which guy they will be going home with that night. That is just not me. Yet I feel ridiculed for not joining in with them. I don't want to get wasted. I don't want to spend my weekends hungover in bed.

After spending an hour talking to finance people about....well, nothing noteworthy, and paying $12 for a watered-down Absolute soda, I went home. Why do I even bother? I spend all this time getting ready and dragging myself out to dirty bars just to spend money I can't afford to spend and talking to the same kind of people who introduce themselves to me over and over again. Hmm...lesson learned; stick with what you know.

I know I like going out to lounges, dinners, martini bars, wine bars, and other places which attract a different clientele, one who enjoys a good drink but not getting drunk, one who is creative and likes interesting conversations about a variety of topics that doesn't include who you are going home with that night. So I'll keep going out. Just with people who are 35 and above- both inside and out.

Am I a freak for feeling this way? Anyone feeling like it's not fun to act like a freshman in college anymore?

On Working Out in the Winter

Ah, the new year. A time for resolutions. For bettering yourself. A new outlook on life. Some people, like my dad, resolve to have no resolutions this year. Others, like myself, have more than they can reasonable accomplish. Let's face it: resolutions are made for breaking aren't they? But at least they get you thinking a bit more. Of course, every year I'm going to "be healthier." I'm going to eat better, or work out more, or cut back on chocolate. Sure.

Yesterday was my first day back in the city. I'm still adjusting to the time change, so it's difficult for me to go to sleep earlier, but that's no excuse. Last night I came home from work, convinced that I was going to work out. I put on my yoga pants, grabbed my ipod and headed downstairs to the gym. Halfway down the steps I realized that my ipod was out of battery. Great. I trudged back up the steps and asked my room mate if I could borrow her ipod. Halfway down the stairs I saw that her ipod was out of battery. Hmmm....I grabbed my kindle. Please, give me a distraction from the blandness of the treadmill! Anything!

My kindle was out of battery.

At this point I figured that the universe, or at least the year 2012 was screaming at me to get in bed, "What are you thinking you crazy person? There's a -1 degree wind chill out there!"

"Ok, I'll just watch Gossip Girl reruns instead." After all, what a better use of my free time. But I did clean the kitchen too, just to relieve a bit of guilt.

But, I knew that if I just slept in my cozy yoga pants then tomorrow I would already be dressed and ready to work out. Perfect plan! When my alarm went off at 6:30 there was no way I was getting out of bed. I'm pretty sure my building's heat isn't working so obviously it was pretty cold. And, who can get out of bed and pretend to be energetic when it's dark outside? No, no. I snuggled with Sasha instead. At least I got the kitchen cleaned.

Walking to work this morning, it was 13 degrees. But it's supposed to be 45 by Saturday. Maybe this winter is almost over? ....Maybe I'm just trying to "stay positive" (one of my mom's resolutions).

So what are my resolutions that I am clearly not going to accomplish? (I can hear my mom now, "If you say you're not then you're not!") Well...work out at least 3 times a week- entirely doable, limit myself to a two drink maximum at all occasions- somewhat doable, and stop caring so much about what other people think, essentially, try to pursue what I want without worrying about others- almost impossible.

Well...there's always tomorrow.