New Product Alert!

So I have to share a few new products I've been using that I really really like. I realize you all have your favorites and I always welcome new tips, but maybe, just maybe I can help a little too:)

Hair stuff:
Sunsilk ThermaShine-This stuff is great! I went to the store the other day is search of a cheap alternative to my Terax, which by the way is the best conditioner EVER made...But alas, it's something like $20 a small bottle so I have to conserve on weekdays when I know my hair doesn't have to be at 100%. But I've found the answer! This Sunsilk stuff is great! It smells pretty good, makes your hair super silky and then it boosts the shine big time when you take a hair dryer to it! And it feels good all day...A heads up though, if you want body and bigger hair, this is not for you. This makes it super smooth and flat.

Face Stuff:
Dr. Hauschka- What a line! I was a little nervous to buy it because it's not cheap and well, you never know with organic products what's going to happen three days later, so I purchased her started kit for like $18. It has little samples of everything...enough for like 2 weeks. It all smells very earthy and you can actually smell the different ingredients. It's not rough on your skin and really works towards creating balance. I especially love the deep cleanser! But, I also don't encourage people with super oily skin to use her moisturizers in the summer time...you get a little shiny... What can you do though, is every other day before you go to bed, instead of using her moisture cream, use that Neutrogena 3 in 1 preventative face gel to help keep pores clean and your skin zit free. The combo is working for me, so try it.

Quench black soap face wash: This is an awesome face cleanser. It's totally natural,but safely balanced and it cleans your skin wonderfully. The line is only sold online, but I got a sample and I actually really like the whole collection. Black soap is a cleanser that's been made is Africa for 100's of years and this girl from up here has decided to create fair trade groups with these African women to make her this cleanser and she pays them to fund their education and health care...it's all very cool. Check it out: www.quenchbathandbody.com

I think that's it for now...but I'm sure I'll find more!

A few brands I'm loving:
Three custom color
Neutrogena
Colgate toothpaste
Dyanne Belle jewelery

Mid summer...I can't believe how fast it goes.

So I realize I haven't written in a while...things have been pretty busy around here. Most weekend have been away, actually ALL weekends so it's been pretty hard to really sit down and write. Work has also been crazy which is surprising...summer is usually super slow.

Weddings:
After Ilana's wedding launched wedding season things really started moving. Jill's bachelorette party was a few weeks later in the hills of Pennsylvania right outside of Pittsburgh. We had a great time veggin at her amazing house and hitting up the VFW and American Legion for some fun in the parking lot... oh yeh, we got kicked out of the American Legion due to lack of membership cards....pretty damn funny! But overall the weekend was awesome.

My bridal shower was about 3 weeks ago now. It was a lovely surprise and so beautifully done! It was at my home and it was a very elegant garden party. I loved every minute of it:) I didn't really think it would be my thing, but it was great and I'd do it again every weekend if I could. VERY fun!

Then my birthday...I'm officially in my late 20's now. I have to say I wasn't really that excited about my birthday this year, with all the wedding stuff going on and people doing so much for me with regards to that it's hard to expect anyone to get all pumped about me turning 27...I mean really...so it was just a normal day and it was great. My parents came in, we went to dinner...it was nice. The next day I had an event for work that I had been stressing about for a few weeks, which turned out fantastic and we followed that up with a fabulous dinner downtown with some friends in honor of my bday. Overall it was an awesome birthday and I loved the low key ness of it all.

This past weekend was Jill's wedding. We flew out 9am Saturday morning, went to the wedding and flew back the next morning. We were so tired it was hard to speak. But it was a very fun time and so good to see all my friends. I think one of the best things about all these weddings is getting to see everyone so often. I LOVE it! I can look forward to the next two years of seeing every one on a pretty regular basis.

hmmm...what else...went to see Die Hard...so fun!

oh! I knew there was a story I wanted to tell...it's kind of gross so if you get grossed out my talk of poop, stop reading now.

So get this, I was walking home a week or so ago, i was at 35th and park ave. and I see this man ( mind you, I'm 5 feet away) pull down his pants in broad daylight, bend over at the waist and shoot shit out of his ass!!!!!! I'm not kidding you! he didn't even squat, just bent over and it flew out of his butt like 5 feet! It was insane! Then he just pulled his pants up and walked away....I didn't know what to do, laugh, cry, run screaming...it was so amazing. One of those things you just don't forget.

With regards to the organic stuff...I had to stop taking the fish oil and flax seed oil because it was seriously messing up my stomach. The actual ground Flax seed is still great...I eat it everyday and would strongly suggest it to everyone. The whole shampoo thing is a bust...I'm back to using my good old Pantene. Face stuff, I've gone organic and I'm happy about it. It's not always the best smelling stuff, but it's nice to know exactly what's on my skin.

Hope everyone is having a great summer!~

Another Update

Again...so much has happened! I don't even know where to start, there are so many things I want to talk about.
Wedding season has begun...Ken and I attended a fabulous wedding on Memorial Day weekend! Miss Ilana and Mike looked amazing and hosted a wonderful event complete with a day of sunshine, good food, drinks and a little hava nagila...God I love the horah! The weekend was great and we spent a bunch of time in the hotel, which was the home base for many many families attending Sesame Place, located .2 miles from the hotel...super. I don't like other peoples children and I especially don't like screaming kids sopping wet yelling, "more elmo, more elmo." But, we survived Elmo and had a great time in the process.

We purchased more furniture...I know, I know...super exciting...it is for me:) We got some end tables an ottoman and a rug. Now our living room is complete! I love coming home to my amazing apartment everyday...such a nice calm feeling. I was looking at apartments with my cousin the other day. She's planning on buying a studio in the next month or so and holy crap! I totally forgot how crappy NY apartments are when you are buying your first place. I went through that 5 years ago, but was lucky enough to find an awesome convertible studio with lot's of windows and light. But my goodness! Some of these places were awful! I'm talking the size of a bedroom with a bathroom going for $450k~! You have to sacrifice certain things for space and I'm sure she'll find a good one, but wow...I'm so thankful for my beautiful apartment.

On another note, I'm trying to go organic. It's hard, VERY HARD. I attempted to switch to organic shampoo and conditioner...my hair turns out gross and so hard to brush. Face stuff...smells pretty bad if it's really organic...toothpaste...yuck! But seriously people, they put Sodium Laurel Sulfate in EVERYTHING...and it's so bad for you! they use that stuff in floor cleaner and it's not only terrible for you body, but also for the environment. Alas, it makes my hair pretty and my teeth not grimy. Oh! and the deodorant thing...so Ammonia is bad for your pits...say it with me, "Ammonia is bad for my pits." But here's the questions...do you want to smell like ass and live longer without the threat of cancer in your glands and boobs or do you want to be fresh and clean and not have people stare at you as if you are a walking garbage can...tough decisions here people... I'd like to stay cancer free and keep my boobs AND not smell...is that too much to ask? I guess so because between two of us, we've tried Every single organic option and we smell. so I'm back to my degree ultra for the moment...i can feel the ammonia seeping into my skin...bastard.

An update on my flax seed oil and ground flax seed progress. It works. My hair is great, has stopped falling out. My stomach is 90% better than before and that's a HUGE breakthrough for me! So take it.

MY new discovery of the year! Seriously, this beats all others at the moment

I have found the most amazing mascara ever! God knows I've tried them all, fabulash was good for about a year...then the clumping really got to me...Lancome, it's ok...Maybelline, you can tell me how great it is till you're blue in the face...it's crap for those of us who don't already have amazing lashes. Loreal Lash architect, it's good, but not good enough...I do love the little comb like brush head though.

So here I am...26 years old and I have found it. Besides getting eyelash extensions this is the ONLY mascara that really lengthens. FIBERWIG Mascara is amazing!

They claim Fiberwig is, "Engineered to create the perfect lashes with twice the amount of micro-fine interconnecting fibers, the instant drying formula creates a long lasting film coat around your natural lashes. Fiberwig imparts a perfect, smudge-proof maximum lash extension effect with a water-resistant formula that’s easy to remove with warm water, without risking damaging or losing your natural lashes. A jet-black fiber film coats the surface of each lash with long-lasting, clump-free, lash lengthening color that’s resistant to tears, sweat, and oil."

You have to apply coats of it though...the first coat does nothing but make your lashed darker, then the second coat the fibers start to fuse and build your lash length. Then by the third coat they are significantly longer and you can really the difference!

It's true every last word and more. AND...I know we've been told over and over again to curl your lashed before applying mascara, but with this you can curl after for the FULL wow factor. The fibers form a protective barrier and won't allow your lashes to break...nor will the mascara stick to your curler! So go ahead curl away and show off those amazing lashes!

ALSO, this stuff doesn't smug off or require make-up remover. Just lightly pull on your lashes in the shower under some warm water and you'll see the little black tubes on your finger tips. It doesn't leave a smug or anything!

GO BUY IT RIGHT AWAY!

Time to Relax

I can't wait till Friday...You know when you just want the days to fly by so bad that you actually start to believe it's the next day? I've been saying it's Wed all day today and everyone thinks I'm a nut job...Watch, tomorrow it'll be Thursday and I'll be packing my bag! hehehe:)

Anyway, we leave for the Hotel Victor in South Beach on Friday night Can't freakin wait! I think I might actually pack my bag tonight just for the fun of it. I got this adorable little dress that I purchased today after walking into this very cute little cheap boutique. So there you go! I have something to pack:) I seriously think it's going to be like 2 dresses a tank top and bathing suit. That's it!

I also went and purchased all these travel sized items so I could carry my bag onto the plane...wow that was annoying! And watch, they'll probably take away my lip gloss anyway, bastards!

Then the following weekend is the kick off to wedding season!!! Ilana's wedding is coming up fast and I couldn't be more excited:) I think this is going to be a fabulous summer! I get to see all my college friends that I haven't seen in years, dance my butt off, eat some great food, and drink some good wine! On the weekends that we're not at weddings hopefully we'll be chillin down the shore or by my pool. Yes, yes, this is going to be a great summer!

Oh! Side note, now that it's getting warmer and many of the younger females in the city are peeling away the layers of clothing and exposing a little too much skin. I have to comment on the display. Today I saw a girl walking down the street in front of me with a very short skirt on that every time she took a step swooped up and exposed her entire ass...she was also wearing like 100 year old underwear that should have been thrown away about 100 years ago or never even purchased. Her top was way too tight and she was wearing 3 1/2 inch heeled strappy sandals at 10am walking down the street. She must have thought she looked really hot. She did not.

I could go on, but I'll leave that for next time. I'm sure I'll have more good ones to share:)

Time Flies

So much happens and I can never remember what I did yesterday! Seriously, it's May 2nd! Where did April go? I know we had Easter in there somewhere, moved apts, moved offices, went to philly for a Bachelorette party, celebrated a friends birthday...the list goes on and on, but the month felt like a weekend! And here we are May 2nd. 24 days away from a best friends wedding...the first of many and I'm so very excited!

Before we get to that though, Ken and I will be taking a short trip down to South Beach. It was all very sudden, but I'm very excited! We're staying at the Hotel Victor which turns out is a pretty fabulous place. I hadn't really heard of it until recently, but damn! That place is awesome! This way we'll be nice and tan for the wedding the following weekend:)

We've also sorted out our Honeymoon...you see, this is BIG! We've struggled for months trying to figure this out and we've finally decided to go to Thailand. I couldn't be more excited and now will start counting the days till our departure. The 17 hour flight will require something a little stronger than xanax, but I think we'll survive.

We moved the office on Monday...next door. We needed more wall space for shelving and showroom stuff so even though we had this very sunny corner office with all windows, we had to move to a room with less light. It just makes sense and I think we'll get used to it very fast. it's just such a pain in the butt setting everything up again just to move 4 feet away! Poor Oscar was wondering back and forth all day trying to find his spot...the little dog passed out so hard that night I had to wake him up the next morning just to go out and pee...and if you know Oscar, that's just strange. He's always up super early begging me to take him out.

And on a product note...I went to Bliss the other day and had a fantastic massage and purchased these great Steep Clean cleansing pads along with the moisturizer to match and I LOVE it! If you're looking for something new to make your skin shine and to clear it up this stuff is awesome!

Our new home

The moves went awesome...both of them...ken on Tuesday me on Wednesday. We're pretty much settled in and even introduced Oscar to his new home yesterday. He had been staying with my parents in Jersey till we moved and painted and all that fun stuff. I think Oscar was a little freaked out by the whole thing. He was like, "all my stuff is here, and the rugs smell right, but this is definitely not my home..." poor kid. And he won't go out on the terrace just yet either. He'll get used to the place slowly and with our new massive bed all three of us can sleep without competing for bed space:) THIS makes me very happy!

I cooked my first meal in our new place last night. I made Veal paprikas...I'm proud to say it turned out pretty damn good! We had a nice meal together and then headed to Pink Berry for dessert. I'm not ashamed to admit it...I'm obsessed with the stuff. I eat it for lunch and after dinner. It's refreshing and makes my stomach feel good. I can't say enough good things. It should be located on every other corner...maybe take over some of those awful tasti delight spots. Damn that shit is bad! I never noticed till I had Pink Berry!

Went to one of my best friends bachelorette party this weekend as well in Philly...busy busy...We had a blast! I always leave them and wish so hard that they all lived here. It takes so much for me to be like, "OK, now it's time to leave and see you again in a few months." It just doesn't seem right, but it's not changing anytime soon so I'm just going to value the time we do spend together. It's just such an amazing feeling when we're all together...kind of like when you get to have your favorite meal and watch your favorite movie, while totally relaxing on the couch on a day off from work...that total comfort. The wedding is 5 weeks!!! Holy Crap!

So for right now things are great! I can't wait for the summer and weekends at the shore...time to just relax and eat flavor ice while sunning on the deck. Our wedding is getting closer and closer, which makes me super excited and I have a feeling there are going to be some proposals coming up amongst some of my best friends! EVEN BETTER! It's just a happy time:)

WE DID IT!

We closed on the apt...thank god! It all went very well and there was no tension or any bad feelings. Usually those things are so tense thanks to all the lawyers, but mostly we chatted about honeymoon locations and how the flip tax in NYC sucks royally. It was over in an hour...I wrote out some big checks, handed over any money I had and left with a huge debt and keys to our new apt! Very exciting! We ran over there and just walked around our new space with huge smiles on our faces loving every inch of it.

The weekend was consumed with painting and running around getting stuff for the new place. Sunday Ken scrubbed the bathroom walls and I helped wash it all down...I cleaned all the closets and started to organize everything. By Sunday night the apt was repainted and ready to be moved into. Tomorrow morning Ken moves in and then Wed is my big day:) It's all kind of hard to believe, but it's real and this is my new home. We live together, we own property together,we share a massive debt, we have our dishes that we will be using for the next 5 to 10 years...AND I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER!

On a different note...the vitamin situation has become this...Flax Seed Oil and Fish Oil with OMega-3/Omega-6... plus a multi vitamin. On a tip from a good friend, she mentioned the fish oil...and even though it smell terrible, she says her skin is amazing from it.

Almost there

Wow! Pretty much the perfect word to describe what has been going on with the closing on our new apartment. I'm just amazed at the entire process and how many freakin people have to come together to make this work. It's really quite baffling if you think about it...especially in Manhattan. The fact that 6 parties have to be available at the EXACT SAME time is virtually impossible to even imagine in this city. Everyone is always busy and doing something else...so to expect 6 different parties to converge at let's say 11AM on a Friday for 2 hours...is well...asking a hell of a lot from a higher power...But, it's happening.

FRIDAY 11AM we're closing and God help me if anything goes wrong or if anyone gets sick...I will be there if my leg is in a brace and I've broken out in head to toe hives! I WILL BE THERE AND SO SHOULD THEY! But, seriously, this process has been such a pain in the ass. We waited and waited and waited for people to call back...I mean for the love of god...I want to give you my money!!!! Call me back! Finally this morning our lawyer called with the good news...Friday. This is one full week later from when we had desired, but hey! It's better than the 17th, which was our other option. I guess I should just be thankful. I'm just so tired of incompetent people talking to me like I'm some kind of schmuck...it's come down to me just stopping them and saying, "say what you have to say because I have to go."

So that's the news on the apartment. As of 1pm on Friday Ken and I will own our apartment. WHOO HOOO!

So totally off the subject, does anyone take Flax Seed Oil supplements? I started taking them and I've read some great things about it...seriously, they make this sound like the miracle pill. I'm going to have great hair and nails, get skinny, my skin will glow and I won't die of a heart attack or colon cancer! Well, damn Gina! I'm set!
Thoughts?

Things are moving right along

These past three weeks have been quite an adventure let me tell you! I started packing, moved ALL my stuff out, moved home to Jersey for a week of fun in the sun commuting, went on a fabulous much needed vacation last week and now just found out that we have PASSED the coop board for our new apartment. It's all come full circle. This process began three months ago! We met with the board last night and even though we were all set for a firing squad of questions there was no need for us to be nervous. We were met at the door by two very friendly dogs and a couple members of the coop board. We sat down, chatted about the building, talked about all the amenities, picked up a phone # for a great cleaning lady...all in all I'd say it went damn smoothly. After about three minutes they were like, "ok, well we're done...questions?" Ok...now, we were told explicitly NOT to ask any questions so Ken and I were very tentative to actually say anything. I kept thinking, "this is a trick..." But they I just started asking away and they were very happy with us and our questions:) We left there after about 25 minutes with their approval.

This whole process is, as Ken so perfectly stated last night, like running through really thick mushy sand. Just as you finally get one foot out there's something else in the way...our next step is getting to closing. You see there are more lawyers involved in a closing than in anything else I can think of! You've got like 5 attorneys floating around trying to make their schedules work and then you add in the bank and the other bank and the seller and then us and you're left with a clusterfuck of emails and phone calls flying around with us pushing as hard as all hell to close ASAP and then seller taking his sweet ass time.

For us we want to get in there immediately because we are currently sharing a very small space that is chock full of all my suitcases. There's about 5 feet of walking space and then a bed and a couch...all in one room. So we're getting a little tired of being 3 inches from each other's faces...We want to get in there, paint the shit colored walls and move in! But then the attorneys get involved and something as easy as calling up the seller and saying, "dude, I'll throw you a couple hundred bucks and a liability release form if you let me in before closing just to paint," turns into a ton of emails and angry phone calls...total shit show.

So here we are...begging to get into our new place and waiting for someone to return our call other than our annoying as all hell real estate broker.

But besides all that, we're very happy!!!! Our vacation was incredible. We relaxed on the beach, swam in the amazing water, drank our share of pina coladas, ate some wonderful meals and did some good shopping. I'm always so sad to leave St. Maarten...one day I think I might just stay there for good. Buy a pretty villa on the beach and just live there. How great would that be!!! A girl can dream right;)

The end of an era

I moved out of my apartment. The place is totally empty and we're closing on it tomorrow! I can't believe it actually happened, but I'm glad it went smoothly and it's done done done!!! The day started out early with heading to Uhaul to pick up our 17ft truck. Thank god Ken was willing to drive the thing, because if it were in my hands we would have crashed three times and ran at least 5 red lights...The things is just so wide and has NO turning capacity! But we made it to the apt and luckily my dad had reserved a spot right in front of my building so we just took that one and started loading up!

I had spent last weekend boxing everything up so we just took trips bringing down boxes and furniture. The last little bits of stuff were shoved into a large bag and chucked in with the rest of it. I vacuumed up the dust, wiped down the counter tops and said my goodbyes. I didn't cry...came very close, but held it together. That apt and I had been through some good times! Girls nights, great cries, tons of laughs and well, the mice and roaches...let's not forget them. Overall I loved it very much. I hope this new girl gets some great years out of it as well:)

I'm on to bigger and better things...Ken and I will be moving into our first home together hopefully in early April! We've picked our paint colors, which went super smooth! It seems once we can merge the different languages we speak in terms of colors, we're actually talking about the same things...but you know guys...they see in greys and greens so it's a little hard sometimes. But ultimately, we talking about the same colors just to me it might be a warm white and to him it's a warm grey...I still don't get that but ok:)
Next we'll pick a bed and a couch! All the fun stuff. AND the Kitchen Aid mixer will find its place on our counter...I can't wait!

So for right now I'm a floater...I'll be in Jersey next week and then on vacation is sunny St. Maarten the week after. Wedding stuff has come to a halt... we're proofing our invites this week I think and then we're really on hold till August when the tastings start and we go to the flower market to pick flowers.

A great reunion

I truly believe that people leave your life and return for a reason. We meet friends, we lose friends, we hurt each other sometimes unknowingly and sometime intentionally. Overall we are driven by emotion when it comes to friendship, so making rational decisions in times of crisis are rare.

So the normal pattern is explosion, sadness, angry again and then apathy. basically the steps of grief. There's that time period between the anger and apathy when you are finally able to see through the fog and decide whether or not this is worth it...the friendship that is. Sometimes you're like, "this is dumb, I love this person what the hell are we fighting for?" and then there are times when you just think to yourself, "this is so not worth it. I just don't care anymore and I'm not going let myself be sucked back in." And friendships continue and end everyday after thoughts just like these. This process can take a very short amount of time as in a few days or might even take months to finish! Anyway, this is how I work. All of my fights with friends have followed this pattern...except for one.

This one fight with two of my closest friends from college never actually happened. But from one month to another our friendships dissolved and I was left with tons of pictures of us and happy memories that I thought we'd relive at our weddings together! At the time it felt like the end of the world, but I can't remember exactly how it happened. There was no fight, no confrontation, no actual reason we stopped being friends...oh wait, yes there was. This girl, let's called Krazy Bunnett. She managed in 6 months to manipulate her way into our circle and play us all for fools. The thing is I didn't realize any of this till this weekend when at my sorority reunion I saw them again. I was terrified that they were till angry and they were! After 5 years of thinking about them and wondering what was going on in their lives I was faced with the reality that they were still angry about "something," and I wasn't going to have the chance to talk to them. By the end of the night I couldn't take it anymore and approached one of them. We quickly started talking about our lives and weddings and babies...crazy! one of them is pregnant! I finally addressed the issue and to both of our surprise we were both under very different impressions of what happened. They had been manipulated but this crazy girl and I had been left out in the cold. I never knew what happened, but now I'm getting a pretty clear picture. So we laughed and hugged and it felt amazing! I just hope that after all these years we can rebuild a friendship that was incredible...at least to me it was.

BUT! here's the thing..in that time period where I "lost" these friends I met my current closest friends in college! These girls are amazing and I can't imagine my life without them. So this poses a question...would I do it over again differently? Would I want that fight to never have happened, meaning I would never have become close with these other girls? I don't know! But, I do know that they are some of the best things to ever happen in my life! I guess I'm pretty lucky now...I have them and have reunited with these girls that meant so much to me. When did i get so lucky!!!

Anyway, I had to write this down because it's just so great. To see them again and to talk felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders! They are doing so well and are so happy and I couldn't have wished for anything more for them...well, now a healthy baby for one of them! (still can't believe that)

I guess things really do happen for a reason.

Oscar Comments

So last night I watched the Oscars along with a billion other people. It was nice to see Marty Scorsese finally win. I def got excited! Hellen Mirren...ok, she's the hottest woman over 60, no exception! WOW! Ellen did a great job hosting...wish there had been more of her! Those dancers behind the screen were awesome! Best part of the show!

The hands down best dress woman of the night, was Rachel Weisz. Seriously, that woman looked incredible! From her hair to her make-up, to her dress and shoes...she reigned supreme. I mean, I shouldn't be surprised...she is one of the most elegant women is Hollywood today.

BAD...Cameron Diaz. The dress was ok, she took a chance and well, she has a kick ass body so it's not like she's going to look really terrible in anything, but the hair was god awful and her make-up...where was it? I think my favorite thing on her were those earrings! wow!

Jennifer Hudson...what the hell was that? And don't come at me with, "well it's going to be so instyle to wear this little jackets..." OH HELL NO! She is a big girl, I'm a big girl...I look fatter in these things and so did she! She does NOT need added puff in her shoulders, she already has nice shoulders! The dress was pretty, it was just that...pretty. I liked the pockets and she look comfy in it. The brown..eh...her skin tone was so close to the color of the dress and her make-up was so fantastic that I would have like to see her in another color... the gold dress she had on at the press box was awesome!

Celine Dion...stunning! I loved everything about her dress and look last night. It was so refreshing to not see a pleat or a sequence...it just flowed so well.

Nicole Kidman...ok ok, enough with the long straight hair already! The dress was awesome and she looked fantastic in it. It was one of my favs of the night, but the hair color was a little brassy and made her face look yellow. BUT...she was so beautiful it's hard to say anything bad.
Gweneth Paltrow... When I first saw her all I could say was, "what?" but then I took a closer look and she actually looked ok. The dress was really quite beautiful. It had nice details and the the actual shape of the dress was drop dead hot! I don't know about the color, but she def wore the dress...it didn't wear her. Her hair...same as Nicole's...fine.
If I looked anything like Gweneth I'd thank my lucky stars and wear whatever I wanted...

Kate Winslet...looked like a key lime puff. It was ok...nothing special at all...I love it when she wears deep jewel tones...she just sparkles so much more like that.
Cate Blanchett...She always looks incredible! I kind of felt like she was wearing a suit of armor at first, but then with that one shoulder cap and her stunning figure...she looked fantastic. The color was cool too..very different. And if you had a chance to see her earrings...they were so amazing!

Reese Witherspoon...lovely, pretty, sharp, confident! I LOVED this dress! her hair was very cute as well. She went with the long and straight, but thank god did NOT brush it all to one side like some others...and the bangs were very chic on her...normally I would say ick to bangs but she pulled it off!

Kirsten Dunst...terrible silver big bird...what the F was that shit?! yuck! and she does not look good in bangs...totally fugly!

Beyonce...it was ok...I think it must have been better in person because people were raving! I'll give her the benefit of the doubt because she did look very pretty!

Jennifer Lopez...My third favorite dress of the night! She looked perfect! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!


All in all I'd like to applaud the stylists of this years Oscars! They did a fantastic job! It's always so obvious to me when a celeb tries to dress themselves...Meryl Streep...last night...did not use a stylist. Anne Hathaway should shoot her stylist and why oh why did Valentino make that dress?! At least no one fell or wore John Paul Gautier...;)

I'd give this Oscar a 6.

Update

So a quick update...Wedding planning is wrapping up:) We finalized the photographer, the transportation, the invites. Now the only thing left is setting up the rooms at the hotel for us. And let me just say, the W Hotel is not making this easy or fun.

This place has no system in place for a bride and groom. Basically, they give you a really nice suite for the night of your wedding and that's it...no bridal suite or place for the groom to get ready...nada. You have to book 2 additional suites the night before and then hope to god they let you do a late check out so that you're not left in the cold at noon. What it came down to was that I have to book this great suite that happens to cost a fortune for that extra night just to make sure there's a place for me to get ready and a place for my bridal party to put their dresses on! And well, Ken is still deciding what he's going to do. Such a mess and so RUDE! I don't think I'll ever recommend the W to anyone ever again. I just think they have way too many weird rules and stuff and it's just too pricey to deal with that shit.

Let's hope that the food is great and the service is excellent the day of the wedding...God help them if it's not. I have no plans of being stressed out the day of my wedding or letting anything get to me:) I mean, it's going to be great no matter what!

Other than that, the bridesmaid dresses should be arriving very soon! yay! and my wedding dresses should be getting here sometime next month! oh please let them fit!

I think that's it for now...I'm sure something will pop up, but for right now we're just hanging out.

We're trying to make sure everything with the new apt is in order. We have to submit our board package next week sometime, so cross your fingers that it's going to go through! And then I move out of my current apartment on the 14th. Insane. I can't actually imagine doing that, but it's going to happen very soon.

Angry People

I have a hard time relating to angry people. I think it's because I'm the type of person who gets mad, explodes, and then just goes back to being normal happy and content. So when I'm caught off guard by one of these angry people I don't know what to do.

Last night I was getting into the elevator of my building with Oscar, my little dog. We had just said good night to Ken and I have to say I had a big smile on my face as I entered the cabin.

I unhooked Oscar's leash because I saw that we were getting off first, not that he would EVER run out...he's such a good dog. The guy in the elevator says, "Keep your dog away from me, I hate dogs." I was so shocked I just stared at him...and then the words came to me. So I asked him, "you hate dogs, yet you moved into a pet friendly building where dogs are abundant?" and he says, " I hate rats." Can you believe this guy? This middle aged, balding, not attractive, angry man!!!? So I told him I thought he was as asshole and that that Oscar didn't like him either. And then! As I got off the elevator he yelled, "rat!" So I yelled back "Ugly Douche Bag." Mature, I know...but come on! Who does that?! An Angry person does that.

I ran into my apartment and called down to the doorman to ask who this guy was and of course the first thing he said was, "he's an angry evil man." He then told me that he has been very mean to many people in the building and has had full on physical fights with a few dog owners as well. This is the guy that when his wife had a baby, went around to everyone on his floor threatening them if they smoked a cigarette in their apts or lit a candle...WOW!

Well, I just had to vent becuase I don't understand people like that. He must have a terrible life if he has to be that mean to a little dog.

Flats for the season...seriously, why wear heels and suffer when you can wear these!

I have always loved high heels, but at 5'11 it gets tricky and not to mention painful! And I don't wear cheap shoes either, so even though they're balanced and pretty, they still hurt and I find myself sitting most of the time when I go out...and if I'm not sitting I'm thinking about it.

Below are some flats I think everyone can wear:



These are adorable!!!! Little. Yellow. Different. Corso Como flats are wonderful, comfortable and durable.





Python is THE print for spring...Just wait and see...I can't tell you how much of it I've sent out to pubs for april/may issues! This shoes is fabulous and perfect for everyday!



These Sam Edelman ballet flats are just too cute for words, and I can tell you they are a super delicate and pretty shoe. I tried these on the minute they came into the office and haven't stopped staring at them since!



Pretty, pretty pretty! What a pefect spring flat and not overpriced.Oscar does a great job with these.







I LOVE these Jeffrey Campbell flats! They go with jeans, skirts, pants...whatever!!! And they come in great transition colors as well, so in case you're not ready to jump into yellow, this is a great way to make the move.







If you don't like these Sam Edelman shoes, well...I don't really know what to say...They are so fun and when you put them on you feel fabulous! The color isn't too in your face and they are so feminine!
I promise you'll love them.

Something worth checking out

Recently I've noticed myself getting older. I look a little different, I'm not running to change my shoes so I can go out for a big night on the town, I look at 2 1/2 inch heels and think...ok now that's better, I don't listen to music as loud as I used to and finally, my love for Opera has grown incredibly!

I have always been an opera fan. Car rides with my family did not exist without a little Puccini or Verdi, and whether I liked it or not, there they were, the robust voices of Domingo, Carreras and Pavarotti! For me Maria Callas was like Debbie Gibson...I really felt like I knew her. My dad would start the car and I'd make my case for Z100 and then he'd say NO and the Tosca would start. He's hum the intro and then slowly start to sing...He has a terrible singing voice, but after a while I was so in awe of how he knew every single word. He would translate it for me so I could appreciate the story and after a while I would begin to hum as well. You might say this is not normal. Most families get in a car and listen to the radio or talk, but not my family...we listened to opera.

It never occured to me that this was strange. Until my friends would come with us somewhere or on a trip and they were in total SHOCK! I can only imagine the things they told their parents and other friends, but I honestly didn't care because the music was so beautiful.

At 26 I now look forward to my opera season. My parents and I go back and forth on tickets and who gets to see what...I check out the next season schedule super early...Some people look forward to rock concerts, I look forward to La Traviata.

So this brings me to what I really want to talk about...Anna Netrebko. SHe is the most incredible soprano I have ever heard! This young Russian singer began her career scrubbing floors in the opera house in Russia and has become one of the worlds best. Her voice is amazing and you can't help but take notice. I heard her for the first time a couple weeks ago at the Metropolitan Opera singing the lead Soprano is Bellini's I Puritani, a wonderful story of love, loss and reuniting. It's actually one of the very few operas that has a happy ending! Shocking, I know, but I was so captivated by her the 3 hour opera flew by!


And so this morning when I turned on the today show, there she was. She is gorgeous and funny, she sparkles on screen as well as on stage and she is making it her mission to bring opera to the younger generation. And when I say younger, I mean ages 18-40! I'm not talking about the little kids, there's time for them still. I wish for this age group to be able to listen and appreciate something as beautiful as opera.

Anyway, I hope you check her out...she really is amazing and I hope to see you at the MET soon:)

A New Home!

So we finally did it...more like, it finally happened...we found an apt and the seller accepted our offer! I can't even tell you how happy this makes me! The apt is great...a nice sized one bedroom in a great neighborhood not far from where we live now,brand new everything, with a terrace! Oh and awesome closet space! There are actually two walk in closets in this apt...very rare for NYC.

So here we are...prepping for the sale of my apt, trying to get contracts signed on our new apt and finally, finding a photographer and rehearsal dinner location for the wedding. Does anyone have any suggestions for restaurants...the catch is it can't be too expensive and it must have a party room. For example, Otto was choice #1, but to have it there it would cost $40k...so nothing like that...Any suggestions would be appreciated.

So that's the update!! whoo hooo! Things are looking up:)

Apt, wedding...

The saga continues...We found an apt we like! It's down the block from my current apt so the move wouldn't be so bad and well, it's just a great space! The process of actually buying the apt is the tough part...well, no, that's not that bad, the process of bidding on the apt is painful and difficult. It's a time filled with high stress and lot's of emotion, which I know is exactly what's NOT meant to happen, but does.

So here we go. I see this apt on 25th street, I love it. I call Ken and tell him he has to see it THAT DAY! He comes to see it, likes it, we talk about putting a bid in...18 hours later, we place our first bid. A bid we thought was reasonable...turns out we had to come up...we did that...came very close to asking...got a call that another bidder was right at us, so we gave our best and final offer at what we thought was the best price that represented what this apt means to us. Get a call this morning that the seller is giving the OTHER bidders 24 hours to sign their contract if they don't, it's ours...UGH!!!!!!!! Seriously, this is bullshit and I can't help but take this to heart! I want that apt! Chances are we are not going to get it, but I just wanted to show you all what this process is like. It's insane!

Wedding stuff has picked up again...meetings with photgraphers, invite designers, transportation people...it's all in process again and between seeing apts, working and planning the wedding there are not enough days in a week.

I just keep flipping through my date book and I'm way into APril with planning stuff for work but i have to keep in mind that I am moving out of my apt on April 30th!!!! Crazy! ANd then my wedding will only be 5 months away!!!!

Does anyone feel like their life is just flying by and you're working at light speed to keep up and try to remember everything...birthdays, weddings, friends,family...

Is this really happening?

I've asked myself this question every hour for the past three days because I feel like my life is all at once crashing down and being rebuilt. It's incredibly terrifying and amazingly exciting all at the same time. My apartment is about to be sold to the highest bidder, yes, we are now nearing a bidding war and there are 7, count them, 7 offers on my adorable chic apartment. Problem #1. going through the process of selling is a bitch and there is no clear timeline. #2. WE HAVE NO PLACE TO LIVE. As soon as I close on my apt I'm homeless, and so now it's crunch time and I'm running around the city like a freak trying to find us a home with the right amount of closet space, allows dogs and is big enough. I can't even tell you how frustrating it all is.

Today I saw an apt on West 16th street...a total dump in a great area. That's a no. An Awesome HUGE apt on 76th and 1st that is perfect for us...but do I want to move back to the Upper East Side after living in the heart of Gramercy for 3 years...hmmmm... It's all very difficult to decide, but it's not like we have much time to sit and "think" about all the possibilities. We have to find something, get out financial shit together so that the board can rip us apart, pray they have mercy and let us though, and then buy this sucker within hours of closing on my apt!

I just feel this enormous amount of pressure that cannot be avoided anymore. AND trying to plan little details of my wedding are getting harder and farther away from my immediate mindset. Oh and work...that little thing, which thank god I have freedom or we'd be living in a box in 2 months. But work is busy and I feel guilty I'm running around instead of doing my job. So all in all I'd say I'm reaching breaking point in about 5 days. Thank GOD we're heading to Florida for a break this weekend, even though what we should be doing is hitting up every single open house on the East side on sunday...I'll be stressing come monday afternoon. At that point a contract will be signed on my place and I'll know when I have to move out. Super.

I have a problem with...

Celebrities. No seriously, I have a huge problem with the way our current society finds the lives of these extremely ordinary people fascinating. I hate how we send them free stuff all the time. I think their constantly changing hairstyles, increasingly tacky new styles, and drastic weight gain and loss are simply absurd. If I hear anymore about who wore or didn't wear underwear to so and so's dumb ass party at some lame ass club in some other city, I might puke.

It used to be fun to read about them in the paper in page six and so on, but I feel like it's been taken to a whole new level. ALl we see on TV are shows about how rich they are and what they buy. We structure the way we look around "trends" dictated by asshole stylists from freakin bum fuck nowhere who all of a sudden woke up one day and said, "I think I'm going to be a stylist, yep, that's it...I have style." and Voila! You have someone now who thinks that they know clothing. And from that develops "style," like that of Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan...or lack thereof. And yet, we still send them shit. I just had to put together the most adorable gift pack for one of these immature arrogant little bitches. She's getting a new bikini, fabulous bag and of course other fun little things. Does she deserve it? No. Does she deserve a good kick in the pants and some serious therapy, as in being sent to Uzbekistan for 3 months with no toilet paper...yes.

I'm sorry, I'm just venting because this weekend I realized that I live my life as if I have a lot of money and I find myself carrying the same bags as these stupid celeb bitches and wearing the same shoes, but I don't have that kind of money. But I feel like everything I read and watch and listen to is about money and so many people have so much of it. It's not like I read everyday how people are starving on the street, no it's about another ass rich kid crashing his car into something and how he's going to get an even bigger and more expensive one this time! It's about what billionaire bought what yacht from another billionaire, who now wants to focus his attention on discovering outerspace... I just don't get it...when did we become so shallow?

When did we allow the media to bury us in a constant flow of celebrity garbage?! I don't care who threw what party in Miami or if Britney passed out because she's a schmuck...I mean, for the love of GOD the top story was NOT our former president Ford dying...it's was James Brown! And as much as I respect the man...he wasn't president of this country!

So as we enter 2007 I think my New Years resolution is going to be to stop reading and listening to all this crap about how much money celebs have and who puked on who at last nights party. I think I'm going to focus my attention on the people around me and how even though they might not drive around in a Bentley and summer on a yacht in St. Tropez, they are still fabulous.