SATC: TM

Mary Katherine & I saw Sex and the City: The Movie last night. It was so good! I knew it would be entertaining & I knew I would like it, but it was so much better than I expected. And emotional! Oh my god, it was cryfest 2008 in there. I loved it. On the way home, we were already making plans to see it again. I highly recommend the movie to anyone who watched/loved the show as much as I did. You won't be disappointed. Irritated a little by the theater full of twenty-somethings in their finest Carrie Bradshaw-esque attire? Maybe. But disappointed? Definitely not.

So today John has an all day/into the night Session @ Lake Fever & I have NOTHING to do. And I've been up since 6:00am. It's going to be a long day....

List of potential Saturday tasks:

• work-out
• yoga
• take bag of vintage purses to clothes swap store in Hillsboro Village & try to earn enough money for a mani/pedi, or at least a pedi
• take suits to dry cleaners
• clean my apartment

Yeah, it's going to be a long day.

An Open Letter to NYLON Magazine

Dear NYLON,

A few months ago Urban Outfitters offered me a free subscription. I've enjoyed you in the past, so I took them up on their offer. I've enjoyed flipping through & noting interesting music, make-up, etc. Until now. Your July 2008 issue is crap. And this, THE MUSIC ISSUE, is supposed to be your crowning achievement. Are you purposefully alienating your over-24 demographic? Have you decided to only market to teenagers?

First of all, the myspace info boxes on every page are beyond irritating. I'm not sure what kind of deal you made with said social networking site, but give me a break. Do you really think your readers need a reminder (on every page) to check out bands on myspace for info on upcoming tour dates? This blatant marketing/advertising is insulting & annoying.

Second of all, what's with the ridiculous fashion spreads? I've been to NYC recently & no one is dressing like Madonna a la Desperately Seeking Susan or Janet Jackson circa the Control era. Give me a break. Where do you guys come up with this stuff? Seriously.

Lastly, in said THE MUSIC ISSUE, you put Scarlett Johansson on the cover. Really? Out of all the people who put out albums this year, that's who you choose?

I'm going to give you one last chance to offer up something to anyone over the age of 25 in your next issue. Otherwise, it's straight to the recycling bin for you from now on.

Au Revoir.

Memorial Day Weekend -4 Days of Gluttony

Things I've accomplished in the past 4 days:

Not going to work.

Catching up on my sleep.

Starting & finishing Such A Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster (sooooo funny).

Completing my registries at both Macy's & Bed Bath & Beyond (thanks, mom!).

Completing my transition into official Latino-dom by consuming more Mexican & Colombian food (i.e. taquitos) than I would have had I actually traveled to either Mexico or Colombia.

Drinking my weight in keg beer & pitchers of margaritas.


A Wrap-Up:

Thursday: left work after lunch & slept thru dinner.

Friday: didn't go to work, instead met mom @ Macy's & finished registering.

Fri night: Indiana Jones with John, Ken & a tub of hot, buttered goodness.

Saturday: Old Time Pottery with mom to get centerpieces for reception.

Sat night: Natalie's bday party, aka the night Kim drank too much keg beer, ate too many taquitos & tried (unsuccessfully) to get Natalie's parents to deputize her as an extended member of the Gualy family....

Sunday: annual Memorial Day cookout at Denis' parents' house in Hendersonville. John made Freddy Kruger hands out of hollow crab legs & annoyed Jon to the point of physical assault.

Monday: Met Jon & Ali @ Rosario's & did my newfound Latino heritage proud by consuming yet more queso as well as drinking 2 pitchers of margaritas.


In Conclusion:

In 4 days I've managed to gain 6 lbs, potentially damage my liver & not work out once. And what did I do today to get back on track? Ate lunch @ Five Guys. I'm almost expecting a representative from Weight Watchers to be waiting for me when I get home....

Session, Part Deux

After my last post, I realized that not everyone knows what my job is or what "Session" is. I work in the Tennessee Legislature for a Democratic State Senator. Tennessee's General Assembly is a part-time Legislature, meaning we are only in Session half of the year, typically January through May/June. Session is when our State Senators & House Reps conduct "the business of the state", translation: it's when new laws are proposed & enacted. It's also when the state budget is passed. More info on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_General_Assembly

Here are some news stories from yesterday. If you look carefully you can see me in the background of most of these clips. I doubt anyone but my mom will be able to pick me out of the crowd though:

http://www.wsmv.com/video/16355797/index.html

http://www.wztv.com/newsroom/top_stories/vid_1797.shtml

http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=8363127&nav=menu374_2_7_3

Session Is Over!

I've been in Session for the past 48 hours with a few recesses here & there, but it's over. We adjourned at midnight last night. I think I got to sleep around 12:45am. I'm honestly not even sure how I'm awake right now.

Anyway, I can eat lunch again. Hooray!

32

Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday to meeeeee. Happy Birthday to me.

The one advantage to your boyfriend going to bed at 6am is that you wake up to birthday presents instead of having to wait until after dinner. He did good. He got me the new Burberry perfume I've been wanting (it's going to be my new signature scent); Starbucks Cafe Mocha Truffles; and a bridal magazine because "you like weddings & you like magazines", haha!

I forgot to mention yesterday that my H&M purchases were made possible by birthday money from my parents. My mom understands the concept of guilt-free shopping money.

In closing, I'd like to give a shout out to my favorite, black-belt-wielding cousin who is graduating from high school today. Go, Caitlin!

Weekend in Atlanta

John & I went to Atlanta this weekend & registered @ Crate & Barrel. I became overwhelmed in the beginning, but I was fine once I got going. I think we picked out cool stuff. I'm still confused over the quantity you're supposed to register for. If you register for 12 place settings of dinnerware, do you also register for 12 wine glasses, tumblers, etc? Twelve mugs seems excessive, but what do I know. It's so confusing. Anyone interested can logon to CrateandBarrel.com & see our registry.

We also went to Ikea & looked around & priced possible furniture & storage items for our yet to be found future place of cohabitation. We seemed to agree on everything, so that's good.

Allright, the Atlanta H&M:

Pros:

It exists.

Cons:

Not enough fitting rooms.

Not enough cashiers.

Not enough accessories.

I was in there approximately an hour & 1/2, of which 15-20 minutes were spent picking out clothes; 45 minutes spent waiting in line for a fitting room; 20 minutes in line to check out. It was ridiculous. When I go back, I'll definitely try to avoid peak shopping times. But I am pretty pleased with my purchases (see above). All in all, it was worth it.

Tomorrow is my birthday. Unfortunately, it is also the last day of Session. Translation: I'll spend the entirety of my bday at work. Oh well, that just means I get to extend my birthday until I have time to properly celebrate it. I feel a week long birthday coming on....

Au Revoir Sopranos

So I just finished watching the last episode of The Sopranos. I've watched The Sopranos since the beginning. I lost my HBO in the middle of the last season & have been working my way through them via Netflix. Between Session & night school, it's taken me almost 5 months to get through them. I digress.... Questions:

1) What's with the cat? Is the cat supposed to be Christopher reincarnated?

2) Does Sil survive his gunshot wounds?

3) At the diner, does the guy who goes into the bathroom come out & kill Tony?

4) Or does Tony live only to end up in prison?

I need answers people!!!

Tomorrow Pompadour John & I are driving to Hotlanta to register @ Crate & Barrel. Well, at least that's what I'm telling people. I can't lie, I'm primarily going for H&M. Don't get me wrong, we do intend to register @ Crate & Barrel. It's just now that H&M has opened, it's taken the # 1 slot on the agenda.

On another note.... I'm reading Water For Elephants. I know everyone else read it last year, but I got it for Christmas & am just now getting around to reading it. I'm about half way through & I love it. I've read a lot of good books this year. Hooray for leisure reading!

Allright, in closing I'm going to do something "taboo" & talk about how funny this one commercial is. I know, I know.... but, seriously, it's freaking hilarious. The Orkin commercial with the termite, "Is that oak?" OMG!

What's Making Me Laugh Today

Apologies in advance for the language:

Hi-Yah!

On Saturday, Carolyn went with me to Smyrna & we bought my dress & picked out the bridesmaid dresses. Thank god for Carolyn because the dress she picked out is so much better than everything else I was looking at. She even humored me & tried it on. My mom & sister were there too & they loved it. Then we went over to the reception site & Carolyn & my mom talked about how many tables we'll need, placement, decor, etc. It's amazing how much we've done in 2 months.

On Saturday night, John & I went to see Redbelt, the new David Mamet film. I loved it, but I love David Mamet. And I really love Chiwetel Ejiofor. I realized 2 things while watching the movie: 1) people in Green Hills are assholes and 2) I want to be a fighter. I'll elaborate.

1) There were only about 4 of us in the theater on Sat. night. John & I were in the middle of the theater, in the middle of a row. There was no one anywhere near us. Right as the movie is starting, this weird middle-aged couple comes & sits down right beside us, or me, rather. Her perfume was so strong I couldn't breathe. At this point, the movie has started & they're just talking away, pissing me off. Then her cell phone rings & she answers it & starts talking. WTF! At that point, we scooted down a couple of seats. I mean, who sits right beside someone at the movies if you don't have to???

2) I want to learn how to fight. Professionally. I used to take kickboxing & I loved it. And I was fairly good at it. My aunt & my cousin are black belts & I'm kind of jealous. I think at some point after the wedding; after I get out of school, I'll start taking classes somewhere. Maybe I'll become a black belt & fight in the Kumite like Jean-Claude Van Damme in Bloodsport. Ahh, a girl can dream.....

Such A Pretty Fat

In preparation for a trip to Florida last year, John & I went to the bookstore to find some light beach reading. John handed me this book titled Bright Lights, Big Ass. He said it looked like something I would find funny. Well, right he was. I devoured that book & immediately upon returning home, bought the author's 1st book, Bitter Is the New Black. Said author is Jen Lancaster & I love her.

This week, Jen released her 3rd book, Such A Pretty Fat. I can't wait to read it. Here's a link to a review from the Chicago Sun Times:

http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/books/930683,SHO-Books-lancaster04.article

Now I know these books aren't going to win me any points in book club, but they're funny as shit & I like them. I read my fair share of "serious" books & every now & then I reward myself with some light reading from female authors like Jen Lancaster or Jennifer Weiner. So shoot me.

If anyone is interested in reading Jen's 1st 2 books, let me know. I have them for the taking.

TGIF.

H&M Goes Dirty South

Today is a big day. Big! Today, H&M opens in Atlanta. It's in North Point Mall in Alpharetta, Georgia. John & I are going to Atlanta next weekend to register @ Crate & Barrel, which will now be cut short by the time I'm going to need to spend in H&M. Better luck next time, Crate & Barrel.

Last night I re-watched Juno. I saw it in the theater, but John didn't, so I got it on Netflix. I love that movie. John liked it, too. He wants to know if we can register for a hamburger phone...

Today I'm going to lunch with my pals, Natalie & Holly. I haven't seen them in too long. Sad since they only work across the street from my office.... Oh well, next week is the last week of Session, so my work schedule should normalize soon.

Tonight I'm going to an engagement party for someone I work with. It doesn't start until 7:00, so I'm going to try & go to the 5:30 Body Sculpt class again. Hopefully I won't be sore all weekend like I was last week. Whatever. No pain, no gain, right.....

Wedding Dress? Check!

I got my hair cut on Friday afternoon. If I haven't mentioned it before, I have THE BEST hair stylist. I go to Fatima @ Streets Salon. She's not easy to get into, but she's so worth the wait.

After my hair cut, I met Mary Katherine @ Pei Wei & then we came back here & watched The Diving Bell & The Butterfly. It's the movie based on Jean-Dominique Bauby, the editor of French Elle. He had a massive stroke in 1995 & wrote a book about his experience. It was a sad story, but not really a sad movie. It was more artsy than something you'd see on Lifetime. Highly recommend it.

Saturday was a monumental day.... I think I found my wedding dress. It's beautiful & very figure flattering. Also, the dress is in the right price range, so it's a win-win.

Saturday night John was in the studio, so I watched The Jane Austin Book Club on DVD. Ehhh, it was okay. I definitely didn't hate it, but don't need to see it again. It was a good home alone on a Saturday night movie.

So I've been incredibly sore all weekend from the damn Body Sculpt class I took on Thursday night. I couldn't lift my arms. It was miserable. Well, I might have topped it yesterday. I finally took the Bottom Line class at the Y. Unbeknownst to me, it's a 75 minute class. 75 long minutes of inner & outer thigh work, plus about 500 squats & lunges thrown in for good measure. I'm a little sore already. I have no doubt I'll be hobbling by the end of the day.

Allright, time to go to work. Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Santogold

I'm kind of obsessed with Santogold. I heard her song, "L.E.S. Artistes", on KEXP awhile ago & have been trying to figure out who she is & how to get her album. Well, her album came out earlier this week. I bought it online, but haven't received it yet. I can't wait. I think it's going to be my CD of the summer.

I read in a magazine recently that Santogold was the songwriter for Res. I think I'm maybe 1 of 100 people who bought that album. Res was popular for a hot minute when I lived in NYC. I still secretly listen to it & now, knowing that Santogold was the songwriter for the album, understand my attraction to her.

TiVo recorded Conan the other night & Santogold was the musical guest. I'm really obsessed now after seeing her on Conan. I love her.

I went to YouTube & found this. Enjoy: