kitten heels

started breaking in my nine west heels today. wore them from 10am-2pm then gave up and put on my Adidas and was like yes sir! so comfy. will recommence heel training next week

So I guess I should see Slumdog Millionare...

Watched the Oscars last night. Enjoyed looking at the pretty dresses and pretty celebs (Angelina's emerald jewelry! Tina Fey looked awesome!). But as I only saw a handful of contenders this year, my heart was not really in it. Maybe it was the sadness of Heath's passing. :( Maybe it was the recession. Maybe it was the fact that the Oscars are just old hat- they refuse to change the boring format of front loading with tech awards, doing long nonsensical musical numbers, and generally taking themselves too seriously as a separate art form. And although I found Hugh Jackman charming, I missed the humor of Jon Stewart. Actually I would have liked to see Tina Fey and Steve Martin host. They were frakkin hilarious as presenters or even Seth Rogen (aww what a crush I have on him!). "Don't fall in love with me," Steve said to Tina. Genius, lol. Probably the most enjoyable moment for me was when Kate Winslet won for Best Actress. I loved her asking her for her dad to whistle so she could find him and then you hear this sharp whistle from the audience. So cute. I love Kate/Marianne. She picks such quirky, interesting, in-depth roles.

update: saw slumdog last night. not impressed. actually kind of weirded out by the gender dynamics- the plot revolve around a byronic hero trying to rescue his fallen angel. and it has really odd postcolonial politics. i think i am too overeducated to enjoy it. plus i never liked Who Wants to be a Millionaire

Just spotted>>> The Real Housewives of New York City

These reality housewife divas spotted in the lobby of my building, sans the really crazy blonde on the far right. Stood in a closed circle and ignored everyone. Look exactly the same as on TV.

Note: On sunday night also saw Baya from the Real World Brooklyn at a bar in Queens. So this must be my week for seeing reality pseudo celebs

Fanboys has a new fan

I went to see Fanboys on Valentines Day in Times Square. It was crazy. The theater was chock full and a whole cavalcade of nerd sweethearts were in the theater with us. The movie, written by Austinite and friend Ernie Cline (go Ernie!) was a hilarious comedy with enough heart to make the story worth watching but not hit you over the head with seriousness. I greatly enjoyed it and all the Star Wars jokes. It really started clicking with me when the two main characters are fighting about the distance in their friendship and then get totally sidetracked arguing about the romance between Luke and Leah ("they were siblings, dude, you are sick!"). This scene was spot on in representing nerds- and reminded me greatly of my friends and I. The battle between the Trekkies and the Star Wars fans was hilarious, as were Seth Rogen's various cameos. And I LOVED seeing Veronica Mars aka Kristin Bell back and still kicking and fighting. I also loved the scene in the hospital with Carrie Fisher- a great blending of tribute and parody. All in all, I really enjoyed seeing this film, laughed my arse off and am saving my recession dollars to buy the DVD. :)

Perilla Love

When my cool Mommy/Chris came to NYC for X-mas I insisted on dragging her to Perilla, the first top chef's restaurant- Harold Dieterle. We went and had a great time. It's a cute place in the West Village where the appetizers and desserts really shine (the entrees were a bit boring). I even tried to recreate their ginger brownies. And last night on Top Chef season 5 they had a brief clip of the contestants visiting Perilla and chatting with Harold. How cool!

Taking Chance: American Catharsis

Taking Chance is an HBO film starring Kevin Bacon. Based on the claim of "real events" the film follows the story of a military officer who volunteers to escort the body of the young soldier Chance back to his hometown for the funeral. From the very beginning, this dark toned, shadow filled film felt like one prolonged moment of grief. The score was overwhelmingly sentimental and contributed to the Hallmark commercial aesthetic. However, probably like most of America, I was ready to grieve. I was ready to be sad about Iraq and the young people dying there. I think people are ready to mourn, in preparation for the war to end- a hopeful grief, if ever it existed. Because this country is at war, and that cannot be forgotten. And no matter how you think about the war, everyone can mourn the losses. I don't want people to die- that's why I don't want them at war! Taking Chance really portrayed all the honorable and touching aspects of yang masculinity. To watch all these military characters get choked up, to see the imagined dream of a united America (in grief) was like being transported to the days right after 9/11.

What I liked about Taking Chance was a conversation that came near the end of the film. The military escort has just heard the story of young Chance's death and tells an old Vietnam vet that he should have gone to Iraq instead of staying home with his family. The vet gives him hell and tells him that his family needs him and that he has served his country by being witness to Chance's life and death. Now here was the complexity I was seeking. Is "honor" served by staying at home with the family you helped to create and need to support or by dying in a foreign country for your country? Or both? Can't the desire not to fight be just as right as the desire to fight? It was the question that made the film worth watching and saved it from being utter schlock, if effective (yes I teared up a bit).

the bright lights of the city

Last night I had the amazing opportunity, thanks to the generosity of Jesse's family, to attend the John Legend concert at Radio City Music Hall. Estelle opened the concert and just rocked it. She was wearing a bright orange dress with blue eyeshadow and had an amazing team of male backup singers. I loved seeing her in person. She was very chatty, foulmouthed and personable. You forget how different performers are when they are live. Then you get to see the performer part of them- the extrovert who works the crowds and loves the attention. John Legend was also impressive, although quite short for such a big voice. He was truly incredible, the way he could wield his voice with such energetic precision. Blew me away! It was a fun, energizing night. Made me remember that NYC holds such adventures and experiences just waiting to be explored. Radio City was a world within a world. Ordinary people...greenlight...american boy...!!! so much fun :)

On the Bachelor's 13th (!) season

I was watching the Bachelor last night and found myself marveling at the age of the women on the show. Three of the four finalists are 24 or 25 years old. Yikes, that's my age! And no way would I be considering marrying a 30 something man, leaving everything behind and moving to his city, and becoming the stepmother of a 4 year old. Right now my biggest concerns are planning my housewarming party and worrying about what kind of boot to buy for New York winters. I do believe that these women are serious- yes Melissa would no doubt marry Jason. But how long could that possibly last? Do you know yourself well enough at 24 to take on the role of wife and mother? I don't. I feel like I would be swallowed up in a relationship that serious. So I have to vote for Jillian, the eldest of the group. She is the only one of the four who is still holding back from Jason and I take that as a good sign. She won't fall as quickly, and hopefully she won't fall out as quickly!

I do not always Heart NYC

Especially when I buy milk with a NYC expiration date of Feb 6 on Feb 1st and it is still sour! Why does milk take so long to get to the city? This is a recession- I cannot afford to pour all my milk down the sink :(