Have you ever seen that commercial with the mom who doesn’t have the time to pay attention to her appearance? All of the sudden, she buys Suave (or something like that) and she’s revived, the goddess that she used to be before beauty (and probably general hygiene) had taken a lower priority in life.
I admit I’ve felt like that for a while. Keeping track of Ben, working long hours and just trying to exist have really taken a toll on my beauty regimen. There was a time, not too long ago, where I wouldn’t be caught outside the house without some lipgloss and eye liner. Now I’m going everywhere with my face unwashed and looking like death. I’ve seen enough Today show and InStyle segments and articles stating that moms should take some time off for themselves, and I haven’t really done that…til last week.
I used to have a makeup addiction, even during this black hole time of non-beauty I’d still buy some lipgloss if it caught my fancy. I love lipglosses, lipsticks and nail polish. It’s been a while since I’ve used any of the things I’ve bought. Any of you seasoned YWIM readers may recall the days when I used to regularly update the webcam on the sidebar and post pictures of myself. But as of late (A.B. - After Ben, as I call it) I can’t recall when the last good picture was taken of me. A picture where I actually look presentable and I would actually post it on the internet.
So the other day, I decided to treat myself and do a bit of shopping at the local beauty store. I bought some makeup, and even some perfume - Vera Wang’s Princess. I chose that one because I went to a stripclub with some coworkers (back in the days when I actually HAD coworkers I went out with) and the stripper I was tipping smelled really good. We had a conversation about her perfume and she mentioned she was wearing Princess. Really sweet and nice gal. So when I was at the store, I tried it out on myself (because you know, scents smell different on everyone) and although I didn’t smell as good as the stripper (is that a good thing?) I did like the scent.
Then yesterday, out of the blue, I decided I needed a hair cut. It had been more than six months since I’ve gotten a haircut (it could even be a year) and the last time my hair was cut I had gone to the woman who does Dave’s hair since I no longer work downtown (sorry Jack, I still love you). I didn’t like the cut at all, and her style of cutting hair (using a razor to create texture) is not something I liked. But now I’ve got this grown out shag of hair, and the only way I can make it look presentable is to curl the hell out of it (but which looks really good, though it takes a LOT of time to do).
I did some searching on the internets for a local shop with good ratings, and they fortunately had an opening. I headed out, asked for about 2 inches off and *gasp* bangs. Wasn’t sure if bangs were a right choice, but it’s just hair, right? It grows back. Luckily the guy who was doing my hair told me I had a cowlick on the side of my head and that I should get my bangs cut at the opposite side. You can’t really tell I have any bangs since I asked for long, sideswept bangs, but I think they still look nice.
So here’s the most current picture of me - in black and white since a) it looks nicer and b) there was a yellow cast on the original that I just can’t get rid off and I would rather not look like I have jaundice.
Man, it seems like this blog has been taken over by American Idol! I really do much more than watch that show, but I just don’t have much time to blog about anything else!
Anyway, here’s my runthrough of the contestants over the last two nights…
Females
Favorites:
Ramiele - Because I truly do love that song, “Don’t Leave Me This Way”. One of my favorite songs from the 70’s! I wished she worked the audience more, she could have rocked the house if she moved around more.
Asia’h - She started off a little slow, but by the end, she was great. I also like her spirit, she seems very upbeat
Brooke - “You’re So Vain” was the perfect song for her to sing! She did a great job.
Who I want to go:
Kady - She’s just not producing good performances. “Magic Man” was a horrible song choice because, even though it’s a great song, it’s the wrong song to show off your singing skills
Amanda - She’s becoming a one trick pony to me, and her hair scared me.
Guys
Favorites:
David A - OK, I admit it, this little bugger won me over this week. I’m even tempted to buy his rendition of “Imagine” on iTunes, it was beautiful! After he performed I was like, ‘Throw in the towel, people, this is our winner!’ Awesome, simply awesome.
David H - I admit, last week I was going to say that this guy was forgettable, but he came out this week on FIRE! Loved how he came out singing “Papa was a rolling stone”. Did a nice job working the stage and the camera. Definitely a big surprise to me this week.
Danny - Yes, Danny, I still love you, Mr. Sassypants. He did a better job this week and I had to laugh as he was making love to the camera, but I’m waiting for him to sing a song that really uses all of his talents.
Who I want to go:
Jason - Man, Dave and I were totally laughing as he sang his song, “Without Love”. Dave said he felt like we were watching a cruise show. At the very end, Jason did this little shimmy dance thing that had us howling with laughter. Cheese!
Luke - He did a lot better this week, but when he was singing, I was like, “Huh? Is this a song, or his he just talking? Where’s the tune?” Horrible song choice! Looks like my eye candy may have an early exit.
Honorable Mentions
Alexandrea - I like her, I think because she reminds me of my sister Claudine. Maybe it’s the cheeks.
Jason - I forgot to mention him as a favorite last week. He didn’t do awesome this week, but he did a good job. Loved him more last week singing one of my favorite songs, “Daydream”. I like his easygoing personality, seems like a sweetheart.
I know some of you have been waiting for my American Idol reviews, but due to the lunar eclipse and a packed schedule, I haven’t had much time to sit down and write about it. For now, I’ll give you my favorites and not-so favorites.
Female Faves: Ramiele Malubay - Of course, my favorite female. I know about 10 people that look like her. You could argue that the judges like her because she’s a cute, little Asian girl, but she really is talented. My only issue is that I have to fight the urge to get up in front of the TV to push her hair out of her face.
Brooke White - She’s sweet…don’t know if she’ll make it all the way, but I like her
Syesha Mercado - Great voice, great hair
Truthfully, I didn’t pay as much attention to the ladies as I did the gents, basically because during most of their performances I was thawing off.
Male Faves: Danny Noriega - Sorry, my Rami, my little Filipino buttercup, I have to admit that Danny is my favorite. Sure, he kinda sucked last week, but I love him. That boy is FIERCE! And I never user that term, so you know it’s something special. Some people compare him to Sanjaya from last season, but Danny is sassier, has better hair, and is a better singer. Now if he could only stop pouting and try to have a good time when he’s not singing, he’d be purrr-fect.
Michael Johns - You know, when Harry Connick Jr. came out, I thought he was a nice looking guy and loved his music. However, after I saw him in concert, I thought he was one of the sexiest things alive. Michael Johns is a little like that. If you just look at his pictures, he just look ok. But once he gets on stage and does his thing, he has a way with the audience and a charisma that you can’t deny. This Aussie is going to go far, but I hope he doesn’t win - the foreigners already took over our Academy awards, I don’t want them to take over American Idol, too!
Luke Menard - Great singer? No. Striking stage presence? No. Yummy eye candy? Yes.
The Non-Faves a.k.a. THEY GOTS’TA GO! Jason Yeager - to me, completely forgettable. He doesn’t stand out. I actually had to look up the AI website to figure out what his hame was
One the the non-Brooke blondes - to me, they’re all the same. I think I like Kristy Lee Cook because she reminds me a bit of Kristy Swanson. Or was that the other AI blonde? Ack. One of them has to go, just so I can remember who’s who
Amanda Overmeyer - as much as I love Amanda Overmeyer, she is NOT having a good time. She has an awesome voice, a great stage presence, but unfortunately, one of the things you have to do in American Idol is the cheesey group song and dance, and I don’t want to sit through the next couple months watching Amanda hardly going through the motions in those performances wishing she was riding her Harley.
So who are your current faves? Who do you think should get a one way ticket to American Idol obscurity?
Hanging at the in-laws this year, watching the Oscars. I really don’t have too many opinions on this year’s nominees, since I haven’t watched anything things year, but one thing I can comment on - the fashion!
7:05 - Too bad it’s so loud on the red carpet - poor Regis Philbin couldn’t hear George Clooney comment on Notre Dame’s basketball score. If I was in Regis’ shoes, I wouldn’t have the problem, I would be standing there cheek to cheek with George, totally invading his personal space and trying to get his gorgeous girlfriend out of the picture.
7:07 - Anyone watch SNL yesterday? Thanks to that show, I can’t see Javier Bardem’s character in “No Country for Old Men” without thinking of Dora the Explorer.
7:08 - I admit - I’m a big fan of Hannah Montana. Hopefully in 5 years I’m not taking that back. Miley Cyrus looks good tonight, though Dave’s dad is annoyed by the kissy-fish faces she makes when she’s posing. She’s sixteen, she’ll learn. Also, I’d like to confess, I bought a Hannah Montana t-shirt when I was shopping yesterday. I’m badass.
7:11 - Katherine Heigl (is that how you spell it?) would look beautiful, except it looks like she went tanning with sunglasses on because her eye area is so much brighter than the rest of her face. I think it’s too much blush.
7:12 - Jennifer Garner looks great. I love her, she has such a beautiful and infectious smile. On a side note, anyone watch E!’s pre-show coverage? There was a VERY uncomfortable exchange between Ryan Seacrest, Jennifer Garner and Gary Busey that happened. Chances are, it’ll be youtubed tomorrow.
…and here it is. UNCOMFORTABLE!
7:18 - I’m hoping this year they don’t have a cheesey song montage of red carpet entrances right before the start of the Oscars. Please please please let the end of the writer’s strike so close to the Oscars mean that they didn’t have time to think of stupid lyrics for a song. It always makes me roll my eyes!
7:22 - As much as I love Ellen Page, she just looks OK. My best friend said that Juno reminds her of me. Don’t know what she’s talking about since I was never a teenage mom, but I guess I’ll have to check out the movie. I want her to win - who wouldn’t want Shadowcat to win?
7:27 - Jack Nicholson always looks the same. Not sure about the shades thing - why is that necessary?
7:30 - it begins!
7:31 - Semi-Cheesey opening, but at least there wasn’t singing and lyric changing.
7:39 - Opening monologue is ok…not awesome, but ok.
7:24 - I’d like for Across the Universe to win best costume…but Elizabeth wins. The movie involving the most fabric wins! Big props goes to the winner and her 5 second speech.
7:48 - The 80 year review was nice. Done quick enough that it wasn’t boring. Have no idea why they picked out the Rob Lowe and Snow white bit, though. It was great to see the older Audrey Hepburn, looking as beautiful as she did in her youth - she is the epitome of class. Touching to see and older and thicker Charlie Chaplin as well.
7:51 - Anne Hathaway and Steve Carrell present. Can’t wait to see “Get Smart”! Anne looks good, but the dress makes her look a little pregnant. Nice schtick together.
7:54 - Ratatoile wins. I have no idea how to spell that. I have to pee. I hope a commercial is coming up soon.
7:56 - Every clip of “La Vie en Rose” I see makes me want to see it more. Marion Cotillard looks like she does an amazing job.
7:58 - A song from “Enchanted” is up. Man, I need to go out and see that movie!
8:07 - Ben just fell off the couch. As he fell, he tried to hold on to something, namely his pants. Which he half-pulled off by the time he reached the floor. Since he was ok, it was pretty funny to see him holding his pants, lying on the floor.
8:08 - I heart the Rock aka Dwayne Johnson. Especially once I found out that the scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark terrified him as well.
8:15 - Dang, Jennifer Hudson lost a lot of weight. It hasn’t helped her read cue cards, though…
8:16 - Best Supporting Actor - When I see Javier Bardem without the Dora haircut, I think of “Denny” from “Grey’s Anatomy”. I’d love to see Phillip Seymore Hoffman win. He’s had a TON of awesome roles, my favorite being “Boogie Nights”, because of the “like my car?” line. A Christine/Dave favorite. Javier wins, as expected, and surprisingly, I understand half of what he said in Spanish.
8:23 - OMG, they actually did a salute to binoculars and periscopes!
8:26 - A song from “August Rush”, a movie I really wanted to watch, is on. Can you imagine being 11 years old and singing for a billion people? Incredible, man.
8:28 - Owen Wilson! Good to see him. Didn’t know he was an Academy Award nominee. Ben just discovered the wonder of “Cars”, so I hear Owen pretty much all day.
8:35 - Best Supporting Actress - for some reason, I thought Alan Arkin was dead. Guess I was mistaken…because…ahhh forget it. It’s incredible how much Cate Blanchett looks like Bob Dylan. Ruby Dee can definitely make this contest into an upset. Keep your eye out for Saorise Ronan - she plays the lead in “The Lovely Bones”, coming soon, a movie I will DEFINITELY be seeing in the theaters!
8:38 - Hot damn! Tilda Swinton wins. Even though I lose a lot of pretend money because Fatty McBlanchett didn’t win, I am happy - she’s been different in every role I’ve seen her in, definitely a great actress. She definitely has an amazing speech, comparing the Oscar statuette and her agent, dedicating it to him, then talking about George Clooney coming to set in his Batsuit was great.
8:42 - Man, time has been flying during these Oscars. Probably because I’m also working while watching. Bleh. But I would have to say, this has been a better-than-average Academy Awards.
8:44 - Jessica Alba is in her third trimester and looks incredible. Bitch.
8:45 - But I still love her.
8:47 - Best Adapted Screenplay - James McEvoy looks like me friend/coworker Tony. Then again, any young man with a beard looks like him. Nice to see Sarah Polley, the girl from “Go”, nominated for an Oscar.
8:52 - Mileeeeeeeeeeeeeeey! Mileeeeeeeeey! She has an awesome, smokey voice…and it looks like her braces are working. She’s announcing another song from Enchanted. Kristin Chenoweth is heaven singing, and adorable. I wish she could sing me a lullabye every night before I go to sleep.
9:05 - Best Presenter Chemistry of the Night goes to….Jonah Hill and Seth Rogen with their “No, *I’m* Halle Berry” exchange.
9:08 - These winner look-backs are really nice. I like them, and they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
9:09 - Best Actress is coming up so soon? Wow! My virtual bets are on Julie Christie, but as I said before, my geek side wants Ellen Page to win. Crazier things have happened *cough* Marisa Tomei *cough*. A lot of talent in this bunch. Another favorite of mine is Laura Linney. She consistently has amazing roles but has not yet been rewarded with the little gold man.
9:10 - Marion Cotillard wins! Her accent is truly enchanting. I’m happy for her…as I said, from the clips I’ve seen, she looks like she did an incredible job. Beautiful speech, as well, “It is true there is some angels in this town!”
9:21 - “Falling Slowly” is a beautiful song…never heard of the movie it came from, though…
9:27 - Looking at the past Best Movie winners, there have been some really amazing movies that I have not seen yet.
9:28 - There is something that I don’t like about Renee Zellwegger. Is it because she’s so skinny? Because she looks like she’s always about to cry? Maybe her new short hairdo? Not sure, but although I do love her roles, her presence off-screen is just that - off.
9:31 - Oh, Nicole Kidman’s there? I thought she was taking it easy because of her pregnancy. Looks like there’s a bunch of preggo’s in the house! All we need now is Angie and Halle and we’ve got enough for baby poker.
9:51 - Glad to see “Falling Slowly” win.
9:57 - The brought out the poor woman who didn’t get to start her speech, and daggone it, it was good that they did. She had a wonderful, inspiring speech.
10:02 - Ahh, the “OMG, I didn’t realize that they died!” segment. I will cry when I see Heath. OMG, Suzanne Pleshette is dead? Ahhh, Heath, Heath, Heath. Ben goes “whoo!!!!” for you. Yes, he’s still up.
10:08 - Lucky Amy Adams, she gets to sing tonight AND present!
10:25 - Yay! “Juno” wins best Original Screenplay. At least I get one right in my Oscar picks….I missed the end of Diablo Cody’s speech. Did something happen? She looked upset as she was walking off stage. Or was she just overcome with emotion?
10:32 - I stand corrected, PSH (Phillip Seymore Hoffman) has already won an Academy Award.
10:39 - OK, I’m officially bored. Let’s get this business over with!
10:41 - Marty Scorcese seems like he’d be a fun guy to hang out with. Wouldn’t it have sucked if he didn’t win last year?
10:45 - Man, Denzel Washington’s getting old! Still lookin’ good, though! “No Country for Old Men” takes the top prize!
All in all, it was a good Academy Awards. The little Oscar run throughs of winners before each major award were pretty nice, and the ceremonies moved relatively quickly. Several surprises, and something I realized a little later is that the major acting categories all went to people who had accents. Right now it’s 12:41am and I’m watching the party cams on E!.
What did y’all think of the ceremony? Favorite moments?
So yesterday was the last lunar eclipse until 2010, and fortunately for me, it wasn’t cloudy. But it WAS damn cold. And since I was too lazy to put on any socks, it didn’t help my frozen little feet. Another challenge? American Idol was on for two hours, one hour of it during the actual eclipse. Thank God for commercial breaks! I headed out onto my driveway with my trusty tripod, camera, zoom lens, camera hood and plastic bag. Why the plastic bag? To put my camera in before going back inside, preventing my camera lens from fogging up in the warm indoor air.
I remember seeing a lunar eclipse when I was a lot younger, with my low-tech telescope that my dad bought me perched on top of our family station wagon. I don’t remember if it was cold back then, just that me, my sisters and my father patiently waited for the moon to disappear. My spotty memory doesn’t recall how much of the eclipse we saw, or even if it was a total eclipse, but I do remember being happy.
Anyway, the last time I tried watching the lunar eclipse, I was in Buffalo and it got cloudy just as the eclipse was about to happen. So I was determined to watch this one, and with my new fancy schmancy technology, take pictures of it. My neighbors and the 7-11 workers across the street may have wondered about the weird lady coming out at weird intervals with her tripod and camera, taking pictures of the sky. But had they been watching American Idol, they would have realized that I was going out during the commercial breaks, which was just enough time to see the eclipse in different phases. Each time, my tripod was SOOOOOO cold as I was bringing it back in, since I didn’t have gloves on. I fought the temptation to lick the cold tripod to see if my tongue would stick, “Christmas Story” style.
Anyway, I took a lot of pics, and only a quarter turned out well. But there were some good ones, so here they are!
The total lunar eclipse - the moon is blood red and you can see a sliver of the moon on the right side
Zoomed out a little bit - the star Regulus is at the top and the planet Saturn is on the left
All the phases of the eclipse I saw
Didn’t finish the eclipse because it was damn cold outside!
It was incredible to witness. However, it was not fun going in and out of the house to take pictures. Since the moon was high in the sky, with the tripod I had to kneel on the ground to position my camera, so my knees were frozen. Also, during the total eclipse it was hard to focus my camera on the moon. It was also difficult to figure out the right settings for my camera, but I think I did OK this time around!
Last time there was a total lunar eclipse, I was stuck in Buffalo on a semi cloudy night. Today’s weather report is “mostly clear” so we’ll see how well I can see the lunar eclipse. Anyway, here’s some info on it!
Lunar eclipse to occur Wednesday night
The last total lunar eclipse until 2010 occurs Wednesday night, with cameo appearances by Saturn and the bright star Regulus on either side of the veiled full moon.
Skywatchers viewing through a telescope will have the added treat of seeing Saturn’s handsome rings.
Weather permitting, the total eclipse can be seen from North and South America. People in Europe and Africa will be able to see it high in the sky before dawn on Thursday.
As the moonlight dims — it won’t go totally dark — Saturn and Regulus will pop out and sandwich the moon. Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo.
Jack Horkheimer, host of the PBS show “Star Gazer,” called the event “the moon, the lord of the rings and heart of the lion eclipse.”
Wednesday’s event will be the last total lunar eclipse until Dec. 20, 2010. Last year there were two.
Wednesday’s total eclipse phase will last nearly an hour. Earth’s shadow is expected to blot out the moon beginning around 7 p.m. on the West Coast and 10 p.m. on the East Coast. West Coast skygazers will miss the start of the eclipse because it occurs before the moon rises.
Today I have the day of in honor of President’s day. I technically had it off last year but had to work, and almost didn’t have it off this year but that’s another story.
So I’m baking carrot spinach brownies (eew, right? We’ll see how they turn out!) and hanging with my mom-friends for a play date.
So the other night I was picking Ben up from the in-laws after attending the wake of a woman I’ve known for almost all my life. It had been a long day (as most days have become lately) and it was about 10pm. There weren’t too many cars on the street as we drove along - about two car lengths ahead of me in the other lane was a van, and there were 2 other cars in the distance behind me.
We’re driving down the street, with Ben’s jams playing in the background. The van in front of me crosses over some train tracks, and I hear it honk their horn. I don’t see any other cars in front of the van so I’m wondering why this guy is honking. Is he honking at me? What did I do? Was I wrong and were the cars far behind me honking? Is there a pothole I’m being warned about? As these thoughts are crossing my mind (which takes a couple seconds to read, but in reality just took a split second to cross my mind) I was passing the train tracks, and I heard the van’s horn again. But then I realized what it actually was - THE TRAIN’S HORN. As my car was crossing the tracks, I looked to my left and saw, not more than a fifty yards away from me (i have no perception of distance, but it was pretty damn close) the bright light of an oncoming train. It had been the train that was honking at the van in front of me, and it was the train that at that second, was blaring at me.
With my heart in my throat and my last breath suspended, I pressed the gas to go faster. Not that it mattered because I was already going pretty fast. Once again, all this happened in one tiny moment, but just like all of my other near-death experiences like this, I could remember every single thing that happened, and it feels like time was suspended - Matrix style.
As I drove away from the tracks, trying to recover and bring my heartrate back down, I watched in my rearview mirror, waiting for the train to just miss my car by a hair, but it never happened. About two car lengths after I passed the tracks, the crossing lights FINALLY turned on. There was NO way they were turned on as I was passing because a) the car in front of me passed through b) i would have seen the lights when i was trying to figure out why the car in front of me was honking and c) i’m pretty sure there’s a gate at that crossing…
About a block away from the scene, I saw the train - the train that was shining it’s bright light on my and blaring as I was passing the railroad crossing. It was slowly crossing the intersection, at about 5 miles an hour. I guess they already knew that there was a malfunction in the lights and had already slowed down before crossing the intersection.
Even with that, it was still a scary experience, being so close to a train as I was crossing the tracks. Funny thing is, I usually check tracks before crossing them (well, I slow down slightly). This time, though, I was just tired and distracted - i guess, though, that’s when the accidents usually happen, the one time when you’re NOT paying attention.
