Closet Envy

InStyle recently profiled Michelle Obama's look. I think her fashion sense and her personality are both just fabulous. Anyway, that inspired me to ask a few people what celebrities' wardrobes they would most want to steal. Here are some of the answers I got:

Jennifer Aniston

Nicole Richie

Eva Longoria Parker

My answer? Rachel Bilson. Why? She's comfortable, put together, never on a "fashion don't" list, and manages to wear looks that most of us petite people think we're not supposed to attempt. Oh and she used to date Adam Brody, who is hi-larious.

Ways to Spend My Day (If I didn't have to work)

Lately, my favorite thing to fantasize about is how I would spend my day if I wasn't working. I know everyone thinks I'd be really bored after a week of not working, but I really don't think I would...I think I would LOVE it, of course if I could get paid real money to not work :)

Here are the top 6 ways I would spend my day if I didn't have to work:

1. Cook. I took a cooking class in January (yumm, Vietnamese food) and am taking one more tonight with the ladies. Don't get me wrong, I love that G enjoys cooking, but there are times (especially when I can see indian mothers everywhere judging me) where I would like to have a nice warm dinner ready for him when he finishes his day.

2. Excercise. I strive to go to the gym about 4-5 days a week, but these are quick workouts that just get my blood pumping and ensure that I don't gain 10000 pounds (mama likes to eat). I would love to take advantage of the fun classes that are offered in the middle of the day at my gym. Classes like bosu, spinning, cardio yoga, pilates are just some that all hot housewives get to attend....hot software executives (like myself) are restricted to the treadmill and some weights.

3. Charity Work. Certain causes (especially those affecting kids) are ones that I'm greatly interested in. When I was younger, volunteering was an activity that I frequently participated in. As an adult, I can't remember the last time I volunteered because work and life are always in the way.

4. Travel. Traveling anywhere is such a drag when you have limitations on when you can travel due to client meetings and/or conference calls. Travel also becomes very expensive if you can't fly on a random day like Tuesday. But with no work life, I could fly whenever Delta wanted me to and I could see

5. Be a better person. Oftentimes, I am in bad mood due to a bad day at work. This results me in being a bad daugther (to my parents), a moody sister, a grumpy wife, poorly dressed friend, and cranky daughter-in-law. HOWEVER, if I didn't have bad days at work because of no work, then I would be the fabulous person we all know I can be.

6. Shop! Malls are so much less crowded during the middle of the day on a Tuesday. It allows you to really see all the clothes / shoes / accessories in great detail and put together FANTASTIC outfits. Rather than dressing like a homeless person daily, with the right amount of time at the mall, I could be dressed like this, with awesome accessories:

Lastly, I'll say this here (and only here), that if I didn't work, I'd promise G that I would care for this "dog" he thinks we are getting. Haha, I have him fooled - I'll stop working and then develop an allergy to it.

Yay! Work is over now :)

-R

Antisocial...or Savvy?

There's a fine line between being just friendly enough and being too friendly. As some of us learned in college, a simple "Hey, I recognize you from differential equations class" directed toward the wrong type of person can effectively ruin your life. So now, in the real world, it's hard to figure out how far to go with people you see on a day-to-day basis. Of course there's also the obvious pro of potentially meeting a kindred spirit and all that other "love thy neighbor" stuff, but here are the main pros and cons of getting too close, IMO.

Neighbors

Pro: a door to knock on if your wine opener breaks right when you are dying for a drink (although it's a wonder how a wrench and pliers - which every girl should have - will help in this sitch)

Con: not being able to just smile and run by when you're rushing out in your PJ's with a messy bun and slept-in mascara to grab the latest Netflix from the mailbox

Coworkers*

Pro: free advice on how to fix your temperamental garbage disposal

Con: having to listen to mind-numbing conversations about plumbing, fishing, and how them new-fangled things like Facebook suck

Gym Goers

Pro: someone to grab the right dumbbells for you when you're inevitably late for sculpting class

Con: being saddled with an assumed workout buddy who either slows you down while whining about life or brags about how she's "dieting" and therefore just had potato chips for lunch

Maybe in each of these cases you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Ah, such is life.

*Bear in mind that 90% of my coworkers are male scientists who have kids my age.

New Mascara I Tried

So, I am notorious for trying thousands of random beauty products (especially the sparkly ones), and up until today, I was in LOVE with the Dior Blackout Mascara:

But this morning, I randomly tried a sample of a Clinique mascara that I received as part of a gift and I must say...i LOVED it. The brush had a comb to truly separate your lashes (mine like to stick together).

If you're in the market for a new masacara, I love both of these and will probably keep both of these (in different colors) in my makeup bag to use based on my mood :)

Happy Friday!

-R

Twilight Super Powers

I fell into the addiction known as Twilight back in October on my way back from vacationing in Mexico. Twilight was the only English book in the Mexico City airport, so rather than bothering G in my quest for attention, I bought Twilight.

We upgraded to first class, and there I sat - a grown woman, with a glass of red wine, reading Twilight and anxiously waiting to see if Bella chose Edward or Jacob. A few teenage girls boarded the flight and high-fived me for my taste in reading material...FANTASTIC!

So now, a few months later (I only read on airplanes) I am almost thru with the last book - Breaking Dawn.

I started to think...if I could have any of their super powers, who's would I choose:

Character: Edward
Super Power: Hear everyone's thoughts
R's Opinion: Man, I could NOT hang out with Edward...nor could he hang out with me. My thoughts are SO random and disorganized that I would drive him crazy. I also wouldn't want this super power, doesn't seem like that much fun to me.

Character: Jasper
Super Power: Affect the emotions in his surrounding
R's Opinion: This is a cool super power, because you could control how people feel at any time. I would make people cry everytime I left a room (HAHA!). But this isn't one of my favorites.

Character: Bella
Super Power: Control her behavior around humans
R's Opinion: I definitely need to learn how to control my behavior around humans during the weekend after a few cocktails. (I saw someone sober for the first time at a Superbowl party, and was then embarrassed because I tend to say rude things about her when she's in close proximity after a few glasses of champers).

Character: Alice
Super Power: See in the future
R's Opinion: This is the ONE I would want! Man, I'm SO impatient, to know what the future holds based on your decisions is SO priceless!

So there you have it, I like to read like I'm 14 (same to the tv shows I watch) and if I could have one super power, I'd choose to see in the future.

Lots of Events!

I'm not bitter about Valentine's Day like the media indicates I should be. Maybe that's because I don't know anyone, single or not, who is really "into" the holiday. Maybe it's also because the cutesy stuff associated with today brings out the Charlotte in me instead of the Miranda.

Lots of magazines have published lists of what single girls should do this weekend, such as drink wine, go to the gym, hang out with the girls, shop, watch a chick flick, etc. I did all of those things (Valentine's Day = super cute movie), but honestly that's just a normal weekend - or maybe even a normal Tuesday. Don't all females make sure they do all that stuff periodically anyway? What's the big deal? And why isn't there a Valentine's Day "To Do" list for single guys?

Anyway, whether or not you are half of a whole, enjoy the day!

Also, we can't forget....

Happy 2010 Winter Olympics!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Happy Mardi Gras! Yay for FAT Tuesday!

-N

Teen Mom on MTV

During my time as a glamorous hotel bum (5 hotels in 4 weeks - thank god I'm home now!), I spent a good portion of my time watching MTV (there were limited channels). And I will tell you, I know that MTV had stopped playing music videos a while ago, especially when I was HOOKED on "The Hills." But now, I'm finally ready for them to go back to their strong suit - MUSIC VIDEOS.

As you know, MTV will play the same show OVER and OVER again, and the show of choice while I was hotel surfing was "Teen Mom." That show is OUTRAGEOUS! They are little kids having some other little kids. Dr. Drew hosted the reunion show...I wonder what he thinks of his career path, not that he's hosting reunion shows - but that's another conversation.

While surfing, I also found a movie on Lifetime (which I typically only watch for Tori Spelling movies or Golden Girls) called "Pregnancy Pact," which is about a group of girls who all make a pact to get pregnant together...that's the DUMBEST pact I've ever heard. Some better pacts would be:

1. Let's all wear skirts on Wednesday (yes, I did this pact in the 7th grade)
2. Let's all skip school on Fridays (I was too much of a goody two shoes to do this one)
3. Let's all go to the same college!
4. Let's all eat cheddar cheese for lunch with wheat thins

Don't get me wrong, I think kids are fantastic (when they're well behaved and cute), but I'm very much so a "enjoy your place in life before you fast forward to the next place, because then you'll be old with nothing to do" kind of girl.

One of the baby daddy's on "Teen Mom" decides to propose to his baby mama, and he has to get his dad to drive him to dinner (INSANE), and they go to a Sizzler! O-M-G! What's he gonna do when the baby needs diapers, call his dad again for the ride!?

And with that...I'll leave you with a line from a FANTASTIC SONG "....but T-Bird, I loooooooooove you...."

Ode to a DVR

I have a TV on during every second that I'm inside my house, even sometimes while I'm asleep. I absolutely adore TV. Yes, I know it's an unhealthy habit which rots my brain, but there's something so comforting about the background noise and about the people I get to meet through those black boxes. Anyway, here is an outline of the shows that I'm dedicated to and recommend, aside from daily sprinklings of The Today Show, BH 90210, and E! News.

Monday
How I Met Your Mother: If you liked Friends, you'll like HIMYM. It's hilarious and incredibly quotable. It has NPH too, hello!

The Big Bang Theory: I don't watch this one religiously, but it's funny and appeals to the nerd in us all.

Tuesday
90210: Will Silver keep jumping from one love triangle to the next? Will Hannah Zuckerman-Vasquez ever reappear after her cameo in the first episode? Is there any way to convince Kelly and Harry to stay on the show? Oh, the dramz!

Wednesday
Glee: I don't need to say much here. We all love its quirkiness and scandaliciousness and wish we could randomly burst into song/dance throughout the day. Don't get me started on the freaking long hiatus.
Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood: Yeah, they keep changing the name based on the couple's whims. This guilty pleasure returns April 5. Tori Spelling is actually really funny. Donna Martin procreates!

Thursday
The Office: Sometimes this show still makes me laugh out loud. I also think John Krasinski is super cute.
Grey's Anatomy: I'm hanging on, hoping it will recapture its glory. At least you can always rely on eye candy and the oh-so-sassy Dr. Bailey.
Project Runway: I've only seen the past couple of seasons, but it's a great combination of fashion and catty people. However, can someone tell me if Marie Claire magazine is really supposed to be pronounced "Mary" Claire, the way Heidi Klum says it?

Friday
The Soup: This show summarizes (in a hilarious format) all the stupid crap on TV that you would never see so that you can laugh at other people without having to sit through their entire programs. Can you imagine interning for that show and getting paid just to watch TV all week?

Saturday
Hmmm I don't know.

Sunday
Desperate Housewives: I don't wait in excitement for each episode, but it was great back in the day.
Brothers & Sisters: The actors make this show, and none of them get on my nerves - a rare phenomenon.
Keeping Up with the Kardashians: Here is another guilty pleasure. How can you not be entertained by this family though?!

Netflix
Weeds (because I don't get Showtime): The recent seasons haven't been that great IMO, but I can't turn away. It's just such a crazy, imaginative trainwreck.
Entourage (because I don't get HBO): I like watching these guys spend their money, watching Ari freak out about everything, and picking out the celebrity cameos.
Mad Men (because I'm behind): I've only seen the first season, but there's such a sexy air about this show.

Hopefully I didn't forget anything. Happy viewing!

-N

2010 Grammy's in the Eyes of R

I'm sitting here watching "Notorious," in my hotel room because of the great flood of 2009. As I watch it, I am thinking of last night's Grammy awards. I didn't watch them because I was at a cooking class (I'm learning to be a good domestic wife), but I did read about them online and watch E! during my workout.

I think Beyonce is great with her catchy songs. N and I met her once in high school, she told us we were AMAZING, and of course we knew that she was a smart woman. Her dress seems a bit too uncomfortable - similar to Mariah Carey's dress at the MTV Music Awards and she couldn't get up the stairs to accept her awards. I was surprised to see Beyonce voted as number 2 best dress (for her white dress).

I strongly dislike Taylor Swift - something about her looks like a cross of a mouse and a bird. And seriously, her songs take 10 minutes to write because they're awful! Seriously, I can't believe she won album of the year. She should thank Kanye West for her recent fame.

I like the Rhianna / Kanye / Jay-Z collaboration - "Run This Town." Rhianna's dress and hairstyle is a bit interesting, I used to think the asymetrical bob suited her face really well. This is the dress she sported last night pre-Grammy:

I absolutely love the show Glee, and loved Lea Michele's dress last night. Its such a fun dress and fits her well. Did you know that her and "Quinn Fabre" live together?

And how does the cast from "Jersey Shore" manage to score invitations to the Grammy's? If I wanted to see a bunch of people with fake coach bags and awful hair run around, I'd go people watch in inner California. I'm much more of a "The Hills" (Team LC!) or "Real Housewives" (when they were rich) reality show kind of girl.

The Grammy's will always remind me of being in high school, watching the Grammy's on the phone with N, and seeing Nick Lachey for the first time and the scream that caused both of our parents to think that something serious had happened to our health, rather than just seeing a hot guy

What's everyone's favorite / least favorite dress?

A Weekend in Photos

Do you think the groundhog will see his shadow tomorrow?

-N