Helloooooo Gorgeous

TV Ch-Ch-Changes

2008-11-13T13:57:00.006-05:00

So i know i am like a week behind on this news... but life has been busy what can i say.

anyways, fabulous news about the annoying Dr.Hahn... she has been canned!

Brooke Smith Axed From Grey’s Anatomy

and that makes this viewer extremely happy because her attitude on the show was insanely annoying. Plus, she was going to try and take down Seattle Grace? WTF? That Izzie incident was so last season.
AND Callie has way more chemistry with McSteamy so she should continue her rendezvous with him in the call room, not Hahn.
Thank you Shonda! You made an excellent call.

This just in... Lipstick Jungle has just 5 episodes left and are set to film anymore. Is this show canceled for good? or just postponed? and how?? they say the viewership is low, which is why the show got bumped to Friday... but I watch it, Southern Belle & Mr Belle watch it... aren't we important enough? :(

xoxo

i heart paul rudd ;)

2008-11-11T14:04:00.002-05:00

what a great post to come back to.... only the hottest dancing ever!
i suggest watching on repeat anytime you are having a crummy day. if this doesnt put a smile on your face ... nothing will :)

Im Baaaaaackkkkk ;)

2008-10-28T21:52:00.001-04:00

Mr.HG is making fun of me for not blogging in a whole month. So here you go babe... IM BACK :) and i have a lot to say so stay tuned!!

Love you babe... and love all of you readers who stuck around for my return ;)

xoxo

pink fluffines

2008-09-25T15:50:00.003-04:00

life is too busy and boring for posts right now*... but this photo made me laugh.
if this isn't the ingredients for a great Friday night than i don't know what is.
you have your cute furry heels. your marshmallow fluff. AND pink snowballs!
LOVE

*work... nuf said

xoxo

looks whos at fashion week

2008-09-15T12:55:00.005-04:00

Spotted: Justin Suarez @ the Milly show at fashion week.

Mark Indelicato is just like his Ugly Betty character Justin Suarez. Justin would totally freak to be at Fashion Week! and I bet Mark was squirming with delight as well. Way to do your character proud!

CAPTION: Mark Indelicato pictured front row at the Milly By Michelle Smith Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2009 in Bryant Park at The Promenade in New York City on September 10, 2008. ©

guac alternative

2008-09-15T11:03:00.003-04:00

So i looooove guacamole.... unfortunately it is high in points when you pair it with delicious lime Tostittos & eat way more than a measly serving.
Thank goodness for this healthy alternative! I made it this weekend & it was a huge hit! As dippers i offered the lime tostittos & Baked Tortilla Scoops! It would also be great with pita bread and veggies.
I highly recommend making this dish for you next party! that way you wont feel as guilty for all of the Coronas you wash it down with ;)

Bon Appetit!
HG

Ingredients:
One 15-oz. can early/young peas, drained
1/2 cup mashed avocado (about 1 medium-small avocado's worth)
1/3 cup chopped cherry or grape tomatoes
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 cup fat-free Greek yogurt (like Fage Total 0%)
4 tsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. chili powder
Optional: chopped cilantro, chopped jarred jalapenos, additional salt and pepper

Directions:
Place drained peas in a medium bowl and mash thoroughly with a potato masher or fork. Add all other ingredients except for the tomatoes, onions and optional items. Continue to mash until blended. Stir in the tomatoes, onions and, if you like, some chopped cilantro and/or jalapenos. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed. Enjoy! MAKES 6 SERVINGS

Serving Size: 1/3 cup (1/6th of recipe)
Calories: 78 Fat: 3g Sodium: 320mg Carbs: 10.5g Fiber: 3.5g Sugars: 4g Protein: 3.5g
POINTS® value 1*

what they dont teach you in school

2008-09-12T17:22:00.001-04:00

JCrew sent this to me this morning.... and it is SO true.
Thanks Mr.Gates!

Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2 : The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helpin g you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

new things for the bedroom

2008-09-10T22:02:00.006-04:00

Look at all these new fabulous things i got for my bedroom.....just need to get curtain rods for these and then Mrs&Mr. Poppins are going to help me hang them! purdy ;)this is totally gonna help organize my life.... and my clothes! Mr.HG is so lovely he is going to put it together for me this weekend! yay

and here are some added organizers i purchased from ikea for my living room, because as JCrew said i need to make better use of my space. so im attempting by using these...so hopefully with all of these new things my apt will look a lil bit cuter & a lot more organized!

*these purchases were made with JCrew's car... you would be surprised how much a civic can hold!

sorry for the delay

2008-09-10T21:45:00.004-04:00

i know i have been posting a lot of "sorry for lack of posting" blogs, but really i am. i have just been in a funk lately & it's hard to blog when im not beaming with happiness. usually this would not be a problem... but for the past few months i just cant seem to get it together. this blog is supposed to be my happy place.... so once i am consistently happy again there will be posts galore!!!

on a better note... it is fashion week in nyc... {which would be fabulous if i was anyone of importance at my "glamorous" job.} fashion week takes place in Bryant Park which is like 3 blocks from my work. needless to say there are paparazzi, security, celebrities {and those who wish they were} everywhere you look! we were having lunch at the Bryant Park Grill today* when guess who was dining next to us...

DR. 90210!** bleach blonde tips and all!so okay, hes not like an A list celebrity... maybe more like D list... but hey! he looks decent in this photo but in person he looks like a total douchebag -- no surprise. he had a suit jacket that was unbuttoned down to his navel, his hair looked greasy and his skin orange. Hott! LOL

*yum... but quite expensive.... so go there for a business lunch!

**spotted by JCrew or i would have missed out on yet another celebrity sighting

kodak moment for sure.

2008-08-28T14:19:00.011-04:00

so i have to say i was a lil Olympic obsessed this year but really, who wasnt. You had Phelps, the girls gymnastic team, a lil bit of scandal, and lots of victories for team USA!
Below are some incredible shots by photographer Doug Mills for the Times... what a way to capture history!

award day!

2008-08-27T21:10:00.002-04:00

OMG i got my first blog award. thank you so much MMM you are so sweet! it literally made my day. even though i have a stat counter so i technically know people read my blog, it's nice to know people actually enjoy my tales!

Apparently, when you are nominated for this award, there are a few rules that go along with it. They are as follows:

1. Put the logo on your blog
here it is. check!

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you

MMM check!

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs AND 4. Add links to those blogs on yours

5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs

I nominate:
1) Sassy Molassy
2) twentysomething and clueless
3) perks of being a jap
4) pigtown-design
5) may i nap now
6) josh and josh
7) ashley's closet

For the Diamond Award here is the pretty diamond you receive!

I nominate:

1. the mrs preppy
2. hearts and crafts
3. clevelands a plum
4. connecticut charm
5. i hate greenbeans
6. magnolia mama
7. making mommy hot

Congratulations to my 14 favorite bloggers!!!!! and thank you again MMM for my award!

PS I would love to give an award to Kicking the Job Habit but that would require her to blog more... wink wink ;)

iphone enters the publishing world

2008-08-25T14:28:00.002-04:00

what? a magazine just for iphone users.... that is ludacris!

Patrick McMullan to Launch iPhone ‘Magazine’

Patrick McMullan, noted nightlife photographer for New York magazine among other publications, is set to launch PMc, a luxury fashion “magazine” formatted exclusively for Apple’s iPhone.

PMc, a joint venture with Hot Phone Hit Factory, will feature McMullan’s photos and articles by writers including Nanny Diaries co-author Nicola Kraus and novelist Molly Jong-Fast.

Calling it “the first of its kind,” the bimonthly will be distributed via iTunes for 99 cents per issue. Content will be refreshed daily in order to give readers “an inside look into the glamorous world of Patrick McMullan and his peers.”

It may be a first for the iPhone, but not for other trendy portable devices. Earlier this year, Tribune Media Services, the content syndication and licensing division of Chicago-based Tribune Company, launched a pair of magazines exclusively for Amazon’s Kindle.

my saturday spent on the BQE

2008-08-25T00:02:00.003-04:00

okay so i am going to start off this blog by admitting im a geek! this way, when you read the following & are snickering... at least you can say you were forewarned!

this week i have been car-sitting* for JCrew while she is in Savannah. throughout the week i just had to move it from side to side to accommodate alternate side of the street parking. but come Saturday... i was shopping bound! I went to the Target plaza... and for the first time didnt have to hold back on shopping for the dreaded lugging of stuff back to the train. this time i could shop til my credit cards content & throw it all in the car.... Oh, how i forgot this small luxury - how quickly one forgets when you move to the city.

i went to the Afaze {for just one more purse}, Toys R Us {for Wii games}, Michaels {for some baking and craft materials}, the discount store {broom & water bottles}.... and then the mecca of all..... THE BIG GROCERY STORE!!!! the super, only found in the suburbs style, need a car to access, amazing, tons of new brands, fresh produce, and FANTASTIC sales, grocery store!!!!! i haven't been this excited about grocery shopping since i first started driving, when i literally was excited to do anything b.c it meant driving!

i stocked up on groceries like it was the apocalypse or something. they had so many extra WW foods that my pitiful Key Food looks even worse to me now. Fresh Direct is great, but even their stock is limited in WW & healthy products. and then after filling my cart to the top, i rolled it right over the the elevator, hit 2R for roof & pushed the cart all the way to the car. after piling it all into the trunk i let out a tiny squeeeee!!!! b.c seriously this is AWESOME! i got in the car & drove home. no breaking my back trying to carry as many bags as possible, plus 3 more, all the way home trying to navigate the bags, my purse, opening the gate, fumbling with the keys, getting the screen door open just enough so that it doesn't slam on me as im opening the front door.

usually i am unsuccessful about this & it slams into my elbow knocking my keys onto the floor & making my landlords dog bark even louder at me. when i bend down to pick up the keys the bags drop, stuff falls out of my purse, and the door hits my tush. this reoccurring scene is very unpleasant to watch.

but not this time. oh no!!!
this time, i drove up, casually walked over to open the gate & all doors, and then 4 bags at a time brought, them inside

it was bliss.

absolute wonderful incredible bliss.

you know how you dont miss something until you dont have it anymore... i miss my car more than ever right now....

so im goonna go sulk :( nite y'all!

*another thing only new yorkers understand ;)

PS JCREW... i love you!!!!! and i will car sit anytime b/c this has been FANTASTIC... aside from the whole driving in circles to find a parking spot on the street thing, and lunatics that drive in this city, and the impossible to squeeze into parking spaces b.c some idiot doesn't know how to park properly.... and the taxi drivers who think they own the road & dont have to signal when they are about to cut you off at 35mph... oh and the brooklyn-its who dont know that a stop sign literally means STOP as in dont fly through an intersection at full speed hoping everyone is waiting for you to pass, and the queens-ians who think the parking garage directions are a mere suggestion i mean just because they had engineers construct the circular gargae leaving very specific boldly painted instructions everywhere that says THIS WAY and DO NOT ENTER.... i mean they are there so people like me dont have to be so unladylike. i literally went all NY on their ass when the man {on his cell which is illegal btw} drives right towards me. HELLOOOOOOOO..... aside from all this it was lovely! and so helpful b/c i got an insane amount accomplished all thanks to your lil precious Civic!

cupcakes are my speciality

2008-08-18T23:21:00.003-04:00

so on Saturday we celebrated JCrews 27th birthday by filling up on beer {@ the famous beer garden}, pizza {from new york's finest, Albas}, and cupcakes of course! JCrew loves peanut butter so i created these especially for her! and yes they were DELICIOUS. and no i dont know how many points they were, but if i had to guess, i say like 20! and worth every one!!!!
is your mouth watering yet?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JCREW!!!
xoxoxo

me + my texans

2008-08-13T23:29:00.004-04:00

Proof that i talk to Southern Belle & Hello Darling way too much....

i was at work today talking to our editor in chief's assistants.... they they told i was talking with a southern accent....

me? really? naw! yer crazy!

okay, maybe a lil ;)
love you girls!

xoxo

in the grand scheme of things... its just a number

2008-08-13T23:08:00.004-04:00

so for 7 months i worked my ass off at the gym & by doing WW. did i meet my 50lb loss goal for Southern Belle's wedding? No.

but i did lose 23lbs & gained lots of muscle tone!!! i learned how to portion my meals, was reminded the importance of eating my vegetables, and now get 2 servings of milk in daily.
i went from being able to do 11 girly push-ups in a row to being able to complete 23 real, on my toes, push-ups in a row. i went from only being able to do a girly/knees plank for a measly 20 seconds to now staying strong on a full out plank on my toes for 45 seconds. my resting heart rate dropped from 75bpm to 61bpm. i lowered my blood pressure & increased my flexibility. Overall i lost 15inches and looked hot in my wedding weekend attire!!!! ***

moral of the story... the number on the scale really means nothing!
how you feel.
how your clothes fit.
can you run up a flight of stairs w/o hyperventilating?
those are the things that really matter!

so i truck on... 23lbs down and still many more to go. but one day at a time,** i will get there.

hope all my WW peeps are staying strong! keep me posted on your weekly weigh-ins... i would love to hear how y'all are doing!

xoxo

***thanks trainer :)
**or one spinning class at a time!

im back....

2008-08-11T20:35:00.003-04:00

okay so i took a 3 week hiatus... but fear not... IM BACK :)

life was just getting a lil too busy for my own good that blogging had to take a backseat for awhile. while i was away, Southern Belle had her wedding...yay... and it was fabulous!
the wedding weekend began on Wednesday, July 30 when JCrew, Hello Darling and I piled into a Civic with our bags full of snacks & the trunk packed (almost) to capacity! we had most of our snacks eaten before we even got out of Connecticut! Hey... i dieted for 7 months, give a girl a break :)

after a quick stop at the Portland airport to pick up Mr.HG we arrived at the Topside Inn around midnight. Oh, and PS. The Topside Inn is the BEST place to stay in Boothbay!!!! Our hosts Ed & Brian were simply divine! they whipped up tasty delights every morning {apple pancakes rock, and homemade jam.... tasty!} and took care of our every need. and this was not some tacky, frilly grandma's house style B&B.... this was a tastefully decorated home away from home.

Thursday morning we woke up and headed straight to the beach where Mr.HG wrote ' I Love HG' in the sand. aww ;)

then we grabbed lunch (we go to a lobster house-- half of us get grilled cheese... go figure!) we rushed back to get primped up for the rehearsal. The rehearsal dinner was a Maine lobster clam bake where i tried lobster & clam chowder for the first time. chowder was okay, a lil too salty for me, and the lobster... well i just prefer when my meal looks as if it wasn't ever alive. once i separated the tail from the body... i was done.*

Friday morning we woke up super early to get all prettied up! Us girls all piled into Momma Belle's room & covered the counters with loads of makeup & hair products. it was like Sephora threw up... in a pretty way :) the wedding was held in this picturesque old stone chapel that still had the original brick flooring. it was tiny & quaint & the perfect setting for Belle's Maine wedding. there was a brunch reception where we ate everything from fancy french toast to crispy cesar salad. we later set sail on a sunset boar ride around Boothbay. On the boat we had perfectly paired cupcakes & wine for refreshments! great combination :)

after the sailboat we went back to the Inn for pizza & board games and said goodbye to Mrs.and Mr.Belle... the newly married couple ;)

the Belle's left for the Bahamas.
JCrew, Darling, Mr.HG, and I left for NYC.
and 7 hours later our trip was over.

overall Maine was everything i thought it would be. small Mayberry like towns, cute houses with wraparound porches, sailboats & stores rightly named Pat's Popatorium! it was a lil too cold, and the trip was a lil too short... but other than that it was amazing. i see a coastal beach house in my future ;)

xoxo

*for anyone who has had a whole lobster before, you know what comes out... for anyone who hasnt, well you dont want to know! yuck.

tear ;<

2008-07-22T16:36:00.003-04:00

Golden Girls Star Estelle Getty Dies at 84

oh how i heart Estelle... this is seriously a tragedy. i think i will go straight home and watch Golden Girls reruns.... cuz seriously, that was just a 80's version of S&TC!

RIP Sophia Petrillo... may your jokes live on in your memory :)

Georgie Porgie

2008-07-21T16:54:00.004-04:00

so this is what went down in my backyard on Saturday afternoon.....

{Do not try this at home}

how much does one drink before deciding to scale a wall, climb onto the roof of the garage, all to jump into a 5' deep pool seated on concrete?

Bon Appetit: C’est magnifique!

2008-07-17T22:11:00.003-04:00

bon appetit is definitely the most delicious magazine ever. i dont know how they do it but month after month they never fail. every cover is better than the last. Kudos to the Bon Appetit creative team... if you are hiring let me know! ;)

PS why are you still reading this... you should be off to the bookstore to pick up your copy by now!

xoxo

photo of the day

2008-07-17T11:38:00.002-04:00

beautiful dress, stunning colors, gorgeous woman..... this picture is stellar!!!!

{photo by: INEZ VAN LAMSWEERDE AND VINOODH MATADIN }

stay informed

2008-07-16T22:19:00.003-04:00

i feel like we live in a day and age where it is very important to stay informed on what is going on in your city/state/country. that is why i am sure to get my fill of news via tv in daily. i do this by starting my morning with Matt Lauer & the Today show, TiVo-ing the View {hello, hot topics!} to watch during dinner, & catch Leno's monologue right before heading off to bed. i think this is a totally legitimate way to get my news in every day.... how do you get your news???*

*unless you are JCrew and dont watch the news lol :)

no joke

2008-07-14T22:43:00.002-04:00

i called Mamma G to chat up about my day, and what does she do... rushes me off the phone.
"sorry HG, but i have to go cook dinner"

"what? you dont cook. you order in" i told her.

"not cook for me. cook dinner for the pooches" Mamma G said

"Timeout: you never take time to cook dinner for yourself, but you are actually cooking dinner for the dogs?"

"well yeah."

"uh, why?" i asked.

"Because Oprah does it!"

This was an actual conversation. and you wonder where i get it!

black umbrella anyone?

2008-07-14T20:54:00.005-04:00

its a 99.9% chance of rain.... who wants to go to an outdoor concert? We do we do!

so about a week ago i went to see Feist w/ JCrew & Miss Hamburger in Prospect Park. I know all of 3 songs Feist sings {fave is 1,2,3,4 look it up}, but im always up for a good time so why not go. i bought my $40 ticket hoping for the past month that on this one night it stays dry. but does it... of course not. on wednesday, Al Roker shows the showers that are going to pass over nyc in the evening. could it rain during the day instead, no. of course not. so all day goes by, covered by cloudy skies. we get to the park & are waiting in line when, what is that i feel? a raindrop? we will just pretend it didnt happen. then it sprinkles for a few minutes, the entire ticket line* pops open their umbrellas to stay dry.

it stops raining. for now.

we get to the security guy & he looks at me and says, "i am going to need to take your umbrella."

i was thinking, this poor guy got bumped off the force & is bitter. he needs something to make him laugh, so hes cracking jokes now. he is pissed to be out here on a wed nite watching indie rock groupies** play like its Woodstock or something. thinking he is just trying to be funny. i am a smartie and give him some attitude right back. the exchange goes as follows...

Him: "i am going to need to take your umbrella."
Me: "Seriously"
Him: "Yes, i am going to need to confiscate your umbrella"
Me: "Are YOU JOKING?"
Him: "Look behind you and tell me if im joking"

I turn around & there is a pile of hundreds of abandoned umbrellas. mostly black w/ splashes of color in the mix. Miss Hamburger takes our umbrellas & instead of placing them in the endless sea, she puts them behind a bush.***

fast forward 15 minutes. we are in the middle of an open field & it is pouring down rain.

still pouring.

now just drizzling.

ok, now its pouring. again

this went on for awhile & eventually it stopped & then it was time to leave & find our umbrellas. chances are, someone stole my umbrella. it was plain black ****like everyone else's. not on purpose, just b/c of the situation. either way, i came with an umbrella, i was going to leave with one.

somehow Miss Hamburger & I found our umbrella's safely under the tree, JCrew was not so lucky. did you ever wonder what it is like to hunt for something in a pile with hundreds of people in the pitch black night with no lights? look below!sounds coming from the crowd : "Has anyone seen my black umbrella" "look, another umbrella that isnt mine" "i found a black umbrella" "this umbrella is coming home with me!"

*of course the entire line had umbrellas.... it was going to rain.
**groupies, plus me!
***smart cookie
****my cute ones i left home, thank goodness!

lather up!

2008-07-14T20:45:00.004-04:00

note to self.....
do not* under any circumstance lather your entire body {feet included} up in super yummy smelly cherry lotion** then immediately jump off the bed onto the hardwood floors because you need a popsicle.

why?

you will go splat on your bum. and it will hurt. really bad.

*ever again
** JCrew & Daisy May's advice on how to keep my skin looking young & hot!

oh, dear

2008-07-11T14:34:00.006-04:00

Read this link before continuing....
Another Sex and the City movie is in the works....

Dear HBO, take a look at the following titles before proceeding. keep in mind the originals were classics, blockbuster hits! but what is remembered is not the appeal of keanu saving sandra in a explosive bus... instead, we remember "why did they ever make part 2."

PORKY'S II: THE NEXT DAY (1983)
SPEED 2: CRUISE CONTROL (1997)
TEEN WOLF TOO (1987)
DIRTY DANCING: HAVANA NIGHTS (2004)
DUMB AND DUMBERER: WHEN HARRY MET LLOYD
OCEAN'S TWELVE (2004) {they did make a comeback with Oceans 13 though}

If you are still not convinced, just know you want to stay off of this list.

Sincerely,

Okay, now seriously.

I love S&TC more than anyone... but the thought of a sequel terrifies me. Really, the movie was so incredible it can not be topped. A bad sequel would ruin everything. So HBO, please call it quits on the pre-production plans... unless you have something up your sleeve that is fantastically fabulous ... it is better to leave while your still on top.

I am open for script reading if need be... you know, just to see what you have in mind for this. But if its like Carrie & Big having a baby or something I'm out ;)

6 word memoirs...

2008-07-09T14:03:00.005-04:00

So i read this blog where random people type in the what they would title their memoir.... and it can only be 6 words. some are incredibly creative, some ridiculously stupid. here are a few of my favorite from the site.....

Looked up.
Saw Sky.
Bird pooped.

Still haven't decided what to wear.

lost at love. won at scrabble.

Prefer prada to payless. But poor.

After forty, bedtime is happy hour.

THIS WOULD BE SOUTHERN BELLE'S MEMOIR
caffeine keeps me from going insane

THIS WOULD BE HELLO DARLING'S MEMOIR {they have a mouse in the house:0 }
The second mouse gets the cheese

THIS WOULD BE MR.HG'S MEMOIR {someone should try baking them again!}
Brownies called, I answered the phone.

THIS WOULD BE JCREW'S MEMOIR
Babies scare me, miniature Winston Churchills

THIS WOULD BE MAMMA G'S MEMOIR
Read the map. Still got lost.

MY MEMOIR WOULD BE...
Nobody could have made this up

now what would yours read????

so you had a good day....

2008-07-08T22:23:00.004-04:00

I knew it was going to be a good day when i woke up and got this from Hungry Girl *

1 POINT GUACAMOLE!!!!

woo hoo! i know someone who is going to be busy in the kitchen this weekend!

and the day only got better after putting together what is going to be a fabulous photo shoot at work & was followed by a kick ass session with Trainer! really, the harder she pushes me the better i feel... even when im laying on the ground after the hardest ab workout ever... in the fetal position... in agony thinking i cant even move let alone walk all the way over (a whole 10 feet) to the stretching table... thats when i know it's ALL worth it. the time, the money, the commitment.... really hitting the gym hard makes me feel a million times better.

in more ways than one!

you know that quote by my favorite blonde**
"Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't."

well its true. I have been a bit cranky, irritable, & an emotional mess for the past few days (probably due to my fantastic long weekend in Florida that caused me to miss my workouts since last TUESDAY. but seeing my family & hitting up the beach were worth it fo'sho!)

now back from my vacation, today was my second day in a row with my diet on track & getting to the gym & thankfully my mood has done a 180! i feel so much happier (no more midnight tears!)
must be all those extra endorphins!

*fave WW website ever!

**if you havent seen this movie 6,326 times, if you cant quote the most famous blonde ever, if you havent perfected your bend and snap.... you obvs are missing out so you need to get on the pink train, buy legally blonde and play it until it burns out. then buy a new one for a rainy day!
you will thank me!

I couldnt keep this recipe to myself, so here you go! if you try it before i do let me know how it taste!

Ingredients:
One 15-oz. can early/young peas, drained
1/2 cup mashed avocado (about 1 medium-small avocado's worth)
1/3 cup chopped cherry or grape tomatoes
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 cup fat-free Greek yogurt (like Fage Total 0%)
4 tsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. chili powder
Optional: chopped cilantro, chopped jarred jalapenos, additional salt and pepper

Directions:
Place drained peas in a medium bowl and mash thoroughly with a potato masher or fork. Add all other ingredients except for the tomatoes, onions and optional items. Continue to mash until blended. Stir in the tomatoes, onions and, if you like, some chopped cilantro and/or jalapenos. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed. Enjoy! MAKES 6 SERVINGS

HG Alternative! This stuff is a great spread for sandwiches, pitas and wraps -- and it's an excellent omelette topper. Two tablespoons of it has just 29 calories and 1g fat, plus 1.25g fiber (POINTS® value 0*)!

Serving Size: 1/3 cup (1/6th of recipe) POINTS® value 1*
Calories: 78 Fat: 3g Sodium: 320mg Carbs: 10.5g Fiber: 3.5g Sugars: 4g Protein: 3.5g

oh the Diet gods.... we go way back

2008-07-01T21:21:00.003-04:00

so tonight i will be praying to the diet gods.... cuz all i want for tomorrow is to go to weigh in and remain the same as last week. im not even hoping to lose... just maintain. really that is all i can hope for after the yummy deliciousness i consumed this weekend with Mr.HG. We had funnel cake (just a few bites), pizza (one slice), chicken club w/FF (only ate 1/2), guacamole (ate all of it! and it was DELICIOUS!), part of a burger, some sausage & peppers, a few pints of beer and about a pound of cake! lol but i did work out hardcore the past few days and have ate way less points so now all i can do is pray.

Diet gods.... PLEASE :)

PS yes i already have my most lightweight outfit ready for the scale!!!!! ahhhhhh im scared :/

The weekend... through MR.HG's eyes

2008-06-30T22:09:00.003-04:00

As many of you know, I head out of the wonderful state which is Ohio from time to time to see the woman of my dreams. We try to spend couples time together and do things together that make up for being apart so often.

Highlights of the trip:

-H.G. and I shared a trip to the Spa for some much deserved hour long massages (this was SUPPOSED to be a secret that went awry when I had to tell her why she couldn't make last minute plans)

-We enjoyed an evening with some of her friends at the infamous "Beer Garden" where I became "a little annoying and pouty" I believe were the words of HG (Hey, I can't help I HATE beer. I'm a liquor kinda guy. Beer's just not my thing, and it's not like I'm not a good sport about it. I TRY to enjoy it; I just have this problem with it since my alcoholism in the late '90s...

-TV and Law & Order marathon while having SOHO

-Decimating HG's goal to eat healthy and moved down the ranking of "good boyfriend" when I bought us a little thing called "Cheesecake" (Which I feel bad about because it's admirable she is dedicated to losing at the gym; something I more than likely would be done with at this point)

-Went shopping together downtown where I bought some nice threads at Daffy's

-Enjoyed the phenomenon called "Chinatown" one last time and continually evade the police while getting our blatantly copied goods; I even picked up some Armani "Code" cologne while there. When in Rome right?

-Spent numerous hours looking into my beautiful girlfriends eyes envisioning life together

-REPEATEDLY invited her to a life in Ohio where we could live like royalty on what is the difference in cost of living expenditures....(Don't worry, NYC won by a landslide due to the stubbornness of HG; besides, I love NYC anyways...it was just a shot in the dark)

-Enjoyed listening to a dog barking on an airplane for roughly an hour and a half (even the stewardess' were saying "Is this REALLY happening?") This dog was some kind of terrier or something and has to weight about 20 lbs. It was a pretty good sized dog for being on flight

-Blew out my eardrums turning my IPOD up louder than I ever have in an attempt to avoid the high pitched yapping that was the dog barking

-Tipped the Limo Service driver a $5 spot because I was impressed with the cleanliness of his car and the fact that I didn't have to grab any "oh %&@" handles on the way to the Airport- all in all, a great ride if I do say so myself. Plus he was a really nice older gentleman with great taste in music. He turned it up for me... Genesis FTW!

So I guess that's really about all we got accomplished. All in all, it was too short of a visit, but I will be back to see her soon. I really can't wait. It's more and more difficult to say goodbye the longer we're together.

Oh, we stopped in Tiffany's and looked at some rings. This was followed with some snickering when we were heading back down and the elevator attendant asked what floor. HG says "two" and then some couple asks "what's on that floor" and we hear a guy who says "that's the engagement floor" accompanied by delight and laughter as anyone at that stage would understand. You'd have to have been there, but it was a funny scenario. HG and I were both amused as we got of the elevator.

So anyways, if this makes it onto HG's blog, thanks for reading and I know I'm not a writer. I just wanted everyone to know what we did this weekend and how wonderful it was to see my friends in NY and of course my reason for being there; HG. I love her dearly.

-Mr.HG

calling all delta gammas

2008-06-26T10:35:00.003-04:00

and hello darling since she is anchor obsessed...

kate spade is having a huge sale and these are only $19.00! this set is a DG must have!

MR.HG live and in person

2008-06-25T22:15:00.002-04:00

Well, as HG alluded to, we are now doing guests spots. Why you might ask? Well, just to let you readers know, we have a little bet that she won't continue blogging through the year. (Don't fret, she STRONGLY disagrees with me, but it's a friendly bet, mostly just to harass her as only I can do. So without further ado, here is the first small sampling of the never-ending debates/topics I have to talk about...

In a nutshell, I think America is doomed for the following:

George Bush-I don't need to say another word but I will. Well played sir, well played.

Our lackadaisical attitude to changing the world.

Unions-how do we compete with $4/day COME ON!

Technology-It's only made our lives more stressful, yet more productive!
All material is trademark of Mr.HG

The demise of paying for quality goods- We're FULL of companies we think BLOW but yet we continue to patronize them. Wal-Mart for example was "all about America." Sam croaks and we're left with CHINA??? WTH is going on here? Oh, don't worry, his family's taking care of the economy. Or dare I say lining their pockets, and they're just one of many.

So, this is one hell of a controversial first blog, I think it's off to a great start!
I'm looking for debate.

Thanks for reading, and this is the first of many. Remember, H.G. might have a FIGHTING chance if her guests columns take up every blog update ;) haha

-Mr.HG

cards anyone?

2008-06-25T21:30:00.005-04:00

so i was catching up on Martha's wedding blog* and came across this great paper store Carrot & Stick. there is literally a card for everyone :) so i picked out my faves for my fave peeps!
*love it
**yes JCrew gets 2 options... she is pretty particular! in a good way :)

PS so be on the lookout from some guest bloggers.... Mr.HG's will be up soon :)

xoxo

reason #435 why nyc is the best city ever

2008-06-25T21:03:00.003-04:00

so i live in a city where i can get anything i want simply by logging on or picking up the phone. Chinese food at 3am..... not a problem. in the mood for a cupcake.... they will bring it over. laundry, groceries, dry cleaning.... they all deliver. even if i want McDonald's or Wendy's... THEY DELIVER. seriously, just about anything i can imagine & will get dropped off at my door. how cool right?

and we all know how many times i have raved about Fresh Direct and the convenience of getting my weekly shopping list brought right to my door. but after some investigating* i learned that Fresh Direct delivers more than just your food and beverages. they deliver toilet paper, toothpaste, disposable razors, aspirin, tanning lotion, shampoo and many other typical products sold in the grocery store. okay so this isnt so surprising. but there is a whole category of Fresh Direct that has products for "Sexual Health"

Seriously.

They will deliver condoms or a pregnancy test along with your carrots and lean cuisines. EVEN KY JELLY. i dont know how i could look at the FD delivery guy knowing that is what was in my boxes....cuz really, some things you should just go out and buy yourself! while wearing really big shades! and a hat :)

*Mr.HG was curious

weekly weigh in

2008-06-25T15:16:00.003-04:00

so i have totally neglected my WW friends... but i have been staying with it :) have you?

today was weigh in day and since i gained 2lbs in Texas* i have been totally strict this week and Trainer has been working me hard core on the boxing bag. so today i lost 3lbs!!!!! that means i lost my texas weight..... and a whole extra pound! im not ashamed to chant GO ME GO ME lol

i think what has really helped is upping my workout routine. Trainer has me doing a new circuit and i am literally gasping for breath by the end of each set. and just when i think im done... she is like only 10 more... WHAT? oh so apparently we do 30 reps per set instead of 15.... um hello sore arms! but it does feel great. and i haven't collapsed yet** so bring it on!

*Thanks Southern Belle ;)
**although Monday, i hadn't eaten much yet because i was busy so i literally thought if i had to do one more kick i would fall over... i was lightheaded & had a pounding headache. somehow i managed to stay upright... could be because i am set on not making a total ass out of myself in front of the "super skinny ridiculously toned how do they eat & keep that body they must be on some super drug that i totally need to get some of" girls. hey whatever works!

also, my new fave dessert.... 2 WW chocolate chip cookies (1pt each) with 1/2 c skim milk to dunk in.... only 3pts and i get in a dairy? this is so what the cookie monster had in mind when he joined WW ;)

total lost to date = 22 lbs

weekend review

2008-06-23T21:42:00.002-04:00

so i had a semi-eventful weekend that started with a trip to the Opera! JCrew & i went to the Metropolitan Opera in the Park on Friday where we listened in awe. one weird thing though is that after every song the singers waved, hugged each other, & walked off stage..... after each song i was convinced that the show was over. i mean, first off the program & singing were all in Italian so we couldn't really understand where in the event we were. At one point i tried to get JCrew to scream encore thinking the show was over.... i mean they bowed and left the stage, doesnt that signal the end aka that fat lady had sung???.... luckily JCrew doesn't listen to me because seconds later the singers returned belting out another song. how funny would it had been though if in front of thousands of people she was the only one screaming encore!!!! ha-ha

Saturday i made the big trip to Best Buy to purchase another air conditioner....just having one in my living room isn't enough and there are times i feel like i am literally melting. my landlord drove me to pick up the a.c. so luckily we didn't have another traveling incident like the bike! i played a little Wii* and then had a phone date with Mr.HG where we watched Reese Witherspoon in the thriller Rendition.

Not my favorite Reese movie.... a little background... she is married to an Egyptian living in America who is apprehended when on his back to US from North Africa. He is accused of being a terrorist & tortured for information. The whole movie is literally him being beaten and consistently saying he doesn't know anything. I believe him but no one in the movie does... it is a bit frustrating. A whole 2 hours of being frustrated... not cool man. not cool.

Sunday was spent catching up on the past 2 weeks of So You Think You Can Dance** and cleaning. and cleaning. hours later i was still cleaning.
which reminds me i have to go hang up the last months worth of outfits that are currently residing on my bed. more cleaning.... ahhhh

xoxo

*i love mario cart! but i do need some practice :/

**Joshua and Twitch are my favorite males, Chelsie and Kourtni are my favorite females, but i don't like how Kourtni spells her name.... i would have picked either Kourtney or Courtni but changing both the first and last letters is just too much. Katee (her "i wouldn't audition again, i would give up" speech really pissed me off) and Courtney drive me crazy and so have to go... like yesterday!

showdown on the view.... NOT

2008-06-18T23:31:00.003-04:00

so is it just me or were you all disappointed with The View today. I mean Michelle Obama was guest hosting & with the fiery Elisabeth Hasselbeck i was expecting some serious heat, lots of shouting, and possibly even some hair pulling. i mean this is The View... the girly cattiness during the hot topics is the main reason to watch, right?

so after all the media hype the match up between Hasselbeck vs. Obama i got jipped. they were sweet as pie to each other... gag me! lol

joke of the day

2008-06-18T13:41:00.002-04:00

You know what they call the guy who graduates last in his class at medical school?

DOCTOR

haha... this was stolen from the hilarious jen lancaster! im in the middle of her 3rd book and it is just as laugh out loud funny as the last two. i highly recommend it.

PS.... i heart you doctors out there, but come on... this is funny! special shout out to my 2 recent dr grads.... LITB ;)

summer is here

2008-06-17T22:21:00.005-04:00

This is a beautiful photograph by the talented Travis Rathbone. Doesn't it just make you want to go to Coney Island?
So, JCrew.... when are we going to see the sideshow and ride the tea cups.

tomkat

2008-06-17T22:09:00.004-04:00

proof that tom does let her out of the house... who knew!

Holmes to draw big bucks on Broadway

September 18: That's the date the former "Dawson's Creek" star and wife of Tom Cruise, makes her debut on Broadway in a revival of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons."

PS no matter how crazy... i will always have a love for this Top Gun star.

back from the rodeo

2008-06-16T22:55:00.012-04:00

well not really... but i am back from texas so its the same thing really. i went down to the South to see Southern Belle & as the host of her bachalorette party i kinda had to be there. the weekend was jam packed with Texan fun. Here is a sample of my weekend...

thursday.... arrived, late of course, to the Dallas airport & was greeted by an overjoyed oversleepy Southern Belle and her beau. went back to their McMansion and stayed up chatting til 4am texas time.

friday... woke up at 730am, damn alarm clock its on nyc time, SB & I put on our party dresses, headed to the party store in search of bach. party decor aka penis balloons, and then it was off to the airport to pick up Sissy... of course not without a quick stop to Chick-fil-a for a snack.
we went off to lunch, a pit stop at Condom Sense for more decorations, then time to get primped for the big night out! it started with 15 of us gals at kenichi with drinks, sushi, & pin the bow tie on the bachelor. then we met up with MR. SB & his bros for some dancing, more drinking, and a wee bit of drama. but really its not a night out w/o some drama.

Saturday.... woke up at 730am, went to the horse ranch, picked up the cake at Candy Haven (can you say YUM) shopped a bit (OMG sam moon rocks my socks! i got these cute earrings... among other things ;) ), and then got all pretty for the bridal shower. i met Southern Belle's entire family & lets just say they are fabulous! i miss them ALL already. i played paparazzi at the shower, ate yummy red velvet cake, & regretted not making time for a nap.

Sunday.... woke up at 730am, tried on our wedding outfits, gushed over how beautiful SB looked, went to BreadWinners for some tasty brunch (must try pecan waffle), and then headed back to the McMansion for an afternoon of swimming. i took a few rides down the giant water slide, once losing my shades and causing the lifeguard to call a TO so she could dive for them. Thanks lifeguard!

had to have a mambo taxi margarita before leaving texas so we stopped for a drink and chips on the way to the airport. secretly, i think this stop was SBs attempt at making me miss my flight so i could stay in dallas forever, not that i blame her.... we have so much fun we are outlawed. then Mr.SB floored it all the way to the airport, once pulling what will forever be known as
"the Oklahoma." we ran to security gate grabbing my luggage out of the runaway Volvo, and had a tearful "see you later" cuz if i had to say goodbye... well i would still be in texas.

so as of midnight, i am back in the big city and missing my bff more than ever. only 6 weeks til she is a Mrs.... woo hoo ;) Maine isnt ready for us!

nite texas.... nite nyc... nite ohio... man my heart is in a lot of places at the moment.

xoxo

tid bit of trivia

2008-06-11T17:09:00.004-04:00

the first TV soap opera debuted in 1946. and really, where would we be without a lil General Hospital now and again!

thanks Snapple ;)

hip hopin hipsters

2008-06-10T22:51:00.002-04:00

usually, when you ask people to go clubbin' & dancin' to the sounds of old school hip hop the last place you expect this killer club to be is Park Slope aka Preppyville aka JCrew's hood aka Hipsterland. Surprisingly, hip hop night at Southpaw* is totally fun and just as cool as dancin in the Boogie**

So, on Saturday JCrew, HelloDarling, Miss Hamburger, and their respective partners gathered in the Slope for some BBQ goodness, mathematical drinking games*** and lots of talk about how fantastic nyc is aside from the occasional cicada season. after all the beer was drank, and all the forks were tossed**** JCrews and I headed to see what was groovin at the Rub!

And it was great!!!! except for the brief moment where we made our way to the lighted dance floor area.... and realized dance clubs are dark for a reason! I was called the "catch of the night" by some guy, and i 'apparently' broke his heart when i told him i am in love with Mr.HG.

After burning some calories on the dance floor, and realizing it was WAY past our bedtime JCrew & i headed home (well to her home, i stayed at the JC Inn where i was woken with homemade blueberries & full access to the remote control!!!!) actually, i think i watched her TV more in one day than she has in the past month. but secretly i think she loved it! i mean... we watched bad reality tv from 1130 am until i finally headed home around 630pm. and it was looooooovely!

so that was my experience at the Rub!!!! i suggest you make your way to the slope and go.
oh, and PS..... did you know there was such thing as Deep Slope? and South Slope? me neither... these are the things you learn at hip hop nite!

xoxo

*it is called the Rub on the first sat of every month where this hipster club goes hip hop
**the Bronx
***im so not a geek. well, maybe a wee bit geekish ;)
**** yes, someone threw away JCrew's forks... real ones, not plastic ones.... and i was listening as JCrew realized she was going to have to dig through her garbage to recover them. funny stuff.

98 degrees and 100 % humidity

2008-06-09T23:47:00.002-04:00

motivation to go to work tomorrow....

FREE AIR CONDITIONING!!!!

the C word

2008-06-06T23:56:00.005-04:00

back in the 1950s Doctors promoted smoking. whatever, we didnt know it all back then.

but it is 2008 and no one should be promoting smoking especially DOCTORS. everyone knows that smoking causes lung cancer. it is a fact. period. and everyday doctors diagnose & treat people with lung cancer. so if anyone in the world should throughly know & understand the possible consequences of smoking it should be those in the medical profession right?

so why is it that so many doctors & nurses smoke?

i really dont get it.

they tell their patients not to smoke. they hook people up to chemo machines. they treat people who are dieing. they are constantly faced with telling patients the dreaded news about their disease. are they really that naive to think that cancer wont happen to them?

grrrr

*this blog came about while i was walking on the upper east side pass Lenox Hospital & i had to walk through a cloud of smoke. i looked around thinking i would be surrounded by teenagers or something. NO. there were nurses, doctors, residents, technicians, and EMT workers. all sitting outside the front of the hospital on their smoke break.....

really. i dont get it.

oh snap!

2008-06-06T16:08:00.004-04:00

The Real Housewives of N.Y.C. and O.C. Catfightt

click it... you know you want to ;)

playing catch up

2008-06-06T15:16:00.006-04:00

so i was a total slacker blogging the past few weeks so here is what happened....
3 weeks ago...
+went to ohio to visit Mamma G and MR. HG.
Mr.HG took me to Hibachi Japan where i went off my diet to eat delicious Japanese food cooked in mounds of butter & oil right at the table... and it was oh so good!

+went to a boxing lesson with mom & to the gym.... exercising on vacay... yeah i rock like that!

+MR. HG was the best man in wedding down in Ashland* on Saturday, so i left Canton early in the morning and drove and drove and drove until i thought i passed the exit & called MR.HG hysterical that i was lost in the middle of nowhere. apparently i hadn't traveled far enough. so i drove and drove and drove some more and then i really did miss my turn and ended up lost. go figure. the wedding was fun, Mr.HG looked so handsome, and it was great meeting more of his friends.
+I then came back to NYC & had the big meet with Martha's peeps.... sadly, no connection.
2 weeks ago....
+my mom came to visit and we had a great weekend. we started by walking around the Farmers Market in Union Square, where Mamma G had to try wheatgrass juice since it is so the "in" thing**. i offered to pull some grass out of the park & throw it in my blender at home for free, but she would rater pay the $4 for the lil tiny shot of this grassy juice. "mmmm, its so good," she claimed. rrrright.

+we took Bugsy*** to the doggie park where he made a few friends. then we headed down to SoHo for some much needed**** shoe shopping. after going in & out of every store in SoHo we headed home when my mom finally confesses, "so that juice... it tasted like grass!"
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
really if you knew my mom you would be rolling on the ground laughing about this.

+oh this is the same weekend that i got bit by a dog (not my dog). OUCH
1 week ago....
+had 2 birthday parties on Saturday... one pirate themed with lots of food, cake, friends, a Power Ranger and a bouncy house. the other tequila themed with lots of food, magnolia cupcakes, friends, & a photo shoot for JCrew for her new facebook picture. um, yeah we took a lot, but finally captured just the right photo.... FOR FACEBOOK! lol hey its important.

+went to see S&TC with Trainer. cried. laughed. cried. cracked up. called everyone and gushed about how much i loved it. called Southern Belle & cried about how much i miss her.
went shopping...bought more shoes.... and then met up with KA***** from PA for some girl chat!

that brings me to this week when i hit my 20.6lb loss, took a photo of author Roxanna Robinson for People magazine, picked up my bridesmaid dress from Vera Wang, and saw S&TC for the 2nd time. it has been a fabulous couple of weeks.

so now you are all caught up. promise to be a blog slacker no more!

xoxo

*unfamiliar territory for this city girl
**according to the Backstreet Boys and those of the hemp culture
***yeah he came to visit too
****shoes are always NEEDED
*****KA just graduated from grad school... YAY :) oh and Dr.J & Dr.C graduated from doctor school AND my little graduated from law school all in the past few weeks. ... i have super smart friends!

round 2 ... still a winner

2008-06-06T00:28:00.002-04:00

so i just got home from watching the Sex & The City movie for the second time... and let me just say it is just as good the 2nd time around. actually, its better. i cant really explain how fabulous the movie is cuz really it is that great. you will laugh, and then cry, and then in the middle of tears rolling down your cheeks Samantha's dog will hump something and you are right back to cracking up.
the friendship Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha share is unprecedented in any other movie. yes Thelma & Louise was great. Traveling Pants was fun. But ain't no one got anything on my girls ;)

so go see it already... or again. and PS New York really is that fabulous.

xoxo, HG

so not joking

2008-06-03T20:44:00.005-04:00

Las Vegas Club Names K-Fed 'Father of the Year'what??? seriously..... far from it. i guess if its him vs. her, he would win the award.
he is the better of two evils between K-Fed* and Britney, but i would NEVER go as far to say he is father of the year. Maybe it should go to someone like Matthew Broderick or Brad Pitt who are always spotted playing with their lil ones, hugging them, caring for them... all why leaving the drugs, strippers, and party boys at home.

how bout we rename K-Fed "most improved, better than loony wife" father of the year. that sounds like a more accurate title.

*who i totally saw with my 2 doctor friends last time i was at Webster Hall. whatwhat!

lights out on broadway

2008-06-02T00:26:00.003-04:00

Taylor Hicks is going to be in Grease.

Why?

he is apparently going to play Teen Angel* but this match up just seems really odd. i could see him in like Young Frankenstein or something... but Grease? Really?

*the guardian angel during Beauty School Dropout

my happy dance

2008-05-29T23:04:00.004-04:00

so im watching So You Think You Can Dance* and am just a bit confused. how can the dancers who are incredible, fantastic, and breeze through the audition getting the ticket straight to Vegas leave the floor dancing like a hyena? like seriously.

they prance around the stage beautifully, get handed a ticket, exit the stage door, and start doing their happy dance. their happy dance looks more like one of the reject auditions. seriously. if Nigel and Mary just said you CAN dance, dont let the camera catch you dancing like Carlton.
just a lil FYI.

*Obvs, im a tv junkie.

xoxo

1 more day

2008-05-28T23:54:00.003-04:00

Friday... the city goes Pink!

"should we get you a diamond?"
"no. just get me a really big closet!"

"this ones married and shes not growing a national forest"

"why'd you move to new york?"
"to fall in love"

"you know me. i dont really believe in marriage. now botox , on the other hand, that works every time"

"life doesn't always turn out to be your fantasy thats why you need friendships that are real to get you through it all."

I miss my Southern Bell :( come back to new york.... your Samatha needs you

my signature cocktail

2008-05-28T21:25:00.004-04:00

so even though wedding bells are not ringing for me* i do have a few things figured out for the extravaganza already. okay who am i kidding, i have been planning my wedding since i was 5 but minor details change daily.
but something that has never changed is my desire to have a signature wedding cocktail. the ingredients have remained undetermined... until now. my wedding will include glitz, glamour, and The Bradshaw! if it is what the girls are drinking on their biggest day, then it is what i should be drinking as well.

*yet

xoxo

Mama Clooney.... NICE

2008-05-28T21:17:00.002-04:00

Dear George Clooney,
You're single.... my mom is single. Let's talk ;)

Big brings our girl back....

2008-05-24T21:56:00.003-04:00

im sitting here bawling watching the Sex and the City finale....and all i keep thinking is, everyone needs to have friends like that.*

i think my favorite line of the whole thing is when Miranda tells Big, "Go bring our girl back."

oh, and when Harry says, "I got something from China too." AND ITS A BABY :) *tear.

I CANT WAIT to see the movie.... even more now after watching TBS's S&TC marathon.

*i know i do.... too bad Southern Belle is all the way in Texas... but Carrie came back, and SB can too :(

lessons from the tube

2008-05-23T21:16:00.003-04:00

so many "experts" say that television rots your brain. I beg to differ. Below is a list of a few things i have learned from television over the years...

*be VERY nice to your neighbors... cuz you never know -Desperate Housewives

*you don't have to be blood to be family - Brothers & Sisters

*human hair grows @ .5mm a day - CSI

*everyone needs to find someone who makes them ridiculously giddy, hopelessly in love & stupid... at times - The OC (Summer and Cohen)

*if you are ever attacked scratch the perp... DNA will make your case - Law & Order SVU

*ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ - Sesame Street

*don't spoil your kids or they will end up like Chuck Bass - Gossip Girls

*with big money, comes big problems... problems us po'folk cant even think of - Dirty, Sexy, Money

*Alaska would be a great place to go on vacay, but NYC is an amazing place to live - Men in Trees

*in the end, a good personality trumps designer anything - Ugly Betty

*true friends will be there, no matter what - Sex and the City

*if you're going to say something rude to someone, prompt it by saying, "With all due respect..." - The Sopranos

*ask friends, family, AND strangers for their opinion on your talents BEFORE you humiliate yourself on tv. someone has to be honest - American Idol & So You Think You Can Dance

*always write down where you parked your car in the garage, or you may be looking for it a LONG time - Seinfeld

and thanks to last nights Grey's finale
*Dont lay in wet cement! - Grey's Anatomy

Woof!

2008-05-22T22:16:00.004-04:00

meet the new addition to my family....Bugsy!

He is 4 months old and getting along great* with his big sister Princess.They both currently live with Momma G, but Bugsy is coming to visit this weekend! Yay :)

*when hes not stealing her toys

Sweeps week goes to....

2008-05-22T00:02:00.001-04:00

It's finale week(s)... some good, some bad, some INCREDIBLE....

Brothers and Sisters.... tearjerker + gay wedding + ANOTHER walker = Fan-friggin-tastic

Desperate Housewives... the SECRET revealed + devil child shipped away + terri hatcher NOT with plumber in 5 years + 2 whole hours to make up for strike = best finale EVER

Gossip Girls... jaw dropping, drama filled, OMGOMGOMG season =AWFUL finale? WTF

Greek... the restrictions lifted :) + Rusty hearts an anti-greek :( = so so :|

American Idol... David Archuleta lost = *tear

Ugly Betty....Tomorrow... here's hoping she gets rid of henry and moves onto the sandwich boy ;)

Greys.... Tomorrow.... 2 hrs... weeeeeeee

CSI:Miami.... only 1/2 way through, but way intense!

Clinton vs. Obama... who are we kidding.... there was NO finale this week. i have given up watching the election b/c every week i think there is gonna be an actual winner, and every week Hilary pulls through and gets more votes. which im glad about b/c i totally voted for her... i just wish one of them would win it already.

stay tuned for more!

xoxo

more about me

2008-05-20T22:09:00.004-04:00

OMG I was tagged by Hello Darling forever ago, but because im a slacker i just now saw it.... so here it goes!

and i promise, no more blogger slacking...

xoxo

4 Things I did 10 years ago (1998):

1. took drivers ed & passed my driving test on the first try... even though i ran over a curb and stopped at a corner where there wasn't really a stop sign
2. was the lead in Rebel Without a Cause.... and had my first on stage kiss.... scary!
3. got hired at Claire's.... where i was able to find my inner accessory goddess
4. placed high in States on the speech team

4 Things I did 5 years ago (2003)

1. was playing flip cup.
2. was living in Townhomes with my DG's & Vinney the cat
3. spent my 21st birthday in Panama City for Spring Break
4. was elected President of the All Campus Programming Board, where i planned concerts, lectures, and festivals for 20,000 people

4 Things I did yesterday:

1. Woke up at 4am
2. Flew from Ohio to NYC via Airtran
3. Cried b.c i missed Mr.HG
4. Went to meet Martha's peeps

4 TV shows I love to watch:

1. Gossip Girls
2. Desperate Housewives
3. Sex & The City
4. Brothers & Sisters

4 Things I love to do:

1. watch tv & movies
2. shop.... just wish my wallet was more cooperative
3. Read magazines, books, blogs, the paper... anything really
4. talk to my regulars nightly (Momma G, Mr.HG, Southern Belle)

Since this is a meme, survey, whatever of 4 things, I'm going to tag 4 people! I'm tagging:

1. heartsandcrafts
2. Maxine
3. Mrs.Preppy
4. twentysomethingandclueless

OMG OMG OMG

2008-05-13T23:09:00.003-04:00

so i tried to post this earlier, but computers... ruff.

OMG Martha just called...SHE called ME :) okay now that i am done hyperventilating i can go back to work! woo hooo.... or in the worlds of HD squeeeeeee

me in a year... or so

2008-05-07T18:06:00.002-04:00

i saw this photo today and i thought
"this is SO me... once im a skinny mini... and i have an apt where i can have a puppy..."

too cute :)

PS... weigh in wednesday went great :) i lost 1.8lbs which makes my grand total 18.8 so far!

BEST SHOW EVER according to me & New York

2008-05-05T22:50:00.008-04:00

OMFG!!!!!WTF is going on with Gossip Girls????

okay so murder? seriously? cuz i need answers. like now. i dont think i can wait 7 whole days. your previews are like the worst teasers ever... i need MY Gossip GIRLS!
so Lil J thought she found her way to the top... too bad he was just using her as a cover... to date SERENA's BROTHER!! WHATTTTTT? i knew lil one was gonna come out, but what a twist! and PS Eric, you can do WAY better than Asher... hes so lame.
Georgina.... sorry but seriously you gotta go. you have brought drugs, murder, and a whole new kinda dirty to my show.... so pack your bags & go back to Switzerland. or Sweden. or wherever the heck you appeared from. and PS leave Dan alone.

i am so glad LilJ got bumped off her throne... cuz really, only a Waldorf can handle that kinda evil drama and not make you disgusted. seeing Lil J as the queen B*@^% really made me angry. Blair does it with such class.... it almost makes me like her!can you tell i like this show... a little ;) if you havent seen it yet #1 are you living under a rock? #2 JUST do IT

even New York magazine agrees with me, Gossip Girls is the BEST SHOW EVER.
so read it. then watch it. and just try to pry yourself away!
;) Nite.

xoxo

prayers for granny G

2008-05-02T22:18:00.003-04:00

so sad news... Momma G isnt coming to visit after all. to make a long story short, my grandma went into the hospital around 5am for chest pain and was later admitted for chronic heart failure.

so, naturally, my mom is gonna stay there & take care of her. im really sad about this, not only b.c my granny is so sick... but i really was looking forward for my mom to visit. she totally deserves a break from taking care of EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME and we are so due for some bonding time.

but my mom is about as close to mother teresa as they come so she is doing what she does best.... taking care of the fam. and thank God she is there b.c really i dont think anyone could handle it all as much as her. so she is staying in Ohio b.c that is where she is needed.

just keep my family in your prayers, cuz we really need it.

happier post tomorrow.... nite!

here comes momma

2008-05-01T20:12:00.002-04:00

So Momma G is packing up for her big trip to NYC!!!! yay :) she arrives tomorrow night for the weekend & we plan to have lots of girly fun... like mani/pedis, shopping, desperate housewives/brothers & sisters night, and we are even going to squeeze in a trip to Jersey to visit the fam.
should be lots of mother-daughter fun!

pretty design things

2008-04-29T17:21:00.013-04:00

so here are some noteworthy things from the MoMa store! once again, a post about things i love & can't buy.... yay.

My apt soooo needs this! how cute would i be at soup parties!*

Soup Tureen & Ladle
This bone china tureen narrows at the top to keep soup piping hot. A peak in the bottom holds the stainless steel ladle upright for a fabulous presentation. Tureen is oven, microwave, and dishwasher safe. 4½-quart capacity. Ladle won a 2007 Red Dot Design award. Designed by Steffen Schmelling, Denmark.
Ladle $75.00 Tureen $90.00

This is the one thing from the store i will purchase ASAP. warm weather is among us which means it's almost time for my first bike ride of 2008. making this basket a necessity! i can carry my books to the park & not have to have the nerdy backpack ruining my cute biking outfit!
Carrie Bicycle Basket
Inspired by the Swedish crochet tablecloths on which her grandmother used to serve tea, Marie-Louise Gustafsson has designed a unique bike basket for the urban cyclist. Can also be used as a shopping basket, canvas strap included. $50.00

Another time when design trumps function. This is beautiful & would look lovely in my bedroom... but it would only hold a few items... what about my other 436 pieces of jewelry? i would need to purchase a whole forest of trees!

Jewelry Tree
Sculptural tree of high-gloss aluminum looks just as striking empty as when laden with treasures. Designed by Louise Christ, Denmark. $55.00

And a lil' something for the kiddos.... this is something i will HAVE to buy my daughters... hopefully they are still making the City Girls set in like 14 years!
City Girls Magnetic Dress Up Doll
Mix and match outfits, wigs, accessories, and even pets to create new looks for two city girls on the go. Four backgrounds--a flower vendor, shoe store, cafe, and an evening street corner by lamplight--show off the ensembles. Put all the outfits back into the storage tin for compact, portable fashion fun!

*i have never actually hosted, or attended for that matter, a soup party. but if i had one of these... i would SO have to. right!?!

xoxo

all about moi

2008-04-28T23:23:00.004-04:00

I was tagged by Hello Darling so here it goes....
5 random things about yours truly!

1) my reinvention will be as a wedding planner and a cupcake shop owner. i will do at least one of these the day after my 40th birthday so that More can do a feature on me!

2) i get my news from Leno, Access Hollywood, E!, and Matt Lauer.

3) i have a real problem with liars, non-RSVPers, & those who are always pessimistic, cuz really your life cannot possibly be that awful. not when there are the homeless, the sick, and the war.

4) my first pet was a duck named April.

5) i have a sick obsession with shoes, television, and celebrity gossip; i will never change.

6) i hosted 3 episodes of the Hot Zone on MTV aside Ananda Lewis in nov 2000.

7) i love oreos, thin mints, and chocolate covered pretzels.

8) sadly, i have not had any of the above since 2007.

9) i believe that peanut butter goes with everything!

10) last week i ran into a former co-worker. i was wearing a black & white outfit with a hot pink handbag. she looked me up & down and said, "you always have something pink on dont you." and without even thinking, "well, pink is my signature." came flying out of my mouth. Elle Woods would be so proud!

okay so now that im done, i realized i was only supposed to do 5 things. so its your lucky day cuz i just did 10!

I tag :
twentysomething and clueless,
Mrs. Preppy,
hearts & crafts,
and Cleveland's a Plum

xoxo, HG

words from Wired

2008-04-28T14:28:00.005-04:00

"It cost $482.79 to get a decent pizza in San Francisco. $17 for the pie, $85 for the cab fare, and $378.80 for the flight to New York. Throw in $1.99 for the tinfoil."

- Wired, May 2008, Pie In The Sky

and he's right! Alba's in Astoria is my FAVORITE :) Mr.HG's too ;)

shoe-gasm

2008-04-27T22:37:00.004-04:00

shoe-gasm.
i have heard it on Sex & The City.
i have always wondered if it was real or taboo.
i never thought i would experience it for myself... until i laid my eyes on these
Helloooooooooooooo Lover ;)
these are the most fabulous, fantastic, spectacular shoes ever... and they look even better on my footsies!
so here is how it happened.... i was coming up the elevator at Macy's, arms overloaded carrying lots of new purchases (all one size smaller than a month ago) and very happy. the elevator doors open. the music started, the lights dimmed, and there in the spotlight were these lil pink slices of heaven!

it is just proof that Betsey Johnson and i are long lost sisters. oh how i love her style... now if only she would make an "assistant's salary" line we would totally be in business.

sadly, my pocketbook would not allow for this purchase of $200 shoes... but one day my lady, one day....

xoxo

miracles @ the scale

2008-04-23T16:46:00.002-04:00

after all of the monday night chocolate and the tuesday night sweet potato fries... i still lost 1/2 lb.
whooo hooo!
thank goodness for my dedication to the gym b.c that is the only reason the scale went down!
Trainer appt tonight... time to burn more :)

grand total.... 17.5 lbs! and i fit into my new jeans!!!!!!!!

a night with the Kidd

2008-04-22T23:06:00.004-04:00

so tonight i went to this great lecture given by Chip Kidd who is just like the most clever book designer ever. chances are those of you not in the creative industry don't know who he is.* but, i am sure that at some point, you have been strolling through a bookstore & were drawn to a book out of your element because of it's catchy cover. his conceptual designs literally draw you in and make you pick up a book, which is why he is oh so treasured by publishers!

his lecture was great. he talked a lot about the process from book title to sketch to rejection to finished cover. it was actually comforting to know that Chip is human, and gets ides rejected.... like us all. it was also good to see how humble he is, not some uppity artist whose nose is in the air. he was genuine, loves his work, and is great at it.

what i really love about these lectures, put on by SPD, is that you really get to know the artists. I love the stories they share about different works, its highs and lows. and it was really cool to see the original concept of a cover, and how similiar or different that was from the finished design. Fascinating!

*shame on you ;)

here are some of his covers... but you should check out his website for sure! and then look in your bookcase.... i bet you find a Chip sensation!

jcrew's astrological superstitions are back

2008-04-22T10:25:00.001-04:00

attention! attention!
JCrew says today, April 22, is a super lucky day for EVERYONE!!!!
lets see what the day brings! lets see if shes right!

daily teachings

2008-04-21T23:17:00.003-04:00

what did we learn today kids?
we learned that one should not go to a press event where they will be serving an endless supply of delectable chocolates & cakes only to be washed down with fruity cocktails when you are STARVING.

so next time... i will eat first b.c i don't know how well Wednesday is going to be seeing as how my dinner was mostly dessert :( but it was delicious. and i went to the gym today. and i am SO going to the gym tomorrow.... now i start praying!

does anyone know who the "weight loss" saint is? i think i need to start directing my prayers to him as well ;)

nite y'all

the funny & the not so funny

2008-04-20T21:42:00.002-04:00

so Forgetting Sarah Marshall is hilarious.... just dont sit in the 2nd row! seeing as how you see a WHOLE LOT of Jason Segel. maybe a little too much. over all though it was funny. not as funny as Knocked Up, but funnier than Superbad (Southern Belle concurs with this.)

now, on a not so funny note...

DEAR KEY FOOD.
you have successfully turned me back to online grocery shopping. i tried, really i did. i got my grocery list together, clipped my coupons, and set aside time to actually go to the grocery store this weekend instead of ordering from FreshDirect.* But when you continue to have incompetent, lazy teenagers running things, it makes an easy, stress free errand give me a migraine.

here is what happened today... and EVERY TIME i come to your store. I travel up and down the aisles searching for whats on my list. i get to the WW frozen meals and there are 12 ** sale stickers all claiming that the meals are buy one get one free. huge bargain right?

i read every sale sign in depth like i was studying for an exam or something. i read every last detail b.c. that is how the stores get you. they post signs, you "think" you are getting something on sale, but really the sale is only on the 9.0oz kind, but all that is on the shelf is the 9.1oz & the 8.9oz, yet the sale stickers are all around THESE items even though, if you read clearly, they are NOT on sale. this really makes my blood boil. i get so angry at the sale sighs.

how hard is it for them to make ALL progresso soups on sale. or ALL WW meals. or ALL of anything, just something without so many darn exemptions.
anyways, i made sure that the items i had were actually the ones specified on the sale ticket. so going to the check out should be a piece of cake right?

wrong?

i watch as the teenage boy scans my items. i point out all of the errors and he ignore me. "they will come off at the end" he says. Um, no they wont, i think to myself. but i'm polite. i wait til the end to see. and i was right, the sales didn't come off. the cashier didn't even care that he was overcharging me and just said i "probably picked up the wrong items."

PROBABLY? you mean hes not even going to go check? seriously? okay now im pissed.

"Um, no i checked. they are the correct items. why don't you go check the signs" i said this is the nicest way possible while biting my tongue.
He is gone for 10 seconds*** and returns saying i had the wrong items.

okay, now i'm really pissed. Italian pissed.
"Come with me" i said as i storm around the cash register to the frozen food aisle.
"SEE this is what i have. This is whats on sale." and we did this for 3 more aisles.

we returned to the register and he corrected his mistakes. now the thing is, i understand the grocery scanners make mistakes. that is why i pay such close attention when getting rung up. However, my problem is with the cashiers. They have no customer service skills, and should have checked the sale items instead of making me escort him around the store pointing them out. half the time i am in there, the lazy teens are texting on their cells, eating snacks, or something else other than waiting on me. how do they get away with this? when i was a working teen .... i worked. really worked. i just don't understand how places like Key Food stay in business when they have incomepetent idiots working for them. even the managers are younger than me. i just don't get it. what is happening to this world? customer service should be a requirement. not a luxury. ahhhhh, this is hard proof that online shopping is the way to go.

*Dumb Dumb dumb
**yes, i counted
***not nearly enough time to even check one item, let alone for 4 that had mistakes

and i'll leave you with these 2 great quotes i heard this weekend!!!

Some days you're the fly, other days your windshield. -DP

Every sinner has future, every saint has a past. -vintage tee

solutions

2008-04-19T13:21:00.002-04:00

how do you make a really really really REALLY sad day not so awful?

fill a room with your closest friends & colleagues.... add some company expensed drinks... and top it off with a little late night karaoke! that was my Friday!

so today i recover! JCrew, Poppins, and I are going to see Forgetting Sarah Marshall, really b.c JCrew wants to know what she did lol! then we are going to Grey Dog Cafe in Union Square* for yummy sandwiches! tomorrow will be filled with cleaning, cooking, and a phone date with Mr.HG so overall this weekend is shaping up pretty good.

*see previous post about Grey Dog's awesomeness.

xoxo

2 important things

2008-04-16T23:19:00.003-04:00

1) today was weigh in day and i lost 2.2lbs!!!! yay looks like Trainer's new program is working hardcore. i see Mr.HG in exactly 4 weeks and i would love to be at my 25lb mark by then (8lbs, 4 weeks. yikes) im gonna work my tail off so wish me luck!

2) i love magazines. i work at a magzine. a large portion of my life deals with the newsstands where i am a frequent lurker. i was catchin up on my latest trashy magazine when i glanced down and saw this....

seriously i would kill for Mariah's BEFORE body. hello?? what do i have to do to get that? screw the after... the before is bangin!

seriously though, she looked better with a lil body to her. now she looks like every other celebrity/model. BEFORE Mariah had it going on... no it's just all gone :/

1 size down

2008-04-14T22:25:00.002-04:00

so i bought my first new pair of jeans since January and guess what... they are a size smaller!!!! woooooo hoooooo!

i haven't blogged about WW in awhile so heres whats been going on....
it was down down down, the scale that is, until my 2 week birthday extravaganza where i gained a wee bit back. so i spent the next week losing that and then gained 2 weeks ago (no frigging idea how b.c i worked my tail off but whateves its over) and then last week i had a huge loss of 2.2lbs!!! i'm hoping the scale will drop another 2lbs this Wednesday and we will be back on track!

so far i've lost around 16lbs, and since my first goal is 50lb i still have a long way to go. but one day at a time, or one crunch at a time, i'm back on track!

one of my big problems recently is that i work out a ton (5 days a week, um yeah!) and apparently don't eat enough so my body went into starvation mode. tricky this whole diet thing. but now i'm trying to eat all of my points and up my protein intake and so far this week i have done both.

as for exercising... Trainer and i are doing great. she has me doing super circuits which is burning the calories way faster then our previous sessions. we used to average 500-600 calories a session... Wednesday we hit 787 and today we were at 683! she is working me hard, and i love it!!!! we have decided that we should make a video of our sessions, it would be similar to the Jen Lancaster one* and be totally hilarious! between my killer kick boxing skills, tripping over my each other, and hitting Trainer with the speed ball.... lets just say we would totally win America's Funniest Home Video!

so i still meet with Trainer 2 times a week, and do cardio 3 times.... with my weekends off for recovery im feeling great!*

cooking has been a new thing on my list. its going to help in adding healthy variety to my diet cuz right now lean cuisine is getting old. i made HG's 2 point egg salad yesterday and it was delicious. i piled it onto 2 slices of toasted multi grain WW bread for a total of 3 points. tonight i made beef stir fry (6pts) which was not only the first time i made stir fry, but also the first time i made beef strips! yum :)

so im off to bed... one more day til weigh in day... wish me luck!

xoxo

*see earlier post
**except my butt which still hurts from spinning class

tales from the dinner party

2008-04-14T00:05:00.004-04:00

the 1 point cupcake... it does exist! *

So Poppins in pregnant... yay!!! and Pregnant Poppins & Mr.Poppins had JCrew & I over for dinner on Friday nite.... and it was lovely.

We started out with some appetizers** then had pasta smothered in Grandma Poppins secret family sauce... and then these delicious cupcakes! the whole meal was weight watcher friendly which meant i could actually eat it guilt free!

We also had some great dinner conversation that included, but not limited to...
*crack laced cheerios
*nudity + nyc living +the priest in boxers across the street
*the thrills of being pregnant... and the sounds it makes
*me being scammed by the guy on 42nd & lex... the one with the dog
*the most fashionable homeless man resides in park slope
*magazine industry gossip... and oh is it juicy
*the creepy coincidences of Mr & Mrs Poppin's wedding... seriously they could write a book
and there was much, much more.

our night was filled with good friends, good food, and good laughs. what more could i ask for!

*with all the fixins its probably is about 2-3 points
**who knew cucumbers marinated in red wine vinaigrette could be so refeshingly delicious

xoxo

give back. give hope.

2008-04-09T23:00:00.005-04:00

so i watched Idol Gives Back tonight... and it not only made me feel like i can make a difference, it made me realize that i have to make a difference. We all have to. So whether you like American Idol or not, whether you like the entertainment world, or tv, or whatever.... you all will like the feeling you get from helping someone.
so pick up the phone, log on, get a stamp.... and give back. I did.

www.americanidol.com

and if you're still not convinced, maybe one of the following people can influence you...
Robin Williams, Celine Dion, Forest Whitaker, Billy Crystal, Dane Cook, Kiefer Sutherland, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Jennifer Connolly, Elliott Yamin, Fantasia and Amy Adams Bono, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Miley Cyrus, Mariah Carey, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Fergie, Chris Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, Annie Lennox, John Legend, Snoop Dogg, Maroon 5, Heart, Gloria Estefan, Teri Hatcher, James Denton, Sarah Silverman, Jimmy Kimmel, Laura Linney, Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, Ellen DeGeneres, Kiefer Sutherland, Maria Shriver, Tyra Banks, David Spade....

these are a handful of celebrities who are giving back and you should follow in their footsteps, just this once.

xoxo

not one in a million

2008-04-09T00:25:00.004-04:00

tonight i found out that i am not the only earthling obsessed with Rock for Love!!! there i said it out loud... i like rock of love! i watch it all the time while on the treadmill... and when the marathons are on, i have to literally pry myself away. its tres difficulte.

but thats okay.... b.c if someone as fabulous as Jennifer Weiner can admit that to a crowd, then i can admit it to you. just add rock of love to my guilty pleasures list, right up there with Hogan Knows Best and Paris Hilton's book ;)

and how do i know that Jennifer loves the show too... well we are bff and chat everyday of course!

LOL okay, sadly im kidding... but i bet we would have a great time on a coffee date. or a shopping spree... or a day hanging out with Mr.TiVo!
seriously though, I met the fabulous Jennifer at a book signing at the Barnes & Noble in Lincoln Center tonight. And let me just say, she is just as witty and charming in person as she is in her books.

More on that tomorrow though, b.c i have to upload the photo of us...

OH YEAH i got a photo with her, and yes im a wee bit gitty about it :)

check back tomorrow for the full details! nite

PS if anyone doesn't know who Jennifer Weiner is.... well #1 shame on you and #2 click here
you'll be thankful you did :)

xoxo

where are they now

2008-04-08T15:39:00.008-04:00

so i just learned the most fascinating thing, thanks to Jennsylvania & Google!
I discovered that Andrew McCarthy aka Blane from Pretty in Pink is the same Andrew McCarthy who plays Joe Bennett (the super rich dude dating Victory Ford) in Lipstick Jungle....I thought he looked familiar!
and then we have Jon Cryer, aka Duckie, playing opposite Charlie Sheen in Two & A Half Men.
As for Molly Ringwald, other than her Medium guest spot shes been pretty MIA in film and television. She did however make her way onto Broadway starring in Sweet Charity.
just thought id share.... cuz i know you all wondered what happened to the teen queen and her sidekicks!

delta gamma i amma

2008-04-07T23:10:00.004-04:00

its crazy to think that it is ABC Family that has created one of my favorite all-time television shows. Thank goodness for TiVo*, b/c without that i wouldn't even have realized that the 2nd season of Greek started last week! Um, yay!

If you haven't seen this comedy about Greek life** you are totally missing out. watching Casey and her Zeta Beta Zeta girls bond totally makes me reminiscent & missing my soro days...

...our theme date parties where dressing up as a sailor was sexy.

...dressing to the nines for our formal where our trendy transportation vehicle was the drunk bus.

...being wasted on homecoming by 7am....just so we could watch a parade where the clowns throw candy at us!

...house boys who set our dinner table, gathered chairs, cleared the dishes, & packed up leftovers all for free just to have dinner with us. Hot Dam! Delta Gam!

...a cook, a maid, & a house mom to look after me and my 32 roommates who shared 3 bathrooms! (yeah i miss it)

...sharing a quad with 3 girls whom i had never met before & who later became my bestest friends!

...being #1 in rush... EVERY YEAR :)

...raiding the Phi Delt house.... and running off with their doorknobs!

...the sunshine basket

...my greek family... my grand big who is a nurse, big who is now a lawyer, my little who is in law school....and it goes from there....

...but mostly i miss coming home after a long day of classes and having my bffs there.
my sisters to talk to/complain to/gossip with/laugh with/cry with. i miss the bonding, the socializing, and the daily friendship.

my best friends today still include my sorority sisters. my big, my little, my roomies, my pledge class! every cliché friendship quote is totally relevant here. and since i am a sorority girl... im gonna get all gushy.... here are some of my favorites!

"If I paid for my friends, I surely didnt pay enough"

"Sorority sisters are the siblings God forgot to give us"

"From the outside looking in, you can never understand it. From the inside looking out, you can never explain it"

and because every good sorority girl has to be a lil bit bitchy....

Today, we salute you, Sorority Girl. In your pointed-stilettos, you understand that having blisters and cramped pinky toes is a small price to pay for the approval of your peers. Sure, your Vera Bradley bag and oversized pearls may appear to have been stolen from your grandmother, but we rest assured that your Daddy bought them for you fair and square. And yes, you may be snobby to every guy that approaches you, but we know that you're only doing them a favor. So crack open an ice-cold Bud Light, Sorority Girl, because everyone knows that behind your dyed blond hair and falsely tanned skin there sits a real person in the driver seat of that Lexus SUV, and that real person...is a pale brunette.***

go greek.

and if your college days are far behind you... go watch Greek & you can live vicariously through the Zetas!

*My TiVo never lets me down ;)
**If when i say 'Greek life' you think of Feta, Astoria, or a 'big fat wedding' you have the wrong idea. Greek life... in my blog.... means: Go Delta Gamma.... sorority/fraternity... bitch bags, flip cup, and mixers!
***even i went blond in soro days.... but now im back to loving my chocolate locks!

PS Casey is played by Spencer Grammer... who is Kelsey Grammer's daughter... who i like, love!

I HEART NKOTB

2008-04-05T15:44:00.003-04:00

they are back... and they are lookin good!!!! sadly, JCrew and Mr.HG have both turned down my offer at accompanying me to the upcoming tour... but i can always count on momma!!!! she took me to their first concert in november 89, and she will once again be my date to their 08 show!!!

the question is... are you ready?

spring?

2008-04-02T22:51:00.003-04:00

so yesterday, my weatherman* gave me the great news that the high for the day was going to be 68! and it was.... 68, and damp but still it was warm. i packed up my wool coat & took out my hot new spring trench. (yep, that's it in the photo... adorable, i know!)

i put away my black heels and out came the colorful peep-toes!** aside from the rain, it was a lovely april day.

and then i woke up this morning.... Al reported that the high would be a measly 55 and the low 33.

but the thing is, in my head i already welcomed spring. i said goodbye to heavy coats, gloves, sweaters, & closed toed shoes. that for me ended march 31. so regardless of the cold temperatures that have returned once again to my fair city, i will continue to wear my spring palette***, my new coat, and my warm weathered shoes.

Winter... you can kiss it! my spring wardrobe is way cute!

*Al Roker of course!
**it required a rush at home pedicure, b/c i thought... hey spring has arrived! my toes need to show it! and a rush trip to the shoe store where i purchased my new jessica simpson macintosh peep toe wedges... one word: hot!
***along with the rest of nyc, i was wearing a bright spring coat today paired with a scarf and hands tucked deep inside my pockets for warmth!

nite all... nite winter

xoxo

mass transit can kiss it

2008-04-02T00:10:00.003-04:00

Dear New York City MTA....

YOU SUCK.

I mean, i was super glad to read half of my book tonight.* but not happy at all that i had to read it while sitting on the W train for an hour. Yes, MTA, you had me stranded, between stations for AN HOUR with NO way off and NO announcements as to why.

this is unacceptable.

you raise your fares but don't raise your service. what gives?

is my $81 a month not enough to assure my timely transport from point A to point B?

even after going on strike through the holiday season of 2006, and ruining holiday shopping & tourist vacations you were still not able to get your s*#%) ** together enough to provide adequate service? i know you got more money, more benefits, & more time off just to come back to work. i would think after all of these pleasures you would at least work efficiently.

i so wish i could boycott you because after tonights excursion, i would be on my own MTA strike. ***

*Jennifer Weiner's The Guy Not Taken... pick it up, its goooood!
**Mr.HG and i are cutting back on our swearing, but some situations call for the big girl words
***unfortunately, my only other mode of transportation are my feet, and in my hott shoes, they can only take you so far.

PS i try not to post negative rants on here, i want my blog to be a happy oasis..... but sometimes a rant is in order. better post tomorrow!

xoxo

lookin good

2008-03-30T21:16:00.004-04:00

check out Mr.HG's new suit!!! he got is specially for Southern Belle's wedding... and interviews too! Its part of the Lauren by Ralph Lauren collection & is currently being tailored to fit Mr.HGs hot bod ;) This weekend we also came to the realization that both Mr.HG & I are media magnets, and literally walk right into the hands of advertisers. This could be bad ;)

An example.... in the purchasing of this suit, Mr.HG also had to purchase the shirt, the tie, the pocket thing, and 2 pairs of socks! ay ay ay

in other news... after admitting that i am obsessed with "bad " television (i.e. Hogan Knows Best, Girls Next Door, & Real Wives of OC) i found a new show! The Real Wives of NYC! Now, after hours of watching.... hey there was a marathon on & i'm sick, nuff said.... i have determined that although i live in NY, I like the OC wives better. They seem to be way more fun! way more hot! and way more ridiculous which makes for great tv!

Oh and Giada had her baby!!!! Ciao Bella!

one more bag

2008-03-29T21:15:00.002-04:00

is exactly what i needed! check out my new Diane Von Furstenberg tote!!!! i'm so excited... and i have the perfect shoes to go with it!!!!

aaaccccchhoooooooooo

2008-03-28T22:37:00.001-04:00

im sick.... boo hoo :(

what came in my lil blue box

2008-03-26T22:56:00.002-04:00

my new favorite accessory.....thanks Mr.HG ;)

xoxo

if martha has one, so should i

2008-03-26T22:43:00.003-04:00

so i was at a cooking prop sale at work and came across this...having no idea what it was, but knowing that i have seen Martha use one, i purchased it!*
later i found out that this handy kitchen gadget that i so quickly purchsed is none other than a nut roaster!

what will i do with a nut roaster you ask? why, ill be roasting some nuts!**

*i know, i have a problem.
*seeing as how JCrew has officially challenged me to roast nuts in 2008, you better believe i will be roasting some nuts by years end!

top 2 of the nite

2008-03-25T22:43:00.003-04:00

I adore lil David... and Michael Johns just got moved up on my "it" list!!!! funny how the youngest & the oldest are American Idol's hottest!

getting schooled on techie stuff

2008-03-25T22:13:00.003-04:00

so luckily i'm dating a man who knows a thing or two (or a ton) about the IT aka information technology world. i am currently looking to purchase an external hard drive & after sending Mr.HG a link for a pink colored hd, i was quickly informed that just b.c its pink does not mean its a quality hd.* so, we went online & picked a few other options and after realizing i was being a lil too Elle Woods i decided to take his advice and purchase the Western Digital My Book 50oGB office edition.**

after some computer chat we started discussing the tv signal transition that will be occurring come Feb 2009. Basically, i was extremely concerned that if i didn't purchase a new tv by the end of the year, i would be denied my guilty pleasures (i.e. Gossip Girls, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Bros&Sisters...) Luckily, i came across this article and i realized that i do not need to purchase a new tv, although the viewing quality will not be as stellar, my huge tube will still work. Also, a tid-bit of info.... HDTV is NOT the same as DTV.***

...If you decide to upgrade to DTV, be aware there is a difference between DTV and High-Definition TV (HDTV). Not all digital TVs are High-Definition TVs. HDTV refers only to the highest-quality forms of digital broadcast. Some lower-priced digital TVs can receive all types of DTV programming, but are unable to display high-definition signals in their full glory.

Now I know.

Thanks to the Geek Squad and thanks to Mr.HG for all the techie particulars.... if you ever need the facts on Gucci vs. Prada just let me know ;)

*sorry Mr.HG, but anything pink is always better!
**yes, 500gb is way bigger than anything ill ever need... but its on sale making it CHEAPER than the 160gb one.... weird how that works
***learn something new everyday, eh

xoxo

George W. Bush Presidential Library

2008-03-25T14:41:00.005-04:00

email highlight of the day....Welcome to the George W. Bush Presidential Library!

Here are the highlights of today’s library tour:

The Hurricane Katrina Room: Sorry, still under construction.

The Texas Air National Guard Room: Come if you want, but you don’t really have to show up if you don’t want to.

The Walter Reed Hospital Room: No admittance. (Sorry.)

The Guantanamo Bay Room: No getting out. (Not that sorry.)

The Weapons of Mass Destruction Room: Wait, where’s that room again? We just can’t seem to find it . . .

The Iraq War Room: After completing your first tour, we’ll have you back for a second, third, and fourth tour!

Thanks for visiting us at the George W. Bush Presidential Library! Y’all come back again real soon!

daytime tv.... what have i been missing

2008-03-21T16:08:00.002-04:00

so Hogan Knows Best is my new guilty pleasure!
TiVo it... now!

Such a Pretty Fat...

2008-03-21T00:00:00.003-04:00

Okay, so Jen Lancaster is one of the funniest authors ever. She is the author of Bitter is the New Black and Bright Lights Big Ass both of which are witty memoirs about the snarky life of a sorority girl living in the ghetto!

I was turned onto Jen's writings when Hello Darling gushed on & on about her, and then literally handed me the book and said, "read it." I started out reading Bitter, and honestly hated it. i thought jen was just too much. i tried so hard & kept reading simply b.c Darling wanted me to. But then i read the line, "a mani-pedi is a sorority girl's version of a threesome".... and she had me!

I was hooked! I highly recommend adding her to your blogroll, like now!

Anyways... Jen's new book Such a Pretty Fat (coming out soon) where Jen is going to lose 50lbs by any means necessary. As a person who has been yo yo dieting for 14 years, i can not wait to read it!

Here is a video of her with her trainer.... Let me just say i can relate! Trainer comes out with some really random equipment, and usually i look at her, panting, and say "WHAT IS THAT?"
After she stops laughing, she demonstrates, i do 3 sets, and then i get it. Some equipment is way better than others* but the variety keeps things really interesting & keeps me from getting board so all in all it works!

anyways, the video below, and especially the ending, reminds me so much of my training sessions. the very end... has so happened to me. there have been multiple times that i have to restart b.c i'm laughing so hard.... and then there was the time that i accused Trainer of "breaking my abs"... but thats a whole other story!

i heart you Trainer :)

*the giant rubber band that is only like 1 ft long but i had to stretch it the length of my body.... the whole time i was waiting for it to snap and hit me in the head... even though Trainer kept saying it wouldn't, i was having visions. she was right! i guess i'm not as strong as i think ;)

birthday recap

2008-03-19T23:03:00.010-04:00

thank you to all for your birthday wishes! i had a wonderful birthday that included calls from friends all across the US, virtual cupcakes, a weight watcher friendly cake baked by JCrew, lots of pink emails, a bouquet of my fave flowers from BossLady, and it all started with a midnight call from Mr.HG with birthday wishes, and ended with burning 623 calories at the gym. it was a great birthday!
i got even more presents today... Mr.HG got me Platon's Republic** (the book of one of my fave photographers EVER) which is an extremely thoughtful gift that i will treasure! and Miss H got me The Pink Princess Cookbook that not only has recipes for princess-style cucumber sandwiches, but also for choc covered princess wand pretzels. can we say yum :) Momma G is buying me work clothes*** and sent me a really great care package with lots of goodies, but most importantly 3 of her famous choc covered marshmallows... yeah, so all 3 are gone. but they were delicious!

in other news... kelly pickler* was on American Idol tonight... and aside from the fact that i adore her, and would love for her to be my bff.... is it just me, or are her boobs ridiculously bigger? like there is noooo way with that itty bitty frame she is naturally a DD... just not possible.

+yesterday, 40 degree weather in nyc, i saw a guy in a kilt. not in a costume, just a "normal" guy walking around in a kilt. thank goodness it wasn't windy!

+ World Exclusive.... J-Lo's baby's pictures are being revealed in only 7.5 hrs... hopefully they will take after their mom

+ thanks to a recent beauty sale at work, i have started using the body shop's flawless foundation again.... and it's fantastic! i used it in high school and don't really recall why i stopped using it, but i'm glad i came around again. it is a very light foundation that feels natural and like i'm barely wearing anything. but it has good coverage and stays on all day. it comes HG recommended!

okay thats all for me... nite y'all ;)

*um, LOVE her
**see January post for examples of his work
*** desperately needed. hopefully, i will be buying a size smaller. i haven't gone shopping since 16lbs ago!

xoxo

juicy cupcakes

2008-03-17T11:40:00.006-04:00

i got the best present in the mail today... isn't this adorable! thanks Southern Belle.... you know me all too well!!!

so this weekend was the beginning of my birthday extravaganza.... and it was a blast!
saturday my bff JC* was in town to celebrate, and that we did! we started out going for sushi at Watwa & it was de-lish! then JCrew, Oprah, and a ton of my NY friends showed up at Black Finn for $30 all you can drink... and lets just say that is a lot!

After a nite filled of dancing, laughing, and posing for pics we stumbled home in search of a White Castle** i have never had a WC burger, and probably never will again. lol. it was different... thats for sure. but i think i still prefer Taco Bell as my drunk food of choice.

Needless to say, Sunday was rough. My whole body was aching from my killer dance moves, and i was soooo tired. i never stay out late, hardly ever drink, so my body was like WTF?

but it was a great nite and i'm so glad my friends made it out :)

this weekend.... part 2 of my birthday :) Mr.HG is coming to visit & JCrew is throwing me a b-day party... Scattagories anyone?

*college DG roomie.... who i have WAY too much fun with! its not even right!
**Harold and Kumar.... White Castle is really not that difficult to find.

PS.... i forgot to mention that a crane fell on a building in midtown Saturday afternoon, literally down the street from Black Finn.... the entire area was closed off for an undermined amount of time. so my Saturday afternoon was spent hooked on the news thinking, of all the places... of all of the days, a crane fell on my birthday party :( but luckily, by the evening, the area was re-open and the party was back on schedule!

tell me your joking

2008-03-13T23:01:00.004-04:00

Sheriff: Woman sat on toilet for 2 years

okay seriously?
so when i first overheard this on the newswire i was expecting the story to be something like... the missing woman who was kidnapped 2 years ago, has been held hostage, and chained to a toilet until the predator was caught and she was found....

or maybe it would have been more like this....obese woman gets stuck in bathroom, lives in solitude and no one checked on her for 2 years until one day someone noticed the mail piled on the stoop, the overgrown lawn, or the house was always dark b/c with no one to pay the bill, it was disconnected. woman found.

or ailens came down and hypnotized the lady while she was in the bathroom and she has not been alert for 2 years... until now

or woman falls and hits head before sitting on toilet, thinks shes fine, sits on toilet and slips into a coma from a concussion... found

or really there are a million things this story could have been, but the reality is that the woman was on the toilet, not chained/glued/tied or anything. she was on there b.c. she refused to come out.... FOR TWO YEARS.

and NO she didn't even live alone. she lived with her bf who brought her food and water and, he says, asked her to come out everyday but she refused.... she stayed in there on her own will? and he waited 2 years before calling authorities to report that something was seriously wrong.... two years? he lived with her for that long and didn't think to call someone sooner? like her mom? or a friend? or the crazy police?

i really don't get it. like really, i don't.

coolest treadmill ever

2008-03-11T21:59:00.002-04:00

okay so seriously....i ran on the COOLEST treadmill ever today! i am usually an elliptical girl, but have been walking on the treadmill lately to cool down at the end of my workout. and my gym recently got brand new treadmills but i had no idea just how super awesome they were.... until today!

so anyways, im on the treadmill, and i have my towel laying over the monitor with the time and everything b.c the time goes so much slower when you are watching it tick away. and on the bottom of the screen there are these buttons, one if to insert your headset, one is something random, and one says ipod. the ipod one has a cord attached to it and the other end looks like the end piece you plug into your ipod to charge it. so i plug it in and viola! it has the green battery/charging symbol. the treadmill charges your ipod!!!! no more worrying about running on empty... a battery that is!

the only problem was that with it plugged into the treadmill with the charger piece i had my earset plugged into the ipod but no sound was coming out. i look at my ipod to try to select a song but the screen wont allow any selections. so i plug the earset into the treadmill instead of into the ipod... still no sound? wtf... i unplug everything and go back to the regular way, music works.

but it was still bothering me... how could a treadmill so high tech that it charges your ipod not be able to play the music... then it hit me.....

i plugged everything back into the treadmill, moved my towel off of the screen, and viola! media center on the treadmill with a touch screen that shows the same menu as my actual ipod.... OMG how frigging cool :)

i might be on the treadmill more often!!!

PS these are the new lifefitness treadmills... i highly recommend you request them at your gym!

just a lil sprinkle!

2008-03-11T21:49:00.005-04:00

so last week was my boss's birthday... and look what i made :)

i love frosting and love pink, and naturally i had to make the best cake ever for Boss Lady...and the sprinkles, well, how can you have a cake without sprinkles! sprinkles just make everything a lil happier!

and let me just say it was delicious!*

yeah, after my weigh in i had a slice....but i counted the points for it so there! oh & i went to the gym after anyways!

famous friendships

2008-03-09T17:01:00.011-04:00

a true friend is one who comes in when the whole world has gone out.
i am blessed enough to have some really great, amazing, fabulous, true* friends. God didn't give me sisters, but he gave me the next best thing... all of you. you are my family. and lets face it, our moms couldn't handle us as sisters, anyways!!!!

i love you all and i cant even begin to thank you for being my rock this week. you are the best thing that ever happened to me. thank you for being my friend ....
....Traveled down the road and back again. Your heart is true your a pal and a confidant.**

*i could go on and on with adjectives about how fantastic they are!
**sang to the tune of the golden girls.... obvs!

xoxo