After Oscars

After months of hype and tons of awards show leading up to THE awards show, it's all over, just like that. OK, maybe not just like that, there were hours and hours of arrivals and then hours and hours of the actual show. A lot of people thought the show was boring but I was live blogging on FB so I was having my own Oscar party online. No matter what was happening on the screen, I was having fun. 

I only read one review about Seth MacFarlane and it was positive. I felt the same way. On FB it seemed like a lot of people didn't like him but I found him funny, charming and game for anything. I could have done without the William Shatner bit in the opening but I still enjoyed the opening with Channing Tatum and Charlize Theron dancing and then Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Daniel Radcliffe dancing and singing with Seth. It was old/new school Hollywood. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Not many, if any surprise winners. They acted surprised but they were all the front runners for each category they were in. That being said, I loved Daniel Day-Lewis' speech. This was his third Oscar, he could have been blasé about the whole thing, instead he was incredibly moved and his speech was beautiful. I felt like this year, with his Golden Globe and Oscar win he really let his emotion and personality shine thru. 

Before the awards season I was a big fan of Anne Hathaway and was totally rooting for her but her speech at the Golden Globes turned me off, it was soooo long and then when Les Mis won she took over the mic to thank an agent she forgot. Really? I'm also not digging this gosh darn, I can't believe I won attitude she's projecting. I just don't believe it. 

Now someone I am loving is Jennifer Lawrence. She looks like someone who doesn't play the Hollywood game. She is so genuine in everything that she does that we're even charmed by her falling down to get her Oscar. I love her honesty and freshness. I'm posting a video of her at the end of this post that is just another reason to love her. 

Don't boo me, but I didn't think Argo was the best movie of the year. Unlike most years, I've actually seen a lot of the movies that were nominated, Silver Lining Playbook, Les Miserablés, Life of Pi and Argo. I have to say, of all of the movies, I enjoyed Argo the least. I'm not saying that I didn't like it, I did, I just liked the others more. There was an emotional element that was missing from Argo for me. I would have been happier if any of the other movies won. That being said, my favorite speech of the night was Ben Affleck's. Nothing moves my somewhat cynical heart (who am I kidding? I'm mush) more then true emotion. I love how far Ben has come in his career and how appreciative he was about it all and it's pretty cool to see him up there with George Clooney. 

The Oscars are really just a reason for people to dress up and for us to judge them for it, so on to the fashion!

I liked a lot of the fashion this year, no real disasters (Helena Bonham Carter is always a disaster, so I don't even bother with her). The top two dresses were my favorite of the night. When I saw them onscreen they took my breath away. The stills don't really convey the beauty of their dresses since part of the magic was in how their dresses moved. I haven't always agreed with Jennifer Hudson's style choices but this dress and the one she wore when she performed Dreamgirls were flawless. Her body looks magnificent in the dress which shimmers and shines when she moves. If you get a chance to see Stacy Keibler (aka George Clooney's gf) in her dress on video, you will see why I love it. On tv, her dress moves and looks like it's made up of a ton of necklaces. There's a metallic look to her dress and it's not a flat material, so it reflects light and adds dimension. Just stunning. 

On camera Naomi Watts dress looked more green/bluish but that could be because her dress is so shimmery and glittery that the lights are all reflected. Sparkle was the theme of the night and I was a huge fan. This dress fit Naomi like a dream and it was something new. Nicole Kidman also had on a fitted glittery dress that she looked divine in. What I love about Octavia Spencer is she knows how to dress for her body. I know she's good friends with Melissa McCarthy, she should really give her some tips. Octavia's dress doesn't re-invent the wheel but it's glamorous and romantic at the same time. I'm a sucker for tulle. If I could get away with wearing tulle every day I would. 

When I first say this dress by Halle Barry I didn't like it. But then she walked on stage and it was so extremely flattering to her body I revised my opinion. That being said, I'd love the dress whole heartedly if it wasn't for the squared shoulders. But since she has those shoulders she's my transition to the dresses I didn't like. 

I know Reese Witherspoon recently had a baby but I'm just not enjoying the fit of this dress. It pooches at her belly and hey, if that's her belly then she could have worn a different dress. I also don't like the two toneness of the dress. Kerry Washington wore a black and white one on Scandal the other day that I loved, this I didn't. She did have my favorite hair style of the night tho. I have admitted to my love of Jennifer Lawrence but I was disappointed in this dress. On tv you can't see the details in the material of the small back draped necklace that she has on. So add a veil and this is a wedding dress. I have loved a lot of what she has worn during the awards season and I can understand wanting to dress like a princess (or in my case a Queen), I just wish she hadn't looked like a bride while doing it. 

On my tv Kerry Washington's dress looked red, add to that all of the jewelry at the top of her dress and she just looked like she should be under a Christmas tree. I'm just not a fan of bedazzaled clothes overall. Anne Hathaway was my biggest disappointment of the night. She's very fashion conscious. I expected more out of her. The darts at her nipples drove me crazy. You know I have no problems with nipples but the dress just didn't flatter and the darts were distracting. She said she chose the dress 3 hours before hand. She should have gone with her other choice. Maybe if the dress didn't have a weirdly placed seam at the waistline it would have looked better. I don't know. It just seemed like a hot mess to me. 

Speaking of hot messes… This falls into the what was she thinking category? The dress doesn't look like it fits her, it adds 20 lbs to her and her hair doesn't help matters. I am a fan of the Pricilla Presley do, just not here. Melissa McCarthy needs to either hire a stylist or fire one. 

All that being said, fashion is subjective. You might like what I hated and vice versa. I would love to hear your thoughts on the Oscars and the Oscar fashion, there were a ton of other great dresses. 

But before you weigh in, check out this so cute video. Jennifer Lawrence is interviewing with ABC when Jack Nicholson comes up to compliment/hit on her. Her reaction is priceless and this is why I love Katniss. 

Fun Foto Friday - R.E.M.

Working at The Museum of TV & Radio wasn't good for my bank account but what it lacked in pay, it more then made up for in fun experiences. Since we had a working radio booth, one year (sorry I can't remember when) instead of touring different radio stations R.E.M. did all of their radio interviews from the museum. They spent a week there and it was awesome to get to hang out, watch them do sound check, perform (they played for a small audience that I was a part of, squee!), listen to them interact and just soak up the awesomeness of being so close to them.

While stationed in Korea, the only tv option we had was the military one, AFKN (where I worked) so we didn't watch a lot of tv. I used to watch my R.E.M. concert video all of the time. I think I still have it in a box back in the shed.

I didn't say anything to the guys all week about watching their video over and over again until the last day. I just had to get my picture with them (we weren't supposed to bother the talent but rules were meant to be broken, or at least bent) and when I finally told them about how much I loved them, they were like, why didn't you say anything earlier? I was being a professional. The photo of me and Michael Stipe was taken after the very last interview was done, he was exhausted and ready to go home but he stopped to take this pic with me. I love when famous people exceed expectations (maybe next week I'll share a photo of someone who disappointed). I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for these guys.

Girlfriends…good for the soul (part 2)

Prior to my trip to Washington D.C. I was in a little funk. I was stressed, wasn't sleeping and was eating like crap. I wasn't even as excited as I should be about my upcoming trip. But then I hopped on a plane with Nancy who was positively giddy and I started to get excited too. I was going to go see my girlfriends!

Sometime in the year 2000 (insert Conan voice here) while surfing the web for something new to read, I discovered the romance book message board, RBL Romantica. Thru that website I've met people who have become lifelong friends. The last time I was in D.C. I was visiting Michelle, that was 10 years ago  and she's one of the main reasons I went back, Michelle is my emotional soul mate, when she cries, I cry. Su has visited every place I've moved to and in the last 10 years (Los Angeles, Portland, Atlanta, Daytona Beach, Everett and Sararosta). Lina is a close second, I don't think she made it to Los Angeles. How can I be alone when my friends are always there for me?  When I met Linda I remember thinking she was the coolest woman I've ever met, I still think that. I even flew to Europe and got to spend a fantstic month with Nes! These are just a few of the amazing women who are part of my life thru RBL. Because of the internet, even though we're separated by miles, we're still close and luckily, we all love to travel. We used to meet in Vegas once a year and then began expanding to New Orleans, Jersey Shore (Nes flew in for that!), Charleston, New York, whatever city I'm currently living in and Washington DC. Some of us see each other 2 or 3 times a year, do you know how lucky that makes me?

Now I don't visit RBL as much as I used to, but thru Karen Marie Moning (who I also met on RBL) my world has expanded even more. While I've kept my friends from RBL it's grown and the handful of gals I would meet up with (ok maybe more then a handful, I know and love a lot of women) has grown. Thru the Maniacs, I've met more women that I admire and have enriched my life and they too love to travel. I barely knew Julie but once I invited her to join me and my RBL girlfriends in Vegas she booked a ticket. I knew I was going to love this girl (and Nancy eventually was happy I invited Monica-she could never remember her name, LOL).  I learn a lot from all of my friends but Sharon is who I want to be when I grow up. Sally I've only known for a couple of years but I feel like we've known each other forever. There's such a comfortableness with her. Diana is my crazy asian sister and Jenn, well I'm working on trying to bring the crazy out in her. Again, there are many many Maniacs I know and love and are blessed to be friends with. These are just the ones in this pic.

People who know me, know I don't travel alone. I travel to meet up with my girlfriends and I bring them with me wherever I go. It's not even really about the destination, I rarely sight see, I want to spend time with the girls. My favorite thing to do is to sit around and talk. We never get enough of each other in our day to day lives, people are working, have families and we live thousands of miles from each other. So I cherish the time we have together.

This isn't the best picture of us, you can tell we're tired but I love what this pic represents. We can literally sit there and talk and laugh for hours. 

I'm always fired up after a visit with the girls. A visit with each other strengthens the bonds that are already there and re-invigorates me. I'm immediately thinking about the next time we can get together, sometimes we even plan this before we leave because we all value our friendship so much. 

Since I've come back from D.C. I've been able to sleep again, I no longer feel stressed and  joined a gym and am super motivated to get back in shape. All I needed was some time with my girlfriends, they're good for my soul. 

Girlfriends…good for the soul (part 1)

Growing up I was surrounded by boys, I did have 5 brothers after all. Then I joined the Army and again I was surrounded by boys (not a bad thing). I've always got along with men and have some great guy friends. While the majority of my friends were men, I've always been blessed with at least one close girl friend wherever I lived (military brat). 

Freshman year was Kirsten, we lived in OR, then we moved to IL and Angie became my best friend thru the beginning of my senior year and then I met Nancy when we moved to WA. I was traumatized having to move my senior year but then I met by best friend for life. Well, until I move out of her house at least:)

Julie arrived the day after I arrived in Korea and we became roommates and best friends. We did everything together, including a lot of drinking. A LOT OF DRINKING. And I know it will shock you to find this out but we also did a lot of eating. I still love Korean food. You could buy a bowl of cheese ramen and a stick of beef for a dollar each. Many a late night meal consisted of that. The funny thing is we would never be really drunk at the same time so we took care of each other. 

When I was stationed in Ft Meade, MD we didn't have to share rooms. My unit consisted mostly of men, not a lot of female camera people in the Army. For awhile there I was the only one in our unit. I didn't mind either way, I could hold my own with the guys. In the room across the hall from me lived Reine-Marie. I actually first became a friend with her co-worker but her co-worker, I believe her name was Jennifer, found a guy and fell out of the picture but Reine and I stayed friends. We would spend weekends heading to either DC or Baltimore, Ft Meade was ideally located. After I got out of the Army I flew back to be Maid of Honor in her wedding.

Way back then we didn't have internet or cell phones so it was easy to fall out of touch with people. A couple of moves (and I moved a lot) and you've lost contact. Then along came Facebook! While we complain about privacy and how often they change the settings I have to say I love FB because it's allowed me to reconnect with people I've thought gone from my life for good. 

While I'm not the greatest at calling often or responding as often as I should to emails, I can  keep in contact, at least superficially  thru FB and when I travel, if I'm lucky, I get to re-connect with long lost friends. And that was what I did when I went to Washington D.C. I got to spend a couple of hours with both Reine-Marie and Julie. Not nearly enough time but I will take whatever time I can get. It was wonderful to re-connect and re-energize our friendship. I've always considered them friends but now they are a part of my present, as well as my past. We've aged wonderfully, haven't we? My excuse is I'm Asian, I have no idea why they still look so gorgeous.

Happy Valentine's Day from the Winchesters

Last night I caught up on Supernatural with last week's and this week's episode. So far am loving this season. Thrilled that it's already been renewed for next season.

My fave from last night:

Dean telling Sam why he is the one who will do the 3 trials to close the gates to Hell:

I want you to have a life — become a Men of Letters, whatever. You, with a wife and kids and grandkids, living until you’re fat and bald and chugging Viagra. That is my perfect ending and that’s the only one I’m going to get. So I’m going to do these trials, and I’m going to do them alone. End of story.”

At the end of the ep when Sam saved Dean and did the first trial, Dean wanted to re-do the trial but this was his response:

Sam: “I see light at the end of this tunnel and I’m sorry you don’t. I am. But it’s there. And if you come with me, I can take you to it.”
Dean: “Sam, be smart.”
Sam: “I am smart, Dean, and so are you. You’re not a grunt, Dean; you’re a genius — when it comes to lore, to– You’re the best damn hunter I’ve ever seen — better than me, better than Dad. I believe in you, Dean. So please, please believe in me, too.”

I just love moments like this, makes my heart melt. Happy Valentines!

Saving Grace by Julie Garwood

I received a text from Mia the other day wanting a historical recommend. She was getting a little tired of paranormals and wanted to try something new. Since I'm old enough to be Mia's older sister, I have a few reading years on her.  I immediately texted a few titles and then I said, whoa, back that truck up, if I'm going to give you a historical recommend (knowing she's already read Karen Marie Moning) I'm going to go with a classic, Julie Garwood.

Currently 90% of what I read is paranormal. Even though it's almost all of what I read, I would say my heart belongs to historicals. I grew up reading and loving them and am always excited to turn someone new onto the books that I love.

The internet is relatively new when compared to my reading life. When I discovered RBL Romantica, a romance book message board I was in heaven. Somewhere to talk about the books I love as well as get recommendations, prior to that, no one I knew read my books except Nancy and she couldn't remember characters from one book to the next. I've always been a picky reader so I would go months between books until my favorite authors had a book come out, it was always feast or famine. 3 books by my faves and then no new books for months at a time. Julie Garwood was one of those authors. I used to buy anything with her name on it (I say used to because I don't read her contemporaries which is what she currently writes). I'd count down the days until a Garwood came out and my favorites of hers were the ones set in Scotland, Saving Grace, The Secret and The Bride.

Back when I read more (before I worked for an author, LOL) I would re-read Garwood's historicals once a year. It's been a few years tho since I've read them so I thought, since I recommended this to Mia, I should see how it holds up. This book was originally release in 1993, I can't believe it's been that long!

At first I was a little worried, the pacing was different and the story seemed so much simpler then the ones I've been reading lately but soon enough I was caught up in the romance, which is why I read romances to begin with.

It catches you with the end of the first chapter when we all find out Lady Johanna's husband has died and once she finds out he's for sure dead, she goes in to pray. It's pretty heartbreaking when she prays, "Thank you God, Thank you God, Thank you God." 

This being medieval Scotland/England, Lady Johanna is not allowed to be a widow for long and she is married off to a highlander she meets one day and is married to the next. Gabriel McBain is a rough around the edges Highlander trying to unite two clans and repair the damage done by the English. He marries Johanna to officially get the land, she marries him because she pretty much has no choice but she did ask for a sign before she said I do. Her sign was when she found out his name was Gabriel, the Patron Saint of Women and Children. I have loved that name ever since I've read this book. 

Compared to the books that are released today, this book is positively chaste. If you're looking for hot sex, this is not the book for you. But if you want a sweet love story between two characters that you'll love, I say give this a shot. I felt like reading Saving Grace was like a cleanse to my soul. While I love the books that I currently read, sometimes we need to re-visit the books that we loved that we grew up on. There's a reason we loved them.

Have you read Saving Grace? What did you think? Are you a Garwood fan too? What's your favorite one?

Supernatural: As Time Goes By

As much as I loved last week's episode of Supernatural, I loved this week's even more. One thing about Sup fans is they're vocal, for as many fans that were excited about exploring the Winchester side of the family, there were just as many who were complaining, before the episode even aired! That drives me crazy. I'd rather have a weak ep of Sup then no Winchester boys on my screen and I feel like this season they've really hit it out of the park. I feel like it's been a renaissance.

Supernatural may be all demons, angels and monsters but what it's really about is family so any episode dealing with daddy issues is going to be gold. Especially when it delves into the mythology of the show. Turns out John Winchester was supposed to be a Man of Letters, not a Hunter. Huh? Exactly! The boys have never heard of this either but Grandpa Winchester came forward into the future looking for his son John (who has died) and finds our favorite Hunters (which he likens to apes, LOL) instead.

Henry went to the future and never made it back to his son so John was never introduced to that side of his dad. John came from a family of knowledge, Mary came from a family of hunters, brains and braun,  Cupid had said that they were destined to be together.

I think this new twist adds an exciting element to the future of the series. The boys are going to have access to a vast wealth of knowledge and from what the EP said, it will be their new home base. I can't wait to see the rest of the season.

FYI, Charlie will be back before the end of the season, something else to look forward to.

What did you think of this week's episode? Are you as bummed as I am that Henry is no longer with us? As Dean said, there family tree has a whole lot of dead in it. Heartbreaking!

Fun Foto Friday- Washington DC

I'm getting ready to head to Washington DC next week and I realized that it's been 20 years since I lived in Ft Meade, MD which is halfway in between DC and Baltimore. That's right, these pics are around 20 years old! That's just crazy. It doesn't feel like 20 years have passed and I certainly don't look 20 years older, LOL. 

This is one of my favorite pics from when I lived there. I loved that scarf, wish I knew where it was (moving as much as I do makes it hard to keep track of things). I can't remember who I was with this day but we took a ton of pics of me in the Mall, so you know I was happy, LOL. For those of you who have traveled with me you know I'm not a big tourist. I don't really need to see all of the landmarks but I have to say, there was something quite magical about driving down the street and seeing the Capitol Building right in front of you or looking off to the side to see the Washington Monument. If you've never been to DC I highly recommend it, there's so much history and beauty right there. The Vietnam Memorial was so moving. So many names. Seeing pics of it, doesn't do it justice. 

I had a friend who worked for White House Press so he got us an actual tour of the White House, a behind the scenes tour, not the public one. It was pretty cool and this is a pic taken in the press room. Unfortunately, this was before digital cameras so my photo is blurry (there's are all in focus since I took their pics). I'm wearing sunglasses because their prescription and didn't realize I had them on, since I'm always wearing glasses, LOL. 

I can't wait to get to DC next week and take lots of pictures and make many new memories as well as spend time with dear friends. I'll be meeting up with my Army roommate  and best friend from Korea, my best friend from when I was at Ft Meade, RBL girlfriends and Moning Maniacs. Friendships that have lasted decades. I'm a very lucky girl!

Have you been to Washington DC before? What were some of your favorite sites? Any restaurant recommends? I used to go to Arlington (I think) to an Officer's Club to eat all you can eat seafood, there was a 3 piece band who's median age was 60 and she would sing the electric slide, I loved it! And the food!