I saw an article about the SEC on nymag.com. Intrigued as to what my current hometown's journalists might have to say about my real hometown's reigning football conference, I eagerly clicked through...
I was thinking today, and I realized I've never blogged about karaoke. This is a travesty, so I am going to rectify the situation right now.
Karaoke. I love karaoke. My friends love karaoke. Karaoke is a ham-who-loves-to-be-the-center-of-attention like myself's dream come true. For a few minutes, you are given a microphone and a stage (or corner, depending on the particular set-up), and there are no rules except that you must entertain. Actually, there aren't really any rules, because I've watched plenty a karaokier (sp?) fall quite short on the entertainment front. However, from one karaoke-enthusiast to another, that really should be your primary objective. Karaoke is also very en vogue right now. In 2007, not one, but two reality TV shows were launched that centered around karaoke competitions. I'm not saying I watched either but, um, Wayne Brady's "Don't Forget the Lyrics" totally kicked Joey Fatone's "The Singing Bee"'s butt. But I digress - the point is that when it comes to karaoke, all the cool kids are doing it.
I have a new theory: Ricky is a mole. Remember that show with Anderson Cooper? Yep, that's the answer...he's actually not a real designer at all, but instead has been strategically placed in the competition to spy on the designers. Let's see if this week's Project Runway episode will confirm or disprove my theory...
On to the challenge - Tim is taking the designers on a field trip. Rami is unsure about the trip - it could take them to a garbage can or Paris. En route to the field trip destination, Christian asks if they are going to meet anyone fabulous. Tim replies, "We are fabulous. We don't need to meet anyone fabulous." I couldn't have said it better myself! L-O-V-E Tim Gunn. Christian comments that, although they don't know where they're going, they're crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. "So...definitely...burough? And that was...really...fabulous." As in, not really fabulous at all. The designers arrive at a pier on the East River and meet Caroline Calvin, head of design at Levi's. Tim tells them that "behind this door, you'll find the raw materials for your challenge." Dun, dun, dun...the door raises slowly, the designers are peering in with great anticipation, and...it's a bunch of jeans. Man, I so did not see that coming when the woman from Levi's showed up. The challenge: To create an "iconic denim look of your choice that captures the spirit of originality and creativity that has lived in the heart of the Levi's brand." Does anyone else think that PR is becoming the product-placement-whore that The Apprentice became? Just a thought. Anyhow, the designers are told they have to run (to the complete other side of the garage-thingy...poor Chris March, it's like week one all over again!) to the jeans and fit as much as they can into a laundry bag. Denim pandemonium ensues. Chris March yanks a pair of jeans off of the clothesline and it falls to the ground...Victorya, being the villain that she is, runs up and says, "Those are mine! I think they might be mine, but, um...yeah, I think they might be mine," and takes the jeans. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I cannot stand this woman.
The designers head to Parson's. The designers already have all of their fabric, as well as a ton of "notions" from Levi's. (I had to dictionary.com "notions" in this context; sure enough, it means "items used in sewing, such as buttons, pins and hooks.") Ricky is making a corset; Jillian is making a space coat. Rami tells a story about growing up in Jerusalem, where the religious and political tension birthed his love for design (slight disconnect for me, but whatev). I suppose his point is that "iconic Levis" don't have as much meaning to someone who isn't American. He decides to make a denim draped toga with roping. HA! Psych. He's making a space dress, presumably to go under Jillian's space coat. Sweet P is concerned because her denim got dirty, and Chris and Christian disagree on how to get it out. Cut to every designer ragging on Christian's cockiness and immaturity...could it be, pride cometh before a fall? Surely not! Christian tells us how he wants to "die of barfness"...so I'm thinking he doesn't love this challenge. Victorya, like Jillian, is doing a coat. Jillian finds this to be quite annoying, because they just did a challenge together where Jillian made a coat. Jillian complains, "I didn't even know she had any interest in coats!" So apparently PR is like college...you have to choose a major. Rami: Togas. Jillian: Coats. How dare Victorya choose the Coats major, too!! Christian feels very manly working with denim, which is like me saying I feel very Asian when I eat Thai food. He has decided on a trucker outfit, which will probably be pretty cool. And finally, Sweet P is making a wedding dress. Very odd, but to each his own.
Christian complains about the fact that Ricky is still here instead of Kit, because he has been doing the same boring stuff every week. America agrees...Heidi, Michael, Nina? What the heck is goin' on?! Ricky proceeds to design his corset outfit. He is starting to get the feeling that the designers don't think he's good enough to be here, and, for what it's worth, I feel bad for him. He's much more likable when he's not crying. Chris is alone in a room, and the designers wonder if he's lonely. Christian immediately says he's not because he's probably talking to himself like a crackhead. Cut to Chris, alone, talking to himself like a crackhead. Haha. He is making a LBD - little blue dress, and he is not only talking to himself, he is talking to the garment.
Tim swings by and tells Ricky that his garment is stunning, he just needs to deliver. Tim thinks Chris' dress looks "incongruous," and I would like to pause to give mad props to Tim's vocabulary. Tim tells Jillian she has a ways to go, and that Rami's garment has potential to blow everyone away. Tim thinks Victorya's coat looks patchworky and that Sweet P's dress is looking "very happy-hands-at-home-granny-circle." I'm not sure what that means, but Tim is very troubled by it. Sweet P wisely decides to heed Tim's advice and cut off the dress. Two hours to go...make it work! Jillian is complaining about the time constraints...surprise, surprise. But then, out of nowhere, she bursts into tears because she's "bleeding everywhere." No one can see a single drop of blood, though. Over-dramatic much?
Game day. The designers are getting ready...Rami is spraying something all over his face, Ricky is wearing a patent leather hat, and Christian gives a can of Tresemme hairspray a go. They head to the work room, where Jillian is fiercely trying to finish her coat. "Thank you, Timmy Tim!" - Christian. In come the models for the fitting. Chris thinks Victorya's coat is boring and looks like something the other designers could have made in two hours. Sweet P feels positive she'll be safe (uh oh). Jillian is still annoyed by how similar Victorya's coat is to hers. And in a brief transition scene, there is a very awkward moment - at least for me, the viewer - when Ricky is helping a practically naked model take her clothes off. The designers dress their models, Jillian being the very last one done, of course, and send them on their merry way. And it's Runway time...
Chris: "Little blue dress" - short, kind of halter, with a terrible purple scarf. Not terrible, but it doesn't look very stylish, and it certainly won't win.
Ricky: Short denim corset dress with a ruffle on the bottom. I feel the same as the dress above...not terrible, but it won't win. However, unless he is in fact a mole, I still think he deserves to go home asap.
Sweet P: Strapless denim dress (no wedding dress, thank God!)...I think it's cute enough. Seems to fit well. Nothing is razzle dazzling me this week!
Victorya: Denim trench that's full like a dress. She made the bottom out of the underside of the denim, which looks weird to me...but what do I know?!
Rami: Sleeveless dress. Looks well made and more unique than the other designs. I like.
Christian: Totally different look. Denim jacket and jeans, and the bottom of the jeans are made out of sleeves. The jacket is actually kinda ugly, but I like that it's unique, and, as always, it looks well made.
Jillian: Denim coat looks a lot like Victorya's, but it's light denim. I like the cowl-ish neckline, but it just doesn't look quite right.
Man, I have no idea what the results will be! I don't even have a guess, is that cheating?
The judges love Christian's outfit and think it's very innovative. Chris's LBD? Not so much...looks dated and "home-sewn." The judges, for the first time ever, love Ricky's dress...as in serious love. (Shows what I know!) At this point, Ricky cries because it's such a roller coaster. Wow, we made it 46 minutes this week! The judges are not a fan of Jillian's dress...they think it's too complicated and that it does nothing for the model. Again, for crazy upside down week, the judges adore Sweet P's dress. Nina says all of the women would wear it, to which Michael replies he might, too - "with the right shoe!" Haha. Victorya's dress does not go over well, mostly because she used a pre-existing jean jacket.
OK so I guess I have to reassess. Neither Sweet P nor Ricky will be going home this week, which means that a far superior designer will be going home. Based on the judges feedback, it will definitely be Chris, Jillian or Victorya...and man, I hope it's Victorya. And the winner? I'll go out on a limb and go with Ricky...although if he actually wins, I guess he's not a mole.
Results. Ricky wins. RICKY WINS. WOW. HE'S NOT A MOLE. It's about time he validated his existence on this show. He of course gets emotional, but that's old hat by now. Rami, Sweet P, and Christian are safe, and Christian's the only one (being the cocky little twerp that he is) that actually looks disappointed. Chris is saved, leaving...drama! Jillian and Victorya. I guess I'm not surprised after the challenge, but I really do think that these are two of the better designers left on the show. Please, please, please be Victorya...and...YES! Victorya's out!
Hoooooorrrrraaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy! Please note that, unlike every other week, the designers do not seem too sad to see her go. I don't think she made too many friends, either with the other designers or America.
(Still kinda nutso though...Ricky, Sweet P and Chris March are still on the show, and Victorya's out?)
Oh well...Auf Wiedersehen!
I think that I may have lost my one chance at true happiness at life.
How, you ask? Well, it all went down today at brunch. Lauren, Caroline and I went to High Life this afternoon because - yum - have you had their blueberry muffins with strawberry butter? As we sat and ate, I noticed a very cute guy at the table over. (In my defense, he was directly in my line of sight, and Caroline noticed him, too. Poor Lauren had her back to him, although I'm sure she would have noticed him as well had she had the opportunity.) He had dark hair, was very tall, looked kind of Sunday-grunge-but-in-a-cute-way, and a backwards red baseball cap. Also adding to his overall appeal was the fact that he was out to brunch with his parents who were very clearly not from New York. In fact, they looked quite Southern...Mom had a big teal sweater, plaid scarf, and black coat that screamed, "I'm going to New York City to visit my baby boy; I better find the warmest thing I own!" Plus, as Caroline noticed, they were all drinking iced tea.
(Note: We are not stalkers. I promise this is normal Sunday brunch activity for any single 20-something females in New York. Or anywhere else in the world, for that matter.)
I proceeded to comment intermittently throughout our meal, "Y'all, that guy is so cute!" I also began to develop a story: "He's clearly from the South...he must live somewhere around here, which means he lives right near me, and his parents are up visiting for the weekend. He's got to be from Atlanta. In fact, I bet he's from Marietta."
As I was halfway to planning our wedding, I took another look at my new crush and noticed something intriguing..."I think he might be wearing an Atlanta Hawks hat." Now before you knock me for not knowing what an Atlanta Hawks hat looks like, please let me call your attention to the following points - 1. Nobody in Atlanta follows the Hawks. 2. The hat was on backwards. 3. The hat was vintage-y, ie just an old school logo on the front and small cursive writing on the back. The hat was red, though, which I do know to be the color of the Hawks. Also, the logo looked like Pac-Man, which I vaguely remembered to be familiar from the old days of the Hawks. But I wasn't positive, and I couldn't quite make out the cursive letters on the back.
But now I was totally intrigued. Undaunted, at least at this point, I whipped out my iPhone (I knew I had that thing for something) and Googled "Atlanta Hawks logo." Sure enough, on the first page of results, I found this -
Yep, the Pac-Man logo of the Hawks perfectly matched the logo on my crush's hat. I was now fairly certain that it was a Hawks hat, which means that I could deduce with relative certainty that my crush - the guy that I had noticed since he sat down next to us - was not only a total hottie out with his cute "we're-from-out-of-town" parents - he was also from Atlanta. I mean, the Hawks don't exactly have a worldwide following...
At this point, I'm in love. Caroline was insistent that I talk to HH (Hawks Hottie). We discussed the logistics round in round in circles - "Just walk by and casually say, 'Hey, I couldn't help but notice your hat - are you from Atlanta?'" or "Leave your card on the table and ask the waitress to give it to him." It seemed so easy - it's New York, after all - how does anyone meet anyone besides just introducing themselves?
It was not that easy, though. I was paralyzed with fear (as I kept repeating over and over again). It seemed so awkward...and what if it wasn't a Hawks hat...and meeting the parents already, that's a big step...and he's just so cute! Looking for one more push of confidence, I called our waitress over, who we had made friends with earlier. "Hey," I said, "You're waiting on that table, right?" "Yeah..." "Well, we couldn't help but notice how cute that guy is." "Um, yeah, he's really cute." "Totally! Well, I think he's wearing a Hawks hat, and my friends think I should introduce myself to him..." I was floundering...I wasn't quite sure what I wanted our waitress to do, but I knew I couldn't do it without her. She was on board immediately, though - "Hold on a sec. I'll help you out. Let me get a better look at the hat." Nice start. She walked over to his table and subtly (or maybe not) checked out the hat, then reported back, "Yes. It definitely says Hawks." Bingo.
So I'm sitting there - still paralyzed with fear - with my two friends and my waitress cheering me on to talk to HH who is originally from Atlanta but now lives on the Upper East Side and is out to brunch with his iced tea-drinking Southern parents. And I want to talk to him, but I don't, and I think we're probably soul mates, but I don't know what to say, and I'm stressed out, and I'm nervous, and I'm putting on lip gloss, and I know it's my only chance, and I know I'll never see him again otherwise, and I know that I may regret it if I don't say something, but I can't seem to find the words, and...
And that's the end of the story. I warned you of an unhappy ending from the get-go, so don't get mad at me for letting yourself get caught up in the fairy tale. Lauren, Caroline and I stood up, put our jackets on, and walked out of High Life and HH's life forever.
As we stood outside, I began to concoct all of the possible solutions to my utter and complete failure. "Maybe I should just run across the street to my apartment and put on a UGA sweatshirt and Braves hat and jog back over and casually linger outside the restaurant so that when he comes out he'll be like, 'Oh my gosh, are you from Georgia? Me too!'" But that sounded stalkerish, even to me. I consoled myself by saying that if it's meant to be, we will run into each other again someday, When Harry Met Sally or Serendipity style. But in my heart I knew....the fleeting opportunity of total lifelong bliss with HH had passed me by.
And that's how I lost my one chance at true happiness in life over blueberry muffins with strawberry butter.
Week #8 of Project Runway, where, as always, you're either in or you're out. The show begins with the designers heading to Parsons to see Heidi. The models walk out with crazy hair styles, included but not limited to a crazy curly fro, dreadlocks, and a ponytail on the top of a model's head. This week's challenge will be for the designers to create an avant-garde outfit based on their model's hair. Kit Pistol utters a "yesssss," presumably because she believes herself to be, in fact, avant-garde. (Editor's note: At this point in the show, I paused my DVR and Wikipedia'ed "avant-garde"...I mean, I know it's funky, off-the-wall, ugly stuff, but I wanted to make sure I was right. What did I learn? "The term is commonly used in French, English and German to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics. Avant-garde represents a pushing of the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm or the status quo, particularly in the cultural realm." Interpretation - this week is going to be chock-full of artsy, ugly, high-fashion clothes, just as I expected. And we resume playback...) The designers choose their models, mostly according to the wacked out hairstyles that they have, and it's back to the work room with Tim.
Tim informs the designers that this design does not have to be practical or wearable, and that avant-garde is by definition "ambitious." (Not according to my Wikipedia definition, Tim, but whatev.) Because of this, the designers will be working in teams of two. I totally love "teamwork" on this show...drama, drama, drama, here we come! Tim draws names out of a bag to form our teams - Kit Pistol and Ricky, Sweet P and Rami, Chris and Christian (I worried that Christian would be on a high horse about his partner, but he informed us, "All he does is costume and crazy sick sh*t. He's going to come up with something fabulous!"), and Victorya and Jillian. The teams will choose one model's hairstyle, have two days, and get $300, and they must choose a team leader. ("Team leader" = drama. Yippee!) Most of the teams figured out the team leader thing pretty easily except (no surprise here) Victorya and Jillian. (Have I mentioned how much I cannot stand Victorya?) They decide to flip a coin, and Victorya wins. Victorya, trying to be all casual, says, "Are you cool with that?" OF COURSE SHE'S NOT. She wanted to be leader so badly that she made you flip a coin!! Jillian says, "I am, I'm a little uncomfortable about some of the things..." in her normal monotone voice, and I decide to immediately predict that their team will be in the bottom two.
The designers buy their fabric, then it's immediately back to work. Kit Pistol and Ricky feel that their model's hairstyle looks like a bird's nest, so they are going for a "nesting theme" of a girl in a garden with many layered aprons. (Wha?!) Kit Pistol is worried that it will look too Little House on the Prairie...so it probably will. Ricky, getting ready to go to work, tells Kit Pistol, "This is some serious drama...It's the girl in me and the b*tch in you." Leave it to Ricky to make some fabulously random gay comment. (Now how many minutes 'til he cries?) Chris and Christian are at work, and Christian tells Chris, "If I was a diva, my name would be...'Feroche.'" Feeling more ferocious than fierce today, are we Christian? Chris and Christian's design is inspired by their model's huge circular bun, and it will be made of hundreds of circular organza ruffles. It is also going to have this cell tower looking thing on the shoulder that Chris is building, which looks hideous, but I think this week that's the point. Sweet P asks if the cell phone tower will channel Elisa's world, which I find to be hilarious. Over at team Personality Plus, Victorya and Jillian are designing a mohawk-inspired outfit on the theme of rebellion. It looks like a trench coat so far, but we'll take their word that it's avant-garde. It's halfway through day one, though, and Jillian is worried about their time management...as I say each week, that's never a good sign. Finally, Rami and Sweet P are creating a corset-y outfit. Rami is working on the corset part, and Sweet P is doing the trousers. Rami tells us, "I asked Sweet P if she's able to do a pair of trousers, and she reassured me that she can do it." Give her some credit, man!
Day two. Rami appears to be a bit of a control freak, and I can't decide if Sweet P is incompetent or if I should feel sorry for her. Tim arrives and has a special announcement (scary! yay!)..."There will be another look walking down the runway tomorrow." The designers utter a collective yet figurative "WTF?!" and start to panic. Ahhh, moments like this are why I love this show. Challenge part b) is to create a ready-to-wear look that is inspired by the avant-garde look. The designers will have 15 minutes to caucus, 15 minutes at Mood, and another $50. Oh, and both designs have to be done tomorrow. And let the show begin! Kit Pistol and Ricky and Chris and Christian seem cool as cukes. Victorya and Jillian are flipping out though, because they're already behind schedule. And Rami and Sweet P...well, they just have different visions. Sweet P wants navy; Rami doesn't like it. He asks her to sketch her idea, kind of like a little try-out. Sweet P feels like Rami doesn't trust her, which in his defense, I'm not sure I would either...she's definitely been hanging on by a thread lately (thread. ha.). The models swing by for a fitting. Christian dances around doing his runway strut and, well, it's hilarious. The same old drama continues on some more...Jillian and Victorya behind schedule, Rami not trusting Sweet P and making her cry, etc, etc. I'm going to go ahead and say that these two teams will be in the bottom this week.
Tim drops by to offer his weekly guidance. Christian and Chris (who Tim calls "Team Fierce") have an awesome avant-garde look but a cheap ready-to-wear look. Christian, as per usual, responds, "Ohmigod...I think it looks so expensive." Sigh. Kit Pistol and Ricky's avant-garde look needs some extra punch. Rami and Sweet P...oh my. The avant-garde look is looking exactly like what Rami does every week...a drapey, ropey toga. Tim agrees, to which Rami replies defensively, "You don't think it's over the top enough is what you're saying," and then, "They have not seen me do corsets, Tim!" Booyah. Rami is so avant-garde. Rami tries to blame the fact that the dress looks too much like typical Rami on his teamwork with Sweet P. That's a bit of a disconnect for Sweet P, and I must say, I agree. Finally, Jillian and Victorya. Tim thinks their avant-garde look is fabulous, but they haven't even started the second. I'm starting to get stressed out on their behalf.
Runway day. Let's pause to note that Christian a) is flat-ironing his hair and b) appears to be wearing a Paul Revere costume. Chris March on the other hand is wearing a leopard print blouse. If this is high fashion, then please let me keep shopping at the Gap. But I digress. The designers scurry around to get ready for the show...except, of course, Christian, who is always finished first and is almost-always 100% that he will win the challenge. And we're off to the show...
Rami/Sweet P - Avant-garde is boring...tan drapey dress over black pants. What's with the pants? Sweet P's ready-to-wear dress actually looks pretty good.
Christian/Chris - Avant-garde is freaking amazing. A-mazing. I don't know high fashion, but it is the coolest looking elaborate ruffled dress with this crazy thing on one shoulder. Nina Garcia seems to love it, too. The ready-to-wear look is a tailored ruffled sleeveless blouse with a pencil skirt. I think it's all great, and I really hope they win.
Kit Pistol/Ricky - Cool Little House on the Prairie apron dress. Kit is worried that it's not very high fashion, though...it's almost like an old-timey costume. Ricky's ready-to-wear dress is very simple and floral...it's all right.
Victorya/Jillian - Another a-mazing avant-garde outfit. It's a floor-length black trench coat with a pink plaid lining...it looks awesome. The ready-to-wear look, though, is a very plain and boring black dress that looks like something from the JC Penney's juniors department. It is a finished dress, though, and the coat was so cool that I think they'll be okay.
My predictions: Christian and Chris and Victorya and Jillian are in the top - Christian and Chris will win. Rami and Sweet P and Kit Pistol and Ricky are in the bottom, and...tough to say who will go. It should be Sweet P or Ricky, but Rami and Kit Pistol were the team leaders, so it's a crap shoot.
My top and bottom teams are correct. Chris/Christian get phenomenal marks from the judges (except their skirt, which Tim warned about, but that doesn't seem to be a big deal). Jillian and Victorya also get great scores, both on their trench and the outfit underneath. Nina doesn't even hate the little black ready-to-wear dress. Now on to the bottom teams. Rami's avant-garde dress gets slammed, while Sweet P's ready-to-wear dress is praised...Michael Kors even thinks it looks more forward-looking than Rami's (HA!). He also thinks the pants look like the rear of the pants are in the front, which isn't good. ;) Finally, Kit Pistol and Ricky...the judges seem to hate this look. The Italian guest judge thinks it looks like a cheap Scarlett O'Hara dress (or at least that's what I think she said...she had a really thick accent), and that it is not avant-garde. Ricky's ready-to-wear dress gets poor marks, too, making the team's designs an all around failure.
Results. My predictions: I'm sticking with Christian and Chris as the winners, and I'm going to guess that Kit Pistol goes home because she was the team leader. Actual results? Christian's team wins (yay!) and will get their look in Elle magazine. Jillian and Victorya come in second. Now for the losers - Ricky's in, Sweet P's in. It's down to Rami and Kit Pistol, and Heidi tells Kit she's out. Once again, I'm kind of bummed with the results...somehow sub-par designers continue to slide under the radar, while the better designers get kicked off for taking leadership and risks. Oh well..c'est la vie!
Auf wiedersehen!
OK so if you live in Atlanta, you most likely know "The Vent" column in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Vent is a lovely little daily column in the Metro section where readers do exactly what you'd think - they write in with a little blurb to vent and then go on their merry way. I started reading The Vent during college while I lived at the sorority house; I would sit in the dining room each morning, eat my cereal (or biscuits, gravy, bacon, eggs, and grits, whichever it may be), read this one column, and then sleepily drag myself to class on the Milledge Bus.
In case you are not from Atlanta and thus do not know the power of The Vent, I checked ajc.com for some recent examples from the column -
"When I had to call the cable company with a problem, they didn’t make me feel Comcastic."...and you get the idea. It's basically a bunch of peeved Southerners writing into their local paper on why they're irritated that day. It usually has to do with Atlanta traffic, politics or schools, it's often therapeutic, and it's always entertaining.
"I still don't get what's fair about illegals not having to pay taxes and me having to."
"Why do drivers pull into the right lane when the sign says 'right lane ends' and then expect to be let right back in ahead of you?"
"I'd rather have biased liberal truth than fair and balanced conservative spin."
"Where is the snow?"Yep, that's it. I want snow. I like snow. If I check the weather in the morning, and there are little white snowflakes on the picture on weather.com, I expect it to snow. I don't want sunshine, and I certainly don't want rain. I don't want to break into a sweat in January while I walk from the bus stop from my office, yet I did not move to New York to go coat-less in the dead of winter. I want snow.
The week before I moved to New York, I started this blog. My initial endeavors as a blogger went something like this -
"I will be moving to New York on Sunday. SCARY!!"
"I move tomorrow. Wish me luck!"
"What a whirlwind! I officially moved up to the City yesterday."
"Well I have officially been here a week."
Please allow me to take this moment to thank those of you who were reading my blog then for sticking around. You are kind.
So today, in keeping with the mindset of New Year, New Jamie, I decided it was time to revamp the site. You have probably already noticed the major aesthetic changes (new and improved, easier to read white background instead of blue!), and perhaps the addition of an "On the iPod" list on the bottom right hand corner. Sadly, yes - these are the things I sit at my computer and work on for hours at a time.
In addition to these tweaks, though, the most exciting part of my revamp is that I became the proud owner of my very own domain, lulledbythetrain.com. For just 1 easy payment of $10, I no longer have to have .blogspot.com in the URL of my blog. It's almost like a real website. I got a free email address as part of the package, too (jamie@lulledbythetrain.com), so it really was a no-brainer...except for the fact that I have no idea how to access it and most likely never will.
Now I know what you are thinking - "Wow, Jamie, that is such a good deal! I am so glad that you spend your money on such useful things! Why feed starving children when you can change the letters in the little box on the top of your BLOG?" I hear you, friends, I really do. This is why I have added another new feature - Google Ads. (Look to your right right now...see it? It probably says something about bridesmaids dresses or Katrina relief.) To help offset the costs of the new and improved domain, I have added text ads to my little blog. So far I have earned $3.13, have a click-thru-rate of 0.93%, and am garnering an eCPM of $1.95. That may not sound very impressive to you, but let me assure you - I would be quite pleased with each of these metrics on any Showtime media plan.
So welcome to the new and improved lulledbythetrain.com. I'm sure my blog is listed in your favorites :), so please feel welcome to update the address. (Editor's note: The old jamielmartin.blogspot.com will continue to direct you here, too...I'm just shamelessly trying to get my $10 worth out of the name change.) I hope you enjoy!
Project Runway, week 7...we're halfway to Bryant Park, folks!
Let's go straight to Parsons. Heidi informs the contestants that this week's challenge will be "all about creating memories" for one of the most important days of a woman's life. The first model steps behind the shadow of the screen, and Kevin states, "I thought they were like midgets or Oompa-Loomps." No, Kev - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was last week. The models walk out and they are (drum roll please)...teenage girls wearing school uniforms (that happen to look exactly like what I wore throughout my entire secondary education). The designers burst out laughing, and someone comments on how short they all look. I did a double-take at first (did Bravo actually find a bunch of Catholic teenage midgets?!), but after much scrutiny, they appear to be normal-sized high school girls. I guess when you're used to 5'10" models, your scale is a little skewed, but we move on.
Heidi informs us that the girls are from St. John Vianney High School in Jersey, at which point I decide that this post will be dedicated to my friend Lauren Spina, and that the designers will be making (shock of all shocks!) prom dresses. I so hope that at least one of them gets teased bangs and big permed hair...isn't that how most Jersey proms go? Christian notes that the other designers seem to be excited, but he thinks "prom is horrible and tacky and gross." I totally had him pegged as the chairman of the prom committee, but I guess I was wrong. The girls get to pick their designers this week, and thank God...it's bad enough watching the playground kickball game of the contestants picking the models; I don't think I could have handled seeing a poor 16 year old girl be the last one on the team.
The designers meet with their "clients" at Parsons, where Tim gives them instructions to meld the girls' styles and their own. This could get tricky...I was a 16-year old girl shopping for a prom dress once, and "compromise" was not a word I took into much consideration. Straight Kevin is from Jersey (see Lauren, you knew you loved him!), and he is freaked out because he knows first-hand that Jersey proms mean only two things (1. tanning, 2. booze). He vows to put a chastity belt inside of his garment, which I find quite endearing.
Victorya is meeting with her client and asks her why she wanted to work with her. In a laugh-out-loud moment, the girl tells her, "Well...actually...I got the last choice...but that's fine, because I really liked your portfolio." HA. Please note that this moment is only funny because Victoria is a total know-it-all queen bee snot; I do in fact have a soul. Sweet P's girl, Nicole, is (how do I say this nicely?) a little more daring and requests a dress that has a plunging neckline in the front and a back that cuts down below the waist. Nicole also wants her dress to be white, which concerns Sweet P because it's not her wedding day, and "hopefully she's not going to lose her virginity." This is shaping up to be quite the Jersey prom already.
Christian's girl, Maddie, is cute as a button and tells him that she has been doing fashion design for two years. As Christian tries to sketch, Maddie just hops right in and starts drawing her own design. Christian begins to get concerned that she wants too much tacky stuff ("gold and black and white and lace and...ugh"), and I foresee this being quite the challenge for our pal C. The girls scamper away, the designers go to the warehouse o' fabric and buttons (which I learn today is called Mood), and it's back to Parsons to begin.
Christian tells us he was "best dressed" at the prom, according to a vote. They show a quick pic of his prom, but for a moment they zoom to the girl he was standing next to...and for a half second, I swear I thought that Christian used to be a woman. (I then realized Christian was standing just to the girl's right...and then decided that the picture was taken approximately eight months ago.) Christian is still very concerned about his design and informs us, "I am not feeling fierce right now." Haha. Jillian asks the group if her hair is bigger than normal today, which I find to be quite appropriate for Jersey prom dress day.
The designers are working. Kit tells us she was the Prom Princess. Chris tells a joke about gay Flinstones. Ricky calls his mom, a seamstress, en Espanol and asks about making prom dresses. He also cries about growing up poor, and while I know I should be touched, I've come to expect water works with Ricky around this time each week, so we move on.
Day two arrives, and the designers are concerned. Christian thinks his dress is tickety-tack tacky, and Victorya thinks hers looks like something an "Italian older divorcee would wear." Wha?! How on earth do Italian older divorcees dress? Different than Italian younger divorcees or Italian older widows? Basically, I have decided that I hate Victorya and want her to go.
Tim sends the girls in for fittings and they are (Oh Lord) with their mothers. So now we have high-end gay fashion designers, 17 year old Jersey girls and their opinionated "not on my daughter!" mothers?! This should be interesting. Kevin's girl's mom thinks the dress makes her look pregnant. Chris asks the mom what she thought of his portfolio, and they have a good laugh when he informs them that the pictures were all of him in drag with ginormous fake boobs. This guy is a trip-and-a-half. Christian's girl hates her dress, and sadly, so does he. Looks like boy wonder might be in trouble this week. Tim comes around to check on the designers, and Christian is having himself a little pity party. Tim tells him to "rally!" but I'm not sure it will be enough. Against Tim's counsel that "Nina will notice," Kevin decides not to hem his dress. We'll see how that goes.
Game day. The girls arrive for their fitting. Ricky tells us, "When I had a girlfriend, I actually made a prom dress...that should have been a clue right there." LOL. The girls are booty dancing around the sewing room. Chris is worried about Kevin's unhemmed dress. Christian is trying to make his dress work, but his little sassafras model does not appear to be the easiest thing to work with. It's a crazy day, and now it's time for the runway...
Sweet P: Champagne floor length dress, low cut in front and back. It's ok, and Sweet P loves it.
Victorya: Royal blue short dress, bubbly in shape with a jeweled neckline. I like it.
Chris March: Long lime/pea green dress with a cool neckline. I like this one, too, and it looks like a prom dress that a high schol girl would pick out.
Kevin: Hmm, not sure how much the Jersey factor helped him. Red short halter dress. I think it fits awkwardly and doesn't look like a prom dress. (Plus, as we know by now, it isn't hemmed...will Nina notice or not? Stay tuned!)
Jillian: Sea green dress with navy trim at neckline. I don't like it.
Christian: Metallic brown short bubble dress with black detailing. Had potential, but it just didn't quite work out right.
Kit Pistol: Royal blue dress halter dress with techno-esque panels of color on top. Not my style, either.
Ricky: Very plain light pink short spaghetti strap dress. Booooring.
Rami: Avocado (?) green dress...asymmetrical and drapey and gorgeous, but looks a little old for a high schooler.
Time to judge. My predictions, caveated with the fact that I know Atlanta proms much better than Jersey proms: Victorya, Chris and Rami in the tops, Ricky, Christian and Kevin in the bottom. Chris wins, and Ricky's out. (But let's be honest, I have no idea.)
The top/bottom six are Victorya, Rami, Sweet P, Ricky, Christian and Kevin, so it looks like Sweet P will make the top three instead of Chris March. The judges give great marks to Sweet P's dress, although Nina thinks it looks a little too sophisticated for 17 (girl, you should have seen the dress she asked for!). Kevin's dress is too mature and looks cheap, and Michael Kors (not Nina) calls out the unfinished hem. The judges love Victorya's dress...too bad, she'll have to go another week. Christian...oh my, oh my. He tells the judges straight up that it was difficult to work with his client. Heidi likes the dress, though, while Nina pings him for blaming Maddie for how it turned out. Ricky tells the judges that the girl inside him would wear this dress. The judges thinks it's cute, but the execution is poor. Heidi thinks it's boring...hey, me too! Heidi think Rami's girl looks like a "lady at lunch," while Michael thinks she looks like a 35 year old woman in New York going to dinner.
Hmm, hmm, hmm. New vote - Victorya will win, Ricky's still out. Actual results? Victorya wins, and Sweet P comes in second. Ricky is announced to be safe...hold on a sec! That means Kevin, Rami, and Christian are in the bottom 3?! I am concerned, because I like usually each of them very much. Rami is saved, leaving Kevin and Christian, and then...
My DVR stopped.
Arghghghghghghghghghghghghghgh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was able to Google the result, though, where I learned that Kevin - dear, sweet Jersey cutie Straight Kevin - was the one to go. How can this be?! Ricky sucks every week, and Kevin was off just this once (and his dress still wasn't as bad as Ricky's!).
Boo. :( I'm going to bed. Auf wiedersehen.
Almost a year ago, my church, Gallery Church, gave everyone present on a particular Sunday night $50. The goal of giving out the $50 was, simply stated, "to find ways to tangibly meet the needs of those that are closest to you." Neighbors, co-workers, the under-privileged of New York City, whoever it may be...the only requirement for willingly taking the $50 that night was that we find some way to meet a need of someone in our most immediate circle of life. I sat on my $50 for a long time (obviously...it was given to me on Jan 27), and after thinking about it for awhile, I decided that I wanted to do something for my neighbors in my building.
I have lived in the same building on E 78th St since the day I moved to New York. Although I can't claim to have known many neighbors in Atlanta, I really don't know my neighbors here in the city. I find that this is quite common, expected even, here in New York...your building is where you live, and that's it. Leave early in the morning, come in late at night, and perhaps offer a "hello" to the guy who happens to be getting mail at the same time as you. In the last year and a half that I've lived here, there is only one woman in my building (aside from my roommate) who I would recognize if I saw her walking down the street...I don't even know her name, but she's a woman in her 50's who smokes cigarettes on our front stoop every night.
Why is this? I would never work at a company where I didn't try to get to know my co-workers, so why do I want to live in a building where I don't try to get to know my neighbors? Neighbors are an important part of life...they water your plants, feed your cat, and lend you sugar, not to mention that there is inherent value in knowing the people who share an address with you. Jesus himself emphasized the importance of "loving your neighbor as yourself," and while I don't think he literally meant the person who inhabits the apartment next to yours, it's still something to think about.
Using my $50 from Gallery, I decided in the fall that I wanted to do a little gesture for all of my neighbors, and that the holidays would be the perfect time to do it (because everyone is cheerier at Christmastime, right?). So, right before Christmas, I took a trip to Duane Reade with my $50 bill that had been sitting in my nightstand for 11 months. I bought candy, hot chocolate packets and peppermints, as well as Ziploc bags, ribbon and a box of Christmas cards. Sprawled out in my tiny den, I divided everything up into 19 piles and wrote 19 cards that said, "Happy Holidays! We look forward to seeing you in the New Year. Leslie and Jamie, 1FW." Then, feeling very elf-like, I delivered the bags of goodies to all the doorsteps in my building and scampered away.
The thing that I loved about Aaron's charge for our $50 was that there was no agenda for Gallery Church. We weren't required to pass out fliers, and we didn't have to sign something saying we would tack a Bible verse or a tract to whatever we did. The only goal was to demonstrate love to someone in our immediate circle. I found this to be oddly challenging...for some reason, it's easier to ship off a holiday care package to a child in Africa than it is to do it for the guy that lives across the hall from me. Isn't this true so often in life? We send money or go on mission trips all over the world, but we don't even acknowledge the people that we see every single day. I think perhaps it's because it feels safer to serve and love people that we know we'll never see again. When we choose to get involved with the people right around us, we have to work at a relationship and be vulnerable and even risk getting hurt. But it's always worth it in the end.
I didn't know if we would get any responses from our holiday gesture, but I was pleasantly surprised. When I returned to New York for New Year's, we had received two cards and a bag of candy from our neighbors. One of the cards read, "Thank you for brightening my day!" with a note - "Dear Jamie and Leslie, What a lovely gesture!! Thank you so much! I wish both of you and your families a very Happy Holiday! And all the best in the New Year! - Shari, 4FW." I absolutely hope to get to know my neighbors better in 2008, but Shari's note has already made the whole project worth it.
Thanks to Gallery for inspiring and equipping me to begin a new chapter of loving my New York City neighbors!
Thanks to the writers' strike, winter is getting real bleak, real fast. Not only is it 17 degrees outside, but I just watched the second-to-last episode of Gossip Girl, and I have no Office to look forward to tomorrow. The two glimmers of hope, though? The shining lights of cable and reality television, both of which perfectly culminate on my soon-to-be favorite show, Project Runway. So without further adieu, let the recap commence...
The episode begins. Kevin has no roommates and is quite sad. Pan to Chris, Ricky and Christian talking...Chris is wearing a robe that looks like it was a) made for a woman and b) made out of a tablecloth. Ricky asks the group what they think about Steven being eliminated, and Christian the uber-diva quickly says, "I don't care...?"
Time to learn about the next challenge. The contestants pick their models (because models, this is a competition for you, too) in what continues to be my least favorite part of Project Runway. Two models are out, and then Heidi elusively tells them that they will find out about their next challenge early the next day. Fast forward to 6am the next morning, when Tim Gunn wakes Kit Pistol up. She seems relatively mortified, probably because her hair looks like she got plugged into an electric socket and she's not wearing a bra. Tim rounds the rest of the troops up, and they scramble to make themselves look presentable. Christian has no trouble, though, considering the fact that his hair always looks like he just rolled out of bed.
Tim leads the designers through the streets of New York like a herd of cattle, and they magically appear in Times Square. Their destination? Hershey's. Elisa is excited about making something with that sort of "magic," while Christian takes the opposite approach by saying, "Grrrrreeat, we get to make sh*t out of candy." Typ-i-cal. The contestants enter the Hershey's store and are introduced to Michelle from Hershey's, who says with a huge beauty pageant smile, "Thank. You. And. Welcome. To. Hershey's. Times. Square. The. Sweetest. Place. In. New. York." Geez, the Bravo writers gave this lady ONE line, and she's acting like she's introducing herself to the Pope in a tongue that is not her own. The challenge is going to be to use Hershey's candy as the raw material for their designs. Wait, Michelle has another line! "Surrounding. You. Are. All. Sorts. Of. Delicious. Brands. For. You. To. Create. Your. Designs." Emmy worthy, ladies and gentlemen. Pardon the expression, but Chris is seriously like a kid in a candy store. I hope he doesn't eat his outfit!! The designers are given no budget, but they have five minutes in the store. You can imagine the candy-monium that ensues, as the designers grab candy like a bunch of wild cavemen. I cannot even imagine how anyone is going to create a wearable outfit out of this mess.
Back at Parsons, the designers are, as expected, eating their materials, and, let's be honest, who can blame them? Jillian has decided to actually use candy, Twizzlers, as her material, and I am already skeptical about how that's going to work. Sweet P is smashing pots and cutting up teddy bears, and her design looks just as kooked out as Jillian's. Christian is making a brown dress of Reeses Cup wrappers that is reminiscent of Michael's coffee filter dress in season 2. Chris's dress looks like enormous Hershey bars and looks kind of like the salad bowl costume dress that we saw in the first episode. Elisa is making a "fairy tale-esque" dress for her daughter whose name sounds like Clibey but could be Klybi or Qlue7be for all I know. Elisa then tells a relatively inspirational story about how she was hit by a Porsche and her head was cracked open four inches, and she sees Project Runway as a chance to make up for the life she could have had. I feel like I should be crying, but instead I'm thinking, "Wow...that explains a whole lot."
Christian finishes way before everyone and, in his sassy little way, prances around acting like Tim Gunn. His criticisms are not particularly well-received, as evidenced by Kevin who says in an interview that he is "going to off him, and you will never see him again." Sweet P, yet again, is in a bit of a pickle with her smashed clay pot, ripped up teddy bear dress, and she decides to start over. The candy euphoria begins to fade, and everyone seems quite frustrated. The real Tim shows up to help everyone...Victorya's dress looks unfinished, and every time Tim says something to her, she says, "Really?"...but not inquisitively...more like "Who are you to tell me what to do with my dress?" Three words for you, Vic: Tim. Freakin'. Gunn. Tim says Rami's dress looks like something Jillian would wear (it looks like a space flight attendant to me). Elisa's dress looks like Gretel from Hansel and Gretel because, well, that's what she is going for. Tim is very concerned. Jillian is running out of time on her Twizzlers corset...never a good sign. Sweet P is starting over on her skirt, which Tim tells her "looks like a coffee filter or a maxi pad." Yikes, I don't think that's what she's going for. My gosh, this is going to be quite the runway show. At 11:50pm, Jillian's dress is falling apart, and she is terrified, although you would never know it by her robotic monotone voice.
Runway show day. The designers arrive at Parsons, at which point Christian declares it to be a "tranny mess up in here." Jillian is panicking, so her model helps her sew the Twizzlers. Elisa's dress...oh my, my, my. Christian, ever the one to cut to the chase, assesses Elisa's situation: "Poor Elisa...the dress was just weird...and then these sleeves...they looked like swimmies that you go swimming with...her dress was just a hot mess." And I don't think I could say it better. Chris declares her style to be "hit or miss," to which I declare Chris' style to be "pot calling the kettle black." The models get all ready, and let me just say, Christian...there is a heck of a lot of hot mess going on in this room. Jillian's dress manages to come together at the last minute, but the true test will be if her Twizzlers fall off up and down the runway. I'm hoping they don't, because so far hers is one of the best-looking outfits I've seen.
Runway time. I'm going to put Elisa and Sweet P in the bottom three for sure...third spot is still up for grabs. Guest judge this week is Zac Posen, who I totally heart.
Ricky: Silver metallic dress with chocolate brown accents. Huge bubble skirt. Looks like a Hershey's Kiss costume...not very wearable, but I doubt that's going to be the criteria this week.
Chris: Brown and white print dress. Strapless and slender line with brown hem at the bottom. Surprisingly, I kind of like it, and it looks way less costumey than Ricky's.
Kit Pistol: Total punk rock candy outfit. Strapless top made of Kit Kat wrappers, flouncy skirt made of Hershey's wrappers, and combat boots. What is this stuff?!
Elisa: Oh my gosh, this crazy chick has got to go. She did accomplish her Gretel goal, and it is horrendously ugly, and, per Christian, the sleeves look like swimmies.
Kevin: Finally doesn't look like a crazy candy costume. Silver corset top (lots of corsets this week?!), brown pencil skirt, and brown bolero jacket. Nice work.
Christian: OK, this dress totally rocks, and he better win. Brown halter dress with texture from the Reeses wrappers. Love it.
Sweet P: Strapless dress, silver on top, full white skirt on bottom. Kind of boring, but this week I think boring is better than bizarre. We'll see if the judges agree...
Rami: Futuristic space stewardess dress made of wrappers. I don't like it, but Rami claims it immediately caught Zac Posen's attention.
Jillian: The moment of truth, and her model totally rocks it. The Twizzlers swing like cute little fringe, and it looks perfectly made. Very cool.
Victorya: Looks like something Heidi would have worn in the mother land. Or a white and silver ruffly kitchen apron. In order to make her look like an ice princess, Victorya has her model walk down in a trance with her arms and hands out. She calls it "quirky"...I call it...weird and ugly perhaps? Zac Posen raises his eyebrows and purses his lips, leading me to believe he's on board with my assessment rather than Victorya's.
Results time. I'm picking Sweet P, Elisa and...Victorya for the bottom, and Jillian, Christian and Kevin to be tops. Elisa has GOT TO GO, and Christian will win for the second week in a row.
Snap, I'm off on the good ones this week. They love Rami's space stewardess. Elisa's is joyless. Jillian's is a smashing success. Victorya's looks like a Dairy Queen waitress. Michael and Nina love Chris's, mostly because he didn't do a candy parade float. Sweet P's is boring and "sad."
Final results - Rami wins. Elisa's out. Sorry, crazy lady. I hope the elves welcome you back to the magical forest with open arms. Take them some candy.
Auf wiedersehen!
