How To Avoid The Walk Of Shame This Holiday Season

Oh Harvey Nichols, you clever little Brit.

The brilliant piece of advertising below reminds all of us that not dressing like a hoochie pays off (especially the morning after).

Remember ladies, the way you look in that dress at 6 AM is no different than how you looked at midnight. In other words, yes, it is too short.

Enjoy.

p.s. It's December people. Put a coat on.

Weekend Roundup: Free Time

Typically this time of year I feel overwhelmed by all of the places I want to go, people I need to buy things for, and sales I feel obligated to take advantage of...but this year, somehow, I feel pretty relaxed.

Maybe it's because I did so much of my holiday shopping ahead of time.

Thanks Cyber Monday.

Maybe it's because I'm worried about saving money, so I'm spending less.

Maybe it's because I'm just not popular and people have stopped inviting me places.

Regardless, this weekend was filled with a fun night out, a facial, and some final holiday shopping around town.

Dinner at Farmhouse with two of my favorites, Sarah & Teddy.

The actual table we sat at, only when we were there, we were surrounded by way more people.

A host of errands and breakfast at The Bagel...

Lox & creamcheese for everyone.

A facial at Bliss...

No more wrinkles.

And Sunday night with my must-see-TV.

Next weekend starts the holiday celebrating, so maybe I'll start to feel more popular then.

Happy week.

JayZ & Kanye: 5 Observations

I had the pleasure of attending Hova & Yeezy's show this week. Here's my takeaway.

1) I have no idea what "Watch the Throne" means. They're both kings and therefore need to watch each other's chairs when they go to the bathroom? Maybe the throne is the bathroom and they're just asking us to stand guard so no one walks in? Either way, it's refreshing to find 2 musicians who don't have inflated views of themselves. Anyhoo, what they should call the tour is "We're Going to Play Everything You Want Us To". Seriously, they did not miss one song this little white girl wanted to hear. "Big Pimpin"? Yep. "Dirt Off My Shoulder"? Yep. "New York", "Hard Knock Life"? Yep. Oh, and Kanye was there too.

2) The show itself was actually kind of perfect (though I could do without the Kid's Incorporated laser light show). They would do a few songs together (mainly from their new album), and then one of them would call the other a genius before exiting stage right to let the other have the spotlight. I am partial to Jay Z (if you haven't seen "Fade To Black", SEE IT), but Kanye has some undeniable hits. "Stronger", "Gold Digger", "Jesus Walks", and that stuff with the autotune. I, however, liked him best when he shared the stage with J, especially "Monster" and "Run This Town".

3) I did not bring or smoke any weed before, during, or after the show. However, the contact high from simply being in the United Center, was tough to deny. So much so that today I got into the car with the same coat on and thought the driver was high. Nope, just my cape.

4) I know these guys are cray-cray rich, but it was actually really endearing to see the looks on their faces when they'd point the mike at the audience and every single one of us knew exactly what to do. Do I believe for one second either one of them is humble? Nope. But I do believe there is a little boy in each of them that still can't believe their good fortune.

5) These guys "played" for 3 hours. No dancers. No intermissions. No one suspended from the ceiling. Just 2 guys, doing their thing. Were the tickets pricey, even for the nosebleeds? Yep. Was it worth it so I can cross seeing these 2 off my bucket list? Absolutely.

Next concert on the agenda? Bon Iver on 12/9. Should be pretty similar.

I Think I Might Like Cooking

For years my idea of "cooking" included the following techniques:

-Putting hummus on any sandwich so that it's not dry
-Perfecting my oatmeal to water ratio
-Melting cheese on a frozen Annie's burrito
-Dumping pre-cut vegetables into a bowl with spinach & salad dressing

It's weird I haven't been approached by the Food Channel.

After a recent successful run at making my mom's stuffing, a berry cobbler, and the very best corn bread I've ever had, I've realized the following:

1) Cooking is remarkably less annoying when you have supplies.
2) When you're only feeding yourself (and your not picky boyfriend), it's actually kind of relaxing.
3) On the downside, I eat more when I cook.

Anyway, here's the recipe for the aforementioned cornbread. Enjoy.

1 cup cornmeal (I like the organic kind from Whole Foods)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup regular milk (don't go skim, it absolutely matters)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (convention, it cooks better)
Grease the muffin pan with a little butter (not the fat free crap)
In a large bowl mix all of the dry ingredients, then add the wet.
Bake for 18-20 minutes.

It's pretty great with chili. Or soup. Or on it's own. Doesn't even need extra butter, it's that good.

Florence & The Machine

There is nothing original about loving Florence & The Machine.

"Dog Days" is on every playlist.
"Cosmic Love" seems to be the soundtrack for every movie.
"Shake it Out" is set to be this year's "Dog Days".

The only artist getting more play as the "I'm-Indie-No-Wait-I'm-On-the-Radio-24/7" is Adele (not a slam, love her too).

Though I'm digging their new album, Ceremonials, it's F&M's covers that are on constant repeat on my ipod.

"Addicted to Love"...

Sorry Palmer, she nails it.

"Halo"...

Beyonce's version is good. This is better.

"Take Care"...

This one is a draw for me. Flo is good, but you can't deny the Rihanna/Drake chemistry.

Does she seem like a bit of a fruit loop? Of course she does (her curtain gowns puzzle me every time). But the girl can sing. And she brings a harp with her everywhere she goes, so what's not to like?

The Show You're Not Watching

I stumbled onto this little gem thanks to my BF's fancy cable. After watching 6 episodes back-to-back, I'm hooked.

The drama features Claire Danes (who despite my best efforts, I cannot bring myself to like), Damien Lewis (you'll recognize him, but you won't know why), and Mandy Patinkin (a great actor, who is apparently a terror to work with, but that's neither here nor there.).

I'm really selling it, aren't I.

The premise of the show centers around a bipolar CIA agent (Danes), her curmudgeonly boss (Patinkin), and a POW returned home after 8 years in captivity, (Lewis). 

Danes suspects (psychotically so), that the POW has been turned/brainwashed by his terrorist captors. Her boss (who is also oddly suspicious), isn't quite on board with her theory, but allows her to spy on him ("Big Brother"-style), and his family during his first weeks home. It's uncomfortable watching her watch them. Uncomfortable not only because of the private moments she witnesses, but also the mere fact that she can. 

Each 50 minute episode is filled with little moments that make you question every character's actions, words, and facial expressions. They're all deliberate, but what do they mean? The show strikes the right balance between focusing on what the show is about (is he or isn't he) while also incorporating the right personal elements of each character's lives. We don't see what we don't need to see. 

Though there are other dramas out there that feel very timely and relevant (i.e "Walking Dead", "Once Upon a Time" aklsdfjalk;sdjf), this one gets at the secret lives, processes, and forces at work in our current version of reality. I won't go so far as to draw comparisons to it being an actual reality show (the timelines, dramatic twists, etc are exaggerated), but the core of this show - terrorism - feels very real.

The end of the 6th episode was a game-changer. We had a theory. The theory was wrong. I love it when that happens.

Sunday nights on Showtime, 9CST.

Weekend Roundup: Firsts

As mentioned in my last post, this was my first Thanksgiving in Chicago, without my family (the blood-related members) sitting around the table with me. Though it was difficult to not be with them (change is hard), it was a pretty great weekend, filled with many "firsts"...

First 8k Turkey Trot...

It was chilly, but totally worth it!

First time picking up a turkey at Lillie's Q (highly recommend!)

Pete with a turkey on his lap.

First attempt at cooking my mom's stuffing...

To keep our family "together" we uploaded a series of videos throughout the day. Here's where I show off my cooking.

First catchphrase tournament (victors pictured below)...

The faces of winners.

First Ohio State loss to Michigan in 7 years (I didn't say they were all good)...

#urbanbraxton2012

The best first was spending the holiday with this guy...

Happy last week of November!