Metropark and Jersey Shore

Ok, I'm OBSESSED with MTV's latest trainwreck TV show, Jersey Shore. It is possibly the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen. I should hate it. Instead, I cannot turn it off. I find myself watching old episodes over and over because they're just that goddamn entertaining. The plot, its not that interesting. In fact, its a pretty blatant rip-off of The Real World (seven randoms picked to live in a house and have their lives taped...and attempt to work to earn their free digs for the duration of the show) that's been done 20 or so times already. Its the freaking people that make Jersey Shore so damn amazing.

First off, they all have nicknames. Nicknames like "Snooki" (the roommates sometimes call her "Snickers"), "The Situation", and my personal fave, "Jwoww". Yes, that's "Jwoww" with TWO Ws. Brilliant!! Awsome nicknames aside, its the personalities of the cast that keeps me coming back for more. They're like walking cartoon characters. I find Snooki to be absolutely mesmerizing and the rest of the folks to be completely fascinating as well. Their hair, their tans, their penchant for fist pumping at clubs, their clothing...all so totally interesting. I'd post pics for you all to see what I'm talking about, but they look pretty much as normal as anyone in still photos...except WAY more tan.

I couldn't help thinking about the clothing earlier today when I was shopping with B-rice and AG. We wandered into a store called Metropark. Before today, I'd never heard of this store. After taking a brief survey of the clothing offered, I understood why. SO not my style. Over the top, graphic, Jersey Shore-ish T-shirts, pants and jewelry. And I wasn't alone in my feelings...B-rice looked at me and said, "All I can think of when I look at all this stuff is Jwoww." Hilarious and so true! All of the clothing...soooooo, ummm, Jersey. I mean, I've heard of brands like Affliction before, but now all I can see is The Situation and DJ Pauly D sporting that shit after hitting the tanning salon. No me gusta. We did get a good laugh out of it, though. I honestly can't see why anyone would wear stuff like that, but fashion is a personal thing, I guess.

(As an aside, I walked by J.Jill today and spotted a poster imploring shoppers to "Embrace COLOR!" I looked around quickly and all I saw were muted pastels and beige. COLOR?! Hardly.)

But back to Jersey Shore for a sec...if there is only one hot mess of a TV show that you watch this season, this HAS to be it. My god, its brilliant. Reality TV gold. And MTV even has all of the episodes online, so there is no excuse for not checking it out. You'll laugh, you'll pump your fist in the air, your jaw will drop, and you will feel good about yourself and your life choices. Everyone wins!!

My day at the Soulceity show

I'm a TV dance show fan. I'm currently loving America's Best Dance Crew on MTV. The show is in it's third season and there's some seriously amazing talent competing for this year's title. Periodically, crews from past seasons perform at various shows all around the country. I recently had the wonderful opportunity to attend such a performance.

Soulciety, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering and educating overseas youth, hosted a benefit yesterday in Alameda, CA, which happens to be where I live. In speaking with NancyT at Blogging America's Best Dance Crew and Ron Carino at Soulciety, I agreed to cover the event for the blog. Through her, I was able to get in early (during a run through of the show) to go backstage and interview two ABDC alumni crews, Supreme Soul from San Francisco and ASIID from Detroit. I will post a link to the article when it goes up. Thanks Nancy and Ron!

When I say that I was able to get in early, what that meant was that I was asked to show up at the same time as all the high school kids who were volunteering. The kids ranged from age 14 to 18 and WOW, was I out of place...it was pretty obvious that I was the old odd man out. 4" heels at an urban hip-hop event? Yeah, not so much. Mental note: if ever attending an event of this type again, the black suede Pumas would have been much more appropriate. Pumas, skinny jeans (which was the only part of the dress code that I managed to get right) and some sort of black oversized top that has been modified with scissors. Total apparel FAIL. Clearly, my time on the hard streets of the Blackhawk Country Club did not serve me well here.

Anyways, most of my day involved a lot of waiting. I assumed that the director of the event would introduce me to the groups so that I could interview them, but he had his hands FULL with the last minute event planning details and left me to sit in the auditorium. Totally understandable. I watched most of the show run-through and was really impressed with most of the acts even though they were just doing a dry run of their performances. After taking matters into my own hands and getting my interviews with the dance crews, I was satisfied and went home. When I left, I didn't really intend to go back for the actual show. I figured I had seen most of the performances and that was good enough.

But I did go back. And I'm SO glad I did. The run through was nothing. Put people in the seats and the performers come to life. Half of the people that performed didn't warm up their acts in the run through. I would have missed them had I not gone back. I sat there for the entire two hour show with a huge smile on my face. The audience's energy was positive and exhuberant. We were treated to two unreal beat boxers, DJs, DJs with a solo violinist, spoken word poets with cello and stand up bass accompaniment and some of the most unique dance companies I've ever seen. I was truly entertained. I'm SO happy that I went back. It was an incredible night for a great cause and I am happy to report about it now.

I'll keep you all posted on when the article and interviews go up on Nancy's site. For now, I'm off to get some work done. Peace. =)

Sean Avery: My new hero

A long time ago, at like 2:30am, I watched a documentary on ESPN about the Detroit Red Wings. They had recently picked up a fresh-faced asshole rookie named Sean Avery that year. The documentary followed him almost exclusively (or maybe it didn't, but I was so wrapped up in the guy that I hardly noticed when the other players had any TV time) and highlighted his incredibly abrasive, gritty style of play and shit-talker attitude. I liked him immediately. Not only was he a hell of a heckler on the ice (which I respect), he could back it up with his fists if opposing players took issue. He stirs the shit. He's even got an official NHL rule named after him. He constantly walks the line of being a little punk-ass, but somehow always stays on the cool as ice side of that line. In short, Avery was, and in many ways still is, MY kind of player. He loves what he does and plays with heart. Anyone watching one of his games can tell. Oh, and did I mention he's a fashion whore? Yeah. LOL!

Here's his online diary when he interned at Vogue during the 2008 summer NHL off-season. Fascinating stuff. And BT, Lucky_girl and Miss E, who does that pic instantly remind you of? Hee-hee!

Anyways, I thought I'd share this one with you all. I found the story, and Sean's diary really interesting...and somewhat distracting! I'm supposed to be working, but it took me about 4 reads to get through it entirely. Quote of the article:

If you feel like teasing this hockey player about an obsession of his that you might think is a little unusual, go right ahead. Just know that you may get your ass kicked by a very expensive pair of shoes — and that they'll probably match both my belt and my shirt.

Love it. =)

Dear Korto,

photo courtesy of Bravotv.com

After watching last night's episode of Project Runway, I gotta say...Girl, I really, really, REALLY want a coat to match my current purse. Can we work something out? Although, I know how heavy my purse is, ya know, because it's made of seat belts and all. I can't imagine how freaking oppressively heavy that coat must feel. But goodness, it's stunning. LOVE! I want. I covet.

Hey! Did you know?!

Season 5 of Project Runway premiers on Wednesday of this week, at 9pm, on Bravo. Yeah, I didn't know, either. Had I not been watching my DVR'd episodes of Shear Genius and caught one of Bravo's silly little ads, I might have missed the season all together. Even with the ads, there is very little fanfare for the new season. Designers and drama moments from past seasons were featured, with not one little snippet of any of the new designers. What gives, Bravo?

There's been a fair amount of talk as to why Bravo has chosen to not promote the latest installment as much as previous seasons (or at all, for that matter) and the cool folks at Blogging Project Runway have done an excellent job of wrangling the best conspiracy theories the 'net has to offer into one post. Scandalous, I tell you! (Hi Laura! Hi T-Bone! Hi Scarlett!)

I'm mildly excited about the new season, but there is one GLARING problem. Bravo has chosen to run their flagship reality show an hour earlier this time around. Normally, that would be just fine by me as I like to get to bed kinda early on week nights. BUT, the 9pm start time now puts my fave fashion show in direct competition with my fave dance show, and that's not OK. Thank goodness for the DVR...at least now I can watch PR without all the lame commercials and without missing a single pirouette or grande jeté. Without that piece of technology, I'd be forced to choose...and that's just not fair. In this age of excess, I want it all! (insert greedy hand-wringing here)

Anyways, I guess I'll be tuning in. I plan to put about as much energy into watching the show as Bravo put into promoting it. Whoop.

Russell Crowe would not wear these

I have a burning confession to make. As a self-proclaimed shoe whore, I'm not afraid to say that I HATE the gladiator sandal trend. My good god almighty, they are ugly...and they're everywhere. It's kinda like the skinny jean trend but worse, because some people were smart enough to know that skinny jeans were heinous and shouldn't be worn. Not so with the gladiator sandal. Everyone seems to want to give these a go.

Not familiar with this unbelievably ridiculous trend? Here...take a gander:

I liken these to the Crocs phenomenon. Someone, somewhere publicly stated that Crocs, despite being designed by the Devil himself, were stylish and cool. Suddenly, Crocs were EVERYWHERE. High falutin ladies that carried small dogs in Burberry bags wore them with pride. They showed up at Nordstrom, for crying out loud! It was bad. Thankfully, Crocs' popularity has waned a bit, but I can't help think that the gladiator sandal has picked up where Crocs left off. Why are gladiator sandals cool? Because someone high up in the fashion world said they are, and because the majority of the public cannot decide for themselves, that's why. I see nothing attractive about them. And can one really get away with wearing them sans toga?

Ok, Ok. So, Russell Crowe might have worn these...but only for one movie and HELLO...it was a period piece! I really don't see where these fit in with today's current fashion.

Now, don't get me wrong. If I were forced to choose between leather strappy sandals or plastic insults to proper footwear, I'd choose the former any day. But, I still hate them. On everyone. In every style. Hopefully, they'll soon fade away into the annals of fashion, never to be heard from again. But until then, people, just say no to this silly trend. Like the skinny jean. Just walk away. Kthnxbai!

Stuff from all over

Ok, so we've got a lot to discuss tonight. First and foremost, dance. SYTYCD continued its current snooze-streak with another series of numbers that left me pretty cold...all except for both of Mia Michaels's choreography contributions. Here's the second one, featuring Twitch and Kherington in their PJs:

Oh goodness, Twitch is stunning. And I love the bedhead Kherington's got going in this one. The only negative...the excessive rose petals. The last time Twitch dropped them, it worked. All of the other throws seemed like overkill to me. The dance was gorgeous on its own. If you find yourself distracted by the flying rose petals, watch it again, and try to focus on the dancers. Lovely.

And despite the fact that I HATE the song, Will and Jessica's lyrical piece was also great. In fact, Will is my new hero. That leap at the beginning? WOW. (Thanks, as always, to kelxk3l for the uploading the vid! I don't know who you are, but you ROCK for always getting the clips up so quickly after the show. You must live on the east coast...)

Secondly, I almost feel like this news deserves its own post, but I'm just too lazy and writing about Brian Campbell is just something I can no longer devote any sort of energy to. The Sharks traded away my dear Big Bear (Steve Bernier) for the strawberry mountain man (Campbell) midseason and boy, what a flop of a trade that was. Bernier caught fire in Buffalo, while Campbell just sucked it up with the Sharks. All I can say is that the Blackhawks are a buncha chumps to cough up that much cash for an inconsistent Campbell. That said, good riddance, Soupy. LATES!!

At least five people came to my cube today to comment on my shoes, hair and clothes. Everyone stated that they all dressed like me when they started, but soon realized that the office is much more casual. Worth noting: I had trouser jeans on today...and yeah, I might have worn a pair of Beverly Feldmans, but sheesh! After my last wardrobe experience where I was constantly unprofessionally dressed, I'm not yet OK with how casual my new office is. It's OK, though...I'm sure I'll get there.

New song posted over there in the sidebar. Love this one. =)

Lastly, it happened again tonight. About two weeks ago during my Bodyflow class, I had an overwhelming urge to cry. I choked the tears down , but man, it was a strange thing for me. Crying during yoga? I've heard of such things happening, but had never experienced it. Earlier tonight, the same thing happened. I don't fully understand it, but I know it happens when we're going through the hip opening series...and I carry a TON of tension in my hips. I guess letting that go and giving in to the stretch is just an emotional thing for me. Weird shit, though.

Ok, that's it for now. Going to crash. Catch you back here soon. HUGS!

New products and stuff

(Note: I cut the ever-living HELL out of my left thumb yesterday while trying to cut bread. My left thumb is my space bar thumb. Typing is really hard. Needless to say, my knife privileges have been revoked.)

I'm skipping the Tuesday Couch Potato Report this week (obviously). Because of the holiday weekend, most of the usual shows weren't on, and I just watched lots of movies....

On another note, I've been wanting to do a post for a while now on new things that I'm in love with, and I don't know why I picked today to do it, but recently, I've picked up a bunch of new items that deserve a little blog space...

First, I bought a new pair of running shoes. In the beginning, I LOVED them. But then, inexplicably, they went all sideways on me, and now I can't stand the way they feel. I have no idea what happened. I went the way of the Asics Oberon Gel and I think I'm feeling the reprocussions of betraying my love affair with New Balance. I'm still trying to make them work (with various inserts and whatnot), but I'm not holding my breath. Bummer...

Ok, so despite my love for hockey and burly sports, I love me a good pedicure. Here are a few cool things I've picked up recently to make my feets look bettah...

Not that I've worn anything but flip-flops and running shoes lately, but I used to spend lots and lots of time in stylish high-heeled torture devices. Apparently, Yoga Toes are great for stretching the feet out after a long day of modern-day footbinding. So far, I'm liking the way my feet feel after wearing them for about 30 minutes. I can't tolerate any longer than that, which apparently means that I need them! Stay tuned!

For super-smooth feet, look no further than the Ped Egg. Strange name, great product. Just be aware that even though the product description claims to catch all the dead skin, it doesn't. Using this thing should still be done over a trash can.

And lastly, once your feet are relaxed and dead skin-free, polish them up for sandal season with Nic's Sticks from OPI...if you can figure out how to control the brush. In theory, putting quick drying nail polish in pen form is a great idea. You can take them with you wherever you are and touch up chips in no time. YAY! Right?! Well, not quite. The execution of said idea is all kinds of off. First, the polish is too thick and doesn't go on smoothly, leaving lines and clumps. Secondly, the brush is the strangest thing I have ever seen. It's too wide and very hard to control, leaving polish all over the surrounding skin (note: this could just be due to operator error, but I struggle even with my dominant hand). I picked up "Feeling Girly" and "Do You Deliver?". Despite the problems, one coat of the light pink polish looks pretty cute. Any more than one coat, and its a mess. I've given up on "Do You Deliver?" even though I LOVE the color itself. It's a great red.

Ok, so it took me nearly an hour to type this post out, so I'm gonna give my thumb a rest for the day. Catch ya'll tomorrow, when I'm sure I'll have more amazing SYTYCD audition videos to post. Cheers!

Major Penalty of the Day

Ladies and gents, I'd like you all to meet Dion Phaneuf. According to his Wiki page, he's 6'3" 212lbs of pure hunk-a-licious NHL beefcake. And this picture would indicate that, surely, he's one tough customer (Sean Avery is no slouch!):

Honestly, he'd have to be tough, because wearing something like this in public might garner you a serious ass-kicking:

Oh my stars, those are some loud shorts right there. You'd have to be pretty secure in your manhood to wear those out where people might see you. Fortunately, aside from the dire need for a tan, Dion Phaneuf seems to look the part. The trunks, though? Criminal.

I'd like to think that Elisha Cuthbert is laughing at his beachwear choice in the above pic. Because, honey, DAMN.

The best run...EVAR!!

Two days ago during one of my more difficult runs, I lost an earring. And not just any earring. One of these:

The ones I have are like the middle pair in a 14 gauge. I loved them. Once I noticed that the right one was missing, I shook out my t-shirt and fleece in hopes that it got pulled out when I removed my clothes after running. No dice. I was pissed. I had to accept the fact that it got pushed out by my fleece's collar somewhere along my run. I told myself that when I got a new job, I'd replace it, but not until as they're not exactly cheap. Thank goodness they're sold individually instead of in pairs.

Yesterday, as I set out on my run, I figured I'd take the same course as I had the day before just in case I might stumble across my earring. It was a long shot, but I thought what the hell.

Looking at the ground while running can get old real quick. But fortunately, I used the fact that I was actually looking for something to distract me from how much I suck at running and how badly my knees were hurting. I saw lots of sticks and tree matter, but no earring. It was gone. About a mile in, I gave up looking. And just as I did...

...something shiny caught my eye. Could it be my earring?! No...there is no way, I thought. And yet, I got excited and ran faster.

As I got closer, I realized that sure enough, there was my carefully crafted surgical steel earring laying on top of a speed bump. I think I actually said "YES!" really loudly, although I can't be sure. I was so excited. It's a little scratched up, but no worse for wear.

I finished my run with a huge smile on my face, which is a first. Usually, by the end, I am ready to either pass out or vomit. But not this time. And all because of one little earring! YAY!