Saturday, April 30, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
One Flaw In Women
Women have strengths that amaze men.....
They bear hardships and they carry burdens,
but they hold happiness, love and joy.
They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy
and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up to injustice.
They don't take "no" for an answer
when they believe there is a better solution.
They go without so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel
and cheer when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear about
a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member,
yet they are strong when they
think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss
can heal a broken heart.
Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you
to show how much they care about you.
The heart of a woman is what
makes the world keep turning.
They bring joy, hope and love.
They have compassion and ideas.
They give moral support to their
family and friends.
Women have vital things to say
and everything to give..
However, if there is one flaw in women,
it is that they forget their worth.
-Unknown
Women have strengths that amaze men.....
They bear hardships and they carry burdens,
but they hold happiness, love and joy.
They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy
and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up to injustice.
They don't take "no" for an answer
when they believe there is a better solution.
They go without so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel
and cheer when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear about
a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member,
yet they are strong when they
think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss
can heal a broken heart.
Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you
to show how much they care about you.
The heart of a woman is what
makes the world keep turning.
They bring joy, hope and love.
They have compassion and ideas.
They give moral support to their
family and friends.
Women have vital things to say
and everything to give..
However, if there is one flaw in women,
it is that they forget their worth.
-Unknown
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Ok Fine I Guess You Can Call Me Snoopy
I went to the birthday party of one of my humans last weekend. It was the Elder Human's birthday and it was a surprise party. I've never heard of surprise parties before, but since I've been a part of the human family for almost 2 weeks now (my big 130 pound black lab brother, Buddy, still won't claim me...) I was invited to tag along for the festivities.
It was a fun night--I got to meet a lot of people and I even met a white and orange English Setter named Callie. She's a rescue dog who was found floating on ice in Lake Michigan in February before I was even born, so someone took a boat out and brought her to shore and gave her a new home. She really liked me and I had fun chewing on her long orange ears!
I was held and petted and cuddled by at least 40 people! Humans really seem to dig me for some reason. (I still can't convince them to call me Cornholio though... what up with that people???)
I didn't really like being held by one guy with dirty fingernails though, so I cried to my blonde human to rescue me. She DID right away! She's a good human---cuddles me a lot and lets me play in grass, and she sneaks me little treats and gave me a teddy bear to sleep with. I like that blonde human a lot.
I watched people eat dinner and sing "Happy Birthday" and eat cake...I think they may have been drinking a little, too, because they were awfully silly!
By the time the presents were being opened I was exhausted from all the people-love and I fell sound alseep in my blonde human's lap.
It was a fun night--I got to meet a lot of people and I even met a white and orange English Setter named Callie. She's a rescue dog who was found floating on ice in Lake Michigan in February before I was even born, so someone took a boat out and brought her to shore and gave her a new home. She really liked me and I had fun chewing on her long orange ears!
I was held and petted and cuddled by at least 40 people! Humans really seem to dig me for some reason. (I still can't convince them to call me Cornholio though... what up with that people???)
I didn't really like being held by one guy with dirty fingernails though, so I cried to my blonde human to rescue me. She DID right away! She's a good human---cuddles me a lot and lets me play in grass, and she sneaks me little treats and gave me a teddy bear to sleep with. I like that blonde human a lot.
I watched people eat dinner and sing "Happy Birthday" and eat cake...I think they may have been drinking a little, too, because they were awfully silly!By the time the presents were being opened I was exhausted from all the people-love and I fell sound alseep in my blonde human's lap.
After about an hour of staying safely on the human's lap, she tucked me into my own little space with my teddy bear so everyone would leave me alone and let me sleep, but she kept checking in on me to make sure I was ok.
By the time I woke up it was early morning and I was back home! Wow, I was tired!
So I learned some more new things....about parties, and people, and rescue dogs, and presents! I really like presents a lot! They come in paper and have ribbons that are really exciting to play with! Presents are definitely the 2nd favorite thing, after grass in the lawn, that I've learned about in my 8 weeks on the planet! I can't wait to learn more!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Random Thoughts Grab Me
Sometimes random thoughts enter my mind that come out of nowhere and I get a little teeny tiny bit obsessive with them. (no way..... ;)
Like how I suddenly one afternoon decided I needed a pair of sparkly black sequined ballet flats and then drove all over to 4 shoes stores until I found them.
Why? Not sure. I don't even wear flats! (But I'll wear these some time.... really...I mean they're SPARKLY for gods sake!! :-)
Or how I am convinced the Salad Chef will change my life by making me eat healthier.
(So far I have resisted ordering! But I do enjoy the infomercial...)
Like how I get obsessed and MUST blog about nothing, like right now.
....Or I'll find myself laying in bed nearly asleep and then suddenly think, "I need to know how to publish my own book." So I'll get out of bed, go to my laptop and find out, even though I have no book to publish. But I will eventually....
Did you need to know any of this? No....but I'm not good with sitting and doing nothing, even if the nothing that I'm doing isn't really much of anything at all which is what this is. Get it? Good. :)
Like how I suddenly one afternoon decided I needed a pair of sparkly black sequined ballet flats and then drove all over to 4 shoes stores until I found them.
Why? Not sure. I don't even wear flats! (But I'll wear these some time.... really...I mean they're SPARKLY for gods sake!! :-)
Or how I am convinced the Salad Chef will change my life by making me eat healthier.
(So far I have resisted ordering! But I do enjoy the infomercial...)
....Or I'll find myself laying in bed nearly asleep and then suddenly think, "I need to know how to publish my own book." So I'll get out of bed, go to my laptop and find out, even though I have no book to publish. But I will eventually....
Did you need to know any of this? No....but I'm not good with sitting and doing nothing, even if the nothing that I'm doing isn't really much of anything at all which is what this is. Get it? Good. :)
Friday, April 22, 2011
Goodbye Meat Diet!
10 days of eating food I hate every 3 hours made me nearly give up the will to live. I realized just how bad it was when I was walking through Target yesterday and started lusting after foods I haven't eaten in decades. Things like gallon-sized containers of cheese puffs and processed cupcakes wrapped in plastic---stuff I don't eat. So it was time to give up meat/meat/meat and veggies before I had a terrible downfall face-down in a trough of Doritos.
While looking for other nutrition plans to help me get rid of 7 pounds before bikini season (!!!), I started to understand why 34% of Americans are OBESE and another 34% are OVERWEIGHT (not obese). For those of you lacking math skills, that's 68% of Americans who are not at a healthy weight (what??).
Nevermind our American fast food addiction, for the people who want help, it's pricey!
Keeping in mind that "healthy" weight loss for a woman is 1/2 pound to 2 pound per week (the less you have to lose the slower it goes, so for me that would be probably 1/2 pound per week--a couple months), that can lead up to a lot of weeks, months, cash!
I asked a friend who is on Jenny Craig to lose 12 pounds how she liked it---she pays almost $150 per week for Jenny food plus spends another $30+ on fruits/veggies/milk at the grocery store to supplement the plan. That's around $720 a month for FOOD for one person for one month. She said the food tastes good though and she's seeing good results.
Then I saw the pricing: it's on sale for $29.99 per day, regularly $44.99 per day. For those without a calculator handy, that $900 for 1 month on sale, and $1350 regular price for 4 weeks. A thousand dollars per month for food for 1 person? That's more than the check I write every month for a place to live.
(I'd like to point out, in that same mailing came a delicious offer from NON-diet organization, Omaha Steaks, for a MERE $39.99 filet mignon/sirloin/steak burger/chicken breast/potato offer. ;)
I tried Nutrisystem a couple years ago for pre-bikini season (living someplace where it's REALLY cold 8 months out of the year means you bloat up till it warms up...maybe I should just move some place warmer ?? :) and it was the worst-tasting food I've ever put in my mouth. I tried 4 days of "food" and sent back the 30 day supply. Don't trust food that doesn't require refrigeration is now my motto. Sure, it was around $200/month to lose under 10 pounds (double if you want to lose more), but when the food is inedible it's just $200 down the drain. Sorry Marie Osmond, but you can keep that sh*t to yourself.
A friend told me she tried $500+/month Seattle Sutton's but the food mostly smelled all the same---like it was either all stored together or had a preservative on it or something, and that the portions were very tiny, like a 1 inch square of cornbread; we're guessing because they're not using anything lowfat, and are just rationing out regular high calorie items to make them nutritionally sound and equal 1200 calories. She's petite and was only losing a few pounds for a wedding but said she was hungry all the time so stopped after 3 weeks. I talked to a 2nd friend who tried this plan and she confirmed the same thing. She lasted only 2 weeks.
I feel for people who, for health reasons, have a lot of weight to lose. Diets suck. They're expensive. They're just annoying.
For now, I'm not sure what nutrition plan I'll end up on in the next 8 weeks to be ready for summer, but I do know that I need to keep THIS in mind----------->
<-----instead of this!
#nomnomnom
:)
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Oh Chelsea, You Let Me Down
I already admitted that Chelsea Handler can apparently sell me stuff and I'm still trying to get back the ass I had at age 21, so when "Body Confidence" by Mark MacDonald arrived in the mail, I gave it a try.
There's nothing revolutionary about the concepts in the book, especially since I spent many years in a past life as an aerobics instructor and personal trainer: Speed up your metabolism by eating every 3 hours, eat 6 small 250 calorie meals (or 300 for men) every day so your body can metabolize the food and keep your blood sugar regulated, eat 25 grams of protein at every meal, and so on.
The 1st 10 days are the most restrictive--see above, but on top of that there is no sugar, no flour, no....well, pretty much nothing but meat, eggs/egg whites, and vegetables and an occassional protein bar or protein drink and a couple other things. This is to take you out of your "heavy" weight and bring you down to your "set-point" weight so you can start the "real" nutrition plan that is much like what I already mentioned but with the addition of a little dairy and other items.
Today I start the 10th day of the plan and I may do 1 more week before I toss it.
I'm considering 1 more week because it says in the book most people lose weight in the 1st 10 days, but in the Foreword it says that Chelsea gained weight during the 1st 2 weeks and THEN started to lose afterward. So I'm keeping that in mind.
Am I hungry? No.
Am I craving sugar? No. Although it does sound heavenly.
Do I have more energy like the author claims you will have? NO.
Have I lost any weight? NO.
Have my measurements reduced since I started? NO.
Does my ass look any different than it did 10 days ago? NO.
Is the food so boring that I'd rather not eat than eat it? Yes.
What HAS changed, however, is the knowledge that I'm not the biggest fan of meat. I'm not a vegetarian at all, but when FORCED to eat chicken or turkey or tuna several times a day, I am just annoyed. Also annoying---eating every 3 hours. I'm not interested in food enough to eat every 3 hours--I even set a little timer on my Blackberry to remind me. By day 3 I wanted to throw my Blackberry out a window anytime it went off to remind me to eat some damn meat, but I ate anyway.
I also learned that I hate the smell of meat cooking in my home and how the scent gets into clothes and hair and lingers in the air. (Yes, I've cooked meat a million times, but do it a couple times a day and everything smells like it.) Yesterday I decided fine, I'll have meat for dinner, but today I'm turning to salad with tuna in it, oatmeal with a protein drink, protein bars and protein shakes for other meals, which is the opposite of what is recommended in the book. I just can't take it anymore.
I don't understand how someone can spend their entire day focused on food and eating hour after hour day after day long term. I think I'd give up the will to live if I were faced with that kind of existence.
On the bright side, when I get done with this plan (maybe tomorrow, maybe in 1 week, unless I see fantastic results in that final week...) I will vow to try and reduce sugar and carbs, just because frankly, they're not great for you. But the truth is I'm never going to be a high protein or meat at every meal person. I just don't like it enough.
Sorry, Mark, but I have a life to live---and it includes thinking about things other than protein.....
That said, it's time to come up with a "Plan B" for bikini season.
The 1st 10 days are the most restrictive--see above, but on top of that there is no sugar, no flour, no....well, pretty much nothing but meat, eggs/egg whites, and vegetables and an occassional protein bar or protein drink and a couple other things. This is to take you out of your "heavy" weight and bring you down to your "set-point" weight so you can start the "real" nutrition plan that is much like what I already mentioned but with the addition of a little dairy and other items.
Today I start the 10th day of the plan and I may do 1 more week before I toss it.
I'm considering 1 more week because it says in the book most people lose weight in the 1st 10 days, but in the Foreword it says that Chelsea gained weight during the 1st 2 weeks and THEN started to lose afterward. So I'm keeping that in mind.
Am I hungry? No.
Am I craving sugar? No. Although it does sound heavenly.
Do I have more energy like the author claims you will have? NO.
Have I lost any weight? NO.
Have my measurements reduced since I started? NO.
Does my ass look any different than it did 10 days ago? NO.
Is the food so boring that I'd rather not eat than eat it? Yes.
What HAS changed, however, is the knowledge that I'm not the biggest fan of meat. I'm not a vegetarian at all, but when FORCED to eat chicken or turkey or tuna several times a day, I am just annoyed. Also annoying---eating every 3 hours. I'm not interested in food enough to eat every 3 hours--I even set a little timer on my Blackberry to remind me. By day 3 I wanted to throw my Blackberry out a window anytime it went off to remind me to eat some damn meat, but I ate anyway.
I also learned that I hate the smell of meat cooking in my home and how the scent gets into clothes and hair and lingers in the air. (Yes, I've cooked meat a million times, but do it a couple times a day and everything smells like it.) Yesterday I decided fine, I'll have meat for dinner, but today I'm turning to salad with tuna in it, oatmeal with a protein drink, protein bars and protein shakes for other meals, which is the opposite of what is recommended in the book. I just can't take it anymore.
I don't understand how someone can spend their entire day focused on food and eating hour after hour day after day long term. I think I'd give up the will to live if I were faced with that kind of existence.
On the bright side, when I get done with this plan (maybe tomorrow, maybe in 1 week, unless I see fantastic results in that final week...) I will vow to try and reduce sugar and carbs, just because frankly, they're not great for you. But the truth is I'm never going to be a high protein or meat at every meal person. I just don't like it enough.
Sorry, Mark, but I have a life to live---and it includes thinking about things other than protein.....
That said, it's time to come up with a "Plan B" for bikini season.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
3 Hair Products I've Fallen In Love With
I don't usually get excited about hair products, I rarely fall in love with them, and I don't share product information unless I think it's spectacular...well I've met 3 haircare products that are beyond amazing:
LIVING PROOF FULL THICKENING CREAM
This product makes hair look thicker, but even better, due to patented technology created by MIT scientists (what?!?) it feels like there's no product on your hair, YET it bounces back into place through wind blowing, ponytail holders, sleep, etc. No stringy hair in need of brushing throughout the day, no ponytail crimps, nothing!
REVOLUTIONARY!
Incredible!
Amazing!
Add your own word for "fabulocity" here.
LIVING PROOF FULL THICKENING CREAM
This product makes hair look thicker, but even better, due to patented technology created by MIT scientists (what?!?) it feels like there's no product on your hair, YET it bounces back into place through wind blowing, ponytail holders, sleep, etc. No stringy hair in need of brushing throughout the day, no ponytail crimps, nothing!
REVOLUTIONARY!
Incredible!
Amazing!
Add your own word for "fabulocity" here.
Makes split-ends a thing of the past by binding them back together! Yes, it actually seals split ends together and it lasts through a couple of washings.
This product repairs 92% of split ends--it actually heals your hair! It's like always having a fresh blow out--who doesn't want that?
This product repairs 92% of split ends--it actually heals your hair! It's like always having a fresh blow out--who doesn't want that?
*LUV!*
There's shampoo, conditioner, overnight treatment, and a heat spray as well, but I haven't tried those.
Weekly use for 15 minutes or longer on dry, or bleached, or color-treated hair makes it soft, shiny, and moisturized. It's THE BEST home deep conditioning treatment I've ever used.
My bleach-blonde locks drink it up! Nom nom nom.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Dear People
After the day I had yesterday
(Mercury is retrograde--it f*cks me over every time...)
I have to remind myself of this:
Friday, April 15, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
It's A Sign?
My nectarine is smiling at me:
I didn't have the heart to eat him....
....so I just put him back in the fridge....
I didn't have the heart to eat him....
....so I just put him back in the fridge....
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
You Are Getting Very Sleepy
I've read in multiple magazines and "health" websites over the years, that since everyone is different, to find out how much sleep your body needs you're supposed to sleep 3 nights in a row WITHOUT an alarm or anything to wake you, and on the 3rd day you wake up, the number of hours you slept that 3rd night is how many you should be getting each night.
I don't get a lot of sleep, I know I know---it's good for your health, your looks, your weight....blah blah blah. All of those things seem to be doing fine for me, and ever since I can remember since I was teenager, I've slept anywhere from 4-7 hours most nights (6-7 always seems to feel best--when I get more than that I feel groggy all day) with an occasional 9 or 10 hour night when I'm completely exhausted after a trip or something, but I (completely exhausted) decided to give it a try!
I was able to do this experiment Friday, Saturday and Sunday. No alarm clock. No one to wake me. Phone turned off.
Friday night I slept 10 hours! Whoa--I was tired!
Saturday night 6 hours of sleep followed.
Sunday night I had a total of 7 hours of sleep.
So, apparently, the optimal number of hours my body needs is 7 hours.
I'll do my best to cut back on those 4-5 hour nights, but no guarantees...I like being up and awake and doing things...
Friday night I slept 10 hours! Whoa--I was tired!
Saturday night 6 hours of sleep followed.
Sunday night I had a total of 7 hours of sleep.
So, apparently, the optimal number of hours my body needs is 7 hours.
I'll do my best to cut back on those 4-5 hour nights, but no guarantees...I like being up and awake and doing things...
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The 2011 Grammy Awards...Better Late Than Never!
Thanks to my friend and a long-time Grammy member, I was able to attend this year's GRAMMY AWARDS on February 13th. I never had a chance to blog about it back in February, but people keep asking, so now I'll just point them here.
I arrived in LA on Saturday, the day before the Grammy Awards. While sitting at my gate waiting to board my flight, I spotted another Grammy-goer. I don't know his name, but it was obvious by the leather boots clad with burned skulls into the grain, purple-black hair, and a gnarled "old rocker" face, like you see on guys like Iggy Pop or Keith Richards. The day of the Grammys I actually ran into this man again, but was too polite to ask who he is.
The Beverly Hilton, the "official" hotel of the Grammys, was the first place we hit up, since that's where my friend and I were staying. For the record, I travel a lot and stay in a ton of hotels but I DON'T recommend the Beverly Hilton. The rooms are small, the service is terrible, the room service food is worse, the water pressure/temperature of the showers is a crime, and I won't even bother to mention the holes in the hallway ceilings or the DEAD RAT that was sprawled outside the front steps of the hotel ALL weekend. Oh wait, I just did. And that's not even the half of it.
.....nonetheless, I walked into the Beverly Hilton to check-in and the first person I faced (if i were taller ;) was Dave Grohl wandering the lobby clad in a tuxedo, holding rolled up sheets of paper to his chin looking like he was waiting on someone. For a moment I was transported back to my adolecence-- talk about the soundtrack to my life back then and you speak of Nirvana and the early years of the Foo Fighters. That image stays in my head and makes me smile---it's not often that you're transported back to a place in time in your mind.
Later the lobby was filled with a slew of Loubitins and statement shoes, Clive Davis and various artists: Jennifer Hudson, Brandy, Whitney Houston, Ciara, Adam Lambert, Mary J. Blige, Bruno Mars, Lenny Kravitz, John Mayer, Katy Perry, and of course, the woman that we would repeatedly see over the weekend: Erika Badu. (Why are you everywhere we go, Ms. Badu??). Also spotted Sarah Silverman and a handful of the cast of Glee.
Many things happened on this rockstar-filled evening of the 12th, but not for blog mentions so I'll jump ahead to Grammy day.
Grammy day started early and I had a phenomenal black Sue Wong dress made of fabric with eyelets and a nude underlay to make it look like the dress was sheer. Very pretty, very sexy. One thing that makes me laugh is me asking my friend, "Should I wear just the necklace or both the necklace and earrings? Both together might be too much." And my friend looked at me and said, "Wear both. You're going to the Grammys. There's no such thing as 'too much.' You're wearing both. Period." Style choice complete. ;)
We headed down to the lobby of the hotel, and it once again looked like The Rockstar Prom with evening gowns and tuxedos in the middle of the day while people waited for limos.
Only a handul of the 100+ awards are given out on tv on Grammy day. There's a Pre-Telecast award show at the convention center that starts at 1:00 in the afternoon. We decided to check it out, and yes, it was stuffed with musicians---some I couldn't name but know them to be rap or country musicians, and there was host, Kathy Griffin, wandering around, and Cyndi Lauper and Buddy Guy. We stayed for most of the awards and then decided we wanted to scope out other people's dresses, so we took a stroll.
Most of the pathways from the convention center to Staples Center were tented so that they couldn't be seen from the streets. We walked next door to Staples Center and realized that we were right at the doors but we wanted to walk the red carpet. So we walked around the building and then asked security how we get to the red carpet. He told us to cross the street, walk through the tents around the hotel, and it's about 2 blocks, "But it's a 30 minute wait and you'll just end up back here, so there's no point," he told us. I looked at my friend who was already looking at me, "Yeah...but we're doing it anyway..." we said at the same time. Decision made.
We followed the trail of people in black tie, evening gowns, and cocktail dresses through the throngs of people who lined the streets to see what people were wearing, and waited to be allowed on to the red carpet. I lifted my phone to snap a photo of the enterance before we were even on the carpet (no cameras allowed but cell phones were) and security asked me to put it away. I understand why--I mean if thousands of people are snapping pictures, no one would ever get inside, but I still wish I was able to have my camera that night.
We arrived on the carpet and the what struck me most is how small the area is. There's Billy Bush interviewing for Access Hollywood, and squished next to him is Entertainment Tonight. Crowded in tight. With security placed every 5 steps to keep people from taking pictures or rushing Ryan Seacrest.
While walking I was nearly face to face with Kelly Osborne on my left as she leaned out of the E! Fashion Police 360 degree camera area. She looked very pretty in pink with platinum blonde hair. She was escorting Adam Levine from Maroon 5 out of the camera platform and he ended up walking the rest of the red carpet right next to us.
At the end of the red carpet is where all the celebs stop in front of the "Grammy" background and have a box of seated paparazzi take their photos. They then face foward to a very small platform of fans who cheer and applaud, the celeb waves to them and then leaves. It's very strange to see just how small and contrived it all is. We watched Lady Antebellum (also everywhere we went that weekend along with random Erika Badu) stop for their photos on our way past.
We walked to the doors of Staples Center and security took purses and wanded everyone. They confiscated a camera from a woman in front of us, and she won't be getting it back. There was a strict no cameras policy and we never saw anything but cell phones while we were there.
The concession stands inside Staples remained open before everyone was to be in their seats at 4:45 pm. So wandering around in black tie attire were thousands of people eating hotdogs and nachos. It was funny to see as I too was trying to balance a tray of nachos in my 4 inch heels and cocktail dress.
We were seated inside by 4:30. The show started at 5pm. If you watched on tv, you saw everything. During commercial breaks they showed memorable moments from past Grammy Awards, and for people who took bathroom breaks, they needed to be back in their seats before the show came back from commercial breaks. With only 4 minutes to spare, I decided it would be 3 hours of staying in my seat.
A couple performances had the front few rows of musicians and music-insiders and everyone else in the venue on their feet--- obviously Mick Jagger, I mean come on, of course. But everyone also went wild for Eminem with Rihanna and Dr. Dre, and Cee Lo Green with Gwenyth Paltrow and the Muppets. I've seen that Cee Lo performance on tv since, and I will say it was much brighter, funnier, smaller, and more exciting in person. I was a little surprised that no one gave Barbra Streisand a standing ovation just out of respect, but then again, when you lip synch you don't really deserve a standing-O no matter who you are.
There was the main stage and then a smaller platform stage where some celebs announced performances or winners. We were very close to that smaller stage and I was stunned by how beautiful Jennifer Lopez looks in person, and how her attractiveness is set off even more when she's standing next to her husband Marc Anthony (come on now, you know what I mean.). Also on that stage, among others was Mylie Sirus. That's all I'll say about that. It was really exciting to be in a room filled with so many musicians, rockstars, performers, legends, and presenters.
Although they didn't perform, I was extremely happy when the first award of the night went to a band I've known for over 10 years. Yes, my friend and I DID give a standing ovation as Train accepted their award. :)
Our seat location was good. In front of us was Lady Antebellum's entourage (the cowboy hats gave it away first...) and I was next to a record producer from New York and he said he's been at every Grammy Awards show for 12 years and this one was the best he's seen. This was definitely good to hear! This same man stood up, applauded and exclaimed, "THAT'S what everyone will be talking about tomorrow! HER WIN!" when little-known Esperanza Spalding won for best new album. All I thought is, "Doubt it...they'll all be talking about how a very popular Justin Bieber got robbed by some girl no one has heard of, and how Cee Lo got dissed." One of us was right....here's a hint, it was me.
That same producer invited us to the after-party for Album of the Year winners, Arcade Fire at Petit Ermitage in West Hollywood later that night following the Grammy official after party.
After the show, a little after 8pm, those of us with party passes were herded directly over to the convention center again for the official after party where several rooms were filled with open bar and catering by Wolfgang Puck. The main ballroom was designed to look like Studio 54 in it's heyday with rollerskaters, dancers, disco balls and men on STILTS. If only an elephant had shown up, it would have been perfect. The Roots and Keri Hilson were the live entertainment and were walking around after their sets. At one point we found our (starving) selves lusting over tacos with Anna Nahlick and her manager, and a tv personality from London whose name I don't remember. That's a problem for me--I meet people whose names I should remember, and then I don't. So I can't share.
Parties, old friends, new friends, and feeling nauseated from the pain of being in 4 inch heels for more than 14 hours later, we were helped to a car by a very sweet Opera category Grammy winner around 3am and headed back to the Beverly Hilton to call it a night.
The next day we were scheduled to see a few friends in LA, but a series of mishaps (partially the fault of the evil beverly hilton) kept us from seeing any of them. While sitting in the lobby waiting for these issues to be handled, I found myself on the couch next to Charles Kelley from Lady Antebellum who was hanging out checking his email (and let's face it, probably Googling himself for stories from the previous night...) on his laptop the day after his 5 Grammy Awards win, and later next to Orlando Bloom who had a lunch meeting at one of the hotel's restaurants and was waiting, leftovers in hand, for a town car to pick him up.
Early flight the next morning....
All in all, it was a fun and memorable trip. :)
_______________________________
2011 Grammy Performances:
Yolanda Adams
Christina Aguilera
Jennifer Hudson
Martina McBride
Florence Welch Tribute to Aretha Franklin:
"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"
"Ain't No Way" (Aguilera)
"Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" (McBride)
"Think" (Welch)
"Respect" (Hudson)
"Spirit in the Dark" (Adams)
"Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves"
Lady Gaga "Born This Way"
Miranda Lambert "The House That Built Me"
Muse "Uprising"
B.o.B
Bruno Mars
Janelle Monáe
"Nothin' on You"
"Grenade"
"Cold War"
Justin Bieber
Jaden Smith "Baby"
"Never Say Never"
Usher "OMG"
Mumford & Sons
The Avett Brothers
Bob Dylan
"The Cave"
"Head Full of Doubt"
"Maggie's Farm"
Lady Antebellum
"If You Don't Know Me By Now"
"American Honey"
"Need You Now"
Cee-Lo Green
Gwyneth Paltrow
The Muppets
"F*ck You!"
Katy Perry
"Not Like the Movies"
"Teenage Dream"
Norah Jones
John Mayer
Keith Urban
"Jolene"
Eminem
Adam Levine
Rihanna
Skylar Grey
Dr. Dre
"Love the Way You Lie (Part II)"
"I Need a Doctor"
Mick Jagger
Raphael Saadiq
"Everybody Needs Somebody to Love"
Barbra Streisand "Evergreen"
Rihanna
Drake "What's My Name?"
Arcade Fire "Month of May"
"Ready to Start"
--------------
2011 Grammy Awards Presenters:
I arrived in LA on Saturday, the day before the Grammy Awards. While sitting at my gate waiting to board my flight, I spotted another Grammy-goer. I don't know his name, but it was obvious by the leather boots clad with burned skulls into the grain, purple-black hair, and a gnarled "old rocker" face, like you see on guys like Iggy Pop or Keith Richards. The day of the Grammys I actually ran into this man again, but was too polite to ask who he is.
 |
| Not a fan |
.....nonetheless, I walked into the Beverly Hilton to check-in and the first person I faced (if i were taller ;) was Dave Grohl wandering the lobby clad in a tuxedo, holding rolled up sheets of paper to his chin looking like he was waiting on someone. For a moment I was transported back to my adolecence-- talk about the soundtrack to my life back then and you speak of Nirvana and the early years of the Foo Fighters. That image stays in my head and makes me smile---it's not often that you're transported back to a place in time in your mind.
Later the lobby was filled with a slew of Loubitins and statement shoes, Clive Davis and various artists: Jennifer Hudson, Brandy, Whitney Houston, Ciara, Adam Lambert, Mary J. Blige, Bruno Mars, Lenny Kravitz, John Mayer, Katy Perry, and of course, the woman that we would repeatedly see over the weekend: Erika Badu. (Why are you everywhere we go, Ms. Badu??). Also spotted Sarah Silverman and a handful of the cast of Glee.
Many things happened on this rockstar-filled evening of the 12th, but not for blog mentions so I'll jump ahead to Grammy day.
Grammy day started early and I had a phenomenal black Sue Wong dress made of fabric with eyelets and a nude underlay to make it look like the dress was sheer. Very pretty, very sexy. One thing that makes me laugh is me asking my friend, "Should I wear just the necklace or both the necklace and earrings? Both together might be too much." And my friend looked at me and said, "Wear both. You're going to the Grammys. There's no such thing as 'too much.' You're wearing both. Period." Style choice complete. ;)
We headed down to the lobby of the hotel, and it once again looked like The Rockstar Prom with evening gowns and tuxedos in the middle of the day while people waited for limos.
 |
| Tickets to Grammys & afterparty |
Most of the pathways from the convention center to Staples Center were tented so that they couldn't be seen from the streets. We walked next door to Staples Center and realized that we were right at the doors but we wanted to walk the red carpet. So we walked around the building and then asked security how we get to the red carpet. He told us to cross the street, walk through the tents around the hotel, and it's about 2 blocks, "But it's a 30 minute wait and you'll just end up back here, so there's no point," he told us. I looked at my friend who was already looking at me, "Yeah...but we're doing it anyway..." we said at the same time. Decision made.
 |
| Entrance to the red carpet |
 |
| Yep, it's red. ;) |
While walking I was nearly face to face with Kelly Osborne on my left as she leaned out of the E! Fashion Police 360 degree camera area. She looked very pretty in pink with platinum blonde hair. She was escorting Adam Levine from Maroon 5 out of the camera platform and he ended up walking the rest of the red carpet right next to us.
At the end of the red carpet is where all the celebs stop in front of the "Grammy" background and have a box of seated paparazzi take their photos. They then face foward to a very small platform of fans who cheer and applaud, the celeb waves to them and then leaves. It's very strange to see just how small and contrived it all is. We watched Lady Antebellum (also everywhere we went that weekend along with random Erika Badu) stop for their photos on our way past.
The concession stands inside Staples remained open before everyone was to be in their seats at 4:45 pm. So wandering around in black tie attire were thousands of people eating hotdogs and nachos. It was funny to see as I too was trying to balance a tray of nachos in my 4 inch heels and cocktail dress.
A couple performances had the front few rows of musicians and music-insiders and everyone else in the venue on their feet--- obviously Mick Jagger, I mean come on, of course. But everyone also went wild for Eminem with Rihanna and Dr. Dre, and Cee Lo Green with Gwenyth Paltrow and the Muppets. I've seen that Cee Lo performance on tv since, and I will say it was much brighter, funnier, smaller, and more exciting in person. I was a little surprised that no one gave Barbra Streisand a standing ovation just out of respect, but then again, when you lip synch you don't really deserve a standing-O no matter who you are.
There was the main stage and then a smaller platform stage where some celebs announced performances or winners. We were very close to that smaller stage and I was stunned by how beautiful Jennifer Lopez looks in person, and how her attractiveness is set off even more when she's standing next to her husband Marc Anthony (come on now, you know what I mean.). Also on that stage, among others was Mylie Sirus. That's all I'll say about that. It was really exciting to be in a room filled with so many musicians, rockstars, performers, legends, and presenters.
 |
| Camera phone photos aren't good ;) |
Our seat location was good. In front of us was Lady Antebellum's entourage (the cowboy hats gave it away first...) and I was next to a record producer from New York and he said he's been at every Grammy Awards show for 12 years and this one was the best he's seen. This was definitely good to hear! This same man stood up, applauded and exclaimed, "THAT'S what everyone will be talking about tomorrow! HER WIN!" when little-known Esperanza Spalding won for best new album. All I thought is, "Doubt it...they'll all be talking about how a very popular Justin Bieber got robbed by some girl no one has heard of, and how Cee Lo got dissed." One of us was right....here's a hint, it was me.
That same producer invited us to the after-party for Album of the Year winners, Arcade Fire at Petit Ermitage in West Hollywood later that night following the Grammy official after party.
Parties, old friends, new friends, and feeling nauseated from the pain of being in 4 inch heels for more than 14 hours later, we were helped to a car by a very sweet Opera category Grammy winner around 3am and headed back to the Beverly Hilton to call it a night.
The next day we were scheduled to see a few friends in LA, but a series of mishaps (partially the fault of the evil beverly hilton) kept us from seeing any of them. While sitting in the lobby waiting for these issues to be handled, I found myself on the couch next to Charles Kelley from Lady Antebellum who was hanging out checking his email (and let's face it, probably Googling himself for stories from the previous night...) on his laptop the day after his 5 Grammy Awards win, and later next to Orlando Bloom who had a lunch meeting at one of the hotel's restaurants and was waiting, leftovers in hand, for a town car to pick him up.
Early flight the next morning....All in all, it was a fun and memorable trip. :)
_______________________________
2011 Grammy Performances:
Yolanda Adams
Christina Aguilera
Jennifer Hudson
Martina McBride
Florence Welch Tribute to Aretha Franklin:
"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"
"Ain't No Way" (Aguilera)
"Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" (McBride)
"Think" (Welch)
"Respect" (Hudson)
"Spirit in the Dark" (Adams)
"Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves"
Lady Gaga "Born This Way"
Miranda Lambert "The House That Built Me"
Muse "Uprising"
B.o.B
Bruno Mars
Janelle Monáe
"Nothin' on You"
"Grenade"
"Cold War"
Justin Bieber
Jaden Smith "Baby"
"Never Say Never"
Usher "OMG"
Mumford & Sons
The Avett Brothers
Bob Dylan
"The Cave"
"Head Full of Doubt"
"Maggie's Farm"
Lady Antebellum
"If You Don't Know Me By Now"
"American Honey"
"Need You Now"
Cee-Lo Green
Gwyneth Paltrow
The Muppets
"F*ck You!"
Katy Perry
"Not Like the Movies"
"Teenage Dream"
Norah Jones
John Mayer
Keith Urban
"Jolene"
Eminem
Adam Levine
Rihanna
Skylar Grey
Dr. Dre
"Love the Way You Lie (Part II)"
"I Need a Doctor"
Mick Jagger
Raphael Saadiq
"Everybody Needs Somebody to Love"
Barbra Streisand "Evergreen"
Rihanna
Drake "What's My Name?"
Arcade Fire "Month of May"
"Ready to Start"
--------------
2011 Grammy Awards Presenters:
- LL Cool J — presented the Aretha Franklin-tribute
- Ricky Martin — introduced Lady Gaga
- Blake Shelton — introduced Miranda Lambert
- Lenny Kravitz — introduced Muse
- Ryan Seacrest — introduced Bruno Mars, B.o.B, and Janelle Monáe
- Dierks Bentley and Zac Brown — presented Best Female Country Vocal Performance
- Eva Longoria — introduced Justin Bieber, Jaden Smith and Usher
- Paramore and Pauley Perrette — presented Best Rock Album
- Selena Gomez and Donnie Wahlberg — presented Best Pop Vocal Album
- David Letterman — introduced Bob Dylan, Mumford & Sons, and The Avett Bros.
- Clay Matthews and Lea Michelle — introduced Lady Antebellum
- Kings of Leon and Miley Cyrus — presented Best Country Album
- Jamie Foxx — introduced Cee Lo Green, Gwyneth Paltrow and The Jim Henson Company Puppets
- Neil Patrick Harris — introduced Katy Perry
- John Mayer, Norah Jones and Keith Urban — presented Song of the Year
- Seth Rogen — introduced Eminem, Dr. Dre, and Rihanna
- Jewel and John Legend — presented Best New Artist
- Matthew Morrison — introduced Recording Academy President Neil Portnow
- Kris Kristofferson — introduced Barbra Streisand
- Nicki Minaj and will.i.am — presented Best Rap Album
- Diddy — introduced Drake and Rihanna
- Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez — presented Record of the Year
- Jason Segel — introduced Arcade Fire
- Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson — presented Album of the Year
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