Bring it, Simon!

Hey, so I'm going to American Idol. Yup. I am. It's time, people. 

The first city that is open for auditions is Boston and it's NEXT WEEKEND, so that's not much time to prepare. But, I actually WATCHED the show for the first time this past year to study it and figure out how I can get through the auditions, and I think I've got some good ideas.

Here's my thing: you have to have something to get you noticed, so tell me which you think is better:

1) I play up the Susan Boyle phenomenon, and I go dressed in kind of a frumpy suit, hair pulled in a bun, glasses, etc. Then, I play up the whole, "I'm an accountant" thing (because that's really what I do!) and build this story about how I always wanted to be a singer, but I work in an office as an accountant, and blah blah. Then, just when they're ready to count me out, I bust out with a completely unexpected soulful power ballad, like Whitney Houston or Aretha Franklin or something. Then, as the show progresses, I undergo this "makeover" thing and I become the audience favorite because of the underdog principal.

2) I go dressed uber high fashion and super cool and draw attention from the producers with really out there hair and makeup. This will get me through to the Simon/Paula/Randy round, and once I get to them, I'm home free. (Hey, I know I've got the chops- it's just getting THROUGH to that round that's the hard part!)  

Here's the look I'm thinking (this is me at the big Diesel party last year)

AND, to help me choose a song, I'm gonna record some vids of a couple different choices, and then post them here on this blog and have you guys VOTE to decide my audition song! 

So, first- which look do you think I should go with? What's gonna get me through the first 2 rounds and into the Simon/Paula/Randy audition? Thoughts? Ideas? HELLLLP!

LOL photo of the day- IT'S FRIDAY, PEOPLE!

Whoa- coolest wedding invitation ever!

Multiple Ble$$ing$

ABC news has an interesting article about families with multiples. Check it out HERE.

I thought this exerpt was fascinating:

"In 1988, there were 229 quads and 40 quints born in the United States but, in 2006, those numbers had jumped to 355 and 67, respectively. "

WHOA! In a few years, maybe it will be UNcommon to have just 1 baby...

YAY! Big Gay Ice Cream Truck!

New Yorker Doug Quint is launching the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck next week, and I can't wait to get myself a big gay cone! I love Doug's qoute from this interview with Serious Eats New York:

"Let's face it, ice cream trucks are kind of queer, and a middle-aged white man driving one is pretty suspect," Quint said. "That's not to say that I'm a rolling hotbed of perversion. Hardly the case. It's all in the name of silly."

Visit http://www.biggayicecreamtruck.com/

He even sells apparel on the website. The tank I pictured above is called a "Husband-beater!" LOL!!

Dyson: man this vacuum SUCKS!

No, literally! It sucks! And "it never loses suction" (spoken with an English accent)

I've wanted a Dyson forever! My friend cory has the purple one- cute! This one is teal but looks blue on this iPhone picture!

Don't tell my husband how much they cost! Shhhhhh... :) LOL


-- Posted From My iPhone

These sound like the greatest cupcakes EVER!

I just found this recipe on http://www.noteatingoutinny.com/ , A blog dedicated to not eating out and preparing your own food. Fascinating blog to read, if you've got some free time.

Anyway, I printed this recipe because I can't wait to try it!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough-Topped Cupcakes(makes 6 cupcakes)

for the basic vanilla cupcakes:

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg

3/4 all-purpose flour

a little less than 1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup milk

pinch of salt

for the cookie dough:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon sugar

1/3 of a beaten egg (save the rest for next morning)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

1/2 cup or so semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla for the cupcakes only. Add egg and beat until fully blended and creamy. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternately adding the milk gradually. Divide equally among six cupcake liners in a muffin tray. Bake about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the cookie dough: Beat together the butter, sugars and vanilla. Add the egg and beat until creamy. Gradually add the flour and salt, and once fully blended and smooth, add the chocolate chips. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes. Divide dough into 6 equally-sized balls and press with your palms into discs resembling chocolate chip cookies. Press on top of the cooled cupcakes.

Wallpaper...GASP!

If you’re like me, when you hear the word “wallpaper”, you immediately think of the partridge family house with the nasty 60’s mustard and brown colored retro patterns. Or maybe you think of the dusty rose floral borders that people used to use in their living rooms that had the matching floral curtains (gasp!). BUT…I read a GREAT article that has some really creative and cool ideas to use with leftover wallpaper. Hey, it’s a recession, and you’ve gotta re-use and recycle, right? I like the patchwork wall the best- it’s “GORGE!”, as I like to say!

Check out the full article HERE

NY Times is covering the Times Square "re-modeling"

Check out this article about the restructuring (aka Times Square Lawn) that I posted pictures of. Sounds a lot better than it looks!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/arts/design/26clos.html

Aveda Hair Care

I’m sure my friends have noticed that in the past few years, I’ve pretty much abandoned my hair straightener, and as my hair’s gotten longer, I’ve just let it dry to it’s natural wave and curl. A lot of people have asked me what I use in my hair, and I thought I’d blog about it to share my new secret hair arsenal of products.

I’m a HUGE product junkie- makeup, lotion, sunscreen, hair care products, EVERYTHING. The people at MAC, Saks’, and Sephora basically know me by name! My husband is constantly begging me to stop collecting so many products, but I have to buy it because I want to “try it” and then when it ends up not working like I want it to, it goes to the product graveyard in my makeup closet.

I have a friend who SWEARS by OUIDAD products for wavy or curly hair. At http://www.ouidad.com/, it’s very convincing! I ordered the travel set so that I could try it for myself…but that ended up in the graveyard too. Hey, for some people, maybe it does work, but personally, I HATE “crunchy” curls that are hard and, well…CRUNCHY! Plus, smell is a big factor for me, and quite frankly, Ouidad smells terrible!

I recommend AVEDA products. I’m very impressed with their line for curly hair. First, I start with the Be Curly Shampoo , just massaging into the scalp so that I don’t tangle all my curls and make knots. Also, with curly/wavy hair, the less you rub it the better because the friction will cause the shaft to lift up and create major FRIZZ (the F-word, in my book!) Frizz is bad. Very bad. Also, Shampoo’s job is to remove dirt and buildup, and clean the scalp. I try not to run it through the ends of my hair, because it will dry out the ends and take out the curl.


Next, I rinse (very very well) and gently wring out my hair until it doesn’t drip anymore. I tousle it a bit and then apply the Be Curly conditioner. With my fingers, I run it through the hair all over by moving my hand like I’m playing the keys on a piano. This is the best way I can describe it! I want to keep the hair in 2-3 cm pieces so that it gets springy curls. If you pull apart every strand (or WORSE, comb through the conditioner with a wide tooth comb!) the curls don’t have any bounce.

Next, I rinse with my head upside down and gently squeeze the hair (DON’T RUB!) to get the conditioner out. With a towel, I blot the hair and squeeze it a bit to dry. After this, I leave it alone. No touching, no picking, no drying, nothing. It takes hours to completely dry, but it’s best for my hair to just stay long and down while it’s drying. When it’s almost dry, I take the Be Curly Curl Enhancer product (just a quarter size drop) and work it through using the “piano fingers” again.


When the hair is completely dry, I smooth a tiny bit of the Be Curly Curl Control over the top of the hair to calm down any extra frizz, and give it some shine. There you have it!

Another great Aveda product that me and my husband both love is the Rosemary Mint Body Wash. The smell is unbelievable and it has a cool minty refreshing feeling. I buy the body wash AND the soap bar because my husband uses the body wash and I use the Rosemary Mint Bar
so we don’t fight over who uses it all up!

One other thing I’ve noticed helps cut out the frizz is that I’ve started sleeping with a satin pillowcase on my pillow. It helps keep my hair from getting tangled, AND it’s supposed to save your skin from sleep wrinkles if you sleep on your stomach, like I do.

There you have it! A little daily dose of beauty from yours truly!

Oh, and there's BROWN ones too! ooooooh!

( ...And I thought the other ones were bad! )

So, not only does Times Square now have lawn chairs, but they are not even consistantly the SAME colour! A few blocks up this morning, I saw that there is a new installation of BROWN chairs. Greaaaaaaat.

You know what would be perfect with these lawn chairs? A bunch of pink flamingo lawn ornaments. Or the wooden garden decorations of an old lady's behind as she's bending over to weed her plants.

Keep it Classy, NYC.

The 5 Rules for Happiness

1) free your heart from hatred
2) free your mind from worries
3) live simply
4) give more
5) expect less