I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned that I am surrounded by my siblings’ Baby Army. The Baby Army is lead by a 2 year old named Sophie. When Auntie Coco (that’s me!) needed to rest following surgery, Sophie was quite insistant “NO, NO Coco up, up Coco UUUUUPPPPP!!!!!”. Good thing Auntie Coco had a lot of percocet! I thus had to laugh pretty hard when I came across this little gem “Conversations with My Two Year Old”:
Of course, no baby humor will ever top Will Ferrell’s “The Landlord” video:
There’s nothing more perfect than finding a nook and a blanket to snuggle up in with a great book on a stormy day. Better yet you can lay a towel down on your couch, but on your bathers and pretend you are reading on a beach- the point is reading is one of the greatest forms of entertainment since the first book was written.
I’ve made a pact with myself to read the books that I’ve bought which have thus far been unread before I run out and grab any new ones. It’s a revolution I tell you and I almost jumped for joy with my ‘inner goddess’ (ugh! I never wanted to take a Sharpie to black out words prior to this!) when I realized I had finally reached the last page of “Fifty Shades of Grey”, a book I started reading at the insistence of a friend who’d read it multiple times. Ok, fine, I’ll read it and see what the fuss is about and there wasn’t anything to fuss about until one hundred pages in and by then I had already been subjected to the ‘Inner Goddess’ nonsense I had to go off and read other books. I did this several times and now look at me, because of the pact 8 months later I am FREE! Hurrah, joy, jump, laugh be free of the ‘rapey’ like thug Christian whipping her with a belt. Of course, I know, it’s a trilogy but I am happy my pact is working because I’m discovering a whole bunch of really great books I already had but not made the time to read.
Right now I’m reading Emma Donoghue’s ‘Slammerkin’ and it’s highly entertaining, set in the 1700′s in London when our young lady, Mary Saunders becomes a street walker. Now, yesterday my mother and I were watching an episode of ‘Downton Abbey’ (Season 3), where Ethel, former maid turned prostitute (‘Oh my, that’s not a word you hear in this house very often’- you are right Mrs. Hughes, not often!) decides to pack off her child and give him to his less than gracious grandfather and grandmother to raise while she ‘takes the road to ruin’. My mom then raised the point they live in a small village so would there be so many women like that? I mean, apparently enough that Mrs. Crawley has a room full of them she is single-handed saving! Oh my.
Back to the books, here are some recent releases I have consumed:
1) Liza Palmer’s “Nowhere But Home”- yes, Liza is one of my favorite ‘chick’ lit authors. She keeps getting better and her characters are so relate able I can see myself being friends with them in real life. This one is set in Texas and is a perfect spring/summer read so get it now! (HEART!)
2) Gwyneth Paltrow’s “It’s All Good” cook book has been keeping me quite deliciously occupied in the kitchen! I love the anecdotes. Favorites so far: The vegetarian version of the turkey chili, Best Green Juice, Almond & Kale Smoothie, Bummer Bars, Bernado’s Pumpkin Pie Smoothie, Cleo’s Afternoon Smoothie… okay you get the idea. I also loved the Beet, Apple & Fennel soup. Yum. This is a fun read while you are cooking and I even learned how to make a poached egg, which is not something my mother ever made. (KITCHEN)
3) Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In”- this one is for career girls who should be leaders at the table but are in the door, head down, letting men run the show. It’s not time to lean back it’s time to be more forceful, put your empowerment to use and take what’s your’s. Sandberg gives an honest look back at her career and how she herself has to change her own habits in her career. (CAREER)
4. John Green “An Abundance of Katherine’s” is a must for those who like teen drama. Our hero is looking for his ‘ah-ha’ moment of brilliance. He must hurry and recover from being dumped by his 19th girlfriend named Katherine because the clock is ticking on his child genius status. This was love able from the get-go. A nerdy math kid who is a hopeless romantic and just wants to be loved!? Get it, read it, and enjoy. You’re welcome. (SWEET AND FUNNY)
A recent bad date had a very good suggestion which is next in my queue “Motherless Brooklyn” which just goes to show there is redemption in the written word.
Five years ago I lived in West Hollywood just behind the Standard Hotel. Oh my South of Sunset by half a block! Well my dear readers half a block wasn’t going to save me from the heinous sounds of swarming helicopters as Paris Hilton was carted off to jail. The helicopters got there in the middle of the night and when I went outside in the morning (which felt like being under attack, one of the things I least liked about living in LA are the sound of helicopters chasing criminals!), I easily counted TEN coptors circling, looking like they were going to collide they seemed so close to one another. It was all for Paris Hilton, world’s most ridiculous party girl.
Neighbors petitioned to have her tossed from the neighborhood and were successful. The heiress’ moment in the slammer only served to increase her reign of a pop culture person of note and fascination for young, impressionable teens. The upcoming film “Bling Ring” directed & written by Sophia Coppola about a group of teens who wanted to be just like Paris who then decided to break into her house and rob her to achieve her lifestyle has just been premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Ironically enough, one of the real life culprits, Alexis Neirs was in the middle of filming a reality show for E! at the time she was arrested. I mean, she wanted to be like Hilton: arrests (check), jail time (check), drug use (check), Reality TV show (check), model (check) and now Neirs is married to a guy she met in Mexican rehab and they have a baby born April 30 of this year! Girl, you got yourself a Paris Hilton life after all!
The trailer for ‘Bling Ring’ showcases Emma Watson, who’s character is loosely based on Neirs. If anything it shows the amount of delusional that fame and Reality TV has helped create- that Paris was so familiar, that ‘seemingly’ overnight you could have and deserve designer goods no matter how you obtained them and that there really was nothing wrong with it because somehow, it was owed to you?!
I personally feel like this is a sickness of ‘want’ and feeling entitled to things not earned can lead down a very dangerous and horrible path, one that on the East Coast turned into violence at the Boston Marathon. What a person has or doesn’t have, how they go about interpretting what they should have- what other people should have- and how they might punish those who do have money. You might disagree but it has driven people over the edge and whatever you want to think, The Recession hasn’t been resolved. The darkest parts and needs of those just trying to survive from one day to the next, just trying to find their place in the world can really lead a person who is broken repeatedly into unspeakable thoughts and actions. I live in Brooklyn so I feel and see and experience the dischord on a daily basis even in my classy neighbourhood. (Sorry Hipsters Wannabes, the illusion of ‘GIRLS’ doesn’t showcase how this is NY and there is violence lurking, don’t court it by walking around fueled by cocaine in a see-through top).
To me, the violation of stealing people’s things is an act of the most personal kind of terrorism. I had a very ill father who passed away last year. While he was alive the various medical aides used to steal from my parents’ home. It made us trapped because we needed their help to have my father live with some decency and they would easily just disappear or not show up so it was impossible to prove what they stole when it was taken. It would be random items like a good pot or nice dishware, so I can easily understand how Paris Hilton didn’t immediately notice things were missing. She is a busy person who travels constantly, I’m sure she is frequently in and out of her home going from one engagement to the next.
Reading the press quotes surrounding it, the movie has forced Paris Hilton to face the trauma of what happened as her home was violated multiple times and included the loss of family heirloom jewelery valued in the $2 million dollar arena. I can finally relate to Paris Hilton, but not for being this object to emulate or befriend. I think the group of teens got off quite easy for what they did and they should count their lucky stars.
As a Gwyneth fan I am glad that one of my most read posts to date has been “In Defense of Gwyneth…”. I was really excited when her new, healthy cook book It’s All Good came out April 9th and even more so, when I went to the book signing at William-Sonoma. There were no haters with bitchforks waiting to throw quinoa pies are the golden goddess, in fact it was the best dressed crowd I have ever seen at a book signing and there was so much love and appreciation for the Oscar winning actress I felt I had found my people.
It is kind of amusing just how polarizing the media is in their portrayal of Gwyneth. Last week she was named by Us Magazine the number one most hated celebrity – now this is a list with Kim Kardashian at number ten and Chris Brown at number twenty. Should GP choose to assault someone with a large ass she will apparently slide off that list. Note: this was also two weeks after her new book made the NY Times Best Seller list.
Today People Magazine named Gwyneth “The Most Beautiful Woman In the World”. So is it because she is so beautiful that she is so hated? Wow even the ‘Mean Girls’ were less transparent! When Gwyneth visited Dr. Oz he asked her if it bothered her journalists had taken sentences out of her book to twist and call her a bad mother, the good natured health fanantic had to laugh and say no, because those people obviously don’t know her personally. That’s a pretty healthy outlook.
I view GOOP as GP’s outlet for sharing tidbits and giving insight and access to her contacts. I thanked her for sharing her recipes and yep, believe it or not folks there are items in the newsletter you can make yourself for under five dollars like a sugar scrub. Last week’s newsletter had tips from the butler at the Four Seasons who uses such dollar store products like ammonia and the Mr. Clean erasers to keep things shiny. You could say the elitist part is getting cleaning tips from him, but the solutions are quite cost effective.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s newsletters filled with tips on clean eating and juiciing and recipes have helped me take a whole new outlook to food and the way I consume it. As a result I’ve lost thirty pounds. So thank you Gwyneth for your guidance. I needed someone to point me in the right direction.
It’s spring and the temperatures in New York are finally reflecting that. It’s time to come out of the winter food coma and face that shorts/bikini/dresses are putting your legs on display. Hopefully you didn’t put on too much winter weight. My French bulldog, Elle and I put on a little and we’ve been battling it with her epic walks whenever the weather permits. She has already lost her extra weight (woohoo because 1 lb on a canine = 10 lbs on a human, size relative y’all), but I still have a few pounds that need to be gone like the wind (not fabulous- Housewife fans you feel me?!
I love juicing and it has helped me lose 30 lbs and keep it off over the last eighteen months. However, I have been thinking about getting a high-end blender for a long time to make my life easier. Soups take me 2-3 hours manually, with the blenders it’s about 30 minutes with prep and cooking. I’m one of those people who never even thought of getting even a little food processor to make my life easier. Last year I bought a vegetable peeler for the first time and it change my life. My Mom wasn’t the appliance reliant type of cook so I never have been but since I starting juicing and clean eating I have been doing a lot more in the kitchen.
After the veg peeler I got myself a proper set of knives. Oh how I love my fabulous knife block! My friend Brian came over the other day and said he was impressed with my knife skills. Thanks B! I have used every single one of the knives and it is one of the best and basic tools of the kitchen. I can’t believe it took me this long to pay attention to getting the proper devices.
Well, I finally got my fantastic blender this week and Brian came over to help me break it in with some smoothies out of The Body Reset Diet book by Harley Pasternack. January through March really had me in a rut after I stepped off a curb incorrectly reactivating an old injury I got falling down the stairs when I worked at Yahoo! (which lead to an operation), so my cardio has dramatically slowed down. I saw Harley talking about his new book and thought that was something I really wanted to try.
The program is fifteen days and this is day three for me. It is also day three with my new blender. I’m still learning some tricks but fortunately I mastered making the green smoothie last night so I can have spinach in my shakes. I also should point out that due to my previous experience and blender time, I thought it would be fine to add some psyllium husk to help get to the 40 grams of fiber Harley wants you to consume a day on this plan. Huge mistake on my part, it made the shake into a pudding consistency and inedible. Truly gross and a waste of some fantastic berries.
Harley is pro-blender, anti-juicing like many people. The reasonsing is juicing separates out all the nutrients and fiber of the ingredients’ skin and can leave a lot of waste, juices have a high natural sugar content. I have seen the magic juicing has worked and how great I feel when I’m drinking it so I disagree with this statement. I will never turn my back on my juicer. It is a good and easy way if you are a busy person to get in all the vegetables you need on a daily basis. That being said the blender is far easier to clean and the smoothies are very filling. For me, as a now practiced juicer, I find juices also fill me up. My body’s needs and tastes have changed as a result of juicing and I consume less in general or pay the price. I’m looking forward to the end of the program – yeah I have 12 days to go….so I can get out my juicer again and make my own hummus and soups in the blender. I wouldn’t put one above the other and I have seen the argument made by nutritionists on both sides. If you don’t have either it might be easier to go with a blender though because it is more diverse in functionality and smoothies are more filling to the average person starting this type of lifestyle.
I just read a tweet about the season finale of HBO’s Girls:
Last night’s #GIRLS episode made me upset because most of us don’t have the luxury of being complete wastes of life. #HowDoTheyPayRent
Hmm, well Sarah, I used to get infuriated and still do from time to time about the suspension of disbelief entertainment wants us to accept. ‘Friends’ at least got away with the huge apartment being their grandmother’s rent controlled legacy, same supposedly with ‘Sex & The City’ although I loved the temporary financial crisis Carrie had when she realized she couldn’t afford to rent anything after she broke Aiden’s heart. The moment I really thought was New York reality was when she realized over she’d spent $40K on shoes. Seriously. Meanwhile she decided to rip up a check from Mr. Big to buy the apartment and instead go off and guilt the money from Charlotte, who’s biggest crime was she married and divorced well. Carrie Bradshaw was just as much, if not more, a narcissist as Girl’s Hannah Horvath.
As for money, we know on Girls Marni has now resolved that issue. It looks like she will follow in the steps of Charlotte and marry well in order to resolve her Madison Avenue tastes and her downward spiral after she lost her also Charlotte-like art gallery job. I think Marni’s downward spiral this season was pretty realistic. She moved in with college girl Shoshanna, who’s parents pay for her apartment as did Shosh’s older and shiftless boyfriend Ray. Poor Shosh didn’t even realize Ray had moved in with her. That living situation seems pretty realistic to me.
Jessa’s living situation started off in one of the high-rises in Williamsburg. She was blissful, a newlywed wrapped up in the comfort of new love. One dinner with her new in-laws was all it took for her insecure husband played by the wonderful Chris O’Dowd (how awesome was he as Kristin Whig’s policeman love interest in Bridesmaids?) to throw out their marriage. While she didn’t even bother to suggest they take a moment, even a night to calm down and talk about it in the morning, Jessa took only a few seconds to be insulted about the suggestion of how much cash it would take for her to walk away from the marriage. They settled on ten grand. Ok, it’s not enough to live off for a long time off, but Jessa was certainly a) not paying for the rent/lease/mortgage in the high rise b) didn’t seem to be paying rent when she crashed with her cousin Shoshanna initially in season one and not with Hannah in season two c) she doesn’t seem to have an even temporary new address and is probably using that ten grand to fund her restless wandering.
That would lead us to Hannah Horvatz. She initially shared her rent with Marni in the first season and then with her ex-boyfriend-now-gay-but-tried-to-have-sex-with-Marni, Elijah. Elijah’s rich boyfriend was paying his half of the rent. I’m not sure why those two wouldn’t just live together but stranger things have happened. After Elijah’s failed attempt at amore with Marni finally came to light during a cocaine fueled experience for an online magazine (supposedly Hannah got paid $200 for this- how much did that net after the price of the drugs and alcohol and then the dinner she made for her friends to celebrate it? Probably negative fifty bucks)- Hannah had to carry the rent on the two bedroom herself.
Ah dear friends, this is where Hannah picked up some more shifts at Cafe Grumpy but still that doesn’t seem like it would cover it. So then enter the book advance! Hallelujah! Yes, Hannah is having a melt-down of epic self-sabotage and the threat of the publisher suing her is on the line, but that does explain how she pays her rent for the time being.
As for the guys, Marni’s ex is now a mobile app mogul. Ray as previously mentioned was living in his car and technically homeless thus he moved in with Shoshanna. That leaves Adam. I have never understood how Adam pays the rent. His apartment is full of nails and wood and random unfinished products that seem to reflect his internal mind. It was amusing when his new love interest said he wasn’t as dark as his apartment. Aw shucks lady, you should just call a car service back to Manhattan.
There’s also the small matter that this show has been hugely controversial from the very first episode it showed a young girl in her twenties getting cut off from her parent’s supporting her. We all know those people. To her credit Hannah went out and got various jobs to pay her share. Hope that helps resolve the question of how those GIRLS pay their rent, or don’t.
As for ‘being complete wastes of life’- fair enough! These characters seem not to have a moral compass very often or be ambitious. This season even the Mary Poppins-like ‘Sex In The City’ diehard, Shosh, cheated on her boyfriend in a closet off the lobby of a friend’s building with the doorman. Suspension of disbelief is what entertainment asks from the viewer. If you can’t then change the channel or read a book like Sheryl Sandberg’s forthcoming Lean In about how women need to lean in to challenges in the work place, step up and be leaders, negotiate for salary and help each other which can certainly help real women in real life pay the rent.
The words Petite Abeille come to mind when I think about Michelle Williams. A little bee. She may be tiny, but wow does she make a lasting impression. I went to a screening of OZ: The Great & Powerful last week. It was a little slow until Ms. Williams entered the picture.
I’m intrigued by my fellow Brooklynite. Fortunately I also have Showtime at the moment and they have been offering “My Week With Marilyn” solidifying to me just what a talented actress Michelle is and how I seem to like actors as they get older (i.e. Leonardo DiCaprio & Johnny Depp) as opposed to the initial white hot light of buzz reigns upon them on magazine covers in “the It Girl/Guy” type of hype.
Oz is a showcase of how much Michelle can do as an actor amongst co-stars that were questionable casting (another Franco crush-killer & Mila Kunis what were they thinking?).
Williams was also perfectly cast in “My Week With Marilyn” as the enigmatic troubled actress. It helps that Michelle Williams is an actress with a bit of mystery and edge around her as a person. She has the skills to from portraying a tramp in “Blue Valentine” (although I despised that film), as she seems playing the purer but more clever Glinda. Either way I’ll be keeping my eye on her and I say thank you Michelle for being the most enchanting part of OZ.
Sarah Solomon