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Monday, February 29, 2016

Everything Oscars 2016!

Happy Monday! I know its been a while, but I thought I was hop back into blogging with a post I have been looking forward to writing for SO long. The Oscars is my favorite award show and I look forward to it every year. I love the discussion of movies for the few weeks that leads up to the show and then the glitz and glamour the day of the show. It would be my dream to have my hair and makeup done, and get into a gorgeous gown to walk down that carpet. Although knowing me, I would definitely stumble and fall...but at least I would have something in common with Jennifer Lawrence. Since being away and work has consumed my life lately (not complaining, just busy!), I wasn't able to get around to watching three out of the eight movies nominated for best picture (Spotlight, Room, and Bridge of Spies). Aside from that, I am super excited to talk about my favorite and not so favorite moments of the show and, of course, the dresses!



Best Dressed



// Jennifer Garner looks like royalty in her gown. Seriously a force to be reckoned with (especially after her latest interview with Vanity Fair!)
// Naomi Watts' style never fails to disappoint. I thought this was such a fun choice for her!
(Also no matter how many times I switch the code around, I cannot get the top right picture to not be spaced away so I am just going to accept that my blog has a mind of its own)
// With Brie Larson being the front runner (and eventual winner!) for Best Actress, I figure her gown would be a good one! It did not disappoint. Especially loved the combo of the fuchsia lip with the blue dress.
// My favorite would definitely have to be Saoirse Ronan's slinky green gown. Also I loved how casually she wore her hair...seems to be gorgeously windblown!

Not So Best Dressed:


// Come on Kate Winslet! She is usually so on point with her style but I felt like this was an odd choice. It was just so boring!
// I was super curious to see what what Lady Gaga would present to the red carpet wearing and I was just plain confused when I saw what it was. I like the structure of the top, but felt like there was just too much going on with the bottom half. I know this will probably be an unpopular opinion, but I was in love with her Emmy 2015 look, so I guess I was expecting something totally different last night.

Favorite Moments:

~ Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe's presenting bit for Best Adapted Screenplay. Did anyone see them being interviewed during the pre-show by Michael Strahan? He did not know how to handle them!
~ Jenny Beavan's (Mad Max's costume designer) outfit...she had a big sequin skull on the back of her jacket! I am guessing it was representative of Mad Max, but I just thought it was too funny and so bold.
~ Tina Fey and Steve Carrell presenting together...would love to see them host together!
~ Mad Max: Fury Road winning so many awards. Like I said in my post mentioning it a few weeks ago, it was such a cool/arty film to watch. So much better than I had anticipated!
~ I loved the segment with Andy Serkis and visual effects... I didn't realized that movies with characters like apes and other creatures were made using actual actors and their facial movements.
~ R2-D2, C3PO and BB8 all appearing on stage together!
~ The acceptance speech from the writers of Inside Out, "You can make stuff. Make films. Draw. Write. It will make a world of a difference!"
~ Lady Gaga's performance...her voice is incredible.
~ Alejandro Iñárritu ignoring the musical shoo off the stage.
~ Jacob Tremblay's excitement after Brie Larson won Best Actress...he is so stinkin' cute!
~ I feel obliged to put Leo winning Best Actor. Not that I think he doesn't deserve an award for all he has contributed to in Hollywood, but I just was so not wowed by his performance in The Revenant. There's a scene where was he is dragging himself along in agony, and I know this was suppose to be a major acting moment for him...but I was just thinking "haven't we seen this before in Wolf of Wall Street?!" I really thought he should have won two years ago for WOWS, but competition was so stiff that year with 12 Years a Slave, Dallas Buyers Club, and Gravity. Oh well.

Not So Favorite Moments:

~ That damn instrumental music that chases people off the stage. I cringe watching winners look so sad as the are shooed through their acceptance speeches. Just let them thank who they please!
~ The "(fill in winner here) would like to thank" banner going across the bottom of the screen (seems dumb IMO).
~ Sarah Silverman's bit was just a bit painful for me. I know its part of her whole brand to be awkward but it just didn't translate well last night.
~ I think everyone was confused when Stacey Dash came on stage...I had to look up the explanation behind that.
~ Eh, not a big fan of the minions presenting...
~ Tom Hardy not winning for Best Supporting Actor in The Revenant. His character had so much depth and I was really captivated by his performance!

Best Picture: Spotlight
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)
Best Actress: Brie Larson (Room)
Best Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)
Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vykander (The Danish Girl)
Best Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu (The Revenant)

Overall I felt like this year's Oscars was kind of boring. Yes Leo finally won, but I am totally counting this as a "career" Oscar for him...not so much one for The Revenant specifically. I was happy that Spotlight won (even though I hadn't seen it) but with a cast like that, how could it not be a winner? After seeing so many clips of the movies throughout the show, I still think I will watch Spotlight and Room, but don't think Bridge of Spies is really high on my list to watch. Also, The Danish Girl and Carol are two that I am putting on my list. As far as hosting goes, I think Chris Rock did a great job and I am curious to see the reviews of his performance today. There was so much controversy about the show this year, and I think he was able to acknowledge it well. Hopefully there will be changes in the future to how movies are cast and thus leading to more diverse nominees.

What did you think of the Oscars this year? I would love to know your opinions!



Friday, February 5, 2016

How is it already February?

Happy Friday! We are ending the week here in Maine with some snow and while my ski-obsessed brothers couldn't be more happy...I, however, am bummed. This week we had temperatures in the 50s and it seriously felt like spring! This was such a crazy week and I am really going to have to nail down working a few days ahead of time on my posts. If I am ever going to blog five days a week, I would really have to crack down on my planning and organization. I don't know how so many others do it! Here are some favorites for the week!

Favorite Article: Either this Snapchat one from Buzzfeed or this one about kids who are too literal. Both had me laughing out loud!

Favorite Lust: I was in Sephora this week and I stood in front of this gel for a while debating whether or not to get it. I used a different exfoliating gel now, but I have heard good reviews about this one. Anyone have good/bad comments on it? 

Favorite Funny: 

A photo posted by Elliot Tebele (@fuckjerry) on


Favorite Blog Post: Amanda from Meet @ The Barre is doing a photography tutorial series for bloggers and this week she talked about changing ISO to get perfect lighting for your pictures. She breaks it down so its super easy to understand. This series only makes me more motivated to save up for a DSLR!

Favorite Quote: 



Favorite Moments: 

1 // Starting my new job! I kept looking down at my badge and seeing "RN" made me feel like I was in a dream!

2 // John and I went to see one of my favorite bands, Reel Big Fish, last night. They are a ska band that has been together since the 90s and I love their sound! Their most well-known song is Sell Out...anyone heard of them before?!



3 // Shopping for a vacation that is coming up soon! I usually have such a struggle finding bathing suits that I like the fit of, but this year's search for them was relatively painless. Its a first world problem, I know!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Today is like my Sunday...I am working the weekend, yikes!



Linking up with Amanda and April



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Thursday, February 4, 2016

Weekend in New Orleans

Hello! Sorry for being MIA for a week, but I was away last weekend and started my job this week. I feel like someone has hit fast-forward on my life the past few weeks...I hope it slows down! I am trying to take it all in as much as I can before its a year or five from now and this time in my life is just a blur. Anyway, I wanted to share some pictures from my weekend in New Orleans! My mom and I went down to visit my uncle and see my mom's favorite singer, Barry Manilow, for his "one last time" tour. I tried to be good and remember to take pictures of where we went, and I think I did a fairly good job (compared to my picture taking history!)

On a streetcar! 

Lafayette Cemetery Number One 

The cutest pink house in Riverside

How could I not stop to take a picture of this?!

Funny story about this picture.... We were walking along and I spotted this dressed up dog and snapped a picture. As I took a few steps away, I hear behind me "HEY YOU NEED TO PAY HER FOR THAT PICTURE" so I whipped around and realized that the dog had a tip bucket in front of her. I was so embarrassed! 

Do you think they even like Mardi Gras?

Royal St in the French Quarter...Home to restaurants and art galleries. 

Jackson Square

Before the show!

At a parade!

These beads were SO heavy! 

It was a great weekend and I have to say that I think my mom converted me into a Fanilow...He was an amazing performer. Even though I think I might have been one of the youngest people in the audience, I had a blast singing along. I was also so curious to see what NOLA was going to be like, and I think my favorite part was the gorgeous houses with the second story balconies (like the one in the pink house picture). I wish I could pick one up and put it in Maine!

Its a short post today, I know, but hopefully I will be back on track with my normal MWF schedule tomorrow!