Monday, December 31, 2007

Year in Review

Usually I take the time to recap the year with one big fat hot list. However, I’m so exhausted from the last four months of work and travel that I can barely remember what happened in 2007. And the only things I can clearly remember are things not worth mentioning…like my birthday totally sucking beyond all belief. Why is it that the sucky things are the ones that stick out most clearly in my mind?

Anyway, there are some things of the year worth noting.

I made a huge leap in leaving the corporate world to start my own thing with three business partners that were, at the time, total strangers. Launching our business has taught me so much about endurance, faith, trust, and venture capitalists. It has been the most challenging endeavor of my career thus far. And I’m really looking forward to what the new year will bring to our business.

I experienced heartache that I never thought possible. While this is one of those negative things that should be forgotten, it has some positive outcomes. I now know what it feels like to love someone to your full capacity. It gave me a peek into what is possible when you totally open your heart to someone. Though it would’ve been so much cooler had his heart not belonged to someone else. However, I learned to love AND that it is okay to be sad. And that you just have to let the sadness play out because it always gets better.

I saw some fantastic live music. Even though I'm the only person I know in NYC that missed the Daft Punk show. Thanks to EW, I discovered the Vanmega monthly mixed tapes which brought some great new music into my itunes. My favorite album of the year was The Reminder by Feist, even thought there is a song on that album I can’t listen to without crying.

I got to see my Dawgs stomp Auburn live. It was extraordinary.

My sister had major brain surgery this fall. This event brought on a feeling of fear that was almost suffocating. It was a feeling that clouded my world for weeks. Therefore it seems to be worth noting. She is fine and this surgery will probably change her life forever – which makes the whole thing worth it.

Finally, I’ve had more time than usual to spend with my amazing friends. I’m one of the luckiest people in the world because I have the best friends. Ever. And through my travels I’ve been able to see my non-NYC crew more often. My flexible summer schedule gave me more time to spend with my NYC friends, who, honestly, may be the largest and most amazing collection of people on the planet. We have the most fun.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got. Now I have to get ready to go to a New Year’s Eve party which I’m dreading. Not because I don’t want to go, but just because I hate New Year’s Eve. Talk to you next year.

Sunday, December 30, 2007

The Big 100 Gifts

...according to Neiman Marcus.

I love to shop. And though I ripped on them a few weeks ago (details), I love Neiman Marcus. One of my favorite things about the holidays is getting their Big 100 booklet. It’s as if the featured items were picked for me. It is too bad I couldn't find the time to look through it before Christmas so I could add some stuff to my list for Santa Claus. Here are a few of the things that would make the list:

- Valentino Patent Histoire Handbag (check it out) - $1,795: It would fit my laptop and an extra pair of shoes.
-Prada kit Jacket and Pants - $1,735 + $645: OMG! I would look so good on the slopes at Sundance sporting this get up. I wish it was still available at NM so you all could see how awesome it it.
- Christian Dior Purple Tote (check it out) - $990: If I were totally ridiculous, I'd get both the purple and the pink.
- Burberry Cape - $665: Amazing...trust me.
- Yves Saint Laurent Patent Leather Tote (check it out)- $1,895: Another handbag perfect for porting around my macbook.
- Gucci Clutch in gold (check it out) - $495.00: You could stomp around town wearing a potato sack and still look amazing if you were carrying this bag.
- David Yurman Sea Urchin Dog Tag (check it out) - $625: I actually love this one AND the dinosaur one. I heart David Yurman bling.
- Jessica Kagan Cushman “You're not the Boss of Me” Bangle (check all of them out) - $125: I say this all of the time...what a perfect accessory for me to wear.
- NM Exclusive Leather Jacket in teal (check it out)- $225: Only $225. It seems like a bargain. Maybe it's a typo. jk
- Burberry Slippers (check them out)- $150: Love these!!!!
- Fendi leather clutch in gunmetal (check it out) - $1,180: And I double love this!!!!
- Nambe Marupe Bowl (check it out) - $600: I've already mentally cleared a spot on my coffee table for this.
- Burberry Check Scarf (check it out) - $160: This scarf totally matches my snow boots.
- Juicy Couture Sequin Hoodie – $389: God, I love hoodies. I am having to put myself on hoodie restriction as I just realized I have over 20 of them. How did that happen???
- Tory Burch Tote in black - $425: I'm not usually fond of the TB wares. But this tote rocks!
- Prada Tote in brown - $1,595: This would be my everyday bag. Although I'm totally loving the bag I got for Christmas this year.

Grand Total of my Neiman's wish-list = $13,694. I need to find a rich Santa for next year.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Hulu

I'm spending my holiday relaxing by beta testing all of the social media sites from which I've gotten invites. Watching the pilot of Arrested Development makes me sad that smart TV doesn't last.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Tyler Hansbrough...

...is the best college basketball player in the nation.

That's all.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Reallllly Neiman Marcus????



your first level of price filtering is $0 - $30,000?
COME ON!!!!!!
That is so lame.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

On the wall of my hotel room at The Farmer's Daughter in LA


On the wall of my hotel room
Originally uploaded by weezienyc
I should've known that I'd love this place as soon as I walked into my room and saw this. I have found my boutique hotel of choice in LA and will be back as soon as I can schedule it to hang in the warm California sunshine. More Pics here!

I've always been a LA hater, but the past few times I've been there have made me see the light. Maybe I'm still high from the sunshine and fabulous dinner EW and I had, but I was actually sad to leave yesterday.

When I do make it back, I will be stay here, do a better job of seeking out LC and Brody Jenner, AND eat at A.O.C.

and OMG please eat at A.O.C. if you are in LA


It is so amazing!!! From the same folks that own Lucques, this small plate heaven isn't by any means light fair. This food was so perfect, I wish I'd worn sweat pants to dinner.

The things we ate that were delicious:
- three cheese platter (goat, cow, sheep)
- prosciutto di parma
- leek and cantal tart with thyme and pancetta
- balsamic braised brussels sprouts with pancetta
- oxtail shepherd’s pie with grated horseradish

The things I will eat next time that looked delicious:
- haricots verts, burrata and pounded hazelnuts
- fried oysters with celery root remoulade
- grilled skirt steak with roquefort butter
- chanterelles, ricotta gnocchi and sherry cream
- steamed fingerlings with crème fraîche
- cauliflower, curry and red vinegar

Monday, December 17, 2007

I am in LA

I'm staying at this awesome hotel in Hollywood.



And I ate the most amazing meal here last night.



And I am about to go shopping. After I have some Pinkberry for breakfast.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Our Gingerbread House


Final Product: Front Yard
Originally uploaded by weezienyc
I bought a kit to make a Gingerbread House thinking it would be a fun holiday activity for me and MES to tackle on our Saturday of Holiday Fun. The box said everything you need was included (except granulated sugar, confectioner’s sugar, cornstarch and a ruler) and it was labeled for ages four and up. How hard can it be? Maybe the older you get, the harder it is as it took us over 24 hours to get our house in a presentable state.

We started off on the right track with MES reading the directions and properly measuring the pieces of gingerbread while I whipped up the paste-like frosting used to hold the thing together. Once we loaded up the pastry bag, we were set to start building. Well, except during the initial construction, MES broke one of the walls. He was not keen on my suggestion that we just forego the fourth wall and build a gingerbread lean-to. So we “icinged” the wall back together and began the build. After hours of building and waiting, building and waiting we were ready to let it set so we could start decorating. And then it all came crashing down, breaking the other wall in the process.

We rebuilt the thing and let it sit overnight. Finally late Sunday evening we took a chance and started to decorate. We had some grandiose plans for our gingerbread estate. Some of the houses in the booklet look like they are straight up out of Southern Living, so I figured we could pull off something similar. No such luck, but the final result was quite so bad.

Honestly, I bet it is easier for a kid to decorate the thing because their hands are small making it easier to hold onto the little sugar decoration balls long enough to attach them to the house. Maybe next year we can find some kids to help us with the delicate decorating.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND!!!

Poor Petrino

Bless his heart. He's getting totally nailed from all sides on his decision to leave the Falcons behind and take the position as head coach at the University of Arkansas. I'm all about loyalty and dedication, but every ESPN newscaster covering the story this morning acted shocked and appalled at the news. Really? This isn't the first time a coach has left one team early in a contract to coach another. or the second. or the third.

And, quite frankly, I think Petrino is smart for getting the hell out of Atlanta. Good call, Petrino. Go Hogs!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

The Hills



You'll only find this clip funny if you're willing to admit that you watch The Hills. Since I’m brutally honest about my recent liking of worthless TV, I can honestly say I thought this clip was so funny, that I watched it twice. Okay – three times. (Maybe Four)

I’ll be the first one to admit that this show is ridiculously lame yet I find myself a tad bit (read: very much) obsessed with it. I even watched the two-hour special this weekend, recapping Lauren Conrad’s journey from Laguna Beach to her current stardom in LA. It was two hours I'll never get back, but I HAD to see it. What is wrong with me? This show is stupid and I'm REALLY busy. But there are so many people I know that feel the same way, yet find themselves glued to the TV on Monday evenings.

There is something about the show worse than Spencer, worse than the poor acting and that's the grammar used by the show's stars/actors/pawns. I make grammatical errors often, but I get a pass because I'm not on TV. I thought Lo’s constant use of the word “romantical” in an episode a few weeks back was the worst thing I’ve ever heard. That was until I caught an exchange in the 2-hour time suck show between LC and Lisa Love, Editor-in-Chief of TEEN VOGUE, during her initial interview at TEEN VOGUE. This made my skin crawl:

Lisa Love: This job requires lots of writing.
LC: I love to write.
Lisa Love: Do you write good?
Weezie: (hits pause on DVR and screams at TV)Do you write WELL????
Seriously, Lisa Love – you are an editor of a magazine!!!!

Anyway, this just proves that I should be spending my time doing something productive instead of watching this half-scripted reality show. But I can't help it. I'm sucked in. And I can't wait to get home to watch the season finale!

Monday, December 10, 2007

Q: Who has a BFF in Lucky Mag this month?


it's me...
Originally uploaded by Courtney C
A: Weezie and Cuz!

Go grab a Lucky and check out Court!

Sunday, December 09, 2007

I was right.

The jean shorts wearing Gator won the Heisman. McFadden came in second. Again. The only thing that will make today better is if the Steelers crush the Patriots this afternoon.

Dear Willie Parker,
I think you are amazing and have proven that there are some good football players that graduate from UNC. But could you do me a favor and PLEASE HOLD ON TO THE BALL THIS WEEK??????

Kisses,
Weezie

Saturday, December 08, 2007

It's almost Heisman time

Tonight the winner of the Heisman will be announced and I'm pretty sure that Tim Tebow is going to win. (Just typing that out made me feel sick. Ugh.)

Monday night is the awards ceremony. It's in NYC and I was actually invited this year, but I'll be out of town. While it would be cool to muck it up with the attendees at this event, the $500 ticket would be better spent on someone other than me, as I'd rather burn my shoes than sit through a ceremony honoring a jean shorts & keds wearing Gator.

If I could choose, I would not choose Tim Tebow because I hate Florida. I would not choose Chase Daniel because he's a whiny baby. I would not choose Colt Brennan because he wears jean shorts.

If I could choose, I'd select Darren McFadden. Why? Because he is the best running back in the country. In fact, I think he's the best offensive player in the nation.

But I don't get to decide. Hopefully next year's candidates will be more exciting and the winner won't be someone that makes my skin crawl.

Sunday, December 02, 2007

The BCS isn't a mess...

...it's a disaster.

In my last post I touched on the chaos surrounding the selection process for the BCS bowl games - particularly around the at-large selection which would determine who gets bids to the bowl games aside from the National Championship game. That's because I thought that Missouri and West Virginia had the lock on the NCG. However, both Missouri and West Virginia lost their Conference Championship games yesterday. So now what?

Who are the number one and two teams in the nation?

Full disclosure: I'm one of the world's biggest Georgia fans, so I am totally partial to the bulldogs. So my two cents - whatever it is worth - is obviously clouded by the love and loyalty I have for my team. But here is what I think.

Going into last week, Ohio State and Georgia were numbers 3 & 4 in the BCS poll. One would think that since the number 1 & 2 teams lost yesterday that Ohio State and Georgia would move up, taking the 1 & 2 spots and play for the National Championship. But neither Ohio State nor Georgia played yesterday for their Conference Championships. So do they really deserve to be in the 1 & 2 spots?

If I put on my fairness cap, I'd say - No, they don't deserve to automatically move into the 1 & 2 spots. Ohio State is NOT the best team in the country, but they will probably move up to the 1 spot. And if that happens, Georgia should take the 2 spot. It isn't fair to move Ohio State up, not having played for the past two weeks, and not move Georgia up for not playing this weekend. But life isn't fair and this is what will probably happen.

Ohio State will move up to the 1 spot. And LSU will move up to the 2 spot, putting Ohio State and LSU in the National Championship Game. I like LSU. They are my second favorite team in the SEC and they've had a very strong season. The two games they lost (though they are still losses) were all lost in overtime. They've played great football in the most difficult conference in the country, beat VA Tech by 41 points, and won the SEC Championship. But I wasn't impressed with LSU yesterday in the Championship game. And I know I am biased, but Georgia would've whomped the LSU team that I saw play Tennessee yesterday.

Some people think VA Tech should be a contender. But COME ON! They play in a weak conference AND it bears repeating LSU beat them by forty one points. FORTY ONE points!!!

Oklahoma is also a contender. If LSU doesn't get the 2 spot, I'm hoping they do. They are good - no they are GREAT! And they beat what was the number 1 team last night. No wait - they crushed what was the number 1 team last night. CRUSHED! It was fantastic. (more full disclosure: I'm also an Oklahoma fan. They are my second favorite team in the NCAA. *not to be confused with LSU, my second favorite team in the SEC.)

If we put all of the computer scoring and voting aside, I'd say with all honesty that I think Georgia and USC are the best teams in the country and would make for the most exciting National Championship Game. Kirk Herbstreit agrees with me.

USC lost to Stanford, but they had a hurt QB. They've played a tough schedule and they're good. Really good. I firmly believe that USC could beat any team in the nation right now - even Georgia.

Georgia is one of the top two teams in the country right now. My reasoning is not based on loyalty or bias. It's based on these facts:
  • We play in the most difficult conference in the nation.
  • We are the only team that has won our last 6 games
  • We are 4-0 against ranked teams.
  • We beat Florida by 12 points.
  • We beat Auburn by 25 points.
  • We held Kentucky to 13 points.
  • We lost to South Carolina (sniffle, sniffle) early in the season, but that was before the BCS even started the voting process, so it shouldn't really count. (a little far fetched I know)
  • Jesse Palmer says Georgia is the hottest football in college football right now. And he is so hot that his opinion should count more. (ok - i know this isn't exactly an argument)
I've got one last point that I think is fact, but some (read: crazy people) may argue is just my opinion. Look at our roster. It's composed of 67 Freshman, 25 Sophomores, 23 Juniors, and 23 Seniors which makes for a young team that kicked off our season with a starting line full of freshman and sophomores. Of course it's going to take some time for them to gel. But because of Georgia's schedule, we didn't have time since we started playing conference games week two of the season. Georgia is not the same team that lost to South Carolina and Tennessee. If the BCS National Championship game is supposed to be played by the two teams playing the best football right now, then Georgia should absolutely play USC for the National Championship Game.

Again, I know this isn't going to happen and I'll just have to wait until the BCS selection show tonight to find out where the cards are going to fall. And I'm okay with whatever happens (unless VA Tech gets a bid to the NCG) as I'm certain our young team will get their chance to play for the National Championship soon...probably next year. Although I feel like we are always saying - wait 'til next year.

Go DAWGS!