Are You Ready for Some Football?

Usually when asked this question, I sound out an emphatic "No!" However, this past weekend, I was definitely ready for some UVA football. If you're wondering why, it had nothing to do with the football team itself, but it was homecoming and some of my favorite people from college came to stay with me! Since I live in Charlottesville, I don't venture over to UVA that often because it feels like a totally different place without all the friends that made college so great. Here's an impromptu self-photo shoot that D., K. and I took at the game. I am still pretty shocked that we beat Georgia Tech, but it was a great first and last football game for me this season at UVA. 

We bumped into so many old friends, sang the Good Ole Song (which is the only reason I went to the game), revisited great places on the Corner (We totally rocked out at 80's night...), and got very little sleep this weekend. Would it be totally sentimental if I said I'm missing college right now?

Oh oh, PS, I made that shirt. It's Sencha by Colette Patterns! It's my favorite shirt I've made...

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

About a month ago, I went to New York with my friend S. When I blogged about the trip, I wrote mostly about the Garment District. What I didn't blog about the rest of the weekend! On Saturday, my friend J. came over from Connecticut to bee-bop around town with me; I hadn't seen her in almost two years, aka way too long.

This is J. at a diner near Grand Central.

We schlepped around for a long time in Soho, and got worn out pretty quickly (Saturdays in Soho do that to me); therefore, I got a little grouchy. I even said, "Okay, dude, I'm getting grouchy, aaaaannndd I feel like we're just aimlessly wandering around." J. heartily agreed. Looking back, I'm not sure if she agreed that I was grouchy or if she felt like we were aimlessly walking around while trying to get the scuttlebutt from one another. I blame it on all 726 shoe stores that made me feel like I was at the Running of the Bulls. I'm happy to report that I did find the perfect black riding boots I'd been looking for the entire trip (Steven by Steve Madden, thank you for making my dream come true). After this exhausting pursuit was satisfied, we stumbled upon a restaurant in the West Village called August.

via August

We'd already had a quick spot of dinner, but we camped at the bar with my ginormous Steven bag and had a couple of cocktails with a bread/oil appetizer. The above-photo is the view from the bar, how cool is that conservatory-like room?! Hands down, August has the best bourbon cocktail I've ever tasted, and it was served in a sugar-rimmed martini glass. It's called My Best Friend's Girlfriend and here are the ingredients: bourbon, ginger, lemon, Pernod and Tiki bitters. I had mine sans Pernod because I'm not crazy about anise. Tiki bitters has a cinnamony-allspicy flavor, which made this the perfect fall cocktail (and I'm usually not into cinnamon). I'm pretty sure I could drink it year-round and it would still taste as fabulous.

J. and I were having such a wonderful time that we actually lost track of it and had to take a cab to rendezvous with S. and A. at the New Amsterdam Theatre for my first Broadway experience: Mary Poppins! Let me digress for a moment. When I go to New York, I'm always on the lookout for celebrities (One time when I was toting my luggage to visit J., I walked right by Elijah Wood!). I got really excited and yes, I'm still talking about it three years later. I have this running joke with a couple of friends that Matt Damon and I meet up every time I swing by New York for a weekend. It's really dumb, but whatever. Anyway, J. and I got out of our cab in Times Square and were walking briskly to the show when out of the corner of my right eye, I spotted one! I immediately whipped around and said, "Omygosh, J., there's Samuel L. Jackson!" I also wanted to shout something about a Royale with cheese, but I left that part out. And then she lost it. And then I lost it. Why? Because it was Samuel L. Jackson cast in wax. Feel free to pause and make fun of me. I have a picture to prove it. While we're on the subject of celebrities, S., A. and I did see Al Sharpton while brunching on Sunday...

Samuel L. Jackson and I chillin' in Times Square

Okay, on with the show. I'll be the first to admit that while planning the trip, S. and I both wanted to see Wicked.When we saw the ticket prices, though, we decided to find another show because we'd rather spend our ticket savings on fabric and yarn...this is where Mary Poppins came into play. I think I speak for the four of us when I say we thought it would be...youthful and not as good as Wicked. I can't speak for Wicked because I've never seen it, but Mary Poppins rocked my face off! I love musicals, and Mary Poppins was so beautiful, the set and costumes were gorgeous. It was so happy, lovely and enchanted it made me want to cry (in a good way). The show was hilarious, and I was grinning from ear to ear from beginning to end. I was so impressed by the actors and their songs and choreography. At one point, Burt tap danced from downstage up the side of the stage frame and upside down (parallel with the stage) on the frame, all while singing! (Was this confusing? If so, I apologize for using possibly incorrect terminology.) Even though I know it's not in the story, I was secretly hoping the whole time that Burt would plant a big one on Mary. Oh oh, and Mary's grand exit. I'll just say that it exceeded my expectations! In a word, Mary Poppins was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

After bidding J. adieu, S., A. and I headed down to the West Village to the White Horse Tavern and probably sat at a table where Bob Dylan once wrote a song. We then headed to a place called Marie's Crisis, which is the perfect place to go after seeing a Broadway show. Marie's Crisis has a pianist who plays musical scores and everyone sings along-we got there at the end of a slew of songs from The Sound of Music. Basically, this place is filled with aspiring actors and actresses showing off some crazy awesome pipes, but not in a competitive way. The place was filled with camaraderie. I wanted to sing "Ya Got Trouble" really badly, but that is kind of a one-man-show song, and I wasn't about to insist on that in a room full of professionals!

A., S. and I at Marie's Crisis

Back to Mary Poppins. I've been kind of obsessed with the story since New York. And look at this awesome Halloweek duo I saw earlier this week:

Keiko Lynn via Grosgrain Fabulous

 As if I've not had enough Mary Poppins mania happening in my life, I just ordered what I hope is my perfect shade of red lipstick! It's imperative that I find the perfect shade of red. Anyway, Poppy King (the Lipstick Queen!) collaborated with Kate Spade to come out with four delicious shades of Supercalifragilipsticks for this fall, and I'm trying out Adventurous Red! I will tell you how it looks once it arrives! I'm feeling pretty adventurous these days, so I think it's only appropriate...

Friday, I'm in Love

...with Felicity. Do y'all remember that show? It first aired in the late 90's. Anyway, I'd seen every episode except for the finale and I've been searching high and low for it on the Internet for a few years (not actively, but you know, when it crossed my mind). Earlier this week I was reading a blog that made a reference to netflixing Felicity. At first I scoffed at this with an emphatic pshhhh! because a few months ago I looked into whether it was available for Netflix online streaming and it was not. This blog had tempted me to check into it again, and when I did, there was a wonderful treat waiting for me: online streaming Felicity. I obviously watched the final episode and stayed up way too late to finish it. And just so we're clear, I think Keri Russell's hair rivals that of the best hairdos Jennifer Anniston has ever rocked. Whenever perms come back in (will they ever?), I'll probably get one, freak out for about 2 weeks because I won't know what to do without my-straighter-than-a-stick-hair, and then I'll eventually find a way to avoid looking like a Pomeranian.

I can't decide if I'm satisfied with the Felicity finale. We like to watch television shows because they are serial, and we can relate to it because our lives are like that, ongoing. We get to know the characters (and can relate to them on a certain level, depending on the show), and then we become invested in them and what they do on the show. When the show ends, it feels lame and disappointing. I feel the same way about many books, even if they have that "perfect ending." I become invested in the characters and then it ends, meaning I don't know what else happens to the character out in Fiction Land. It's entertaining in the midst, but when it's over, I'm unfulfilled. Don't get me wrong, there are obviously exceptions to what I'm saying. Maybe my expectations are just way too high. And yes, I realize I'm giving commentary on a show that stopped airing almost 10 years ago. I'll stop now.

Have a great weekend!