Welcome to Fashionland.

Twice a year, New York is invaded. The city is usually uber fashionable and style obsessed, but for two weeks a year it goes into hyper drive. It was a few years ago I first began heading over to the tents in Bryant Park to see and be seen, and now I head up to Lincoln Center. The atmosphere around the tents is incredible, it’s a one of a kind place to see amazing street style, your favorite fashion insiders, celebrities and everyone in between. With me being a few weeks away from classes kicking off and being on a tight budget, going to tents to kill some time before grabbing lunch or coffee with my friends was a no-brainer. It eats up time, it’s entertaining and for all intensive purposes – it’s free. Plus, this is the one time of year where who you wear is more important than who you are. The right outfit could get you photographed all over street style blogs or even into an event, which should further explain why I love this week so much.

Gabe Saporta & I after the Tommy Hilfiger Men's Show.

Twinsies! Dan Byrd and I at the Paley Center's Cougar Town panel.

The week kicked off with the amfAR gala that I blogged about last week, and what an amazing way to kick things off. So amazing that I couldn’t work up the strength to leave the house the next day. After a brief recovery I was back in the game. I was having dinner with my friend Kimberly who runs Polished in Pink on Friday night. She lives on the UES, so we met at the Park Avenue Armory to see who we could spot at the Tommy Hilfiger mens show. Tommy had a pretty decent turn out with NYFW it-boy Kellan Lutz, Bradley Cooper and Gabe Saporta. I was so excited to see Gabe – he used to be friendly with my art teacher in high school so I’ve know him for years. We’re kinda friends, only not really. It’s funny to see him be so famous now, but I am happy to report he is still one of coolest guys ever. Saturday night I attended the Paley Center’s panel with the cast of Cougar Town. My friend Nicole secured me a ticket, and it was such a fun event. While obviously not an officially sanctioned NYFW event, I still made sure to dress to impress. Also. Cougar Town is HILARIOUS. It was my first time ever watching it, but it’s now on the DVR schedule.

HRH Queen of Fashion Anna Wintour and I being besties outside the Victoria Beckham show.

Sunday morning after attending real Church, I headed to Fashion Church with Lauren, who you all know from PFG. Victoria Beckham was holding her presentation at the 42nd Street Library. The crowd was so different from any other show, lots of Brits and serious fashion people. No Whitney Port or Olivia Palermo types, just chic style insiders out in their Sunday best for Posh. While I did not see Posh or her husband Becks who was in the front row, I did get the ultimate encounter for my Fashion Week bingo. ANNA WINTOUR. As someone who has had a Vogue subscription for years, owns the September Issue and views FNO as their biggest Fall holiday – I worship her. But, it’s always been so busy or hectic I’ve never felt right approaching her. This particular morning I couldn’t help myself. While I had so much I wanted to tell her, like how much I love the September Issue or how I admire her for legitimizing an industry that is often viewed as frivolous or her amazing work with the CFDA, I said nothing because I was in awe she answered in the affirmative to my photo request.

Brad Goreski and I after he told me I looked cute. Couldn't he give me a heads up my tie was crooked?

The Fashion Police's Sheriff Joan Rivers and I.

The rest of NYFW, Lauren who was my partner in crime for a majority of the week and I took it easy, I didn’t think NYFW was going to peak higher than Anna. One day during the week we peeped the scene at Lincoln Center, since we hadn’t been by the tents. I saw so many amazing outfits parading in and out of Lincoln Center’s courtyard. Even when people are wearing sparkle capes and fashion turbans and look slightly ridiculous I give them so much snaps for being courageous enough to wear something so bold. On this particular day, Joan Rivers was around doing a little shooting for one of her shows. Apparently, she was flashing her Fashion Police badge and chatting with people about what else? Fashion. When I asked her for a photo, (how could I not) she spanked my butt when I accidentally revealed I don’t watch Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best. Love her. Our last Fashion Week adventure was for Marchesa which we swung by before the MAC Viva Glam party. Marchesa brought out Taylor Momsen, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, Rachel Zoe and her former assistant/arch nemesis Brad Goreski among others. I was so excited to see Brad, as I’ve been watching Brad, Brad World. I always loved him on the Rachel Zoe Project but getting to see him take center stage and seeing his boyfriend is a Queens girl, like me has made me love him more.

Lauren and then I hightailed it from the Plaza where Marchesa was holding court to the west side for Ricky Martin and Nicki Minaj‘s Viva Glam party. Nicki Minaj actually got us invited, she really loves her Barbz. And, in case you doubt that a 24 year old white man from an upper middle class family can be a Barb, just watch me karaoke Super Bass. The party was amazing, at one point I was inside a Coco Rocha, Tinsley Mortimer and Alexander Wang triangle. Nicki and Ricky made a rousing speech about how important Mac and their Viva Glam campaign’s efforts are. I admire them both for not only throwing a great party, but for throwing their celebrity behind a cause as vital as HIV/AIDS. I am just sad that I didn’t get to thank Nicki for getting Lauren and I into the party, I hope one day I do because it was such a fun, glamorous night. To quote Nicki herself, I wish I could have that moment for life.

All in all, my NYFW was amazing. While my serious style did not get me into any shows, I did get to see some amazing clothes and meet some amazing people. In the Fall, I need to work on getting a ticket to at least one show to cross number 16 off my 25 List. But, for now I will enjoy the memories and good times I had at this week. A big thank you to Nicki Minaj for inviting me to her party, the stranger who took my photo thus making my whole day and to my friend Lauren who treated to lunch and coffee when my shoestring budget didn’t allow for me to get it myself.

As for the Oscar list, I made some progress but not as much as others weeks since I was out almost every day. Turner Classic Movies has been doing their 31 Days of Oscar in a geographical theme showing you all of the places Oscar films have taken place, this week we hit Greece, New York and the American south. In New York we crossed off Going my Way and The Apartment. Both of which I really enjoyed. Going my Way was a little shmaltzy, but Bing Crosby was excellent in it. Crosby plays a young priest who moves to a bankrupt parish overseen by an old priest and with a few youthful injections turns things around. The movie should be watched by today’s holy officials, who seem to have lost an entire generation of church goers with their archaic views and practices. The Apartment was also excellent, Jack Lemmon lends out his apartment to upper management men for their extra marital affairs. One of the bosses is having an affair with Shirley McLaine who is of course the woman Lemmon likes. The end of the movie looks as if it is going to end with a suicide and in that moment I got really nervous, that’s when I know I truly enjoyed the film when I am nervous or upset about the death of a character. The week also took me to the South where I crossed a political film All the King’s Men and In the Heat of the Night off of the list. I thought Heat was great, with an amazing mystery and a performance nothing short of incredible from Sidney Poitier. This week I also revisited Tara in Gone with the Wind. Wind was actually one of the 14 Oscar winning movies I had seen before starting off on this project, but I couldn’t help but re-watch it. It’s long, it’s epic but it’s a masterpiece and I just adore Miss Scarlet O’Hara. Tonight, TCM will be taking us viewers to Paris with GiGi so I’ll report back next week.

Fashion Week is no time for cupcakes, so I didn’t cross any recipes off of the list. But, I did finish Catcher in the Rye my second BTBC selection. Just like in high school I found Holden to be an annoyingly negative boy with homosexual tendencies. Unlike high school, I pushed through it and finished the book. While I did not learn as much from Holden’s three days of loneliness in New York city as I did from Mockingbird, I did get a good reminder. When I read Catcher in my sophomore year of high school, I had just started a new school after being tossed out of St. Francis Prep. I was 40lbs overweight and a closeted homosexual. I was the very picture of a lonely, isolated outcast. To say I related to Holden would be an understatement. However, no amount of kinship could help me overlook his cynical narration. While I barely know that person today as a celebrated and important member of my social circle, it was a good reminder how lucky I am to have such great friends and such a wonderful relationship with my family. I also think the pivotal message at the story’s heart about how we all grow up is similar to children playing in a field is true. No one ever decides to grow up, we all take certain duties or commit certain acts and one day we wake up and we’re grown up. It’s an accident, really. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and am glad to have been given a reminder how fortunate I am to be past that dark, lonely phase of my life.

Like I said, TCM is taking me to Paris and I have started Catcher’s successor Lord of the Flies and procured a copy of Emma for after that. And, with my sister home I finally have an audience to bake for so I hope to cross a few recipes off the list.

Set in the depression era South, the book tells the story of Jean Louise Finch, better known to us as Scout. She lives with her brother Jem and father Atticus who is a lawyer. Over the course of the two years featured in the book she learns several important lessons. Put yourself into other people’s shoes, don’t kill mockingbirds, always do your best even if you’re going to lose and the idea that life is unfair are just a few of the big ones. She struggles with each one of these lessons, but over time she and her brother learn them through growing up and through their interaction with a recluse named Boo Radley and watching the events of a rape trial unfold. Just to give you an idea how deeply I was pulled into the book, as I approached the end and the events of Halloween night unfolded I found myself crying as I read. In a sense I was happy that I had waited to read this book, there’s no way I would have allowed myself to enjoy it this much reading it in the 9th grade. Even if I tried, no one ever wants to enjoy assigned readings. We are genetically engineered to hate them.

The book taught me a valuable lesson about my relationship with my own sister.

Another reason I am glad that I waited to read it is because it reminded me of something I had forgotten. While growing up, I had been the older sibling Jem in my sister Brittany and I’s relationship. Five years older than Brittany, I would be the one who grew up and hit certain mile posts first. As we all know when we hit puberty, or enter high school or go to college we all think we are grown up, that our friends are everything and that we can’t be too closely associated with anything un-cool.  Well since I was older of us two, my sister was the one who fell victim to this when we were kids. However, this past September when Brittany went off to college the shoe was put on the other foot. My sister is now the one who has outgrown me, and this allowed me to really relate to Scout in a new way I never would have been able to if I read this book at any other point in my life. When Scout complained about Jem avoiding her, spending all of his time with his friends or even hanging out with their mutual friend Dill without her I saw such parallels to my relationship with Brittany. Obviously a majority of the time she’s six hours away, and when she’s home she has such a busy social calendar she barely has time for me. But, as Atticus tells Scout, this is a phase and all phases end. They just seem like they go on forever. I had assumed this would be the case for my sister and I, but it was nice to hear it from someone else. Even if they are a fictional character.

Over all, I enjoyed Mockingbird tremendously. I also am so glad that I was right in my intent. When I added the item about reading classics I never read, I hoped that I would feel like I was gaining something other than a sense of satisfaction at how fast I could read high school level material. And, with this book I have. I feel like I have learned a few things, been reminded of a few things and somehow joined a nonexclusive club. I loved the book so much, that I feel like it is a book I may revisit in the future. My father has said that his favorite childhood book Huck Finn is the type of book where you can revisit it from any stage of your life and find a new lesson about life in the story. It may be premature but I feel that Mockingbird is the same kind of read. I look forward to seeing what else I learn from Ms. Lee’s classic when I revisit Scout, Atticus and Boo in the future.

I think most people get caught up on weather or not they have a significant other. I understand how that happens, and I know I have fallen prey to that mindset. However, I prefer to look at Valentine’s Day as a day to celebrate all of the love we have in our lives. Be it your best friend, the co-worker you lunch with daily or even your parents, everyone has love in their lives in some capacity. Every Valentine’s Day for the past few years while I have not had a man to celebrate with, I have been bombarded with reminders that my life is filled with people who I love and who love me. And, to be honest I think that given choice between wallowing in my single-hood or thinking about how blessed I am while staying positive, that the choice is clear. So this February 14th instead of wearing all black and thrashing around all day I will be mindful of all the wonderful people I am so blessed to have in my life and how not just today but every day those people show their love, appreciation and affection for me in different ways.

So I hope today all of my friends, acquaintances and readers will remember that they are loved. Even if it’s not a sexual relationship; love is love. If you find this method is not working, I suggest you download the newly released (in America) One Direction song That’s What Makes You Beautiful, run to Jacques Torres and treat yourself to some chocolate and then head home to watch some super gory horror movies. However,  this should be a last resort as I really think you should focus your energy on remembering all of the love that is all around you! And, in case you were wondering I love you!

But, that all changed Sunday night. While making his acceptance speech at the Desert AIDS Project’s Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards he mentioned his family. Saying “I’d really especially like to thank my beautiful family: Simon, Kit, Walker, (and) Henry.” As a fan of Matt Bomer, and as a gay man I was excited to get this confirmation from him. But, I was even more thrilled that it was done in such a simple, understated way. No People Magazine covershoot proclaiming “YUP I’M GAY” just a simple mention of his family while he accepted an award. I think that sometimes people look at celebrities being gay as this crazy big news and defining factor. Its nice to see it addressed without actually being addressed.

Matt Bomer and I on the set of White Collar a few years ago...

I do admit Matt’s shout out was not all good news, because him having this family he loves so much means that there is like no hope for me. I will never be the one who unbuttons Matthew’s white collar Like I said earlier, I may not watch his show but I am quite a fan. Ever since a brief encounter with him one afternoon a few years back. My friend June who does watch the show had taken me with her to the set. I am not someone who usually gets nervous around celebrities but I was struck by Matt’s handsome good looks, beautiful eyes and all around charm. So him being in a relationship is kind of a blow to my dreams. However, I will take solace in the fact that a celebrity coming out was done in the most normal and understated of ways and not met with a tidal wave of publicity and a cheesy barefoot People cover shoot. Because at the end of the day, as a gay man I want the same things that everyone has. Whenever a celebrity confirms that they’re straight there is not a tabloid cover marking the occasion. Hopefully this trend of tasteful and understated coming out stories will become the norm in Hollywood. Matt will continue doing great things for the gay community when he stars in A Mighty Heart as a gay man diagnosed with AIDS and Prop 8 a stage production about the California gay marriage ban. Most importantly to me, he will be featured in this summer’s Magic Mike as I mentioned yesterday. In closing, I just want to put it out there if it doesn’t work out with you and your man, Matt please call me.

The poster for Step Up, the first Channing Tatum film I saw.

Last Fall, when the remake of Footloose was released I shared that one of the rules of being friends with my best friend Dana, is that you have to go with her to see movies about dancing. Dana’s favorite genre of film is “I’m rich, you’re poor, let’s dance together”. While sometimes the movies are pretty terrible and make me cringe, Dana’s enjoyment of movies about mambo is how I came to know about a little actor named Channing Tatum. After suffering through Step Up I did not have much more than contempt for him. However, when I got around to watching She’s the Man (which had been released before Step Up) my feelings about him began to thaw. From then on, every time I saw Channing in a film I found myself liking him a little more. I watched as he made the jump from small projects like Step Up and Fighting to summer blockbusters like GI Joe, to Dear John where he took on the role of romantic lead. Around the release of GI Joe, blogs and magazines began claiming that this was the project that would propel Channing to the next level. If you’ve seen the film you understand why that didn’t come to be. Personally, I feel that this current year will be the year that Channing will jump from “that hot guy in that movie” to a household name.

This past weekend, Channing’s second film of 2012 opened to over 40 million dollars. Yes, he has starred in two films in 2012 and it is only February. The Vow, which co-stars Rachel McAdams tells the story of a newlywed couple who get into a car accident which causes the wife to lose her memory. Of course, her husband loves her much he goes about trying to make her fall in love with him again. It’s a no brainer that the film opened to such fanfare Valentine’s weekend. The trailer filled with gooey romantic moments, shirtless shots of Channing and a sweeping Taylor Swift song pretty much made it mandatory for me to see it at midnight. While I enjoyed it overall, it was not what was I expecting. I had been hoping for a sweet romantic film showcasing the husband’s attempts to help his wife fall back in love with him. What I got was was a drama that’s real message was nothing can stop you from becoming who you’re meant to be and that your destiny is your destiny even if you can’t remember what it is. Sure, that’s a nice message, and overall its a pretty decent romantic film however it was not what I wanted it to be. As for Haywire, Channing’s first film of 2012 I skipped it on accounts that it was an action film and not up my alley. The movie has made around 30 million dollars since it’s release, which is nothing to sneeze at. Channing will go three for three next month with the release of 21 Jump Street, while the project seemed less than promising at its inception, after seeing the trailer I am pretty hopeful about it. Channing and co-star Jonah Hill seem to have good comedic chemistry, plus it looks kind of hilarious.

Channing and I after one of his SNL rehearsals.

I think the most anticipated Channing project of the year is this summer’s Magic Mike. Its the first film Channing not only stars in but that he also produced and co-wrote. Based on his pre-fame time as a stripper the film follows Channing and his co-stars Matt Bomer, True Blood’s Joe Manganiello and Alex Pettyfer in their lives as strippers performing in a club owned by fellow-stripper Matthew McCononaughey. Nothing about the actual plot has been revealed, but almost every woman and gay man I know has plans to see it at midnight. The film will be released the same day as the sequel to GI Joe, which Tatum also appears in. Gotta love Chan, he’s giving us something for everyone. A movie where he is playing a stripper and will be half naked for half the film seems like a natural fit for someone with Channing’s good looks. My favorite thing about him and what draws me in personally is how nice and down to earth he is. I have had the pleasure of meeting him a handful of times and he has been always just about the sweetest. Plus every interview with him portrays him as someone hardworking, modest, appreciative and real. It may not seem important for someone to be nice and co-operative in Hollywood, but I think if Lindsay Lohan and Shia LaBeouf have taught us anything. Its that you may be beautiful and you may be talented but if you’re a douche no one wants to work with you. With his 2012 portfolio running the gamete from action to romance to comedy to stripper film, plus a good head firmly on his shoulders I think Channing is on track a nice long running career.

Wings is the first Best Picture winner and the only silent film to win the prize... for now.

This week began Turner Classic Movie’s 31 Days of Oscar, I’ve always been aware of TCM’s annual Oscar love fest but this year I am really coming to appreciate it. I’ve been watching and tweeting my reactions all week and my tweets have gotten TCM’s attention and they now follow me. So the appreciation seems mutual. Thanks to  TCM I crossed four Best Picture winners off of the list this week with another two watched thanks to speedy delivery from Netflix. There probably would have been more progress had it not been for my Downton Abbey marathon. I am OBSESSED! Its so amazing, if you’re not watching it we have nothing in common and should cease being friends. Anyway, back to the movies, Wings is one of the films I crossed off thanks to Netflix, it is the first movie to ever win Best Picture and is also the only silent picture to ever win. (For now.) The film actually holds up pretty well for a movie that is 84 years old. The story line involving a love triangle that’s really a rectangle is great and the bromance between the two pilots fighting in the great war is also really sweet. Over the course of the war, two men go from worst enemies to best friends. What really surprised me about the film was how beautifully it looks, there are shots during the climactic fight scenes where war planes look like they’re flying out of the ground, the amount of extras in wide shots just create a magnitude I didn’t expect in 1920′s cinema. Even compared to today’s war blockbusters it still looks expensive and so very beautiful.

Mrs. Miniver, Grand Hotel, My Fair Lady and In the Heat of the Night were all part of TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar and all were wonderful. The Heat of the Night has a great murder mystery and an amazing performance from Sidney Poitier. Grand Hotel is what I would consider the original Ocean’s 11 with an all-star cast in a movie about different lives overlapping while staying in Berlin’s Grand Hotel. While not my first Joan Crawford film it was the first time I saw her so early in her career. She is a wonderful actress and very fierce. It’s no wonder Greta Garbo didn’t want to share any scenes with her. The fabulous Ms. Crawford would have rendered her insignificant. Mrs. Miniver was my favorite of the group, a film about a woman from a middle class British family detailing how her life and the lives of her family change as they enter WWI. There’s an amazing message about how in times of war sometimes the most innocent and unexpected civilians become soldiers in the fight against evil. My Fair Lady was probably my least favorite, it felt a little bloated however I did enjoy how beautifully it was shot and it obviously harbors some great songs. Last but not least, was American Beauty. It shocks a lot of people that I had never seen this film as it was released in my lifetime and was very popular. I enjoyed it tremendously and thought it was amazing, but at the same time I felt guilty for feeling that way since elements of it seemed a little corny 13 years after first being released. Especially the bit about the plastic bag in the wind, which was amazingly parodied by Not Another Teen Movie.

The second selection of the Brian Tuft Book Club.

As for the Brian Tuft Book Club, I finished To Kill a Mocking Bird this week and loved it. I hope to do a full post regarding my reactions to it. But, let’s just say I am so excited to have finally finished it and don’t think I would have enjoyed it or related to it as much as I do at this very stage of my life. I am now well into my second BTBC selection Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. I have decided that my Classics I Skipped in High School series will be made up of 10 Classics. I hope to include Emma, Animal Farm, Lord of the Flies and other books that are very important and very popular literary classics that my shortsighted high school self deemed unimportant at the time.

The evening's fabulous host SJP.

Spotted: Wall Street reoccupied. The financial district has been taken over once again, but this time instead of tents, protests and the 1%. It was all black tie, ball gowns and celebrities and it was 100% fabulous. Pardon me, but after last night’s Leighton Meester run in I couldn’t help but speak like our favorite UES insider. But, we’ll get to that in a second. Last night, amfAR held their annual Fashion Week kick off gala to raise money for AIDs research. Held at Cipriani Wall Street it was the event to see and been seen at last night. Sarah Jessica Parker was the host of the fundraiser and she looked beautiful in a flowing Oscar de la Renta chiffon gown paired with a Theory leather jacket. The bad ass leather jacket juxtaposed with the feminine gown worked wonderfully in a very SJP way. As you know Fashion Week starts today, so there were plenty of designers afoot with Rachel Roy, amfAR chairman Kenneth Cole and Roberto Cavalli all lending their fashionable names to this great cause. When I arrived downtown at Cipriani with my friend Lauren in tow, we gathered with the big crowd of spectators right next to the arrivals tent. There was quite a crowd, as nothing gets mid-level Wall street professional to stop and gawk like a 15 foot long celebrity filled red carpet.  To their credit there was quite a lot to gawk at.

Leighton Meester in Louis Vuitton.

After the red carpet wrapped up, the real fun began as the celebrities started to trickle out. One of the first people to depart was Gossip Girl’s Queen Bee Leighton Meester. Decked in head to toe Louis Vuitton and looking amazing she made her way over to the small crowd of fans. After taking pictures and signing autographs, I got the chance to talk to her for a bit as she waited for her car. I took the chance to express how fabulous I thought the Gossip Girl wedding was, as much as I don’t like Prince Louis I did enjoy the spectacle surrounding his wedding to Blair. When I asked what it was like to film, Leighton said the wedding was a lot of fun to shoot but that the custom made Vera Wang gown became a hassle because they had filmed the episode over the course of three days. That makes sense as wedding gowns are designed to be worn for one day only. When I asked her if she wanted to share any details on what was going to happen regarding the predicament our resident Queen B had gotten herself into, Leighton coyly responded “well, there’s always divorce.” I’m not sure what that means for Dan and Blair, which is something we seem to be heading towards but hopefully this means that the dreadful Prince of Monaco will be leaving the UES soon.

Aside from chatting with my high school spirit animal Blair Waldorf, I got to meet some of the other fabulous guests lending their name to this cause. Twilight star Kellan Lutz, my favorite member of the “Bridesmaids” bridal party Rose Byrne, supermodel Cindy Crawford and the amazing Gloria Estefan all were so kind to the fans. Kellan was one of a very few people who stopped to say hi on his way into the event. He is always just the nicest guy, its hard to believe that someone can be that handsome and also so nice. Rose Byrne was kind of quiet, but was so sweet to have stopped at all as it was had been flurrying on and off all night, but was snowing rather heavy when she left. Her character Helen in Bridesmaids was my favorite, obviously. And, while its always nice to see Kellan I was most thrilled to meet Gloria Estefan. My friend Dana is a bigger fan, but we both really love her. It should also go without saying, Cindy Crawford looks absolutely stunning. I don’t look as good as she does and I’m not even 25.

Overall, it was a super fun night. The snow was a bummer but when you’re getting spoilers about your favorite TV show from the actress who plays your favorite character, getting to see stars strut their stuff in their red carpet best and also meeting some of your favorite actors and musicians you can overlook a few flurries. Fashion Week is now in high gear. I hope to have more fabulous nights out and will be sure to keep you posted.

Now, I embrace my bitchiness. Truly. I consider my ability to tear down a person using nothing but my words as one of my strongest talents. It has so many uses. For example, I am able to use my acid tongue to cheer someone up. Your boyfriend broke up with you? He was a short loser who had no personality. Your best friend turns out to be an asshole? She was a drug addicted skank who had been banged more times than classroom erasers. But, I figured that my bitchy demeanor was something I had control of. However, recent incidents have led me to believe it may be more like an Incredible Hulk situation where I have no control over how bitchy I am being. And, let me warn you… you won’t like me when I’m bitchy.

Now, I am someone who likes to joke around and I don’t wear kid gloves. If you ask me do I look fat in this, I will tell you because I would want you to tell me if I looked as bad you did. But, below this flawless, stylish, handsome and bitchy facade is a really nice person. I love my friends and family, that’s why when I open my home for a party I always go above and beyond to make people feel at home. I always get excited when I get to help plan a birthday or baby shower to help celebrate my amazing friends. And, heaven help you if you ever do something to anyone close to me, I will destroy you. And, I think that’s what is so upsetting about hearing that people think I am a total bitch. Especially when those people are my friends.

I think the best way to put is that I am like a 7 layer dip. And, on top of that dip is like three hot steaming layers of bitchiness. But, if you’re able to get past that there are four layers of amazing, caring, and friendly warmth. And, maybe there are times when the bitchiness overpowers the warmth. But, that is something that I am working on. Finding the perfect balance of sweet and sour is not something I am searching for only in the kitchen, I am seeking it in all areas of life. And, if being nicer is the way to show people that than I am going to try that on for size. But, don’t worry if one of my besties is a tight spot they can still count on me to throw shade at what has them to down in an attempt to raise their spirits. And, if someone crosses me or my best friends I will of course aim to sink their battleship.

Perhaps another reason why this week was light on film watching was because I began another item on the list, Number 10 Read the Classics I Skipped in High School. I began with To Kill a Mockingbird. I had been assigned it in high school but skated through with non-committal to any facts on the essays. I have tried to read it twice before but I didn’t get through it. Now as I stand deep in the book, about 100 pages shy of the end I have no idea what kept me from finishing it. The book has many wonderful and different elements to it. Stories of youth, the theme of race, the bits about growing up – it’s all terrific. The relationship between Jem and Scout and their father Atticus is my absolute favorite. Having been raised for the most part by my father and the death of my mother early in life I really related to the bits and pieces of that storyline. I am sure everyone who reads the book, sees a great deal of their father in Atticus. He’s honest, thoughtful, a little strict and the way Jem and Scout admire him is similar to how all children admire their dads. But, I feel very strongly about the similarities to my father.  A single father raising two kids, working a lot, hiring secondary childcare,  always being criticized that his young daughter is not girly enough – it all hit home.

I do have to say, I don’t know if I would have appreciated all of the subtle story lines and pieces of wisdom about growing up if I were to have read it in the 9th grade. As embarrassed as I am that I have waited this long to read such an important literary classic I am glad that I am being introduced to the material at a time where I can enjoy and understand it. I look forward to finishing the book in the coming days and starting a new skipped book that I hope will be just as enchanting. Perhaps Emma or Lord of the Flies.