Because you just can't get enough of me...

I've created a blog blog. Yes, I know it's confusing. But as most of you know I read a lot of blogs and news sources so I've created a Clip Blog where I link to all the stories I find most interesting, funny, whatever.

So if you need help navigating the exciting world of blogs then consider me your personal guide.

Bookmark it now and get a free coaster set:
http://www.bloglines.com/blog/stewartholland

Great Minds Think Alike

This is my college roommate Erin and her boyfriend Seth. If only we had been at the same party!

Happy Halloween!

Fred & Wilma Flintstone
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Well, Nicholas and I had a fabulous Halloween as Fred and Wilma Flintstone. I have decided we are only going to go as couples invovling redhead from here on out so send your suggestions! :)

First, we went a party at Section 2 Headquarters (aka Leslie, Laura, Beefcake and Kevin's house). We had a blast and there were tons of great costume. Leslie and Laura were the iPod commercial so lots of fun with the green screen was had.

Most creative costume would probably go to Dave and Ruth who came as Jeffrey and Laura from Project Runway (see Flickr for pics), although I told Dave he totally missed his chance to wear manpri's. I have to give us best executed though because dang my hair was awesome! And not easy either!

Honorable mentions go to: Dan the Old Man for having Werthers Originals on hand to pass out and Dog the Bounty Hunter which we saw at our next party.
Dishonorable mentions go to: Chickein who came as Steve Irwin and made me super-sad all over again :(

Live blogging (sort of): Oprah Town Hall

Right now I am desperately trying to decide if I love Oprah more than I hate Bill O’Reilly. It might be toss up. However, I’ve decided the only way I’m going to make it through this special Town Hall episode of Oprah featuring Bill O’Reilly is do some live blogging so I’m not just screaming at my TV…I’m screaming at you instead!

(Oh and by live blogging I mean not live at all, but rather from my Tivo list so I don’t have to watch commercials.)

4:04: Why did he just start calling “secular progressives” (Bill’s term for everyone he disagrees with) SP’s? Does abbreviating something make it more believable?

4:06: Why is he yelling at her? You’re not supposed to yell at Oprah - remember what happened to Tom Cruise? Luckily there in stools so he can't jump the couch.

4:06: Holy crap! 6 minutes in and we’re already to abortion and parental notification. That was quick. Also he should talk to the parents of girls who have died from back alley abortions because they were too scared to tell their parents.

4:07: Ok right now I love Oprah more and I know why – she asked the fundamental question everyone should ask Bill O’Reilly. “What do you want us to do about this information?” His response: “Hit them.” He doesn’t want us to do anything except be angry and confrontational. Oh yeah and he wants us to buy his books.

4:08: Is he really asserting the negative state of media to the Queen of all Media who is perhaps the most positive influence in entertainment? Intriguing.

4:11: Yeah audience interaction – exciting. Can’t wait till he starts yelling at them…

4:12: …That didn’t take him long

4:13: Billy O’Reilly doesn’t like the words “middle ground.” Knock me over with a freaking feather. Also why does he keep asking me if I want to live in Holland. It seems nice there – they have tulips. And it makes a perfectly wonderful last name.

4:14: I love that his jokes are falling flat! Even Oprah isn't laughing...Also I'm getting a headache from rolling my eyes so much.

4:15: Ok I wouldn't say that you know what's going if you are a Fox News junkie. You know one side of what's going on.

4:16: There are a lot more men in this audience then your average Bra Revolution episode I'll tell you that much.

4:17: I can't believe Oprah isn't stepping in - he's just yelling over this guy.

4:18: There is a nice looking African-American man with dreads supporting O'Reilly. I've become confused.

4:19: Well thank god - apparently there is an abbreviation for the other side. Traditionalists are people who agree with O'Reilly - "T Warriors" Get your t shirts now ladies and gentlemen.

4:23: Ok I'm about to blow everyone's mind - sometimes there are more than 2 sides to an issue. WHOA! I know it's intense. ...Also Bill thinks we were sold the war. Good. Does he accept responsibility for doing some of the selling is the real question?

4:25: Wait he made a formal on air apology. I didn't know that. Ok props for that Bill. See MIDDLE GROUND.

4:26: OK HOLD THE FREAKING PHONE. (Insert my own personal Bill O'Reilly outraged voice here.) DO NOT. DO NOT MENTION George Bush in the same sentence as Abraham Lincoln. Ever! Abraham Lincoln was a genius who was compassionate and empathetic and knew when to say he was wrong. George Bush is NONE of those things. I swear to God if one more person tries to link those two I'm going to hurt somebody.

4:27: Audience member - "We could have chose Iran or Syria or somewhere else to go." OR we could have not attacked anyone. Thoughts? This guy is a disgrace to redheads.

4:28: Don't call MLK a T Warrior. Oprah slap him - NOW!

4:30: He's not polarizing anybody!!!! He's said war 50 times, warrior 36, and fight 15. How is that not polarizing.

4:31: YEAH! ACLU bashing! ...And quickly to NAMBLA and ACLU's representation of them. As a card carrying member of the ACLU, I will have to direct you here and say that it seems that Bill O'Reilly would agree with the ACLU that it is people who must take responsibility for their actions instead of blaming others.

4:32: Sigh...now he's attacking the ACLU for standing up to The Minute Men. Here.

4:36: Never a good thing when we are saying "Why should we give them any type of rights at all?" There's an absolute for ya...Ok the world is gray people. Not black and white. Gray. It's just that simple. That doesn't mean you don't take stands or that nothing is wrong or right. ... Ok see now he's on to torture. Well let me tell you what - according to the Bush administration that is gray. Talking about moral relativism and constantly moving the line of what is acceptable.

4:40: Bill - "I know that I sound like I'm whining." Because you ARE!

4:41: Does he make up this many phrases on his own show? You know Steven Colbert's jokes are starting to make a lot more sense to me all of a sudden!

4:42: Ok Bill obviously doesn't watch Oprah b/c if he did he would know he gets personally attacked every day b/c he personally attacks every day. Oprah lesson #35 (also known as kharma) - what you send out into the universe you get back....Also you are asking Bill O'Reilly how to keep your friends while asserting your views?!? hahahahahahahahahahaha

4:43: Bill isn't as orange as he usually is - see I can say something nice!!!

4:44: WAIT just a second! He just said he wasn't calm on television b/c he's got to get people to watch. Isn't that catering to your audience, which is exactly what he accuses the "left wing media" of doing when they cover celebrities, etc.?!?

4:47: I didn't know David Letterman gave him such crap. I didn't know David Letterman had it in him!

4:48: hahahah This woman just used his baloney back at him! I like it! Maybe I'll start saying baloney...

4:49: I hate this argument. We killed Iraqis so Sadam couldn't kill more Iraqis. Ridiculous! If we cared about the slaughter of women and children, we'd be all over Darfur.

4:54: "I'm not a blame guy." Seriously! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..."We need to think about it without emotion and ideology." Are you freaking kidding me!?! After explaining to Oprah the two ideologies that are at "war" in our country (SP's and T Warriors for those of you without the accompanying Key), you told her people needed to get angry and fight. But we need to think about it without emotion and ideogoloy huh? If there is a God in heaven, the Daily Show is working on an edited package of this interview right now.

4:55: Iran hates Cleveland? I wasn't aware.

4:58: Culture Warriors wear pretty blue windbreakers apparently. I'm rushing out to get mine right now!

----------------

Whew that was fun. I need a nap now.

Oh and I definitely love Oprah more than I hate Bill O'Reilly. I actually don't hate Bill O'Reilly - Although I do wish he was back on Inside Edition where he belongs - I just think he complains about the media when a) he IS the freaking media and b) he does the same thing he complains about. The media isn't perfect. They sell conflict and confrontation because of a lot of reasons (ratings, time and resource constraints, their own biases) but SO DOES BILL O'REILLY. So stop acting like you are helping the country and doing us all some great service. Because you are not.

Now Oprah on the otherhand... well that's another post ;)

Dog Bed - Money well-spent

Dog Bed: Money well-spent
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Is this how parents feel when they buy their kids expensive clothes and they prefer the box the toy came in?

Why IS Dane Cook famous?

Why IS Dane Cook famous?
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

This picture is funny for two reasons:

First, because my husband is very very sweet and listening to the TV through ear phones so I could study. Unfortunately the cord was a little short. hehehehe (Hence, the rude hand gesture)

Second, he is desperately trying to figure out why Dane Cook is famous. He kept saying with exasperation. "But Sarah he filled an arena!"

New York, New York

Nicholas and I had the most wonderful time in New York this weekend. We left early Saturday morning and took the Acela into the city (for free! - thank you Amtrak rewards). We had a little trouble getting our bearings at first. We went to the wrong Comfort Inn Midtown because apparently there are two. Then we went to the Upper West Side when we really wanted to be in the Upper East Side. Once we got it all sorted out though we had a great lunch at Le Pain Quotidien. It's this little French cafe chain in New York. Everything is fresh and organic and you eat at big wooden communal tables. Pretty fabulous.

Next, I went to Linda's Bra Salon for the best bra service I have ever had. Seriously, I felt like I was on the special bra revolution episode of Oprah. I left with two new Chantelle bras that fit perfectly and am super excited. (Probably about as excited as Nicholas was waiting for me in Linda's "trying to not look like a perv.") We walked around and shopped a little bit more after that. It's really not fair how even chains in New York are better. Isn't it bad enough they have all around better stores? Do they also have to have better selection at the stores we all have?

Anyway, that night we went to dinner at Bar Americain, one of Bobbie Flay's restaurants. It was absolutely fantastic. The best oysters I have ever had. I usually eat them with crackers and cocktail sauce but these were so goods I ate them plain with only the vinegar sauce they had. I also had souffle for the first time, which was divine.

After dinner, we went to see The Color Purple - the real reason for our visit. My good friend Laura's cousin co-wrote the lyrics and music and we were able to sit in her house seats. Absolutely amazing. I love the book (of course), love the film (of course). It's such an amazing story and beloved by so many people. I was a little worried about it being a musical, because it's not the most upbeat story. However, all my expectations were met, if not exceeded. The music is so powerful. It really is like going to church. All the performers were so amazing and the energy was overwhelming. Needless to say, I was crying by the end.

After the play, we took a pedicab back to the hotel through Times Square, which was a blast. We continued our toursity transportation the next day with a carriage ride through Central Park. The leaves are really starting to change and it was crisp and cold. A perfect moment... minus the horse smell of course. ;) Then we went to brunch at this little cafe on First Ave and to the Met for the afternoon. I have never been to The Met before and it was a little overwhelming but I really really enjoyed the Vollard exhibit. Vollard was basically the most important art dealer in history. He discovered Cezanne, Van Gough, Picasso, and Gaugin. Not a bad track record I'd say.

We went for a late lunch at a place called Eat near the Met, which is basically Madison Ave. Needless to say, the people watching is pretty out of control. I saw at least 12 strollers and all but one was Bugaboo. Unfortunately, our beautiful weekend came to an end after that and we headed back home.

Of course, I have to give a big thank you to my friend Laura not only for the tickets but for basically planning our entire weekend. There is a stark difference between when I visited New York before Laura and after. She writes up page long emails giving us several options for every meal before we leave. THEN is basically our on call New York guide all weekend. I will literally text her our location and what we are in the mood for and minutes later I have recommendations that NEVER (and I mean never) fails. She recommended every place we ate this weekend (and Linda's) and they were all fantastic. Of course she's pretty fantastic herself so I don't know why I'm surprised ;) And if that wasn't enough she and her boyfriend Daniel took care of Maggie while we were gone...And no you can't have her email - make your own big city friend!

Skidboot the Dog

If you don't cry watching this, then go to a doctor quick because you dn't have a heart.

Innovative = Ugly

Stupid Jeffrey won stupid Project Runway and I am never watching that stupid show ever again...

ok cleansing breath...

Let me start over.

I have never been obsessed wtih Project Runway. My friends all loved it but I didn't start watching till this season. I realized why I have avoided it for so long. I used to say I love fashion but now I realize I love clothes. I kind of hate fashion.

I love the power of a good outfit. I love a woman's face when she gets a really good make over. I love watching What Not To Wear (BBC version of course!) and seeing the way a woman's entire of opinion of herself can change because she puts on a pair of pants that flatter her body. It is impossible and exhausting as a woman to try to keep up with the picture of how you are "supposed" to look like. However, when you finally realize that you might never be able to wear skinny jeans (the name alone says it all) or cap sleeves but you can seriously rock a wrap dress or deep V sweater, you can truly be set free. Seriously, the day I got rid of all my capri pants is one of the best days of my life!

Fashion is not about any of those things. I hate fashion because so much of it is complete bullshit. Don't get me wrong - there is real artistry out there. I mean this is art. Period. But the skeleton models and absurd fashion and even more absurd personalities can all be too much. And it has almost nothing to do with real women. I mean no one would wear the sweater by Jeffrey (shown above). No one. Even Uli's collection, who the judges praised as wearable by "every woman," featured beautiful clothes that can be worn by a select few. I said several times "Gorgeous but no one with boobs could wear that." Or "Fabulous but only for the very very skinny."

I mean how reflective is it that the winner of the competition failed miserably at the challenge involving "real" women from the designers' lives. Not only did he make a truly ugly piece of clothing but he made the woman cry in the process. Please.

Auf Wiedersehen Project Runway!
Calling Trinny and Susannah!

Dove Evolution

This is fantastic! I don't know who is in charge at Dove but they deserve a raise.

Welcome to the World!

I started this post to welcome my stepfather Jolly Ron to the blogosphere. He just started his very own blog and I'm very proud of him. Now, everybody go check it a lot so he feels pressure to post! ;)

Anyway, I started to post that welcome message BUT THEN I got a brand new nephew this morning. So welcome to the world William! He was born this morning at 8am. He weighs 8lbs 6oz and is 19.75 inches long. The picture above is from his big brother's first birthday on SATURDAY! That's right my brother and sister-in-law have a one-year-old and a one-day-old. Send them money or any extra nannies you have lying around.

UPDATE: Yeah we've got some pictures!

Taboo

Tonight my friend's hosted a game night. The night began with all the boys playing poker and all the girls (+ Nicholas) playing Pop Culture Trivia Pursuit DVD Edition. As more money was lost, everyone started drifting into the room with us and we decided to play Taboo.

It was a pretty rowdy game. My team ended up kicking some major butt and I have to say it was primarily because my dear friend Laura Israel and I are pretty much share the same brain. Case in point:

Me: Madonna gave one of these to Oprah
Laura: WATCH!

Seriously, no hesitation - no other guesses. Amazing.

Writing it all down...

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about my Editor-in-Chief column from college. Specifically, I've been thinking about the column I wrote before the invasion of Iraq when I wrote these words: "Make no mistake; a war on Iraq will create more resentment towards the United States. We may take down one enemy but we will create many many more." (Don't worry Dad this isn't going to become a rant about the war! Because seriously when they are talking about it on Oprah I think I'd be beating a dead horse) ;)

So I pulled out the disk with my old college stuff on it in order to find that column and ended up reading all of my columns from that year. They range in topics from the Dixie Chicks (and one infamous comment in particular) to great places to go in Lexington. They made me realize how much I still miss Transy and how I really miss writing those columns.

They also made me realize how much I've changed since I graduated three years ago. Throughout the columns I speak passionately about feminism, equality, and justice. I made pleas for more activism on campus and talked about the beauty and promise of ideas.

Jeez, what a schmuck!

Kidding of course! But only sort of - my idealism and passion really hit me hard, mainly because I'm afraid they are fading. I don't talk about the beauty of ideas anymore. I talk about poll numbers and elections and (God help me) last week's episode of Meet the Press. Maybe it's true what they say - law school really does suck out your soul or DC is the seventh ring of hell or (gulp) my mother was right and I'll "see" when I get older. I don't know.

I hope that I can maintain my passion and hope. I'm still the same little girl who listened to her PaPa talk about politicians and how good ones stuck up for the working man. But now I know sticking up for the working man is never as simple as one vote or one election. I'm still the bright-eyed college freshman who realized other women felt the same way she did and that they called it feminism. But now I know feminism is only a small piece of the puzzle, not the puzzle itself. I still admire the radicalism of Gandhi, King, and Friedan. But now I am in awe of the political genius of Abraham Lincoln and FDR.

I hope I can balance my idealistic past with my pragmatic future. I hope I don't become completely cynical and apathetic. I hope don't forget where I came from and where I have always planned on going. I hope. I hope. I hope.



Whew...now that I've got that off my chest, back to sappy dog video and decorating disasters. ;)

Maggie's Third "Gotcha'" Day

We got Maggie three years ago today, and well...the song says it all.



Maggie Movie on Vimeo

I meet Tucker Carlson and it goes just fine

Yesterday, my friend Rachel and I went to lunch at this really great sushi restuarant in a really swanky part of town. As we were walking up the sidewalk, I looked up and straight into the eyes of none other than Tucker Carlson, the conservative pundit/ballroom dancing star. Of course, I was a little caught off guard and started to giggle to myself. I asked Rachel if she had noticed him and she said she'd missed him.

Despite her inability to confirm, I knew it was Tucker. Sure, there was no bow tie (according to wikipedia, he stopped wearing them this year). But he looks EXACTLY like you think he would. Not taller, not shorter, not thinner or fatter. He looked just like...well Tucker Carlson.

For those of you know that me well, I'm not so good at the star gazing (believe me when I say I hesitate to call Tucker a star but he WAS on Dancing with the Stars so I guess that's good enough). I am however a genius at star talking. I just can't stand to let an exchange with the famous or infamous go by. "I talked to Bill Clinton today" is so much more exciting then "I saw Bill Clinton today." ANYWAY, I couldn't stand it so as Tucker was walking up the stairs into where ever he was going I yelled out "Tucker! You were great on Dancing with the Stars!" (not actually true he was awful but whatever) He looked over and did a little "Ole!" move and laughed.

So, this is proof positive that I can interact in a friendly and pleasant manner with conservatives. I know this will make all my conservative family members very proud. ;)

This weekend?

Table
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Oh thank you so much for asking I had a wonderful weekend! Well you know I had that black tie dinner at the Italiam Embassy on Friday night, which was fabulous.

hehehehehehehehehehehe

I've always wanted to say that! I actually did have a black tie dinner at the Italian Embassy and it was pretty fantastic. The law school had a dinner for all the big donors at the school and they invite "student leaders." I actually only got to go because another student leader couldn't make it - apparently the president of the WCL Democrats doesn't get an invitaiton in her own right. Whatever.

The Embassy is really modern, both the exterior and interior. It has a beautiful open lobby decorated in primary couches. Lots of Italian leather and hot Italian security guards. The food was delicious and I might have had an unreasonable number of Bellinis. I also left loaded down with freebies including one the rose centerpiece, a bottle of wine, and a little gold picture frame. All in all a wonderful evening.