Bloggers Who Brunch
Yesterday afternoon, with my office's approval, I headed to the Lower East Side's The Counter for the launch event of  Bloggers Who Brunch, a new organization created to celebrate and elevate the best female lifestyle and fashion bloggers.  About 15 female bloggers were in attendance and two blogging dudes too. The new group is the brain child of Pamela Pekerman of BagTrends.com and Lesley Scott of FashionTribes and sponsored by GLAM Media, Bacardi and Bust Magazine.

So what did we do? Networked, exchanged cute blogging cards and heard the wisdom of Constance White the Ebay Style Director; Samir Arora, GLAM Media CEO and Meghan Cleary of Missmeghan.com. As well as listened to the energetic speeches of Kathryn Finney, BudgetFashionista.com (she has a book out) and Najwa Moses, founder of Styleaholics.com (her video podcasts are funny, she recently interviewed Jerry Springer and Beyonce's dog) on how they created their sites and established themselves.

I was very flattered to discover that a lot of the bloggers that I met actually knew of When Tara Met Blog. Here are some of their sites, do check them out:
Cupcakes Take the Cake
I'm Not Obsessed! Celebrity Denial
Sense of Soot
Culture Kitchen
Celebrity Baby Blog
BooYouWhore.net
Open All Night
The Quest for It
Clothes Pin
The Beauty Newsletter
Second City Style Magazine
Girlawhirl

My faux pas' during the event:  I never claimed to be any good at holding a martini glass, despite the background image on my blog. So yeah, I let the watermelon mixture from Bacardi slosh over the rim of my glass while I was talking (I'm Italian, we use our hands) and splashed the feet of Pamela at BagTrends and her mother. Classy! My white heels were open toe so things got a little sticky. Next blunder, I told Najwa that I'll have to read her book, when I meant to say watch her podcast. This was towards the end of the brunch and I just met like 20 other people, but I still felt stupid especially after she corrected me. What a ninny. Also, not sure if it could really be called a brunch, it's not like we sat down and ate, but there were appetizers but all vegetable and tofu ones and being the unhealthy person that I am I don't eat veggies so I left the event around 2ish and had to return to work starving and then dive into three back to back meetings.  

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Hung Up

I can't keep on waiting for you
I know that you're still hesitating
Don't cry for me
'cause I'll find my way
you'll wake up one day
but it'll be too late!!

Every little thing that you say or do
I'm hung up
I'm hung up on you
Waiting for your call
Baby night and day
I'm fed up
I'm tired of waiting on you

Last night I saw Madonna live in concert at Madison Square Garden. It was her last night in New York and my first time seeing her perform. I had a great time, the crowd was electric and she was very entertaining. However, she only sang two of her older songs: "Like a Virgin" and "Lucky Star." No Holiday, no Cherish, Vogue or my favorite Crazy For You. Instead she stuck to her new album Confessions on the Dance Floor. Despite the fact that she didn't go back to her roots much, I enjoyed hearing her new songs from that album and her relatively recent dance hits like "Ray of Light" and "Music." She also sang "San Pedro" too. Overall it was very disco and I like that, so I was happy.

She entered the stage inside a huge disco ball and to the roaring of the crowd, which was pretty awesome. Themes that she had going on during the concert were an S&M Equestrian look to the wardrobe and dancing during the first few songs, to a rocker look and feel for a while, then turning totally disco in white suits, colored lights and dancers on roller skates. 

 

The dancers actually impressed me more than her actually since they were really rocking out there and going into very break-dancy like moves. She on the other hand performed for only two hours and took lots of breaks and didn't even do an encore, which was unheard of to me. She looked great though, very ripped and still pretty. Her dance moves were also pretty impressive.

There were moments where I rolled my eyes like when she was hanging on a disco ball looking cross and wearing a crown of thorns while the screens gave statistics on the status of Aids in Africa. I liked the sentiment but I hope she realizes she isn't the real Madonna or U2 either, right?

Overall I was more impressed when I saw Cyndi Lauper in concert who although older could hold notes longer, didn't take a break, did an encore and sang both new and old songs while also sharing anecdotes and jokes along the way, oh and she also played her own instruments for some of the songs too. So pay half the ticket price and see a real 80s pop star.

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Dos Caminos

It's that time again in New York City, Restaurant Week, where 3 course meals are $35 at the top eateries in the city. However, add in tax, tip and a drink my bill last night came to $58 when my friend Karen and I went to Dos Caminos SoHo. 

Inside has a good atmosphere and I had a great Pinot Noir (Echelon; CA) with my duck entre. I handed my glass over to Karen to try saying it was spicy and was like a banquet in your mouth. She took a sip, made a face as if she just took a shot of tequila and replied with a gasp "Banquet? There’s like a 300 piece band in there, I think I tasted a trombone." lol, well I like it dry and with substance and she's not much of a drinker. 

The ensalada I had as an appetizer was a bit too spicy and their most raved about item, their guacamole, wasn't on the pre fix meal, so we ordered off that menu to try it. They supposedly mix it at the table for you in these stone holders and you have the option of mild, medium and spicy. We went with mild and it was super yummy, but it came to our table already mashed-to-order. I'm not even a huge guacamole fan but it was very creamy and yum with tomatoes mixed in that it had me scraping my chips along the edges for more. Take a look:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other than that, the food wasn't terribly Mexican despite the restaurant’s name but more traditional tasting with a latin/american fusion menu.

Downward facing thong

Have you ever done yoga in a thong? Well, I don't reccomend it.

As I scrambled to work today I thought I had everything in order with my bag of shirts to be dropped off at the dry cleaners (check) and my gym bag on the other shoulder. In it, I had remembered to pack my sports bra (check), stretchy yoga pants (check), sneakers (check), socks (check). But I forgot to bring extra underwear. Instead I had to wear what I was wearing that day, a thong. Wearing one in general is far from being completely comfortable but when bending, doing warrior position and walking up walls, it's especially unpleasant. It did keep my mind off the clock I'll tell you that much and continually had me laughing under my breath. Especially when the male instructor came by and put his hands on my waist and made me extend further in a particularly difficult Shiva position, causing my panties to lodge further.

Jac (that's the instructors name) always targets me like that tho and makes me go further into positions than I want to, despite his claim to the class that we can stop when ever we feel uncomfortable. Yet, he always makes me do the hard hand stands but lets the others use the wall or blocks. He's a French bully frankly. Yes, I know he's only doing his job, but tonight he seemed particularly gunning for me since I hadn't attended his class in a long time now that I basically do cardio workouts at the gym instead and he kept calling me Cara.

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Shadowboxer

Besides Little Miss Sunshine, I went to another advanced film screening last week as well. It was a press showing of Shadowboxer in a small private professional theater with large comfy chairs, which my friend and I soon made ghetto by sneaking Subway sandwiches into it.

Shadowboxer stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Helen Mirren (Calendar Girls) and Stephen Dorff. I didn’t write a review of the film the next day like I usually do because the film was so F’d up, but in a good way. I still keep thinking of the many disturbing scenes and relationships that the story portrays and I am still not sure how to go about describing it. In essence it’s part Pulp Fiction, film noir and an independent art film.  The story centers on Rose, a female assassin (Mirren), diagnosed with terminal cancer who decides to carry out one final killing assisted by lover, fellow assassin and also stepson, Mickey (Cuba). I had stated that the relationships were disturbing. Anyway, their job becomes complicated when their hit turns out to be for a pregnant woman (Vanessa Ferlito) about to give birth, who also happens to be the wife of a dangerous Philadelphia murderer and criminal. 

Despite the very graphic sexual and violent scenes in the film, there are many artistic shots and religious symbolism throughout. Also, the gritty scenes are oddly juxtaposed to French classical compositions making the film even more complicated. I was continually being shocked and feeling uncomfortable, yet I walked away liking the film for these same reasons. The plot also progressed well and made up for its harsh beginnings. The film also marks the directorial debut of Lee Daniels, the producer of the Academy Award-nominated Monster’s Ball and The Woodsmen, which helps explain the film’s frank and harsh scenes. 

I found it especially nice seeing Cuba really acting again instead of playing dumb and crazy in Snow Dogs and Rat Race and Helen Mirren is as classy as ever despite the harsh role. Macy Gray also stars as one of the supporting characters and plays the part of a drunken street girl all to well and may I add, her voice is so annoying. I mean, I like her music but have you heard her talk? Geez.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt (the boy from 3^rd Rock from the Sun) stars as well and plays a corrupt doctor dating his nurse played by actress Mo’Nique, whose messed up relationship and characters I enjoyed.

Shadowboxer opens in limited release on July 21.