2010 Oscars - best dressed

J.Lo's is my absolute favorite. Amanda Seyfried's is a close second, but I think that is because they are very similar.

Thoughts? Opinions?

2010 Oscars - on-the-fence dressed

I can't decide if I like these. Do you?

2010 Oscars - worst dressed

It kills me to have SJP on my worst dressed list. I really wanted to like her dress, but there is just something off about it. The whole ensemble is off. I also wanted to like Zoe Saldana's dress. I hated it initially. Then it grew on me. But the more I thought about it, it bugged the crap out of me. Charlize Theron has cinnamon rolls on her boobs. What was she thinking? I love Carey Mulligan, but I hate those dresses that are short in the front like that. Yuck. The rest are self explanatory.

Thoughts? Opinions?

needtobreathe

At the radio show that I went to for Jason, I also was introduced to the band needtobreathe. Never heard of them before, but that soon changed.

During their performance, the guy, who is the bass player, was playing the tambourine. It was an acoustic set. He was basically right in front of me. He was super cute. I tried not to stare at him, but it was kinda hard not to. I know he saw me looking at him, because once he even smiled. I tried REALLY hard not to look at him after that. And failed.

So, after all the performances the groups were mingling with the fans. The craziest thing happened. HE WALKED UP TO ME. Seriously. He put out his hand and said, "I'm Seth. What's your name?"

SHUT UP!?!?!?!?!?

I shook his hand and told him my name. He said that it was really nice to meet me. I told him that they were fantastic. At this point the rest of the band walked over and I asked them if I could get a picture with them. They said sure and I asked a random lady to take the picture. They all gathered around me and Seth came next to me and stood right behind me.

It was all too crazy to comprehend at the time. I was there for Jason and watching him most of the time. Little did I know that an amazing band was right behind me. And Seth wanted to meet me. Me. I didn't see him do this to anyone else after me. Honestly, I still can't wrap my head around it. But needless to say, I am crushing BIG TIME! Not only is he gorgeous, but the band is fan-freaking-tastic. They are known to be a Christian rock band, but I feel like they are not just that. There are some songs that are clearly about that religion and God, but not all are so obvious or about that at all. They are a rock and roll band and they write about their lives. Being Christians is part of their lives, so that comes out in their writing. I love em. Really. You don't have to be christian (even though I am) to appreciate good music. Good music is good music. And I like good music.

I give you, me and needtobreathe...

Bo Rinehart, Seth Bolt, me, Joe Stillwell & Bear Rinehart

As I said, they are more than just pretty faces. I wanna introduce you to some of their music. I am really struggling to decide if I like acoustic or recorded tracks better. They are so fantastic acoustic, but with the songs on the album, you get Seth's amazing bass playing. I will never be able to choose.

My favorite song, Something Beautiful


Title track off their latest album, The Outsiders. With Seth playing bass.

And you should also watch the video for their best track, Washed By the Water, off their previous album, The Heat. It won't let me embed it, so please watch it here. Wet. That is all.

I was not looking for a new boy to swoon over. Believe me, I am occupied enough with the ones I already have. But when something this great falls in your lap, you can't ignore it. Just makes me swoon...

Please tell me what you think of the music. I am genuinely interested. Their 3 albums is all I have been playing for the last week. I'll also being going to see them on April 29th, in Tempe. WHOOP!

Don't worry. I have not forgotten Jason Castro. His EP is out now and his self-titled debut album comes out April 13th.

um... so yeah

Let's just skip the formalities and get down to what we're here for...

^^^ That was in a 24 hour span. And yes, he is wearing the same shirt. Trust me, I gave him crap about it. When I begged him to change, his response was, "But that means I would have to open my suitcase." Ah. Life on tour.

I saw Jason Castro when he was on tour with Matt Hires and Caitlin Crosby.

First I saw him in Tucson at The Solar Culture Gallery. I drove down (its a 2 hour drive) to Tucson that night and drove him after. There were very few people at this show. Maybe 30 or 35. It was a long, skinny venue that is also an art gallery. I was the first person there and the first person in the door. Needless to say, I was front and center. Great show. I know it was awkward for them, because there was so few people, but it was great for me. After his set, Jason went to the back of the room to meet the fans, before the next set. I just stood and watched him interact with people. It was great to see. I have supported him for so long, so seeing him with new fans makes me happy. I let them all have their moment with him, before I talked to him. He knew who I was (*squee*) and remembered that I had been asking him about something on twitter. What I was asking him about was a small show that he was doing the next day in Phoenix (before the show that night) that was sponsored by a radio station. I had tried the whole weekend prior, to win tickets. I called every hour and never won. I got as close as 1 number away from the caller they were asking for. I was so frustrated and sad. So I had asked him on twitter to hook me up. He remembered. When he asked me what I was asking him about, I reminded him and here's how that exchange went:

Jason says to me, "You were asking me about something..."

I said, "Yeah, for tickets to the radio show tomorrow."

"Well, are you going?"

"No, I never won tickets."

He makes a funny, devious face and says, "Come."

"Are you serious?" I say, freaking out.

"Yeah, come. I'll get you in. You know where it is, right?"

"Yeah, sure do."

And just like that... the man hooks me up. I got my picture with him (the one where I am wearing a scarf) and that was that. Surreal.

So the next afternoon, I went to the radio show. I knew I would get in, because even if Jason forgot, my friends had hooked me up via twitter. Ryan Star (who was also performing) was giving out tickets on twitter, while I was in Tucson. My friends talked to him and he said he would get me in too. I knew someone would remember. When I got the location, I saw Jason outside and he smiled at me and said, "I put you on the guest list." He remembered (*squee*). I walked up to the table to check in and got to say one of the greatest things I've ever said, "I am on Jason Castro's guest list. I'm Laura Anne." How I kept my composure, I will never know! I got right in the front for this show too. It was an acoustic show. There were 4 groups there. Matt Hires, Jason Castro, Needtobreathe and Ryan Star. Love. Love. Love. Love. Such amazing performances. You can watch most of them here. If you look thru the pictures, you might just see me too (*cough*picture 9*cough*). After the performances, I got to hang out with Jason again. That is when I gave him crap about his shirt. I got to talk to him a lot and tell him that all the girls (GOTH GIRL shout out!!) love him. He said that he knows. It was nice to hear him say that. We do love him and support and promote the crap out of him. So hearing that he knows that means a lot. I took another picture with him. I mean really... like I would miss an opportunity like that? That picture is the one where I am wearing the green shirt. I also got to meet and hang out with the other acts too. But more on that in the next post. :)

That same night, I dragged Chris along with me to see him again at The Rhythm Room in Phoenix. It was close to home this time. Only a 20 minute drive. I also met up with my friend Madi and her sister. She had never seen Jason live before. I am so glad that I got to be with her when she saw and met him. I love her so much. The show was great, as always. It was basically the same as the night before, but the crowd was much bigger. And if you doubted me, I was in the front for this one too. After the show, I was more interested in making sure Madi met him, but I also got another picture with him. By process of elimination, you know which one that is. There were lots more people to meet him, so I didn't get to talk to him much. But I thanked him for coming to AZ and he hugged me and thanked me for everything. It was a nice moment. I know it may just seem like a nice thing for him to say, but for me, it was much more. It was an affirmation. All our hard work finally paying off and him recognizing it.

It was a surreal 24 hours. I was on a high from it for days. It was amazing. I could not have chosen a better person to hitch my wagon to. And you know those eyes and that ass aren't too shabby either.

you can see my pictures here, here and here

hi there

I really don't know why I still have a blog. I've said this a million times. I love my blog. I've had it forever. But I have so many friends on twitter and facebook, so those are the places I talk. I think I am gonna try to post here and then post the links on twitter and facebook. I love talking and my own blog allows me to talk as much as I want.

So, here we go. Its 3:50am. I am awake. My days and nights have been switched for about a week and half. It only bothers me on the weekends. I don't get to see Chris all that much. But I like to think that I am giving him some alone time. He usually doesn't have that when he's home. I guess its how I justify it to myself. Its so easy to slip back into being up at night. Its actually easier for me than sleeping at night. But I don't really know why.

Things in life have been going pretty well lately. I am gonna post some individual posts for some things, but I guess I can give a summary here.

Chris can often be angry and upset at life. Mostly work and finances. I mean, that upsets most people. He just has a hard time letting these things go. Its been a problem. It has, honestly, effected our marriage. To the point where I wasn't sure about the future. But, a couple weeks ago he had an argument with his mother. He told her some things that he had been keeping inside for a really long time. Even though she didn't understand and now pretends like nothing happened, I think it was a release for him. He doesn't admit to this, but I know him. Since that argument, he has done a total 180. He has had periods of good moods before, but I want to believe this is different. He just decided he wants to be happy and be able to enjoy life. We have been talking a lot and really being honest with each other. I feel like we are closer than we have ever been. We are being more affectionate than we've been since the beginning of our marriage. Things are good. Really good. He still has his moments and I am not saint either. But he works at not letting the anger consume him and getting past it. This is so positive for us both.

That and all the great things that have been happening for me lately have made me very happy. I still don't have a job and that brings me down, but there is only so much control I have over that.

I am good. Real good.

song in my head 02/03/10

Ice Cream by: Sarah McLachlan

best picture

Every year, for the last few years I have made a commitment to see all the movies nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. For the last 3 years, I have been successful. This year the Academy decided a throw a monkey wrench in to my plan. They go and nominate 10 movies for Best Picture. 10 movies in just over a month, only 1 of which I have already seen. Damn. My luck is that some of them are already out on DVD. Looks like I'll be renting lots of movies. I don't know if I'll be able to see the ones still in theaters, but Chris did show an interest in Avatar, so I may see that one.

edited to add: DONE. as of the night before the awards!
The nominees are:
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Precious: Based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire
Up in the Air
Inglourious Basterds
Up
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
A Serious Man

DISNEY!!

I always said that I wanted to celebrate my 30th birthday in Disneyland. It didn't happen. So for my birthday this past year, my sister decided that she would gift me something special. She combined my birthday and Christmas gift and gave me a trip to Disneyland. With her, of course. She would pay for the plane ticket, hotel and tickets to Disneyland and California Adventure. WOW! I was really happy, to say the least. I hadn't been to Disneyland in almost 14 years.

Well, that trip just happened a week ago. It was the trip of a lifetime. We stayed at the Grand Californian hotel on property. We didn't even need a car. It was amazing. I can't really say enough about what a great time it was. FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! Even though it rained the afternoon and evening of the 1st day we were in the park, it was still a blast. It wasn't crowded at all and we practically walked on rides. The last time I was there, I waited in line for over 2 hours for some of those rides. It was the perfect time to go. And California Adventure didn't even exist last time I was there. It was a parking lot. It does not compare to Disneyland, but it has some really cool things about it too. We saw so many characters too. I had decided that I was gonna get my picture taken with every character we saw. I lost count of how many I actually got, but boy do I have pictures!!

click this one to see the rest

BEST TRIP EVER!
Thanks sis.

i suck

I did my best/worst dressed for the Golden Globes, then totally slacked on the SAG Awards and the Grammys. augh.

I also keep neglecting this blog. I always tell myself that I need to post, but I never think about it. Twitter and Facebook have taken over my life.

Poor blog. Poor me.

speechless

the best thing about the 2010 Golden Globes...

Glee wins for best Comedy!

2010 Golden Globes - best dressed

Thoughts? Opinions?

2010 Golden Globes - worst dressed

Thoughts? Opinions?

HK bags!

I really need to own both of these. Why can't money grow on trees?

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas

Puck is really a big softie... or is it just Mark?

Mark Salling is awesome.

He wrote an homage for the Glee cast and crew.

love

One thing I love about the holidays is all sorts of cool, new stuff. Problem is, I have no money to buy things.

Seriously! How cool is this necklace? The LOVE sign using a Hello Kitty head as the "O." That's just about the cutest thing I have seen in a long, long time.

if only this would fit...

I am loving this dress sooooo much. It is the cutest thing i've seen in a long, long time. I love retro dresses. I wish that people made dresses like this in plus size. It would make my life.

world aids day

www.worldaidscampaign.org

More than 25 million people have died of AIDS since 1981.

Africa has 14 million AIDS orphans.

At the end of 2008, women accounted for 50% of all adults living with HIV worldwide, and for 59% in sub-Saharan Africa.

Young people (under 25 years old) account for half of all new HIV infections worldwide.

In developing and transitional countries, 9.5 million people are in immediate need of life-saving AIDS drugs; of these, only 4 million (31%) are receiving the drugs.

black friday

My mom and I decided to brave a couple of stores yesterday. We were not crazy and got up before dawn. We went later in the afternoon and we were on a mission. We went to Old Navy and it was nuts. There were tons of people and the store was a mess. Everything was thrown all over the place. My goal was to find these and I sure did find them. That means I now own HO flips! So happy. We found the flip-flops and got out of that store as soon as possible. Then next 2 stores we went to were actually not bad at all. They didn't appear and busier than usual. We found almost every thing we were looking for and got great deals in the process. I am just glad that we didn't try to do more. All the crowds and chaos are not something I enjoy.
But dude... I have HO flips! So worth it.

daily overdose of hotness

Guess who is on cover of the latest issue of Details?
Apparently, there is an article that goes with the pictures.
goodness gracious

It gets better...


Today was a much better day.

venting

Tonight, after Adam Lambert's performance on the American Music Awards, there was some upheaval online, especially twitter. I have lot more feeling about the subject than I cannot express in 140 characters. My opinion on the performance... dumb, desperate and not good at all. What wasn't good was the singing. His wailing is something I could never get into while he was Idol. He has a great voice, but its not really as rocker as he thinks it is. I heard some of his performances when he was in Wicked and that is what he needs to be doing. When he screeches, it ruins the whole song. The dumb part was him acting like he is this huge superstar already. He thinks he is this rock god. I hate to break it to him, but he was only on Idol. He's not even in the same vain as anyone I would consider a rock star. What was desperate was him grinding all over the dancers and having them crawl over him. Now, I can get into artistic performances, Lady Gaga, but until you have have had a number one hit or even an album in the stores, show the audience your talent, not how you can run around a stage and stick your face in people's crotches. Desperate for attention. That's what that was.
Now the issue that arose on twitter was that many people were saying that the performance was gross and disgusting. People have the right to their opinion, even if they don't phrase that opinion in the most appropriate ways. Seems ridiculous to start attacking those that disagree with you. Do you really think you will change their mind? Its a waste of your time and will only upset yourself when they don't suddenly agree with you. Not worth it. But something worse happened while people were disagreeing about the performance. Some people started accusing others of being homophobic, because they said the performance was disgusting. I get very confused how the leaps are made. Seriously. If I said Jennifer Lopez's performance sucked, could I then be accused of being racist again Puerto Ricans? Just because a person says that Adam's grinding was disgusting does not necessarily have any thing to do with him being gay. I am sure that, for some people, it does. But for the majority of people, including me, his sexuality had nothing to do with it. Why this leap? I still can't wrap my brain around it. Also, that is a lot of pressure to put on Adam. He is just doing his thing and if people expect him to allows represent the entire gay community, people will be disappointed. Its not fair to him. So people, please. I hated Carrie Underwood's outfit, but that does not mean I have issues with blonde girls from Oklahoma.

Relax. Its just entertainment. Not everyone likes the same things. Good thing there are lots of options.

a cute little story

I had forgotten about a cute thing that happened when I was on the east coast, visiting my sister. I remembered today, because my sister was processing some pictures she had taken of her friends family, for their Christmas card. While I was there, we went over to her friends house to visit for a little bit. Her friend has a daughter who will be two very soon. While we were visiting, we were playing with her and I was sitting on the floor. The little girl came up to me, pointed at the tattoo on my foot and said, "What's that?" I told her it was a ladybug and she looked right at me and said, "Why?" She said it in the cutest voice you could imagine. Almost in a sing-songy voice. "Whiiiii?" How could I not laugh? I said to her, "That's a good question, J." Even at that age, tattoos are perplexing.

i must own this!

Finally, there is a Hello Kitty stocking that is not all pink. I love Hello Kitty, but do not like pink. So when there is Kitty stuff that is not pink, I am overjoyed.

obsessed with these

Who wants to buy me these? Oh. They are only $5 at Old Navy? I think I can swing that. Nothing like Christmas flip flops, especially HO ones and candy cane hearts!. Can't wear these in most parts of the country, but I can!

update on last post

This morning, I decided to call Vic. I had to end this stupid limbo. It rang and rang. He never answered or was not home. He does not have voicemail or an answering machine. I let it ring for a long time. I figured if he doesn't have voicemail, he wouldn't have caller id. How would he know that I called? I emailed him. This is what the email said...

I just tried to call you. What I was going to tell to you was that I really didn't have anything to say.
Please do not call me back.
Maybe in the future, if I feel like communicating with you, I will. For now, this is all I can do.

Laura

That really is what I was going to say. In truth, the email was easier than the conversation would have been. It was a lot less stressful for me... as it should be. Who knows what will happen next, but I think I made myself very clear.

not all sunshine and light

My father Vic called me on Sunday. It was the first time I had heard from him since the day before he was moving out of state. That was back in April and he called me to ask if I would help him pack. I said no and that was the last I had heard from him. Then a birthday card showed up in my mailbox (a day late) and it sent me spinning. Not only a card, but a check. It was one of the those really long, mushy cards that you never really read. I didn't read it and still never have. All he wrote was something lame like, Hope you have a Happy Birthday. Love, Dad. As if nothing had happened. As if I hadn't spoken to him in over 6 months. I cashed the check and sent him a simple thank you note. Said "Thank you for the card and check. Love, Laura." I did the right thing by sending him the note. I didn't even have his address until I got if off the return address on the card. Now had I known what would happen after he got the thank you note, I might not have sent it. That is what led to him calling me on Sunday. I didn't answer. It was a number I didn't recognize and I never answer calls from numbers I don't know. I didn't have his phone number either. He left me a message and it was full of crap. "I miss you. I hope I can talk to you." Bullshit like that. I haven't called back. I didn't call back then, because 1. I was watching football and I don't like being interrupted during my Cardinals games and 2. I was feeling sick. Still kinda am. Must be some sinus or something. Even now, though, I don't know if I want to call him or not. Before, it was simple. He doesn't call me, I don't call him. I don't have anything to say to him. Actually, that's not true. And honestly, that is why he hasn't called me. He has told people that he hasn't called me, because I will just yell at him and tell him things he doesn't want to hear. Oh, you mean like you are a dumbass and are screwing up your life by buying a bride from Russia. Stuff like that? Oh hell yes, I will tell him things he does not want to hear. But he should be the parent. And he should be able to listen to what I have to say. Allow me to be honest with him and still be able to maintain a relationship. That is what parents are supposed to do. But I had decided a long time ago, that venting that anger and frustration to him was just a waste of time. Nothing would change. It will only cause me grief. So I have nothing to say to him. I don't want him in my life. Plus, whenever he calls my sister, all his does is talk about himself, his cabinets and his Russian bride. I hear all about it from her. I don't need to hear it from him too. What would I even say to him? He is not worth getting upset over. He is not worth me stressing about this at all. My sister says that I should talk to him. That even though he is a jackass, he's still our father. I don't really buy that. He may be the man who's sperm got my mother pregnant with me, but he hasn't been a father to me in a very long time.

daily dose of hotness - album release day addition

Just pretend that it is still yesterday...

How could I not post a daily dose of hotness on album release day?

Alright, after you pick your jaw up off the floor, lets talk Battle Studies. It was wonderful to wake up and have an album just waiting to be downloaded. That is an awesome feeling. I have listened to the whole album when it was "leaked" last weekend.

Side note: If it is leaked on an official site, like Rhapsody, and with the artists approval, does that even count as leaked? It shouldn't. And so many albums are being leaked before the release date that it just seems pointless to have a later release date. Just put it out earlier. Stupid. I hate when I see that albums are leaked.

Sorry. Got sidetracked there.

So I had heard the album already, but hadn't really listened to it. I really wanted to wait until I had my own copy and could start and stop and play which ever song I wanted. I have been doing that all day. I have to say that, of course, I love it.
Love.
But we knew that would happen. However, I have not yet been able to pick a favorite track. I need to play them more. There are some that I go to play more often, like All We Ever Do is Say Goodbye and Heartbreak Warfare. I think the rest of the album needs more time to stew. I need to learn more of the lyrics first. When I do, I can appreciate the songs more. I am all about the lyrics.

Then tonight, I watched the live show on FUSE and was able to hear some of the new songs live. I fell in love with Friends, Lovers or Nothing. Wow. And I thought Gravity was a great closing song. F,L or N is an amazing song. Don't know if its my favorite, but its up there. I really hope I can find a video of it on youtube. The whole show was great and it was an awesome way to end album release day.

happy birthday to me

Today, I am 32 years old. Being in my 30's ain't nearly as bad as I had expected. But that is probably because I still act like a 12 year old.