Shower dress!

I know, I know. When did this tomboy who spends most of the week in pajamas start getting all girly? I don't know, but I promise this is the last dress post for a while.

It's from JCrew. It's really cute no?

Rehearsal Dinner Dress

White House Black Market, on sale. I'm posting two of the same picture because I like how the dress looks in one, but it looks like I have a wonky eye. I'm posting the second to prove I don't actually have a wonky eye.

Thoughts? I love how it looks a little old-house-wifey/Joan Halloway. A girl can be a little retro sometimes right? (It's a little wrinkled because it came in the mail..)

The Dodgers re-introduce me to my small, female brain

Good thing the Dodgers are introducing female-friendly broadcasts. I've always been too scared to ask questions about sports and baseball is so damn tough to figure out! Now they can explain to me the proper way to wear a pink hat, when to clap and the lady-like way to eat a hot dog (I guess we should probably stick to salads). Since I always have a tough time counting to three, good thing Jeanne Zelasko can help me along. It's like Sesame Street, but for adults! Well, not adults, just women. Our brains struggle to understand this hit and run thing. 

Says Zelasko: "I like to look at our broadcast as we're not afraid to explain something most people might take for granted."

I can't tell you how many times Jeff has cornered me and told me I'm taking Base on Balls for granted. And thank God we have Zelasko to explain to us what the "six hole" is. Counting to six is almost twice as hard as counting to three!

I'm getting a headache. This has to be the stupidest sports idea since ... well, it's hard to remember significantly stupid moments in sports. My brain is too full of recipes for Chicken Tetrazini.

Did it occur to the Dodgers that women don't enjoy being pandered to? That having one of the best announcers in sports (Vin Scully) is a fine way to learn about baseball? That baseball isn't that flippin' hard to understand to begin with?!

What bothers me about this more than anything is the contempt it breads for female sports fans. Take a look at some of the comments.

Uh... Bad idea. There is nothing worse than listening to woman do male sports. Gymnastics ok....Ice skating fine..... Underwater basket weaving great...But baseball? Come on! Recently listened to a NBA basketball game with a woman commentator. Absolutely Terrible. It just doesn't work. Pa leeeeese NO!

****???? Why ?
Women already get to view athletic men , and fantasize about them..........Why do you have to cater to them with thi generict broadcast team??? Unless Zelasco is wearing a thong for us men to view.
What's in it for us men??? Are you going to show us more female underwear commercials, so 'we' can fantasize also???
It's a load, as far as I am concerned, and it's dumbing down the game..........

Fannnn-tastic. I'm all for more females in the booth, but there's no reason to start this trend off with the training wheels on. My guess is if someone, not necessarily a female, is interested in something but confused by it, they probably will just ask someone. Or look it up on the internet. Or read a book. Or keep watching so they'll learn. Revolutionary.

So, I'm clearly offended by this. And I'm sure most female baseball fans (there are a lot of them) will be as well. Certainly quite a few of my male fan friends piped in on this as well. 

The way sports can become more female-friendly is not to treat that segment of the population any differently than the other. I've always believed  that most women who don't watch sports don't because they were specifically made to feel like an outsider. Maybe by their father, or their boyfriend/husband or maybe even their mothers who didn't watch sports and therefore made her feel like it wasn't something she should be part of. I also suspect men who grew up in households where their mothers/sisters watched sports are more accepting. 

I've been over this before. Sports is no more difficult to understand whether you are a man or a woman. While my trajectory as a sports fan started later than most, I don't feel badly about being a little behind. Who cares?

Blech. Your thoughts?

On the job

This weekend was the annual blog summit at WWL headquarters. Last year it was a sort of awkward learning experience as none of us really knew each other or what we were doing. This year, after a year of joking around over e-mails, it was really like we finally all got to meet each other in person, even though we already have. I was a little nervous because I'm at least 60% more awkward in person than I am over the internet, where I can hide behind an avatar and interact with people while sitting in my pajamas.

But it was fun.

I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but I seriously feel so blessed that I not only have a job I love but I genuinely like the people I work with. 

We all got in on Sunday night and headed out to dinner, both the college and NFL folk, and I found myself the only chicka at a table of 15 or so -- story of my life. (I'm not saying it's a big triumph or problem, but it's always sort of in the back of my head. I think I've learned to hold my own though.)

It was good QT to chat with people, a little about work and a little about ... whatever. Couldn't keep all my attention on the table as the Celtics were getting it handed to them in the background. 

Monday was the conference and it was all positive stuff. Page views are awesome and everyone seems really pleased. We got a chance to go over some of the issues we've had over the year and sort of talk them out and I pitched something that we may or may not be seeing on this blogs this year. Stay tuned :)

Monday night was the highlight as everyone got together at my boss' Matt's house for a BBQ. Matt and his wife Sarah were gracious hosts who went above and beyond on the food and everything else. I had intended to snap a lot of photos but it didn't really happen. Here are a few.

AFC N blogger James and our gracious host Matt in the middle.

AFC S blogger Paul, class clown.

Brett (blog editor) and AFC E blogger Tim.

This doesn't really convey all the fun everyone was having, but it was seriously enjoyable. Makes you sort of sad it happens only once a year, like a high school reunion or something. I think we'll all of benefited from the in-person interaction. 

Until next year...

Speak now or forever hold your peace

Hair and make-up trial for the wedding was today.

This is me before. Do not be alarmed.

Aka how I look pretty much every day.

Below is with ma makeup done, hair in rollers.

With my couz/bridesmaid Sarah, who was nice enough to come!

Trying on makeup makes me so tired. 

My thoughts: Overall, I'm really pleased. I'm really make-up shy and begged her not to go overboard on the foundation, that I didn't want to be caked in make-up and not look like myself. I'm a little taken aback by how dark the lipstick was, but I think that's just because I don't wear it -- I actually think it looks nice. I might go lighter on the eyes, but I haven't decided yet.

The hair: Also, overall really happy. She gave me exactly what I asked for. I think she did a better job on one side, but I think we'll fix that for the wedding.

So, what do you think? Now is the time to be honest, please don't be shy.

LOST finale!

Woa. Just.... woa.

While I know my better half is cooling on this show, last night's finale was my favorite episode ever, just beating out Season 3's fast-forward finale and greatly improving on last season's "donkey wheel" finale.

I got tingles at the opening scene, considering how ambiguous it was, you knew it had to be important. Normally, my reaction would have been, "Why are we introducing MORE people AGAIN!" but the convo was so heavy handed you knew these weren't just minor characters destined to die in an insignificant way... especially when the name "Jacob" was dropped. 

I've seen a lot of Cain and Abel comparisons, and Jeff picked up on the "black shirt/white shirt" thing before me. But MY THEORY is definitely more of a Satan/God parallel. I mean, they're not going to come out and SAY that ever -- maybe they are just the God/Satan of the island. But in the old testament, Satan and God were always "playing games" with each other, so that's what I'm going with now. (Also like the theory I saw about Richard being on the ship in the distance.) 

But can Jacob really be Godlike? I've seen a lot of reviews this morning talking about how he jumped in and laid a comforting thought or hand or pen to every Lostie, but what about Sayid? Did Jacob cause the death of Nadia, or stop Sayid from being killed as well? Either way, Jacob knew Nadia would die, and wouldn't that be more indicative of something self-serving than a God-like action? Bah! (Also of note: Jacob was NOT in Juliette's flashback).

But if they aren't Satan and God, they're another science vs. fate coupling in the long Lost tradition: Jack vs. Locke, then Jack (on the fate side) vs. Sawyer (it wouldn't be Lost if someone wasn't being brutally punched in the face right?). It's always been the central argument of the show hasn't it? As of the finale, most of the characters believed that you CAN change the future, hence everyone changing their mind at the last minute to blow up the island and hope we start back at zero. "See you in LA."

I love how they threw in that gut-punch of Miles saying "What if we are the incident?" No doubt, they wanted us to agonize over that statement. However MY THEORY is no, that's not the incident. I don't say that with complete confidence though. I don't see how that could tie back into Dr. Chang's videos. The whole "incident" scene started to feel a little like a bad sci-fi movie at some points and I condemn fervent Losties for scoffing at Juliette's re-awakening. Of course they're not saying "Yeah, she survived, no biggie." That bomb was supposed to go off on impact, it didn't and then chains from nowhere wrap around Juliette's waist and she's plunging into the abyss. Like, duh, it was supposed to happen. Course correction. 

Jeff also picked up on Locke, not being Locke but being "Who dat Locke?" before me. MY THEORY is that "Who dat Locke" has been every apparition ever seen on the Island. Jack's dad, Hurley's imaginary friend, the black horse, BEN'S DAUGHTER. Satan is a well known shape-shifter (Jesus in the dessert anyone?) and although it's far out, it makes more sense then dead people actually BEING there right?

I like how they re-introduced Rose and Bernard and let them say what the audience was thinking: When will this ever end? Why are you doing this? In essence, who cares, have you ever done any good? It goes back to the conversation from the beginning, the eternal series: 

Who dat Locke: They come, they fight, they destroy, they corrupt. It always ends the same.
JACOB: It can only end once. Everything before that is progress.

It kind of trivializes our investment in the show to know this is something that has repeated over and over, and that our Losties aren't special.

Speaking of not being special, we get to Ben. MY THEORY is Ben knows EXACTLY what is going on, knows he's supposed to kill Jacob, knows killing Jacob would not ACTUALLY kill him. It seemed like "Who dat Locke" knew he was being played after Jacob said "They're coming," hence why he angrily kicked him into the fire. If Ben isn't in on it, Jacob definitely knew what was going to happen to him. I mean, of all the things Jacob could have said when Ben demanded to know why he wasn't special, wasn't "(Pause) What about you?" just akin to running straight into the knife? Also: my favorite line on Lost ever. Seriously rocked my world.

And who is Ilana? Is she an original Islander as well? Some people said they were speaking Latin, so, um, what's that about? She did call Richard "Ricardus." And what is this "candidacy." Is this some sort of Island-protection clan, like those who protected the Arc of the Covenant or the old knight who protected the Holy Grail in The Last Crusade? She definitely had a "I'll give my life to the cause" vibe. 

So what next? Losties start from scratch, become better people? Will "progress" have been made? I mean, it had to have happened right... the bomb exploded, I feel certain that they're not all just dead and that's that. But if they reset in time, do they lose their memories? That has not happened at any point in all the time traveling so far. They always ... remember. But will the Losties dead and gone (Charlie, Claire) remember? Will they get together at barbeques? Won't Locke ALWAYS be trying to go back? And what about Widmore? What's his role in all of this? WHO'S SIDE IS EVERYONE ON??

Whooo. That was fun. What are your thoughts my Lost compadres?

There's just no magic in the midnight sun

The Killers perform my favorite song (also their new single) on Letterman last night with a full orchestra. I love how Letterman introduces them as a "popular rock band." Also, I wish Brandon Flowers was my drum major in high school. /I'll stop now.

Weekend in Review: Killers, burgers, surprises, Star Trek, and more!

Another full-weekend. I don't want to be one of "those" bloggers, who only blogs what's happening in their days (or in my case, on their weekends.) I have stuff to say about stuff, and eloquently, I might add, but my mind is so preoccupied lately, it's hard to sort through it. More thoughtful posts to come after the wedding, I think.

The weekend started on Thursday when Jeff and I decided to hit up Five Guys and see the new Star Trek movie. Five Guys is a burger joint I was introduced to by my coworkers, thank God/damn them for that! The burgers there are insanely good and being on a diet, if you're going to splurge on a burger, it better be good!

Then we were off to see Star Trek. Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Woa there, nerdso. Star Trek on opening night?" Well, while I am a proud nerdso, I can say I'm not a Star Trek fanatic... this was more of a 'Why not see it tonight' situation than a 'OMG STAR TREK FTW!!' situation.

The theater was surprisingly uncrowded and un-costumed for opening night.

**At the Movies with Emily and Jeff: Star Trek**

Woa, those features just sneak up on you, don't they? I did enjoy the Star Trek movie. I was surprised how much I remembered from watching the show/movies growing up. My brother was a huge Star Trek: TNG fan, and most of the time, he won the remote battle. He even had a speak Klingon tape (yes, I remember!!)

I think these "revive franchise" movies really work when they go back to the beginning. See: the second most recent Batman and this movie (and to a lesser extent, last week's Wolverine movie). In movie form, we hadn't really seen the origins of the character, so it's fun to create a backstory, without really disrupting the common knowledge of the franchise. 

So you get to see the background of James T. Kirk (even how he was named), the little Spock, Scotty, McCoy and the rest of the gang. You feel part of the movie when you're seeing it come together, until they're all above the Enterprise together. The acting was fab (loved Simon Pegg as Scotty) and the Leonard Nemoy cameo rocked my world. 

A final ranking both Werschaibles approve: Three-and-a-half Werschaibles.

But the weekend was not over! We'll skip over Friday night's disappointing Celtic's game and fast-forward to Saturday and the Killers at Mohegan Sun!

Jeff and I saw the Killers in San Diego, and I have to say, it was the best concert I have ever been to. Sometimes the crowd makes the concert, and people were going nuts. It was one of those you-can-dance-like-a-moron situations and no one judges you.

Before I get to the performance on Saturday, I have to tell you about the strange coinkydink that happened beforehand! Jeff and I were wandering the outside ring of Mohegan, when, lo and behold, I see my two cousins Sarah (my bridesmaid) and Katie! I had no idea Sarah was a Killers fan, but she was there for the show too -- and sitting just two rows away. 

There we are!

Onto the concert... it was great! I was dancing like the fool I am, singing at the top of my lungs to all the songs. What I like about the Killers is there isn't a lot of faffing between songs -- they don't blab a lot, they don't jam (side note to bands: no one wants to watch you jam, unless you're Eric Clapton or something). They just play the songs, which allows them to get a lot of songs in. Twas a great night, here's a pic...

Why do people post pictures like this on their blogs? Concert pics are always terrible. I guess it's to prove they were there. Clearly, you cannot see the real reason I like the Killers so much...

Mmmmm. So all in all a great weekend (Big Baby... got it!). Yours?

It's my ring in a box!

My wedding ring in a box, gurl.

Holy crooked fingers Batman! Seriously, I look like I got them slammed in a car door (I didn't). However, look at my purty ring(s)! 76 days!

aka the weekend I gained four pounds

Why is it on weekend's I have the most fun, there ends up being more of me to love? I think I've been able to pinpoint it: it's not exactly lack of exercise or eating badly, though that doesn't help. It's two things: alcohol and dessert. Consider me on rehab from these two items for the next two and a half months ok? (And no, I don't think I actually gained four pounds, but the scale sure hurt my ego this morning...)

Anyways... the weekend! After a scheduling quirk where I worked seven straight days last week, my boss was nice enough to spring me for a three-day weekend. Friday, Jeff and I had date night -- Chilis and Wolverine. (Bonus! It was all for "free" because I had saved up gift cards and movie ticket passes -- always a great gift for the Werschaibles). I had roughly a gallon of margarita, two pounds of chicken tacos and a pint of ice cream. I'll do my movie review in abbreviated form right here:

**At the movies with Emily and Jeff: Wolverine**

Disclaimer up front: I love X-men. It was my favorite cartoon growing up, and I've enjoyed the movies up to this point (you mean there can be female superheroes who kick ass?! Thanks Marvel!)

That being said, there was nothing particularly special about this X-Men movie. The plot and acting were OK, the action scenes were pretty good, there weren't enough females but WHATEVER (I can't win every round I guess). I liked Liev Schrieber as Sabretooth as well as Ryan Renolyds as Deadpool, though I wish we got to see more of the latter in the movie.

Now I present to you a short survey. Answer as me.

This movie needed more ... what?

A. Tim Riggins.

B. Remy LeBeau.

C. Taylor Kitsch.

D. Gambit.

E. All of the above.

Here's hoping they appease me in the next movie.

Final Ranking: Three Werschaibles. 

Jeff has been complaining that these rankings do not involve his opinion at all. Well, it's my blog. But in the interest of fairness, he absolutely hated this movie. Go figure.

Moving on....

Late Friday night Jeff got a phone call. This is what I heard coming from him in the other room after he answered the phone.

Jeff: "If you are joking, I will drive down there and punch you in the face."

Charmer, right? Jeff had been offered a ticket to the Celtics game (Game 7) from our friend Grimey. Which left me in the lurch for game-watching plans. Fortunately, Andrew invited me to tag along to his plans (see: I invited myself). We ended up watching the game at his house. Before the game, Andrew took me to the liquor for a 45 minute session to pick out one six-pack, a mix and match that cost like $40. On beer! He kindly let me sample them all. Verdict: I don't like beer. 

Sunday was a full day in Rhode Island. We went down early to watch my cousin/bridesmaid Sarah participate in a half-marathon. Unfortunately, we missed the end of that but showed up right as she began the 5K (yes she did both, and enlisted most of her family to do the 5K as well). As we walked up she insisted we join them, and we did. It was a nice time spent catch up with family, seeing the new baby (yes, 1-month old McKenna made the "walk" too!), and getting a little exercise in on a day where I hadn't planned any.

We then killed a few hours in Cranston (not easy) before heading over to Andrew's for a belated seder/birthday dinner. Every year Andrew's parents host a seder, but this year since the band was in Cali recording their new album (side note: Awesome!) they had to postpone the dinner, which turned into sort of a regular dinner with seder food.

The company was amazing and there were a lot of laughs. I took some pics... First one, band and band girlfriends. 

The only reason I'm posting this pic is it has to go in my Hall of Shame for one of the worst photos I've ever taken. No one is looking at the camera and 50 percent of them have their eyes closed.

Mrs. B, our gracious host, took this better one for me.

Such good times. How was your weekend?

You can find me at Ted's

Before I recap the weekend (if I ever get around to it) wanted to share some fun you tube vids.

First is another clip from Britain's Got Talent. I'm not sure the world has time to get hyped about another feel-good story from this season, but I thought this guy was amazing -- tears. (PS -- I'm totally loving this Les Mis music!)

Ahhh, booo, I can't embed: Here's the link.... 

Second, a lot of my evening yesterday including hard laughs -- and two minutes worth came from this video. We were at Andrew's birthday dinner at his house and Steve, his bandmate, was telling us about a contest he had entered. Now, this isn't the first time he's entered a contest -- he won a jingle competition for Bernie and Phyll's earlier this year and won a car. But this jingle -- for Ted's Montana Grill -- really blew that one out of the water. Can't believe the video that got first beat this out. No worries though, Steve got second: a free trip to Montana.  (Note: the fake southern accent and the hat from iParty).