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The octuplet's mom is...

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It seems like everyone has formed an opinion about Nadya Suleman, the mom of 14 kids.  I didn't know what to make of her at first.  I thought people were being very judgmental and harsh...until I heard her interview with TODAY's Ann Curry.  I think all the questions are valid...especially when we're talking about the well being of children.  Did she have any business getting an IVF treatment, when she had 6 babies at home who are already living in a cramped home?  How will she feed them, with no job?  How will she physically care for them? 

I think this is a really sad story about a woman who is crying out for attention.  She has stirred a lot of controversy...and has dug a big hole for herself.  The only victims here: the 14 children that didn't ask for any of this craziness. 

the girlies flex their muscles...

at the box office, driving "He's Just Not That Into You" to the #1 spot this weekend.  According to Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. domestic distribution chief, 80% of the audience was female...and that included...my girlfriends and I.  

Overall, I thought this was a cute movie.  I mean, it's not going to win any Oscar nominations, but it was certainly the type of flick you'll enjoy catching with your girlfriends.  It had funny moments.  Who can't relate to being a maniac, by repeatedly checking their phone every second of the day, when waiting for a boy's phone call?  We've all been guilty of that! It also had a sweet scene...I'm embarrassed to admit it, even to my fellow girlies...that made me tear up a little.  I'm a sucker for romantic moments, what can I say?

instant judgment

My dad was in the hospital earlier this week for "age & dehydration", that according to his chart.  The first time I went to visit him in his hospital room, I was met by his roommate's eyes. My instant thought was, "Is he an Aids patient?". I felt horrible for thinking that....and kept beating myself up for even allowing that thought to have crossed my mind.  About an hour later, 2 doctors came to see him and were asking him if he knew where he was. Softly, he replied that he was at St. Vincent's hospital. They corrected him and informed him he was at a different hospital, in a different borough. They explained to him he had a mass in his brain and they needed to do a biopsy.  He refused and said he wanted to go home.  I felt really bad for him...and somehow worst for my conscience.  A few minutes later, 2 ladies that struck me as social workers came to his bedside. "Are you aware you're HIV positive?", they asked.  "Yes", he whispered. "Are you depressed?", the social worker asked. "I don't know" was the patient's answer. 

At that point I had heard enough.  I felt uncomfortable staying in the room any longer, I mean... whatever happened to privacy rights?  (Side note: I have a question for those of you who work in the medical field, is this even legal?  It just seems sooo inappropriate to reveal a patient's health status for strangers to hear.  Come to think of it, they did it to my dad too...but somehow that didn't bother me.  Who cares if his roommate knows he has diarrhea...but a brain tumor & HIV?  Come on, closing a cloth curtain doesn't seal anyone's ears.)

Back to my quick judgment...I was right after all.  I immediately thought of the book, Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.  The book is about the conclusions we make in a blink of an eye.  Gladwell talks about the  important information we gather in just 2 seconds.  So, what did I see in that instant when I first walked in, smiled and said hello to my dad's hospital roommate?  I saw gloomy eyes, a lanky guy with feminine features who was laying down in a fetal position.  Is that really enough evidence to come up with a correct "diagnosis"?  I'm not convinced...but where in the world would I get that from?  When I try to rationalize it, it just doesn't make any sense to me.  Is it supposed to make sense?  Could it have been a coincidence?  BTW, no...I'm not gifted with psychic powers. 

All these questions with no answers.  Maybe I should go back to square one...re-reading the book.  It made sense when I read about the topic...but somehow a different story when it actually happens.

Eye Detective

I have a newly found obsession...I can't stop staring at ladies with pretty eyes.  I watch intensely ABC's 11pm local anchor, Liz Cho.  I photograph with my brain women's ojos in the crowded streets of NYC.  I study my girlfriends across the dinner table.  I try to figure out what exactly is making these women's eyes pop.  It's funny how at thirtysomething, I'm rediscovering eye make-up...and I can't get enough of it.

I've never been married to my make-up kit.  Stila eye shadows and Bobbi Brown brushes were barely in my radar.  I've always been perfectly okay leaving my house with just lip balm on and nothing else.  Up until recently, the extent of my beauty regiment was threading my eyebrows twice a month, waxing my lip every other week (that damn mustache...lol) and moisturizing my face every morning.  I'm a minimalist at heart...which is why I'm surprised at my new urge to learn all about eye make-up. 

So, why the sudden change?  I'll blame it on Chanel.  As a birthday gift, my friend gave me Chanel's Quadra Eye Shadow in Shimmering Dunes ($56).  It's such a pretty palette!  I started by experimenting with the shimmery soft pink eye shadow all over my lid.  I liked how you couldn't tell I was wearing make-up...until sunlight hit my eyes and there was a bit of a sparkle.  The more I wore it, the more I liked it.  It just made me feel pretty.  I realized then there was no turning back.  I tried that for a couple of months until I was ready for more pizzazz.  My step two is using the frosty white eye shadow on my brow bone as a highlighter.  By the way, I'm not 100% sure I'm doing this right...but I might as well try.  So, I wore those two light eye shadows for weeks and weeks, 'til I was ready for more.  That's where you'll find me today.  I just graduated to my final eye shadow step: adding a slightly darker shade to the crease.  

I know...I know...I'm a late bloomer, what can I say?  Sure, I'd like to be more adventurous with color...but I don't feel like I have the skills.  The last thing I want to do is walk around looking like a clown.  Hence, why I'm now doing some detective work.  Like a good reporter, I'm doing my research...screening tv shows, checking out F train riders, listening to girlfriends' testimonials, blogging about it and now, asking YOU for your eye shadow tips.  My goal?  Being able to do a glamorous smokey eye in my sleep.  At this rate, let's see if that's a feasible goal for 2009.