2011 Academy Awards - My Best and Worst Dressed

Yea! It's that time of the year again....The Academy Awards. It's like the Superbowl of fashion. I watch the red carpet and telecast every year with my mom. One year when I was still in college, she drove up to Bemidji, brought Chinese food from Wong's Kitchen and stayed over in my dorm room to watch with me...isn't she the best! We like to sit in our living room, eating fatty food and drinking fake champagne and pass judgement on what the stars are wearing. So here are my picks for best and worst dress this year.

Best Dressed:

1. Jennifer Lawrence in Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein. One word: FLAWLESS! The whole look is very minimal and I think that is why I like it so much. She doesn't over-do the hair and jewelry and looks perfect for her first Oscar appearance.
2. Scarlett Johansson in Dolce & Gabbana. This lovely plum color was perfect with her skin coloring. I love the form fitting style, the bare back, and the lace overlays. That being said, she could have done something with her hair, or at least brushed it!
3. Hailee Steinfeld in Marchesa. Seriously, how cute is she? Can you imagine being nominated for an Academy Award at fourteen? She is just undeniably cute and so age-appropriate in this beautiful pink gown.
4. Mila Kunis in Elie Saab. Mila is just stunning, she is my girl crush. This lavender gown was the perfect choice for the award show. The dress was romantic, yet sexy at the same time.
5. Reese Witherspoon in Armani Prive. I love Reese's entire look because it reminds me of my all time favorite look which is Julie Roberts in vintage Valentino at the 2001 Academy Awards. The black and white dress, the high 60's pony-tail.....just flawless.

Worst Dressed:

1. Nicole Kidman in Christian Dior. I always look forward to seeing what Nicole Kidman is going to be wearing on the red carpet, but this year was a let down. The dress is a beautiful work of art, but I don't think it was the best choice for the Oscars.
2. Marisa Tomie in vintage Charles James. I love vintage dresses on the red carpet, but Marisa's dress just didn't work for me. The straps were awkward and the top didn't seem to match the bottom.
3. Florence Welch in Valentino. I really wanted to like this dress, but I just couldn't. The color was all wrong on her and it didn't seem grand enough for the Academy Awards.
4. Mandy Moore in Monique Lhuillier. Okay, I have to admit that I am probably biased about this look because for some reason I can't stand Mandy Moore. She reminds me of that girl in high school who thought she knew everything about everything and acts like she is above everyone else. That said, I do feel the dress washes her out and it is to too similar to the Monique Lhuillier she wore to the Golden Globes this year.
5. Sharon Stone in Christian Dior. Just, no Sharon Stone. Please go back to the Gap t-shirt under the Valentino suit. Sometimes simpler is better.

Twenty-Somethings and Politics

Recently I was having a lively political discussion with someone around my parents age and they said to me, "you are too young, you just don't understand." At the time I let the comment roll by, but later the more I thought about it the more the comment made me angry. Yes, I am young but that doesn't mean I don't know or understand what is going on in the political world. I have found that many twenty-somethings feel this way, regardless of political affiliation. While we may not have the same experience as the older adults in our life's, we have had our own and from those experience we shaped our political beliefs.

I consider myself a liberal. Many people assume this is my political affiliation because of my parents and my upbringing. This may be true to an extent, but it is not the only thing that has gone into my political decisions. My undergraduate minor was Political Science, I have had the opportunity to have professors from both sides of the political spectrum and through my education I have found that I lean more towards the left. I didn't pick to be a liberal because I thought is was in or the cool thing to do, I choose to be a liberal because my core values fall closer with that group. I have friends and family who come from all areas of the spectrum and I respect each and everyone of their beliefes and I know they respect mine.

So my message to the older generation....you may have more life experience than us twenty-somethings but please do not talk down to us when it comes to politics. Many of us have done our research and we understand what is going in the political world.

Search for the Perfect Bloody Mary: Bonfire

Mmmmm the Bloody Mary. What a perfect breakfast cocktail. When I turned 21, I was most excited to go to brunch at the Green Mill in Bemidji to get french toast and a Bloody Mary. Since moving back to the Twin Cities, some friends and I started a "Breakfast Club." We meet one Sunday a month for brunch, Bloodies and conversation. My mission is the find the best Bloodies in the Twin City area. First stop.....Bonfire on Grand Avenue.
Bonfire on Grand Avenue in St. Paul is famous for their dueling pianos. On Sundays they offer a brunch and a Bloody Mary bar, which quite possibly are the greatest invention ever. They bring you your vodka and you get to choose your tomato juice and garnishes. I choose to mix mine with Calmato Juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and garnished with pickles and blue cheese stuffed olives. Other options are Bonfire's house made tomato mix, green olives, green beans, cheese, pepperoni and shrimp. The plus side is you can take an appetizer plate for the other garnishes you don't put into your drink! The Bloody Mary's are $4, which I think is pretty reasonable.
Bonfire has a small brunch menu, but you are also able to order off their regular menu during brunch. I would recommend the Eggs Benedict which comes with cheesy hash browns and fruit. They offer $2 Mimosas as well, which are another great breakfast drink. They do take reservations, but if you don't make one there usually isn't a huge wait.

Why All the Teacher Hate?

Something is going on in Wisconsin and I am not going to pretend I understand completely the fight between the Wisconsin GOP and the teacher's union. I try to stay up to date with current politics, but sometimes life gets in the way. I have read a few articles on various websites and I am appalled by the backlash against teachers in the comment sections (I need to stop reading the comments, they just get me fired up).

There is a misconception that many teachers go into teaching because of summer vacations, this is not true. Thousands of teachers across the United States either work in year-round school districts, teach summer school or work a second job in the summer. We spend our winter breaks, spring breaks and summer breaks preparing for the upcoming months of lessons, tests and workshops. We spend our weekend worrying about our lesson plans for the upcoming week. Many choose to further their education and attend Master's programs in the summer, as well as going to night school throughout the school year. We are also required to keep our teaching license up to date with continuing education credits.

Alright, here is where I am going to get on my soap-box...I am fed up with people telling me how I should do my job as a teacher. I would never walk into an operating room and tell a surgeon how to do their job. If you have never worked in a school then you have no idea what it is like to work in a school. Yes, you have attended school that does not make you an expert on school as a business and job. I do my job and I do it well, I don't need someone who thinks they are better than me telling me what they think I am doing wrong.

Like any profession there are some teachers who probably shouldn't be a teacher, those of the teachers who get all the publicity (sleeping with students, harsh punishments and abuse, dealing drug...the list can go on and on) but most of the teachers I know pour their heart and soul into their profession and care deeply about the impact they have on today's students. A teacher is always trying to think of new and creative ways to reach their students, fun ideas to incorporate into their classroom, and how we are going to cover everything that the tests of No Child Left Behind measure. We are under increasing pressure from state and federal government to produce high test scores or funding will be cut.

We are constantly told by students and parents we are doing a bad job. The other day I heard a story about a parent who called to yell at a teacher because their child was not allowed to go out for recess because they did not finish their homework. WAKE UP PEOPLE, LIFE HAS CONSEQUENCES! I do not go into my classroom unprepared each day, if I did there would be consequences. Parents, please do not treats us like we are idiots. I will tell you the same thing I tell my students, I will treat you with respect and I expect the same in reverse.

Being a teacher is hard and can be physically and emotionally exhausting, but I love it anyway. There is no better feeling than finally seeing the light bulb go on for the first time a student gets something.

St. Paul: A Love Story

Today while looking at the CNN website I came across a slideshow entitled "National Trust: Distinctive Destinations." I am always looking for ideas for where to travel to next so I clicked through. Imagine my surprise when the last entry was St. Paul Minnesota! Often I feel the state of Minnesota is over-looked in many travel pieces, especially the beautiful capital city of St. Paul.
Anyone who grew up somewhere is the Twin Cities is either a Minneapolis person or a St. Paul person. Because of my location and family I am a St. Paul girl. While it is true that Minneapolis is an easier city to navigate, I feel St. Paul has the charm of the grand, old cities of Europe (I am just guessing, I have not had the opportunity to travel over in Europe yet). As you walk down Summit Avenue or by Cathedral Hill area you see the beautiful houses and buildings built during the time of railroad and lumber barons. If you venture down to the Wabasha Caves, you are instantly transported back to the years prohibition and Al Capone. On University you see a melting pot of the many different cultures that have come to Minnesota. During the spring, summer and fall the Farmer's Market comes to lowertown, with a beautiful array of flowers, fruit, vegetables, meat and diary all grown and made here in our wonderful state.
I could go one and on for pages about the many wonderful things about St. Paul, but I want to ask you....what is your favorite part of this amazing city?

I wish I could take credit for the beautiful picture above, but I can not. That honor goes the the very talented Rosann Jorde.

Restaurant File: Fasika and Flamingo

On my mom and step-dad's first date they went out for Ethiopian food. Those who have experience eating Ethiopian cuisine may know that most is eaten with your hands, perfect for a first date, right? And when I was younger my family was invited to my Aunt Mary's every New Year's Day to celebrate Kwanzaa. We were always treated to homemade Ethiopian treats. Ethiopian food often consists of spicy vegetable and meat dishes call wat (or wot), it has the consistency of a stew that has been simmering for hours. Potatoes, cabbage, carrots, lentils, beef, lamb, chicken and fish are all used to make different varieties of wat. The wat is served on a flat bread called injera, which has a slight sour taste with a spongy texture (the description sounds gross but trust me it is delicious!). Injera often comes on the side to use as a utensil to eat your wat. Berbere, a mixture of white pepper, black pepper, fenugreek, garlic, chili pepper and salt, is used to spice many of the dishes.
My quest the last couple of years has been to find the best places to eat Ethiopian cuisine in the Twin Cities, and I believe I have found it. The first is the restaurant Fasika located in St. Paul on University and Snelling. Just walking into Fasika you senses are over-whelmed with the smells, sights and sounds of Ethiopia. For a first timer I would recommend the Vege-Sampler, you are able to try all of the different vegetable dishes. Anyone of the chicken dishes are a good choice though I prefer the lamb dishes but I realize that many people would probably choose chicken over lamb.
The second restaurant is Flamingo, also is St. Paul it is located on University and Syndicate. It is directly behind on SubWay so it can be easy to miss. I have only been to Flamingo once, but enjoyed it immensely. Flamingo is owned by two women and merge together the cuisine of both Ethiopia and Eritrea. When I asked where the name Flamingo came from I was told that the Flamingo is native to Ethiopia, learn something new everyday! My mom and I ended up splitting the Vege-Sampler (which included an amazing wat made with mushrooms!) and one of the chicken dishes. Both were delicious. The table next to us ordered a dish that came out sizzling like a plate of fajitas, it smelled amazing. Also, I recommend ordering the strawberry lemonade, it is freshly made and the tart taste helps mellow up the spice of the dishes.
There are plenty of other Ethiopian restaurants throughout the Twin Cities that have great Ethiopian cuisine, the two listed above just happen to be my favorite.

Fasika: 510 N Snelling Ave, St. Paul MN
Flamingo: 490 N Syndicate Street, St Paul MN

A Teacher's Valentine

Valentine's Day can be a depression holiday when you are single. Everywhere you look there are people celebrating their relationships. Even if you are secure with not being in a relationship, sometimes there is a part of you that wishes you had that special person to tell you how much they love you on the over sensationalized holiday. That is why Valentine's Day is one of the best holidays to be a teacher. It is a day to make your students realize that they are a special in their own unique way. It is a day to teach them about differences and accepting others. And that you don't always have to love or like someone, but you do need to treat them with respect and understanding. Also, the candy is an added bonus to a day filled with hearts and flowers!