Star Studded Writer's Retreat

Okay, okay, I'm not really in New York City on a writer's retreat. But I have gotten some writing done here, which i consider an accomplishment, given the rest of my time has been spent celebrating my friend Maggie's graduation from NYU and gaping at celebrities.

Yes, that's right folks, this time I've seen the big ones. (Although technically, Fabio was much larger than any new celebrities I've seen, but still, these guys are way more famous)

We're staying at the Mercer Hotel, which is so famous it doesn't even need a sign out front. And apparently a lot of celebrities stay here, which I now can confirm as being true.

One day, Maggie spotted two very famous girls having lunch at a table in the lobby and gave me the high sign, which consisted of a text message saying "Olsen twins in lobby." I immediately rushed downstairs and pretended to be not be looking at the two twins made famous by Full House. Yes, boys and girls, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.

They were dining (and by dining I mean picking at their salads) and wearing sunglasses indoors. A definite sign of celebrity right there. So I ogled them for a while, until they finished not eating their food and left.

And then, the very next day, I happened to be standing around waiting for our group to get its act together when Zach Braff breezes through the lobby on his way out. Personally, this a way more exciting celebrity spotting than the Olsen twins. I loved Garden State and I think Scrubs is by far the most hilarious doctor show out there.

Later, Maggie informed me that she'd also seen Zach Braff... in fact that he'd been on his way out as the Olsen twins were on their way in and the three of them had stopped and chatted briefly in the doorway.

We then had great fun imagining what the conversation would have been like.

Mary-Kate: Zach! Hi!
Ashley: OMG!
Zach: Woah.
MK: So, like, you're famous. We're famous too.
Ashley: Like, way famous.
Zach: Yeah, I'm definitely famous. Aren't you glad we're all celebrities?

I mean, seriously, what would those three have in common besides being famous? And what would they say to each other in the lobby of the Mercer Hotel?

Which, by the way, Nicest. Hotel. EVAR!

And now I'm done with my excitement and I've blessed you all with this exciting news.

I'm not dead!

Ha, ha. Remember me? The other blogger on this supposedly "dueling" blog? Yeah, now it's becoming clear. I really did intend to post on Sunday to make up for my pathetic post from last Friday. And then I didn't. :) And then I was going to post a reponse to Sonja's, like I'm supposed to. But then I didn't. Because I suck. And so now that JB actually reminded me to post, I see that Sonja went ahead and posted again because I was such a giant slacker. Oops. My bad!

But on the bright side, I did survive moving. Without Sonja's help :) Actually, the move went quite smoothly and we were done early. But then JB and I had to drive to Greensboro for my birthday present. Which was a giant pain in the whole "Oh god, I'm so tired and now we have to dress up and drive an hour to see a show" kind of way, but once we got there and the show started, it was Awesome! JB got me tickets to the Dancing With the Stars Live Show -- which is touring around right now, and it was so much fun. Not to mention that I knew one of the guys who danced in part of it - so that was a lot of fun. The only downside was the psychotic group of women sitting directly behind us who were obsessed with Drew Lachey (or however you spell his name) and started shrieking everytime he got anywhere near the stage. Still, fabulous present from my honey. It was SO 5!

My bestest bud Sonja also gave me a fabulous present: of some earrings... that are literally so 5. Well, technically so 6, given there are 3 stars on each earring. But I'm willing to overlook that for the sake of symbolism. I'd post a picture, but, honestly, after the move, i have no idea where my stuff is. I can find my camera, probably, but finding the SD card reader to get it posted to the internets is a whole 'nother issue. So imagine pretty dangling stars :)

In other Skye news, JB and I are all moved in with my brother - fabulous guy that he is, letting us stay with him until we actually decide to stop being freeloaders and move across the country. Maybe someday.

In writing news: There is no writing news. Haven't even thought about writing. I mean, I didn't even get around to writing on my blog! Some day, though, I will. I promise.

I agree that the weather yesterday sort of sucked. The rain was a bummer. It didn't even freeze or anything! But there was a brief glorious instant where I was sitting inside and it was snowing outside and all was well with the world. But then it got all melty. Which was sad. On the plus side, I did convince Bryn that he should stay home from work and play with us in the snow.

Speaking of Bryn, I think we (Sonja and I) need a nickname for him. Given he seems to be our one and only reader :) That obviously merits something.

Alright, I think that's it for now. I swear I'm back on schedule... at least until I go traveling again :) Which isn't for at least a week.

P.S. I think I win for most labels this time!

Almost Famous

Oh my god, I just met Skye for lunch and she got me the greatest present ever. It is so 5. Wanna see it? Of course you do:

Click it, because it won't let me save the image.

Did you click it? Didja? It's my wonderful Photoshop-impaired banner, printed on a t-shirt! I have the bestest friend ever. Also, if you want one, buy it, dude. $16.95 to spread the So 5 love. Does that mean we're official, now that we have So 5 merchandise? I submit that it does. Welcome to official-ness.

We are super duper official because we are also now on TheBestStuffInTheWorld.com. Alright, yeah, I put us there. But still. It counts.

Sorry, I know this post has been all over the place, but I just have one more thing to add: We got, like, a billion hits the day Skye posted about Fabio. So thanks everybody! You made us feel all warm and squishy and lurved.

Famous-People Impaired

So, if you haven't read Skye's last post, scroll down and read it now. I totally mean it. Because it's just so 5. Have you read it yet? Good. Now I shall tell you why this sort of thing never happens to me:

I never recognize famous people.

Here's an example. Last year, at the RWA Conference in Atlanta, Skye and I were on a lunch break, browsing around at the (rather unimpressive) mall next door. We wandered into a jewelry shop and, while Skye sent me meaning-filled silent glances, all of which I missed, I stared at the pretty sparklies.

When we left the store, she said, "Wow! Our first Nora sighting!"

I, being totally clueless, said, "Nora? Where?"

Skye, my ever-patient friend, said, "Oh jeez. She was the woman in there talking about how she wasn't going to feel bad for buying 2 pairs of earrings and blah blah blah."

And I went, "That was Nora Roberts?"

Sure enough, when I turned to gawk at her (which I'm sure she didn't mind in the least), I confirmed Skye's report.

"Huh. She looks skinnier in person," I, Sonja the ever-wise, remarked.

Not that I would have recognized her even if she looked just like her back cover picture because, like I said, I don't recognize famous people. In some ways, I'm sure that makes me miss out on a lot of stuff, but there's a bright side...

Did you ever see that old movie, Singin' in the Rain? At the beginning, the famous guy asks out the chorus-line dancer and she flatly turns him down. To top it off, she has no idea who the heck he is. And this makes her all the more charming and irresistible to him. So I'm going with the theory that not recognizing famous people makes me charming and irresistible.

Glass half full, remember?

Romance and Celebrity Sightings

While I am ecstatically happy for Sonja and her request for a full (which is SO 5), I can top that with my news. I have touched Greatness. Or, actually, I was sort of sitting near Greatness in the LA airport. And okay, not really Great, but more like Well-Known, but Creepy.

Yes, that's right folks, I had a celebrity sighting of the one and only Fabio. I'll pause for gasps of shock and awe.

So anyways, I was sitting there, during our 3 hour layover in LA and reading a book (romance novel, natch, but i don't remember which one) and I hear someone asking to take a picture. I look around and all I can see is a very tall person posing with someone (I hesitate to admit that at first i thought it was a very tall woman, because of the hair). So i keep paying attention, wondering who it is, and finally he sits down and i get a partial look at his face (i was sort of sitting behind him). And i think to myself, "Self, I think that might be Fabio."

JB (who had thus far been off getting a soda and therefore not a part of this story) wanders back and sits down next to me and I say, sotto voice, "Hon, I think Fabio is sitting behind you." He smirks and looks around. "Huh." he says, wittily. And then, joy of joys, my suspicions are confirmed when Fabio whips out his cell phone and proceeds to listen to his voice mail ON SPEAKERPHONE. "Hi Fabio, it's Joanna... Just calling to see how you're doing." Yep. Definitely Fabio. Let's ignore for a fact just how pretentious listening to your voice mail on speakerphone in the middle of the LA airport is, and focus on how lucky I am to be basking in the glow of the most famous male model of all time. Renowned for his romance novel covers. Lucky me.

Of course, even before this moment, I kind of thought he was creepy and now I think he's a total tool for listening to his voice mail on speakerphone, but whatever. My year is complete. The rest of the year is downhill from here.

And no, before you ask, I didn't get a picture with him, because I don't want to be That Girl. But you can ask my honey, JB, he was there. He saw the man, the myth, the Comanche Warrior, Fabio. Did you know he apparently "writes" romance novels now too? Scary.