My ♥ Belongs To New Edition

I'm only just now recovering from the awesomeness hangover I've had since Tuesday night.

For the last two days various New Edition and K-Ci & Jo Jo songs have been on hot rotation in my head. It's like a New Edition Pandora station in there, and it's as kick-ass as you'd imagine.

Everyone I know, including my poor, down trodden coworkers, have heard the story of my New Edition concert experience like, four times. With dance moves. Because, oh my god you guys, it was soooooo good.

We had a blast. Ninety minutes of dancing, singing, and hollering. And that was me. New Edition still has the moves, the sound and the slinky boy band R&B sex appeal they always had.

They came out on stage and I heard the beat to If Isn't Love and suddenly they were dancing just like they do in the video(!!!!) only on stage in matching suits(!!!!) and I'm not gonna lie, I went total 8th grade in there. Bouncing, screaming, singing. (It's singing when it's at the top of your lungs with everyone else, right?) I'd have probably let a few excited tears slip down my face if Ray hadn't been there.

I seriously almost needed to breathe into a paper bag I was so excited.

They threw it down on all the hits, Candy Girl, Cool It Now, Mr. Telephone Man ... and I picked it up and wiped it all over my face.

Bobby Brown wasn't there of course - We missed you Bobby B! - but NE made their boy proud without missing a beat or a dance step. Johnny Gil filled in for him saying he'd try to do Bobby justice but not to make fun him when he couldn't do Bobby's dance moves. But he sang My Prerogative and Roni like they were his own. They dedicated the show to Whitney and signed "I Heart Bobby Brown" posters for the crowd.

They each performed some of their solo stuff as well, which I loved. Ralph Tresvant had everyone at US Bank Arena singing his hit Sensitivity. Johnny Gill performed his panty-dropper My My My (what's up, Johnny, no Rub You the Right Way?)

But let me tell you, you don't know what living is until you hear the lyric, "Never trust a big butt and smile," live. BBD brought the house down with Poison. (Poison!) (Some how they chose When Will I See You Smile Again over Do Me, but whatever fellas.)

My favorite moment was the laid back, backwards-skate slow-jam, Can You Stand the Rain. I fell in love with strangers. I sang awkwardly to Ray. I stared with longing at the stage while I practically grew 80s mall hair and failed math class.

In my head I'm still singing in dancing in section 110, row O, seat 2.

My plan at the beginning of the night was to get Ray drunk so he'd have more fun. I was worried about him because over Nada tacos before the show I realized that Ray had absolutely clue who New Edition is other than the dudes who sang Candy Girl and Mr. Telephone Man.

"One of them is Bobby Brown, right? And another one is... Nick Lachey?"

Oh. My. God.

I crunched salsa and chips as loud as I could into my mouth to pretend I wasn't hearing what I was hearing. So I decided I'd get him drunk. Everyone has more fun when they're drunk!

But in the process I got kinda drunk too, making myself even more uninhibited and more boy band crazy. Oops.

Honestly, when it comes down to it... give me some R&B crooners, a cute boy to buy me a beer and a concert t-shirt (oh yes, and I'm wearing it to work tomorrow) and I'm pretty much the happiest girl on the planet.

It was the best Valentines ever. And I'm sure for Ray too.

I recorded Can You Stand the Rain with my phone. So if you're interested in hearing me ruin a perfectly awesome New Edition song with occasional screams and singing out of tune (and who wouldn't), you can watch it.

Seven Things

1. In case you missed it, the Giants won the Super Bowl, thanks to my dad's TV. Guess the jinx wasn't lifted after all. Curses.


2. Remember about 5 months ago when I was reading Anna Karenina?

Yeah well, I still am. And even though it's taking me forever, not because it's a long book but because it always takes me forever because I'm a lazy reader, it's really good.

That's right, that classic by Tolstoy is a terrific read. You heard it here first, folks.



Cassius loves it too.


3. Watching the Komen Foundation's PR meltdown is... kinda awesome, isn't it?

I want to be disappointed in them because I like to think organizations that make it their mission to eradicate breast cancer are above the political fray and kowtowing. But they're not. Not even close.

I think ol' Komen has been Krazy for a while.



Shop for the cure, y'all. Fried chicken! Batteries! Yogurt! Toilet paper! Perfume!

Gah. We're all "aware." Thanks.

Every October I find myself in the uncomfortable position of being anti the pink tinting that happens across the US. Too much tas-tas and boobies and pink ribbon teddy bear sloganeering and not enough of the very real shit that does down with cancer and its treatment.

Now ringleader Karen Handel has resigned. Meh. You can't just blame Handel when everyone else (Brinker, I'm looking at you) signed off.

But the question remains - Is restoring their ties to Planned Parenthood and severing them with Handel what Komen believes is right, or what they thought they should do PR-wise?

Either way, think before you pink, y'all.

4. I know all the cool kids are watching Downton Abbey these days, but the Wonder Years (best show EVER) is on The Hub every week night. Set those DVRs immediately for Kevin and Winnie, 60s strife, war and peace and coming of age.



P.S. Every love you've ever known pales in comparison to Kevin's love for Winnie. Fact. So don't even try. It is unparalleled.

5. I haven't had as much time to write lately because hell froze over and that deal I made with the devil to preserve my youth and vitality has come to fruition.

Which is to say instead of spending my evenings sitting on the couch like it's my job I've been doing that thing where you get your heart rate up and sweat and lift heavy things and run around like a crazy person.

"Exercise," I believe, is what the health officials call it. 

Weights. Running. Pilates. Yoga. Barre. Most days since like, November.

I don't know what switch flipped inside the motivation part of my brain, but I'm going with it until it switches back. *cue LMFAO, 'I work ouuuuut.'

Yeah, so I've been working out. Then I've been going home and mining the brownie pieces out of the Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ben & Jerry's, thereby undoing everything good I just did. I'm a winner.



6. I'm gonna be straight floatin' on a boat soon.

I've always been anti-cruise. More like terrified, really… by the people who cruise, I mean; not the boats or the water or being at sea.

Now I guess I will be one of those terrifyingly spoiled people climbing a rock wall on a ship, demanding booze, constant stimulation and attention from the staff.

Contrived "fun," woo hoo! (Also see: New Years Eve, birthdays, Las Vegas.)

But, I was told there would be cake all the fruit I can eat. So... I'm really excited about it now that it's planned.



I'm taking T-Pain.

7. I feel bad about about the dead polar bears who must be littering the Arctic right now with their thawing bodies, but hasn't winter been great?



At first I wanted it to blizzard at least once so I could call into work "trapped" and go sled in the park across the street - you can sled right into a drainage ditch - but now I don't even want that anymore.

That little bit of snow we got this morning was juuuust perfect.