Five Things 1.31.14

In an attempt to post more regularly on my blog and to expand the scope a little,  I am reinstating this feature from way back when  I started this blog (a.ka. the summer of 2012).  I am hoping that this will give me a chance to talk about all the things I am currently obsessed with: what I'm watching, eating, reading, buying (or lusting after), listening to, etc. 

1. True Detective:  Can we just get it over with and declare 2014 the year of McConaughey?  Seriously, with this and his recent film performances he has been on fire and by the end of this year he may be halfway to an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony).   Plus he is killing it on the red carpet this year (no boring tuxedos for him). And he is burning up the screen each week in HBO's new series, True Detective.  On the surface the show is about two very different detectives  (Woody Harrelson is the yin to McConaughey's yang and also doing solid work, but 2014 is not the year of Harrelson.  Sorry, Woody)  trying to solve a grisly murder.
But the show is really about religion, philosophy, gender roles, mental illness and a hell of a lot more.  McConaghuey is electric in flashback and present day as Rust Cohle, a cop who is brilliant but troubled  (that's an understatement) in the past and a f*#$ing crazy person in the present. He is repulsive, unhinged and creepy as hell in the present and smoldering, repressed and creepy as hell in the past but with both versions of Kohle, he maintains a level of magnetism that means you can't take your eyes off of him.  And damn, that man knows how to wear a button down shirt. 

FLAWLESS!

2. Beyoncé  at the Grammy's.  First of all K, don't you dare roll your eyes. Yes, K doesn't get my obsession with Beyonce, but clearly he is a philistine.  On Sunday night, I saw on Twitter that Beyoncé was opening the Grammy's with Jay-Z and I knew I had to watch.  When K tried to talk to me during that amazing few moments, I told him, "I can't believe you would even try to talk to me when I'm watching Beyoncé!".\  Drunk in Love isn't my favorite song on her new album (Partition, Blow and Flawless are better in my opinion) but she looked hot and her voice sounded sick and she showed that you don't need theatrical sets (like K's beloved Katy Perry), backup dancers or crazy costumes.   Obviously she woke up like this. 

3.  This awesome light fixture is just what I think we need for our bedroom!  

4.  Sympathy vs. Empathy:  I have been obsessed with Brene Brown's TED Talk on vulnerability since I heard it on the TED Radio Hour a few months ago.  She has opened my eyes to a way of embracing something I was always (and still am) afraid to be and this video about the power of empathy really made me think about how sometimes I think I'm being empathetic but I'm really just being sympathetic and not opening myself up to connection with another person.  This little video is just a taste of Brene Brown and her wisdom and it inspired me to consciously try to be more empathetic in my life.  I will let you know how it goes! 

5.  Ina Garten's Company Pot Roast.  I have made this amazing dish twice this winter already after having it with my family. I make fun of The Barefoot Contessa for her privilege, her huge house in the Hamptons, her possibly gay husband and her shunts (part shirt, part tent), but really I am terribly jealous of all of them (well, maybe not the shents).  It is the best pot roast I have ever had and actually pretty easy to make.  I think before it warms up we will have to have it at least once more!


Julie