The Blind Side

I think this will go down in my history of top free deals!

The Blind Side opened last Friday 20th to rave reviews. I was lucky enough to get to see it earlier, because I had free tickets to a preview on the 17th. This was my 3rd free movie this year. In NYC movies average about $12 per ticket, so far have saved approximately $72!

"The Blind Side" depicts the remarkable true story of Michael Oher, ahomeless African-American youngster from a broken home, taken in by the Touhys, a well-to-do white family who help him fulfill his potential. At the same time, Oher's presence in the Touhys' lives leads them to some insightfulself-discoveries of their own. Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. As a football player and student, Oher works hard and, with the help of his coaches and adopted family, becomes an All-American offensive left tackle. In the latest chapter of his inspiring story, Oher was a First Round draft pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, selected by the Baltimore Ravens. The Touhys were there to share the moment with him." ~Anonymous from IMDB

I was prepared to enjoy the free movie and was fairly excited for this movie in general. What I didn't know was that I would be attending the premiere! Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and the real life Touhys were all in attendance. We didn't see Tim or Faith, but Sandra was not sitting too far away. I could actually hear her speaking from where I was sitting.

The premier was held in a HUGE theatre. It even had a balcony level. The tickets had seat assignments on them and somehow my roommate and I scored prime seats. Free popcorn and soda were distributed. I wish I had known this was the premiere, because I felt a little under dressed.

I've never been to the premiere of any movie before and some cool aspects were:

• The unusually large crowd. I have never seen so many people in one movie theatre. A good group usually enhances the movie experience.
• Lots of clapping and cheering. When the producers, actors, etc. are actually there watching the movie with you there is a lot of congratulating going on. You can feel the happiness and satisfaction of a job well done in the air.
• A lot more laughing. Maybe it was due to the crowd size, but the overall experience seemed more enjoyable.

My only beef with the movie was the loud girl behind me that I will refer to as Captain Obvious. She talked to her friend through a large portion of the movie. It was extremely annoying.

I found the movie itself to be entertaining. I quickly lost track of time and was drawn into the story. It is a great message and the fact that it is a true story which recently happened further compounds it. It is also very witty and lighthearted, despite the difficulty of the situation. There were definitely moments where I became choked up, but I just had to keep telling myself that I know it has a happy ending. I left feeling inspired.

Needless to say, I had an awesome night and it cost $0. (Although afterwards I did end up grabbing dinner with my roommate and then taking a cab home for a total cost of $18.)

11/21 Save 50% on a full priced item at Old Navy

I visit Old Navy a lot. It's a great place for cheap staples, even when they're not having a sale. When a sale is on, all bets are off. Just the other week I bought a new denim jacket and a pair of black jeans for under $30. (I know I shouldn't be spending on myself right now, but who can pass that up?) I combined the 50% off outerwear sale with the 30% off purchase Gap/Old Navy/Banana Republic friends and family coupon.

I try to keep up on their sales and they even offer text alerts. One text alert just came through:

Go to Gobblepalooza.com for a one-per-person VIP deal on 11/21. Make a band logo, print & bring to a U.S. Old Navy store. Save 50% on a full priced item.

You do not require any type of artistic experience for this logo. You just need to know how to type your last name and click a few buttons. You will also get a coupon for $10 off $50 or more to use on Thanksgiving. I had no idea Old Navy would be open on Thanksgiving!

THE dress buy of the season, an offer I couldn't pass up!

I have been slacking on the posting, yet I've had many shopping triumphs this month. (My friends have been making fun of me lately, because I find saying "shopping triumph" to be extremely satisfying.)

The Daily Asker actually linked to my blog based on a comment I made about shopping in Soho. It has probably been one of my most amazing fashion triumphs to date. I feel bad for not posting earlier. Thankfully she has motivated me. (Not to mention I wrote out most of my story as a comment on her blog earlier.)

For those of you that don't know I work in Soho. (The following is a brief synopses of Soho's past based on my general knowledge, totally off the cuff, so don't quote me on accuracy!) In the past Soho was a run down area filled with warehouse space. It wasn't very safe and if you've ever seen older pictures it wasn't very pretty. Artists flocked to Soho due to the availability of large, lofty spaces and cheap rental units. Over the years it became hip to live in Soho. It's slowly been gentrified, been cleaned up, and is now a shopping mecca. Most major designers have a store in Soho.

Pretty much any clothing store imaginable is within walking distance from my office. This is not so good when it comes to walking around during lunch. I almost always find myself shopping on the way to Rite Aid, the bank, or other errands. In fact usually I'm so shopped out during the week, I'm not very motivated to shop on the weekends. The constant bombardment of clothes and trendy dressers walking around outside can really wear a girl out!

Last week I was on my lunch break and heading over to my shoe guy in order to give some old heels an extended life. (How frugal, right?) I was walking down Lafayette and somewhere between Prince and Houston I noticed a sample sale. Beautiful Cole Haan coats called me in for just a peek. (Just a peek since I should be buying Christmas presents and not spending on myself.)

On a rack of $50 Oscar dresses I found one random Marchesa dress. Despite the warning signs that I had no idea how much it cost and it was a size smaller than I normally wear I figured, heck, I might as well try it on. As I was maneuvering the dress over my head, I was simultaneously Googling the original price on my cell. If it fit I would have two options; I could keep the dress to myself or attempt to sell on eBay and if it didn't sell I'm sure I'd find a use for it. If it didn’t fit, I would just continue on to my shoe guy.

Needless to say the dress fit. It is a little tight around my hips, not in unflattering way but more of a makes it hard to move way. It turns out the sample sale prices was $50. My Google search revealed it originally retailed for $600! Of course I had to buy. After modeling for various friends, the verdict was it's too pretty and I looked too amazing in it to sell. I can't say I wasn't tempted though. Most eBay sellers were trying to unload the dress for about $200. That would be a huge dent towards Christmas gifts!

I already have the holiday party in mind that I'll be wearing this beauty. It will be perfect, because the party won't involve dancing or much sitting. My dress's fate is to stay in my closet. I've been stealing peeks at it every time I open the door. I feel like Gollum with his ring, "Oh my preeetty."

Here it is. Images, prices, and copy borrowed from Netaporter.com.

The trompe l'oeil technique is used to stunning effect in this dress by Notte by
Marchesa. The pearl detailing makes for a dressier piece that can be worn at
night whilst its simple shape is perfect for day. Shown here with a Fendi bag, Jimmy Choo shoes and a Tom Binns cuff. 100% silk; lining:
100% acetate. Dry clean only. US sizing.

Flat View

On Mannequin V1

On Mannequin V2

From the Back (I might try wearing this dress backwards)

Close Up of Pearl Detail

Taking Some Action

I've been feeling a bit lonely lately...lonely in terms of dating that is. Thankfully I have 2 roommates that are awesome, so I never have to worry about not being surrounded by friends. My love life on the other hand, could use some work, or at least some men that actually live in New York City. For some reason I keep meeting guys who live far away and each one lives further than the last.

Admittedly my main source of meeting potential romances is at bars. I know it's cliche and awful. It's not that I haven't tried other methods. I play a social sport every season and have done the whole online thing. I scoured my brain for something new and painless. I finally opted for a cooking class. I love cooking, although I will admit since I only cook for one, the big extravagant meals are few and far between. At any rate I figured worse comes to worse I learn to make something new and get a good meal out of it.

I signed up through a singles website that runs various activities throughout the year. There are quite a few that I've been wanting to try. If I'm going to take a cooking class, cooking with a group of singles is the way to go! Even if there aren't any guys, I can make some new female friends. We are going to be making spaghetti and meatballs and gnocchi. I'm not sure how this is possible but meatballs is something I've never tackled. I've also never made gnocchi. I was debating an attempt at gnocchi last week, so it worked out perfectly.

The cost was $60, which is a reasonable price for a cooking class. I've been planning on taking some at the Institute of Culinary Education next year. Their one day classes run for about $100 each.

MIA

I've been a bit MIA since last week. Tuesday was my birthday and I had off work from then until today. I hardly used my computer and it was a nice break. I'm struggling a bit with the age, because this will be the final year of my 20's. I've been feeling a bit lonely and the age reminder was/is not helping.

I came back to work today to find my DKNY coat sitting at my desk and it fits perfectly. I can't get over what a great deal it was. My only problem is that I didn't think how a grey herringbone coat would go with my black herringbone hat. They might look a bit funny together. My head is unusually small and finding a cute winter hat is nearly impossible for me. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about that. I truly love that hat which was an $8 purchase from Loehmann's about 2 years ago.