Yesterday I went clothes shopping with my boyfriend and I was very judgemental about one particular pair of jeans he wanted to buy.  I pretty much told him that if he got them, he wasn’t allowed to EVER wear them around me.  He didn’t end up getting them, and this morning I’m feeling a little guilty wondering if I’m a bad girlfriend.

I personally hate shopping for clothes for myself, but have no problem giving my opinion on what he picks out for himself.  He’s a personal trainer and spends the majority of his time in sweats, shorts and t-shirts for work, and jeans and t-shirts the rest of the time.  He always looks great, but I’m always hoping that he branches out and tries some things he wouldn’t normally wear.  I happen to adore men in sweaters, and he did pick out a couple that he looks great in.   I know he did that for me, and here’s where I’m starting to feel like a bad girlfriend.

He saw a pair of jeans that looked like the ones above.  They had  faded spots and over-the-top heavy white stitching.  I absolutely hated them.  He sent a picture to one of his friends who loved them.   After talking him out of them, we were at the register when he decided to run back and get them.  Again, I talked him out of them with a little assistance from our male cashier.

Now I’m feeling guilty.  Who am I to tell him what to wear?  Fashion and style are personal and in my heart, I believe that people should wear what they love and what makes them happy.  Should I feel guilty or was I just trying to be helpful?  I thought I was being helpful, but now I’m not so sure?   Just so you know, he has also told me that something I bought was awful and I never wore it again.

What do you think?  Are you a woman who “helps” her man with what he wears?  Are you a guy whose woman feels the need to tell you what to wear and not wear?  How do you feel about it?  Let me know by leaving a comment!

Just my humble opinion…Pebbles

FYI, we also went furniture shopping for a new couch for his apartment.  He got a good one, but after walking around the store, I realized we have totally different tastes in furniture.  If we end up moving in together…we’re going to have a problem!  LOL

Thanks for reading!

One of the major bonuses of my job is getting to see movies before they hit theaters.  It’s an even bigger bonus when I get to go to the Red Carpet Premiere!  Last night I was able to see Ben Affleck’s new movie The Town.  The movie was shot in Boston and Ben (of course we’re on a first-name basis) did it up in style and had the screening at Fenway Park!  It was an amazing experience and I even got to interview some of the stars of the movie!

Interviews in the video (in order) Boston Hip Hop Artist Slaine, Prince of Thieves author Chuck Hogan (The Town is based on it), Mad Men star Jon Hamm, Gossip Girl star Penn Badgley (there to support his girlfriend Blake Lively), and Ben Affleck. By the way, you’ll get to see me completely lose every thought in my mind interviewing Jon Hamm. He was so hot, I just totally forgot what I wanted to say! LOL

The movie was so good!  And this is coming from someone who watches mostly “chick flicks.”  I did have to turn away during some of the fights and shootings, but it had some great action, car chases, and the acting is amazing!  Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) put in a particularly great performance that even had we Bostonian’s believing he was one of us! I am also extremely happy for Ben Affleck.  It’s so nice to see  him moving on to this next stage in his career as a director/actor/screenwriter, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for him!

Two thumbs up for The Town!  Here’s the trailer in case you haven’t seen it.

Just my humble opinion…Pebbles

Will you be going to see The Town?  I would love to hear from you after you do.  Be sure to come back and leave me a comment!

Today was the first episode of Oprah’s Farewell Season.  I have been an Oprah fan for as long as I can remember, and even though I’ve watched off and on for the past few years, I feel the need to watch as many episodes of this season as I can.  I feel that I need to be a part of the remembrance and the celebration.

I was having a discussion with two guys today…yes guys…about how Oprah Winfrey became OPRAH.   We talked about how she started from nothing, had to endure being raped by a family member, overcame insurmountable obstacles, and went on to become the brand/empire/mogul/phenomenon that she is today.  How did she do it?  My simple answer was that she was able to connect with women on a level that no one had done before her, and may never do again.

John Travolta, voted Oprah’s all-time favorite guest, was on the premiere episode and they showed a clip of him toasting her on her 50th birthday.  This was his toast…

“To the most wonderful person in the world, Oprah Winfrey, our friend. And it’s not just because you went out of your way to make sure that 50,000 underprivileged children in South Africa had their first Christmas gift or that you want to put schools throughout that country, but also because you inject the spirit into our society of life. You care. Your intelligence, your inspiration, and you do it all without judging, and because you treat everyone equally important, and this makes you a great American hero. You represent the best of our country and what’s possible in our country. But, more importantly, you are a citizen of the world, and you are a hero to mankind. So we are better for knowing you, Oprah. We are. And to boot, you are beautiful. You are sexy. You’re talented, and we love you so much we can’t take it.”

These words are what make Oprah so special. They are the reason we will buy anything she tells us to.  Why we will listen to her advice.  Why we will read what she recommends.  Why we were inspired to be “angels” to people we do not know.  And why we will follow her over to her OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) when this season is over.

If today’s episode was any indication of what’s in store for the season, we don’t want to miss a thing.  In addition to John Travolta bringing Oprah out, 300 of her biggest fans were in the audience, Don Johnson stopped by to explain not being able to be on her very first show in 1986, six best friends from Massachusetts on an Oprah-sponsored road trip were driven LIVE (surprise!) onto the set of the show, and oh yeah, she gave every member of the studio audience an all-expense paid trip to Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure!

Even though I know she’s not going away forever, I’m excited for this season.  Not just because of the guests and the advice and the giveaways, but because it’s going to be nice to see Oprah surprised by her staff.  She deserves so much for all that she’s given us, and it’s going to be nice to see all the great things she’s going to be given back.

Just my humble opinion…Pebbles

How has Oprah affected you?  Do you have a favorite Oprah moment?  A favorite guest?  Or are you someone who never understood the hype?  I would love to hear from you.  Leave me a comment!

I came across an article this morning about how “mean girl” behavior isn’t just in high school…it starts a lot earlier.  As I was reading it, so many emotions came to the surface: anger, frustration,  disgust, disappointment, and most of all sadness.  I can’t tell you how many times I hear women and girls say, “I don’t get along with other girls.  I like guys better.”  Really?  What does that say to the women who think they are your friends, and if you think you can get through life without girlfriends, think again!

I truly believe that the genuine friendships and bonds you build with other women, are some of the most valuable relationships you will ever develop in your lifetime.   While I do believe that women can have great friendships with men, I don’t think they replace the friendships of other women.  Female friends offer a bond of understanding that I believe you can only get from other females.  It’s a fact that there are things that men (even gay male friends) will never understand about women, no matter how much they try.  I don’t want to negate the value of male friends because I have quite a few of them myself, but when I need someone to relate to my irrational self-hatred because I can no longer fit into my jeans, only a woman is going to understand that pain!  My guy friends who would say, “Well do something about it…get on the treadmill” are only going to piss me off and send me head-first into a pint of Caramel Cone Haagen-Dazs .  You call it enabling…I call it true friendship.

Men and women are just different.   That’s no surprise, and until women realize that they need other women in their lives, they’re going to be miserable.  Why?  Because there are certain things men will never “get” about women.  I don’t expect them to, and I don’t hold it against them.  Here are just a few examples of things men will never understand about women:

*  Fat clothes

*  Bad hair days

*  There’s no such thing as too many shoes

*  Crying for no apparent reason

*  Needing to talk about the relationship

*  Chick Flicks

*  Why it takes all day to shop for one thing

These are just a few things we need other women for.  In addition, to the silly things listed, it’s our girlfriends that get us through the really tough times in life.  One of my favorite lines from the final episode of the Sex in the City series is when Big says to Carrie’s friends, “You three know her better than anyone. You’re the loves of her life and a guy’s just lucky to come in fourth. ”  Big knew and recognized what I really wish more women would, we need each other.

I’m sure some guys reading this will think that this is a diss on them, and it’s not meant to be.  I just want women to start appreciating what we have in each other.  If you have issues with ALL women, maybe it’s time you look in the mirror and find out why?  And don’t tell me that other women are just jealous of you, because that right there may be your problem.  You could be sending out the vibe that everyone’s jealous of you and not even realize it.

Little girls are watching us.  The article I  talked about at the beginning said that girls as young as four and five are exhibiting “mean girl” behavior, and it’s up to us to show them that girls CAN get along! Little girls need to see healthy, loving friendships between women, and not just on TV, but in their daily lives.  So if you have little sisters, cousins, or daughters of your own, know that they’re watching you.  And speaking of TV…you might want to watch Gossip Girl (which I love, by the way), The Bad Girls Club, or even The Real Housewives, out of the sight of girls.  We may think it’s no big deal, but my guess is that it’s a huge deal.

All I’m asking is that you think about it ladies.  As I told my goddaughter once when she was going through “girl issues,”  you don’t have to have a huge group of girlfriends.  Having one or two TRUE girlfriends are worth their weight in gold.

Just my humble opinion…Pebbles

What about you?  How are your female friendships?  Are they important to you, or do you say that you get along better with guys?  I would love to hear from you!  Please leave a comment!

Thanks for reading!

By Monday, Mo’Nique will most likely be an Oscar winner for her role in Precious.  That’s my prediction.  She’ll get up and give a beautiful speech, make us all cry, and thank God and her husband Sidney.  Ahhh Sidney…after you hear this, a lot of guys will be saying, “That is one lucky dude!”  Not because he’s married to an Oscar winner, but because of her view on marriage.

During Barbara Walters Oscar Special, Mo’Nique revealed (even though I’ve heard this before) that she and her husband basically have an open marriage.  She says, “Could Sid have sex outside of his marriage with me? Yes. That’s not a deal-breaker,” she says. “That’s not something that would make us say, ‘Pack your things and let’s end the marriage.’” She goes on to say that it wouldn’t even matter if it were numerous times.  “What if it’s 20 times?” she asks. “So what? We’ve been best friends for over 25 years, and we truly know who we are. Oftentimes, people get into marriages and they don’t know who they’re laying next to. I’m very comfortable and secure with my husband.”

I will just come out and say that I could not do it.  No way…no how!  It may work for her, and  I’m not a jealous person, but I could not deal with my man having sex with another woman or women.  It made me wonder…why get married at all?  Maybe I’m romanticizing marriage a little too much, but I thought it was supposed to be about sharing your life (and bed) with only one person for the rest of your life.  Does it still mean the same thing or are people now defining it for themselves?

Maybe it’s the latter and people want to make their own rules.  And who are we to say there’s something wrong with that?  I also wonder if there are more people out there doing this, and Mo’Nique is the only one brave enough to talk about it?

What about you?  Could you be in an open marriage?  Are you totally against it?  What do you think about the fact that while Mo’Nique would let Sidney sleep with someone else, she’s not going to do it?  I would love to hear your thoughts…leave me a comment!

Just my humble opinion…Pebbles